One hour ago, before the current event occured...

 

 

 

"What are we going to do now, brother?" Yingyue asked, her gaze resting on Taiyang who was deep in thought.

 

 

 

They had left the Phoenix restaurant some time ago and were now wandering aimlessly. According to the eccentric elder Baise, they had two days until the recruitment session of the sect began. Until then, Taiyang didn't know what else to do and hence was at a loss for words However, he couldn't reveal his uncertainty to his newfound siblings, could he?

 

 

 

I am their eldest brother, how can I make them lose their trust in me?

Think, Taiyang. Think.

 

 

 

As he was busy grappling with this dilemma, he overheard a conversation between two passing cultivators.

 

 

 

" Senior brother, we need to hurry up before all the good Treasure Rocks are snatched by others. I heard that this time all the stalls in the city square are run by cultivators, so there's bound to be something good," a man in his twenties said, his pace quickening.

 

 

 

 

"Don't worry, junior brother. I've practiced our sect's Serpent Appraisal technique, so no one else can compete with us when it comes to fishing for treasures," his senior brother responded with a smug look on his face.

 

 

 

 

"Senior brother  is mighty!" The junior brother clapped his hands, his admiration for his senior brother more akin to a fan's adoration than a seasoned cultivator's respect.

 

 

 

Oh? Treasure Rocks? What are those?

 

 

 

Taiyang's eyes shone with wonder.

 

 

 

"These two brothers, do you have a minute?" Taiyang approached the pair, placing his hands on their shoulders.

 

 

 

"What?" 

 

"Who are you?"

 

 

 

The two simultaneously turned their heads to see the ordinary-looking Taiyang beaming at them. "I overheard you guys talking about these Treasure Rocks, can you tell me more about it?"

 

 

 

Their surprise quickly turned to anger as they realized the young man who had interrupted them was a mere mortal.

 

 

 

"Get lost, brat," they retorted in unison, swatting his hands away with enough force to shatter a mortal's bones, before continuing on their way.

 

 

 

Taiyang’s hands bent the wrong way and he fell down screaming.

 

 

 

Or at least, that's what they thought was supposed to happen.

 

 

"Huh?"

 

 

Suddenly, they found themselves tripping and falling onto their butts, wearing dumbfounded expressions. They didn't have enough time to process what had just occurred before a sharp, stinging pain assaulted their hands.

 

 

 

"UGHHHHH!!!! MY HAND!" They cried out together, staring at their dislocated wrists. It was the same hand they had used to dismiss the mortal in front of them.

 

 

 

"What happened, brothers?" Taiyang asked, a puzzled expression on his face as he crouched beside them, his hands still resting on their shoulders.

 

 

 

He had only asked a simple question, yet they had reacted by sitting on the ground and screaming.

 

 

 

Are they inviting me to sit with them? How odd. 

 

 

 

"Y-y-you...!" Both of them stared at Taiyang as if they were looking at a monster.

 

 

 

One was in the late Body-Strengthening Realm, the other in the early Spirit Realm, yet this youth had incapacitated both of them.

 

 

 

They had mistaken him for a mortal, but after experiencing his astonishing strength, they realized he was a wolf in sheep's clothing.

 

 

 

Now, even if somebody beat them to death, they still wouldn't be willing to believe that this ordinary-looking man was a simple mortal.

 

 

 

"Hey?"

 

 

"YESS?!" They jumped in fright.

 

 

 

"Brothers, can you tell me about those Treasure Rocks?" Taiyang asked, his voice betraying visible signs of impatience. 

 

 

 

The two looked at each other before the older one tacitly decided to answer, "Senior, Treasure Rocks are objects of nature that are formed after spiritual essence surrounds an item for thousands of years. This process eventually creates a hardened layer over the item, giving it the appearance of a unique rock."

 

 

 

"An item? What kind of item could warrant the term 'treasure'?" Taiyang pondered, his eyes sparkling with curiosity.

 

 

 

"It's not that simple, senior. Nine out of ten times, the things that emerge from these stones are worthless. Only occasionally does one comes across the fortune to find a true treasure, but such treasures are often worth a million silver taels. There are even rumors of weak rogue cultivators striking it rich overnight," by the end of his explanation, the man couldn't help but lick his lips in greed.

 

 

 

Despite his prestigious sect background, he wasn't immune to the allure of a treasure worth millions. If he were lucky enough to discover an Immortal-ranked treasure, then wouldn't he be able to leap straight through the heavens?

 

 

 

When that happens, the junior sister he longed for would surely accept his confession!

