The Supreme God

Inside Austin's mansion...
After careful thought, Austin divided his fortune into three.
Turning to his friend, he said, "Evan, this Energy-boosting Elixir and these earth spirit fruits are now yours. And take 1, 000 vital
energy crystals as well. Buy as many weapons, martial arts books or elixirs as you want," Austin told his friend.
Since he and Austin were now close friends, Evan was no longer shy about accepting the generous offer. As soon as Austin said
he could have the treasures, he quickly stuffed them in his pockets.
Turning to Violet Austin said, "You can have these two earth spirit fruits. The Energy-boosting Elixir is of no use to you
considering you're at the Earth Realm phase now. I'll carry the vital energy crystals, so if you need anything, I'll buy them for
you."
With profuse thanks, Violet accepted the earth spirit fruits.
She knew she was practically a servant to Austin because her spiritual soul was under his control. So it came as a complete
surprise to Violet that Austin was willing to share those precious resources with her. Such a gesture made her more cordial
towards him.
"Evan, I'd like to head to the Task Hall and perhaps, take on some tasks to earn some more vital energy crystals. I might also
take a walk in the market nearby to check if there are any elixirs worth buying," Austin said.
Although Sun Sect carried a variety of elixirs in its Medicine Hall, the quantity allowed for each disciple is quite limited. On the
other hand, extracts sold to ordinary disciples were not very high-classed. If a disciple wanted to purchase those more advanced
ones like the Energy-boosting Elixir from Medicine Hall, it would be very difficult.
Elixirs of that quality and effect were a precious resource for a sect with several thousand disciples. Supply couldn't cope with the
demand. The good and rare kinds were only kept for key and inner disciples.
However, there exist secret markets organized by local martial arts practitioners, and a disciple can easily find assorted elixirs at
a fair price. If he is lucky, he may even discover other suitable medicines, martial arts books, and weapons.
So whenever Austin was free, he liked going to these markets and searching for objects he might need.

"Tin, I'd rather not accompany you to the market this time. My cultivation is still very low. With everything you just gave me, I
believe I don't need to buy anything more for a long time," Evan suggested.
At this point, the guy already had a clear view of himself.
So, Austin left his home and Sun Mountain by himself. Since he had visited the nearby secret markets several times, he was
already quite familiar with the location of these stalls.
After traveling a dozen miles for half a day, the young cultivator arrived at a secret market in the suburb of Peace Town, called
Dark Market.
This Dark Market was even larger than the Marginal Trade Market which Austin and Mindy visited the last time. The market
already occupied the entire block.
When Austin stepped inside the market, he saw that every part of it was unfamiliar to him.
The crowd that packed the place was boisterous, and the wide main road stretched far ahead until it was out of sight. That road
was around ten yards wide, lined with numerous stalls.
Stall owners were all cultivators from a broad range of regions who came expecting to do quick business in the market. Some
were busy hawking wares. Some sat behind their stalls with a smile, looking like their goods were in high demand and would be
sold out soon. Others recommended their products enthusiastically to passers-by, hoping to make a sale.
Shoppers roaming the street were equally many.
Most of the stall owners and even shoppers had a steady and intense aura. Their cultivation bases were relatively high, and
Austin even found a handful of people from the Earth Realm.
It was obvious that business in the Dark Market was booming!
Intrigued by the dazzling array of treasures, Austin strolled down the road.
"Hey, little fella! Over here! I have a few Body-Strengthening Elixirs concocted with cores of sixth-level diabolic beasts.
Come, look! If you take one of these elixirs, or use it to purify your body, you can expect your cultivation base to increase
sharply."
Catching sight of Austin, a stall owner in his thirties called out to the young man.

"An elixir refined with sixth-level diabolic beasts cores? You have that kind of thing?"
Inhaling deeply, Austin was astounded by what he heard.
Normally, even top-level practitioners never dared provoke the diabolic beasts at the sixth-level.
Without a doubt, their cores were hard to obtain. However, the stall owner in the secret market claimed he had elixirs made with
such cores. Was that even plausible?
Still, Austin couldn't contain his curiosity, so he edged towards the stall and bent over to look at the elixirs placed on a piece of
flannelette. They were black, just slightly bigger than duck eggs, and were now giving off a very pungent smell.
"Hey, man! As you can see, each of those elixirs is quite big. So that's really a bargain for you.
You know what? I'm really fond of you so I decided to let you have them for only one thousand vital energy crystals each. I'm
basically giving them away. Based on your unique physique and the halo hovering over your head, I can tell you're destined to
achieve something big!"
In his mind, Austin knew they were fake.
No amount of flattery would make him buy from this merchant. 'One elixir with cores of sixth-level diabolic beasts for only one
thousand vital energy crystals?
How is that even possible?'
He nearly laughed aloud, but quickly turned away instead.
"Come on, man! Have a look. Those are real Body-Strengthening Elixirs with cores of sixth-level diabolic beasts. I'm willing to
sell them for only a thousand vital energy crystals. They're genuine goods at a fair price. You know I deal honestly with my
customers."
He continued to persuade Austin to buy his ware.
As he turned to leave, the middle-aged merchant called out, "Hey, don't go! We were just having a nice conversation here. The
price is negotiable."
"I can't afford them," Austin answered.

And unwilling to argue with the seller, he simply turned and walked away from the stall.
Shortly after Austin left the stall, a woman at the next stall began to taunt the middle-aged seller.
"Mr. Wang, are you trying to fool some innocent customer with potion-soaked hawthorn berries again? Hahaha! You really have
nothing else to do but kill time, don't you?"
The man shushed the female seller.
It annoyed him that she was trying to block his attempts at selling.
"You have no idea what you're saying! I'm doing business with no cost. Last month, I tricked an idiot and made a lot of money
from that deal, didn't I?" the man hissed.
He had no idea that Austin caught his remarks with a spiritual sense that could pick up these things within a radius of four
hundred meters. The young disciple was amused after hearing the truth.
Muttering to himself, he said, "It seems this Dark Market is full of unscrupulous merchants. Perhaps, most of these stall owners
are frauds. I need to be careful. Otherwise, I might be fooled and lose a fortune!"