The lower markets of Verdant Canopy City were a world away from the refined atmosphere of the auction pavilions. Nestled in the vast, shaded spaces between the mighty roots of the world-trees, the air here was thick with the cacophony of haggling cultivators, the pungent smells of strange herbs and spirit beast parts, and the raw unvarnished energy of commerce. Stalls constructed from woven vines and salvaged wood displayed a bewildering array of goods from suspiciously glowing mushrooms to chipped, ancient-looking talismans.
Lux moved through the bustling crowd his senses on high alert. Grand Elder Lina after a moment of calculated consideration had granted him permission to explore. She knew he was restless, and more importantly, she knew that the invisible net of protection around him Protector Ming and Kyle was absolute. Allowing the "Star Child" to be seen engaging with the common marketplace could also be spun as a positive diplomatic gesture that showing the Burning Sky Sect's connection to the wider cultivator world.
His reason for being here however was more personal. Since setting foot in the market a faint, persistent sensation had been tugging at the edge of his perception. It wasn't a sound or a sight, but a subtle resonance of reality, a vibration that seemed to harmonize oddly with the gray qi swirling in his dantian and it felt like a distant silent bell only he could hear.
"Can you pinpoint it, Mobius?" Lux asked internally, his eyes scanning the chaotic stalls.
"The signal is faint and intermittent worm" Mobius replied its tone analytical "It is not a deliberate broadcast, It feels more like a... leak, An artifact or a substance with an inherently unstable reality coefficient emitting energy waves that your unique constitution is sensitive to. Follow the gradient The resonance should strengthen as you get closer."
Lux nodded subtly allowing the feeling to guide him. He ignored the calls of merchants hawking "heaven-defying pills" and "peerless sword manuals," his focus narrowing to that internal compass. He walked past stalls of gleaming ores, jars of writhing spiritual insects, and ancient scrolls, the resonance waxing and waning until it led him to a particularly dilapidated stall tucked deep into a crook between two massive, moss-covered roots.
The stall was shrouded in shadow its wares covered in a fine layer of dust. An old man so wizened he seemed to be part of the root himself sat on a stool, whittling a piece of wood with a knife that had no shine left to its blade. He didn't call out to customers he simply existed.
The resonance was strongest here, It was emanating from a small unassuming object on the corner of his stall a fragmented dull gray piece of what looked like stone or metal, about the size of Lux's palm. It was utterly unremarkable to the eye, but to Lux's senses, it pulsed with a familiar paradoxical energy.
High above the bustling market in a secluded pavilion nestled within the highest canopy of the city, three figures sat around a simple stone table steam from a pot of exquisite spiritual tea curling between them.
The atmosphere here was one of ancient tranquility, a stark contrast to the energy below. The three individuals were Protector Ming of the Burning Sky Sect, and his two hosts protector Alairic, a man whose long beard was intertwined with living vines and whose eyes held the deep, patient green of the forest, and Matron Hira, a woman whose face was a roadmap of gentle wrinkles and whose aura felt like the comforting warmth of sunlight after a long winter. They were both Protectors of the Life Root Sect, peers of Ming from an era long past.
"It has been too long Ming, "Alairic's voice was like the rustling of leaves "The seasons have turned many times since we last shared tea and watched the sky together, lamenting our juniors who ascended beyond our reach".
Matron hira nodded a sad, wise smile on her lips "So many bright flames extinguished from our sight as they passed into the Upper World And here we remain the old guard, too rooted in this lower world, our foundations too heavy with the compromises of mortality to make that final leap".
A faint sigh escaped Ming's lips a rare show of open emotion "The path to ascension is narrow and the requirements... particular. Our time for that has passed my friends. Our duty now is to be the anchors, the steady hands that guide the sects through the turbulent seasons and to watch over the new saplings." His gaze though directed at his friends, held a fraction of his attention elsewhere, a silent thread of awareness connected to a presence far below.
"It is one of these 'saplings' that has you playing the role of a shadowy guardian isn't it?" Elder Alairic asked, his green eyes twinkling with curiosity. "The one they call the 'Star Child.' We felt the... disturbance on your journey here a rather forceful bit of pest control."