 

 

So I can get unknown treasures by breaking these rocks? Sounds fun!

 

 

 

 His mused to himself.

 

 

 

"Hey, you, where can I find these Treasure Rocks?" He looked at the other youth, ignoring his senior brother who seemed completely lost in his own fantasy.

 

 

 

The youth was startled but quickly pointed to a wide street in the east, "Senior, just follow Dong Boulevard straight to the city square. Due to the recruitment session, many cultivators have set up stalls. You'll definitely find some selling Treasure Rocks."

 

 

"I see, thank you for help then," Taiyang let go of their shoulders and smiled in response.

 

 

 

He turned around and grabbed Yingyue's and Qiao Nan’s hands.

 

 

"Brother?" Yingyue looked up at him, confusion in her eyes.

 

 

"Let's go," he reassured her with a smile, and led them in the direction indicated by the two martial brothers. 

 

 

 

As the trio's figures receded into the distance, the two martial brothers exchanged glances and sighed in relief.

 

 

----------------***----------------

 

 

The City Square of Star Phoenix City was bustling with merchant shops, making it the busiest place in town.

 

 

However, if you had to guess the main attraction of the city today, then it definitely had to be the makeshifts stalls opened by various cultivators.

 

 

These cultivators sold almost everything under the heavens, ranging from unknown treasures obtained from dangerous ruins to supplemental herbs.

 

 

 

Amidst the din of the crowd, an unusual trio - an ordinary-looking youth and two children - were seen walking.

 

 

 

The children held the young man's hands, who was looking around at everything with stars in his eyes. They were largely ignored by the crowd, as all sorts of people were common here.

 

 

 

"Brother, brother, are those Treasure Rocks?" Qiao Nan asked, pointing at various oddly-shaped rocks displayed on a large piece of brown cloth.

 

 

 

Various cultivators could be seen standing, inspecting the rocks in their hands and listening to a fat man who appeared to be spitting saliva as he enthusiastically promoted his wires.

 

 

 

Taiyang's face lit up, and he led the siblings over to curiously look at the rocks. If the people from the Heavenly Realm saw their crown prince engrossed in what they would consider trash, they wouldn't know whether to laugh or cry.

 

 

 

"Esteemed customers! How may I assist you?" The fat owner welcomed them with a smile so wide it seemed like his teeth would fall off.

 

 

 

"Are these Treasure Rocks?" Taiyang inquired.

 

 

 

"Yes, esteemed customer. These are all low-grade Treasure Rocks that have been buried for at least a thousand years. Each stone costs a thousand silver, and if you buy two, you get a discount of 400 taels. While I can't guarantee you'll find a treasure, you may not suffer a loss either."

 

 

 

"Hmm," Taiyang nodded, randomly picking up a rock that weighed nearly 500 Jin (= 50 kg/110.2 lbs). He examined it, but found nothing remarkable about it, save for the dense spiritual qi it emitted. It was hard and cold in his hand, indistinguishable from any ordinary rock one might find anywhere.

 

 

 

Seeing Taiyang seemly random actions, the fat owner was confused before exclaiming in his mind, 'Another fat sheep!'

 

 

 

Opening Treasure Rocks was akin to gambling, and people throughout the realm had developed countless techniques to appraise their value. While these methods didn't guarantee identification, they did marginally increase the chances of distinguishing between worthless and valuable rocks.

 

 

 

But by observing Taiyang's novice actions, it was clear the young man lacked experience in this area.

 

 

 

"How do I open this rock?" Taiyang asked, his curiosity piqued.

 

 

 

The shopkeeper, having already surmised Taiyang's background, was unfazed by his lack of knowledge. He answered with a calculating grin, "Esteemed customer, it's very simple. All you need to do is inject your spiritual essence—*BOOM*!" A loud explosion echoed, and some bystanders saw a big round figure flying out of the stall area and into a brick wall, creating a large crater upon impact.

 

 

 

"Ah?" Taiyang gasped in surprise. The rock that had been in his hand a moment ago had disappeared, leaving nothing but shattered remains.

 

 

Where's my treasure?

 

 

 

He had only injected a tiny wisp of his spiritual qi into the rock, as instructed by the shop owner, but the rock had shattered into tiny pieces upon contact. He saw no treasure or anything of the sort.

 

 

 

"Eh, where's the shop owner?"

 

 

 

He looked around, but the man he'd been speaking with seemed to have vanished into thin air.

