Chapter 113: The Fascinating Fatty Qian and the Heaven-Supporting Alliance

"Are you an artifact refiner?" Qian Dai scrutinized Shen Lian, his eyes filled with appraisal.

"An alchemist."

"Oh." Qian Dai nodded, asking no further questions. "I do have raw Mysterious Spirit Jade Essence. How many pieces do you need, and what size?"

Hearing this, Shen Lian raised an eyebrow. This was truly an unexpected surprise.

"How much do you have?"

Qian Dai also raised an eyebrow, his layered rolls of fat trembling as he looked lazily at Shen Lian. Based on that question, it seemed the man wanted quite a lot.

"Put down fifty thousand spirit stones first to show your sincerity."

"I will pay with pills."

Shen Lian glanced again at the chaotic array of items on the deck. This young master of the Qian family was truly an eccentric. The items displayed on the deck included both spiritual objects and common, broken junk from the mundane world.

Indeed, after repeatedly vetting them with his divine sense, which reached a range of fifteen hundred feet, he confirmed they were nothing but scraps. In any major city in the mortal realm, these would be considered items for the furnace to be reforged.

Under these circumstances, an interesting scene emerged. Aside from these scraps, every item with even a hint of spirituality was priced at a minimum of several dozen to a hundred spirit stones.

Setting aside the cost, the key was that these "spiritual" items were genuinely useless once purchased. Yet, the young master had also stipulated a minimum consumption of four spirit stones.

Living in the cultivation world, one had to show respect to the heavens and the earth. Being in the waters controlled by the Profound Corpse Sect, one had to show them respect. And one certainly had to show respect to the Qian family's ancestor, a peak mid-stage Golden Core cultivator on the verge of advancing to the late stage.

Four spirit stones were a trivial cost. What a talent this guy was.

Shen Lian reached into the inner lining of his robe and pulled out a storage bag, handing it to Qian Dai. Qian Dai didn't reach for it himself, squinting as a female cultivator behind him took it. When her divine sense swept through the bag, she froze on the spot.

This aura... this slightly pinkish color... it must be the "Happiness Pill" that was currently circulating among cultivators.

Noticing his young maid's hesitation, Qian Dai became interested. Could it be some rare or high-grade pill?

"Bring it here. Let me see what kind of miraculous pill this is."

Qian Dai grabbed the storage bag and swept it with his divine sense. The fat on his round face trembled violently.

"This pill is indeed miraculous!"

"How about using these to pay for the raw Mysterious Spirit Jade Essence?"

Qian Dai tossed the storage bag back to Shen Lian casually. "Certainly, but I will only value them at eight spirit stones each."

Shen Lian raised an eyebrow. When he had sold them previously, they were fifteen spirit stones each. How could one discount happiness? Although he had added potato starch, increasing his yield by a third, he still felt the pinch.

"Twelve."

"The quality of your pills is impure. Ten." Qian Dai wobbled his jowls. "You shouldn't think I'm easy to cheat just because I have a great-ancestor at the peak of the mid-stage Golden Core realm."

"Deal."

Shen Lian twitched the corner of his mouth, feigning a look of reluctance. At this rate, he would only earn eight spirit stones of profit per pill. The formula for the Happiness Pill was no secret in the cultivation world, but its difficulty and price were comparable to the Yellow Bud Pill used by Qi Refining cultivators to boost their cultivation.

However, because the market was so massive, many cultivators who weren't even alchemists tried their hand at making them. Through the tireless efforts of many, they had actually developed a method of rolling them by hand without a furnace. As for the efficacy, it was best not to comment.

But the Happiness Pill was all about the experience; cultivators seeking pleasure would judge the pills on the market by their own personal feelings. Shen Lian's pills, despite the added starch, were made strictly following alchemical procedures. The surfaces were smooth and round, and each pill was plump. While not of the highest quality, they were certainly not inferior goods.

Under mass production, especially with the addition of spirit potato starch, the cost of each pill had dropped to two spirit stones. For other alchemists, they would still have to worry about success rates and how many pills per furnace were needed to break even.

"Mo'er, go and prepare. First, invite this fellow daoist... by the way, what is your surname?"

"Lu You."

"Fellow Daoist Lu, if you find it chaotic here, you may go to the quiet room to rest. Once I finish my business with the others, we shall discuss this large transaction in detail."

"No need for such trouble. It has been a long time since I encountered such a lively gathering." Shen Lian waved his hand, dismissing the maid who had stepped forward.

"Then please yourself, Fellow Daoist Lu. If you see any of those broken... spiritual objects below, feel free to pick whatever you like. Consider it a gift from me. Hehe."

