The sky was a dull grey, cloaked with soft clouds drifting slowly above Dragon Nation's ancient suburbs. The light breeze carried a scent of earth and smoke, a reminder of life stirring on the fringes of the bustling city.
Zhang Wei stepped out of his modest house, the door closing with a soft thud behind him.
His gaze was calm, yet his heart beat like war drums beneath his chest. His hands were tucked deep into his pockets, clutching 40,000 RMB tightly... money that for an average middle-class family like his, wasn't small. Every step he took now carried a weight of purpose.
The [All-Seeing Eyes Part 1 A (Rank: Hidden)] technique had awakened a strange sensation in him. His pupils glowed faintly with an unnatural gleam, No one else could see it, but he could feel the world shifting around him. Lines of fate, hidden truths, and energies once dormant now whispered secrets into his soul.
"System," he murmured under his breath, eyes glancing across the broken streets of the district, "Activate All-Seeing Eyes."
Ding! All-Seeing Eyes activated. Vision enhanced. Fate strands awakened.
Warning: Excessive use without rest may lead to spiritual fatigue.
He took a deep breath. Before him stood the famous Black Market Street of Eastern Yunhe, just twenty minutes from his home by foot, but miles away in law and order. This place was notorious. Hidden from mainstream commerce, it was a haven for relic dealers, antique smugglers, fake medicine sellers, and spiritual conmen... yet every cultivator worth his name knew one truth:
Amidst garbage, treasure slumbers.
His boots crunched on the gritty, uneven pavement as he strode forward. The market was alive vendors shouted, neon signs flickered despite the early daylight, and rows upon rows of rundown stalls lined the narrow street like crooked teeth.
Zhang Wei passed several stalls, his All-Seeing Eyes scanning every object within his field of view. Each item pulsed with colorless aura if ordinary, but once in a while just briefly his gaze would catch a glimmer, a flicker of hidden fate.
He didn't stop until his eyes caught something unusual, A humble pathway stall littered with old broken plates and dusty wooden statues. A faded sign above read: "Wang's Antique Collection – Everything Has a Story."
But to others, it was just a trash pile.
Zhang Wei's gaze sharpened. His All-Seeing Eyes trembled ever so slightly.
"A spirit-thread…?"
Among the cracked porcelain plates, he saw a faint remnant of Qi Flow, clinging to the rim of one with a lotus imprint. The craftsmanship was sloppy, but deliberately so. It was trying to mimic something maybe trying to replicate the original.
He first turned to a nearby stall before dealing with the antiques. A delicate jade hairpin rested in a carved redwood box. The seller, a wrinkled old woman, saw him pause and smiled.
"Young man, looking for a gift? This pin was worn by a noble lady once," she said.
Dinggg..... Found.... System made a sound.
Zhang Wei smiled faintly. "I'll take it. 5,000, right?"
She blinked, surprised he didn't bargain, but nodded. "Good eye."
Zhang Wei slipped the pin into his coat. A gift for Yuna.
He then turned to the antique stall.
"Uncle," he said casually, addressing the man behind the makeshift counter, "how much for those broken plates?"
The man, bald with a cigarette in mouth and half-asleep, blinked awake.
"Those? Heh… you have good eyes. That's Ming Dynasty stuff. The consort of the emperor used those very plates to eat peaches dipped in honey...."
Zhang Wei interrupted calmly, voice sharper now, "Then why is the lotus motif etched in left spiral when authentic Ming patterns were right-spiraled? And this glaze," he picked one up with gloved fingers, "modern synthetic shine. This is an early 90s forgery."
The man's smile cracked.
"You... know antiques?"
Zhang Wei said, "I'll give you 200 for the whole set. Broken and fake."
"TWO HUNDRED?! I should charge you 2,000 for even spotting that lotus!" the man growled, then sighed. "Okay, okay. 600 minimum."
Zhang Wei shook his head. "300."
"500."
"400, final."
The man grunted. "Take it. No returns."
Zhang Wei didn't waste time. He packed the fake plates into a large cloth bag the seller provided.
Then, sweeping his gaze across the rest of the cluttered table, he spoke again. "Everything else here. These carved wooden statues, that cracked medicine cauldron, that rusted bronze fan, this withered ink pen, and those scroll tubes. All of it."
The man blinked, suspicious. "This junk? Why?"
Zhang Wei smiled. "For a good price, of course."
"Make me feel like I'm robbing you."
"I'll give 5,000 RMB. Take it or leave it."
The shop owner, now practically grinning, shook his head in disbelief. "Either you're an idiot or a genius, but I'll take the cash, young master."
Mr Wang also tossed him a rock and said you can take this junk too.
System made a sound again.....
Transaction Complete: 10,000 RMB spent.
Zhang Wei loaded the large bundle of "trash" into a big canvas sack. It weighed heavy on his back, but his steps were light.
His All-Seeing Eyes throbbed quietly. Several items he had just bought though considered junk by ordinary men, shimmered faintly with hidden potential. The cauldron especially resonated deeply with a faint Alchemy Pulse.
With the weight of destiny over his shoulders and an irrepressible grin tugging at his lips, Zhang Wei turned and broke into a sprint.
"Time to go home…"
He ran like a madman down the street, dodging hawkers and carts, the sack bouncing behind him like a treasure chest filled with secrets.
By the time he reached home, sweat dotted his forehead, but his heart was ablaze.
He bolted up the stairs, burst into his room, slammed the door shut, locked it, and slumped against it, breathing hard.
Then, with a trembling hand, he reached out and whispered:
"System, let's see what fortune I just dug up…"