Gateway of Immortality

Chapter 179: The Black Market

The so-called spiritual spring objects are those things upon which a spiritual spring depends during its formation.@@@@

Constantly nourished by the spiritual spring day and night, these objects undergo a transformation from ordinary materials into spiritual spring objects and remain in the world as the foundation of the spiritual spring.

For example, if a spiritual spring forms on a tree root, that root will transform into a spiritual spring object. If it forms on a rock, that rock becomes a spiritual spring object.

Of course, there are also spiritual springs that form in the void without any specific spiritual spring objects.

If a spiritual spring is destroyed or depleted for some reason, its spiritual spring object may still survive.

Though spiritual springs are rare, countless years have passed, and it’s inevitable that some spiritual spring objects have been discovered. Indeed, a few of these depleted spiritual spring objects still circulate within the realm of immortal cultivation.

While these depleted spiritual spring objects can’t be used in artifact refinement or alchemy, they’re often considered curious relics due to their unique formation, and many people are interested in collecting them.

The author of Secret Dragon-Searching Techniques speculated that such spiritual spring objects could help accelerate the formation of a new spiritual spring. Unfortunately, though he managed to acquire a spiritual spring object, he never found a spiritual spring that had yet to fully form.

Because it’s challenging for spiritual springs to form, yet they reach maturity relatively quickly, most cultivators have the patience to wait. Moreover, from the moment a spiritual spring begins to form, the spiritual energy within a cave dwelling becomes exceptionally dense, more than sufficient to sustain a cultivator's training.

Qin Sang’s circumstances, however, were different. The Primordial Spirit Sword Nourishment required a combination of intense combat and cultivation. Yet in Yuncang Marshlands, most demonic beasts hid underwater. Each time he went out to search for them, it would delay him significantly. And if he were to spar with fellow disciples, the constraints of friendly combat would make it almost ineffective.

Apart from the Ancient Immortal Battlefield, it was nearly impossible to find another place to meet these conditions.

...

Wenyue Market, Tianhen House.

Tianhen House was the most renowned shop among the four major markets near Shaohua Mountain, backed by the largest immortal cultivation family in Wenyue Market, the Yu Family. The Yu Family’s success had some unspeakable yet undeniable connections with Shaohua Mountain.

The shop was best known for its monthly auction, which featured countless rare treasures and attracted many powerful cultivators. However, Qin Sang wasn’t there for the auction this time.

However, Attendant Zhang had also told Qin Sang that, in his decades at Tianhen House, he had never seen such an item.

"Let’s do what we can and leave the rest to fate. If I still can’t find it, I’ll stick to the original plan." Qin Sang sighed inwardly, quickening his pace as he headed to Shopkeeper Wu's store.

Luckily, Shopkeeper Wu was in. While chatting, Qin Sang mentioned his frustrations, and Shopkeeper Wu chuckled. "Daoist Qin, if you’re looking to buy a fresh Ghost Feather at Tianhen House, it’s actually normal not to find one. First, the Ghost Eagle is a dark and sinister demonic beast that dwells deep within the Tianduan Mountains, where the yin energy is the densest—a territory claimed by demonic cultivators. Second, the Ghost Feather, taken from the crest of a Ghost Eagle, contains a unique yin fire and is a rare material for artifact refinement. Yet, for righteous cultivators, this yin fire isn’t very useful and may even damage artifacts. In fact, older feathers with the yin fire depleted are more popular. My master left me some contacts for gathering spiritual materials, so if you need, I can arrange for a batch. But if you’re in a hurry, the price may be high."

Qin Sang was thrilled upon hearing this. "Thank you very much, Daoist Wu! As long as I can obtain it, price won’t be an issue. I will certainly reward you generously."

He then went on to share his search for depleted spiritual spring objects with Shopkeeper Wu.

"If Tianhen House doesn’t have what you need, other legitimate stores probably won’t either. But I do know of two other channels...”

Shopkeeper Wu cautiously closed the shop door and leaned in, whispering, "One of them is the Black Market."

"The Black Market?"

Qin Sang had heard of the Black Market, where it was said that one could sometimes find quality items—even better than those at Tianhen House auctions. However, many of the items there had questionable origins. In other words, the Black Market was essentially a place to fence stolen goods.

Wu Yuesheng had some artifacts that Qin Sang couldn’t use, but selling them at Wenyue Market would be a blatant disregard for Shaohua Mountain. He’d have to wait until he entered the Ancient Immortal Battlefield to offload them.

Hermit Baiyun’s artifacts, on the other hand, were quite common, so selling them posed no issue, but their low quality meant they wouldn’t fetch much on the Black Market.

Thus, Qin Sang had neither any questionable items to fence nor an urgent need for anything, so he hadn’t actively sought out the Black Market.

As a long-time resident of Wenyue Market, it wasn’t surprising that Shopkeeper Wu knew about it.

However, depleted spiritual spring objects weren’t particularly valuable, so even the black market might not have any in stock.