I Cultivate Immortality With Scientific Thinking

Chapter 5: Moving Cloud Market

On the tip of the willow branch under the moon,

People gather after dusk.

In the evening, to the west of Azure Cloud Sect, outside Moving Cloud Market.

Under the silver moonlight, the entire market comes into view.

The market is large, occupying the entire valley, measuring two to three hundred zhang in length and twenty to thirty zhang in width. Streets crisscross, with shops of all sizes lining the streets. Although the buildings are not particularly magnificent, each has its own unique characteristics.

The entire market is divided into four areas by a crossroad. Two of the areas are occupied by multi-level shops, each bustling with countless customers entering and exiting.

Another area is a spacious square, with stalls of cultivators surrounding it, forming a "回" shaped path. People selecting and trading goods walk in groups on the open space between the stalls on both sides, creating a bustling atmosphere of worldly business transactions.

The last area is occupied by a huge and magnificent building. Those who enter are either wealthy cultivators holding Spirit Weapons and wearing Spirit Robes, or powerful cultivators emanating spiritual pressure. According to Lin Chen's knowledge, this is a higher-level auction house.

By this time, the sky has darkened. Bronze lamps placed on both sides of the road in the market are lit one by one, illuminating the shops and the square distinctly.

However, these lamps do not contain any fuel, but instead each holds a fist-sized night pearl that emits a soft light throughout the market.

These are night pearls. The light they emit not only illuminates the stalls under the lamps as if it were daytime, but in Lin Chen's eyes, their brightness even rivals the incandescent lamps of his previous life.

Although it is evening, there are more people on the square than during the day. New stalls have been added to the square, and there is a significant increase in people browsing the stalls. A large number of cultivators have flocked to the square, making it exceptionally lively.

Moving Cloud Market is a market managed by Azure Cloud Sect. A Foundation Building cultivator and more than ten cultivators at the Qi Refining Late Stage [Qi Cyclone Realm] are stationed here to manage daily affairs.

Moreover, patrols of cultivators can often be seen in the market. Each member of these patrols has a cultivation level of Innate or above, including cultivators at the Qi Refining Early Stage [Nurturing Yuan Realm]. They wear spiritual armor and carry a large number of talismans, ready to react quickly to any movement.

Of course, Azure Cloud Sect collects a considerable amount of rent from the shops every year. The most profitable auction house and the business of artifact refining and pill refining all have its influence.

In the evening, a young man wearing a gray robe from the outer sect of Azure Cloud Sect, with a bamboo hat on his head and a black veil covering his face, slowly approached from a distance.

He took his time on the way, so by the time he arrived, it was already night.

Lin Chen glanced at the market and then walked straight towards his destination.

Passing by the square, Lin Chen glanced at it briefly and quickly looked away. He recalled that when he first came to the market a few years ago, he always felt like he was the legendary chosen one, blessed with luck, and wanted to go to the square to find some treasures. As a result, he didn't find any treasures but ended up losing nearly a hundred spirit stones.

Since then, he never went there again and went straight to the shops instead. Although it was a bit more expensive, it was better than being tricked.

Instead of going directly to his destination, Lin Chen followed his usual routine and walked a few circles. After confirming that no one was following him, he headed straight to his destination - the Treasure Talisman Shop.

This shop is located on a bustling street. People come and go, making it lively.

Lin Chen walked into the shop. The interior of the shop has an antique charm, with luminous pearls embedded in the ceiling, and various cabinets placed around, displaying all kinds of spiritual talismans.

"Sir, what kind of talisman do you need? Our Treasure Talisman Shop has a wide variety..." As soon as Lin Chen entered, a shop assistant immediately approached him.

"I'm looking for your shop owner, Wu Xueting." Lin Chen interrupted him before he could finish speaking.

The shop assistant was taken aback but quickly understood and went into the back room.

After a short wait inside, a middle-aged female cultivator in purple clothes and a plump figure came forward.

This person is the owner of the Treasure Talisman Shop, Wu Xueting.

"So it's Fellow Daoist Zhang." She seemed to recognize Lin Chen and smiled when she saw him.

Zhang Ping is the alias Lin Chen uses when he goes out.

Lin Chen nodded in acknowledgment and said lightly, "The usual procedure."

Wu Xueting immediately understood and led the way.

The two of them went upstairs and entered a small room next to it, which was also filled with an antique atmosphere. There was a carpet on the floor, and all kinds of items were neatly arranged.

Wu Xueting closed the door, invited Lin Chen to sit down, and calmly poured a cup of hot tea for him.

"Fellow Daoist Zhang, may I ask which types of talismans you brought today?" Wu Xueting asked with a smile.

Lin Chen did not respond, but took out ten stacks of spiritual talismans from his storage bag and placed them on the table. He said lightly, "Check them, as per the usual rules."

Wu Xuetin didn't think much of it. After dealing with him for many years, she naturally understood that he was not someone who liked to talk unnecessarily during transactions.

"One hundred Rank One High Grade spiritual talismans, three hundred Rank One Middle Grade spiritual talismans, and the remaining six hundred Rank One Low Grade spiritual talismans. According to the different types and rarity of the talismans, I calculate it to be 2,100 spiritual stones, Fellow Daoist. What do you think?" After some calculations, Wu Xuetin asked softly.

