They took a few steps, and gazes shot over one after another. These were followed by faces brimming with smiles. Many people stared intently at the Cross-Eyed Dog Head.
Two girls with identical little white rabbit heads hopped and skipped, staring at him nonstop and even deliberately mimicking him.
Li Qingxian shot them a glare, but to his surprise, their laughter grew louder, their crisp voices ringing like wind chimes.
"After tomorrow, I estimate that all the Fate Masters around the Divine Capital will be asking about you," Guo Xiang said.
"Spare me the sarcasm! Just help me out and introduce some of this stuff. There are things here I don’t even recognize."
As they walked, Guo Xiang pointed out various objects and Life Materials.
Along the way, Li Qingxian learned about many Fate Skill-related items, but what ultimately caught his attention were the Destiny Stars.
Guo Xiang saw someone selling a "Celestial Cloud Concealing Moon" Destiny Star and couldn’t resist walking over.
Li Qingxian followed him over. The Tiger-Headed Person had brazenly displayed a Life Ship.
The Life Ship’s hull was silver-white. Atop it sat a single-story cabin forged entirely from Gold, covered by a red roof. It resembled a small boat with a Treasure Tower built upon it.
Inside the Golden Pavilion stood a fiery red lotus lantern.
At the center of the lotus lantern, a speck of fire flickered intermittently.
"How much for this Celestial Cloud Concealing Moon?" Guo Xiang asked.
"Five hundred thousand taels of silver, an equivalent Fate Skill, an equivalent Fate Grid, or an entry qualification for the Celestial Fate Sect," the Tiger-Headed Person said lazily.
Guo Xiang gently shook his head and sent a secret voice transmission: "Be extremely careful when buying Destiny Stars. Although a standalone Destiny Star is easy to perform Inference on, some shameless Fate Masters might create a fake. Take this Celestial Cloud Concealing Moon, for example. It’s a Middle-Grade Destiny Star. It’s common for people to substitute it with ’Microscale Submerged Grass’ and then use a Fate Skill to fool you. Even I might not be able to see through the deception. In the future, if you really want to buy a Destiny Star, remember to bring a few Fate Master friends with you."
"Understood." Li Qingxian thought for a moment, first activating Covering Eyes, then looking with the Deceitful Dragon Eye.
He saw a brilliant light erupt from within the Life Ship, the flame transforming into a crystalline Destiny Star.
Within the transparent, glass-like Destiny Star, the night sky was serene. A full moon hung high, and white clouds continuously drifted past, obscuring it.
"Looks real," Li Qingxian said casually.
The Tiger-Headed Person chuckled. "You’ve got a good eye. I specifically spent ten thousand taels of silver to have a Great Fate Master I know inspect its fate. It can’t be wrong."
"Let’s keep looking," Guo Xiang said, walking ahead.
Once they were far away from the man, Li Qingxian said, "That’s way too expensive, five hundred thousand taels of silver."
"He’s just asking for the moon. Middle-Grade Fate Masters like him aren’t short on cash; they’re mainly looking to trade for things they can use. This Celestial Cloud Concealing Moon is a superior Concealing Destiny Star. If paired with multiple Concealing Fate Grids, one could live a life free of worry, so it’s quite popular with certain Fate Masters. When it comes to Destiny Stars, the ones that Fate Masters can use are the most expensive."
"What’s the strongest Concealing Fate Grid?" Li Qingxian asked.
Guo Xiang continued as they walked, "In terms of pure concealing ability, the strongest is naturally ’Mundane Dust.’ But the one everyone desires most is the legendary ’Hidden Dragon of All Worlds.’ If you could also acquire ’White Dragon Fish Suit,’ you’d be a veritable Hidden World Emperor, with limitless potential for achievement. To a Fate Master, that’s even more significant than the ’True Dragon Emperor’ Fate Grid. Three hundred years ago, a youth who possessed Hidden Dragon of All Worlds appeared, and he subsequently triggered a catastrophe in the Life Realm. The details are unclear, but I know that in the end, he was refined into a Single Star and taken in by the Celestial Fate Sect."
’Hidden Dragon of All Worlds...’ This was the first time Li Qingxian had heard of this Destiny Star.
The two of them strolled once around the Beast Bridge, then leaned against the railing to chat.
This Beast Bridge was situated above a sea of clouds and beneath the night sky, with a boundless, endless view into the distance.