After saying this, Qian Dai, supported by his maids, walked toward the crowd on the deck. This young master of the Qian family was truly indiscriminate, yet his temper was surprisingly better when dealing with Qi Refining level cultivators.

Shen Lian sat on a large wooden chair, observing the scene. By catching fragments of the cultivators' conversations, he learned that the young master had been running this stall business for a long time, and many cultivators were repeat customers.

A full-route ticket on the spirit ship cost over a thousand spirit stones, but short-distance tickets were not much, something even some Qi Refining cultivators could afford. Besides, those who could afford to ride a spirit ship didn't care about throwing away another four spirit stones. The young master didn't take advantage of them—he gave them a piece of scrap metal in return, didn't he? If they didn't want the scrap, there were also decent ores, herbs, and pills available at fair prices. Many cultivators did indeed purchase spiritual objects they were satisfied with.

"Young Master Qian, long time no see." A thin, sharp-nosed male cultivator greeted Qian Dai on the deck.

"Fellow Daoist Ye, it’s been a while since you patronized my business."

"I heard you went to the Sea King Sect's secret realm. You must have found a great treasure; you've already reached the seventh level of Foundation Establishment."

The cultivator named Ye gave a bitter smile. "I nearly died in the secret realm. If it weren't for good luck, I wouldn't have made it back."

As Qian Dai spoke, his fat wobbled. "Why? I heard that in that realm, magical artifacts are as common as mountains and opportunities are everywhere. If I weren't so attached to my business, I would have wanted to go see it myself."

Ye Yangshan looked at the fat face before him, wishing he could slap the pig-like head. "That's true. If Young Master Qian had gone, the opportunities in the realm would have been yours for the taking."

"Enough, if you can't offer genuine praise, don't bother. Come to the quiet room later for a chat; I want to see if you've found any new treasures."

Fatty Qian moved between the Qi Refining and Foundation Establishment cultivators like a social butterfly, selling his wares. An hour later, the Qi Refining cultivators had all left, and along with Shen Lian, only seven Foundation Establishment cultivators remained.

In the quiet room of the spirit ship, spiritual energy surged. The room was five zhang wide and filled with dozens of white jade cushions that emitted a faint, chilly air. Above the cushions was a specially crafted wide bed covered with a monster beast hide veined with blood, and in front of it sat a massive, mountain-shaped alchemy furnace emitting thin trails of blue smoke.

"Second-tier calming jade."
"Third-tier defensive formation."
"Second-tier high-grade blood-veined ink dragon hide."
"Using a second-tier high-grade alchemy furnace as an incense burner."

Upon entering, Shen Lian took a glance and identified everything. The cushion he usually used for meditation was woven from spirit rushes, while the jade one here was worth no less than three thousand spirit stones. And that furnace—if one could buy it for twenty thousand spirit stones at an auction, that would be a steal. As for the dragon hide, that was a fine item indeed. Compared to the squalor elsewhere on the spirit ship, this was truly a case of "saving where you can and spending where you must."

"A third-tier formation. My second-tier jade talismans might have trouble breaking it, though focusing on one point might work. But the room is too small; taking out the talisman would be suicide."

"Fellow daoists, sorry to keep you waiting." The door opened again, and Qian Dai, supported by two maids, sat on the dragon-hide chair. "Some of you know each other, others don't, but that doesn't matter. It won't hinder this small exchange meeting. The old rules apply: if any fellow daoist has spiritual objects with yin or cold attributes—pills, spiritual herbs, or heavenly treasures—they are all welcome."

"Fellow Daoist Qian, I have a Yin Water Bead here."

After a brief silence, a cultivator in grey robes activated his storage bracelet, and a black bead flew out. As soon as it appeared, it radiated a cold, yin energy. However, it was only a first-tier high-grade item. A flash of disappointment crossed Qian Dai's eyes. Seeing that none of the other six spoke, he sighed lightly. "Fellow Daoist Yun, although this bead is only first-tier, I am willing to take it for fifteen hundred spirit stones. What do you think?"

"If you like it, that is enough, Fellow Daoist Qian. Forget the spirit stones; consider it a gift from me."

Qian Dai said nothing more. After accepting the bead, the maid behind him waved her hand, and fifteen hundred spirit stones landed before the Foundation Establishment cultivator.

"Fellow Daoist Yun, can you tell me where you obtained this?"

"I acquired it by chance during a trip to the Sea Clan's territory not long ago."

Hearing this, Qian Dai gave up.

