Steady Cultivation: Starting With the Perk “Work Hard, Rest Hard” Chapter 524: Chery’s Magical Journey

The World Pearl wasn't tiny at all.

As soon as any cultivator spotted the World Pearl, a burst of details rushed straight into their thoughts.

[Nine Extreme Black Market, an underground spot for trading treasures, offers no protection whatsoever. Anybody can put up items for sale in the black market, where it claims a ten percent cut.]

Such a description had many people's lips curving in stunned twitches.

Could this truly be called a black market? It seemed excessively bold. What kind of black market dangled openly in the heavens? That outright ten percent fee felt exorbitant, and the lack of any safeguards made it appear totally shady right away.

Quite a few believed this alleged black market had no chance of succeeding.

Su Yuan couldn't be bothered with whether others would risk consigning goods or not, since he was the very first to do so.

Employing his Creative Power, he altered the Ancient Zither's look just a tad before flinging it inside the World Pearl, establishing a free-auction booth with an initial bid price of one hundred trillion Dao Yan Crystals.

Su Yuan lingered for a short while. Noticing no bids coming in, he turned his focus elsewhere, allowing the World Pearl to remain suspended in the air, poised for its intended discoverer to show up.

Deep within a massive mountain.

The Stone Dominator, busy hunting for valuables, glanced upward at the sky with curiosity.

"Huh, which cultivator established this black market? They've even grasped Chaos Dao Intent already. Why haven't I caught wind of such a figure?"

The Stone Dominator rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "The bet's conditions hinge on the caliber and amount of treasures gathered. So, if I pick them up from this so-called black market, that ought to qualify, correct?"

He mulled it over briefly and decided it posed no problem.

Even though this avatar of his had forfeited numerous recollections, his core instincts remained sharp.

"Still, I'm fresh out of Dao Yan Crystals myself."

The Stone Dominator patted his storage and came up empty.

This was merely an incarnation; it carried no wealth. Likely, even his primary form lacked Dao Yan Crystals, since they held no value for it.

"Lacking funds? Then I'll simply plunder some from another, easy as that?"

The Stone Dominator smacked his forehead, struck by a clever scheme.

His divine sense scanned the surroundings, quickly pinpointing a Dao Venerable soaring across a grassland.

The Stone Dominator dashed forward without delay, intercepting that Dao Venerable's route.

Dao Venerable Qirui pulled back swiftly.

He whipped around, yet the Stone Dominator loomed right there, steadily narrowing the gap.

A flash of panic crossed Dao Venerable Qirui's features. He looked back once more, and the Stone Dominator popped up behind him anew.

His senses failed to pin down the Stone Dominator, though his vision caught him clearly.

He whirled around in place. Regardless of the angle he faced, the Stone Dominator materialized there and kept advancing.

"Senior! What guidance do you seek from me?" Dao Venerable Qirui inquired, beads of perspiration forming on his brow.

The Stone Dominator let out a chuckle. "I'm a tad low on cash and hope you can lend a hand!"

He sized up Dao Venerable Qirui carefully. "Hmm, the aggregate worth of your carried treasures comes to roughly two trillion Dao Yan Crystals. Fine, I'll settle for half a heist. Hand over just one trillion Dao Yan Crystals!"

A look of misery spread over Qirui's face, yet he dutifully surrendered three hundred billion Dao Yan Crystals along with items valued at seven hundred billion Dao Yan Crystals.

The Stone Dominator burst into booming laughter, snatched the goods, and then blurred away into the horizon.

Qirui drooped his head in dejection.

He mused bitterly inside, "From where did this mighty expert emerge? Their power has to be twelfth-order or higher, doesn't it? My fortune's rotten beyond belief!"

"Fortune?"

Qirui froze. Faintly, he detected a shift in his personal Fortune.

He promptly conducted a divination.

Right after, Qirui's face twisted in shock. "Curse it! I pilfered from a Fortune-type Dao Venerable, and some of my own Fortune got slyly siphoned off!"

Qirui remembered his recent words and longed to smack himself. That statement had forged a karmic tie, and somehow, his Fortune had been pilfered.

Fortune-type Dao Venerables were best avoided. He'd gotten tangled in the mess!

"I have to flee the Nine Extreme Treasure Star right now. First, I need to restore my Fortune."

Yet before he'd traveled far.

He encountered an elderly man who appeared completely unremarkable midway on his journey.

Qirui eyed the old man warily and ventured, "Senior, what matter brings you to me?"

Che Chi Old Man beamed with warmth. "You carry a heavy load of karma. I'm a kind soul and can cleanse this karma for you. But it'll cost you. You'll need to give me every treasure and coin you possess!"

Qirui's complexion drained of color, but he reluctantly yielded his belongings.

In no time, he'd forfeited all that remained in his possession.

Che Chi Old Man gathered the items, gave Qirui a pat on the back, and purged the ill luck stuck to him.

Che Chi Old Man departed with a jovial guffaw.

Abandoning Qirui with a relaxed retreating figure.

Qirui wanted to weep but found no tears. His accumulated wealth had vanished in a flash, and combined with the recent treasures he'd claimed in the Nine Extreme Treasure Star, his setbacks were colossal.

"I've studied old records that warned against tangling with Fortune-type Dao Venerables. I haven't even crossed paths with the individual directly, and already I've forfeited over half my assets. It's downright frightening!"

Qirui let out a heavy sigh. At last, he grasped the essence of a supreme Dao Principle!

Earlier, he'd sensed the trace aura from the Fortune Dao Venerable and figured their level was merely first or second-order. However, they could wreak such havoc on him, a seventh-order Dao Venerable. It was truly alarming. The crucial aspect was that in a hazardous realm like the Nine Extreme Treasure Star, teeming with experts and perils, it was all too simple to spark a Fortune backlash.

Right as he weighed his next move.

A beam of Sword Light hurtled toward him swiftly from afar.

Qirui, zipping through the air, unluckily crossed directly into that Sword Light's path.

The Sword Light moved with blinding speed. Qirui had no chance to respond or evade. What's more, the Sword Light's might was overwhelmingly fearsome. One strike, and he perished!

Qirui turned to dust instantly, heading back to his Dao Court for revival.

Far off, Wuyazi, having located Che Chi Old Man, kept firing off Sword Lights aimed at the elder.

"Che Chi, if I slay you, you forfeit this bet. Only survivors get to hunt for treasures!" Wuyazi's face stayed cool and detached.

He spared a look at the unintended victim Qirui, saw the guy bore no valuables, muttered 'unlucky wretch' under his breath, and pressed on with his clash against Che Chi Old Man.

Some time later, the pair, locked in balance, parted ways again.

Besides the unlucky Qirui who got caught in the fray, things stood much as they had prior.

In a remote valley some distance away.

Little Cai and Su Li crossed paths. Little Cai grinned and queried, "Sister Su Li, what's your haul like?"

Su Li let out a sigh. "I was so close to grabbing a ninth-order Dao Treasure. But the seal broke, and somebody swiped it away!"

Little Cai puffed her cheeks in annoyance. "That thief really ought to drop dead, stealing from Sister Su Li! I'll sketch a curse circle for them!"

She doodled a quick loop in the air, unleashing the power of the Calamity Dao Principle.

Bolstered by the temporary might of a twelfth-order Dao Venerable, Little Cai's hexes were far from trifles.