Guo Xiang said, "The Beast Bridge is usually like this—just an ordinary, unremarkable market. But it has its lively moments. For example, many disputes between Fate Masters are settled here. The Beast Bridge is also said to connect to some mysterious places. People have seen it, but unfortunately, my luck is bad. I’ve never seen it in all these years..."
The two chatted while watching the beast-headed Fate Masters come and go.
Guo Xiang sent a voice transmission: "I know you’ve got some goods on you. Don’t be hasty, and don’t buy recklessly. What’s most important for a Fate Master?"
"First is your fundamental Cultivation Technique. For example, your Fate Measuring Skill. You can switch to a new one, but such things are rare finds that can’t be actively sought."
"Second is Fate Skills. Remember, even if our own Fate Grids are poor, as long as we cultivate our Fate Skills well, we can change our fate and alter our luck, far surpassing ordinary people."
"Third are Life Artifacts. With these, the more, the better."
"Fourth, and only then, come Destiny Stars..."
"Fifth, Life Formations aren’t important for you right now. But for High-Grade Fate Masters, their effect is in no way inferior to Fate Skills. Your Cultivation is too low, so there’s no way for me to explain the mysteries of Life Formations and Life Gods to you. In short, if you ever come across books related to Life Formations or Life Gods, do your best to buy them. It’ll just be a matter of how much you profit; you’ll never lose out."
Li Qingxian took mental notes as Guo Xiang spoke.
"You’re still young, and your Grade Level is still low. Your main goal right now is to build a solid foundation. Don’t even think about a new Cultivation Technique. If possible, accumulate more Fate Skills; that’s fundamental. Also, if you have any Treasures, I suggest trading them for a Fate Box. It doesn’t have to be great; a Trifold Fate Box will do. You can use it to hone your Fate Skills. If you join my Mountain Fate Sect, I guarantee you a Six-Layered Fate Box that will let your Cultivation advance by a thousand miles a day."
Li Qingxian said helplessly, "Even the cheapest Fate Box must cost a hundred thousand taels of silver, right? I can’t afford that."
"After all, only Upper-Grade Fate Masters can create those things, so they’re definitely not cheap. But don’t lose heart. If you can get your hands on a particularly good Fate Grid, trading it for a Fate Box will be no problem. Just like that Tiger-Headed Person—that single Celestial Cloud Concealing Moon is enough to trade for a Five-Layered Fate Box," Guo Xiang said.
"In your opinion, what kind of Fate Skills should I focus on learning right now?" Li Qingxian asked.
Guo Xiang glanced at the Cross-Eyed Dog Head and said, "Your status is special, and the imperial court is currently unstable. No matter how good your fate is, you’re still just one person. You can’t stand against a Great Trend Formation; disaster will inevitably follow disaster. I suggest you look for two types of Destiny Stars: one for concealment and one for disaster aversion. Once they form a Trend Formation, some minor calamities will avoid you, but you’ll still have a hard time escaping major catastrophes. If you ever face a true catastrophe, the Black Lamp Department will always welcome you."
Li Qingxian nodded. ’My Chameleon Hideaway and Gray Sparrow’s Nest are both concealment types. Sunlight on Golden Mountain is a classic disaster-aversion type, and Fox Posing as Tiger’s Might is also helpful. It seems I’m on the right track.’
"How can I quickly open my second Life Land?" Li Qingxian asked.
"You either wait it out until you’re twenty, or you join a Major Sect. Only a few, like the Celestial Fate Sect or the Life God Sect, have a Fate Skill like the ’Earth-Opening Technique.’ Even our Mountain Fate Sect doesn’t have it."
"Is there no other way to open a Life Land?" Li Qingxian asked.
"What do you take Life Lands for? It’s precisely because they’re so hard to open that most Fate Masters have to wait until they’re thirty, after opening the three Life Lands for their boyhood, youth, and middle age, before they can graduate, leave their mountains, and formally begin accumulating luck. However, it’s not like there are *no* other ways..."
"For example?"
"If you have a strong luck-related Destiny Star, you might be able to find someone with the ’Four Stars in Conjunction’ Life Formation. If you steal all four of their Destiny Stars, place them in your Boyhood Life Land, and then offer them as a sacrifice, you can open your Youth Life Land ahead of schedule. The difficulty of doing this is no less than obtaining an Earth-Opening Technique."
"Anything else?"
"Anything else? Oh, that’s simple. Sacrifice to a god, capture a Life God, and then sacrifice it along with its entire Life Formation. If you have the heart to do it, there’s no problem at all."
"I’ll... think about it..."