"Very well, fellow daoists, please feel free to trade among yourselves. The old rule: regardless of what is traded, both parties must pay me a ten percent commission. Of course, if any traded item turns out to be faulty, I will be responsible for compensating your losses. As for those who trade faulty items, my Qian family will hunt you down across the entire sea region. Additionally, if you need specific spiritual objects, you may propose it. As long as you leave a deposit, I will send men to search for them."

Qian Dai finished speaking and fell silent, closing his eyes as if asleep.

"I have a magical artifact here, the Blazing Fire Blade. Does anyone have an interest?" Ye Yangshan, who had talked to Qian Dai outside, produced a red-and-black artifact. "This artifact enhances fire-attribute spells and is of second-tier mid-grade quality."

Ye Yangshan introduced it at length, but no one present showed any interest. Finally, looking sheepish, he put it back into his storage bag.

"Fellow Daoist Ye, is this the treasure you found in the Sea King's secret realm?" Qian Dai asked with a chuckle. Everyone knew the Sea King Sect primarily cultivated water-based arts; if a fire-attribute artifact appeared in their secret realm, it likely belonged to a cultivator who had fallen there.

"Don't mention it, Young Master Qian. This trip to the Sea King's secret realm was a massive loss. Not only did I fail to find any opportunities, but I also lost most of the savings I'd accumulated over my life. It is far too dangerous in there—traps at every step, prohibitions everywhere." Ye Yangshan looked miserable.

"Fellow Daoist Ye, I heard that the Black Cliff Old Demon was causing quite a stir in the Profound Sea Sect's territory a few years ago. Is there any movement now?" a cultivator familiar with Ye asked.

"The Black Cliff Old Demon is truly..."

Shen Lian sat to the side, listening quietly as Ye Yangshan recounted the "glorious" deeds of the Black Cliff Old Demon.

"If you want to know what is most famous in the central sea region of the Myriad Star Seas right now, it would be the newly risen 'Sky-Supporting Alliance'."

"The Sky-Supporting Alliance? Does such a force exist in the Myriad Star Seas?" Hearing this, the other cultivators looked confused. Shen Lian pricked up his ears; he was very concerned about any changes in the environment.

"Fellow daoists, you may not have heard of the Sky-Supporting Alliance, but you must know of the Huan Mountain Island Alliance."

There were many island alliances in the Myriad Star Seas, ranging from small forces on Qi Refining islands to those with Golden Core masters. The Huan Mountain Island Alliance was one such force with a Golden Core master, located in the eastern part of the Profound Sea Sect's territory. It wasn't built by a Foundation Establishment family but by rogue cultivators, boasting one Golden Core elder, two ninth-level Foundation Establishment leaders, and dozens of other Foundation Establishment cultivators.

"Did someone kill the elder of the Huan Mountain Island?"

"Not exactly." Ye Yangshan shook his head. "It was the elder himself who came out, announced the renaming of the Huan Mountain Island Alliance to the 'Sky-Supporting Alliance,' and supposedly killed several Foundation Establishment cultivators on the spot, replacing the leaders as well. Furthermore, he declared they would participate in the excavation of the Sea King's secret realm and demanded the same treatment as the Profound Sea Sect and the Sea Spirit Sect."

The news of the Sky-Supporting Alliance was just idle gossip to the cultivators present. Soon, the conversation returned to bartering, but unfortunately, none of the seven Foundation Establishment cultivators were interested in what the others had to offer.

"Young Master Qian, here are the items I need and the deposit." After the exchange ended, two cultivators produced storage bags and jade slips detailing their requests.

"Easily done." Qian Dai accepted the items. "Within a year, whether there is news or not, I will leave word at the Wind and Thunder Pavilions on every island."

Qian Dai clapped his hands, and a halo of light appeared on his right hand. "Very well, the final segment." The halo rotated rapidly, transforming into a copper ring the size of a foot.

Shen Lian realized it was a specially crafted storage bracelet, though he didn't know what Qian Dai intended.

"Fate has brought us together. Whether you pick a treasure depends on your own eyes. Within ten breaths, whatever you manage to pull from this storage bracelet, I will give to you."

"Haha, thank you, Young Master Qian! I'll go first." The cultivator named Yun went first, his divine sense diving into the bracelet.

Shen Lian finally understood—this was a raffle. This fatty was truly a talent.

Soon, the bracelet flew to Shen Lian. Having seen the previous six pull out nothing but broken junk, he didn't expect much. He sent his divine sense into the bracelet. The space inside was vast, over a hundred zhang in circumference, but it was piled high with all sorts of things—scraps of metal, broken artifacts, and the pungent smell of decay and blood.

After searching through the pile with his divine sense, Shen Lian pulled out a pitch-black copper slip inscribed with obscure ancient cultivation characters.