Chapter 561: Star Hall
On the eastern side of the Star Trading Grounds stood a massive stone carving, shaped like a star, standing there as if it had existed for a very long time.
On both sides outside the stone carving, many people had set up stalls here to trade, with a constant flow of people coming and going, making it seem exceptionally lively.
Lin Feng was now walking along the path in the middle of the outer area of the stone carving, occasionally glancing at the stalls on either side and the items they were trading. He didn't see the Blood Soul Grass he was looking for.
Arriving before the Star Stone Carving, Lin Feng took a careful look and noticed that within the huge stone carving, there was a star-shaped eye, just large enough to hold an Origin Stone.
Lin Feng took out a high-grade Origin Stone and embedded it into the star-shaped eye. Then he stood aside and waited. After a moment, a soft buzzing sound was heard, and a stone door appeared in the middle of the Star Stone Carving, sliding open to both sides. Inside the stone door, there seemed to be a staircase.
"What a wondrous place."
Lin Feng stepped forward. The moment his body entered, he heard a rumbling sound as the stone door closed. But Lin Feng paid it no mind, instead looking down the staircase at the people coming and going, as well as the trading stalls set up on the ground.
"Star Hall. So this is the true core of the Star Trading Grounds. But just to enter here requires a high-grade Origin Stone—a bit too extravagant." Lin Feng muttered to himself. According to what that person had said earlier, this Star Hall had nine entrances, and he had only entered one of them. Judging by the flow of people here, one could see how large the crowd was.
This Star Hall was a vast underground palace.
Stepping down the stairs, Lin Feng's gaze swept over the stalls arranged on both sides. The items they were trading seemed abundant, with large quantities.
"Young hero, may I ask if you've come to Star Hall to seek treasures or to trade treasures away?"
At that moment, a figure came to Lin Feng's side and asked him a question.
"To seek treasures, I suppose. Of course, if I can't find what I'm looking for, I might also set up a stall and trade item for item." Lin Feng said to this person.
"Young hero, this Star Hall has nine rings and eighty-one paths. The price for setting up a stall on each ring and each path is different. You can tell me what treasure you need, and perhaps I can recommend something for you."
The person who had come over continued speaking, a faint smile on his face.
Lin Feng gave this person a slight once-over and asked, "You are?"
"Young hero, this is your first time at Star Hall, isn't it? I am one of the stewards of the Ninth Ring, here to serve those who enter Star Hall as best I can." The person replied.
Lin Feng immediately thought even more highly of Star Hall. Such thorough service. The power of Star Dream Pavilion was indeed formidable.
This underground palace actually had nine rings and eighty-one paths. What he saw was only one path of the Ninth Ring, which was already quite astonishing.
"I need Blood Soul Grass." Since this person was a steward of Star Hall, Lin Feng didn't hide his needs, hoping to find the Blood Soul Grass sooner.
"Blood Soul Grass." The person murmured softly, as if pondering. Then his brows lifted, as if he had remembered something. "Blood Soul Grass, like Nine Sun Grass, is a precious spiritual herb. At least within the Fourth Ring, your chances of finding it will be much greater."
"Mm." Lin Feng nodded slightly and asked again, "Then how do I get to the Fourth Ring and beyond?"
"Follow this outer nine paths of the Ninth Ring as you walk around, and you will naturally understand." The person replied. Lin Feng thought for a moment, then said, "Alright, I'll head over now."
"I hope you find what you need." The steward gave Lin Feng a slight bow, then stepped back and left.
Following the steward's advice, Lin Feng walked out of this trading hall. There was a path, and after taking a few steps along it, he indeed found that this path was a ring path, like a maze, constantly curving inward.
After walking for a while, the ring path would have a brief gap, through which one could see a spacious trading hall on the other side, meaning he had completed one of the eighty-one paths.
The Ninth Ring had nine paths. When Lin Feng reached the fourth path, he found a door with large, eye-catching characters carved above it: Eighth Ring!
