Chapter Ninety-Nine: Intelligence from the Hidden Market and the Eastern Sea!

When Shen Yan reached the wooden gate, he had not yet raised his hand to push it open when, as though someone inside had noticed his arrival, a faint creak sounded and the door swung wide, revealing an expressionless cultivator.

With a sweep of his divine sense, Shen Yan’s eyes flickered with surprise. He had not expected the entrance to this black market to be guarded by a cultivator at the peak of the Qi Refinement stage.

The cultivator glanced at Shen Yan and, after a brief sense of him, seemed to confirm that Shen Yan possessed the black-market token before speaking at last.

“Is fellow Daoist here for the auction at the secret market?”

Hearing this, Shen Yan was slightly taken aback. There was an auction here today.

He also noticed that the other party referred to the black market as the secret market, and quietly stored that away in his mind. He gave a slight nod.

“Yes.”

The cultivator’s taut expression eased a little, and he asked, “May I see your secret-market token, fellow Daoist?”

Shen Yan took out the token left behind by Master Xu Daoqing. When the cultivator saw it, his pupils contracted, and he looked at Shen Yan with clear astonishment.

“Please come in, Senior.”

Shen Yan was stunned once more, but quickly realized that this distinguished token seemed to be one only Foundation Establishment cultivators could hold.

He did not dwell on it. After all, he had come to the secret market to obtain information about baleful energy, so he asked directly, “When does the auction begin?”

The peak Qi Refinement cultivator’s attitude became markedly more respectful. He said reverently, “Senior, today’s auction is only for Qi Refinement cultivators, and should hold little interest for you. However, two months from now there will be an auction intended for Foundation Establishment cultivators. If Senior is still in Harborjoy City by then, you are most welcome to attend.”

Shen Yan felt somewhat disappointed. It turned out to be only an auction for Qi Refinement cultivators.

Although he had entered the world of cultivation for only a little over three years, he had long since lost all interest in auctions for Qi Refinement cultivators.

Still, he did not want to make the trip in vain, so after a moment’s thought he asked, “I want to buy some information. Is there a place in the secret market that provides it?”

The guard was not surprised. In a place like this, as long as one could pay the price, nearly anything could be bought; even if the desired item was not currently available in the secret market, someone would offer it in exchange for spirit stones.

“There is a branch of the Thousand Mechanisms Pavilion in the secret market. Senior can go take a look.”

With that, he stepped aside and invited Shen Yan in.

Shen Yan passed through the wooden gate, and immediately discovered that on the wall inside the ramshackle wooden hut there was, in fact, a circular doorway as tall as a man. Beyond it was pitch-black, though from time to time a faint ripple of spiritual energy could be sensed.

Understanding dawned in Shen Yan’s heart. This so-called secret market had been built underground. It seemed this market and the three great clans of Harborjoy City had some connection, or perhaps the two sides had long since reached a tacit understanding in secret; otherwise, the three great clans would never have allowed such a place to exist here.

After all, how could one allow another to snore beside one’s own bed?

Once Shen Yan entered the circular door and descended a stairway, he soon arrived inside the secret market.

The secret market was, on the surface, no different from the ordinary bazaars outside. Yet there were no cries of hawking here, and many shopfronts stood only half open, as though hiding unspeakable things within.

As Shen Yan swept the area with his divine sense, his disappointment with the secret market deepened. Most of the people here were Qi Refinement cultivators; there were scarcely even a few at the later stages of Qi Refinement, and a single peak Qi Refinement cultivator was the only guard at the entrance.

With unhurried steps, he walked along the narrow streets and soon found the branch of the Thousand Mechanisms Pavilion.

Just as he entered the pavilion, a cultivator with a body as small as a dwarf’s came in from the room behind. He was at the later stage of Qi Refinement, one of the few later-stage cultivators Shen Yan had detected earlier with his divine sense.

“Fellow Daoist...”

The dwarf cupped his hands slightly, but as his divine sense swept over Shen Yan, he found that he could not probe the other’s cultivation level at all. His heart immediately tightened. This meant Shen Yan was at the very least a peak Qi Refinement cultivator.

“What information does fellow Daoist require?” the dwarf asked directly after a polite greeting.

“Are you a member of the Thousand Mechanisms Pavilion?”

Shen Yan did not state the information he wanted at once, but first intended to learn something about the Thousand Mechanisms Pavilion.

“That’s right. I am the manager of the Thousand Mechanisms Pavilion’s branch in Harborjoy City. If fellow Daoist has business, please speak plainly.”

The dwarf was neither timid nor flustered. In his view, whether Shen Yan was a peak Qi Refinement cultivator or a Foundation Establishment cultivator, neither would dare cause trouble here.

After all, for the secret market to have operated in Harborjoy City for so long, it naturally possessed the confidence to stand its ground. Not to mention Foundation Establishment cultivators, even Core Formation cultivators could be invited here.

“What kind of information do you sell?”

Shen Yan continued with interest.

The dwarf’s expression did not change. Clearly he had encountered this sort of inquiry many times before.

“Any information in the world of cultivation can be sold by my Thousand Mechanisms Pavilion: the movements of the great sects, intelligence on prominent figures within the cultivation world, changes in secret realms across the land, or news of rare heavenly treasures and earthly wonders. As long as fellow Daoist wants it and can afford the price, my pavilion has it.”

The dwarf spoke with great confidence, and Shen Yan could tell from his manner that he was entirely serious.

“That would be ideal.”

Shen Yan nodded slightly. He glanced around the shop and sat down in a chair.

“I want information regarding recent events in the Eastern Sea cultivation world. Do you have anything related?”

“The Eastern Sea cultivation world?”

The dwarf pondered for a moment, then returned behind the counter. After searching through several items, he asked, “Does fellow Daoist wish to know the overall movements of the Eastern Sea cultivation world, or the movements of specific sects?”

Shen Yan smiled faintly and looked at the dwarf.

“The intelligence related to the conflict between the Dark Water Gate and the Jade Immortal Sect.”

“We do have that information, but it will cost one hundred spirit stones.”

The dwarf glanced at the jade slip in his hand before quoting the price.

“No problem.”

Shen Yan readily handed over one hundred spirit stones. Only after receiving them did the dwarf speak.

“Six months ago, the Jade Immortal Sect and the Dark Water Gate initiated a Foundation Establishment battle at a place called Green Lotus Isle. A Foundation Establishment cultivator of the early stage from the Dark Water Gate, Xun Chunfang, died by the hands of Yu Xing, a mid-Foundation Establishment cultivator of the Jade Immortal Sect. However, Liu Jing, also a mid-Foundation Establishment cultivator from the Jade Immortal Sect, perished in the ensuing chaos.

“Four months ago, under the witness of the Vast Sea Immortal Sect, Pang Jue, an elder of the Jade Immortal Sect at the late Foundation Establishment stage, openly killed Zhao Muge, a late Foundation Establishment cultivator of the Dark Water Gate. The conflict between the two sects temporarily subsided.

“One month ago, the Dark Water Gate launched a surprise attack on Green Lotus Isle and killed a Foundation Establishment cultivator of the Jade Immortal Sect. Hostilities flared once more, and as a result, cultivators are now forbidden to travel along the border between the Eastern Sea cultivation world and the Central Plains cultivation world.”

After finishing the contents of the jade slip, the dwarf smiled at Shen Yan and asked, “Is Senior satisfied with this information?”

Shen Yan was silent for a moment, then nodded. Still, he pressed on.

“Are there no other rumors or reports?”