Chapter 130: Tracking Technique

The streets were nearly deserted, and children were nowhere to be seen.

Bai Yunqi had two taels of gold tucked in his pocket—his capital for treasure hunting at the black market this time.

Gold did contain spiritual energy, but compared to jade, it was pitifully little.

Simply absorbing the energy from gold wasn’t worth it. If he couldn’t go to his little treasury to pick up some bargain jade, he might as well save the gold for spending.

This was a long-term strategy, a way to continuously draw in spiritual energy.

Stopping not far from the black market, Bai Yunqi paused and tilted his head in thought. He recalled the lightning strike from earlier that morning.

In the end, he decided to form a hand seal and cast a rather useless Illusion Technique.

“Showing up at the black market looking like a kid is way too conspicuous. Better to keep it low-key. Caution keeps you alive.”

With the hand seal complete, the Illusion Technique cloaked his body.

To outsiders, the eight-year-old boy now appeared as an ordinary adult—one of those forgettable faces you’d glance at and immediately forget.

Bai Yunqi nodded in satisfaction. Though this illusion consumed a fair amount of Spiritual Power, it was still more efficient than getting into a fight with someone who had a weird Lightning Spiritual Root. Better to play it safe.

Once he had enough jade infused with spiritual energy, he wouldn’t need to hide anymore. If that person dared to show up again, he’d just kill them on the spot.

What Bai Yunqi truly hadn’t expected was that in this world, where spiritual energy was so scarce it could only be stored in jade, someone else could wield abilities like his—abilities no ordinary person should possess.

Could it be that person had also been struck by lightning and reincarnated into this world?

Bai Yunqi shook his head. No point overthinking it. Better to focus on the black market, find more hidden treasures, and stockpile more spiritual energy. That was the real priority.

The black market wasn’t crowded.

Too many people would only bring trouble.

It was hidden, had few visitors, and even if authorities showed up, everyone could scatter in an instant.

Though the crowd was sparse, every person here was someone not to be trifled with—bandits, rebels, drifters, gamblers…

Most of the sellers kept themselves covered, and many buyers also concealed their faces.

Bai Yunqi strolled leisurely through the market, relaxed and unhurried. He didn’t need to examine every stall closely. Just by sensing the spiritual energy, he could tell where the good stuff was.

He didn’t even glance at the items placed prominently in the center—those were definitely overpriced.

As he passed a stall selling raw stones, Bai Yunqi came to a stop.

The stall owner looked up at him.

A fresh scar ran from his left eye down to the corner of his mouth, and a half-mask covered the right side of his face. One look at him could make a child cry.

“Want one? There’s jade inside. Top-quality material. Five taels of silver per piece.”

The small pile of jade ore in front of Bai Yunqi was indeed decent.

From the spiritual energy fluctuations he could sense, three or four of them were quite strong.

Another five or six had moderate levels of energy.

Bai Yunqi crouched down. The rules of the black market didn’t allow haggling, but negotiation was fair game. He said, “Buy four, get one free? Five blessings together¹, you know?”

The stall owner gave a grin, the movement tugging at the scar on his face like a wriggling worm.

“Pick.”

With that, he closed his eyes and rested.

Bai Yunqi began selecting stones. He picked the three with the strongest spiritual energy, then chose one of moderate quality.

Finally, he picked out the smallest piece from the pile. “This one’s the freebie.”

The stall owner nodded and held out his hand.

Bai Yunqi cheerfully pulled out the two taels of gold from his pocket, handed them over, then turned and left without a second glance.

Once outside the black market, he estimated the time. Nearly an hour had passed—he needed to hurry home.

The five jade stones he had just bought weren’t large, but together, they still had some weight.

Bai Yunqi found a spot with good feng shui² and immediately began absorbing the spiritual energy from the stones, setting aside the smallest one and slipping it into his pocket.

He’d get that one opened later to extract the jade, saving it for future treasure hunts.

Absorbing the spiritual energy took about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea³.

Bai Yunqi could feel the spiritual energy in his body—it was still far too little. The spiritual energy in this world was so thin that even with a cultivation technique, he couldn’t draw much in.

Fortunately, the people here weren’t that strong. All things considered, Bai Yunqi still stood at the top.

As long as he had a steady supply of jade filled with spiritual energy, who could possibly defeat him?

The only problem was… that steady supply of jade…

Bai Yunqi’s expression shifted slightly. His eyes lowered, and without a word, he glanced behind him.

The next moment, a bolt of lightning as thick as a wrist came crashing down.

He instantly mobilized the spiritual energy within his body, forming an invisible shield to block the attack.

The two forces collided with a dull boom, like thunder cracking through the silent night.

Then, silence returned.

Bai Yunqi frowned deeply, a trace of confusion on his face. Ran off again?

What the hell is wrong with this guy?

Without a second thought, Bai Yunqi took off after him.

The attacker was hiding in the dark while he was out in the open—he was at a disadvantage!

But Bai Yunqi wasn’t someone who took things lying down, and being at a disadvantage was one of those things.

He had plenty of Spiritual Power now, and he was determined to find out who was lurking in the shadows causing trouble.

“Tracking Technique!”

Spiritual Power surged around him as he formed a hand seal. Though he still looked like a child, his entire presence shifted—suddenly overwhelming and sharp.

Invisible spiritual energy swirled gently around the spot where the lightning had struck, locking onto the target.

“Spiritual Energy Blade.”

An unseen blade, guided by the locked-on energy, shot straight toward the target.

His robes fluttered without wind, and in the blink of an eye, Bai Yunqi vanished.

Translator’s Notes