Zhang Chi went to the dining hall, eating and listening to the chatter around him.

"Have you heard? The entire family of Yu Wan, the top prodigy of the Cyan Cloud Sect, was wiped out. They say the one who did it was none other than Xiao Yunhong, the Young Master of the Profound Yin Sect."

"No way! Has Xiao Yunhong gone mad? Why would he go all the way to Yuan South to do something like that for no reason?"

"There’s more to it. Xiao Yunhong was captured by the Cyan Cloud Sect and forced to be a Mining Slave in the mines for a long time. He was only just rescued by a Golden Core expert from the Profound Yin Sect a while ago. That’s why he’s retaliating against the Cyan Cloud Sect, trying to shatter Fairy Yu’s resolve to cultivate."

"So that’s what happened!"

"This won’t spark a war between the two sects, will it? Or worse, a full-blown war between the Righteous and Demonic factions?"

"I doubt it’ll come to that."

At that moment, a few Cultivators were discussing the matter with great enthusiasm over drinks not far away.

’So Xiao Yunhong was rescued after all. But how did he end up taking the blame for me?’

Zhang Chi was stunned to hear this.

’Still, this works out for the best. It’ll be much harder for the Cyan Cloud Sect to trace this back to me now. As for Xiao Yunhong... he’ll just have to be wronged for a little while. It’s not like the Cyan Cloud Sect can do anything to him anyway.’

But Zhang Chi quickly calmed down, breathing a secret sigh of relief.

The situation had taken an unexpected turn, but it was clearly developing in his favor.

With that, Zhang Chi went back to his meal.

The Cultivators continued to gossip with gusto, completely unaware that the masked man in their midst was the main actor in both of these major incidents.

That’s right. Even though Zhang Chi was on the airship and eating, he hadn’t removed his mask.

His mask was the type that left the lower half of his face, from the nose down, exposed.

"Greetings, Daoist. My name is Qin Susu. May I share your table?"

Just as Zhang Chi had finished his meal and was about to leave, a young woman in white gracefully approached him.

The young woman was tall and slender. Though she wore a veil, her skin was fair and her black hair was like silk. Her eyes were like spring mountains and autumn waters; one glance was enough to tell she was an exceptional beauty.

The veil, far from diminishing her beauty, added an air of mystery that made one long to see the face hidden beneath.

Upon seeing the young woman, Zhang Chi was instantly struck by a sense of breathtaking, almost intoxicating beauty.

He was about to nod subconsciously.

But in that split second, the Jade Pendant in his mind stirred, and his eyes instantly regained their clarity.

Looking at the young woman again, she was still beautiful, but the breathtaking, soul-stirring sensation was gone.

"I’m finished. If you want the seat, Daoist, take it. There’s no need for such petty tricks."

Zhang Chi said coldly, then rose to leave.

’There were other empty tables nearby, yet she insisted on sharing his. Something was clearly off.’

But it was better to avoid trouble than to seek it out, so he had no intention of digging any deeper.

"Please wait, Daoist. I mean no harm. I only wish to discuss some business with you. I was afraid you might refuse, so I used that little trick to try and win a bit of favor."

The white-robed young woman who called herself Qin Susu froze for a moment, then quickly bowed in apology.

"Business? Not interested!"

Zhang Chi gave her a quick look up and down before once again refusing flatly.

"You misunderstand, Daoist. The business I’m referring to is a private trading session I’ve specially organized."

"I’ve already invited over a hundred Daoists and have held one successful session. I’m certain you’ll find it worthwhile if you attend."

Qin Susu’s face flushed red. She couldn’t help but clench her fists, but she maintained her smile and explained quickly.

’He obviously thought she was in another line of business.’

’And he even seemed to be sizing her up and finding her wanting.’

’But for the sake of making money, she had to endure it.’

"A trading session? That, I can do. Tell me the time and place, and I’ll be there."

Zhang Chi paused, gave a dry cough, and readily agreed.

’He didn’t have anything particularly valuable to sell.’

’But he still had about a hundred Spirit Stones, and he could try to trade some of the knowledge in his mind—Magic, Cultivation Techniques, and inheritances of the hundred arts like Alchemy.’

"Excellent. However, I’ve worked very hard to organize this private trading session, so you’ll need to pay an entrance fee of two Spirit Stones. How would you like to pay, Daoist?" Qin Susu’s lovely eyes lit up as she spoke with a touch of shyness.

