Douluo Continent: A Thousand Miles of Cultivation

But as he walked, he noticed something was off. Treasures were everywhere, all from ordinary stalls, but strangely, apart from the treasures, everything else was just plain, useless stones, clearly placed there intentionally. Yet, despite this, many people had an extremely high success rate in finding stones.

Filled with curiosity, Qian Shui also picked a stall and asked, "Boss, how much are these treasures?"

"One hundred gold soul coins, no bargaining."

Judging from his appearance, the owner wasn't anything special; he was just the kind of street vendor you see everywhere. It's only because he sells ore that he looks a bit more substantial, but he gives off the impression of being an honest and reliable person.

But this greatly surprised Huan Hongchen. "Huh? Didn't these used to cost one gold soul coin each?"

“Young lady, you said it yourself, it was in the past. It should be about five years ago, when the war just started, and Gengxin City was quickly besieged.”

Peddlers are mostly like that; they can easily start talking.

"Back then, a big shot from the Heavenly Dou Empire came to Gengxin City and went on a shopping spree. At that time, because of the war, most of us had fled to the countryside for refuge, but we still couldn't resist that big shot's generosity. He gave so much that all of us rushed back."

It wasn't a matter of choosing anymore. He ordered everyone to lay out the ore in the square, and whoever wanted it could take it. That one time, the money that big shot spent was enough to buy the entire city of Gengxin.

Although few people have seen it, I think that important person must be knowledgeable about minerals!

The more the boss spoke, the more humble Huan Hongchen became; she was almost killed by Qian Shui's gaze.

Qianshui: Absolutely! Those who know how to spend money are savvy! Ah!

"Then why did the price of this ore increase a hundredfold?" Qian Shui continued to ask.

"The war was one reason, but another reason was that the lord bought too much. As things become scarce, everyone followed suit and raised prices."

Of course, there is another reason. After that person came, the quality of the ore in the entire Gengxin City seemed to have improved. You can open up a piece of ore and get a value that is a hundred or a thousand times higher. So we have to raise prices.

"Like you, sir, you've also benefited from the influence of that important figure. How about buying one and trying your luck?"

Ignoring the matter of being tainted by worldly illusions for the time being, Qian Shui readily agreed and also tested the Nine Treasures Glazed Pagoda's appraisal capabilities. "Alright! Since we're already here, let's pick one."

Pointing to a huge black stone that was half a person's height, Qian Shui handed the boss a savings card with a limit of 100,000.

Judging from the Nine Treasures Glazed Pagoda, this thing is far more valuable than all the surrounding stones; it must be a good item.

"Alright, that'll be 100 gold soul coins!"

After the shopkeeper collected the money, the stone naturally belonged to Qian Shui. With a gentle slap of his palm, the entire boulder shattered.

A series of crisp crackling sounds rang out, and wisps of smoke rose from the surface of the ore. Immediately afterward, a thick chill spread out, and the temperature in the entire room plummeted.

Suddenly, the black metallic ore inside the boulder was revealed. Although it was also black, it had absolutely no cracks.

Upon seeing the stone, Huan Hongchen exploded, "Heart-chilling Iron Essence! This is impossible! How could there be such a large piece! I bought all the iron ore in Gengxin City and only got one the size of a fist!"

The atmosphere suddenly fell silent, and even the boss who had received the money looked at Huan Hongchen in shock.

With a deadpan expression, Qian Shui made a bold guess: "You didn't buy all the scrap materials, did you?"

"I…"

After seeing off the regretful boss, Qian Shui continued his shopping spree.

After all, it's like opening treasure chests in a video game; you can't stop playing. That's when Huan Hongchen realized what it meant to go on a shopping spree—every opening a chest was a sure thing. In just a short while, Qian Shui's net worth increased at least ten thousand times.

That piece of Cold Heart Iron Essence alone, weighing over a hundred kilograms, is worth nearly ten million, making the initial price of one hundred gold soul coins practically worthless.

If she had caught Ning Rongrong back then, she probably would have made a fortune by now.

As dusk fell, Qian Shui and Huan Hongchen, having traveled a long way, stopped in front of a tall building in the city center.

"A horse won't get fat without night grass, and a person won't get rich without unexpected wealth!" After wandering around for almost a whole day, Qian Shui stood with his hands on his hips, looking very pleased with himself.

