The market at the northernmost edge of Hengze Prefecture's main city was the most chaotic and crowded area in the entire city.
Because the waters of Biluo Lake lay just beyond the northern city wall—rich in treasures like Azure Lotus Jade Dew, Streamer Flowers, and Xuanpin Pearls—countless cultivators set out from the northern gate every day to explore the lake for treasure, gather spiritual plants, or hunt spirit beasts, before returning to the city to trade them for spirit stones or other goods.
Shi Yu was currently in this northern market, moving with the dense crowd toward its inner depths.
She was dressed as a man, her hair tied in a high bun, her features and aura disguised as a rugged fellow. Squeezing through the crowd, she grabbed a random passerby. “Brother, which way to Wanzhi Tower?”
Her voice was muffled and deep.
Seeing her fierce look, the passerby shrank back and pointed to the left. “F-Fellow cultivator, it's over there.”
“Thanks.” Shi Yu released him and headed in that direction.
Wanzhi Tower was her destination in the northern part of the city.
Its name was derived from the phrase “unconcerned with nothing under heaven, knowledgeable in all ten thousand things.” Wanzhi Tower was the largest intelligence exchange in all of East Continent. It was rumored to have extremely wide-ranging sources of information, not only possessing eyes and ears everywhere, but also possessing miraculous magic treasures and secret arts capable of divine divination and uncovering secrets...
Living up to its name, Wanzhi Tower gathered intelligence from all regions, realms, and sects. Whether it was secret pill formulas, ancient histories of the Origin Realm, or even the hidden secrets of mighty powerhouses, one could potentially find them here.
Of course, this information came at no small cost; the rarer and more precious the intel, the higher the price.
In each of the thirty-two prefectures of East Continent, a branch of Wanzhi Tower stood in the main city. Hengze Prefecture's branch was located in the northern quarter—information Shi Yu had learned from President Song shortly before deciding to come here.
Wanzhi Tower kept the identity of its clients strictly confidential, leaking no information. Special formations within the building isolated all divine sense probing and eavesdropping. To be safe, however, Shi Yu had used the 《Illusory Resemblance Art》 to alter her appearance and aura, disguising herself as a Foundation Establishment Realm rogue cultivator.
“Under the disguise of the 《Illusory Resemblance Art》, my aura is completely realistic. As long as I don't engage in actual combat, even a Golden Core cultivator won't necessarily see through it.”
“Currently, it's just President Song, Master Ji, and me. Gathering intel ourselves is inconvenient, and being in another prefecture without backup means we must be cautious in all things... Wanzhi Tower is indeed a good option.”
Right now, they couldn't figure out the Fang Clan's true situation. Probing recklessly might alert them, making this place the perfect alternative.
Turning a corner, she saw a magnificent building a hundred feet tall with blue bricks and white tiles. A giant plaque hung above, inscribed with the single character “Know.” The character radiated a profound and majestic aura, clearly written by a mighty powerhouse.
Shi Yu stepped inside. Contrary to her expectation of a bustling crowd, the main hall was completely empty.
She raised an eyebrow, looked down at the ground, and whispered, “An array formation.”
Taking a step forward, the scenery before her shifted in the next instant. Transported by the formation, she arrived in a quiet, elegant room.
There was a stone table and two futons.
Looking around, all four walls were lined with countless square compartments stacked with scrolls. Formations were embedded within these compartments as well; though each appeared no larger than a palm, they contained spatial dimensions inside, storing far more scrolls than what met the eye.
Withdrawing her gaze and seeing no one behind the stone table, Shi Yu stepped forward and sat cross-legged on a futon to wait.
The next moment, a plume of green smoke rose from the opposite futon behind the stone table, condensing into a ghostly shadow. The shadow sized Shi Yu up and asked, “What would the guest like to know?”
Shi Yu said, “I want to know the reason behind the decline of the prominent Fang Clan.”
