Xiaohou Aotian felt a bit awkward standing at the shop's entrance. Since he had been spotted, he didn't bother overthinking anymore—just mentally recalling the image that flashed through his mind and vigorously rubbed his face to complete the disguise. As he stepped inside, he scanned the rows of shelves and the scattered, low-grade materials scattered on the floor, instantly confirming that Lian San Yue was indeed a master artisan. After all, she was likely from the Zhao family. Though he had already learned about the shop owner's background from Hongji Brother before coming, it was only upon seeing her firsthand that he was certain she was a true artisan. ——Every artisan's workshop was always messy, resembling a small mechanical factory workshop or a roadside hardware store. Of course, Xiaohou Aotian didn't find this cluttered state bothersome; in fact, he felt a sense of returning home. His gaze shifted from the shelves to the left, where, against the wall, there was a cash register. Behind it stood a beautiful woman dressed in a black leather jacket and a blue vest. Her fingers held a slender lady's cigarette, her eyes lazy, her grace elegant—just like the club president in a film. "You're Lin San Yue?" Xiahou Aotian approached the counter. Lin San Yue stared at him in astonishment, momentarily forgetting to smoke, her eyes wide open. "Karate?" She burst into laughter. "I've never seen someone with their face molded into a 2D protagonist before—hahaha..." You haven't finished laughing yet! The protagonist doesn't belong to any dimension—Xiahou Aotian mentally protested, took a deep breath, and said, "I've heard you have an excellent reputation—capable of handling any business venture. There's a transaction I'd like to propose—would you be interested?" Lin San Yue smoothed out her smile, returned to her relaxed posture, took a sip of her cigarette, and with her vivid red lips exhaling a plume of white smoke, replied, "Go on." Xiahou Aotian immediately pulled out a set of armor, a bronze tripod, and a string of copper coins from the display. Lin San Yue's eyes instantly narrowed. "From the Qin Dynasty?" The artifacts from the Qin Dynasty were primarily bronze vessels and ceramics, quite different from the antiques and calligraphy paintings familiar in later times. She didn't look at the bronze coins; instead, she carefully ran her fingers over the bronze tripods and armor, assessing, "The preservation is quite good—such artifacts are rare even in master-tier quests, typically only found in quests closely tied to the nobility and elite of the Qin Dynasty. But I won't take them." Lian San Yue smiled, "To me, artifacts hold little value, and they're expensive. My customers at Wan Bao House are primarily interested in materials and items from the spiritual realms. Your target audience should be wealthy collectors and investors in antiques." Xia Hou Ao Tian seemed well-prepared, his face resolute and composed, like Ka-Karot, "I'd like you to facilitate the auction of these artifacts and secure a 10% commission from you." Only then did Lian San Yue agree, "Agreed. You can come to collect the payment ten days from now." Xia Hou Ao Tian breathed a sigh of relief and added, "I'd also like you to keep the details of today's transaction confidential—how much will you "Li San Yue thought for a moment," How about twenty thousand?" "Deal!" Xue Hou Ao Tian removed his backpack, took out four stacks of cash, and placed them on the counter. In the black market, cash transactions are the norm—this was common knowledge of his. If the cash fell short, he could use items as collateral to draw funds from the black market owner, repaying the amount within the agreed timeframe. After settling the cash, Xue Hou Ao Tian turned and walked away. "Wait!" Li San Yue suddenly called out, smiling, "Why not take a look around the black market at Wan Bao House?" He had originally intended to decline—since he didn't have the funds and didn't wish to make the effort—but Li San Yue's words sparked his interest. "Though the black market doesn't always offer the finest goods, there are still occasional hidden gems." Hearing this, Xue Hou Ao Tian felt a surge in his DNA—his heart whispered: Isn't this exactly the setting reserved for the protagonist? He immediately changed his mind, "Certainly!" To enter the black market, one needs a hand card—one worth ten thousand. After three months, a long, thin black lacquered plaque appeared on the palm of his hand, inscribed with the characters "Prosperity Flows Unceasingly." One hundred thousand? How come you didn't rush to grab it! Xiaohou Aotian muttered to himself in frustration. After paying for the hand-held card, he entered the Black Market of Wanbao House and was immediately struck by the bustling scene. "The scale is quite impressive..." With