Chapter 372: Bold and Unrestrained, Luo Chen Secured Three Enchanted Treasures in One Go! (II)

A low hum echoed from the disk. Faint light shimmered, and a complex formation began to emerge. Then, Luo Chen’s figure began to blur, turning semi-transparent.

His brow lifted slightly in interest. With a single thought, he withdrew the seal, and his form returned to normal.

Not bad,

he mused.

Though incomplete, this enchanted treasure could still function. If fully activated, it might well rival a supreme-grade enchanted artifact in its effect.

Next, he picked up the Soul-Gathering Banner.

The moment it touched his palm, it quivered and unfurled slightly, releasing a wisp of faint, cold aura. That alone was enough to confirm its usability, this was no ordinary banner.

As for the bronze mirror, it remained inscrutable for now. Still, the vendor had the audacity to price it like a standard low-grade enchanted treasure. Clearly, there was more to it than met the eye. Whether the vendor truly didn’t know its purpose or was simply pretending not to, Luo Chen couldn’t say. But such items often proved the most valuable.

As Luo Chen weighed his options, the air around him grew still. The surrounding crowd held its breath.

The scar-faced vendor watched Luo Chen’s expression with great caution.

When the formation disk had reacted, he had felt a pang of regret. But with the other two showing no clear signs, that regret quickly turned to dread.

Unable to suppress it any longer, he asked cautiously, “Senior... did any of them catch your eye?”

Luo Chen glanced up, then calmly tucked all three enchanted treasures into his storage pouch.

“I’ll take them all,” he said, already reaching into his storage pouch of holding. “Sixty-five thousand, right?”

At that figure, the surrounding Qi-Refining rogue cultivators were utterly stunned.

Even the scar-faced vendor stood frozen. He had only placed the enchanted treasures out to test his luck. Never had he expected someone to purchase all three without a second thought.

Suddenly, he felt the weight of the dozens of hungry gazes around him. Greed, envy, calculation, all directed at the overflowing bag of spirit stones in Luo Chen’s hands.

He shuddered.

Better quit while ahead!

“Senior, sixty thousand is fine, sixty thousand!”

Luo Chen chuckled.

The man knew when to retreat, a wise trait.

He had likely realized that Luo Chen wasn’t someone to provoke, wealthy, calm, and clearly no ordinary cultivator, and was doing his best to stay on his good side.

Luo Chen certainly wasn’t going to refuse a five-thousand spirit stone discount.

Without another word, he handed over the spirit stones, pocketed the three enchanted treasures, and drifted away into the crowd like mist dissolving into air.

Only after he was long out of sight did the square erupt into a flurry of chatter.

“Are all Foundation Establishment Initiates this rich?”

“He just threw out sixty thousand like it was spare change! Didn't even blink!”

“Not all of them! Most Foundation Establishment cultivators are just barely better off than us. If someone can toss around sixty thousand like that, he’s probably a sect disciple, or even a True Inheritor!”

“Did you see how he concealed his energy flow? No spirit fluctuations at all. That’s got to be a disciple from a Golden Core sect!”

“So jealous...”

“But hey, where’s the stall owner? He was right here just now.”

As the crowd looked around, they realized the scar-faced vendor had already vanished without a trace. His mat and wares were gone.

After such a large transaction, he knew all too well the danger in a place full of hungry eyes. It is better to run before anyone got ideas.

***

Back in the central plaza, Luo Chen continued to browse the sprawling Trade Assembly. Despite having just purchased three incomplete enchanted treasures in one go, his curiosity remained sharp.

The scale of the marketplace was staggering. Booths stretched as far as the eye could see, brimming with enchanted artifacts, talismans, and materials of wildly varying quality. Yet for the discerning eye, hidden gems still lay buried beneath the clutter.

Luo Chen wasn’t the only Foundation Establishment cultivator who thought this way. Throughout his stroll, Luo Chen had encountered several others like him, young elites from small sects or rogue cultivators scouring the stalls for opportunity.

After several hours of browsing, Luo Chen stumbled upon a few more incomplete enchanted treasures. This time, however, he refrained from buying anything.

For one simple reason, the vendors were Foundation Establishment Initiates. If they were selling incomplete enchanted treasures, then the items were probably worthless at least to others in their own realm.

Luo Chen tested two of them and found that, at most, their effects equaled the full-force strike of a supreme-grade enchanted artifact. The performance was quite similar to the broken blade once wielded by Xu Renke, the vagrant cultivator from Dahe Market.

Xu Renke had drifted through countless marketplaces, scraping together resources wherever he could. Luo Chen now suspected that blade of his had likely come from a deal just like this one.

By contrast, the three incomplete enchanted treasures Luo Chen had just obtained were of a different caliber. They had been sold by a Qi-Refining cultivator, whether they were useful depended entirely on Luo Chen’s own discernment.

