According to Song Changsheng's assessment, the broken jade was likely a fragment of a magical artifact, though he couldn't determine its original grade.
What had caught his interest was the faint spiritual energy fluctuation he had sensed within it. On the surface, it appeared to be nothing more than an ordinary piece of first-grade turmeric jade.
But upon closer inspection of the fracture, he noticed a faint white hue inside. Song Changsheng couldn't identify which type of jade this trait belonged to, but it was not turmeric jade.
"Hm… It somewhat resembles second-grade Huangjing jade, but what are these fine lines on it…"
Leaning in for a closer look, Song Changsheng's expression gradually turned strange.
"I can't believe I misjudged it it's a man-made fake! It's not even real turmeric jade."
He recalled the moment he bought it from a young cultivator's stall. He had inspected it carefully and had been confident it was something extraordinary.
He hadn't expected to be outsmarted by the vendor losing five spirit stones in the process.
"This forger has real skill. I didn't spot a single flaw at the time. Interesting… If I see him again, I'll want to make his acquaintance."
Rather than being angry about being fooled, Song Changsheng was intrigued and wanted to get to know the stall owner.
He considered his judgment to be quite sharp after all, he had managed to pick out the formation base and the Gui Water Essence. For someone to deceive his eyes, they had to have real ability.
Although the broken jade was a bit of a letdown, he had gained plenty today. The trip around the market had been well worth it.
In the days that followed, aside from studying the formation pattern, Song Changsheng went out nearly every day around mid-morning and returned only by dusk. In no time, he had explored every corner of Liuyun Market.
He and Zhu Yiqun also grew increasingly close. The two often went out together, and Zhu Yiqun would occasionally show off his culinary skills allowing Song Changsheng to feast like never before, while his cultivation level skyrocketed.
It had only been about two months since they'd met at Yu Shi Fang, yet he had already advanced from Qi Refining Level Eight to Level Nine.
Such was the wonder of medicinal cuisine. By combining spiritual ingredients and herbs, these dishes produced a wide range of unexpected effects boosting cultivation was just one of them.
Medicinal chefs were like a fusion of alchemists and spiritual chefs, inheriting the strengths of both professions.
In fact, in certain situations, medicinal cuisine could be even more effective than pills.
Pills couldn't be consumed recklessly, but medicinal dishes posed no such risk. At worst, one might overeat or over-replenish, but that was it. Because of this, medicinal chefs were highly respected wherever they went.
However, their craft was extremely rare, and the threshold for entry was high truly a rare breed.
This also indirectly hinted that Zhu Yiqun's background was anything but ordinary.
As they spent more time together, Song Changsheng also discovered that Zhu Yiqun genuinely loved making friends. In the entire Lingzhou region, he seemed to know people everywhere.
Among them were penniless rogue cultivators, heirs of Foundation Establishment families, and even cultivators from beyond Lingzhou. His social network was vast and impressive.
During this time, Song Changsheng also made many connections through Zhu Yiqun, expanding his network and gaining much in the process.
Never underestimate the value of connections one never knows when they might come in handy.
As the months passed, their friendship deepened, yet Zhu Yiqun only became more enigmatic. The more Song Changsheng tried to understand him, the more elusive he seemed…
......
"You've worked hard, dear nephew."
Accepting the magical artifact from Song Changsheng, Song Luyuan spoke sincerely.
"Uncle, I've always been curious why our shop only accepts orders up to high-grade tier-one artifacts. Surely the family isn't lacking top-tier tier-one artifact crafters, right?"
Song Changsheng asked with genuine confusion.
He had already advanced to the level of a top-tier tier one artifact crafter some time ago, yet had never received an order for such artifacts. The shop also didn't sell any top-tier tier-one items, which made him question the reasoning behind it.
The Song clan mainly focused on industries related to formations and artifacts and trained many formation masters and artifact crafters.
Treasure-Seeking Pavilion was the family's only shop in Liuyun Market that sold magical artifacts. Logically, they should at least have a low-tier tier-two refiner stationed there.
So why were they limiting themselves to high-grade tier one as the maximum?
Faced with Song Changsheng's doubt, Song Luyuan sighed and said,
"Ah, you think the clan doesn't want a piece of the top-tier tier-one market? It's not that we lack the capability it's that we're not allowed."
"Why not?"
"Because of the Bafang Pavilion. Ever since they set up shop in Liuyun Market fifty years ago, they've practically monopolized the markets for magical artifacts, talismans, and pills.
Their products are high-quality, diverse, and low-priced far beyond what our local forces can compete with. We could only watch as our business was gradually taken away.
To change the situation, the heads of the six local powers came together and negotiated with Bafang Pavilion. In the end, a contract was signed.
According to that contract, Bafang Pavilion would sell all sub-top-tier tier-one products at the same price as us locals.
In exchange, only Bafang Pavilion could sell top-tier tier-one products. Although tier-two goods weren't included in the deal, we still couldn't compete with them at that level.
So over time, the clan pulled all its top-tier artifact crafters back."
A deep helplessness showed in Song Luyuan's eyes.
The influence of Bafang Pavilion spanned all five continents of the human realm. How could a strand of hair compete with a thigh?
The fact they even agreed to a contract was already generous it gave the local powers a sliver of survival. Otherwise, they wouldn't have even entertained negotiations.
After hearing all this, Song Changsheng felt a heavy weight in his heart. He had purchased cultivation resources from Bafang Pavilion before, but this was the first time he'd heard of the hidden story behind it.
In this world, even the casual actions of great powers could suffocate smaller forces like theirs.
"I need to get stronger, fast."
After leaving the shop, Song Changsheng silently encouraged himself.
Buzz buzz.
The communication jade at his waist suddenly began to vibrate. Song Changsheng injected a trace of spiritual energy into it, and Zhu Yiqun's voice came through:
"Changsheng, are you free today? Meet me at our usual spot I need a favor."
Song Changsheng raised an eyebrow, slightly surprised.
He'd known Zhu Yiqun for almost a year now, and this was the first time he had heard the word 'favor' from him.
"Looks like something urgent. Better go check it out."
He moved at top speed to a pavilion in the southern part of the market, where Zhu Yiqun, dressed in fine robes, was already waiting.
"Brother Zhu, hearing the word 'favor' from you is quite the rarity. Go on what do you need?"
Song Changsheng sat down beside him and asked straightforwardly.
Zhu Yiqun took a seat beside him and smiled mysteriously.
"This might be a good thing for you too."
"Oh?"
"To tell you the truth, over a year ago, a few friends and I came across a map of an ancient cultivator's ruined estate. We've already verified it the information is legitimate, and the site is still intact.
We've made plenty of preparations, but our biggest problem now is the formation guarding the ruins. We need a formation master to accompany us and you were the first person I thought of!"
As he spoke, Zhu Yiqun gave Song Changsheng's shoulder a heavy pat.
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