Chapter 55: The Market and the Wall

Lin Yuan went outside shortly after sunrise.

The gathering ground looked ordinary.

Ropes still stretched between wooden stakes.

Several empty crates remained beside yesterday’s stalls.

Wagon tracks crossed the open ground, and a few travelers were already packing their belongings before leaving Blackstone.

For one hundred twenty low-grade spirit stones, Lin Yuan had expected something slightly more obvious.

He stepped off the road.

Then stopped.

The ground beneath his boots felt firmer.

Not hard.

Not paved.

Just more settled.

Yesterday, twenty-five wagons and dozens of people had crossed this area repeatedly. Deep tracks still remained in several places, but many of the smaller ruts had already softened into the surrounding earth.

Loose soil around the busiest stalls had settled instead of spreading farther across the road.

Lin Yuan crouched and pressed his fingers against the ground.

Ordinary dirt.

He straightened.

So this was the Travelers’ Market’s stabilization effect.

Nothing dramatic.

The existing ground simply handled traffic better.

A wagon rolled past.

Its wheels crossed the edge of one trading space before returning to the road.

The soil compressed beneath them without breaking apart as easily as it had yesterday.

"Owner Lin."

Lin Yuan turned.

The repair cultivator was dismantling his temporary stall.

Several repaired wheels leaned beside him while tools disappeared one by one into wooden boxes.

"You’re leaving?"

"Later this morning."

"Coming back?"

"For the next gathering."

The answer came immediately.

Lin Yuan glanced at the space he had used.

"Same place?"

"If someone doesn’t steal it first."

"You don’t own the dirt."

The cultivator looked at him.

"That sounds familiar."

Lin Yuan smiled slightly.

The man tied a bundle of tools to one of his mules.

"I might bring an apprentice next time."

"Business that good?"

"I barely sat down yesterday."

That was useful information.

The cultivator stamped one boot against the ground.

"You did something here?"

Lin Yuan’s attention shifted back to him.

"What makes you ask?"

"The dirt."

He pressed his heel down again.

"Less loose than yesterday."

"You noticed quickly."

"I spent half the day kneeling in it."

Fair enough.

"Minor improvement."

The cultivator nodded.

He didn’t ask how.

Lin Yuan appreciated that.

He continued through the gathering area.

The changes were subtle, but they covered the whole market zone. The busiest paths were firmer, and much of yesterday’s loose earth had already settled.

That alone wouldn’t impress anyone.

But yesterday’s twenty-five wagons had been enough to leave the place messy.

If future gatherings became larger, the difference would matter.

The Travelers’ Market already felt more worthwhile than it had last night.

"You’re staring at dirt."

Lin Yuan looked over.

Qiao Ren stood outside his shop with a broom.

"I’m inspecting my expensive dirt."

Qiao glanced downward.

"How expensive?"

"Enough."

"Then congratulations."

"For what?"

"You own better dirt than yesterday."

Lin Yuan stared at him.

Qiao continued sweeping his doorway.

"I sell rope and lamp oil. Let me enjoy this."

Lin Yuan left him to it.

Near the wagon area, several merchants were preparing to depart west.

Shen Lihua stood beside them.

She noticed Lin Yuan approaching.

"We’re leaving in half an hour."

"All of you?"

"Seven wagons."

"Traveling together?"

"Until the road splits."

Lin Yuan nodded.

More travelers had started grouping together since the first gathering.

It slowed them down slightly, but the western road had given people enough reasons to value extra guards.

One merchant tightened a strap around a wooden crate.

"We should reach Red Cliff tomorrow evening."

Lin Yuan glanced toward him.

"You’re going past it?"

"Farther west."

The merchant nodded toward another wagon.

"Salt and cloth for two settlements beyond the ridge."

Shen Lihua looked at Lin Yuan.

"You still want reports about the western road?"

"Yes."

"Anything specific?"

Lin Yuan remembered Han Bo’s account.

Large tracks.

Tremors.

The sound of stone breaking somewhere underground.

Beasts moving east.

"Anything unusual north of Red Cliff."

The merchant tightening the crate stopped.

"North?"

Lin Yuan looked at him.

"You heard something?"

The man hesitated.

"Not much."

Shen Lihua turned toward him.

"What?"

"Two hunters passed through Green River before we left."

He pulled the strap tighter.

"They said part of an old trail north of Red Cliff collapsed."

Lin Yuan frowned.

"Recently?"

"A few days ago."

"From the tremors?"

"They didn’t know."

"Anyone hurt?"

"Not that I heard."

The merchant shrugged.

"Could’ve been nothing. That land is bad even when nothing is happening."

A collapsed trail proved nothing.

But after Han Bo’s report, Lin Yuan wasn’t going to forget it either.

"Don’t go looking for the cause," he said.

The merchant laughed.

"I sell cloth."

"Good."

"I have no intention of investigating mysterious holes in the wasteland."

"You’re smarter than some cultivators."

Shen Lihua glanced toward the road.

"We’ll send word if we see anything."

"That’s enough."

Lin Yuan stepped aside.

The first wagon began moving.

Then the second.

Ironhoof Beasts pulled against their harnesses as seven wagons slowly joined the western road.

Lin Yuan watched them leave.

He had no intention of following.

Whatever was happening north of Red Cliff could remain there as long as it stayed away from Blackstone and the main road.

He turned back toward the tavern.

Su Mei was standing at the entrance.

"We have a problem."

Lin Yuan stopped.

"What happened?"

"Breakfast."

He looked through the doorway.

Nearly every table was occupied.

"That’s not a problem."