"This Star Hall is so vast." Lin Feng's heart grew more and more astonished. After stepping into the Eighth Ring, he no longer walked leisurely but moved like the wind, speeding along the Eighth Ring's path. Even so, it took him some time to complete the circuit of the Eighth Ring and find the entrance to the Seventh Ring.
Next came a continuous cycle. When Lin Feng stepped into the Sixth Ring, he had to pay another high-grade Origin Stone, because the Fourth to Sixth Rings were the Middle Three Rings, while the Seventh to Ninth Rings were the Outer Three Rings.
"Star Hall—does it mean 'as vast as the stars'?"
When Lin Feng stepped into the Fourth Ring, he couldn't help but murmur. This Star Hall was too vast. If the ring paths were slightly misaligned, it would definitely be a labyrinthine formation capable of trapping people inside.
Upon reaching the Fourth Ring, Lin Feng no longer continued flashing along the ring paths but instead entered one of the halls. The items traded here were already considered heavy treasures to him—none of them were ordinary.
They were all weapons, and moreover, mid-grade Mysterious Artifacts. After crossing into the Fifth Layer, Lin Feng had noticed this: each path's trading hall was already a dedicated trading hall, like the one before him, which was exclusively for Mysterious Artifacts.
Apart from the weapon-exclusive halls, the halls on other paths included a dedicated hall for spiritual herbs, a hall for techniques and martial skills, a hall for pills, and so on. In short, the nine halls of each ring basically covered everything a martial cultivator might need.
In the Snow Moon Kingdom, there could never be such a rich collection of treasures gathered in one place for trade. This Star Hall of the Dragon Mountain Empire must have undergone at least a thousand years of accumulation to reach such a scale.
Lin Feng had never imagined before that Star Dream Pavilion, where Lan Jiao belonged, possessed such terrifying power.
After lingering in the weapon hall for a while, Lin Feng left and found the dedicated hall for spiritual herbs. Only here might he find what he needed.
Approaching the spiritual herb hall, the spacious area held about a few hundred people. The stalls were all on the ground, spaced at equal distances, probably a regulation of Star Hall. The price for setting up a stall here was likely not low.
The people setting up stalls were all quite old, mostly elderly. Many even carried worn-out herb baskets on their backs, looking nothing like seniors. But Lin Feng was well aware that none of these people were simple.
After scanning the hall once, Lin Feng still hadn't found the Blood Soul Grass, and he felt somewhat disappointed.
Stopping before a stall, Lin Feng crouched down and asked the elderly man running it, "Old sir, what spiritual herb is this fire lotus?"
The stall run by this elderly man displayed lotuses—vivid, fiery red lotuses that seemed to contain a hint of fire attribute energy.
"Red Blood Fire Lotus. It can enhance a person's fire attribute and improve their flame physique. Young man, it matches the cultivation technique you practice."
The old man looked at Lin Feng, his small eyes seeming to see right through him.
"What's the price?" Lin Feng inquired.
"One hundred high-grade Origin Stones per plant." The old man said, startling Lin Feng. What a terrifying price. But for some powerful martial cultivators, when they truly needed something, they wouldn't hesitate to spend Origin Stones.
"Too expensive." Lin Feng shook his head. He realized that compared to people in the empire, he was far too poor. If he could become a skilled alchemist and set up a stall in the dedicated pill hall, his income would be astonishing.
"For someone who practices a fire-attribute technique, it's not expensive at all." The old man shook his head with a smile.
"I don't have many Origin Stones on hand." Lin Feng smiled apologetically, then asked the old man, "Senior, do you know where I can find Blood Soul Grass around here?"
The old man's gaze contracted, and he looked at Lin Feng with surprise, then smiled. "Blood Soul Grass is even more precious than my Red Blood Fire Lotus. You can try the spiritual herb hall in the Third Ring. Perhaps they'll have it there."
"Alright, thank you." Lin Feng stood up. It seemed he still had to go to the Inner Three Rings.
Raising his steps, Lin Feng directly walked out of the hall and continued along the ring path toward the Inner Three Rings. Entering the Inner Three Rings required paying five high-grade Origin Stones, showing that for those who could enter here, five high-grade Origin Stones meant nothing at all.