Chapter 35: The Heavenly Feather Dragon Transformation Technique

As the first rays of morning sunlight spilled into the small courtyard, Zhang Lin, his wife, and Wang Tiezhu had already packed all their belongings.

"Brother Lin, are you really not coming with us?" Zhang Lin asked, shouldering his luggage with a hint of reluctance.

Lin Chuan smiled and shook his head. "I still have some matters to attend to. You all should get settled first."

Li Yun’s eyes turned slightly red. "If it weren't for you, we would never have been able to move into the Inner City in this lifetime..."

"Alright, alright," Lin Chuan waved his hand. "Go on now, and remember to keep a low profile."

After seeing the three of them off, the courtyard fell silent. Lin Chuan stood in the center, took a deep breath, and the voice of Little Fatty echoed from the Blood Spirit Ring: "Kid, it’s time to get down to business."

Lin Chuan nodded and retrieved a silver mask from his Qiankun bag, fastening it over his face. The mask was engraved with simple patterns capable of blurring others' perception of him.

"The Heavenly Feather Dragon Transformation Art..." Lin Chuan whispered the name, a flicker of anticipation in his eyes.

Black Market, Wanbao Chamber of Commerce.

As soon as Lin Chuan stepped through the gate, a middle-aged man with a round face hurried over, his face wreathed in smiles.

"A distinguished guest! My apologies for not welcoming you sooner," Manager Zhao said with a bow, his voice lowered to a whisper. "Please, follow me to the VIP room."

Lin Chuan’s eyebrows arched slightly beneath his mask. Although he was masked, Manager Zhao had clearly recognized his aura—the Wanbao Chamber of Commerce was indeed not to be underestimated.

Inside the VIP room, fragrant tea had already been prepared. Manager Zhao closed the door himself and activated a soundproofing array before speaking respectfully. "I wonder what our distinguished guest requires today?"

"Blood from Dragon-type and Phoenix-type spirit beasts," Lin Chuan said, getting straight to the point. "No lower than the fifth rank."

Manager Zhao’s smile stiffened, and tiny beads of sweat instantly formed on his forehead. "Th-this..."

"Is there a problem?" Lin Chuan’s voice turned cold.

"No, no, no," Manager Zhao waved his hands frantically. "It’s just that... fifth-rank beast blood is already rare, and combined with the requirement for Dragon and Phoenix bloodlines..."

Inside the Blood Spirit Ring, Little Fatty’s voice sounded in Lin Chuan’s mind: "Tell him money is no object."

Lin Chuan tapped his fingers on the table. "The price is negotiable."

Manager Zhao wiped his brow. "To be honest, our Chamber does not currently have such treasures in stock. However..." A gleam appeared in his eyes. "If you are willing to pay a deposit, we can procure them from other branches or even commission forces that specialize in hunting high-level spirit beasts."

Lin Chuan pondered for a moment and pulled a crystal card from his Qiankun bag. "One million as a deposit."

Manager Zhao accepted the card with both hands, his smile becoming noticeably more genuine. "You are most generous! We will surely have an answer for you within seven days at the latest."

Before leaving the Wanbao Chamber of Commerce, Lin Chuan also purchased a batch of materials for physical strengthening. Little Fatty had said that cultivating the *Heavenly Feather Dragon Transformation Art* required an exceptionally strong physique, or he would not be able to withstand the tyrannical power of the Dragon and Phoenix blood.

In the Eastern District of Tianyun City, Lin Chuan wandered aimlessly.

"Twenty-seven million low-grade spirit stones..." He rubbed his chin. "I can't just let them gather dust in the bank, can I?"

In the Blood Spirit Ring, the voice of Elder Zi suddenly sounded. "If you wish to invest, Young Master, you might consider the pill business."

"Pills?" Lin Chuan’s eyes lit up.

Little Fatty grew interested as well. "The old ghost is right. Alchemy is incredibly lucrative, and furthermore..."

"Furthermore what?"

"Your father here was a world-renowned grandmaster of alchemy in the universe. While this old lecher isn't as good as me, he is still a top-tier alchemist in the Tianyu Middle-Thousand World. With our guidance, simply refining a few pill formulas will be enough to make you a fortune."

Lin Chuan paused, finding the idea quite sound.

