Chapter 298: Black Market, Acquired

"What do you want to buy?"

Lou Ge sat lazily in a chair, sipping spiritual tea and glancing sideways at He Pingsheng.

He Pingsheng said: "I seek a qualification to enter the Five Dragon Gorge Secret Realm!"

"Oh?"

Lou Ge set the spiritual tea down on the table and smiled warmly: "That's a big deal!"

"Fine!"

"Ten thousand low-grade spirit stones!"

After speaking, Lou Ge extended his hand toward He Pingsheng.

He Pingsheng frowned.

This price surprised him.

Ten thousand?

That's far too low.

"Hehehe…" Lou Ge, seeing He Pingsheng's expression, asked: "Are you here for the first time?"

He Pingsheng bowed and said: "Indeed, this is my first time in the black market!"

"Hmm!" Lou Ge pointed at Qin Zhou: "Explain our rules to this young brother of yours!"

Qin Zhou looked apologetically at Lou Ge: "Ah… it's my fault—I didn't explain clearly when we came!"

"That… uh… Comrade Xu, it's like this!"

He turned to He Pingsheng and explained: "The ten thousand is just Lou Ge's referral fee!"

"Whether or not we find what you want, this ten thousand is non-refundable!"

"If we do find it, he'll arrange for the seller to negotiate with you—he won't interfere in your deal!"

He Pingsheng suddenly understood.

No wonder running a black market is profitable.

"Alright!" He Pingsheng took ten mid-grade spirit stones from his storage pouch and handed them to Lou Ge.

Lou Ge nodded and said: "Da Ya—show our guest to the private chamber!"

A tall woman in revealing attire emerged from nowhere, leading He Pingsheng and Qin Zhou into the small house, then through to the back, entering a so-called private chamber.

The chamber was small.

Just one zhang square, containing only a table and a few stone benches.

The woman named Da Ya smiled and said: "Please wait here. Lou Ge has already begun broadcasting your request—should someone respond, they'll come to negotiate with you!"

"Good!" He Pingsheng sat down.

The woman didn't leave—she sat beside him.

The three sat in silence, eyes closed, waiting.

After about half an hour, Da Ya suddenly opened her eyes and said: "Guest, your trading partner has arrived…"

Da Ya left the room, then returned moments later leading in a young, beautiful female cultivator dressed in blue robes.

The female cultivator looked very young and very beautiful.

"You two talk," Da Ya said, then left.

The room now held only three people.

He Pingsheng, Qin Zhou, and the woman holding the secret realm qualification.

"Greetings, fellow cultivators!" The woman sat calmly across from He Pingsheng; "Which of you wants the qualification?"

"Or both?"

Impressive!

From her tone, she had more than one qualification.

"You're joking," Qin Zhou said. "I'm only at Foundation Establishment fourth layer—I don't have entry rights!"

"Alright," the woman turned to He Pingsheng. "Foundation Establishment eleventh layer—impressive."

He Pingsheng's spiritual sense swept over her: Foundation Establishment twelfth layer.

This woman had passed her bottleneck.

Now she faced the challenge of Core Formation.

"Pah…" The woman didn't waste words—she placed two items directly before He Pingsheng.

On the stone table: one black, grimy token;

the other, a white jade plaque.

"The black one is the entry token for the Five Dragon Gorge Secret Realm—hold it, and you can board the ship directly to Xishu Commandery!"

"The white one is the Life-Death Plaque—if danger arises inside the realm, crush it and you'll be instantly teleported to the entrance!"

"They're a set."

"Take a look."

He Pingsheng picked up both items and examined them. "No issues."

The woman said: "What can you offer that would move me?"

"Don't give me spirit stones—I have more than enough."

"I want something that truly excites me."

The blue-robed woman smiled sweetly at He Pingsheng.

He Pingsheng said nothing—just pulled a pill vial from his storage pouch and placed it before her: "One Grade Three pill. Take a look."

"Grade Three?"

"Just one?"

The woman's face showed faint disdain.

He Pingsheng stared at her: "Look at it first, then decide."

"Fine."

The woman lazily extended her fair hand, took the vial, opened the lid, and sent her spiritual sense inside.

Her expression shifted from indifference to shock, then to delight.

"It's… it's…"

"An ultimate Chaoyuan Pill?"

The value of an ultimate Chaoyuan Pill could not be measured in spirit stones—it was impossibly rare.

It didn't merely guarantee a Foundation Establishment twelfth-layer cultivator's passage into Golden Core—it would make that Golden Core as powerful as one forged by thirty years of self-cultivation and false-core condensation.

Could such a pill not bring joy?

"I'm sorry!" The woman immediately apologized. "I was shallow just now."

"Your pill is more than enough."

"I'll trade!"

Was an ultimate Chaoyuan Pill worth this qualification?

More than enough.

Remember: each major commandery in Liang State had five hundred qualifications.

Combined, eight to ten thousand cultivators would enter the realm.

Of them, nearly ninety-nine percent would return empty-handed.

Most cultivators had little confidence in finding treasures.

Would you trade an ultimate Chaoyuan Pill for a single qualification?

He Pingsheng didn't know how many would agree—but plenty would.

"Good."

He Pingsheng took the entry token and the white Life-Death Plaque.

The deal was done. The items were in hand.

"I'm Su Zhenzhen. May I ask your cultivation name?"

Su Zhenzhen tucked away the pill and became genuinely interested in He Pingsheng.

He Pingsheng said: "I'm Xu."

"Brother Xu… good," Su Zhenzhen said. "Until we meet again!"

The three left the small house in turn.

At the entrance, Lou Ge asked: "Young brother, did you get what you wanted?"

He Pingsheng nodded. "Yes, thank you, Lou Ge."

Lou Ge said nothing, sipping his spiritual tea, and waved his other hand dismissively, signaling him to leave.

He Pingsheng and Qin Zhou exited the black market, passing through the magic treasure's exit.

Stepping out of the magic treasure's space, He Pingsheng finally exhaled.

Being inside another's magic treasure space felt deeply unsettling.

"By the way!" He Pingsheng pulled out another vial and handed it to Qin Zhou. "Brother Qin, thank you for your help—this vial also contains one ultimate Chaoyuan Pill, as my token of gratitude."

"Huh?"

Qin Zhou, holding the Chaoyuan Pill, froze in shock.

Chaoyuan Pill?

Still top-grade.

"It's not… Comrade Xu…"

By the time he looked up, He Pingsheng had already vanished into the night.