Ming took a slow sip of his tea. "The boy is unique. The legacy of the Gray Meteor runs deep within him, in ways we are only beginning to comprehend, His potential is a double-edged sword attracting both opportunity and venom. Klahan is wise to be cautious."
"And you old friend?" Matron hira pressed gently. "You who rarely stirs from the Sanctum of Eternal Embers, now acting as a personal bodyguard for a Qi Nurturing Realm child There is more to it than duty, isn't there?"
Ming was silent for a long moment watching the tea leaves swirl in his cup "There is a... quality to his soul, a resonance not just with the strange energy he wields but with something older. When I observe him it is like seeing a ripple on the surface of a pond hinting at depths I have not sensed for a very long time. Protecting him is not just about safeguarding an asset for the sect. It feels... significant. On a scale that transcends our current understanding".
His two old friends exchanged a look of understanding. For a being as ancient and powerful as Ming to use such words was no small thing.
Down in the market completely unaware of the high-level discussion concerning his fate Lux finally approached the dusty stall. His heart beat a little faster, The fragment on the stall seemed to hum in recognition of his presence.
Meanwhile from his vantage point perched invisibly on a high branch overlooking the market, Kyle watched Lux's every move.
His spiritual sense had already swept through the old man's stall the moment Lux showed interest. He detected no malicious intent, no hidden formations, only the profound, dormant energy of the old vendor, who was likely a retired cultivator living out his days in peace, and the strange, faintly buzzing energy of the object Lux was now reaching for.
Deeming the situation safe, Kyle remained a silent, unseen sentinel, ready to intervene in a heartbeat if needed, The game was in motion, and the pieces were all where they should be for now.
The interior of the dusty shop was a cavern of forgotten wonders and dubious treasures, The air thick with the scent of aged paper, dried herbs, and the faint, metallic tang of low-grade spirit stones, was a stark contrast to the vibrant life-energy of the city outside.
Shelves carved directly into the living wood of the great root were crammed with an assortment of cultivation paraphernalia. Lux's eyes, sharpened by both his engineering mind and Mobius's perception, quickly cataloged the inventory.
He saw rows of pills in simple jade bottles, their labels faded, their spiritual signatures ranging from the faint glow of Low Mortal Grade to the more potent but still mundane, pulse of Advanced Mortal Grade.
There were talismans made of beast parchment, their inscribed characters lacking the profound depth of true power, Artifacts daggers with chipped blades, cracked meditation cushions, and dented cauldrons were displayed with a forlorn hope.
The clientele matched the wares a few Bone Forging youths wide-eyed at their first major market, a group of Qi Nurturing cultivators debating the merits of a particular energy-gathering pill, and a solitary Foundation Establishment elder haggling stoically over the price of a set of formation flags.
As Lux stepped further in, a shop attendant approached him, The man was in the Foundation Establishment realm, his energy stable but unremarkable and his eyes carrying the weary patience of someone who had seen countless browsers.
"Greetings, young master," the attendant said, his voice neutral "Is there anything specific you are searching for today? We have newly acquired a batch of Fire-Heart Pills excellent for those in the Qi Nurturing realm with a fire affinity."
Lux offered a polite smile, one befitting a young disciple out on an excursion "Thank you, but I'm just looking around for now."
The attendant nodded not pushing further and retreated to his post by the entrance, his attention shifting to the other customers.
Lux moved through the cramped aisles his initial curiosity giving way to a focused search.
The resonance was stronger here, inside the shop a persistent thrum at the edge of his consciousness that guided his steps.
He passed shelves of glowing crystals, bundles of spiritual herbs, and stacks of ancient-looking maps, but the feeling didn't peak until he reached a dimly lit corner at the very back of the shop.
There, on a low shelf crowded with what looked like discarded junk broken sword hilts, a compass with a cracked face, a set of rusted weights lay the source. It was a stone tablet, roughly the size of a large dinner plate. Its surface was a dull, non-reflective gray like weathered slate, and it was covered in faint almost invisible etchings that resembled no language or formation pattern Lux had ever seen. It was utterly unremarkable to the naked eye.
But to Lux's Möbius-enhanced measurement, it was a storm of contradictions.