Qingzhou was so vast that few could ever hope to see even a fraction of it. The place Chen Gensheng had flown to was called the Bianxian Market, a chaotic melting pot where the hawking of mortal vendors mingled with the sound of Qi-Refining cultivators whistling through the air. Stray rogue cultivators, aging seekers with little life left, and those who found the path to immortality elusive established businesses here, marrying and raising children in search of a stable life; together, they formed the foundational backdrop of this region.

  Though it was said to be a "no man’s land," its actual controller was one of the five great sects—the Jade Tripod Sect.

  Chen Gensheng found a clean street and encountered two Qi-Refining cultivators in the middle of a heated argument.

  "Have you heard? In a little over a month, it’ll be the once-in-a-century Ascension Assembly!"

  "Who doesn't know that? A grand event co-hosted by the five great sects—just thinking about the scale of it is exhilarating."

  "What's the use of it being exhilarating? Does it have anything to do with you or me?"

  "Eh! You’re wrong there! The Dao-companion of my third-great-uncle's second-cousin's sister-in-law happens to be an attendant in the Jade Tripod Sect's outer gate. I heard that for this Ascension Assembly, the spiritual rice and vegetables used for the banquets alone must be purchased from this region! This is a massive piece of business!"

  "I’m truly impressed by you! What does such a thing have to do with you? What's it your business? Your connection has twisted through eighteen turns; it could stretch from Bianxian Market all the way to the Jade Tripod Sect’s mountain gate!"

  The mocked cultivator wasn't annoyed; instead, he leaned in closer and lowered his voice. "Brother, do you really think it’s just some spiritual rice and vegetables?" He looked left and right with a mysterious air. "Let me tell you, although this Bianxian Market is Jade Tripod Sect territory, which of the other four sects doesn't have informants and buyers stationed here? My distant relative also said that during the Ascension Assembly a hundred years ago, plenty of people in this market made a fortune!"

  "Hurry up and tell me about it." The previously dismissive cultivator was now intrigued.

  "Brother, there's a lot you don't know. What kind of occasion is the Ascension Assembly? Which of the five great sects doesn't care about their face? When heroes from all over gather, can any food, drink, equipment, or spectacle be mediocre? Take the banquets—the items on the main table must be spirit fruits at least three hundred years old and century-aged spirit wine. Even the disciples must drink wine brewed from spiritual rice. And the venue decorations—how much Flowing-Light Brocade and Resonant-Sound Stone will be used? Do they pull all of this out of the sect treasuries? They’d hollow out several mountain peaks doing that! So, before every Assembly, the five sects jointly release a procurement list. They post it right here in Bianxian Market, with clearly marked prices and bulk purchases. Think about it—once that list comes out, how high will the prices of those items skyrocket?"

  The dismissive cultivator’s eyes were now wide, his Adam’s apple bobbing. "You mean... hoarding goods in advance?"

  "Exactly!" The cultivator slapped his thigh, nearly knocking off the storage bag at his waist. "Think about it, for rogue cultivators like us who normally scrounge around for a bit of spirit grass to exchange for a few measly stones, when would we ever see the end of it? But if we can find out the contents of that list early—even just one or two items—and scour the nooks and crannies or buy them low from others... once the notice is posted, we sell them for a massive profit...!" He smiled until his face wrinkled, as if he could already see mountains of spirit stones.

  Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  "But... that list, how could we know it in advance?"

  "Of course we can’t know it all. But this Assembly happens every hundred years; the rules are mostly the same. There are always things needed every time. For example, the Highland Spirit Rice for the immortal wine, the Myriad-Phantom Gauze for the venue, and the Mind-Sobering Incense for the honored guests. These are all hard currencies! Besides, among the five sects, who doesn't have a few disciples or kin? Some news always leaks out a few days before the notice. Those few days are our time to strike!"

  Chen Gensheng stood not far away. Making a fortune.

  In his eyes, the Ascension Assembly had been a calamity to be avoided. But now, hearing these two speak, it had become a windfall of immense wealth. The passing cultivators, the spirit materials on the stalls, and the treasures shimmering in the shops all transformed into strings of clearly marked prices in his mind.

  The conversation between the two Qi-Refining cultivators continued.

  "Then why haven't we seen the notice posted today?"

  "Soon, soon. My relative said it’s happening today. The deacon sent by the Jade Tripod Sect to handle procurement only arrived yesterday; he’s likely meeting with people from the other sects right now to discuss the protocols!"

  "So we just wait here?"

  "Let's go, I’ll take you over. We can go listen for any rumors first!"

  Having said that, the cultivator pulled his companion and headed toward a more bustling alley with practiced ease. Chen Gensheng followed at a distance. Those two talked of wealth but their pace wasn't slow, leading him through narrow alleys filled with vendors to a spacious plaza.

  This plaza was likely the most crowded place in the entire Bianxian Market. In the center stood a giant green stone stele over ten zhang high, its surface smooth, clearly used for posting all sorts of notices year-round. The stele was already surrounded by layers of cultivators, each straining their necks, their buzzing discussions merging into a single roar.

  All living beings suffer, scurrying for a few spirit stones. Chen Gensheng was one of them.

  Suddenly, a commotion broke out. A young cultivator wearing the moon-white robes of the Jade Tripod Sect arrived on the wind, slowly descending before the stone stele. He looked down at the mass of heads with an arrogant expression and cleared his throat.

  "Silence!"

  With a flash of golden light, rows of tiny characters clearly manifested on the surface of the stele. It was indeed the procurement notice for this Ascension Assembly. The notice was divided into three columns.

  The rightmost column listed common items—Highland Spirit Rice, Mind-Sobering Incense, Flowing-Light Brocade, and dozens of others. The purchase price was only 10% higher than the market rate, drawing a wave of quiet complaints from the crowd.

  The middle column listed relatively rare spirit materials: spirit medicines over three hundred years old, materials for array formations, and special ores needed for refining magical treasures. The prices were fair, but common rogue cultivators didn't have much of these.

  The leftmost column had no marked prices, and the calligraphy was different from the rest.

  "The Geniuses of the Five Sects seek private items in preparation for the Assembly."

  "Seeking 'Crimson Refined Fire Essence', 100 catties. High quality may be exchanged for one Yellow-rank cultivation manual."

  "Purchasing 'Sandwood Root', 3 stalks, over a thousand years old. Willing to exchange for one Foundation Establishment Pill."

  These "favored children of heaven" were indeed extravagant. Chen Gensheng continued scrolling down until his gaze fixed on the very last line of the notice. The characters were forceful and sharp, as if they were about to pierce through the stone.

  [Urgent search for wood-attribute living spirit treasures, or equivalent rank heavenly materials and earthly treasures, to assist this humble one in comprehending a supreme Wood-element Divine Art. Price is negotiable; whatever is requested shall be granted. — Ruan Minghe of the Golden Rainbow Valley]

  "Whatever is requested shall be granted"? What bold words. However, the notice openly displayed a lack of high-tier materials! Assisting in the collection of ordinary materials to facilitate the market was standard practice. Why would such supreme items also need to be purchased this way?