SUPREME ARCH-MAGUS

As the golden sun dipped behind the cloud-hung peaks of the Seven-Serpent Mountains, the vibrant spectacle of the Pill King Market began its slow descent into silence.

The air, once thick with clashing scents of spirit herbs and burning cauldron smoke, now settled into a gentler, melancholic breeze. Stalls folded their banners. Carts rolled away. Alchemists, merchants, sect heirs, and rogue cultivators packed up their wares, their fortunes, and their regrets—making their way toward teleportation arrays that would take them home.

But just as others departed, Kent stirred into motion.

Unlike the tens of thousands retreating from the battlefield of commerce, Kent tightened his robes, flexed his spiritual pouch, and stepped into the thinning market with sharp, predatory eyes.

“Now,” he said, a grin playing on his lips, “is when the real hunt begins.”

Beside him, Lin Lin and Yun Rou exchanged a glance.

“You didn’t shop for anything when prices were highest,” Yun Rou muttered, narrowing her eyes. “Now that most of the crowd is gone… you’re suddenly active?”

Lin Lin folded her arms. “You’re always up to something strange.”

Kent didn’t respond. Instead, he tapped his spatial ring. With a flicker, two glowing orbs floated up: one blue, one gold.

“Eighty thousand mana pearls from the War God trial,” he said, “and ten thousand high-grade pearls gifted by my master. I’ve been saving them… for this exact moment.”

Yun Rou’s jaw dropped. “That much?! Why didn’t you use them earlier?”

Kent gave a fox-like smirk. “Because when the wolves leave, the starving dogs beg. Watch.”

He walked into the first street, where a once-busy herb vendor now sat sighing over unsold stock.

“Old man. That Moonshade Violet Root still available?” Kent asked.

The old vendor looked up and blinked. “Ah! Yes, yes—five strands left. Only fifty pearls each now.”

Lin Lin’s eyes widened. “You quoted five hundred pearls on the first day.”

The vendor gave a dry laugh. “That was before all the rich buyers disappeared. Now, I just want to lighten my cart.”

Kent picked all five strands, then casually pointed at the fiery Dragonbone Marrow Paste behind him. “Add that, and the Dark Ice Flower too. I’ll take them if you throw in those two Jade Leaves for free.”

“Y-You drive a hard bargain,” the old man muttered. Then sighed. “Fine, take it all. Bless your kind heart.”

Kent grinned. “Pleasure doing business.”

They moved to another stall—Silver Tusk Merchant Guild, famous for their arrogance.

The silver-robed young merchant from the first day stood there, visibly frustrated, counting unsold Void Earth Powder.

“You refused to give even a single pearl discount back then,” Kent said, approaching like a shadow. “Still the same?”

The merchant glanced up and froze. “…You? The beast-veil masked brat from Day One?”

Kent chuckled. “Yes. Still have that Three-Soul Lotus Ash?”

The merchant hesitated. “I do…”

“I’ll take five bottles. I’ll pay market rate—but you throw in two bottles of Lightning Crystal Mist.”

“You’ve lost your mind—”

“I’ll pay in mana pearls, not spirit stones.”

The merchant blinked. Then leaned in slightly. “Mana pearls… pure?”

Kent let a few blue pearls float into his palm.

“…Deal!” the merchant exclaimed, suddenly animated. “Take eight bottles instead! Free gift. I remember now—you’re the one Elder Mu praised!”

As they moved down the rows, more merchants who once scoffed at Kent began softening like melted wax.

The Thunder Alchemy Pavilion, whose stall master had laughed when Kent asked for a quote, now offered him a full tray of Flame-Hardened Pills with a buy-one-get-one scheme.

The Crimson Sun Potions Guild—which refused to even answer Kent’s questions the first day—now begged him to take their unsold Wind-Refining Liquids, offering entire crates for less than half price.

“This is madness,” Lin Lin whispered, arms full of pill bottles.

Yun Rou staggered behind Kent with four pouches bulging with rare roots. “He’s not shopping… he’s looting the entire market!”

But Kent was far from done.

He stepped up to a grand tent with red lanterns—the Heavenly Ice Flame Pavilion, run by a cold woman who had dismissed Kent outright five days ago.

“You again?” she said, her brows furrowing. “I thought I told you—”

“I’m here to buy that Half-formed Phoenix Essence Fire seed.”

The woman’s eyes narrowed. “That’s not cheap.”

“I’ll give you thirty thousand mana pearls. You have two hours before market ends. That fire seed will rot in your vault. Or you sell it to me and walk away with real currency.”

She stared at him for a long while.

Then nodded. “…Fine. But you’re not just some market crawler, are you?”

Kent smirked. “I’m just a poor boy from the Blue Planet.”

Lin Lin almost choked.

After a few more rounds, Kent walked back to the inn surrounded by crates of materials, rare roots, and sealed pouches glowing with pill energy. Even the staff at Half Moon Inn had to clear a separate storage room for him.

As the stars blinked into the darkening sky, and the final teleportation arrays activated for those departing, Kent sat in his room, fingers gently brushing over the materials like a pianist over ancient keys.

Yun Rou stood at the door, still in awe. “You robbed the whole Pill King Market without drawing a blade.”

