Ch181 Visiting The Market

The crowd around this pit has a few dozen people watching, far more than the other nine trial pits.

For a few seconds, no one says a word of objection.

The overseer walks right onto the pit and pulls the identity token necklace out of the Ye Clan disciple’s robes and taps it against his.

A new character forms on it, showing that he’s passed to the main event.

Murmurs form in the crowd, but no one raises their voice.

“It makes sense… Ye Tieshao is strong enough for the main event…”

“Sure, but its still not right! Li Hao should have gotten the slot!”

“Hey, be quiet, someone from the Ye Clan might hear you. That archer will get his slot anyway if he wins one more round, don’t get yourself in trouble with one of the big three clans. You know whatever they say goes…”

I let out a sigh and walk out of the pit.

It’s one thing to have a fighter cheat and try to win, but the overseers favoring the Ye Clan this much is a little absurd.

The overseers must all be privately paid off, or they are just accustomed to granting favors to these bigger clans for rewards.

Whatever the case may be, it isn’t something that’s worth making a fuss about. I’ll gain my entry the normal way.

The dark-skinned bald man beside the match looks down at the overseer and disciple with disappointment, and when Little Red hops back onto my shoulder, I take a look at his system status out of curiosity.

[Automatic Inspect Function Activated…]

[Bao Zhan] [Age: 40]

[9th Level Qi Refiner]

[Metal and Earth Spiritual Roots] [5th Grade]

[Acquired Black Iron Battle Physique] [Perfected Stage - Mortal Grade]

[No Innate Physique]

[Has used the entire tier 2 inferior-grade black iron core the host gifted him, perfecting his physique and gaining two levels of qi refinement. Hopes to earn a named disciple position in the combat tournament today to gain more respect on the Combat Peak. His injuries from sparring constantly have built up to a harmful degree, but he has been unable to properly rest.]

“It’s been a while, old squad leader,” I remark.

He looks away from the pit shaking his head and clasps his hands back. “I thought I told you not to call me that.”

I show a thin smile. “Fine, Fellow Disciple Bao Zhan. It looks like your strength has grown a lot.”

He looks me up and down with admiration in his eyes. “You think I’ve grown? You’re almost unrecognizable…” He pauses and presses his lips together, clearly wanting to say more.

I wave him off.

“Come on, I have one more match, then I’m sure there will be somewhere better to talk without such a big crowd.”

Both of us walk off, away from the Ye Clan disciple who has to be carried out of the pit.

Whispers from the disciples around us have mixed reactions about the fight itself.

“He really won? Something doesn’t seem right. Why did Senior Disciple Ye grab his chest like that? His physique was too strong for me to see what happened. He was doing fine, the arrows didn’t even hurt him, then he froze up!”

“Maybe they were poisoned! Ha! There are still some left in the pit. Let’s go check.”

“They are all from the Combat Peak rack. He had no time to tamper with them. It must have been the quick arrow technique. He must have mastered it past the mid stage.”

“No, it was something else. When has a quick arrow ever glowed with such a bright white aura?”

“Well, I don’t know, but do you have any better ideas? How could a 4th level qi refiner beat a Ye Clan disciple? He’s even friends with Senior Disciple Bao Zhan. Did he say they fought together in the border conflict? Who is Li Hao?”

“It doesn’t matter, everyone! That wasn’t even a named disciple, and it still took him four shots. He won’t make it far in the real combat tournament.”

While we walk over to some of the less crowded pits, I watch Bao Zhan closely. There are only two emotions I feel stirring around in his soul.

One is thankfulness, as he’s clearly grown quite a bit from the parting gift I gave him after the war. The other is concern, as half of his mental focus is occupied with maintaining his perfected physique.

I see scars, bruises, and damaged muscle tissue all over his body.

His soul is not injured, but it is very stressed and overstrained, making his physique fluctuations and tension points far more visible and unstable.

This is a common trait of everyone on the peak, but Bao Zhan is in horrible shape. He’s been overtraining and most likely sparring with disciples that have far better healing resources than him over the last half year.

