You Are a Pearl, Young Sect Master

Throwing thousands of people into the sea as fish food was indeed too extreme—even the Rare Treasures Bazaar would have to shut down forcibly.

But as the saying goes:

The greatest tragedy in life is dying with money left unspent.

The greatest, greatest tragedy is being alive but penniless.

Little Li felt it necessary to let the Lingxi Sect and Qiao Ziyu experience this firsthand.

"Keh keh keh..."

Li Mo flashed a vicious grin.

"Young Hero Li, please don’t look at me like that—it’s unsettling. Throwing three thousand people to the fish really isn’t feasible. How about we start with three hundred? Otherwise, we won’t have enough merit points to spend anyway..."

The second-in-command wiped cold sweat from his forehead.

"Ahem, I’ve had a cold lately. My throat’s been a bit scratchy."

Li Mo schooled his expression and turned to Lan Tian and Old Qian. "Come closer, lend me your ears."

After listening to his plan, Elder Qian sucked in a sharp breath.

"Won’t this be too much? What if they don’t take the bait?"

"Then we’ll give them an even more tempting lure."

Li Mo pondered for a moment before snatching the half-eaten pig’s trotter from Elder Qian’s hand.

"Like this."

"?"

A tiny question mark popped up above Old Qian’s head. "Does the Lingxi Sect have some dog-like obsession with this? It’s just an ordinary pig’s trotter—and already gnawed on."

"Nonsense. With a little ‘special treatment,’ this becomes the skeletal remains of a Profound Mystic physique!"

"??"

...

Outside the Pearl Pavilion, crowds still gathered.

The shelves displayed various goods, and a polished jade wall reflected the shimmering numbers projected by the Mirage Spirit Pearl—though these numbers weren’t static but constantly shifting.

If a customer wanted to haggle, they could pick up a throwing dagger and aim for a number. Whatever they hit would determine their discount.

Just now, someone had scored a precious piece of Deep-Sea Silver at an absurdly low price, drawing envious gazes from the crowd.

But when Qian Bufan placed a jade-white bone fragment streaked with golden marrow on the shelf, the atmosphere shifted to excitement.

"The skeletal remains of a Profound Mystic physique?!"

"Bones of a refined physique are already impressive, but what’s a Profound Mystic physique?"

"See, this is why you’re uninformed. It’s obviously... well, you know. Those who get it, get it. If you don’t, I can’t be bothered to explain. Just know it’s incredibly rare."

"Really? Then why haven’t we heard of it before?"

The crowd exchanged glances, suspecting the only reason it was called "rare" was because of its exorbitant price.

"Brothers, surely you’ve heard of this?"

Lan Tian, who had placed the item on display, blinked her innocent, doe-like eyes.

Her expression seemed to say, "You can’t possibly be this clueless, right?"

Who would admit to knowing nothing when faced with such a guileless girl? It’d be downright embarrassing.

"Surely not? This thing is quite famous."

Qian Bufan also feigned surprise.

The crowd racked their brains but couldn’t recall anything about it.

"Wait... could it be that legendary artifact?"

Suddenly, a voice in the crowd gasped in shock—someone who had recently inhaled a lungful of cold air.

As everyone knew, Little Li was an expert at playing the shocked bystander.

To avoid suspicion, he even disguised himself with the Faceless Veil, altering his appearance to blend in as a random spectator.

Among the crowd, disciples of the Lingxi Sect instinctively glanced at their young master.

"Oh?"

Qiao Ziyu, dressed in purple robes, raised an eyebrow.

Then the voice continued:

"The Profound Mystic physique is among the finest of cultivation constitutions, especially for spellcasting—unstoppable, doubling in power, truly extraordinary."

Li Mo, though masked, spoke with absolute conviction.

"This man has some insight..."

Qiao Ziyu nodded slightly, pleased.

"But even such a physique has its flaws. It separates martial and mystical arts. Though mastering both is formidable, human focus is limited—one cannot excel in both."

"Thus, those with this physique often progress painfully slow. Neglecting martial arts weakens their spells; neglecting spells wastes their innate gift. A true dilemma."

Obviously. The young master of a major sect is still only at the fifth level of Inner Scenery. Isn’t that slow enough?

"He even knows that?"

The Lingxi disciples reflexively checked their young master’s reaction.

Qiao Ziyu straightened slightly.

Had... he been exposed?

This was a closely guarded secret within their sect, known to very few.

"Young man speaks true."

Elder Qian nodded solemnly, adopting a lofty tone.

"The flaw exists because heaven and earth are imperfect. Before degradation, the Profound Mystic physique was known as the True Mystic Physique!"

"What you see before you now is the skeletal remains of a True Mystic physique cultivator at the Law Body realm!"

He turned away, hands clasped behind his back, as if reminiscing about the glory of such a powerhouse.

Truthfully, Old Qian was barely holding it together, screaming internally.

Even with his thick skin, peddling a special-effects-laden pig’s trotter as a divine relic made him flush with shame.

How does Li Mo keep a straight face while spouting such nonsense with utter sincerity?

The crowd erupted.

No one knew who started it, but standing there expressionless would’ve been awkward, so everyone joined in.

"Right, right! That’s exactly what I was about to say!"

"Indeed. Though that young man was knowledgeable, he missed a crucial detail."

"Oh? Do enlighten us."

"Nothing profound, but I’ve heard the True Mystic physique doesn’t just unify martial and mystical arts—it also enhances virility!"

"Holy shit! I’m buying it to brew wine!"

At the Rare Treasures Bazaar, the worst thing was ignorance.

Most came hoping to stumble upon hidden gems. Like antique collectors, even if fooled, they’d swallow their pride rather than admit it.

So even if they had no clue what this was, they’d spin wild tales to save face.

Li Mo: "..."

The East Sea truly has no shortage of talent. ‘Enhances virility’? Who comes up with this nonsense?

You guys are the real legends here.

"If this relic is so miraculous, how could a minor sect like the Qingyuan Sect possess it?"

Qiao Ziyu muttered, clinging to his last shred of skepticism.

"Young Master, remember—not long ago, the Qingyuan Sect witnessed the Great Shang Kingdom’s fortune manifest as a phoenix."

An elder beside him stroked his beard thoughtfully. "Many speculate that beneath Qingyuan lies the Great Shang imperial tomb. After all, Purple Sun Prefecture was once the Great Shang capital."

"If this is the burial ground of Great Shang’s elite, perhaps the Qingyuan Sect, desperate to maintain appearances, has resorted to dishonoring their ancestors’ remains..."

"Yes! That makes perfect sense!"

Qiao Ziyu’s eyes burned with greed and excitement. The more he thought about it, the more plausible it seemed.

"This just proves the Qingyuan Sect truly has no way out! They’re even selling their ancestors' bones for money!"

The old man chuckled darkly, "They probably never expected we’d gather three thousand disciples to slash the price! By then, they’ll lose both the treasure and the money! Mwahahaha..."

"Keh keh keh keh keh..."

Qiao Ziyu couldn’t help but join in the laughter.

Those around him subtly leaned back, putting some distance between themselves and him.

Then Qiao Ziyu declared loudly:

"I, Qiao Ziyu, young master of the Lingxi Sect, possess the rare Shengwei physique! This treasure is mine by right! Fellow cultivators, I ask you to grant me this face—let me strike first!"

"If anyone dares deny me the first strike..."

Qiao Ziyu bared his bone-white teeth, the unspoken threat hanging heavy in the air.

Then he’d start cutting down people instead.