"An entrance fee? And it’s that expensive? Forget it. Besides, what if you just take the Spirit Stones and run? Even if you can’t get off the airship, what’s to stop you from just welshing on the deal? It’s not like I can force you to pay me back!" Zhang Chi said, startled, refusing flatly.

"That’s simple. You can pay a deposit of one Spirit Stone now and pay the rest at the event."

Qin Susu couldn’t help but frown slightly.

’The targets she sought out usually had low Cultivation, so her Charm Skill had always been infallibly effective.’

’Plus, any Cultivator who could afford a ticket on this airship had some savings, and she was a beauty, so things had always gone smoothly.’

’But this was the first time she had ever met someone like Zhang Chi—someone immune to her charm and so calculating.’

’Fortunately, she had come prepared.’

"Besides, I am a disciple of the renowned Cangwu Sect. Do you really think I would stoop to cheating you out of such a small amount?"

she added.

’She was confident that once she revealed her identity, he would readily hand over the Spirit Stones.’

’After all, the Cangwu Sect was one of the ten great Immortal Sects.’

’This Floating Airship’s final destination was the Golden Sun Sect, and the stop right before it was the Cangwu Sect.’

"I don’t care who you are, the price is too high. How about this: I’ll attend the session, and if I successfully buy or sell something, I’ll give you the Spirit Stones. If not, I get in for free. What do you say?"

But Zhang Chi was unmoved and immediately made a counter-proposal.

’She’s already using a Charm Technique to lure people in and make a quick buck, yet she claims she wouldn’t stoop to swindling people? He’d be a fool to believe her.’

’As expected. The more beautiful the woman, the more you can’t believe a word she says.’

"That... Alright! The trading session is in three days. The location is Room B-13."

After a moment of silence, Qin Susu could only nod in agreement.

Then, she turned and walked away, already looking for her next target.

Clearly, her encounter with Zhang Chi had left her rather frustrated.

"Interesting."

Zhang Chi, however, cracked a smile. He watched her retreat into the distance before leaving himself.

After returning to his room, he resumed his Cultivation.

「Three days later.」

He arrived punctually at Room B-13.

Only then did he realize the room was just diagonally across the hall from his own.

By the time he arrived, quite a few Cultivators were already present, the majority of whom were young men.

A few of them, like him, were wearing masks or had their faces concealed.

Even so, it was clear from their mannerisms that none of them were very old.

However, there certainly weren’t a hundred Cultivators present, and it seemed to be the first time for many of them.

Their faces were all filled with curiosity.

Qin Susu was already there, surrounded by several young Cultivators, deep in conversation.

"Alright, everyone who’s coming has arrived, and I suppose anyone not here has decided against it. Let’s begin!"

After a brief wait, Qin Susu’s clear voice rang out, and the trading session officially began.

"I will start us off, to get the ball rolling," Qin Susu said, taking the lead. "This is a hundred-year-old Huang Jing. I wish to trade it for Spirit Stones or Spirit-Storage Pills. A Breaking Rank Spirit Pill would be even better."

"I have Spirit-Storage Pills! How many does Fairy Qin want?"

"I’m willing to trade Spirit Stones for it!"

"One Small Realm-Breaking Pill. It can break through a Cultivation Bottleneck at the Qi Cultivation Realm. The lower one’s Cultivation, the more effective it is."

The words had barely left her mouth when several Cultivators began calling out their offers.

Soon enough, Qin Susu chose the Small Realm-Breaking Pill, and the two parties completed the trade on the spot, with everyone bearing witness.

"A Tier One Low Grade Flying Sword! Trading for Spirit Stones or Spirit-Storage Pills!"

Next, one of the young male Cultivators who had been crowding around Qin Susu earlier immediately spoke up, taking out a Low Grade Magical Artifact—a Spiritual Bamboo Flying Sword.

The trade was completed quickly, followed by a third Cultivator, and then a fourth.

Even the first-timers among the Cultivators quickly grasped the rules of this private trading session: everyone would take turns either selling an item or stating something they wished to buy.

The others could then make offers. Whether the currency for bidding was Spirit Pills, Spirit Stones, or something else entirely depended on the seller’s demands.

Regardless of whether a trade was successful, the turn would quickly pass to the next person.

’This is perfect,’ Zhang Chi thought, his eyes lighting up. ’Maybe I can use this opportunity to trade my Immortal Ascension Order from the Golden Sun Sect for one from another top Immortal Sect! If I can pull it off, it’ll be worth it even if I have to throw in something extra.’