Struggling to sit up, the injuries on his body had mostly healed, and the large hole in his Dantian had also closed up.
The Dharma robe he was wearing had lost all its precious light, and there was a tear in it.
He reached out and touched the jade pendant hanging around his neck.
Sure enough, the jade pendant was gone.
Standing in a daze for a long time, Chen Si slowly uttered a few words: “Chang Sheng Daoist…”
Only now did he realize that his understanding of this person was limited to these four words.
The Cultivation Technique in his memory only consisted of the one taught by the old man, and he couldn't remember any of his Family's Cultivation Technique.
Now that he thought about it, everything felt wrong.
The four gravestones in the courtyard, an observant person would immediately notice the problem, yet he had taken it for granted!
“That old man must have used some means to influence my perception. He's clearly so strong already, yet he's still so cautious and cunning. He truly is a formidable enemy in life,” Chen Si thought to himself.
Looking around, he was in a forest. Through the dense trees, he could vaguely see an official road not far away.
Leaning on a tree trunk, he stood up, shook off the dust from his body, and walked towards the official road.
The official road cut through the forest, about two zhang wide, and was full of potholes.
Chen Si arrived at the official road, looked left and right, and quietly spread out his Divine Sense.
Although his Dao Foundation was mostly destroyed, his Divine Sense at the Early Stage of Golden Core was still there.
Not long after, a manure cart entered the range of his Divine Sense.
He stood by the roadside, waiting quietly.
In a short while, the manure cart appeared at the end of his vision, slowly driving towards him, finally stopping in front of him. The driver was a man around thirty years old, with bulging muscles and a prominent chest, indicating he had probably Cultivated secular martial arts.
“Excuse me, young man, what is this place ahead?” Chen Si cupped his fists and asked.
“Sir, ahead is Qingshan Town. It will take about two hours to walk there. If you don't mind, you can ride in my cart, and I'll take you there.” The young man was quite kind, actively inviting him to ride.
Chen Si’s expression froze, “Sir?”
He subconsciously scanned his body with his Divine Sense, then shook his head with a bitter smile.
Because his Dao Foundation was damaged and he looked quite disheveled, the thirty-eight-year-old man looked closer to sixty, no wonder he was called “Sir.”
“Then many thanks, young man.” Chen Si cupped his fists again, climbed onto the top of the manure cart, and sat down.
As the cart swayed forward, Chen Si was about to ask about the situation in Qingshan Town when his stomach rumbled.
“Sir, I still have a flatbread here. You can eat it to fill your stomach first.”
The muscular young man was quite generous. With one hand holding the manure cart, he pulled out an oil-paper package from his bosom and handed it to Chen Si.
Chen Si had been starving, his stomach rumbling. He looked at the oil-paper package, scanned it with his Divine Sense, and after detecting no problems, he took it and opened it.
As soon as he opened the oil-paper package, a gentle breeze blew, covering his face with flatbread crumbs.
“This… why has the flatbread turned into powder?”
The muscular young man turned his head to look, a hint of embarrassment on his face: “Oh dear, my chest muscles crushed it… If you don’t mind, just make do with it.”
Chen Si was speechless.
After this little incident, the two became more familiar, and he began to chat with the young man.
The place he originally came from was located in the easternmost part of this continent, a place called Anming County.
And the current Qingshan Town was located in Qingshan Prefecture in the central-western region, an unknown distance away. He had never even heard of it before, which made him feel a little relieved.
The further the distance, the safer it was.
Qingshan Town was very large; rather than a market, it was more like a city.
It was a city built around the Qingyun Mountain Range, with an overall circular shape.
According to the young man, if one were to travel around it by carriage, it would take nearly ten days.
This showed the immense size of the market.
At the same time, he also learned that the Soul Transformation Sect, Qingyun Sword Sect, was located within the Qingyun Mountain Range.
Most of the Loose Cultivators in Qingshan Town worked for the Qingyun Sword Sect, providing cheap labor.
Most of the Qingyun Sword Sect's low-end industries had been transferred to Qingshan Town; they only needed to pay sufficient taxes annually.
