Okay, here’s a story told through Lin’s diary entries, capturing his descent into the colder, resource-focused world of the black market:


    Diary Entry 1 - Crimson Moon, Cycle 17


    The air here smells of damp stone and desperation. This city, Fengluo, is a festering wound on the side of the Celestial Mountain, a far cry from the tranquil peaks of my old sect. No one knows me here, which suits me fine. I''ve set up my stall in the deepest corner of the black market, tucked between a purveyor of dubious talismans and a gruff creature selling… I don''t even want to know.


    My hands tremble slightly as I arrange my wares. A few healing pills from my personal reserves, diluted, of course, to maximize profit. Some basic energy replenishment concoctions, their quality just above standard, enough to tempt those with a little coin. The thought of the hours spent refining these, now offered to such a place, makes my jaw clench. I must not be sentimental. I''m not the same soft-hearted Lin who left the mountain.


    The first customer is a wiry man with eyes like a weasel. He haggled for what felt like an eternity over a simple stamina pill, finally walking away with it and a handful of silver. The exchange was cold, calculating, a far cry from the polite transactions of the past. It felt… efficient. There will be no more polite transactions, not here. I must learn to thrive in this darkness.


    Diary Entry 2 - Jade Sun, Cycle 3


    Today''s haul was meager. A few low-level beast cores, which I hope can be used for research, a handful of spirit stones, and a pouch of dried herbs from the mountains I don’t recognise. Most spent on purchasing a new furnace, one that’s slightly more efficient than the last for my pill crafting. My old one just wasn''t cutting it, not if I wish to advance.


    The pills I make, they’re improving, yes. I discovered a new way to bind herbs with lower grade cores, resulting in a more potent, albeit volatile, energy mixture. I dare not refine them further here, not in this cramped quarters. I need a lab, a real one. The cost will be monumental. I tasted a sample today, a slight burn in my stomach. My Qi is resonating with it however.This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.


    The faces here are all the same: hungry, desperate, scheming. I find myself mirroring them now, watching for weaknesses, opportunities. My old master would be ashamed. But the old master is no longer here. It is the only way to cultivate now, to survive.


    Diary Entry 3 - Silver Dew, Cycle 11


    Bargaining is an art, a dance of veiled intent and subtle power. Today, I sold a batch of my new vitality pills, the ones with the volatile edge, for ten times its original cost. The buyer was a burly mercenary, his face scarred with past battles. He grumbled, called me a thief, but his gaze betrayed his desperation. I almost let slip a smile as he left.


    I spent the money on rare earth ingredients I''d heard whispers of. They are expensive, but my new pill will be. I must start to refine them at night, in the back alley where no one will see me. Tonight the air will smell of smoke and volatile Qi.


    I feel it, the power settling deeper within me. My cultivation is advancing at an alarming rate now, fueled by these new resources. I am reaching the late stages of qi cultivation realm. I sense that I''m changing. The desperation of Fengluo is sinking into my bones, hardening me. There is no more consideration, or humanity, only success. Only the next step.


    Diary Entry 4 – Azure Peak, Cycle 22


    The experiments are becoming… more intense. I’m pushing the boundaries of what’s considered safe, weaving in forbidden herbs, attempting to harness the raw energy of the void. The success rate is low, very low, but each failure is a step closer to revelation. I had to dispose of three batches tonight, the smell was horrific. One batch burst into flames in the furnace, nearly setting my stall alight.


    The black market has its uses. I met a contact tonight, a shadowy figure who deals in information. He told me of a rare herb growing on the edge of the Whispering Bog, an ingredient I need to break through the next level of alchemy. I offered him a portion of my new pills, the one that burns with a strange light. He accepted, no doubt tempted by the strange energy emanating from it.


    I am becoming detached, I feel it. Each trade, each experiment, pushes me further from who I once was. But that is of no matter.