Fellow Daoist! That scoundrel has written a new book again.

She wandered around the hidden stalls for a while and saw a stall selling some secret manuals.

Unfortunately, these are all the most basic cultivation techniques in the cultivation world, so they are sold at cheap prices.

Many of them, even those with good connections, could be obtained by simply borrowing them. They were only slightly more expensive than the textbooks from the Star-Picking Pavilion, but none of them were what Zhu Wuyao wanted.

There is another way—

Go to the Affairs Hall to accept the mission, then spend spirit stones to buy the items that need to be submitted, and then exchange them for contribution points.

That's not worth it; the loss would be too great. The contribution points you get in the end might not even be enough to exchange for cultivation techniques in the library.

After a moment's thought, Zhu Wuyao thought of the open space in front of the Star-Picking Tower.

Xu San'er usually likes to set up a stall there.

Last time I went there, I overheard him bragging about some rumor that the three of them were exploring a secret realm together.

But when they returned to that open space, they didn't see Xu San'er. Instead, they encountered him in front of a stall.

Xu San'er took the initiative to step forward and asked, "Sister Zhu, are you here to study the purple aura again?"

"No, let's see if there's a suitable manual."

"That price isn't cheap. I have some spare cash here. If you need it, the interest rate is negotiable."

"Okay, I'll come find you if I need it. I placed a bet on myself a while ago and made some spirit stones. Let me see if that's enough."

To everyone's surprise, Xu San'er looked unconvinced and said:

"Gambling is contrary to buying and selling. Business is about supply and demand and value, but gambling has too much uncertainty. I hope you won't get addicted to it, sister."

Zhu Wuyao glanced at him with slight surprise.

Surprisingly, Xu San'er wasn't greedy at all about this windfall.

Can I still console myself?

The two decided to browse the stalls together. When they came to a particular stall, Zhu Wuyao's eyes lit up.

This stall was clearly the same blind box format that Zhu Wuyao had once set up.

Next to it stood an arrogant sign with four large characters written on it—

It's definitely worth a try.

Wow, this stall owner is quite confident.

Zhu Wuyao was indeed tempted.

You should know that the divination method she uses only requires her to receive something from someone and then she can sense something.

Now, the ownership of the items at these blind box stalls belongs to the stall owners, and others are allowed to take them and have their fortunes told. Although the crucial step of "personally handing them over" is missing, there is still a certain possibility.

She stepped forward, and the stall owner was a rather old man...?

People with some means usually buy anti-aging pills to keep their appearance at a level they approve of.

Aside from seniors and elders who want to appear more mature, most cultivators choose to preserve their youthful appearance while they are still young.

It seems this poorly dressed old man isn't very accomplished.

She stepped forward and asked, "What treasures are inside these blind boxes?"

"It has what you desire in your heart."

Wow... that's quite a domineering statement. Coupled with the sign that says "Worth a try," Zhu Wuyao looked at the old man in front of him with some suspicion, feeling that he had the air of a reclusive master.

He asked tentatively:

"I want escape techniques or ways to hide. Are those also available in the blind boxes?"

"Maybe."

Zhu Wuyao hesitated even more. Besides the possibility that he was a reclusive master, there was another possibility—this old man was just being mysterious and was a fraud.

"I wonder how many spirit stones are needed to open one blind box?"

"Three thousand."

Upon hearing this offer, Zhu Wuyao was filled with awe; this person must be someone extraordinary.

Ordinary swindlers wouldn't ask for three thousand spirit stones so easily.

Xu San'er immediately rushed over and said, "Sister Zhu, you mustn't be fooled! He neither tells you what's in the box nor explains the probability. Isn't this just throwing away three thousand spirit stones?"

Zhu Wuyao was somewhat conflicted.

But along the way, she hadn't seen a single stall selling the secret manual she needed. After a moment's thought, she asked:

"Can I choose the blind box first, and then pay with spirit stones?"

"You want to have all the good things in the world to yourself?" The stall owner gave her a disapproving look.

Sigh, doing this seems a bit shameless.

Suddenly, Zhu Wuyao had a flash of inspiration. She placed her hand in a secluded spot and drew a seal for making a betrothal, muttering to herself: "Give me some hints about whether to buy or not."

She didn't see that the stall owner glanced in her direction when she drew the mudra.

I had just mentally rehearsed it three times when I saw Tang Xin and her friend walk past her.

A voice came to my ears at just the right moment: "Next time I run into that blind box vendor, I have to thank her properly. Buying her blind boxes last time was the luckiest decision I ever made!"

Upon hearing this, Zhu Wuyao smiled.

She walked up to the stall owner and, ignoring Xu San'er's objections, handed over three thousand spirit stones without hesitation.

The old man simply said, "Choose one and take it."

Zhu Wuyao raised his hand in a junior's greeting, walked to the blind boxes, and without activating the Heavenly Observation Technique, simply picked one and took it away.

Looking at Xu San'er beside him, he asked, "Would you like to pick one?"

Xu San'er shook his head repeatedly, saying, "I must be crazy to fall for this kind of trick!"

As he spoke, he followed Zhu Wuyao back. Along the way, he looked at the box with great curiosity and said:

Aren't you going to open it and take a look?

Zhu Wuyao opened the box and took out a booklet with the words "行" written on the cover.

The Concealing Breath Wind Movement Technique

Xu San'er's eyes widened instantly, and he stammered as he asked:

"What...what's going on? How can it actually exist?!"

How's business lately?

"Great! I've never been so lucky!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Xu San'er froze on the spot, exclaimed "Oh dear!" and slapped his thigh. He immediately turned around and ran towards the open space in front of the Star-Picking Tower.

Watching Xu San'er's retreating figure, Zhu Wuyao seemed lost in thought.

Was I right after all?

It's not fair for Zhaixinglou to openly rank in the top ten and allocate too many resources to it.

However, the elders who were in seclusion or stationed within the sect still paid attention to the new generation of disciples. Knowing that going to the Immortal Cultivation Conference was fraught with great risks, they tried every means to secretly send over the urgently needed items.

That's really the style of a fortune teller.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

The blind box stall that was just there in the open space in front of the Star-Picking Tower is now empty.

Only Xu San'er remained, tears streaming down her face.

The stall owner was rummaging through the cultivation techniques and treasures he had collected over the years in his cave, picking out items suitable for the Qi Refining stage.

He can help to some extent, but he can't give it away for nothing. The principle that a small favor can breed resentment can breed hatred has been applicable from ancient times to the present.

"This protective shield is something I used when I was in the Qi Refining stage, and it's still here..."

The old man recalled the past, remembering when he was in high spirits and won a top ten spot in the sect competition.

This protective shield was obtained by the elders of the Star-Picking Tower using a similar method.

His eyes held a hint of nostalgia, and he said with a touch of wistfulness:

"Let's bring this along too. Who knows which lucky child will be chosen tomorrow..."