No one else in the trial pits had a perfected black iron battle physique, so I suspect his condition is due to sparring with far stronger disciples.

I’m curious to ask him more, but an overseer’s voice calls out.

“Disciple 168, you’re up against number 310!”

I turn my head and hand over Little Red to Bao Zhan. “Keep him company for me while I secure my slot for tonight.”

–

Less than a minute later, I come walking back.

The 7th level qi refiner with two easy wins already stacked up forfeits the match to me before it even begins.

He comes from another fragile initial stage foundational clan in the Hidden Mist, not tied to any major city. He was nearby during my last match, and did not want to risk an injury.

The rumors have successfully begun to spread.

“Why did he end the match before it even started? Why would a 7th level qi refiner forfeit to a 4th level?”

“That 4th level is Li Hao… He beat Ye Tieshao with four arrows.”

“Some nobody beat a disciple from the Ye Clan? I don’t believe it. I need to see this for myself.”

“Look, his identity token has the main event character on it. You’ll get to see him fight tonight!”

More whispers fill the air as I walk away from the pits with Bao Zhan.

“Looks like we’ll both be in the main event tonight.”

The bald man gives me a warm nod but looks over his shoulders as more eyes linger on us.

“I can show you to the private cave chambers, or just to the market if you’d like.”

I walk over and rerack my bow and arrows at the entrance and respond.

“The market seems more interesting to me. But what are these private cave chambers? There was no mention of this when I checked in.”

“Everyone in the top 64 is granted a private cultivation cave chamber above the low-grade tier 2 fractured runoff vein nearby. The tournament usually lasts late into the night, so it is a complimentary gift to the strongest fighters who earned their slots. The imprint in your token opens only one of the cave entrances. Some disciples that barely make it into the top 64 wait all year just to use these caves for breakthroughs, they don’t care about the tournament much.”

“Oh, interesting. I’ll check those out later..”

We walk further away from the trial pits, and it becomes quieter.

I cross my arms and nod, walking in silence for a few seconds. “How are the others from my old steward’s quarters settling in?”

“Very good. For my war merits, I was granted a larger minor peak. Our whole squad takes care of the maintenance of my estate and fighting pits. Though, I can’t say I expected you to come here today… You seemed to value your privacy much more before. What is it? Got bored of hiding?”

I shrug. “Something like that. I’m looking to expand my connections a bit. My reach in the Beast Mastery Peak is limited. Coming here may bring me more opportunities.”

Bao Zhan feels my gaze looking at his sleeves and neckline, searching for any identifying named disciple markers. He continues.

“Well, there will definitely be a lot of eyes on us today. If I place in the top 4 tonight, I can earn a named disciple position. The peak master said it himself.”

My mind wanders to Sun Fei’s strength and the probability of other Big Three Clan disciples holding a similar amount of power. There were twenty disciples that surpassed the 300 point strength test on the pillar before the trial rounds. Top 4 is a lofty goal.

Bao Zhan turns around and tosses me a storage ring with no imprint. It’s completely empty.

“I used up what was inside. It’s the ring you gave me when we parted from the war. It’s only right I return it…”

The ring slips into my storage, then I toss it right back with three heavenly-grade healing elixirs and a low-grade tier 2 soul jade pendant inside.

“Keep it. If you want a better chance at your goal tonight, you should use what’s inside and rest.”

His eyes widen in surprise when he casually breaks the imprint, then instantly tries to hand it back. I refuse.

“I’m sure there are complimentary prizes in the top spots, not just named disciple positions, right? If you really want to pay me back, just give me whatever you win,” I say with a calm smile.

We stop near the entrance of the small trade market, the only other nearby path leads down the mountain to the fighters’ chambers.

“Really, take it. I told you I’m here to build some more connections. The better you fight, the better it is for me. We’re squadmates, aren’t we?”

His mouth stays open for a few seconds before he scratches his bald head and stows the ring away.

“Then I must accept. I will not let you down.” He shows a polite bow.

My gaze lingers on the market.

“Please, no need to show me around further. Take the rest of the day to focus on healing. I’ll have my own fun exploring your peak.”