She didn't immediately ask about Fang Yushan or Fang Sheng, wanting to test how deep Wanzhi Tower's intelligence went and whether it lived up to its reputation.
The shadow nodded, offering no commentary on her request, and merely said slowly, “Five thousand low-grade spirit stones.”
“...” Was a single piece of information worth five thousand spirit stones?
Seeming to sense her doubt and dissatisfaction, the shadow spoke impassively, “Our tower sets fair prices. A price like this indicates that the question you asked possesses corresponding value.”
Fair enough. Shi Yu twitched her lips. Fortunately, she had plenty of spirit stones in her pouch. With a wave of her sleeve, she set out five thousand low-grade spirit stones.
The shadow collected the spirit stones, and a mysterious ripple of spiritual energy fluctuated around its body. The ripple condensed into a long line that connected to a compartment on the right wall.
Shi Yu followed its path and saw a scroll within that compartment emit a faint glow. A moment later, the shadow withdrew the spiritual energy ripple, and the faint light faded away.
“The reason for the decline of the Fang Clan is that the entire clan's fortune was absorbed by a ‘Fortune-Gathering Physique’.”
Fortune-Gathering Physique? Shi Yu's pupils shrank.
Patriarch Fang had claimed that Sheng'er possessed a Calamity Physique, making her an ill-fated child born with endless disasters—even disrupting the flow of spiritual energy around her and bringing about natural and man-made calamities.
Yet this Fortune-Gathering Physique...
The shadow continued, “A nation has national fortune, and a clan has clan fortune. When the clan fortune is gone, it will naturally decline.”
Shi Yu knitted her brows tightly.
Though the outcome aligned with the decline of the Fang Clan, it completely contradicted Patriarch Fang's explanation.
Shi Yu couldn't help but press, “What is this Fortune-Gathering Physique?”
The shadow said faintly, “Five thousand spirit stones.”
“...” How ridiculously expensive. Five thousand spirit stones for just a few words.
However, having touched upon the core of the matter, Shi Yu hesitated briefly before producing another five thousand spirit stones.
“All things are constant and must flow somewhere. The one possessing the Fortune-Gathering Physique possesses extraordinary opportunities and good fortune...”
...
Upon returning to the inn, Shi Yu remained silent with a deep frown.
After laying down two layers of barriers inside the guest room, she brought out spirit beast blood, spirit jade dust, Five-Elements Sand, and other materials, slowly grinding them with a specialized technique as she spoke, “I need to make a trip to the Fang Clan.”
Having heard the news she brought back from Wanzhi Tower, President Song and Master Ji were also frowning deeply. Hearing her words, they cast disapproving glances her way.
Shi Yu added, “Secretly.”
With that, the talisman ink was finished grinding. She retrieved high-quality talisman paper and set to work crafting a Tier-3 Concealment Talisman.
Grasping the talisman pen, Shi Yu dipped it in ink and casually traced a source rune across the talisman paper.
Although President Song and Master Ji knew Shi Yu had accomplishments in the Talisman Dao, this was their first time seeing her craft a talisman. Distracted, they paused their conversation and stared intently at her movements.
Shi Yu moved her pen without the slightest hesitation or stutter. Source runes appeared on the paper one after another, emanating an ancient charm. In less than the time it took to drink a cup of tea, she lifted her pen. A flash of brilliance surged from the talisman paper, giving off a presence entirely different from before.
A Concealment Talisman of supreme quality.
President Song and Master Ji exchanged a glance, both seeing astonishment on each other's faces.
Setting down her pen, Shi Yu continued, “Patriarch Fang didn't delay at all. Merely two hours after we left the Fang Clan, he set off alone for Wanchou Prefecture, showing just how desperate he is for the Mengtian Pill... Speaking of which, he keeps a close eye on Sheng'er, hardly leaving her side. Now that Sheng'er has been left at home, it's the perfect opportunity to contact her alone.”
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