"Table Three wants another pot of tea. Table Five wants more porridge. Someone asked whether we make steamed buns."

"We don’t."

"I told him."

"And?"

"He asked if we could."

Lin Yuan looked toward the kitchen.

Xiao Lan appeared in the doorway.

"No."

Su Mei nodded.

"I already told him that too."

Lin Yuan went inside.

The rest of the morning disappeared quickly.

By midday, most of the gathering crowd had left.

Blackstone became quieter.

Not empty.

It hadn’t truly felt empty in weeks.

But quiet enough that individual conversations could once again be heard across the dining hall.

Fang Yu came over after lunch.

"Four rooms empty tonight."

Lin Yuan looked up from the cup he was wiping.

"Only four?"

"Two caravans are staying another day."

"Still better than last night."

Fang nodded.

Her gaze shifted through the window toward the gathering ground.

"Whatever you did out there helped."

Lin Yuan paused.

"What?"

"Less dirt is being dragged into the inn today."

That was not what he expected her to notice.

"Good."

"Was it expensive?"

Lin Yuan looked at her.

"Why does everyone ask me that?"

"Because of your face."

She turned toward the door.

Lin Yuan frowned.

"What is wrong with my face?"

Fang continued walking.

"Nothing."

That answer was suspicious.

She returned to the inn.

Lin Yuan decided that employing competent people had disadvantages.

The afternoon passed more peacefully.

No merchants came asking for land.

No one tried to reserve a stall.

No wagon broke beside the tavern.

Lin Yuan finished preparing dinner earlier than usual.

By sunset, Su Mei and Xiao Lan could handle the remaining customers without him.

He went upstairs.

The room was quiet.

For the first time since returning from Green River City, he had several uninterrupted hours.

Lin Yuan closed the door and sat on the floor.

His storage bag rested beside him.

Inside were spirit stones, a few personal belongings, and a small bottle.

He took the bottle out.

Qi Nourishing Pills.

He had bought five.

Three had already been used.

Two remained.

Lin Yuan turned the bottle slowly between his fingers.

His cultivation had continued progressing since the last pill.

The Qi Gathering effect inside Wandering Cloud Tavern helped.

Blackstone’s improved spiritual environment helped too.

But the ninth layer of Qi Refining had its own limit.

And recently, that limit had begun to feel close.

Lin Yuan removed the stopper.

A pill rolled into his palm.

After a moment, he swallowed it.

Warm medicinal energy spread through his body.

Lin Yuan closed his eyes.

His breathing settled.

Qi moved through his meridians.

There was no sudden surge.

No violent change.

The pill strengthened a circulation he had repeated thousands of times.

Lin Yuan guided the medicinal energy carefully.

One cycle.

Then another.

The Qi Gathering effect within the tavern drew faint spiritual energy toward him.

His own Qi moved with it.

Each circulation became slightly fuller than the last.

Time passed.

The medicinal energy weakened.

Lin Yuan continued.

His Qi flowed through the familiar route once again.

Then something changed.

The energy entering his dantian no longer spread as freely as before.

It gathered.

Compressed.

Settled.

Lin Yuan maintained his breathing.

Another cycle.

The same pressure returned.

There was space for Qi to move.

But no longer room for his cultivation to simply rise within the ninth layer.

He continued circulating without forcing it.

Again.

Again.

The final trace of medicinal energy faded.

His Qi remained stable.

Dense.

Full.

Lin Yuan allowed one final circulation to complete before slowly opening his eyes.

His awareness settled inward.

There was nowhere higher to go within Qi Refining.

The Qi inside his dantian had stopped expanding through the ninth layer and now pressed against the boundary beyond it.

Lin Yuan remained still for several breaths.

He had finally reached Peak Qi Refining.

A smile slowly appeared.

That had taken long enough.

Lin Yuan lifted one hand.

Qi gathered around his fingers almost immediately.

The response was faster.

Cleaner.

His control hadn’t suddenly transformed, but the difference was obvious enough.

He lowered his hand.

Then looked at the pill bottle.

One Qi Nourishing Pill remained.

But without a Foundation Establishment technique, another pill couldn’t solve the problem in front of him.

Lin Yuan leaned back against the bed.

Reaching the peak felt satisfying.

For several moments.

Then another image entered his mind.

A sealed inheritance jade inside Thousand Treasures Pavilion.

Returning Current Foundation Art.

Three hundred twenty low-grade spirit stones.

Lin Yuan stared at the ceiling.

Yesterday, he had spent one hundred twenty spirit stones on the Travelers’ Market.

Today, he had reached the exact point where the Foundation technique mattered.

He laughed quietly.

"Perfect timing."

The Territory Core remained silent.

Lin Yuan hadn’t expected otherwise.

If he wanted to step into Foundation Establishment, he would have to obtain the technique himself.

He picked up the bottle containing his final pill and returned it to his storage bag.

The inherited cultivation method had carried him through all nine layers of Qi Refining.

That was where it ended.

Lin Yuan stood and walked toward the window.

Central Blackstone stretched beneath the evening sky.

The market ground had quieted.

A light still burned inside Qiao’s shop.

Someone entered Blackstone Inn.

Farther away, Gao Rui’s rented plot remained empty, waiting for the storage shed that would soon stand there.

Blackstone had taken another step forward.

Now Lin Yuan had reached his own wall.

Three hundred twenty low-grade spirit stones.

That was the price of the Returning Current Foundation Art.

Lin Yuan looked toward the lights of Central Blackstone.

Qi Refining had taken him as far as it could.

Now he needed a way beyond it.