Joining the Wei Family certainly came with many benefits, but the risks skyrocketed alongside the advantages.

In conflicts among Foundation Establishment powers, even Qin Lu’s hidden arsenal of powerful skills might prove utterly useless. For the sake of petty gains, he simply had no reason to get involved.

When Nie Feng saw Qin Lu’s refusal, he didn’t say another word. After a brief moment of surprise, he turned and left.

Yet, Nie Feng’s visit only reinforced Qin Lu’s conviction about the turmoil brewing in the market.

He immediately became deeply worried.

During dinner, he earnestly instructed Zhang Meng not to go out casually in the near future, but rather to stay safely at home. They needed to weather this chaotic period first.

To ensure their household had ample food reserves, Qin Lu headed out alone after dinner, purchasing a substantial amount of provisions.

He even spent eight Spirit Stones on an Ice Block Talisman.

Back home, he transformed a wooden box into a rudimentary refrigerator, using it to preserve beast meat and spiritual vegetables.

After all, he possessed the most basic sense of preparedness:

A full pantry brings peace of mind.

As time swiftly passed, the market indeed grew increasingly chaotic.

More and more Loose Cultivators began banding together for mutual support, forming factions everywhere. Even within the market itself, the sounds of fierce battles occasionally echoed through the night.

Once, a skirmish unfolded right outside Qin Lu’s doorstep. Over ten cultivators dueled, trading blows back and forth and leaving behind several corpses before drifting away.

This left Qin Lu deeply unsettled for a long time. The flames of war had already reached his very doorstep.

“No, I must elevate my cultivation!”

Qin Lu glanced at his attribute panel, pondering silently.

After these past few days of intense effort, his cultivation had reached: Qi Condensation Level 5: 80/100.

Currently, the only way to rapidly advance was by consuming pills.

“I’ll go buy a few pills to break through to Qi Condensation Level 6!”

Having made up his mind, Qin Lu grabbed his Storage Bag, bid a brief farewell to Zhang Meng, and quickly stepped out of the courtyard.

However, as soon as he exited, he saw Lu Xian hurrying back.

Lu Xian’s face was slightly pale, his expression flustered. Upon seeing Qin Lu, he hurried forward.

“Brother Qin, are you heading out now?”

“Yes, I feel my cultivation has hit a bottleneck, so I plan to buy a pill to push through to the next stage!” Qin Lu said half-jokingly.

“Hey, let me tell you, don’t go out casually lately—after today, the market will descend into chaos!” Lu Xian whispered anxiously.

“What’s been going around lately?” Qin Lu asked softly.

“The news about Sun Jing from the Wuji Sect has been confirmed!”

“Huh?” Qin Lu quickly asked, “What exactly happened?”

Lu Xian shook his head and sighed.

“It’s said that Sun Jing went out to enjoy the mountains and rivers and got into a conflict with a black-clad youth surnamed Han. Unexpectedly, that young man concealed his cultivation level and launched a sneak attack, killing Sun Jing directly! Now the Wuji Sect is organizing cultivators to hunt him down!”

“He’s really dead?!” Qin Lu exclaimed in shock.

“Yes…” Lu Xian’s eyes gleamed with vigilance. “Now the market is leaderless, and the five major forces are stirring. They’re recruiting troops and planning to seize territory and shops. A bloody storm will soon erupt!”

Qin Lu swallowed hard. “Isn’t the Wuji Sect sending anyone to handle this?”

“Right now, the Wuji Sect is busy chasing that Han youth and can’t spare any attention for the market—at best, they’ll deal with it later. If the five major forces secure their territories now, the situation will already be settled by the time any new Foundation Establishment cultivators arrive to garrison the place!”

“So, Brother Qin, the market territories will be redrawn soon, and it’s bound to be utter chaos. You’d better stay indoors as much as possible, lest disaster strike!”

Lu Xian offered these words of caution, then turned and walked into his own courtyard.

Qin Lu watched his retreating figure, then looked at the desolate street, muttering softly.

“A new storm has arrived…”

Sky Book Pavilion Talisman Shop

Qin Lu delivered sixty-four Body Protection Shields to Manager Yan, instantly increasing his income by over three hundred Spirit Stones.

After exchanging a few pleasantries, he rose to take his leave, heading straight for the pill shop.

Shen Nong Pill Pharmacy

Qin Lu entered the shop, briefly surveyed the layout, then walked straight to the counter.

“Shopkeeper, how much are your Spirit Gathering Pills?”

“Forty Spirit Stones,” the shopkeeper replied indifferently.

Hearing this price, Qin Lu was taken aback.

“Aren’t they usually thirty-five Spirit Stones? Why have they risen so much?”

The shopkeeper looked up haughtily and said coldly, “Look at the current situation! This price is already quite reasonable—yet you still think it’s expensive?”

“This…” Qin Lu gritted his teeth. “Then give me three!”

Three Spirit Gathering Pills would easily propel him to Qi Condensation Level 6.

After paying one hundred twenty Spirit Stones, Qin Lu received the highly valuable pills.

As he turned to leave, however, he noticed various small bottles and jars piled in the corner. This caused him to pause mid-step.

“These must be discarded medicinal liquids…”

Qin Lu raised his eyebrows, and an idea flashed through his mind.

The market is about to descend into chaos, and prices are rising. If I buy a batch of medicinal liquids now and sell them later…

Thinking this, Qin Lu’s heart began to race. A speculative trading idea sprouted in his mind!

As he thought further, he recalled what Manager Yan had told him recently:

“…Our shop is currently aggressively buying defensive talismans… If Fellow Daoist Qin knows how to craft these types of talismans, feel free to bring them to the shop for sale…”

A glint appeared in Qin Lu’s eyes.

Sky Book Pavilion had been aggressively buying defensive talismans lately—could they have anticipated today’s situation?

In the market, many Loose Cultivators cherished their lives dearly; when a battle broke out, the first thing they did was activate a protective talisman. This made defensive talismans far easier to sell than offensive ones!

Similarly, medicinal pills for healing wounds were also in high demand; having a few on hand gave one greater confidence in a fight.

But for Loose Cultivators who lacked financial means, medicinal liquids were their first choice!

This was a golden opportunity to make a fortune!

Qin Lu acted decisively, immediately turning back to the counter.

“Shopkeeper, how much are your healing medicinal liquids per bottle?”

“Hmm?” The shopkeeper rolled his eyes and said indifferently, “Six Spirit Stones.”

“I’ll take them all!” Qin Lu waved his hand boldly.

He immediately pulled out over a hundred Spirit Stones, pocketing more than twenty bottles of healing liquid, then quickly left the shop.

After pondering briefly outside, he turned toward the next pill shop.

Aggressive purchasing.

Soon, Qin Lu had spent all six hundred-plus Spirit Stones he possessed. In total, he bought over a hundred bottles of medicinal liquid!

Feeling the heavy load of bottles in his Storage Bag, Qin Lu’s spirits soared, though he slowly suppressed the excitement welling up inside.

” once the various forces in the market start fighting, I’m sure I can make a profit! This is far quicker than painstakingly drawing talismans!”

Qin Lu glanced around and suddenly realized that many people on the street were staring at him.

This instantly tightened his heart. He gripped the long sword at his waist, adopting a fierce expression as he began walking home.