The Celestial Trade Nexus stretched before me, a staggering expanse of impossible geometry and structures. This wasn't merely a marketplace, it was an entire dimension dedicated to commerce, existing between realms rather than within any single one.

I drifted forward, my shadowy form trailing wisps of blood-red energy that betrayed my borrowed cultivation method. Thanks to Ke Jun's blood essence, I appeared as a Civilization Realm blood cultivator, far beyond my actual Qi Condensation Stage 8.

The deception made me both powerful and dangerous in the eyes of other traders.

"Mind your movements, Master," Azure's voice whispered directly into my consciousness. "Your current appearance commands... significant respect. And fear."

I glanced down at my shadowy form, so different from my physical body. "Respect is one way of putting it. I imagine 'terror' might be more accurate for anyone below the Civilization Realm."

"Indeed," Azure agreed. "Blood cultivators at such high realms are exceedingly rare. Most are hunted down by Heaven's Mandate long before reaching such heights."

As I moved deeper into the Nexus, the structures around me began to take more definite shape. Some resembled pagodas hovering at impossible angles, their roofs pointing sideways or even downward. Others appeared as floating platforms supporting pavilions wreathed in multi-coloured mist. Many seemed to shift subtly when viewed from different angles, as if their dimensions extended beyond what my perception could fully grasp.

Between these structures flowed rivers of traders: some appearing as forms of pure light, others as elemental manifestations, and many as shadowy silhouettes like myself, though few trailed the blood-red essence that marked me as a blood cultivator.

"We should establish our objectives," I said quietly to Azure. "The inner world requires a lot of resources but the easiest to find would probably be water."

"Yes," Azure replied. "While the absence of a proper water source limits its growth. The mountain range and garden quadrants particularly would benefit from rivers and lakes."

I nodded absently, my attention caught by a nearby stall, if "stall" was even the right word for a spinning vortex of jade-green energy containing floating shelves of treasures. Its proprietor, a being composed entirely of swirling wind with eyes of lightning, bowed as I approached.

"This humble merchant welcomes the esteemed blood cultivator," the wind being's voice whistled through my consciousness. "What treasures might interest one of your illustrious station?"

I browsed the floating shelves, seeing items I'd only read about in sect texts: Formation cores capable of powering city-sized arrays, spirit beast eggs from creatures that hadn't been seen in ten thousand years, and entire displays of cultivation pills that glowed with vibrant, almost hypnotic colors.

One particular set of jade-green pills caught my attention, their description tablet indicated they could instantly heal Life Realm experts from the brink of death, repairing severed meridians and even restoring damaged souls.

However, a warning inscription beneath clarified that the same pills would instantly burn out the meridians of any cultivator below the Life Realm, reducing them to cripples or corpses within seconds.

"That's why cultivators need to be careful about what pills they consume," I murmured inwardly to Azure. "What's miraculous medicine for an elder would be deadly poison for someone like me."

I shuddered slightly, remembering stories of ambitious young disciples who had stolen pills from their masters, only to die horrible deaths as their bodies were torn apart from the inside by energies they couldn't contain.

In the cultivation world, impatience was often just another word for suicide, which is why I had to be careful with what I bought in this place.

"Nothing here," I replied simply, moving on before the merchant could protest.

This pattern repeated itself a dozen times. I drifted from stall to stall, each more fantastic than the last.

One appeared as a miniature constellation where the merchant, a glowing humanoid figure with star-like eyes, sold actual celestial bodies that could be used to enhance inner worlds. I examined the tiny stars and planets with curiosity but moved on quickly.

While such treasures would certainly be valuable when attempting to break through to the equivalent of Stellar Realm someday, my inner world already contained three celestial bodies: the red and blue suns, plus the baby star. They were more than sufficient for my current stage. Adding more would just create instability rather than benefits.

Another merchant's stall took the form of a garden hanging upside-down from nothing, offering plants that supposedly granted "immortality" if properly cultivated for a thousand years. I couldn't help but smile at the claim.

In all my studies and everything Azure had shared, one truth remained consistent: nothing granted true immortality. It was precisely why cultivators never stopped striving for the next breakthrough, the next realm, the next level of comprehension.

If true immortality were attainable through a simple plant, the cultivation world would look very different.

Moreover, these so-called immortality treasures typically came with devastating side effects: spiritual dependency, personality deterioration, or karma debt that would eventually require payment.

The cultivation path offered no shortcuts without consequences.

As I continued my exploration, I came across a small alcove where emerald light spilled outward. Inside, I discovered a collection of treasures that immediately caught my attention: items specifically tailored for wood element cultivators like myself.

My eyes were drawn to a crystalline sapling no taller than my thumb. Its branches shifted constantly, forming patterns that resembled cultivation formations. According to the small jade plaque beside it, this was a "Pattern Tree Essence", a rare wood-element condensation that could help stabilize breakthrough attempts for Qi Condensation Realm cultivators.

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Exactly what I needed for my upcoming attempt.

