Fang Cheng got up, straightened his clothes, and stepped into the Light Sect.
In an instant, the world around him changed.
A blast of yellow sand hit his face!
As far as the eye could see, a boundless sea of yellow sand stretched to the horizon.
A lone Light Sect floated in midair!
Fang Cheng stepped out of the Light Sect and hurriedly activated a Spell. A cloud of light materialized beneath his feet, holding him aloft.
He glanced around. In the distance, a vast expanse of gray mist lingered over the desert, emitting strange and inexplicable spatial fluctuations.
Although this place was a desert, the density of its Spiritual Qi far surpassed that of the Yinluo Sect Marketplace. It was the richest he had ever encountered in his life!
Beside him, an hourglass formed purely of spiritual light hung silently suspended in the air.
Inside the hourglass, "grains of sand" composed of motes of light slowly trickled down.
This symbolized that he had only two hours!
Fang Cheng's mind stirred, and he flew toward the gray mist.
The gray mist spanned an area of several miles, rising over a thousand feet high. It churned violently, emitting immense spatial fluctuations.
At the edge of the mist stood a tall Stone Stele, upon which were inscribed two words—Ghost Market!
Having stumbled upon such a strange opportunity, Fang Cheng didn't hesitate and plunged headfirst into the gray mist.
After advancing a few dozen feet into the mist, his vision suddenly cleared, revealing a desert marketplace before him.
The marketplace was filled with all sorts of stalls, and a bustling crowd weaved among them, creating an incredibly lively scene.
But… Fang Cheng stuck out like a sore thumb!
He couldn't tell what race the people in the crowd belonged to. Each one was about ten feet tall, with a powerful, robust physique. They wore clothing made from beast hides, and their vitality was so immense it seemed to pierce the sky. Their physical bodies were incomparably powerful.
If their bronze skin were dyed green, they could have played the Hulk from the movies of his past life.
Standing at the edge of the market, Fang Cheng felt like a frail child, crushed by a powerful, oppressive pressure.
Thankfully, while the giants looked at him with curiosity, they didn't seem surprised and paid him no mind.
Fang Cheng braced himself and walked into the market, curiously examining the goods for sale at the stalls.
The carcasses of ferocious beasts dozens of feet long, herbs brimming with Spiritual Qi, ores radiating golden light, simple yet magnificent stone artifacts, fiercely burning Spirit Flames…
It was like walking into a Treasure Vault. All sorts of treasures containing powerful Spiritual Qi emitted astonishing auras that assaulted Fang Cheng's body and soul!
At one stall, the owner had used a Secret Technique to shrink dozens of ferocious beast carcasses down to the size of a fist and arranged them in a small pile. Spirit Patterns flickered on the carcasses, glowing brilliantly, but the terrifyingly powerful aura they emitted almost made Fang Cheng faint.
The stall owner didn't even glance at him. Fang Cheng felt like an ant simply crawling past the man's stall…
He calmed his wildly beating heart, knowing his time was short. He made his way to a more secluded part of the market, searching for stalls with goods that looked a little more "ordinary," with less intense auras.
"Outsider?"
A stall owner called out to Fang Cheng.
Fang Cheng turned to look. The stall owner was sprawled casually atop the skull of a ferocious beast. Bluish-gold blood had dripped to the ground, congealing a large patch of sand.
In front of the owner were two large, casually placed baskets. They were filled with strange, basin-sized Spirit Fruits whose skin was so transparent one could clearly see the juice, pulp, and pit within.
Rice-sized runes flickered and drifted within the fruits, a truly magical sight.
Fang Cheng stopped in his tracks. A crisp, refreshing fragrance washed over him, causing the vitality in his body to surge and his heartbeat to grow stronger.
"Are you talking to me?" Fang Cheng asked, looking at the stall owner.
The owner was a middle-aged giant, bare-chested and wearing a leather skirt, his upper body covered in tattoos.
He chuckled. "Outsider, care to buy some Spirit Fruits?"
Fang Cheng glanced at the strange Spirit Fruits and asked, "How much are they?"
The owner held up three fingers. "Three hundred Spiritual Coins each."
"Spiritual Coins?" Fang Cheng was taken aback. 'Don't they use Spirit Stones here?'
The owner gave him a curious look and chuckled. "Outsider, is this your first time here?"
Fang Cheng nodded, probing, "Are there many outsiders like me?"
The owner shook his head. "Not many. But every time you people show up, you always have strange and interesting things. Since you have no Spiritual Coins, let's barter!"
The owner leaned forward, his nose twitching. "I smell the scent of fine wine on you."
'What a sharp nose…'
With that thought, Fang Cheng took a jar of Drunken Immortal Brew from his storage bag. He broke the seal, and the rich aroma of wine instantly filled the air.
Several other nearby stall owners cast curious glances in their direction.
This was the Drunken Immortal Brew he had made for the Feng Family. Of the twenty jars, he had kept one for himself as a personal drink. He never expected to find a use for it here today.
The owner took a sniff and frowned. "The aroma is decent, but it's too weak. As bland as water!"
Fang Cheng gave an embarrassed smile. The ingredients he used were all Tier One Mid-Lower Grade, so the Spiritual Qi contained within the wine was far inferior to the goods sold in this market.
He frowned slightly, trying to think of how to pitch his Drunken Immortal Brew, but the owner spoke first. "Do you have the recipe for this wine? I'm willing to buy it."
Fang Cheng nodded. "What's your offer?"
A shrewd smile appeared on the owner's face. "Your recipe is only useful to me as a reference, so its value isn't great. I can offer two hundred Spiritual Coins for it."
Fang Cheng put away the Drunken Immortal Brew and said after a moment of thought, "I'm going to look around a bit more first."
The owner chuckled. "Outsider, in this whole Ghost Market, I'm the only member of the Soul Race who's skilled in brewing. The others won't give you that price. But if you don't believe me, feel free to go and ask around."
Of course, Fang Cheng didn't believe him.
He smiled. "This is my first time here. I'd like to look around a bit more and broaden my horizons. I'll come find you after."
The owner waved a dismissive hand, gesturing for him to go ahead.
Fang Cheng memorized the owner's appearance and continued to browse the market.
'So the giants here are called the Soul Race…'
He wondered what else he had that he could sell for money while asking at various stalls if they were interested in buying a wine recipe.
Most of the Soul Race owners weren't interested. The few who were offered very low prices—not even a hundred Spiritual Coins.
Fang Cheng then took out a Spirit Stone and asked if he could exchange it for Spiritual Coins, only to be laughed at…
The amount of Spiritual Qi in a Lower-Grade Spirit Stone was too sparse for the Soul Race giants to even consider.
He also tried to sell his Nameless Gu Technique, the Cyan Profound Sword Technique, and the various Secret Manuals of Cultivation Techniques he had gotten from the old Taoist.
But he was met with failure at every turn!
The Soul Race Cultivators primarily focused on Body Refining and had no interest in Qi Refining cultivation techniques. Besides, the techniques Fang Cheng possessed were of far too low a grade.
He did possess three high-grade techniques, but he was bound by a Heart Demon Oath and couldn't reveal them here.
Finally, with no other choice, he had to return to the first stall owner he had met.