Projection of the Heavens: I prove my immortality through slaughter.

Stepping into the first level of Qi Refining is like lighting a faint lamp in endless darkness. Though the light is small, it is enough to illuminate the small space beneath one's feet, giving one the courage to take the next step.

Lin Xuan left the dilapidated temple that had given him a new life, but also bore the endless sorrow of the original owner.

Sunlight fell, bringing a false warmth, but it couldn't dispel the inherent chill and despair of the refugee settlement. The air was thick with the smells of excrement, rotting garbage, and something deeper—the smell of poverty and numbness. Some emaciated refugees huddled in the shadows of their shacks, their eyes vacant, like vultures waiting for carrion, casting indifferent yet scrutinizing glances at Lin Xuan, this suddenly appearing "new face."

Lin Xuan kept his eyes straight ahead, relying on the original owner's fragmented memories and his current heightened senses to carefully navigate the muddy and narrow path, avoiding those obviously malicious gazes and potential conflict zones.

The original owner's memories told him that on the edge of this settlement, near the true boundary of the Qingyun Sect's territory, there was a small "Rogue Cultivator Market." It was a place where low-level rogue cultivators and even some daring mortals traded goods; it was a mixed bag, where opportunities and dangers coexisted.

He needed food, more information about the world, and perhaps... a weapon for self-defense, or a decent martial arts technique. His rudimentary method of drawing in qi proved too crude and inefficient after he successfully guided qi into his body.

The faint stellar spiritual energy within his dantian flowed slowly, nourishing his weary body and giving him a sense of confidence.

After walking for about half an hour, a slightly open valley came into view. The cacophony of voices, vendors' cries, and haggling created a peculiar vitality that contrasted sharply with the deathly silence of the settlement.

This is the market town for independent cultivators.

It was less of a marketplace and more of a chaotic collection of street stalls. Ragged cloths and animal hides were haphazardly spread on the ground, upon which were displayed all sorts of items: some herbs that looked dull in spirit, the hides and bones of unknown monsters, rusty swords, and even some broken jade slips and talismans.

The people coming and going were all sorts of people. There were Qi Refining stage cultivators who were dressed somewhat decently and whose bodies emanated faint spiritual energy fluctuations, their eyes mostly filled with vigilance and shrewdness; but there were also many ordinary people like Lin Xuan from the lower class, dressed in rags, their eyes filled with longing and caution.

Lin Xuan took a deep breath, suppressing the slight trepidation of his first encounter with this "corner of the cultivation world," and stepped inside.

He wasn't in a hurry to buy anything, but rather wandered slowly between the stalls like a ghost, his sharp eyes scanning each item and his ears picking up on the conversations around him.

"Ten-year-old Blood-Coagulating Grass, three low-grade spirit stones, no bargaining!" "A freshly skinned Wind Wolf pelt, 80% intact, for a fine steel longsword!" "A fragment of an ancestral weapon-forging manual, for a cultivation technique that can be practiced to the mid-stage of Qi Refining!"

Spirit stones... cultivation techniques... elixirs... magical artifacts...

Unfamiliar words flooded his mind, corroborating the original owner's hazy memories and gradually clarifying his understanding of this world. At the same time, he keenly noticed that the main currency here was a small, fingernail-sized crystal containing faint spiritual energy, known as a "low-grade spirit stone." And all he possessed, besides his personal black token and a tattered set of clothes, was nothing.

A sense of urgency arose spontaneously. Without resources, it would be impossible to make any progress on this path.

His gaze swept across the stalls, his brain racing, combining his knowledge from his previous life with the original owner's memories, trying to distinguish which might be real treasures and which were just useless junk.

Most things didn't meet his standards. The herbs had little spiritual energy, the animal hides were crudely processed, and the weapons were made of ordinary iron, not even qualifying as the lowest-grade "magical artifacts."

Until he walked to the most inconspicuous corner.

The stall owner was a gaunt old man huddled in a tattered cloak, his breath faint, seemingly not even having reached the first level of Qi Refining. His stall displayed only a few scattered items: a piece of dark, charred wood; several dull-colored, lifeless ores; and one particularly eye-catching item—about half the size of a palm, dark and covered in rust, shaped like a broken small cauldron, missing a leg, with several clear cracks on its body, utterly devoid of spiritual energy, as if it had just been unearthed from an ancient tomb.

People around him scoffed at the stall, not even bothering to glance at it.

But Lin Xuan stopped in his tracks.

His gaze was fixed firmly on the broken small cauldron.

It wasn't that he saw anything extraordinary, but when his gaze swept over the small cauldron, the black token he kept close to his body trembled very slightly and imperceptibly, and at the same time, a faint, warning-like chill emanated from it!

The feeling was fleeting, yet incredibly clear!

"This token... is it reminding me?" Lin Xuan was shocked. This black token was incredibly mysterious, capable of helping him absorb stellar spiritual energy, yet it was now reacting to something that looked like a piece of junk?

He casually squatted down, pretending to examine the dark piece of wood, and asked, "Old man, how much is this?" He was referring to the wood.