The merchant, a being composed of intertwining vines with small flowers that seemed to serve as eyes, noticed my interest.

"The distinguished cultivator has excellent taste," it said, voice rustling like leaves in the wind. "The Pattern Tree Essence forms only once every three hundred years in the depths of the Verdant Abyss. It could smooth your disciple's path to the ninth stage considerably."

I maintained my aloof facade but couldn't help asking, "What would you consider in trade?"

The vine merchant's flowers turned toward me fully. "This treasure belongs to my most promising disciple, who asked me to trade it only for a specific item: the 'Midnight Whisper' sound cultivation technique. His cultivation path is drifting toward sound manipulation, and he requires this method to stabilize his foundation before advancing further."

I mentally reviewed everything I had access to: my own modest resources, the techniques Ke Jun had provided, even things I might reasonably acquire upon returning. Nothing even remotely resembled a sound cultivation technique.

"I do not currently possess such a technique," I admitted.

The vine merchant's tendrils waved dismissively. "My disciple was quite specific. I promised to honor his request precisely, he spent three years cultivating this Pattern Tree Essence specifically to trade for the Midnight Whisper technique. I cannot betray his trust by accepting anything else."

I moved on, feeling a twinge of frustration.

The Pattern Tree Essence would have been perfect for my upcoming breakthrough attempt, possibly increasing my success rate by thirty percent or more. But the Nexus operated on principles of specific exchange rather than general value, even powerful cultivators honored the specific needs of their disciples, trading not for maximum value but for exactly what was requested.

I did find other resources specifically geared toward my cultivation needs. A merchant offered "Wood Tree Essence," a concentrated liquid that could strengthen wood-element foundations during breakthroughs. Another displayed crystallized spiritual soil that could enhance plant growth within inner worlds tenfold.

But the prices were beyond anything I possessed.

For the Wood Tree Essence, the merchant casually mentioned needing "merely a fragment of divine intent from a Civilisation Realm wood cultivator" as payment. The merchant with the spiritual soil requested "the memory of your Civilisation Realm breakthrough" in exchange for just a small pouch of their treasure.

"The items here are precisely what I need," I whispered to Azure as we moved past a display of crystallized spiritual essences that could serve as anchors for inner world development. "But the requirements are impossible for my current level."

"That's the cruel irony of the Nexus," Azure responded. "You can see exactly what would benefit you most, but acquiring it requires resources or experiences you won't have until you no longer need the original item."

I nodded in understanding. The cultivation path was filled with such paradoxes, the tools needed for advancement often only became available after you'd already overcome the obstacle they were designed to help with.

But I didn’t let this deter me, I continued my exploration, venturing deeper into the vast marketplace. The further I went, the more specialized the offerings became.

An entire floating island seemed dedicated to pill refinement supplies, with merchants selling ingredients I'd never even heard of. Another section appeared to focus on combat techniques, with spiritual projections demonstrating devastating moves that could level cities.

Hours might have passed, or perhaps only minutes, time felt strangely elastic in this place. Eventually, I found myself in an area where the ambient light shifted to a subtle blue-green. Stalls here featured bubbling fountains, swirling water formations, and pools of liquid that defied gravity.

"The Water Element sector," Azure observed. "Perfect for our needs."

I approached a stall that resembled a miniature ocean contained in a perfect sphere. Within it, I could see countless tiny islands, each holding different water-based treasures. The merchant, a blue-skinned humanoid whose body seemed partially composed of flowing water, regarded me with surprise.

"A blood cultivator interested in water treasures?" he asked. "How... unexpected."

I ignored his comment, scanning the offerings. Most were basic: water essence stones, minor purification arrays, bottles containing elemental water from famous cultivation sites. Nothing that would significantly benefit my inner world.

As I turned to leave, the merchant's voice stopped me.

"Wait, esteemed cultivator. Perhaps..." He hesitated, then reached beneath his floating ocean to retrieve a small jade box. "Perhaps this might interest you."

He opened the box to reveal what appeared to be an ordinary blue crystal about the size of my palm. As I leaned closer, however, I realized it wasn't a crystal at all, it was a perfect cube of water, somehow maintaining its shape without any container.

"The Primordial Wellspring," the merchant announced with pride. "A tiny fragment of the Great Origin Ocean that existed before the Five Continents formed. It contains the purest water essence in existence, untainted by any external forces. When placed in an inner world, it creates a self-perpetuating water source that adapts to the world's specific needs."

Azure's voice held rare excitement as he spoke in my mind. "Master, this is exactly what we need! The Wellspring doesn't merely provide water, it establishes fundamental Water Law within an inner world. It would not only help with your breakthrough to ninth stage Qi Condensation but would create an ideal foundation for your eventual ascension to the Elemental Realm."

I studied the cube with renewed interest. The water within seemed to shift constantly, creating patterns that almost resembled writing, then dissolving back into pure liquid. Despite its small size, I sensed tremendous potential within it.