## Chapter 7 : Broth of Bones and Market Whispers
The pungent aroma of simmering herbs filled the clinic – a complex blend of earthy roots, bitter minerals, and the faint, cold metallic scent emanating from the Skyiron Shard nestled amongst the boiling ingredients in the large, blackened cauldron. Su Lin watched the dark, viscous liquid bubble, tendrils of steam coiling towards the rafters. This was no ordinary broth. It was the culmination of Wen's fragmented notes, the System's perfect reconstruction of "Essence Gathering for Body Forging," and the potent, unknown mineral Wen had found – the shard the System identified as `[Skyiron Shard - High-Grade Natural Treasure (Damaged/Core Fragment)]` yielding `[Talent Points: 0.5]`, bringing his total to `[Talent Points: 2.5]` `[Talent Level: 1 (2.5 / 10)]`.
Wen hovered nearby, adding pinches of powdered bone ash and dried centipede carapaces at precise intervals, guided by Su Lin's unnervingly specific instructions derived from the perfected manual. "Never brewed one this strong, Su," Wen muttered, wiping sweat from his brow. "Adding that strange blue stone... the energy in the pot feels *alive*. Like it's... forging something."
Su Lin nodded, feeling the faint thrum of Qi radiating from the cauldron. "It amplifies the process," he stated vaguely. He couldn't reveal the System's quantification. The shard was just a potent ingredient to Wen. Body Tempering, as Wen understood it, was alchemy and exertion, forging the mortal vessel. The permanent boosts from mastering the spear form to Perfection (`STR 9, AGI 9`) were profound, but his Constitution (`CON 5`) and Spirit (`SPI 5`) remained dangerously low. This broth targeted the foundation.
After hours, the liquid reduced to thick, tarnished-bronze sludge. Wen ladled a steaming cupful into a bowl. "Careful, lad. This will test you."
Su Lin took it. Heat radiated intensely. He activated the Iron Mountain Stance, bracing. He drank. Fire and molten lead seared his throat, flooding his stomach with crushing pressure that hammered against his bones. He gasped, vision blurring, staggering against the table. Wen cried out, but Su Lin waved him off, gritting his teeth.
*Essence Gathering for Body Forging (Perfection)*. The knowledge surged. He forced the breathing rhythm – deep inhales, controlled exhales. He visualized the energy as a forgehammer, directing its fury into his skeleton, tendons, marrow.
**CRACKLE. POP.**
Subtle sounds emanated from within. Agonizing pain lanced through his bones – compression, reshaping. Sweat poured, stinging, carrying a coppery scent. He sank to his knees, channeling the Stance's stability, rooted against the internal storm.
An agonizing hour passed. The inferno subsided to a resonant thrum. He felt *dense*. Solid. Bruise-aches vanished. He opened his eyes. The world seemed sharper. He flexed his hand; skin felt tighter over subtly more pronounced knuckles. He pulled up his status, confirming the breakthrough internally.
`[Host: Su Lin]`
`[Talent Level: 1 (2.5 / 10)]`
`[Realm: Body Tempering (Mid-Level - Progress 0%)]`
`[Attributes: STR 9 | CON 8 | AGI 9 | SPI 6]`
`[Techniques:]`
` - Essence Gathering for Body Forging (Perfection)`
` - Iron Mountain Stance (Perfection)`
` - City Guard Basic Spear Form (Perfection)`
`[EXP: 32]`
`[Talent Points: 2.5]`
Mid-Level Body Tempering! `CON 8`, `SPI 6`. Palpable solidity. A light tap on his forearm produced a faint *thunk*.
"Su?" Wen whispered, awe-struck. "You... you glowed. Faintly, like hot metal. Are you...?"
"Stronger," Su Lin stated. He looked at the remaining sludge. "It works. We need more ingredients. Stronger ones." He gestured at the cauldron. "The stone... it was key. A potent catalyst."
Wen nodded vigorously, fervor replacing fear. "Aye! That strange blue stone! Its energy was immense! If we could find more... or things like it..." He trailed off, imagination soaring at the potential of such powerful catalysts, unaware of the quantifiable Talent Points. "Where did it even come from?"
"Under the post," Su Lin reminded him. "Maybe Broken Nose dropped it. Or it was lodged there." He kept the System's secret. "We need resources. Information. Markets."
"The Mud Market!" Wen exclaimed. "Tomorrow! Outside the West Gate! It's chaotic, but sometimes rare herbs and... *interesting* stones surface. We have the Sunroot bulbs! One bulb alone is valuable now!" He gestured to the remaining potent tubers.
