Chapter 632: A Wager for Survival at the Market

He had thought there wouldn’t be any more unexpected gains from this transaction, but with just two hours to go before the deal wrapped up, the elusive Zhou Ping from the Luofu Sword Sect finally turned up on the third floor of the inn.

He looked like he’d just crawled through hell—a mess after a brutal battle, his skin scorched black and, most alarming of all, a horrifying wound had torn open his chest, almost shearing it in half. You could just make out the faint rhythm of his organs pulsing inside.

It was obvious the wound had already received some emergency treatment, but it was so severe that blood was still seeping out nonstop.

Zhou Ping was a regular at the Market—a good guy by most accounts, with strong ties to the older crowd. Seeing him in this state, Deku’en, Ailong, Luke, and several others hurried straight over.

“Brother Zhou Ping, what happened to you!”

“Save the questions—this is bad. Does anyone have healing medicine or abilities?”

A group of creatures carefully supported Zhou Ping, their concern written all over their faces—this wasn’t just for show.

As people called out for help, a Fifth-Tier Treant stepped forward and, using their unique racial ability, gave Zhou Ping a thread of pure life energy.

Visibly, Zhou Ping’s ghostly pale face improved and the bleeding at his chest eased up a bit.

But that was just what the others could see. Only Zhou Ping himself, and Song Chi—blessed with Dominion Power at the eighth tier—realized it was little more than a surface fix. That pure life energy had some effect, sure, but for wounds this deep, it wasn’t nearly enough.

Right now, Zhou Ping’s very soul was flickering. If things kept going this way, he’d die for good in just a few more minutes.

He managed to thank the Treant, then, with no time to care about appearances, turned and called out to everyone present from among the crowd of Starsea foreigners.

“Zhou Ping of the Primeval Continent—I beg the Market Master, King Dinghai, to intervene!”

As he spoke, he slapped his hand on the storage pouch at his waist.

Meanwhile, Song Chi, watching from a godlike perspective, felt a ripple of anticipation flicker in his eyes.

But his brow quickly furrowed again.

The item Zhou Ping took out wasn’t some rare Starsea oddity or treasure. It was a strange square ice crystal.

“Is that… an ice coffin made from ten-thousand-year black ice?”

But the main event wasn’t the coffin—it was the figure sealed inside.

“Zhou Ping, is that someone high up from your Luofu Sword Sect?”

Song Chi didn’t have to wonder long, as another outsider asked the question everyone was thinking.

A bitter smile crossed Zhou Ping’s pale face as he explained.

“That’s the head of our Sword Sect!”

“No way…”

Someone nearby exclaimed in shock. Most of the Market regulars knew enough about the Luofu Sword Sect—how its sect leader achieved the sixth stage, known as Return-to-Void, centuries ago. On the Primeval Continent, where the highest level was six, people like him were among the strongest.

The bitterness in Zhou Ping’s eyes deepened.

“Our sect just doesn’t have deep roots. Other top orthodoxies on the continent used to be limited by their environment, but after the Ascension Platform linked us to the old Immortal Continent ruins, their Return-to-Void cultivators started trying for True Immortal. Over two centuries, several have succeeded.”

He shifted his tone, voice growing heavier.

“The sect master and I were attacked by outsiders while exploring a ruin. That’s how we ended up like this… cough, cough!”

The excitement was too much. He didn’t even finish before a violent cough racked him and blood gushed from his mouth and nose. The small improvement he’d shown a moment ago vanished in an instant.

By now, the onlookers realized for sure his wounds were far worse than he’d let on.

Once he’d managed to catch his breath, Zhou Ping knew he couldn’t delay another second. He gave his storage pouch another light tap.

This time, what he pulled out drew stares from every alien nearby.

“Even so, our Sword Sect has had some good fortune these past years. I’m willing to offer up this black cauldron to His Majesty—as long as he’ll save the two of us!”

Every stare homed in on the black-glowing cauldron in Zhou Ping’s hands, eyes blazing with desire. Silence fell as everyone held their breath for a response.

In the crowd, Song Chi, taking the form of a Blueblood, had already identified every detail about this black cauldron in an instant.

[Oddity: Creation Eight Trigram Furnace—Damaged]

[Rank: Black]

[Convertible: {Creation Eight Trigram Furnace—Damaged}]

[Note: An inherited immortal artifact from the ancient Immortal Domain, Supreme Palace. Its powers are mysterious and unimaginable. Unfortunately, it’s missing the critical Six Ding Divine Fire within the furnace.]

……

Creation Eight Trigram Furnace—Damaged lv0

Rank: Black

Trait: Essence Pill (Sealed)

Trait 2: Spirit-Nourishing Pill (Sealed)

Trait 3: Bloodline Ascension Pill (Sealed)

Trait 4: Genesis Creation Pill (Sealed)

Trait 5: Breakthrough Immortal Pill (Sealed)

Trait 6: Threefold Golden Body Pill (Sealed)

Consumption: 300 Eon Energy Points/sec

Effect: When installed aboard a battleship, the ship will radiate ‘Furnace’ light. Everyone on board will be continuously tempered, strengthening both body and mind.

No charging or cooldown required.

Upgrade requirements: 300 wisps of zero-grade Floating-land Origin, 3,000 Eon Energy Points, 10kg of Flame Copper.

Note: This component occupies six slots.