 

 

 

Suddenly, he felt a tug on his sleeve. He looked down to see Yingyue pointing in front of her, confusion on her face. Qiao Nan stood next to her, his mouth agape in childish astonishment.

 

 

 

Taiyang squinted in the direction she was pointing at and saw a crowd gathered around a large dent in the wall.

 

 

"What's he doing over there?" he muttered to himself.

 

 

 

But he decided to forget about it after realizing the man was still alive, and turned his attention back to the rocks.

 

 

 

He picked up another rock, smaller than the previous one but similarly irregular in shape.

 

 

 

Will there be a treasure in this one?

 

 

 

He could use his All-Seeing Eyes to perceive what was inside, but that would only dampen his excitement.

 

 

 

"What do you think? Should I open this rock?" He crouched down and asked his siblings, smiling.

 

 

 

Qiao Nan reached out to touch the rock in Taiyang's hand, but quickly jerked his hand back. "It's very cold," he exclaimed in surprise.

 

 

 

It was common knowledge that all Treasure Rocks emitted some kind of qi, the attribute of which depended on the area from which it was excavated. Given the cold spiritual qi exuded by the rock, it was likely that the rock had been buried in an area abundant with such cold qi.

 

 

 

This meagre amount of qi was harmless to cultivators, but for a child like Qiao Nan, who had no cultivation base, it was enough to numb his fingers.

 

 

 

Taiyang took the boy's hand in his own, holding it briefly before releasing it.

 

 

 

"How is it? Does it hurt?"

 

 

 

"N-no..." Qiao Nan looked at his fingers in shock. A moment ago, they had been numb. When his brother held his hand, he felt a brief warmth before sensation returned.

 

 

 

"YOU ARE SO AMAZING, BIG BROTHER!" He looked at his brother with awe in his eyes.

 

 

 

Hearing this, Taiyang chuckled before standing up. "Okay, let's open this one!" His declaration drew the curious gazes of his siblings as they watched him prepare to inject his qi into the stone.

 

 

 

A minute ago, in a place not so far away...

 

 

 

A fat man fell....or more like rolled out from a huge crater in a wall. A sharp pain in his abdomen assaulted him as he regained consciousness. His hand instinctively moved to his stomach, coming away wet.

 

 

 

"W-what the fuck happened?"

 

 

Looking down, he saw shattered pieces of rock protruding from his stomach, blood dripping onto his hands. It was a gruesome injury, and he had no idea how it had happened. The last thing he remembered was instructing the young man to inject his qi into the rock—wait!

 

 

Did he do that? But how? 

 

 

 

Though he couldn't match the elites of the four great sects, he was a bona fide mid-grade Body-Strengthening expert. His body was as sturdy as iron, so there was no way an ordinary-looking man could have inflicted such damage on him.

 

 

 

Gasping for breath, he looked ahead to see a crowd had gathered, whispering amongst themselves as they observed his disastrous state.

 

 

 

His anger flared upon realizing they were gawking at him as if he were a hippo in a zoo. "What are you all staring at? Scram!" He angrily pushed people aside, slowly making his way back to his stall.

 

 

 

Soon, his stall came into view, and he saw the ordinary young man holding another one of his rocks. The sight caused his injuries to throb, and he nearly spat blood in fury.

 

 

 

What is he doing? Is he going to destroy that one too?!

 

 

 

He began to sprint so fast that from a distance, he resembled a giant snowball hurtling down a mountain.

 

 

 

"Stop right there!" His furious voice echoed throughout the shopping plaza, causing some weaker realm cultivators to cover their ears in fear of going deaf.

 

 

 

"Hmm?" Taiyang instinctively looked up and saw a large shadow rapidly closing in on him.

 

 

What did he say?

 

 

But by then, it was too late. An azure-colored qi made contact with the rock's crust and soon—

 

 

 

"BOOM!"

 

 

—a thunderous blast, just like the previous one, echoed throughout the area as the rock shattered into pieces.

 

 

 

"Gwaaah" a muffled scream rang out as the fat shopkeeper, who was closing in on Taiyang, widened his eyes, staring at the latter in horror. A split second later, he was sent flying once again. 

 

 

What the hell happened?

 

 

 

Although the sound wasn't loud enough to shake the heaven and earth, it still stunned many bystanders who began searching for the source of the blast. It wasn't long before someone discovered what had happened.

 

 

"Someone just destroyed a Treasure Rock?" The news spread quickly after some cultivators witnessed Taiyang reducing the treasure rock to rubble and sending the rotund cultivator flying. However, this information only deepened the cultivators' confusion.