“Hehe~ Boss~ You said you don’t need so many rare metals, right~” Huan Hongchen had been saying this all the way, but Qian Shui had ignored him.

After all, he lost 100 million yuan, and he was too busy trying to recoup the difference.

Qian Shui was in a good mood and joked, "It works!"

"Impossible!" Huan Hongchen was particularly confident about this. Aside from his strong mental power and ability to pull off miracles through brute force, Qian Shui was simply not cut out to be a Soul Master. Therefore, rare metals were completely useless in his hands. "You simply..."

Before Huan Hongchen could finish speaking, Qian Shui burst out laughing, "I'll use this to manipulate you!"

Huan Hongchen was speechless. Qian Shui really held her fate in his hands. "Oh, boss, you can't do this! If you don't give it to me, who else can you give it to? I'm the only one on the whole continent who can make the most of it!"

“I can give it to Jiaojiao, it’s not like you’re the only Soul Master.”

"Fine! Giving it to her is the same as giving it to me!"

"Where is your face?" That was the only way Qian Shui could describe Huan Hongchen's behavior.

Unfortunately, for Huan Hongchen, it was like taking a break from fishing while Qian Shui was his main job. "Sigh, I'm getting old, my beauty has faded, what's the use of having a face?"

"Stop acting, are you still going to the auction or not?"

"go with!"

As they spoke, the two walked into the huge building beside them.

Huan Hongchen explained to Qian Shui, "The headquarters is divided into five floors. The first floor is the ordinary trading area, the second floor is the advanced trading area, the third floor is the blacksmith registration and assessment area, the fourth floor is the auction area, and the fifth floor is the blacksmith association."

Stepping onto the first floor, it was bustling with activity, and I sensed that this was the most crowded place. In Qian Shui's eyes, it was probably like a wholesale market in the camp, except that this place only sold ores and metal handicrafts.

"To be honest, I never thought there was such a place in Douluo Continent. The first time I came here, their president dragged me around for a long time."

"The building was tall?" Qian Shui recalled.

"Correct!"

The "Questioning the Heart" and "Understanding the Heart" he gave his little apprentice seemed to be Lou Gao's work. Speaking of this, Qian Shui also thought of Huan Hongchen, grabbed her shoulders and questioned, "I said, you weren't tricked, were you?"

Qian Shui had lost faith in Huan Hongchen's views on money; he would have accepted her if it were a few million.

"No... what could he possibly do to me?"

"Lord of Hongchen Hall?"

As the two were talking, a burly man, who was probably at the Soul Saint level in Qian Shui's perception, stepped forward to greet them.

At this moment, Huan Hongchen did not change out of her silver-white battle armor, but it had changed shape and become a short skirt that looked like everyday clothes, like a metallic suit. At first glance, it did not look out of place.

Qian Shui had long hair that was loose, which, combined with his ability to blend into the crowd, made him look more like a hoodlum. He was dressed in an ordinary blue cloth robe and looked around with his hands behind his back.

The burly man walking towards them saw Qian Shui and Huan Hongchen, his expression extremely serious, but he looked at Qian Shui and asked, "And who is this?"

"You are Si...what..." Huan Hongchen seemed to have some impression of this person.

The man seemed to have misunderstood, and immediately separated Qian Shui and Huan Hongchen, shielding Huan Hongchen behind him. "Sect Master Hongchen, if you are unwilling to act, then please leave it to me!"

"Oh! A hero saving a damsel in distress?!" As the saying goes, if your wife is too strong, this kind of thing will never happen to Qian Shui, so he found it quite interesting and didn't think of himself as the supporting character who was saving the damsel in distress.

Upon hearing Qian Shui's explanation, Huan Hongchen's mouth formed an "O" shape. Was she really that popular?

Well, this is the second time this has happened to her. The last time, she was saved by Qian Shui, but judging from the outcome, it probably cost her the rest of her life.

However, she also caused Qian Shui a lot of trouble, so you could say they had a love-hate relationship.

"Who are you? Do you know who the Master of the Red Dust Hall is?!" He faced Qian Shui without fear.

The burly man slowly raised his right hand, and a golden dot appeared first in the center of his palm. Then, with a flash of golden light, a small pure gold chisel appeared out of thin air.

One white, two yellow, three purple, and one black soul ring quietly appeared around the small chisel.

