The Immortal Fate Palace was a vast hall of bluestone situated in the city center. The sheer number of steps leading up to it numbered in the hundreds. Guards from the Rogue Cultivator Alliance, clad in golden armor, were usually present, though the atmosphere was typically subdued, with few visitors. Surrounding the Immortal Fate Palace were several grand taverns and inns.

In just a short while, the Dog Daoist led Ye Qin to the side of the Immortal Fate Palace, pointing toward an unremarkable little door on the side hall. He bowed subserviently and chuckled, "This way, esteemed Daoist master, is the place. Foundation Establishment cultivators frequently enter here. However, I have never gone inside myself, so I don't know if this is the Lower Market you seek. I shall take my leave now, shall I?"

Ye Qin seized the scruff of the dog-skin Daoist’s collar, his tone flat. "You wait here. If this location is incorrect, I will be reclaiming the two low-grade spirit stones I gave you."

The dog-skin Daoist immediately put on a miserable face and waited obediently nearby, secretly praying that this was indeed the Lower Market. Otherwise, the two low-grade spirit stones he had finally obtained would surely fly away.

Ye Qin did not immediately approach the small door. This area was the domain of the Rogue Cultivator Alliance; trespassing into forbidden areas could lead to grave misfortune.

He surveyed the environment surrounding the Immortal Fate Palace, proceeding to the nearest tavern with a clear view. He occupied a table by the window, sipping his tea while observing whether any cultivators emerged from or entered that small door.

He waited a full three hours until dusk began to settle. At this hour, cultivators wearing bamboo hats and veiled masks began to arrive one after another at the small door on the side of the Immortal Fate Palace, tapping on it. The dark little door would open, and these cultivators would quickly slip inside.

Ye Qin carefully scrutinized them from the tavern. In this short period alone, approximately thirty to forty people had entered, almost all of them Foundation Establishment cultivators, their faces concealed such that their identities and origins could not be discerned from their attire. This observation secretly astonished him.

It seemed there were quite a number of Foundation Establishment cultivators in Immortal Fate City.

This must be the Lower Market that Lu Yuan had mentioned, designated specifically for transactions between Foundation Establishment cultivators.

With the matter settled in his mind, Ye Qin waved the dog-skin Daoist away. He sat for a while longer before rising and leaving the tavern. By the time he reached the small door, he had donned a silver mask purchased from a street stall and a set of the most common clothes, ensuring no one would recognize him.

He knocked three times on the small door.

The door creaked open, revealing a splash of black light that obscured all incoming illumination.

Ye Qin hesitated for a moment before slipping inside. Passing through a thin barrier, the scene ahead suddenly opened up before him.

He took in the surroundings: a simple small room lit by phosphorescent stones, furnished with a table and a few chairs. The cultivators who had entered earlier were nowhere to be seen. Inside, a burly man in the late stage of Qi Refining, wearing the attire of the Rogue Cultivator Alliance, was lounging with one leg crossed over the other. Upon seeing Ye Qin enter, his eyes flashed with golden light as he quickly scanned Ye Qin’s cultivation level, then smiled, "The market exchange gathering starts in half an hour. Esteemed senior, are you visiting for the first time? If so, I can explain the rules of this place, or you can proceed directly to the market?"

Ye Qin asked, "What rules are there here?"

The burly man laughed, "Oh, you are a first-timer. We offer stalls for rent, consignment sales, bidding, auctions, acquisition, barter exchange, spirit stone exchange, mission commissioning—all manner of transaction methods. Whatever trade you wish to conduct, it can be done here."

Ye Qin considered for a moment. "I’ll go take a look at the market first."

"Very well."

The burly man said nothing more, ringing a bell on the table. A stone wall in the room slowly slid open.

Ye Qin walked in deliberately.

Immediately, he felt several spiritual senses sweeping over him—senses belonging to cultivators at least at the Foundation Establishment level—before they retracted. He felt slightly uneasy but didn't dwell on it; having guards above the Foundation Establishment realm in such a location was normal.

This was a grand hall, perhaps the side hall of the Immortal Fate Palace itself, decorated with extreme luxury: chandeliers of colored glaze, carpets made of snow-white demonic beast hides, pillars of jade shimmering with light—every detail exuded immense wealth.

Most importantly, the place was bustling and incredibly lively, hosting over a hundred Foundation Establishment cultivators, all masked. Within the hall, there were dozens of various counters and stalls, all managed by Foundation Establishment cultivators.

Many newly arrived Foundation Establishment cultivators were haggling prices at the counters. Looking around, every single person visible was a Foundation Establishment cultivator; not one was in Qi Refining, and several were even in the late stages of Foundation Establishment, close to the Core Formation realm.

