[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-great-jin-s-most-iron-rice-bowl":3,"chapter-the-great-jin-s-most-iron-rice-bowl-the-great-jin-s-most-iron-rice-bowl-chapter-166":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","The Great Jin's Most Iron Rice Bowl",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},1896940,2531,"Chapter 166: Second Entry into the Ghost Market","the-great-jin-s-most-iron-rice-bowl-chapter-166",166,"\u003Cp>After leaving San Cha Medicine Valley, Hua Changxi headed straight back to Jingcheng, sent a message via communication talisman to Lin Sheng, and soon received a reply to meet tomorrow at the Tudimiao located in the southeast of Jingcheng.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Tudimiao?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Recalling that the entrance to the Ghost Market last time was also near a Tudimiao, Hua Changxi guessed that the gateways connecting to the Nine Netherworlds were the various Tudimiao.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the first day of the eleventh lunar month, early in the morning, when Hua Changxi arrived at the Tudimiao designated by Eunuch Lin, people from the Eastern Depot had already arrived.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not only were there people from the Eastern Depot, but also more than twenty other cultivators.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hua Changxi's gaze swept over those cultivators, her eyes showing a slight fluctuation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The eunuchs of the Eastern Depot were all rather thin and gaunt, while the cultivators with them were tall and burly with well-developed muscles; the contrast between the two groups standing together could not have been more obvious.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hua Changxi noticed that the arms of those cultivators were very solid, their hands covered in thick calluses, much like the blacksmiths who forge iron in a smithy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Curator Hua.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing Hua Changxi appear, Eunuch Lin finally let his hanging heart drop back into his belly; although they had distributed quite a few Ghost Market tokens, if a cultivator's cultivation was too low, they would be unable to break through the restrictions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hua Changxi's cultivation was not low; when seizing the Divine Hammer, she and a few others with high cultivation could be relied upon to block the sealing force.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The previous trips to Soul-Breaking Mountain had all failed; he hoped this time would succeed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Wait a moment; not everyone has arrived yet.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing that there were more people coming, Hua Changxi asked in surprise, \"So many people going to the Ghost Market?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Eunuch Lin smiled and said, \"More people means greater safety.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hua Changxi said nothing and stood aside to wait.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Soon, three more groups of cultivators arrived, each consisting of five or six people.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Watching the newcomers, Hua Changxi employed the technique of Observation, Listening, Questioning, and Pulse-Taking; not only did she see through everyone's spiritual roots, but their dantian and sea of qi were also laid bare before her eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing that each arriving group actually contained a Core Formation cultivator, and one group even had two Core Formation cultivators, Hua Changxi felt somewhat surprised.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She had limited contact with cultivators and did not really understand the general level of cultivation among them nowadays; plus, with five Core Formation cultivators from the Eastern Depot side, she had now seen a total of nine Core Formation cultivators.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Were there already this many Core Formation cultivators?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then what about Nascent Soul cultivators?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hua Changxi had always felt her cultivation speed was very fast, but now she felt somewhat uncertain, especially thinking that there was a batch of people who had started on the path of cultivation earlier than her, which made her feel a sense of urgency again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The problem of being unable to break through the ten billion Realm Points had to be resolved quickly!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Suppressing the anxiety in her heart, Hua Changxi looked over the people present once more.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Deploying nine Core Formation cultivators at once indicated considerable combat power, and moreover, these cultivators all carried Ghost Market tokens exactly like the one she had received earlier; seeing this, Hua Changxi's wariness toward Eunuch Lin increased by several degrees.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Everyone has arrived; let us go.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Eunuch Lin beckoned the people of the Eastern Depot to follow, walked straight into the alley beside the Tudimiao, and in the blink of an eye, they vanished.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing this, the others followed one after another.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As soon as Hua Changxi sensed the shift in space, she quickly donned her black robe, and soon the scene before her eyes transformed into a gloomy, mist-shrouded, eerie long path.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>During her first visit, visibility had been extremely low, but this time, she discovered she could clearly see the surroundings within several dozen meters.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Could it be because she had cultivated divine sense?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With her vision no longer so obstructed, Hua Changxi felt much more at ease.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Eunuch Lin walked at the front of the procession, occasionally turning back to check if everyone was keeping up; seeing that the cultivators holding their specially made Ghost Market tokens had all put up protective measures, he frowned slightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This batch of cultivators was clearly more cautious than the previous ones.