As he was deep in thought, a commotion broke out ahead. Lin Chuan looked up and saw a grand building surrounded by a crowd; the plaque above the door bore the five gold-leafed characters: "Tianyun Auction House."

He had wandered there unconsciously. "Is there an auction at Tianyun Tower today?"

Lin Chuan curiously moved closer. At the entrance, an administrator was loudly announcing: "...and our final featured item, the Earth-grade low-rank technique, the *Mystic Ice Art*!"

The crowd erupted. Earth-grade techniques were rare treasures in a place like Tianyun City. Lin Chuan, however, curled his lip. With Little Fatty and Elder Zi around, he had no interest in an Earth-grade technique. He was about to leave when he heard the administrator call out again:

"Special announcement: A private auction will be held in three days, featuring pill formulas, spirit herbs, pill furnaces, and other rarities..."

Lin Chuan’s eyes brightened. He turned and pushed through the crowd toward the administrator.

"What can I do for you, young master?" The administrator inspected Lin Chuan’s mask, his tone still polite.

Lin Chuan lowered his voice. "I wish to attend the auction in three days. Could I see the catalog of items in advance?"

The administrator looked troubled. "This... by the rules..."

A crystal card silently slid into the administrator’s sleeve. He felt the thickness of it, and his expression immediately softened. "Please, follow me, young master."

In a side chamber, the administrator produced a jade slip. "These are the preliminarily selected items; there may be final adjustments."

Lin Chuan scanned the jade slip with his divine sense, his gaze lingering on several items for a long time.

"Fifth-grade pill furnace 'Azure Flame', starting bid 800,000..."

"Mystic-grade high-rank pill formula 'Spirit Gathering Pill', starting bid 600,000..."

"Five-hundred-year-old 'Earth-Heart Fire Lotus', starting bid..."

By the time he left the auction house, Lin Chuan had a plan. He walked quickly toward the city’s famous medicinal herb market, intending to stockpile a batch of basic spirit herbs.

"First, buy a small courtyard to use as an alchemy room," Lin Chuan calculated as he walked. "Then, hire a few reliable people..."

Inside the Blood Spirit Ring, Little Fatty suddenly warned, "You’re being followed."

Lin Chuan’s expression remained unchanged as he turned into a narrow alley. Two figures were skulking about thirty paces behind him.

"They must be from Tianyun Tower," Elder Zi analyzed. "They saw you were interested in the pill formulas and want to figure out who you are."

Lin Chuan sneered, suddenly accelerated, and disappeared into the depths of the alley with a few leaps.

By evening, Lin Chuan returned to the small courtyard in the Ding-sector. As soon as he entered the gate, he heard a sharp voice. "Oh, isn't this our 'big tycoon'?"

Pan Yu was leaning against the doorframe, a mocking smile on her face. "Your good brothers have all moved into the Inner City, so why are you still staying in this dump?"

Lin Chuan couldn't be bothered to deal with her and walked straight toward his room.

Pan Yu was unrelenting. "Stop putting on an act! Who doesn't know you were just pretending yesterday? With the likes of you, do you really deserve to live in the Inner City?"

Lin Chuan paused and turned slowly. He had already removed his mask, and his eyes were terrifyingly cold.

"What... what are you trying to do?" Pan Yu was so frightened by his gaze that she took a half-step back, then puffed out her chest. "Did I say something wrong?"

Lin Chuan suddenly smiled, pulled the property deed jade tablet he had purchased earlier from his robes, and waved it in front of Pan Yu. "Do you recognize this?"

Pan Yu’s face turned deathly pale in an instant. The formation patterns and the aura on that jade tablet were definitely not forged.

"Remember," Lin Chuan put the tablet away, his voice calmly terrifying. "Not everyone is like you, treating vanity as their daily bread."

With that, he turned and entered his room, leaving Pan Yu standing alone in the courtyard with a look of utter shock on her face.

Inside, Lin Chuan had Elder Zi set up a soundproofing array and took out the materials he had bought today.

"Body tempering first," Little Fatty’s voice became serious. "The *Heavenly Feather Dragon Transformation Art* is not to be trifled with."

Lin Chuan nodded and placed a blood-red spirit herb into his mouth. Instantly, a scorching force exploded in his abdomen, surging through his limbs and bones...