Ye Qin, merely in the first layer of Foundation Establishment, was at the very bottom rank, and he felt considerable pressure here. Although he had seen many Foundation Establishment cultivators at the Azure Pill Sect, they were all fellow disciples, and no one would pressure others based on cultivation level.

But in this Lower Market, most Foundation Establishment cultivators hailed from entirely different immortal cultivation sects; reputation meant nothing here; everything depended on strength and financial might.

As Ye Qin was about to begin observing, a middle-aged cultivator, who was not wearing a mask, approached him and offered a polite bow. "Greetings. I am Han Xu, a cultivator from the Rogue Cultivator Alliance in Immortal Fate City, responsible for introducing new visitors to this establishment. You must be new to this market, esteemed guest?"

Ye Qin sized up the middle-aged cultivator; his cultivation was at the third layer of Foundation Establishment, considered relatively high among the lower-tier Foundation Establishment cultivators. He nodded. "Indeed. My surname is Ye."

Han Xu smiled. "Brother Ye, please look around at your leisure. The goods here are excellent, helpful for both cultivation and enhancing strength."

Ye Qin walked into the crowd, his eyes widening slightly at the items displayed on the counters.

Raw materials needed for forging high-grade spirit tools and low-grade magic tools, various rare ores, mid-grade talisman paper, mid-grade medicinal herbs required for mid-grade spirit pills, and even iron cages containing rare beasts above the third rank—the selection here was dazzling and comprehensive.

Han Xu introduced from the side, "These counters are rented from the Rogue Cultivator Alliance. All counters are equipped with small transaction arrays, making use very convenient. You can leave your items at the counter, set a price, and then go elsewhere. If someone is willing to purchase them, they can complete the transaction directly through the array, and you only need to collect the funds after a set period."

Noticing Han Xu trailing him constantly, Ye Qin grew curious. "I can just look around by myself. Isn't it a waste of your time to follow me like this, Brother Han?"

Han Xu chuckled, "I also have a stall here, though few people inquire. Since I have nothing else to do, I'll accompany you around. Oh, the Lower Market initially serves as a free trading period among Foundation Establishment cultivators, followed by an auction selling items that aren't top-tier."

Ye Qin wandered the hall for an hour, chatting casually with Han Xu. Soon, the bidding and auction activity commenced.

By the time the auction began, the entire hall had gathered nearly two hundred Foundation Establishment cultivators of vastly differing strengths and attire. This number was nearly equivalent to the total Foundation Establishment disciples of a large immortal cultivation sect, which amazed Ye Qin.

Seeing Ye Qin's surprise, Han Xu smiled and explained, "Actually, there aren't usually this many people here; several dozen a day is quite good. It's just that today is somewhat special..."

He trailed off as he noticed the auction had already begun. Ye Qin, about to ask what was special today, decided against interrupting as the hall quieted down.

The assembled Foundation Establishment cultivators ceased their trading to watch the auction. On the central auction platform, several Foundation Establishment cultivators from the Rogue Cultivator Alliance had displayed the items for auction and began shouting the bids loudly. "The first item up for auction today is a low-grade flying sword magic tool. The starting bid is one thousand low-grade spirit stones. The rules are simple: the highest bidder wins. You can pay with spirit stones or with items of equivalent value based on the provided list price. Well, who wants this fire-attributed low-grade flying sword? A brand new, unopened magic tool, produced by the Ancient Sect."

The auctioneer held up the flying sword, several feet long and affixed with sealing talisman paper, encased in an exquisite wooden box.

The market price for all flying swords of this grade was at least one thousand low-grade spirit stones; this was considered a fair price, only lower if the magic tool was damaged.

Soon, several cultivators in the audience placed bids. Perhaps because the item was of a lower grade, the atmosphere in the hall wasn't heated; only a few low-tier Foundation Establishment cultivators made offers. The fire-attributed flying sword was quickly sold for one thousand one hundred low-grade spirit stones.

However, as in all auctions, the better items were reserved for later. Several decent mid-grade magic tools appeared subsequently, even including a high-grade magic tool, the Earth Heavy Shield. Naturally, the prices climbed steeply. The starting bid for the high-grade magic tool was already three thousand low-grade spirit stones, and competition grew significantly, the price rapidly rising past four thousand spirit stones within moments.

Ye Qin felt a slight attraction toward the high-grade magic tool, but he already possessed eight decent low-grade magic tools, sufficient for his immediate needs. Spending such a large sum on a high-grade tool was unnecessary for now. He paused, deciding to forgo the bidding competition. His primary goal in visiting the Lower Market was to see if he could find items suitable for himself.