lofty ambitions, Xiaohou Aotian, a learned scholar with a wise elder ring at his side, believed he could find hidden gems in the market. However, half an hour later, he stood bewildered amidst the market. Here, it seemed, everything was counterfeit? While there were indeed props and materials available, they were all clearly priced—there were no instances where valuable items were mistakenly treated as worthless. In fact, both the props and materials, as well as the so-called waste items, were all quite expensive. There was absolutely no opportunity to find bargains. "Clearly, the issue lies with this market, not with me. My fortune simply isn't aligned here." Xia Hou Ao Tian was frustrated that his ten thousand yuan had been wasted and decided to leave. At that moment, a voice from beside him spoke: "Didn't manage to find what you'd been looking for? How about experiencing the process of crafting items instead?" Hearing this, Xia Hou Ao Tian, a qualified fangshi, felt his interest stirred once again and asked, "How so?" Lian San Yue gracefully turned her body, her movements full of charm, and said, "Come with me." With curiosity and mild confusion, Xia Hou Ao Tian followed her out of the black market, past the arena of duels, and arrived at the entrance of a room. Lian San Yue opened the door, dismissed the two guards inside, and gestured toward a three-legged cauldron, smiling, "It's the greatest master of item crafting in the world. You can touch it and check its attributes." Xia Hou Ao Tian stepped forward, extended his palm, and gently pressed it against the cauldron's surface. After a few seconds, he looked at it in astonishment, "It's—really—rules-based equipment?" Moreover, he felt that this furnace was somewhat familiar. After a brief recall, he remembered that there was a similar furnace depicted in the scroll of the Huangdi, enshrined in the treasure vault of the Earth Palace. At that moment, he sensed a strong spiritual surge emanating from his ring. Guan Ya sent him over twenty messages—half in text, deeply expressing her regret and confusion, trying to salvage their relationship while also explaining that she might have been affected by something yesterday, and that the breakup wasn’t her original intention. She apologized for her irrational behavior and hoped to talk to him. When he remained unresponsive and eventually went off the phone, she grew anxious and began sending voice messages, with the last few carrying a tearful tone. It's evident that although the queen has always been striving to win back her best friend's beloved, she still holds genuine feelings for Guan Ya. Next comes Sun Miaomiao's messages. The first one was sent at 9 a.m., in which she sincerely apologized for her sharp words from yesterday. The second came at 11 a.m., after enduring three hours of waiting without hearing from Yuan Shi Tianzun, and she sent a tentative follow-up: "Hmph, such a petty one!" The final message came from Yin Ji, who explained that yesterday, due to assisting her master in capturing the Pure Yang Master of the Sect, she had been somewhat impatient. If possible, she would like to schedule a call. Zhang Yuancheng immediately dialed Yin Ji's number, and after several seconds of ringing, the line finally connected. "Yuan Shi Tianzun," came Yin Ji's gentle voice over the phone. "Call me Yuan Shi," Zhang Yuancheng said with a light, playful tone. On the other side, there was a moment of silence, no words at first—she simply got straight to the point: "The Taiyin and Xingchen secret arts are the Taiguan Sect's most closely guarded secrets, passed down only to disciples who have signed a binding pact never to reveal them. These disciples also receive blessings from Taiyin and are thus beyond the reach of even the most skilled inquiry of the Spirit Inquiry. Ordinary Night-Wanderers cannot perform such inquiries. I possess fragments of Taiyin, yet I cannot possibly hunt down and eliminate the Sect's sages merely to secure these arts. Zhang Yuanqing sighed, saying, "I understand." Noticing the undertone of disappointment in his voice, Yin Ji lowered her tone and added, "But what I wish to say is not this." Pausing, she continued, "Do you know why the Sect Master established the secret arts focused on Taiyin and Xingchen?" To become stronger? That was Zhang Yuanqing's first thought. "As my master has explained, the emphasis on Taiyin and Xingchen is designed to facilitate the easier integration of the Supreme Powers when one reaches the halfway-to-divine realm. Of course, for ordinary Night-Wanderers "Yin Ji smiled. 