His unique martial spirit and the fluctuations in his soul power attracted everyone's attention, and soon the crowd surrounded the place.

"Master Silong?"

"Oh ho ho, isn't that the Master of the Red Dust Hall?"

"That pretty boy actually dared to attack the Master of the Red Dust Hall? Is he tired of living?"

"I've heard that Master Silong has a special affection for Master Hongchen!"

"I heard they've been together for a while now!"

This is the downside of having overly keen senses. Qian Shui heard everything without missing a single one. He knew that rumors from the masses usually became more and more outrageous as they spread, but he still couldn't help but point at the burly man named Si Long and ask, "Is he... your lover?"

Startled by Qian Shui's question, Huan Hongchen snapped out of her daze and quickly grabbed the clueless burly man. "Silong, are you really that brave? Do you know who he is? Quickly put away your martial spirit!"

Although Qian Shui would never kill someone under normal circumstances, this is a different story. Even Huan Hongchen himself is afraid of being killed by him with a single palm strike.

But Si Long deliberately brought up the very thing he didn't want to say: "Master Hongchen, I, Si Long, am a roughneck and don't understand the affairs of the Empire, but this is the Blacksmiths' Association! Your contributions to Gengxin City are an immense favor!"

"A massive waste of money?"

Seeing Qian Shui's face darken again, and the crowd cheering even louder, Huan Hongchen was extremely anxious.

She couldn't reveal her boss's true identity, or she'd probably suffer an even worse fate. In a daze, she thought of Qian Shui's disguise as a woman back then, and a sudden idea struck her—this seemed like a good solution.

Anyway, her boss was shameless but afraid of trouble, so she ran up to Qian Shui, pointed at his forehead, and said, "Si Long, this is a woman! She came disguised as a man! You've misunderstood!"

Then, Huan Hongchen turned around and frantically winked at Qian Shui, the meaning was clear: "Change quickly!"

Huan Hongchen seemed to have really figured out Qian Shui's personality. After thinking about it carefully, he realized that it was just an illusion anyway. Since everything is impermanent and without form, appearance really doesn't matter in front of people.

More importantly, by showing off in front of others and going against a Soul Saint, he will lose even more face. Huan Hongchen will probably laugh at him for the rest of his life, which is even worse than losing a hundred million gold soul coins.

Having figured this out, Qian Shui stopped. With a wave of his hand, Ning Huahua's image reappeared on Douluo Continent, since no one in this small place recognized him anyway.

So, Qian Shui imitated Ning Rongrong's voice and said, "Yes, I am a woman disguised as a man."

Then, pointing to her chest, she said, "Don't believe me? Want to touch it and see?"

Deeply shocked, Si Long quickly withdrew his martial spirit, shook his head in denial, and bowed to Qian Shui and Huan Hongchen to express his apology, "I'm sorry, madam, I'm sorry, Hall Master Hongchen, I didn't understand."

Huan Hongchen didn't expect Qian Shui to actually do it, but since that was the case, she went along with it. "Alright, Silong, this is... Miss Qianhua, she's my friend."

The person who was bad at naming had no objection to the name and smiled slightly in approval.

Seeing that the other party did not blame him, the burly man named Silong apologized again, "Miss Qianhua, please forgive my rudeness."

Shrugging, Huan Hongchen didn't want to stay in this noisy place any longer. "Alright, alright, let's not make a fool of ourselves in front of others. We're here to attend the auction. Can you take us there?"

“No problem. There happens to be an auction tonight, which is perfect. I would like to invite you to attend the auction tonight!” Si Long said as he walked, also intending to apologize. “As far as I know, there should be several rare and valuable items up for auction tonight, including finished products and metal items.”

"That should be good!" Huan Hongchen's eyes lit up when he mentioned metal.

Qian Shui had no objections. He had only attended one auction in his life, and that was when he ran into Ning Fengzhi. Although Qian Renxue was the main character for most of it, he still went, which satisfied his curiosity.

"The teacher would be very happy to know you're here."

"No, please don't let Fatty come over, I hate him so much!"

Qian Shui, who was following behind, was also bored. He guessed that the difference in their philosophies was too great, and the Soul Master and the Blacksmith were talking at cross purposes.

Just as they were going up the stairs, a figure rushed towards Qian Shui. Qian Shui, who was currently seeing a woman, thought it was harassment and instinctively turned around and kicked the person in the face.