Little Immortal Honglian paused for a moment and, following Fang Chen's gaze, discreetly looked over. She saw a middle-aged man staring at Xu Kun and the other two. His gaze didn't carry idle curiosity. Instead, it hinted at malice.

"Well? Could he be a Fallen Immortal?" Fang Chen transmitted.

She shook her head. "He's not a Fallen Immortal."

After a brief pause, she added, "Well, I can't be completely certain... but he doesn't seem like one. And it wouldn't make sense for the three of them to be targeted by a Fallen Immortal the moment they arrive."

Fang Chen nodded. "Perhaps I was overthinking."

He led Little Immortal Honglian toward Xu Kun and the others.

Meanwhile, the middle-aged man revealed a sneer of ridicule and schadenfreude before returning to his own stall.

He truly wasn't a Fallen Immortal, just an Immortal Origin Stone vendor whom Xu Kun had likely cursed earlier. Fang Chen had known from the beginning. But he had confirmed one thing—Little Immortal Honglian could distinguish Fallen Immortals. And he was increasingly certain that Fallen Immortals could not be separated from the demon race.

Xu Kun and the other two's eyes lit up when they saw Fang Chen and Little Immortal Honglian. Both sides tacitly refrained from calling each other by name.

Xu Kun grinned enthusiastically. "Brother, you're here to try your luck with Immortal Origin Stones too? It's fun, but don't buy from this stall. Let's switch shops."

He looked at Little Immortal Honglian. "Oh? Is this your Dao companion, brother? What a natural beauty! Truly otherworldly and refined!"

Little Immortal Honglian rolled her eyes secretly. She turned to Fang Chen and said, "Dear, let's go elsewhere. This fellow looks slick-tongued. It's best not to associate with him."

Realizing his flattery had backfired, Xu Kun hurried to salvage the situation. "Now, now, if you two want to play with Immortal Origin Stones, come with us. I'm quite experienced. If not for this shop owner being too unscrupulous, I wouldn't have—"

"Esteemed guest, please don't say that. I run a small business. These Immortal Origin Stones aren't cheap to acquire either. If you lose, it's just bad luck," said the shopkeeper, sighing helplessly.

He immediately put on a smile and invited Fang Chen and Little Immortal Honglian to try their luck.

Fang Chen's soul left his body briefly and swept through the Immortal Origin Stones at the stall. Returning to his body, he smiled at the shopkeeper. "We'll look elsewhere."

All the Immortal Origin Stones here were empty. Even the few that contained something weren't worth much, and they weren't cheap.

"You've got a great eye, Brother!" flattered Xu Kun, nodding eagerly.

He persuaded Fang Chen and Little Immortal Honglian to leave with him, leaving the shopkeeper fuming silently.

***

"Fellow Daoist Fang, Fellow Daoist Hong, didn't expect you two to enjoy Immortal Origin Stones as well. We're truly kindred spirits!"

Ever since Xu Kun realized they shared the same interest, he grew increasingly enthusiastic. At one point, he even bought two Immortal Origin Stones as gifts for them. Unfortunately, his luck was abysmal. Both were empty.

Eventually, at Fang Chen's suggestion, they found a teahouse and sat down to chat. They carefully avoided mentioning the Nine Mortal Realms or the Minor Immortal Realm, wary of attracting unwanted attention.

"Fellow Daoist Xu, your luck doesn't seem very good." Little Immortal Honglian smiled faintly. "You've already lost quite a few immortal crystals. Perhaps you should take a break?"

She glanced at Fang Chen and saw his eyes closed. She assumed he was contemplating something, so she didn't disturb him.

Xu Kun immediately began defending himself, citing numerous examples of his past Immortal Origin Stone triumphs.

Several nearby immortals nodded in agreement.

While they chatted, Fang Chen's soul wandered freely through the Immortal Origin Stone Market. He scanned stall after stall.

For ordinary cultivators, Immortal Origin Stones were matters of life and death. For Fang Chen, they were simply goods wrapped in a special stone shell, and he could easily see which held items and which were empty.

His goal was simple. The Mirror of the Universe would require a vast number of immortal crystals in the future. He also still owed 6,000 immortal crystals. That might be his only visit here. He might as well make a fortune in one go and avoid future troubles.

I've only got a few hundred immortal crystals left. Daoist Hong likely doesn't have much either. Start small, build up, then make one big move. We'll leave before anyone notices...

His divine soul left the fourth zone. He marked several valuable Immortal Origin Stones for later purchase if they remained unsold.

In the fifth zone, the quality improved, but the prices hiked up. At the same time, second- and third-transformations became much more common.

He noted a small stall with nearly a hundred Immortal Origin Stones. One clearly contained a chunk of raw immortal crystal.

This one contains raw immortal crystal. It should yield about 500 standard crystals, and it only costs 40 immortal crystals....

After making a mental note, he swept the fifth zone before moving into the sixth. There, Immortal Venerables appeared. They were mostly fourth-and fifth-transformation immortals.

Prices were steep, but quality was high. Perhaps six out of ten stones contained something.

Those strolling here carried themselves with confidence. They had high cultivation and solid backgrounds.

After marking the worthwhile ones, his soul entered the seventh zone. Here, the sixth-transformation immortals appeared, casually betting hundreds of crystals at a time.

First-transformation immortals lingered nearby, watching for entertainment.

Soon, Fang Chen's soul reached the innermost core. At its center was a lake, with a small island upon it.

Sixth-transformation immortals were still the highest level present, but those present clearly differed in background and status from those in the seventh zone.

No Ancient Immortals. That's manageable. Even if I encounter a Fallen Immortal, it won't be too dangerous.

Having assessed the situation, Fang Chen's soul returned to his body.

Xu Kun was still regaling everyone with tales of his past glorious successes with Immortal Origin Stones.

Little Immortal Honglian had clearly grown impatient by now. When she saw Fang Chen open his eyes, she beamed and said, "Dear, let's buy a few Immortal Origin Stones and play. Fellow Daoist Xu claims his Immortal Origin Stone technique is unparalleled. Let's compete with him."

Xu Kun's eyes lit up, though he feigned modesty. "Daoist Fang doesn't seem very experienced. Maybe it's best if we don't compete at all. But... if you insist, we could add a wager to make it interesting."

The other two secretly advised Xu Kun via transmission, reminding him that Fang Chen was the ninth core disciple of the Enlightenment God Palace. Beating him brought no benefit. However, Xu Kun's gambling itch had flared up. He ignored them.

Fang Chen smiled and suggested, "How about two hundred immortal crystals?"

He had borrowed two hundred immortal crystals from Xu Kun earlier. Winning would settle the debt.

Xu Kun caught the meaning and laughed. "Good! Seven days. For seven days, we'll both buy Immortal Origin Stones and see who wins more. Heh..."