The old man lifted his cloak, revealing a wrinkled, weathered face. He glanced at Lin Xuan with his cloudy eyes and said weakly, "Firewood core, a low-grade spirit stone."

Lin Xuan shook his head and pointed to the few pieces of ore.

"Take all five low-grade spirit stones, including the black iron ore." Lin Xuan shook his head again. Finally, as if only then noticing the broken cauldron, he asked in a casual tone, "What about this broken cauldron? It looks rather ancient. Take it back as a decoration."

The old man glanced at the small cauldron, a barely perceptible glint of something unusual flashing in his cloudy eyes, but it quickly disappeared. He said indifferently, "It's been passed down from my ancestors. It's said to be quite old, but it's just junk. If you want it, give me ten taels of gold, or food of equal value."

Ten taels of gold! For a vagrant, this was an astronomical sum. Passersby who happened to hear this sneered, thinking the old man was obsessed with money.

But Lin Xuan's heart stirred. The old man's offer of gold or food, rather than spirit stones, suggested that he might not consider these items for cultivation, or perhaps he was testing him.

The unusual movement of the token was not without reason.

Lin Xuan looked troubled. After a moment of contemplation, he rummaged through his pocket (actually, from the lining of the original owner's tattered clothes, where the original owner had only savings) and pulled out a few pieces of silver and half a hard, black steamed bun—this was all the possessions he currently had.

"Old man, this is all I have. Look how broken this cauldron is; it's just taking up space here. Why don't you give it to me? At least I can get some food in return." Lin Xuan tried his best to make his expression look sincere and pitiful.

The old man glanced at the silver and black steamed bun in Lin Xuan's hand, then at the broken small cauldron. A struggle flashed in his eyes, but he finally sighed, as if giving up on some unrealistic fantasy, and waved his hand: "Fine, fine, take it. Consider this my first sale today."

The transaction is complete.

Lin Xuan suppressed his excitement and carefully picked up the broken cauldron. It was cold and heavy to the touch, and the bronze on the cauldron was mottled and cracked, making it look like a worthless piece of junk from any angle.

But the moment his fingers touched the small cauldron, the black token he kept close to his body once again emitted a clear, icy sensation. This time, it was no longer a warning, but more like a... resonance? At the same time, the wisp of starlight spiritual power in his dantian also stirred slightly.

"There's definitely something fishy going on!" Lin Xuan thought to himself, convinced that he might have really struck gold!

He discreetly tucked the small cauldron into his robes and prepared to get up and leave.

"etc!"

A slightly shrill voice rang out behind him.

Lin Xuan felt a chill run down his spine and slowly turned around.

Three slovenly-looking young men blocked his way. The leader, tall and thin with a scar on his face, stared greedily at the small cauldron Lin Xuan had just placed in his robes. They all possessed faint spiritual energy fluctuations, roughly between the first and second levels of Qi Refining, far surpassing the ordinary thugs like Zhao Gan from before.

"Kid, you've got good luck." Scarface grinned, revealing a mouthful of yellow teeth. "That cauldron, we've got our eyes on it, bring it out."

Lin Xuan's eyes turned slightly cold; he knew trouble had finally arrived. His transaction had clearly been targeted by these guys. They might not have discerned the true nature of the small cauldron, but in a place like this, any successful transaction could attract the covetous eyes of hyenas.

"According to the rules of the market, money and goods must be exchanged at a clear exchange." Lin Xuan spoke calmly, his voice not loud, but carrying an undeniable firmness. "This thing is mine now."

"Rules?" Scarface sneered, and his two companions behind him joined in the laughter. "In this area, I'm the rule! If you know what's good for you, hand over your stuff and all your valuables, or you'll suffer some physical pain!"

The surrounding crowd fell silent instantly, all eyes turning to the scene. Some gazes were indifferent, some sympathetic, but most held a detached, spectator's mentality. The market was poorly managed, and such acts of plunder and extortion were commonplace.

The old man who sold the tripod had already curled up again, as if everything was irrelevant to him.

Pressure, like an invisible wall, pressed down on Lin Xuan.

He had just entered the first level of Qi Refining, and facing three rogue cultivators whose cultivation levels were likely higher than his and who were clearly experienced, his chances of winning were extremely low.

Hand over the small cauldron? Hand over all your possessions? And then, like the original owner, continue to be at the mercy of others?

Do not!

Lin Xuan's gaze suddenly sharpened, like a drawn sword. In his deep black pupils, it seemed as if cold stars were flashing.

His moral compass is one of decisive action and clear distinction between gratitude and resentment! Forbearance does not equate to weakness! When it's time to fight, he will not back down an inch!

He took a deep breath, and the wisp of starlight spiritual energy within his dantian began to circulate faster. A faint yet sharp aura slowly emanated from his slender body.

"The item is right here with me." Lin Xuan's voice remained calm, yet carried a chilling killing intent. "If you're so capable, come and take it yourself."

As soon as the words were spoken, the atmosphere in this corner of the market instantly became tense!