Su Lin considered. Selling the Sunroot bulbs pained him (`[Mid-Grade: 0.4 TP each]`), but currency was necessary. "We sell two bulbs," he decided. "Keep one. And we look. Carefully. For potent catalysts. Or rare herbs."
The next morning, the area outside the West Gate buzzed with the chaotic energy of the Mud Market. Makeshift stalls lined the muddy track. Shouts, bartering, and the stench of marsh goods filled the air. Guards patrolled, collecting fees.
Su Lin moved through the throng, hood up, posture unassuming, senses and System on high alert. Wen clutched the pouch with two Sunroot bulbs.
`[Scanning: Petrified Marsh Eel - Common Curio]`
`[Scanning: Bundle of Sourgrass - Low-Grade Herb (Minor)]`
`[Potential Talent Points: 0.05]`
`[Scanning: Rusted Dagger - Crude Tool]`
Mostly junk. Wen bartered fiercely for quality Frostpetal leaves, trading coppers and common herbs.
They approached a stall run by a grizzled man with one milky eye, displaying rocks and dull crystals. Wen examined copper ore. Su Lin's gaze swept the table... locking onto a small, deep green stone striated with silver veins. It seemed inert, but the System flared.
`[Scanning: Verdant Void Opal - High-Grade Natural Treasure (Unrefined)]`
`[Potential Talent Points: 3.5]`
*Three point five!* Su Lin kept his face blank. He casually picked up a common geode. "This one? How much?"
"Thunder-egg? Two copper," the vendor grunted.
Su Lin put it down, gesturing vaguely at the pile. "These? All river finds?"
"Aye," the vendor said. "Sift the Silverbend myself." He tapped the Void Opal. "This'n? Heavy. Pretty green. Five copper."
Wen frowned. "Five copper for a green rock? Su, that's—"
"It feels... potent," Su Lin interrupted, pulling out the coins. "Like the blue stone. A good catalyst." He paid quickly, pocketing the dense stone. `[Talent Points: 6.0]` `[Talent Level: 1 (6.0 / 10)]`. Wen shook his head slightly but didn't argue further, trusting Su Lin's inexplicable intuition for "potent" items.
They sold one Sunroot bulb for three silver leaves and five copper. Wen clutched the coins. Su Lin used a few coppers for a sturdy ash wood shaft – the start of a real spear.
Near the market center, a commotion arose. A rich merchant set up a lacquered table, displaying three items:
1. A gnarled, ochre-glowing root (`[Earthwyrm Talon - Mid-Grade: 0.7 TP]`).
2. A vial of swirling blue liquid (`[Shimmering Mire Essence - Mid-Grade: 0.8 TP]`).
3. A palm-sized, cloudy, humming crystal. The System's notification blazed:
`[Scanning: Skyfall Crystal Shard - High-Grade Natural Treasure]`
`[Potential Talent Points: 7.0]`
Murmurs spread. The merchant announced prices: "...and for this marvel, the Skyfall Crystal... fifty silver leaves!"
Gasps echoed. Su Lin had three silver. A burly Stone Serpent thug shoved forward. "Fifty? Twenty silver, outlander!"
"Fifty," the merchant insisted.
"Thirty! Final offer!" the thug growled.
A cool voice cut through: "Sixty silver."
All turned. A young man in pristine linen robes stood there, sharp-featured, a silver circlet holding back dark hair. Beside him, an older man radiated subtle pressure. Su Lin's System warned:
`[Scanning: Retainer - Cultivation: Meridian Awakening Realm (High-Level)]`
`[Scanning: Young Master - Cultivation: Body Tempering (Peak-Level)]`
A Peak-Level Body Tempering youth with a Meridian Awakening guardian. Power and wealth incarnate. The Serpent thug paled and retreated. The merchant beamed. "Sixty silver! Going once..."
Su Lin watched, a cold stone in his gut. The crystal was lost. The sight burned ambition into him. This world had tiers. The Mud Market yielded treasures (`Void Opal: 3.5 TP`), but the *real* resources were traded far beyond his reach. He needed entry, influence, means.
The young master paid, accepted the crystal with a nod, and left, his retainer parting the crowd. Su Lin memorized the face, the circlet. A benchmark. A reminder.
He turned to Wen. "We go." They had silver, ash wood, the Opal. And a stark vision of the gulf to cross. As they walked back, the bone broth's potency lingering, the thrum of Mid-Level Body Tempering resonating in his hardened bones, Su Lin plotted. The Cautious Sovereign needed a deniable path into Falling Leaf City's hidden resource streams. The Mud Market was a start, but whispers of power came from shadows far beyond. It was time to cultivate opportunities. His gaze fell on the pouch holding the last Sunroot bulb. Perhaps it wasn't just a herb. Perhaps it was bait.