Chapter 25: Treasure Hunting in the Imperial Capital? I Specialize in Picking Up Junk!

In the western district of the Imperial Capital, along a side street adjacent to a massive marketplace, a famous "Treasure Hunting Zone" has formed.

Here, there are no orderly shops or bright display windows like those inside the marketplace; instead, they are replaced by dense rows of street stalls and some dilapidated storefronts that look quite ancient. The air is filled with a peculiar odor—a mixture of dust, medicinal herbs, rusted metal, and various unidentified objects. The sounds of hawking, haggling, and even the occasional argument are endless.

The stall owners are a motley crew: some are shrewd old hands, some are pretenders with honest faces who might be hiding traps, and others are truly down-and-out cultivators desperate to sell family heirlooms. The flow of people is equally mixed; rogue cultivators, disciples from minor clans, and even wealthy young masters dressed in fine clothes who have come to try their luck, all weave between the stalls, their eyes searching sharply for potential "missed treasures."

Lin Xuan, disguised as an ordinary rogue cultivator in green robes, is currently strolling through this hubbub. He appears to be browsing casually, his gaze sweeping over strangely shaped ores, herbs stained with dirt, rusted weapons, and various incomplete jade slips and ancient books.

His spiritual sense acts like invisible tentacles, meticulously scanning every item that catches his interest. But more often than not, he mutters in his heart:

"System, deep scan the third black stone from the left at this stall."

"System, deep scan that broken sword."

"System, deep scan that dilapidated wooden box in the corner."

[Ding! 0.5% energy consumed, deep scan complete: Obsidian, contains a small amount of impurities, low value.]

[Ding! 0.5% energy consumed, deep scan complete: Profound Iron broken sword, spiritual essence lost, a piece of common iron.]

[Ding! 0.5% energy consumed, deep scan complete: Century-old camphor wood box, empty inside, the box itself has a slight calming effect, average value.]

After scanning over a dozen stalls and dozens of items that looked somewhat interesting, the results were mostly disappointing. They were either worthless junk or items whose value matched their price, or even "pitfalls" where the asking price far exceeded the actual value.

Nearly 5% of his energy had been consumed, yet he had gained nothing. Lin Xuan couldn't help but feel a pinch of regret; this "treasure hunting" was truly not as easy as it seemed.

"It seems I need to change my approach. I can't cast a wide net; I need to look for things with the most obscure auras, the most inconspicuous appearances, or the most vague descriptions." Lin Xuan summarized his experience and adjusted his strategy.

He slowed his pace, no longer pursuing quantity, but focusing more on perceiving the indescribable "charm" emitted by the items.

In a corner, Lin Xuan stopped before the stall of an elderly man in rags, curled up and dozing off. This stall was exceptionally desolate, with a few items scattered randomly: a moss-covered fragment of a stone tablet that looked as if it had just been fished out of a riverbed, half a charred wooden stick, a chipped pottery jar, and a few copper coins so rusted their patterns were barely visible.

These things looked no better than trash.

But Lin Xuan's gaze fell upon that half-charred wooden stick. The stick had no spiritual energy fluctuations, and one couldn't even feel any wood grain; it was like charcoal residue left over after being struck by lightning and burning for days and nights. Yet, for some reason, when his spiritual sense swept over it, the system energy fluctuated slightly.

"System, deep scan that half-charred wooden stick!" Lin Xuan felt a stir in his heart.

[Ding! 1% energy consumed, deep scanning... Detected a faint sealing field and residual high-concentration life essence inside... Scan interfered with... Preliminary judgment: Phoenix Wood (remains of a failed nirvana), contains a trace of undying vitality, can be used to refine high-grade life-extending elixirs or cultivate special spiritual plants. Value: Extremely high!]

Phoenix Wood! Remains of a failed nirvana! A trace of undying vitality!

Lin Xuan's heart gave a violent thump! This was the legendary divine wood! Even if it was just the remains of a failed nirvana, its value was immeasurable! Especially that trace of undying vitality—to certain old monsters nearing the end of their lifespan, it was simply a priceless treasure!

He suppressed the excitement in his heart, keeping his expression calm. He squatted down, picked up the stone tablet fragment to look at it, weighed the copper coins, and finally, as if inadvertently, picked up the half-charred wooden stick.

"Old man, how much for this?" Lin Xuan shook the stick, his tone casual.

The dozing old man opened his cloudy eyes, glanced at the stick, and said listlessly, "One thousand low-grade spirit stones, no bargaining."

One thousand low-grade spirit stones? For a piece of "trash," this was an astronomical price! No wonder no one was interested.

But Lin Xuan knew that the true value of this item was likely worth more than a million spirit stones!

He frowned, pretending it was too expensive, put the stick down, and picked up the broken pottery jar: "What about this?"

"Three hundred."

"Too expensive." Lin Xuan shook his head, making a move to leave.

"Hey, young friend, don't be in such a hurry to leave." The old man didn't seem to want to lose a customer completely. "If you're sincere about buying, I'll bundle these items for you—one thousand two hundred spirit stones!"

Lin Xuan chuckled inwardly; his target was the stick, the rest were just add-ons. He put on a look of struggle, and finally, as if having made a great decision, said: "One thousand! Just one thousand spirit stones! Not a single one more! I just think the shape of this stick is unique and want to take it back to study; maybe it can serve as a fire poker."