2,100 spiritual stones could be considered a huge sum for a Qi Refining stage cultivator. After all, most Qi Refining stage cultivators could only earn one or two spiritual stones a day, and earning a few hundred stones a year was already considered good.

Only cultivators who had achieved some accomplishments in alchemy, artifact refining, and talisman making could earn enough spiritual stones for their own cultivation.

However, Lin Chen's face did not show any joy. Instead, he frowned and immediately asked, "Have the prices of talismans gone up again?"

"That's right," Wu Xuetin nodded and handed him a small book. "These are the price changes of various talismans in the market over the past three months."

Whether it was buying or selling talismans, the prices were not fixed, but fluctuated according to the overall market conditions.

Lin Chen glanced at her, took out a pair of gloves from his storage bag, put them on, and took the small book, flipping through it.

The talismans he made were of good quality and in large quantities, making them very popular in the market.

The reason why he chose to sell them in this store was because the other party promised to spend a certain cost every three months to collect data on the supply, demand, and price trends of talismans in the market.

"Fellow Daoist, if the prices of talismans are rising, doesn't that mean you can earn more? Why do you seem unhappy?" Watching Lin Chen analyze the data on the book, Wu Xuetin couldn't help but ask softly.

"The dynamic balance of supply and demand is the basis for maintaining stable prices of talismans in the market. However, in the past year, the number of talismans entering the market has remained within a certain range, but the prices have continued to rise. What do you think this means?" Lin Chen glanced at her and suddenly asked.

Supply?

Wu Xuetin was stunned by his words, but she roughly understood what he meant.

"Fellow Daoist means that currently in the market, the demand for talismans is increasing, but the supply remains the same, resulting in a continuous rise in prices?"

"That's right," Lin Chen nodded.

In simple terms, it means that the demand is high but the supply is not increasing. Many merchants see the opportunity for profit and raise the prices of talismans.

"But isn't this a good thing?" Wu Xuetin was somewhat puzzled.

"Good news?" Lin Chen repeated these two words softly and continued, "For a cultivator, the consumption of spirit stones used to purchase spirit talismans is generally maintained within a certain limit, and the same goes for the entire group of cultivators."

"If the source of spirit stones increases, at most it would result in an increase in the price of elixirs, after all, spirit talismans are not necessary for cultivation." Lin Chen put down his notebook, stood up, and walked to the window, overlooking the crowd below.

"The price of elixirs necessary for cultivation remains relatively stable." Wu Xuetin murmured, for some reason, as she listened to Lin Chen's calm words, she had a sense of unease spreading in her heart.

After all, elixirs are something that most cultivators cannot do without, and coupled with being in the Yunlai market, she naturally pays close attention to the price of elixirs.

"Could it be that there are more cultivators buying?" Wu Xue hesitated for a moment before speaking up.

"The market only supplies this much elixirs, so if there are more cultivators, the price should also rise. It's not possible for new cultivators to only buy spirit talismans and not elixirs, right?" Lin Chen asked in response.

"Besides, you've been here for so long, has anything major happened in the Moving Cloud Market that would require all cultivators to buy spirit talismans for battle?"

"Well..." Wu Xue was momentarily speechless, carefully thinking about it, indeed there was nothing, "Then Fellow Daoist, what do you think is the reason?"

"Both you and I know that Independent Cultivators lack spirit stones and cannot afford Spirit Weapons, so most of the time, they use spirit talismans to assist in battle. So, considering this situation..." Lin Chen fell silent for a moment, "There are only two possibilities left."

"What are the two possibilities?"

"One is the opening up of the Transverse Mountain Range, where Independent Cultivators and sect cultivators buy a large number of spirit talismans for battle in order to obtain more resources, just like what happened fifty years ago."

Fifty years ago, in the Transverse Mountain Range north of the Azure Cloud Sect, a Gold Core stage Demonic Beast was slain by the Azure Cloud Sect's Qingyang Perfected Being. Later, in order to obtain the vast territory left behind by the Demonic Beast, the Azure Cloud Sect launched a grand opening up operation and gained substantial benefits.

"Could it be that the sect is going to launch another opening up operation?" Wu Xue was taken aback.

"If it's an opening up operation, then attack-type spirit talismans should be selling well, after all, the main enemies are the Demonic Beasts guarding the heavenly treasures and earthly treasures. But after observing the market for this past year, the rising spirit talismans have been more inclined towards healing, defense, and escape, so I am more inclined towards the second possibility." Lin Chen pointed to the account book, his face expressionless.

"What possibility?"

Lin Chen did not answer, but stared blankly outside the window. The evening breeze blew in from outside, gently brushing against the wind chimes on the windowsill, making a crisp and pleasant sound.

"Zhang Fellow Daoist?"

At the sound of her voice, Lin Chen turned his head, looked deeply at her, and softly uttered a few words, "The prelude to war."

For a moment, the atmosphere in the room seemed to freeze. Even though it was a hot night, Wu Xue felt an unshakable chill.

(End of this chapter)