This black stone was only the size of a fist, with a rough surface, and an odd rune carved into it.

The rune was twisted and intertwined, looking like some long-lost ancient script, obscure and difficult to understand.

What concerned Fang Hong even more was that an indescribable, strange aura subtly emanated from within this black stone.

Relying on his many years of treasure-hunting experience, Fang Hong immediately concluded that this seemingly ordinary black stone was by no means common, and surely held an unknown secret!

The owner of this stall was a Woman in White Robes, with a delicate appearance and a gentle demeanor.

Her Cultivation was not too high, only at Peak Grand Unity, still a considerable distance from the Immortal King Realm.

The Woman in White Robes noticed a powerful individual approaching, looked up, and met Fang Hong’s gaze.

Feeling the invisible yet powerful pressure emanating from Fang Hong, her heart was startled.

She instantly determined that this Senior in front of her was no ordinary person, but definitely an Immortal King level expert.

The Woman in White Robes quickly stood up from her chair, her expression showing a hint of constraint and respect.

"Senior, what would you like to buy?"

"Although the items at my stall are mostly ordinary, there are a few treasures that are quite presentable. Please feel free to browse."

An Immortal King expert actually patronizing her small stall made her feel somewhat overwhelmed and inevitably a little nervous, fearing she might not entertain him properly.

Fang Hong didn’t scrutinize the Woman in White Robes much, pointing at the black stone and directly asking.

"How much for this stone?"

"Stone?" The Woman in White Robes showed a hint of surprise when she heard this.

She paused, realizing Fang Hong was referring to the black stone she had accidentally obtained from an ancient ruin?

When she first acquired this stone, she had tried to refine it multiple times, but always without results.

Over time, she came to believe it was just an ordinary rare stone, and only brought it to the stall today, hoping to exchange it for some Cultivation resources.

Now, this black stone, which she considered useless, had actually attracted the attention of an Immortal King expert.

A thought immediately arose in the Woman in White Robes’s mind.

Could this stone actually be an extraordinary treasure, and she simply lacked the Cultivation to perceive its mysteries?

Thinking this, the Woman in White Robes composed herself and bravely said.

"Senior, if you truly desire this stone, could you give me some Immortal Pills to help me deal with the Heavenly Fire Tribulation?"

"Junior will soon attempt to break through to the Immortal King Realm, and what I lack most are treasures that can resist the Heavenly Fire Tribulation."

Upon hearing this, Fang Hong, without another word, directly took out a crystal-clear jade bottle and handed it to the Woman in White Robes.

"Inside are ten soul solidifying pills. After consumption, they can stabilize the soul and effectively curb the erosion of heavenly fire, helping you safely pass the Heavenly Fire Tribulation."

"I myself consumed this pill back then to successfully advance to the Immortal King Realm."

The Woman in White Robes quickly took the jade bottle with both hands, and upon hearing Fang Hong’s explanation, her face immediately lit up with a smile.

She carefully opened the stopper of the jade bottle, and a rich, refreshing pill fragrance instantly permeated the air.

Just smelling the pill fragrance made her soul feel a wave of comfort.

Inside the jade bottle were ten purple Immortal Pills, their surfaces shimmering with light, clearly indicating they were Immortal Pills of extremely high quality.

"It seems what this Senior said is true, these are indeed Immortal Pills that can stabilize the soul."

The Woman in White Robes was overjoyed in her heart; this was the kind of Immortal Pill she needed most right now.

"Thank you, Senior, for the pills. This stone now belongs to you."

The Woman in White Robes quickly put away the jade bottle, bowed again to Fang Hong, and said respectfully.

With that, she picked up the black stone and handed it to Fang Hong, her eyes filled with gratitude.

Fang Hong took the black stone, curious, and then asked the Woman in White Robes: "Where did you get this stone? Do you have any similar ones?"

"I’m particularly interested in the ancient script carved on the stone, and I’d like to collect a few more to study."

The Woman in White Robes heard this, a hint of apology on her face, and gently shook her head.

"I’m truly sorry, Senior."

"I accidentally found this stone in a long-abandoned ruin. At the time, I searched the entire ruin but only found this one piece; there are no more."

Seeing her sincere expression, not appearing to hide anything, Fang Hong did not press further and turned to walk towards other parts of the trade street.

The Woman in White Robes watched Fang Hong’s receding figure, muttering softly.

"So this Immortal King Senior enjoys collecting ancient scripts." 𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

"I thought this stone was some rare artifact refining materials; it seems I was overthinking it."

After leaving the Woman in White Robes’s stall, Fang Hong leisurely strolled on the trade street for another half an hour.

But no matter how much he looked, he never found anything that caught his eye, so he eventually had to leave the trade street.

Fang Hong inquired about the situation in the city along the street and learned that a well-known merchant guild offered Immortal Cave rental services.

He went directly to this merchant guild, chose a luxurious Immortal Cave with the richest Immortal Qi, and after paying the rent, moved in directly.

In the coming days, Fang Hong planned to peacefully cultivate and improve his Cultivation, while patiently waiting for the official start of the Elder assessment.

Upon arriving at the luxurious Immortal Cave, Fang Hong, as usual, entered the Years Pearl Space.

Fang Hong didn’t go to the secret chamber first, but headed straight for the Medicine Valley.

He took out the newly purchased Yin and Yang Dragon Phoenix sapling, as well as the rare immortal herb seeds bought in the city, planted them in the Medicine Valley, and instructed the puppets to care for them meticulously.

After settling the immortal herb seeds, Fang Hong immediately returned to the secret chamber, eager to study the black stone.

Fang Hong sat cross-legged on the meditation cushion in the secret chamber, with the black stone suspended before him.

His intuition told him that this seemingly ordinary black stone surely hid an extraordinary secret.

It was just that the Woman in White Robes’s Cultivation was shallow, and she couldn’t discover the profound mysteries within it.

Fang Hong opened his mouth and spat out a ball of Dao Fire, slowly enveloping the black stone, and began to patiently refine it.

Puff, puff, puff.

The Dao Fire continuously refined the stone, emitting faint sounds.

After about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, the black stone, which had been unresponsive, finally showed signs of activity.

The mysterious script on the stone’s surface suddenly glowed with a faint green light.

Immediately following, wisps of delicate green light threads slowly floated out from the script, gradually converging in the air into a faint halo.

Seeing this, Fang Hong’s face immediately showed joy; it was just as he had guessed, this stone could only be refined with Dao Fire.

The Woman in White Robes only had Grand Unity Cultivation, completely unable to condense Dao Fire, and naturally couldn’t discern the stone’s extraordinary nature, only considering it an ordinary ancient stone.

Fang Hong immediately increased the output of the Dao Fire, which instantly became more vigorous, tightly enveloping the black stone, and the refining speed also accelerated.