Lin Wei, now possessing the power of a low-level Foundation Establishment cultivator and the Void Step Array, prepared to make his move. He knew of the city's largest wealth concentration: the Jade Gates Annual Auction, held by the dominant trading clan.
He had no intention of buying anything. He was going to sell.
Using the remaining waste materials from Elder Zhi's theft, and utilizing the refinement powers of the Void Eye, Lin Wei secretly processed a handful of the dirtiest, lowest-quality Spiritual Stones he had left—stones barely useful to a Qi Condensation cultivator—and ran them through the Edict multiple times.
The Edict violently stripped away the immense impurities and compressed the meager remaining Qi. The result was not a high-grade stone, but something far more valuable in the black market: a Perfectly Pure Low-Grade Stone. It contained no impurities, making it ideal for young or fragile cultivators. It was a marvel of refinement.
He disguised his identity heavily, donning a heavy, enchanted mask that hid his Qi fluctuations, and offered his single, perfect stone to the auction house.
The Chief Appraiser, a meticulous Elder, studied the stone. "Impossible. This stone has zero impurity residue. It's a low-grade stone, but its purity is flawless. Where did you obtain this refinement technique?"
"A lost technique," Lin Wei replied in a rough, disguised voice. "I can produce one hundred of these 'Pure Stones' per week. I require no payment in money. I require High-Grade Spiritual Stones in return, and exclusive access to purchase your discarded, impure Spiritual Stones."
The Appraiser's eyes widened. This was an opportunity. They often had vast amounts of impure or flawed stones that sold for pennies. Buying them cheaply, having them purified, and selling them as "Pure Stones" was a gold mine.
"You have a deal, masked cultivator," the Appraiser said, his greed overriding his caution. "We will pay you ten High-Grade Stones for every batch of one hundred Pure Stones you deliver. And you get first refusal on our waste material."
Lin Wei smiled beneath his mask. He had just secured a legitimate (to the market, anyway) and massive resource pipeline. He would turn trash into treasure, fueling his Foundation Establishment stage with the impurity of the world.
He left the auction house with a contract in hand, ready to start his new life as the mysterious 'Pure Stone Master'—a rogue cultivator who used the world's waste to power his ascent toward immortality. The Azure Sky Sect was a distant threat, and the true test of the cultivation world had just begun.