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, thinking that a puppet curse had long been placed on the Ghost Market tokens, he was not afraid these people would be uncontrollable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hua Changxi noticed Eunuch Lin's frequent glances back; while secretly staying on guard, she also surveyed the surrounding situation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Coming down here for the second time, without the uneasiness of the first visit, allowed her to notice some things she had previously overlooked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>During her first visit, she had only felt the gloom and terror, but this time, she felt as though she had entered another world.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the light grew stronger, looking up revealed no ceiling; through the gray mist, she could even see white starlight twinkling, a sight that gave one a sense of depth and vastness akin to a night sky.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The Nine Netherworlds...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Was this already another realm?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before long, the Nether River, shimmering with green light, appeared in her line of sight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Exactly as she had seen it the first time, an old, rotting wooden bridge spanned the Nether River, and at the entrance of the bridge, a hunched white-haired old woman was brewing soup.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the opposite bank of the river, dim yellow lanterns glowed; behind their faint light lay street after street, where figures moved in abundance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Soon, the group reached the head of the Nether River bridge.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Leading the way, Eunuch Lin was the first to swallow the Spirit-Sealing Soup; only after seeing that everyone had drunk the Spirit-Sealing Soup did he smile and say, \"Let us cross the bridge.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The moment she crossed the Nether River, Hua Changxi swallowed a Spirit-Unlocking Pill; confirming that she could utilize spiritual qi, she silently continued to follow Eunuch Lin and the others.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before long, they arrived at the trading street where cultivators gathered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Last time she came, she had not even gotten close to the trading street; now, seeing not only various shops but also all kinds of street stalls selling everything imaginable, she finally felt as though she had truly entered the world of cultivators.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Eunuch Lin smiled and said, \"Many items at the street stalls are fake; the Eastern Depot has specialized shops for purchasing cultivation resources. If any of you have needs, you may follow this old one over there.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Immediately, a Core Formation cultivator spoke up: \"We have already reached the Ghost Market; we wish to look around freely and will regroup after we finish browsing.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing this, Eunuch Lin smiled and said, \"Fellow Daoists, please calm yourselves; since this is your first time at the Ghost Market, you must first go to the Ghost Officer Pavilion to obtain the Yin Wood Tokens distributed by the ghost officers; only then will you avoid harassment by them.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lowering his voice, he added, \"Ghost officers cultivate by absorbing soul force; for cultivators without Yin Wood Tokens, the ghost officers are never merciful.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing this, the crowd could only continue following Eunuch Lin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hua Changxi did not know whether the 'Yin Wood Token' was something Eunuch Lin had fabricated out of thin air; for the sake of safety, as she brushed past a few cultivators, she quickly applied a Concealment Talisman to hide her figure.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Afterwards, she did not wander aimlessly; wanting to probe what Eunuch Lin actually intended to do, she followed his group from a moderate distance, neither too close nor too far.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the head of every street stood a pavilion, upon which hung a plaque bearing the three glowing green characters 'Ghost Officer Pavilion'; inside each pavilion were two terrifying-looking, tall and burly ghost officers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing that the first Ghost Officer Pavilion encountered by Eunuch Lin's group had too many people, he led them toward another street.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"So the Yin Wood Tokens really exist!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hua Changxi saw that inside the Ghost Officer Pavilion, the ghost officers had indeed registered the cultivators and issued them wooden tablets engraved with numbers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Afterward, Hua Changxi followed Eunuch Lin and his group past several more Ghost Officer Pavilions; some ghost officers had bad tempers and refused to issue Yin Wood Tokens, while others had run out of tokens, forcing Eunuch Lin to lead his party into the pavilion on the very last street.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"There are Yin Wood Tokens here; let us go in quickly.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hua Changxi watched as Eunuch Lin led the people into the Ghost Officer Pavilion; the moment they entered, thick mist surged out from outside the pavilion, blocking the view of others.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When the mist dissipated, Eunuch Lin led the way, emerging from the pavilion with a group of people.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, the three waves of cultivators who appeared behind her had all turned into wooden puppets, mechanically following Eunuch Lin toward the direction where the mist was thickest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Judging by their expressions, they were extremely resistant, yet their bodies were no longer under their own control.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Witnessing this scene, Hua Changxi's face was filled with shock.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The ghost officers inside the Ghost Officer Pavilion had actually colluded with Eunuch Lin to seize control of those cultivators!\u003C\u002Fp>",1582,"2026-06-12T02:51:22.172Z",1,"Qwen3.5 397B","4cde77aa65ef5afaf6f41034bbe862ab05337bed3fa0135071c25e54d1d61231","the-great-jin-s-most-iron-rice-bowl-chapter-167","the-great-jin-s-most-iron-rice-bowl-chapter-165",558,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-great-jin-s-most-iron-rice-bowl-cover.jpg"]