{Essence Pill: After infusing one wisp of Silver Fire Seed, you can spend 10,000 Eon Energy Points to refine a batch of Essence Pills. Each batch makes about 1–3 pills. Cooldown is 1 year. Note: Essence Pills can be used by any Starsea flesh-and-blood creatures to boost physical strength. Currently, no fire seed infused. Trait sealed.}

{Spirit-Nourishing Pill: Infuse three wisps of Silver Fire Seed, burn 30,000 Eon Energy Points, and you can refine 1–3 Spirit-Nourishing Pills per year. Powers up the soul and spirit. Needs Silver Fire Seeds—trait sealed.}

{Bloodline Ascension Pill: Infuse one Gold Fire Seed, spend 50,000 Eon Energy Points, and refine 1–2 pills per batch every 5 years. These pills upgrade genetics. Needs Gold Fire Seed—trait sealed.}

{Genesis Creation Pill: Infuse three Gold Fire Seeds, use 100,000 Eon Energy Points, refine a single pill per batch every 10 years. Heals all injuries instantly. Needs Gold Fire Seed—trait sealed.}

{Breakthrough Immortal Pill: Infuse one Black Fire Seed, use 200,000 Eon Energy Points, refine one pill every 100 years. Raises success rate of reaching seventh rank by 20%. Needs Black Fire Seed—trait sealed.}

{Threefold Golden Body Pill: Infuse three Black Fire Seeds, burn 500,000 Eon Energy Points, refine one pill every 500 years. Grants Threefold Golden Body physique, greatly boosting resilience and defense. Needs Black Fire Seeds—trait sealed.}

One look at that attribute panel and Song Chi made up his mind.

One moment, he vanished from his spot; a breath later, he reappeared.

Without anyone below noticing, he shot high above the Market Heavens. After setting up a barrier of light, he summoned the Heavenly Ruin battleship back from the Yan Serpent Galaxy.

Only now did the crowds below finally see a sign—the “Market Master’s Reply” shimmering overhead.

Every head craned up, eyes glued to a single line of golden laws taking shape over the Market.

Though that law appeared in a script none of the Starsea civilizations used, the hundreds of thousands gathered below understood its meaning instinctively.

[Such oddities are rare—but accepted!]

As the words formed overhead, Zhou Ping felt a wave of immense power descend on him, lifting him up bit by bit. In the next heartbeat, total darkness wrapped around him, erasing all sense of his surroundings.

To the aliens below, Zhou Ping simply floated upward, then vanished from sight.

Far above, Song Chi watched the anxious Zhou Ping, the corner of his mouth lifting in a faint smile. He didn’t interfere.

He’d intentionally sealed Zhou Ping’s senses. After all, the next stop was the Life-System Medical Repair Pod—he couldn’t let him see the Heavenly Ruin.

Panicked at first, Zhou Ping soon felt a gentle, powerful energy wrap around him. Energy poured steadily into his chest wound, and soon he felt the familiar itch of healing flesh.

Knowing he was mending fast, Zhou Ping steadied his nerves, and relief pushed away the panic on his face.

In barely ten minutes, his injuries were ninety-nine percent healed.

The Life-System Medical Repair Pod had evolved to silver quality not long ago, and its healing abilities were nothing short of impressive. At the old level, this sort of recovery would’ve been impossible.

Still reeling from the pleasant rush, Zhou Ping was suddenly hit by an even greater force. The world spun, and the next thing he knew, he was back in his original spot, with thousands of alien eyes once again tracking his every move.

Before he could process it all, a friendly Market veteran called out to him.

“So, how was it? Did the Market Master’s personal treatment do the trick?”

Luke chimed in first, his shifty triangular eyes winking. Apparently, his attention had already shifted to other topics.

Not that they needed to ask. Compared to before, Zhou Ping was a different man entirely—one glance told the whole story.

The scene sparked all sorts of thoughts among the more inexperienced aliens in the crowd. This was the first time most had ever even seen the Market, and they’d always thought the tales about the Market Master were just stories.

Zhou Ping’s injuries could have killed him—a wound no immortal could cure. Yet with a wave of the Market Master’s hand, he was healed. That alone proved the Market Master was real, not some myth cooked up by the Market veterans.

Even the old-timers started to dream: maybe, with the right sacrifice, they could one day beg for the Market Master’s help if they ever suffered an injury like Zhou Ping’s–in the Market or the Divine Realm Player Trading Space.

Zhou Ping didn’t care about any of that. He just listened closely to the voice that seemed to ring quietly by his ear.

[I have received the item. The other person’s injuries are too severe. Come collect them at the next transaction!]

“Yes, thank you, Great Market Master!”

Zhou Ping’s tone was more respectful than ever, but up above, Song Chi’s attention had already shifted elsewhere.

Inside the Heavenly Ruin, he stood beside the icy coffin, looking through ten-thousand-year-old black ice at the figure within.

In just a few moments, his mind raced through countless plans.

Zhou Ping had told the truth—the Luofu Sword Sect leader’s condition was even worse. If not for the coffin keeping him frozen, he’d have died long ago.

But that was only part of Song Chi’s reason—he had another agenda.

Both the Destiny Compass and the Taiyi Quantum Swordlight Battery, onboard the Heavenly Ruin, were linked to the Immortal Continent, including the last missing ingredient: the Samadhi True Fire.

All this time he’d been wracking his brains on how to get the tentacles of fate onto the Immortal Continent. No luck so far, but maybe this Sword Sect Master would offer a breakthrough.

And now, with the Creation Eight Trigram Furnace as an extra component, Song Chi’s resolve only deepened.

For over two hundred years the sects of the Primeval Continent had explored the Immortal Continent, but even on a lost super-Floating-land, that was just scratching the surface. Song Chi couldn’t stand waiting any longer.

The earlier he reached across, the more he’d stand to gain. Who could resist the allure of a Floating-land greater than ninth rank?