Kent looked up with a gleam in his eyes. “Alchemy is war too, Yun Rou. But here… timing is the sword.”

-—–0——

The golden twilight shimmered over the sky as the Kulu Nation’s spirit ship began its ascent from the final docking bay of the Pill King Market. It was time.

The decks creaked softly under the weight of the returning cultivators, and Yun Rou, clipboard in hand, paced through the rows, counting.

“One… two… thirteen… eighteen… where’s–” she looked up, frowning, “Kent!”

From the stone-paved path below, Kent strolled leisurely with Lin Lin, both carrying satchels overloaded with herbs and pill bottles, glowing softly through the cloth.

“You always show up last!” Yun Rou shouted down, half-annoyed.

Kent grinned. “Heroes arrive when the curtain is just about to fall.”

As the two stepped aboard, the formation master activated the flying array, causing the ship to pulse once with spirit light. With a low hum, it began to lift, tilting ever so slightly toward the eastern skies.

Just as the ship moved from the platform, a deafening screech shattered the calm.

SKREEEEEEEE–!!

The air split like torn fabric as a massive two-headed crimson eagle swooped from the clouds above, its talons glowing with golden qi, its dual eyes radiating pressure. Wind roared across the deck, forcing weaker cultivators to stumble back. The eagle descended directly in front of the ship, blocking its path with wings that could blot out the moon.

Everyone reached for their weapons.

But Kent narrowed his eyes, already knowing.

From the eagle’s back, a familiar figure leapt down.

Bai Qi.

Her silver night-armor was replaced by her formal sect robes, hair tied high in a tight bun, face taut with unreadable emotion.

Behind her, another presence descended more gracefully—a tall, sharp-eyed old man with frost-white hair and a sword-shaped scar running from his temple to his jaw. His aura was calm, but the pressure he exuded caused the ship’s formation to slightly dim.

Kent folded his arms as they approached.

Bai Qi’s eyes didn’t flinch. She pointed at Kent, voice cold but steady.

“This man must take responsibility.”

The crew muttered in confusion.

Yun Rou blinked. “What is going on…?”

Kent didn’t move. “I thought we settled this already,” he said softly.

Bai Qi’s grandfather stepped forward, placing a firm hand on her shoulder. His voice was slow, clear, and utterly calm.

“I am Grandmaster Bai Jue of the Twin Fist Eagle Sect. I don’t care about the shame, or who started what. My granddaughter has been… affected by you. That is enough.”

Kent raised an eyebrow, amused. “You came to stop the ship just to make me marry her?”

Grandmaster Bai nodded. “You can have a hundred wives for all I care. But if you are man enough to touch her fate, be man enough to guard it.”

Kent shrugged, his smile unfading. “I don’t object. But she tried to beat me up and I exploded in front of her. It’s not exactly the romance of legends.”

Lin Lin snorted.

Yun Rou elbowed her to stay quiet.

Bai Qi’s face flushed, but she held her chin high. Her voice, though stiff, carried conviction.

“I don’t need your love. Just your promise.”

Kent looked at her deeply for a moment, then nodded once.

“Alright then. I’ll take care of you, as long as you don’t sneak through windows and point swords at me in my sleep.”

Bai Qi looked away, mumbling.

Grandmaster Bai chuckled, finally easing the tension. “Good. Then take this.” He held out a round, metal token, carved with ancient etchings and a gleaming sword sigil at the center.

Kent accepted it, feeling a strange vibration as his fingers closed around the cold metal.

“This is a Black Treasure Guild Token,” Bai Jue said. “Use it wisely. Don’t waste it. And don’t ask what it does until you need it.”

Kent raised an eyebrow, inspecting the token. “Black Treasure Guild, huh? Sounds… dramatic.”

“You’ll understand when the time comes.” Grandmaster Bai turned to his granddaughter. “Qi’er. These are your parting gifts.” He handed her a pouch that glowed with spatial essence, clearly packed with treasures and rare herbs.

“And this,” he added, pressing a final jade slip into her hand, “is our sect’s Twin Spiral Cultivation Art. Practice it well. Whether you stay with him or leave, your strength must remain your own.”

Bai Qi nodded silently.

Grandmaster Bai turned to Kent one last time. “Treat her like a woman you love. Not like a sect debt.”

Kent’s smile deepened. “I never take debts lightly.”

With that, Grandmaster Bai leapt high, landing smoothly on the twin-headed eagle. It gave one final cry and soared upward, vanishing into the horizon with a stream of golden clouds behind it.

As the ship resumed its flight path, Yun Rou turned to Kent with a bewildered expression. “How many wives do you have, exactly?”

“Counting or discounting spirit contract partners?” Kent asked innocently.

Lin Lin rolled her eyes. “I should’ve made you sign a restriction pact.”

Yun Rou muttered, “We’re going to need a bigger ship at this rate…”

Meanwhile, Bai Qi stood quietly near the rear deck, her eyes locked on the shrinking silhouette of the eagle, fingers gripping the jade slip tightly.

Kent leaned against the railing, flipping the Black Treasure Guild Token in his palm, thinking silently.

Something about it pulsed with a deeper mystery than the old man let on.

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