The old man sized Lin Xuan up. Seeing his ordinary clothing and that his cultivation base was only at the "Qi Refining" stage (Lin Xuan's disguise), he didn't seem like a wealthy person. After hesitating, he finally waved his hand: "Fine, fine. Consider it my loss. One thousand it is, take it."

Lin Xuan was ecstatic, but on the surface, he wore an expression of pain. He slowly counted out one thousand low-grade spirit stones and handed them to the old man, then carefully tucked the "junk," including the half-charred Phoenix Wood remains, into his storage bag (a common style, to avoid attracting attention).

The transaction complete, Lin Xuan turned and left immediately, without a hint of lingering.

The old man watched Lin Xuan's departing back, a trace of doubt flashing in his cloudy eyes, but seeing the one thousand spirit stones in his hand, he shook his head and curled back up to doze, assuming he had just encountered a sucker.

After walking a long distance and turning into a deserted alley, Lin Xuan couldn't help but pump his fist hard!

A huge profit! One thousand spirit stones to buy Phoenix Wood remains of immeasurable value! This was a massive win!

[Ding! Detected that the host successfully picked up a leak: "Phoenix Wood remains," luck slightly increased! Obtained 5000 Slacking Points!]

[Ding! Achievement "Sharp Eyes for Treasures" unlocked!]

Sure enough, picking up leaks could also increase luck and earn rewards!

With his first battle a success, Lin Xuan's confidence grew. He continued to browse the Treasure Hunting Zone, searching with even more patience.

Next, relying on deep scans, he picked up a piece of stubborn iron containing "Geng Metal Essence" at a very low price, as well as an ancient jade slip recording a niche escape technique (though incomplete, it had reference value). Although not as precious as the Phoenix Wood remains, they were solid gains that could be resold for several or even a dozen times their cost.

Nearly 10% of his energy had been consumed, but the harvest far exceeded the cost.

Just as he was about to leave the Treasure Hunting Zone, satisfied, his gaze swept over a stall and his footsteps faltered.

On that stall lay a pile of various demonic beast bones, furs, teeth, and other materials; it looked like a stall specializing in processing demonic beast materials. But next to that pile of materials, a palm-sized, pitch-black stone covered in irregular holes, looking like a honeycomb, was tossed aside casually.

This stone had no spiritual energy fluctuations and looked like an ordinary piece of volcanic rock.

However, when Lin Xuan's spiritual sense swept over it, a system prompt actually appeared again!

[Warning! Detected high-concentration spatial fluctuation residue! Deep scan recommended!]

Spatial fluctuation? Lin Xuan's heart stirred.

"System, deep scan that black honeycomb stone!"

[Ding! 2% energy consumed, deep scanning... Analyzed a stable spatial structure inside... Judgment: Void Stone (fragment), contains a stable miniature dimensional space (about one cubic meter), can be used to refine high-grade storage magic treasures or spatial artifacts. Value: High!]

Void Stone! Containing a dimensional space!

Lin Xuan's eyes lit up again! This was the core material for refining high-grade storage magic treasures like storage rings and spatial bracelets! Moreover, this fragment contained a stable one-cubic-meter space inside—it was practically tailor-made for him! He had been complaining that his system space and ordinary storage bags weren't enough!

He suppressed his excitement, walked to the stall, first asked about the prices of several common demonic beast materials, and finally asked as if in passing: "What is this black stone? It looks quite special."

The stall owner was a dark-skinned man who glanced at the stone and said in a muffled voice: "Don't know. Picked it up from the lair of a Void-Splitting Beast. It's hard as hell; can't even melt it for artifact refining. You want it? Fifty spirit stones and it's yours."

Fifty spirit stones! To buy a Void Stone fragment with a built-in one-cubic-meter space! How was this any different from giving it away?

Lin Xuan almost couldn't resist paying immediately, but he habitually haggled: "Thirty! I'll just take it to play with."

The dark-faced man seemed to think the stone was just taking up space, so he waved his hand: "Fine, take it, take it."

Lin Xuan nimbly paid the thirty spirit stones and tucked the inconspicuous-looking Void Stone fragment into his pocket, his heart blooming with joy.

Coming to this Treasure Hunting Zone today was truly the right choice!

Carrying his bountiful harvest, Lin Xuan left the noisy Treasure Hunting Zone, preparing to return to the Four Seas Pavilion to properly study today's spoils, especially the Phoenix Wood remains and the Void Stone fragment.

He walked on the road back to the Four Seas Pavilion, his mood pleasant, feeling that the air in the Imperial Capital was much fresher.

However, just as he passed through a relatively quiet street, several figures emerged from the alley entrances in front and behind him with ill intent, vaguely surrounding him.

The leader had a scar on his face and a fierce look in his eyes; his aura was clearly that of the late Foundation Establishment stage. He stared at Lin Xuan—or rather, at the bulging storage bag at Lin Xuan's waist—and licked his lips:

"Kid, you had quite a harvest in the Treasure Hunting Zone, didn't you? We brothers are a bit short on cash lately; mind lending us some spirit stones to spend?"

Lin Xuan looked at these rogue cultivators who had clearly targeted him as a "Qi Refining fat sheep," but instead of being afraid, he smiled.

Just right. Having just obtained treasures and being in a good mood, why not use you lot to test my Golden Core stage skills?

(End of Chapter 25)