'Fusing the Supreme Power?' Zhang Yuanqing was momentarily surprised, but quickly grasped the meaning. The Supreme Power mentioned by Red Emissary Elder referred to the three fundamental sources—Sun, Moon, and Stars. Therefore, to master these three fundamental sources, one must, before reaching the halfway stage of a semi-divine being, choose one primary power to specialize in—this is precisely the purpose of the 'Primary Secret Technique.' Yin Ji continued: 'If no such primary technique is chosen, when we ascend to the rank of Sovereign, the three powers will remain balanced. However, once you choose one to specialize in, that power will surpass the other two.' 'So what?' Zhang Yuanqing asked. Yin Ji's voice softened, becoming gentle and intimate, like a lover's whisper: 'Therefore, the Primary Secret Technique itself is not essential—the key lies in creating imbalance among the three powers. As long as you achieve that, you can still pursue other techniques, such as "The Pure Yang Bathing Record."' "However, this secret technique is rare and hard to come by—ordinary night-wanderers simply cannot access it. That is why our Taiguan Sect's secret technique is so precious." The *Chunyang Shengshen Lu* is a secret technique? This response truly surprised Zhang Yuanqing. If that were the case, then the solar divine power contained within the Immortal Pot would be put to good use. He could entirely rely on those powers to elevate the *Chunyang Shengshen Lu* to the near-perfect state. No—he thought— the solar divine power within the Immortal Pot is too profound. If he uses it for cultivation, he will likely transform from a carbon-based life form into a pile of charcoal. Yin Ji said nothing. The two listened to each other’s breathing, remaining silent for half a minute. Zhang Yuanqing broke from his thoughts and casually asked, “How is the case of the Master of Pure Yang progressing?” Yin Ji sighed, “A few days ago, our master set a scheme to lure him in, but it failed. He has hidden protectors and is not bound by moral constraints—securing him will take time and effort. Moreover, we’ve noticed that his strength is growing steadily. In recent times, he must have eliminated several illusionists.” Zhang Yuanqing sensed her frustration and helplessness, “He’s eliminated several illusionists? Why not try collaborating with the School of Nothingness?” Yin Ji chuckled bitterly, “With the Commander of the Army and the Society of Spiritual Energy, we do have established channels. But the School of Nothingness remains elusive—even the Taimei Sect has difficulty reaching their senior leadership.” Among the three evil factions, the School of Nothingness is the most enigmatic. And they remain fundamentally opposed, even with the threat posed by the Master of Pure Yang, lacking a solid intermediary to bridge the gap and foster cooperation. Master Chuyang is old-handed and shrewd, protected by the Yin energy, and unconstrained by moral standards—so he's pulled off quite a few clever moves. Still, if all we need is a partnership with the Void Sect, I’d be happy to lend a hand. Zhang Yuanqing said, "I know a master of illusion magic—perhaps I can serve as a bridge." Yin Ji thought for a moment, then said, "I'll first report to my master and see what she thinks." Zhang Yuanqing nodded, "I also need to confirm whether the other side is willing to cooperate." After ending the call, he didn't reach out to Xiao Yuan, as he was about to arrive at Fu Family Village. Once he reported his findings to Fu Qingyang and handled the other matters, he opened his chat with Sun Miao Miao and sent a message: "I went on a mission this morning and had to power down. Miao Miao, though you've often been critical of me, you're still my little darling." Sun Miao Miao replied instantly: "Oh! You're so cheesy." Zhang Yuanqing thought, "That's exactly the right reaction—she may be saying it's cheesy, but her smile must 【The Prime Celestial Sovereign: There's one thing I'd like to ask you to do.】 【Sun Miaomiao: No loans, please.】 …Zhang Yuanqing’s mouth twitched slightly as he sent the message: 【The Prime Celestial Sovereign: Without borrowing money, I’d like to ask you to compile a complete list of all Night-Wanderers from Taigong Sect between 1990 and 2000, including those who have passed away in service. By the way, please include those from Saint-level to Master-level.】 He wants to investigate one of the Twin Shadows—the Night-Wanderer. 【Sun Miaomiao: What exactly are you looking for?】 【The Prime Celestial Sovereign: I can’t reveal the reason yet. There will be more requests like this in the future. Once I have a clearer picture, I’ll let you know.】 【Sun Miaomiao: Alright, I’ll give it a try. As for the Elders involved, my access rights will definitely be insufficient—I’ll have to trick my grandfather into logging in.】 【The Prime Celestial Sovereign: Once this is done, I’ll treat Disappeared into the carriage, leaving the driver in awe. The next instant, he appeared outside the study, knocking on the large brown wooden door.