Bao Zhan’s serious, stern face cracks to show a smile as he bows again. “Very well then, Li Hao. I will gladly be even further in your debt. See you tonight.”

–

The 9th level qi refiner walks off at a quick pace down the side of the mountain, and I enter the marketplace.

It’s about the size of the Red Pine Market, and most of the main stalls are all run by weaker young disciples or elderly men past their prime.

Some are even manned by strong 3rd level qi refining stewards on the outer ring.

Low- and mid-grade pills are at most stalls.

Though, the majority of every stall is filled with black iron weapons, ranging from low grade up to a few stalls selling off high-grade gear.

None of it interests me too much, except for one of the higher-quality stalls filled with late-stage elderly sellers.

There is not only high-grade gear, but a few well-worn booklets with “Heavy Fist,” “Quick Arrow,” and “Swift Sword” printed on their front sides.

When I approach, the older man tries to shoo me away. “This is a special display. The initial-stage movements are usually heavily guarded for Combat Peak disciples only, but top 64 entries can purchase them today.”

I lift my token up between us. “How much? I want one of each.”

He blinks a few times and straightens his posture. “They’re 500 spirit stones apiece, but there is a special discount, just 1,450 for all three.”

There are other late stage cultivators approaching this stand, buying all three the same way I am. A few are not from the combat peak originally, and it seems like common practice for entries that make it into the main event to buy these booklets and bring them back to their clan.

One very bright eyed 7th level qi refiner with no physique points to a small pile behind the counter.

“Could I have the initial stage acquired body refinement physique booklets please! I’ve been waiting years to get my hands on this for my clan!”

I raise an eyebrow and point to the booklet too.

“Also, throw in one of those.”

He nods and walks over to the small pile of dull leather books, and adds it to my small stack with the techniques.

“That will be a thousand more spirit stones. And I must add, if you join our combat peak, you’ll be granted access to the mid stage of the booklet after a few years.”

I nod along and throw him a storage ring with the stones inside to take the booklets with me. I don’t care to haggle or bring any more attention to myself.

Throwing around over two thousand spirit stones is quite a lot, but with so many late stage and even a few perfected stage qi refiners in the market, it's not too eye-catching.

There are stalls set up by the beast mastery peak selling eggs, fruits, rice, and meat.

The alchemy peak has various pills for sale, and the forging peak has tons of weapons, but nothing looks interesting.

Near the edges of the market, there are even small stands set up by the spirit herb and array formation peak, but they aren't selling anything. They’re simply here to talk with anyone interested, and do some soft recruitment.

Over the next half hour, I walk around the full market a few more times but find nothing else interesting.

On the way out of the market, I pick up a free paper booklet from one of the stands outlining exactly when and where every side competition event is taking place. It holds a map of the mountain with small helpful notes near every landmark.

I head off down a well-made mountain path, with disciples from all four peaks walking up and down it as I make my way down.

The private cave chambers Bao Zhan spoke of come into view quickly from afar and see a minor cliffside split with cave entrances in a sloped wall, each one with arrays covering its entrance.

In front of all the caves, there is an open-air pavilion with seating overlooking the rest of the Combat Peak’s mountain range. A few powerful-looking disciples are sitting and standing around talking in the public area, but I don’t walk in.

I only peer in from afar.

There is an extremely tall, dark brown haired man laughing loudly while talking to a shorter disciple with shimmering copper skin.

Sun Fei sits beside the copper-skinned man, sleeping peacefully while his rabbit snacks on another yellow root.

There are a few stern-looking disciples not far away, with auras that feel like black iron battle physiques, but I’m not close enough to read their system scans. My guess is that they are Ye Clan disciples.

With my 4th level of qi refining, approaching right now will only cause more trouble. I’ve already spread more than enough rumors with my qualification to the main event, it is far too early in the day to make more enemies for no reason.

Instead, I walk further down the path toward a much larger flattened-out ledge almost a full kilometer down the mountain.

It is where the alchemy side competitions are taking place.

According to the schedule, the main pill-concocting competition has already started.