The towering gates of Stoneheart City loomed before them—ancient gray stone etched with the scars of countless battles, wind-worn and timeless.
Madam Li tilted her head slightly, looking up at Lin Yun with quiet curiosity.
"So… what do we do now?"
Lin Yun's lips curved into the faintest of smiles—barely there, gone in a breath.
"First," he said calmly, "we eat until our hearts are satisfied."
He lifted a small leather pouch. It jingled softly with the weight of coins.
Madam Li blinked.
"Where did all this money come from?"
"A friend gave it to me," Lin Yun replied without hesitation.
Inside, his thoughts were colder, more precise.
When I dealt with that Jade River disciple, I simply took it. The old man's Shadow Phantom Step really is useful.
They found a modest inn near the eastern gate. Lin Yun paid for two rooms, ordered hot food—steaming bowls of noodle soup, braised meat, fresh steamed buns—and asked the staff to prepare provisions for several days.
After settling Madam Li in her room with clean bedding and a warm basin of water, Lin Yun slipped out alone into the city.
The streets were alive—merchants shouting prices, children darting between carts, the air thick with the scent of grilled meat and incense. But beneath the noise, Lin Yun felt the thinness of spiritual energy here. It was like breathing through wet cloth—barely enough to sustain even basic cultivation.
His thoughts turned inward as he walked.
My realm is still too low. If that woman hadn't been injured, the fight would have been difficult. Even random spiritual beasts are stronger than me right now. On this slave continent, qi is scarce. Replenishing the Blessed Land takes days… I can't rely on it to forge more Immortal Cells quickly.
I have no proper combat techniques. No spirit stones. Only Qi Refining Fourth Layer. At this rate… how do I grow?
He returned to the market square and found the same old storyteller sitting on a low stool, voice cracked but steady as he spun tales for a handful of coins.
Lin Yun dropped a few silvers into the man's bowl.
"Tell me a real story," he said quietly. "Not myths. Something… supernatural."
The old man's eyes narrowed. He leaned closer, voice dropping to a whisper.
"There was a merchant family—small, but ambitious. They found a strange stone relic in the outer quarries. It pulsed with power no one could explain. They displayed it at a private auction… and the next morning, the entire clan was gone. Servants, children, guards—vanished like smoke. Some say they angered the heavens. Others say a cultivator wanted the stone and erased them from existence."
Lin Yun's golden eyes flickered.
"Where did they find the stone?"
The old man pointed toward the western edge of the market.
"The stone market. Rough gambling. Most stones are worthless. A few… contain treasures."
Lin Yun nodded once and left without another word.
The stone market was chaos—vendors shouting, hammers cracking, dust in the air. Men and women crowded around tables piled with raw, dull rocks.
Lin Yun activated his Golden Eyes.
At first—nothing.
Then—a faint pulse. Weak, but real.
He bought the small, unremarkable stone for a handful of coins.
The vendor grinned.
"Don't you want to cut it open here? See if you're lucky?"
Lin Yun shook his head.
"It's just a souvenir."
Back at the inn, Madam Li looked up from her bowl of tea.
"Where did you go this time?"
"Stone gambling," Lin Yun replied evenly.
She frowned.
"That's a dangerous habit. Most people lose everything."
He nodded once—acknowledging the warning—then placed the stone on the table.
With a gentle press of his finger, the outer shell cracked open.
Inside lay a faintly glowing crystal—low-grade spirit stone, dim but steady.
Madam Li gasped softly.
"A low-grade spirit stone… you're lucky."
Lin Yun studied the crystal.
"So you know about spirit stones?"
She nodded.
"They're essential to cultivators. Used as currency and for cultivation. There are three grades: low, medium, high. One mid-grade stone is worth about a thousand low-grade ones."
Lin Yun stored the crystal in his spatial space.
That night passed quietly.
The next day, he returned to the stone market—again and again. Each time, his Golden Eyes found only low-grade stones. Nothing more.
He made a decision.
I need to follow the merchants. If I want better stones, I must find their source.
Far above the distant forest—where Lin Yun's flying boat had once crashed—three figures in black robes hovered silently against the clouds.
One of them spoke, voice cold and mechanical.
"I have reported the incident to the Alliance. A temporary search order has been issued. We will locate the owner of that flying boat."
The wind howled.
Somewhere below, in the bustling streets of Stoneheart City, destiny slowly began to tighten its net.
End of Chapter
hey readers if you like this chapter please write a comment give review so more readers will know about this novel !