"The fifth item up for auction today is the Black Condor Refining Furnace, a low-grade magic tool best suited for alchemists. Everyone likely knows that flying swords are common, but refining furnaces that are magic tools are rare. The craftsmanship required to create a refining furnace is complex, and very few understand tempering. Using this refining furnace can greatly increase the pill yield. The starting bid for this low-grade magic tool is two thousand low-grade spirit stones."

The auctioneer displayed the fifth auction item and called out loudly.

The refining furnace was only the size of a fist, entirely black, reflecting a pure, dark sheen.

Ye Qin’s heart stirred instantly. He was currently using a Copper Sand Refining Furnace, which was a low-grade spirit tool. Switching to this magic tool with a higher pill yield could save a massive amount of medicinal materials. Furthermore, magic tools could change size, unlike spirit tools constrained by form. He could refine dozens of spirit pills in one batch, saving considerable time.

Not only the Azure Pill Sect had alchemists; other sects and even independent cultivators had many alchemists. For anyone looking to increase pill yield, a superior refining furnace was an absolute necessity. Just as the auctioneer finished speaking, the cultivators in the hall became animated.

"I’ll take it! Two thousand three hundred spirit stones!" a voice belonging to a young man wearing a Azure Ghost Mask sounded.

"Hmph. Only that much? I bid two thousand five hundred low-grade spirit stones." "Two thousand seven!" "Three thousand!"

Seeing such a fervent scene, Ye Qin sighed as the price quickly surpassed three thousand. It seemed there were indeed many wealthy cultivators here. Three thousand low-grade spirit stones already exceeded his anticipated price. After all, his Copper Refining Furnace had only cost him one hundred and twenty. For an increase in pill yield of less than ten percent, it seemed somewhat unwarranted.

However, what seemed unwarranted to Ye Qin was highly valuable in the eyes of other Foundation Establishment cultivators. That ten percent increase in yield, accumulated over years, represented a huge expenditure saved.

Ye Qin glanced at Han Xu beside him. Han Xu looked calm and unconcerned, showing no interest in the auctioned item. Recalling Han Xu's status as a member of the Rogue Cultivator Alliance, he must be very familiar with the situation here. Ye Qin asked, "Brother Han, are you not planning to bid on anything?"

Han Xu shook his head and smiled, "Brother Ye, what is being presented now are ordinary goods, nothing worth noting. The final two grand finale items have yet to appear. You will witness the true intensity of this auction shortly. Also, Brother Ye, if you have some spare funds, you must save them for the end. More than half the cultivators here today came specifically for those items."

Ye Qin smiled wryly, "The grand finale items? Even these ordinary goods have reached inexplicably high prices. If those are the items, I certainly couldn't afford them."

Han Xu replied, "That might not be the case. Today's very last grand finale item is actually a batch of goods, but the quantity is limited to only fifty portions, and each person is only allowed to purchase one. So, if the timing is right, you still have a chance to buy it." He then gave a mysterious smile. "This item is sold only once a month and is extremely sought after. Many high-level cultivators here have rushed from various sects or families specifically to join in the excitement today."

Ye Qin showed a look of surprise. What could an item be that is sold fifty portions a month?

He couldn't imagine what it was, but he quickly dismissed the thought and continued watching the auction. Since Han Xu mentioned there were grand finale items today, he no longer considered buying anything else. An item competed for by nearly two hundred Foundation Establishment cultivators could not be bad.

He didn't carry many spirit stones, only a few hundred. He had brought dozens of bottles of Guiyuan Pills, fifty pills per bottle, intending to consume them on the road. These spirit pills, consumed by Foundation Establishment cultivators, were extremely expensive. He had casually glanced at the market price: nearly thirty spirit stones per pill. Trading one bottle for that item should not be an issue.

The auction progressed quickly. In an hour, dozens of bid items were sold, and it soon reached the finale. What shocked Ye Qin was that the second-to-last item was actually...

"Essence of Primordial Spirit, the essence of the nascent soul! The most precious item left behind when a Core Formation cultivator passes away. There is only one drop here. This single drop is enough to forge a Primordial Spirit magic tool. The starting bid is one hundred mid-grade spirit stones—ten thousand low-grade spirit stones!"

The auctioneer held up a small, exquisitely transparent bottle, shimmering with dazzling golden light, and roared excitedly. "This is the only drop of Primordial Spirit Essence to appear in the Immortal Fate City market in the last three years! It is extremely rare! Everyone, seize the chance! Miss this day and you won't get another!"

The entire auction hall instantly erupted into chaos. Numerous Foundation Establishment cultivators gasped sharply, their excited clamor filling the air. Fiery gazes were fixed upon the small bottle held by the auctioneer.