Even with just a brief test, the formation compass alone had already proven itself worth more than ten thousand spirit stones. The concealment formation it triggered had been subtle, fluid, and unusually refined.

As for the other two enchanted treasures, Luo Chen had a vague sense of what the Soul-Gathering Banner could do, but the bronze mirror still remained a mystery.

Still, the vendor had dared to price it as high as a proper low-grade enchanted treasure. That alone hinted at potential.

It’s a gamble, yes,

Luo Chen admitted to himself.

But I’ve got money. I can afford to splurge.

After a full day of browsing, Luo Chen decided to call it a day.

One thing had become abundantly clear to him were at this massive Trade Assembly, enchanted artifacts and incomplete enchanted treasures were everywhere, almost ridiculously so.

The cause was obvious. It had to be tied to the ongoing conflict between the two Nascent Soul sects. Rumor has it both the Sword Sect and the Luoyun Sect have sent their True Inheritors to Tianlan Immortal City.

Could they end up fighting here?

Luo Chen mused, lips curling into a faint smirk.

If they do, I’ll be sure to grab a front-row seat.

He returned to his cave residence and laid out all the treasures he’d obtained.

𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

The Heavy Profound Darkwater would be sent to Duan Feng tomorrow. For now, his focus shifted to the three incomplete enchanted treasures.

This formation compass is unique. It doesn’t need much refining. Just a proper understanding of seals and formation arts to activate it fully, Luo Chen thought. With my current level in formation techniques, I won’t be able to bring out its full potential. Better let Min Longyu take a look first. Once he deciphers its workings, I can use it properly.

He set the compass aside and turned his attention to the banner.

Soul-Gathering Banner?

The name reminded him of the Soul-Refining Banner, but their uses were clearly different. One to gather, and the other to refine. He tried to inject with spirit power, but nothing happened.

It looks like this one will need full refinement before it function. That takes time and it is something I don’t have much of.

Still, maybe I can let Little Ling give it a try.

With a thought, Luo Chen summoned Little Ling, a cold and ghostly glow filled the cave. A graceful figure emerged slowly, her form translucent and still drowsy.

“Master, do you need something?” Bai Meiling yawned as she floated toward him.

“Here. For you.” Luo Chen handed her the banner.

“What is this?” Bai Meiling accepted the banner, but the moment it touched her hands, she was dragged down to the floor. “It’s so heavy!”

Seeing that, Luo Chen couldn’t help but laugh. “That’s a Soul-Gathering Banner. Study it carefully. It might help you progress further down the Soul-Refining path.”

As he spoke, he picked up the banner and planted it in a corner of the cave. Bai Meiling, having recovered her bearings, hovered beside it, eyes filled with curiosity and awe.

With her occupied, Luo Chen turned back to the bronze mirror resting on his desk.

It was ancient and tinged with age. The mirror’s rim was etched faintly with birds, flowers, insects, and fish. Only the mirror face had a missing corner, as though it had shattered in battle.

“This thing... it feels strangely familiar to me!”

Gambling? Luo Chen would never gamble.

He had come here to find a hidden treasure. Even if he didn’t strike gold, whatever he bought had to be worth the price.

What had compelled him to pay the equivalent of a standard low-grade enchanted treasure for this bronze mirror was the feeling of familiarity he’d sensed the moment he touched it.

“Where exactly does it come from?” Luo Chen frowned and pondered deeply.

As he thought, he occasionally injected spirit power into the mirror, but it showed no reaction. He tried probing with his spirit consciousness, which yielded no result either.

Suddenly, Luo Chen’s spirit stirred.

A black chess piece materialized between his fingers. He infused it with spirit power, and threads of dark light slowly emerged.

As if resonating in response, a dusky yellow glow suddenly lit up on the surface of the bronze mirror.

The instant the two lights touched, they melded together like water and milk.

Luo Chen watched the scene in surprise.

The Forsaken Chess Piece! Could it be... this bronze mirror is also from Valley of Ghosts and Divinities?

Just as he was marveling at it, the fused light transformed into a glow that instantly enveloped his entire body.

The strange, mystical display caught Bai Meiling completely off guard. She had been floating nearby, curiously examining the Soul-Gathering Banner when a ripple of unknown energy filled the cave.

Startled, she looked over just in time to see Luo Chen seated before the desk, his entire body enveloped in a faint glow.

She hovered in place, her delicate brows furrowed in unease. Then, cautiously, she began to drift closer, step by careful step.

“Master?” she called softly.

No response!

Frowning, she floated beside him and waved a hand in front of his face. Luo Chen didn’t move. His breathing had stilled, his eyes shut tight in deep concentration or trance.

Then, without warning, Bai Meiling’s head snapped to the side with an eerie creak, turning a full one hundred and eighty degree. Her ghostly eyes widened as they locked onto the bronze mirror.

Within the mirror’s surface, a familiar figure was slowly opening its eyes.