Yu Hua's interlude had come to an end, and Yu Lei could finally relax and stroll through the bustling market.
The sermon by the Primordial Lord of the Heavenly Path was a rare event, and the ample travel time allowed almost every immortal in the East Sea to journey towards Golden Ao Island.
Naturally, the island's marketplace was becoming even more lively.
Not only did it surpass Er Xian Ling in scale, but the level of participants was also far greater.
Golden Immortals were a common sight, and Yu Lei even spotted a few Taiyi Golden Immortals among the stalls. They were likely renowned figures within the Intercession Sect.
However, Yu Lei had not seen any Great Golden Immortals. Perhaps those powerful beings considered it beneath them to mingle in the marketplace.
Although the Primordial Lord of the Heavenly Path did not prohibit private duels on Golden Ao Island, the market's order was maintained by a specific force.
While the Great Golden Immortals remained unseen, they had sent word to prohibit immortals from committing murder or robbery within the marketplace.
With the Great Golden Immortals' decree and the presence of the Saint, the immortals could confidently engage in transactions within the market.
This assurance was precisely why the marketplace thrived with such activity.
Yu Lei, possessing the Discerning Eye and bolstered by his Great Fortune Art, intended to thoroughly search for treasures within the marketplace.
As he wandered, casually scanning the stalls filled with various heavenly materials and treasures, he waited for his Discerning Eye to provide feedback.
Suddenly, Yu Lei's eyes lit up, a peculiar glow catching his attention.
Focusing his gaze, he noticed a broken disc on a Xuanxian's stall, triggering a reaction from his Discerning Eye.
He approached the stall, refraining from immediately picking up the disc, instead showing interest in the other items displayed.
The stall owner, recognizing a Golden Immortal, quickly plastered on a smile: "Senior, is there anything you're particularly interested in here?"
Yu Lei pretended to pick up a postnatal spirit root: "This Fire Spirit Herb has a decent quality. What's the price?"
The stall owner chuckled: "If you're truly interested, a low-grade postnatal spiritual treasure would suffice."
Yu Lei scoffed: "You're daring to ask for that? You want to trade a low-grade postnatal spiritual treasure for a Fire Spirit Herb of this age?"
The stall owner chuckled: "Senior, if you find it insufficient, how about adding this Immortal Retaining Grass?"
Yu Lei rolled his eyes: "What do I need that for?"
Pretending to be dismissive, he browsed the stall for a while, then picked up the broken disc, raising an eyebrow: "What is this?"
The stall owner glanced at it, hesitated briefly, and honestly replied: "Junior doesn't know. I obtained it by chance. It seems to be a fragment of some spiritual treasure, so I kept it here. If you're interested, feel free to take it."
If Yu Lei had not been a Golden Immortal, the stall owner would likely have exaggerated the value of this broken disc.
Yu Lei maintained his dismissive demeanor: "A fragment of a spiritual treasure? I doubt it. I wonder if it can be refined into anything useful... Forget it, let's include this. A low-grade postnatal spiritual treasure."
The stall owner was overjoyed, nodding repeatedly.
He had been setting up this stall hoping for a chance encounter, and obtaining a postnatal spiritual treasure was a huge gain.
Yu Lei casually tossed a low-grade postnatal spiritual treasure to him, picked up the Fire Spirit Herb and the broken disc, intending to study them further later.
At that moment, a voice suddenly echoed from a distance.
"Senior, wait!"
Yu Lei furrowed his brow. Had someone else recognized the exceptional nature of the broken disc and aimed to intervene?
Turning to look, Yu Lei immediately relaxed.
It wasn't anyone else, but the young man, Wen Zhong, whom he had met on the celestial boat.
Wen Zhong had recently arrived on Golden Ao Island and while strolling through the marketplace, spotted his acquaintance from the celestial boat, filled with excitement.
"Senior, you're alright!"
Wen Zhong excitedly ran towards Yu Lei, brimming with enthusiasm.
Yu Lei couldn't help but chuckle: "You boy, did you think I'd perished?"
Wen Zhong awkwardly scratched his head: "That day, Senior single-handedly drew the attention of the Golden Immortal Great Demon, we all assumed you had met a terrible fate... Wait, Senior, your aura?"
Only now did Wen Zhong realize that Yu Lei exuded the aura of a Golden Immortal!
Yu Lei wasn't inclined to explain that he had recently broken through, so he simply smiled: "When traveling, it's always necessary to be prepared."
Wen Zhong took it as Yu Lei having concealed his cultivation, exclaiming in astonishment: "I see. Senior truly hides your true strength!"
Yu Lei smiled, noticing that the young man, Wen Zhong, had genuinely been worried about him, and decided to cultivate a good relationship with him.
"The sermon by the Primordial Lord of the Heavenly Path is an invaluable opportunity. You must seize it," Yu Lei advised.
Upon mentioning this, Wen Zhong's face also lit up with excitement: "Senior is right!"
Yu Lei encouraged him further, then presented Wen Zhong with the gourd of spirit pills that Yu Hua had given him earlier.
After all, he was now wealthy and well-established, and these pills were insignificant to him.
Wen Zhong, still a young man with a thin face, naturally wanted to decline, but couldn't resist the insistence of Yu Lei, the Golden Immortal.
Yu Lei had forged this bond, dismissing Wen Zhong and leisurely continuing his exploration of the marketplace.
…………
However, Golden Ao Island was teeming with hidden talents, and Yu Lei wasn't the only one seeking bargains.
After scouring the marketplace for hours, Yu Lei's Discerning Eye remained silent, and he himself hadn't found anything of value. He decided to leave the marketplace, finding a secluded spot to examine the broken disc he had obtained earlier.
In Yu Lei's hands, the broken disc remained inert.
Neither infusing it with his spiritual energy nor probing it with his divine sense produced any reaction.
But Yu Lei had already learned a lesson; any treasure could be activated by the Fortune Law.
With a thought, Yu Lei silently activated the Fortune Law, guiding it into the broken disc.
Gradually, a peculiar glow began to emerge from the broken disc!
Simultaneously, relevant information flooded Yu Lei's mind.
It turned out to be an ancient Primordial treasure, and more importantly, a Primordial treasure related to time!
Any treasure that had anything to do with time was bound to be extraordinary!
The broken disc in Yu Lei's hands was no exception.
The function of this Primordial treasure was simple yet astounding: it manipulated the flow of time!
Furthermore, it could manipulate time flow at a hundredfold rate!
The only catch was that the disc could only manipulate the user's time flow, not be used against enemies.
Sounded useless?
Not at all!
Yu Lei instantly recognized it as a cultivation treasure!
With this treasure, he could cultivate while slowing down time a hundredfold.
In other words, if he cultivated for a hundred years using this treasure, only one year would have passed in the outside world!
For immortals with infinite lifespans, this wouldn't be a big deal.
But Yu Lei knew that the Great Calamity was imminent, and this treasure was practically a divine artifact for him!