 

 

Why would someone destroy treasure rocks? 

 

 

 

They collectively pondered. Given that opening a Treasure Rock was already a gamble, destroying one served no purpose. Not to mention, it wasn't easy for an average cultivator to destroy one in the first place, as the crust had been hardened by immense spiritual qi. This feat was something that could only be achieved if an immortal expert exhausted all of his qi. But then again, why would such an expert resort to doing such a pointless thing?

 

 

 

Such a thing was unheard of.

 

 

At this time, however, there was someone who was even more perplexed.

 

 

What the hell is this? 

 

 

Taiyang stood dumbfounded, staring at his dust-covered hand.

 

 

 

Just like his last attempt, this one yielded no results. Where was the mysterious treasure he was promised? He hadn't done anything, yet this so-called rock had vanished.

 

 

Damn it, am I being scammed? 

 

 

 

His face turned ugly, and his expression darkened. He had read about various scams and deceptions in the pugilistic world from numerous books, so he knew that being swindled was not uncommon. However, he still couldn't help but feel a slight surge of anger towards the fat shopkeeper for getting scammed for the first time in his life.

 

 

 

"Wait for me. I'll be right back," he told the siblings. Without waiting for their response, he closed his eyes and vanished into thin air.

 

 

 

Only a few seconds passed before Yingyue and Qiao Nan witnessed a flash of light that faded to slowly reveal Taiyang, holding the pale-faced shopkeeper aloft with one hand. He threw the man to the ground and questioned him in a displeased tone, "What do you have to say for yourself?"

 

 

 

W-what happened? Was that instant teleportation?!

 

 

 

The shopkeeper remained silent, his heart in turmoil as he replayed the recent events. He had been sitting cross-legged, nursing his injuries after being sent flying once again by Taiyang, when the young man appeared out of nowhere, grabbed his robe's lapels, and hoisted him up effortlessly. Before he could even register his shock, the scenery around him changed, and he found himself in front of his stall.

 

 

 

He had once witnessed an immortal cultivator perform a rapid-movement skill that allowed the user to travel hundreds of meters in a second, leaving nothing but afterimages. However, the skill demonstrated by this seemingly ordinary young man was far beyond that. His body didn't move, but literally changed locations. As far as he knew, this was a feat only those in the sovereign realm could achieve. The more he thought about it, the more terrified he became.

 

 

 

Who the hell is this little devil?!

 

 

 

"Are you listening to me?"

 

 

Taiyang interpreted his silence as an admission of guilt. He was barely able to contain his anger, but he didn't lash out. His heavenly father had once told him that everything should follow due process, so he wanted to hear the shopkeeper's side of the story before passing judgment.

 

 

 

"Aahh...YES!" the shopkeeper yelped in fright.

 

 

 

"I'm asking, why did you try to scam me?"

 

 

"Huh?" The shopkeeper was dumbfounded.

 

 

 

 Me? Scam? Scam who? Scam when? Scam where?

 

 

 

Assuming he was playing dumb, Taiyang explained in an irritated tone, "Yes, you told me if I inserted my qi into the rock, the crust would crack and I might discover a treasure inside! But all your rocks shatter into pieces when my qi makes contact with them! So you scammed me by selling me faulty rocks."

 

 

 

THAT'S BECAUSE YOUR QI IS TOO STRONG, DAMMIT!

 

 

 

As he listened to Taiyang's rant, the shopkeeper didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

 

 

This little devil actually thinks I've tricked him!

 

 

 

"P-please calm down, respected customer," he gestured with his hands in a fluster before continuing, "I promise I didn't scam you. I've been selling treasure stones for almost 10 years now and something like this has never happened before. You can ask anyone else and they will tell you my, Bong Xi's, reputation is worth gold! Not to mention, respected customer, you were the one who picked up those rocks."

 

 

 

 

I can't directly tell him it's his fault, otherwise he won't believe me.

 

 

 

After hearing his explanation, Taiyang made a fleeting glance over the shopkeeper's head before muttering to himself, "Hmm, not too many dark clouds."

 

 

 

Maybe I choose the wrong rock? 

 

 

 

He pondered, realizing that it was plausible. After all, he was the one who chose the rocks in the first place.

 

 

 

The fat shopkeeper saw Taiyang turn silent and heaved a sigh of relief.

 

 

 

"Maybe you are right. I can only blame my luck for picking up bad rocks one after another."

 

 

 

Hearing this, Bong Xi kept nodding his head repeatedly as if to say 'it's good that you understand.'

