Ren Qing found the pedestrians utterly intangible, completely impossible to physically interact with, making the scene truly bizarre.
No wonder it was called the Ghost Market..
He then noticed all shops in the market had their doors tightly shut, reopening only when Restraint Officers entered, which puzzled him.
"Old Huang, are these shops all run by Great Dream True Person?"
"You'll understand when you see him."
As he spoke, Huang Ziwang stopped before an ordinary-looking storefront, its plaque carved with "Great Dream Pavilion."
Ren Qing examined the pavilion. Superficially, it resembled Butcher Zhang's shabby shop.
Many Restraint Officers came and went, none concealing their appearances.
Weren't they afraid of being targeted?
Huang Ziwang smiled. "Go inside. I'll wait here."
Before Ren Qing could ask further, Huang Ziwang shoved him forcefully.
Stumbling, Ren Qing fell into the building, instantly feeling worlds apart, his consciousness even briefly blanking.
He looked around. The interior was lavishly decorated yet eerily unreal.
A deer head mounted on the wall shifted into a lion's in the next breath, as did the calligraphy and paintings.
Most startlingly, though several people had entered just before him, the vast shop now held only Ren Qing.
His gaze landed on materials displayed at the counter, and his expression twisted.
Lizard tails, fish scales, bone fragments, beast claws...
Suddenly, the light flickered wildly.
A figure materialized before Ren Qing, not humanoid, but a mass of distorted light that induced dizziness when stared at.
This was Great Dream True Person, his form likely a Butterfly Dream Technique projection within the illusion, defying comprehension.
When Ren Qing's eyes lingered on a gray-black pelt for a few breaths, his head throbbed, revealing its price:
[Three Dou, Seven Sheng]
Ren Qing gaped. Before he could react, the pelt appeared in his hand, its rough texture tangible.
The Information Stream surged.
[Beast Skin Technique: Created by Crippled Daoist Tian. Requires beast blood infusion and suturing animal hide onto flayed skin to master.]
As he instinctively gripped it, the pelt returned to the counter.
Like a fleeting dream!!!
This was Great Dream True Person?
Even fully conscious, Ren Qing felt trapped in a dream, deeply surreal.
After a long daze, the light figure seemed impatient and waved him back outside into the bustling crowd.
Nearby Restraint Officers chuckled, not mockingly, they'd all shared this experience.
Huang Ziwang teased, "How was this 'utterly ordinary' shop?"
He emphasized "utterly ordinary."
Ren Qing smiled wryly. "Truly befitting a peak Yin Runner Realm Restraint Officer. Such Divine Abilities are unimaginable."
"Hahahaha!"
Huang Ziwang roared with laughter, delighted to see the ever-unflappable Ren Qing rattled.
Collecting himself, Ren Qing asked, "Why do the materials in the Great Dream Pavilion seem like they're harvested from cultivators?"
"Exactly."
Huang Ziwang grinned oddly. "Some come from corpses, but most are... self-extracted."
Ren Qing realized: "Restraint Officers sell parts of themselves?"
Those scales on the counter likely came from a cultivator who'd regrow them after rest.
The lizard tail? Probably from a regenerating gecko-mutant.
Beast blood was even simpler, the Blood Dog Gang could procure thousands of catties monthly (though they lacked Hall access).
Huang Ziwang warned, "Only those with no advancement prospects resort to self-mutilation. It risks damaging one's foundation."
Ren Qing knew it went beyond that, uncontrolled mutations were the true danger, making it hardly worth it.
"Go buy your materials. I'm off to drink."
With that, Huang Ziwang vanished into the market's depths.
Aside from the Great Dream Pavilion, other shops bustled too, especially the tavern packed with a dozen Restraint Officers.
Ren Qing hesitated. Realistically, his techniques offered no profitable byproducts.
Not choosing Hundred-Eyed One now felt like a huge loss, plucking out eyeballs occasionally could've balanced his finances.
Wait... couldn't Living Bone Bearer sell bones...?
No. Absolutely not.
Ren Qing suppressed the thought.
He'd already planned to refine a unique artifact with Spine Bearer, potentially compensating for its flaws.
Reentering the Great Dream Pavilion, he found the decor slightly altered, the materials refreshed.
Time to shop.
The Information Stream's advantage shone here,assessing material quality effortlessly.
Prices varied wildly, some costing over a hundred Shi, often tied to tribulations during advancement.
[Soul Grass Technique: Created by Hundred-Soul Daoist. Cultivation condenses one's three hun and seven po into grass seeds that emit beast-attracting fragrance during 49-day growth.]
[Harvesting pre-maturation yields Soul Grass, stabilizing the soul when consumed.]
Soul stabilization was invaluable, boosting survival odds during tribulations.
But Ren Qing's hopes dimmed: no beast eyes in stock.
Addressing the shimmering figure, he ventured, "Senior Great Dream, do you have eyeballs?"
The counter cleared, then filled with jars of preserved eyes.
Ren Qing gulped, overwhelmed.
Among them, Hundred-Eyed One eyeballs were plentiful, likely due to The Blindless Method's circulation.
And dirt-cheap: just one Sheng bought many.
He wasn't interested. Materials from different mutation paths of the same technique risked unknown side effects.
After an hour, he found cost-effective stone-like eyeballs.
[Three Sheng]
[Stone Spirit Technique: Created by Stone Men. Requires replacing all bones with rock, granting sentience to stone.]
Ren Qing bought one.
Holding the petrified eyeball, he hesitated, it looked indistinguishable from a rock. Was this actually edible?
Harvested from animated stone, it theoretically wasn't inert.
Swallowing it, he felt far more heat than beast eyes provided, requiring at least ten days to digest fully.
How much lifespan would it yield?
Satisfied, Ren Qing nodded. He'd browse for some artifact materials first, then decide how many stone eyes to purchase.