The shops in the market were all controlled by the Disciples of the Qingyun Sword Sect.
“Young man, do I need to pay Spirit Stones to enter Qingshan Town?” Chen Si asked.
His Storage Ring had been taken, and he didn't have a single Spirit Stone on him.
For years, he had been diligently Cultivating, which allowed him to successfully Core Formation in just thirty years. As a result, he hadn't spent any time learning the hundred arts of Cultivation, not even a single skill to earn Spirit Stones.
“You can get a temporary identity jade token for free at the city gate. With this token, you can stay in the market for two days each month for free. Once the time is up, you either pay ten Low-Grade Spirit Stones to extend your stay, or you temporarily leave and come back next month.”
“If you find a job within the market, you can register your identity with your workplace, and then you won't have to pay any fees,” the young man paused and added.
“Many thanks for the information, young man!” Chen Si cupped his hands again, expressing his gratitude.
“You're too kind, sir. Anyone you ask will tell you these things,” the young man said.
About an hour later, the manure cart arrived at the north gate of the market and entered the city through a small side gate.
Chen Si got off the cart at the entrance, bid farewell to the young man, and went to the main gate to get a temporary identity jade token.
Upon entering the city, he saw a wide road, wide enough for three carriages to travel side by side.
Small buildings stood on both sides of the road, tall and short, arranged in a dense pattern.
The surface of each small building's wall was covered with a layer of Formation light, adding a touch of elegance to the endless street.
“Get out of the way, don't block the road!”
A scolding voice came from behind, followed by a strong push that made him stumble.
Chen Si could have dodged it, but his body's reaction speed was clearly a beat too slow, and he was pushed squarely.
A burly man brushed past him.
Chen Si's expression was calm; he wasn't angry.
Although he could use his Divine Sense to intimidate the other party, without a matching Divine Sense Cultivation Technique and strength, causing a commotion would only attract more trouble.
He followed the crowd, walking forward. After walking for some distance, the surrounding crowd thinned out a bit.
Qingshan Town had a total of four city gates: east, south, west, and north. The North Gate area where he was currently, also known as the North District, was where the most low-level Cultivators resided.
He slowly walked along the street, seeing if he could find a way to make a living and earn Spirit Stones.
The Chen Family's main business used to be Artifact Refining; they were the leading Golden Core Artifact Refining Family in Anming County at that time.
Unfortunately, he hadn't learned even a single bit of it.
He walked for half a day straight, encountering a few shops recruiting Alchemy or Talisman-making apprentices.
When asked by the other party, he knew nothing, and was directly thrown out.
After walking for another hour or so, another recruitment point appeared ahead.
“Recruiting Spiritual Plant apprentices: Requirements, able to identify twenty types of First-Grade Spiritual Plants and Spirit Medicine. Ten Low-Grade Spirit Stones per month, with food and lodging included.”
“Spiritual Plant apprentice?”
Chen Si's eyes lit up. His Divine Sense sank into his Sea of Consciousness, touching the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Root within his Sea of Consciousness.
“Probe (cannot be upgraded): Can probe simple information about plants and trees.”
“Perhaps I can try!”
With that thought, he stepped into the shop.
At this moment, there were already four people in the shop, talking to the shopkeeper. They were likely also there to interview for Spiritual Plant apprentices.
After these few people finished their interviews, he walked over, bowed to the middle-aged shopkeeper, and said, “Senior, I am here to interview for a Spiritual Plant apprentice.”
The middle-aged shopkeeper looked him up and down for a moment, then said, “Follow me!”
He then turned and came to the counter, pointing to a row of First-Grade Spiritual Plants and Spirit Medicine and asked, “What are these Spiritual objects in this row? Just state their names.”
Chen Si looked at the first plant, and with a thought, used his probing skill. Information appeared before his eyes.
“Purple Leaf Grass: First-Grade Early Stage Spiritual Plant;”
“Spiritual Power: 4;”
“Spiritual Power has slightly flowed away, cannot be infused, can be plundered.”
Joy flashed in Chen Si's heart as he replied, “First-Grade Early Stage Spiritual Plant, Purple Leaf Grass.”