 

 

 

"But this time, I'm sure it's going to be different," Taiyang rolled up his sleeves and grabbed another rock off the table at random.

 

 

This time, I must get a treasure!

 

 

 

"WAITTTT!!" Bong Xi stood in front of Taiyang and raised his hands in the air to stop the latter from wrecking any more havoc.

 

 

 

"What now?"

 

 

"Please listen to me first, respected customer! You shouldn't try opening another rock!"

 

 

 

 

"And why is that? Are you trying to get in the way of me and my treasure?" Taiyang raised his voice by a notch.

 

 

 

"No, no, no, nothing of that sort!" With his back drenched in sweat, Bong Xi's mind raced as he tried to think of an excuse. "You see, respected customer, the reason I'm asking you to refrain from trying another rock is because my stall only sells two Treasure Rocks per customer. And you have already opened two."

 

 

 

Heavens, please help me get rid of this little devil. 

 

 

 

"Oh, there is such a rule?" Taiyang asked.

 

 

 

"Yes, but this is only specific to my business, so its no wonder you didn't know about it before," he replied without stuttering.

 

 

Phew, it seems to be working.

 

 

 

"Hmm, well what if my little sister buys one in my stead?" Taiyang eyes brightened up as he pointed towards the tired Yingyue beside.

 

 

 

"...yes, it could work but..."Bong Xi directed a pleading gaze toward the girl who clearly seemed no older than 11 years.

 

 

 

Perhaps picking up on his intention, Yingyue sent back a gaze filled with pity and said to Taiyang,"Big brother, I am tired."

 

 

 

Bong Xi almost felt like kissing her feet to express his gratitude.

 

 

 

"Oh I forgot, it's almost evening anyway. You and Qiao Nan need to rest! Big brother is sorry for wasting your time like this!" Taiyang responded in a panicky voice after noticing the looks of exhaustion on their faces.

 

 

 

He squashed his irritation back down and asked,"Well, how much do I have to pay?"

 

 

 

"Eh?"

 

 

"I mean, I did destroy two of your rock thingies after all, so of course I have to pay."

 

 

 

"N-no no, there is no need. Those rocks seemed faulty, so how can I have you pay?"

 

 

Are you kidding me? Why would I ask a little devil like you for money anyway?

 

 

 

"No, I insist. I broke them so I am at fault. Tell me now, how much?" Taiyang said without budging.

 

 

 

Bong Xi gritted his teeth before finally caving in, "Two low grade treasure rocks...your total will be 1600 silver taels, or you can pay using 160 gold taels."

 

 

 

Ah? Silver taels? What's that? 

 

 

"You guys don't use spiritual essence here?"

 

 

 

"Spiritual essence disc? What's that?" he inquired, confusion evident in his voice.

 

 

Spiritual essence disc.

 

 

 

A spiritual essence disc was a common form of currency in the Upper Realms. Cultivators would spend countless hours gathering spiritual qi from their surroundings and shaping it into a small, round disc, similar in size to a coin. These discs held great value, particularly for cultivation in seclusion when access to qi was limited. The value of a disc depended on the purity of the qi stored within it. The purer the qi, the more valuable the disc became.

 

 

 

Taiyang had assumed that the same currency would be used in this realm, but it appeared that wasn't the case. He had never even considered carrying a 'worthless metal' like silver or gold with him.

 

 

 

However, what he didn't know was that no cultivator in the Immortal Realm possessed the ability to create even the simplest spiritual essence disc. As a result, only silver and gold could be used as currency.

 

 

 

"I don't have any," he admitted.

 

 

 

"Pardon?" The shop owner almost couldn't believe his ears.

 

 

 

Scratching his head, Taiyang replied, "It seems I don't have any money."

 

 

 

A stillness fell over the stall.

 

 

 

"WHAT DID YOU SAY? YOU DON'T HAVE ANY MONEY?!"

 

 

 

Bong Xi unconsciously shouted, momentarily forgetting his fear of Taiyang.

 

 

 

This little devil wanted to buy my rocks without having any money to pay for them?

 

 

 

If the people from the Heavenly Realm saw this, where their crown prince didn't even have enough money to pay for a few rocks, they wouldn't know what to make of it.

 

 

 

Embarrassed, Taiyang didn't know how to respond, but he couldn't leave without paying.

 

 

 

I need to think of something.

 

 

 

Suddenly, he felt someone's gaze upon him and turned to look.

 

 

 

"Oh?" He recognized a familiar face and an idea sparked in his mind, causing him to smile.