Descending from the mountain peak, he hadn't noticed anything on the way up, but on the way down, he found the mountainside shrouded in mist, with very low visibility.
Snowflakes still drifted on the mountain. According to Island Lord Feng's introduction on the way, it snowed for more than half the year on this mountain, and there were also glaciers deep in the forest. This Heavenly Lake was formed by the melting of glaciers, and most of the fresh water used by the Mortals on the island also came from the Heavenly Lake.
Gradually, the mist dissipated, revealing the outline of the market town not far away.
This market town was not large; from above, it appeared to have only one street, incomparable to the market town at the foot of the Sect mountain.
Upon reaching the entrance of the market town, he showed his Bingxuan Sect Outer Sect Disciple waist token to the gatekeepers, and then strode in under their awestruck gazes.
In terms of strength, he was not as powerful as some of the stronger Loose Cultivators in the market town, but in terms of status, as an Outer Sect Disciple of the strongest Sect within a thousand miles, his status was not much different from Island Lord Feng's. After all, when Island Lord Feng was in the Sect, he was merely an Outer Sect Disciple.
The Bingxuan Sect was a Nascent Soul Sect, controlling the surrounding sea areas, and was well-known in this vast and boundless North Sea. Generally, Outer Sect Disciples who had not achieved Foundation Establishment could guard a First-Rank Spiritual Island. A Spiritual Island was an island containing a Spiritual Vein, and 'First-Rank' referred to a First-Rank Spiritual Vein.
This First-Rank Spiritual Vein had a Spiritual Qi concentration sufficient for Qi Refinement Stage Cultivators to Cultivate, making it the lowest grade of Spiritual Vein. This Ice Snow Island market town was built directly above a First-Rank Spiritual Vein, with the Island Lord's Immortal Cave in its core area.
According to an unintentional remark by the old Daoist Feng, the Immortal Cave was built directly on top of the Spiritual Vein, and with the enhancement of a Spirit Gathering Array, the Spiritual Qi concentration within it could barely reach Second-Rank.
Li Xuan entered the market town, and immediately saw two rows of small stalls. As he went deeper, the stalls gradually decreased, and shops began to appear.
"Spiritual Artifact Pavilion, Spirit Pill Pavilion, Spring Breeze Pavilion, Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion..."
Li Xuan looked at the signs above and walked directly towards the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion.
The Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion was a Sect industry, with a business scope that included Spiritual Artifacts, Cultivation Techniques, Medicinal Pills, and the recycling of various Spiritual Materials. All items sold were clearly priced, and recycling had a defined scope, making it much fairer compared to other shops.
As he entered the shop, a young attendant came forward to greet him.
"Sir, welcome to the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion. Are you here to buy or sell something?"
"Sell," Li Xuan glanced at the Mortal attendant, said with a smile, and then, without waiting for the attendant to speak, walked directly to the appraisal room on his right.
He knocked three times lightly, then pushed open the door. An old man sat behind a desk and looked over.
"Senior Brother, my name is Li Xuan, a Disciple of the Sect. I have something I'd like you to appraise."
Li Xuan pulled out his Outer Sect Disciple token, shook it, and said.
"Oh, an Outer Sect Senior Brother! Please, have a seat, have a seat. Little Six, quickly bring tea for our esteemed guest."
The old man quickly stood up and said politely.
When he was in the Sect, he was merely a Utility Disciple, of lower status than Li Xuan. Furthermore, the shopkeeper here had mentioned Li Xuan's arrival in recent days and instructed him to be polite and to offer any convenience possible.
Li Xuan did not stand on ceremony. He sat opposite the old man, took out the hundred-year-old wild ginseng, and pushed it towards him.
The old man took it with both hands, saying, "Senior Brother, please wait a moment," then carefully opened the jade box, wrapped the wild ginseng in a handkerchief, gently lifted it, observed it closely for a moment, then fanned his right hand towards his nose, and after sniffing for a moment, said, "Senior Brother has excellent eyesight. This is a hundred-year-old wild ginseng. I didn't expect such a treasure to still exist in Lingxu Mountain after so many years of exploitation."
"Senior Brother, you flatter me. It was just good luck. If I were to sell it, what would its value be?"
With the fragrant tea steaming, Li Xuan held his cup and asked with a smile.
"If you find a willing buyer, it could sell for 40 Spirit Stones. If the pavilion buys it, it would only be worth 30 Spirit Stones. This is also because Senior Brother is from the Sect. For ordinary Cultivators, the pavilion would offer at most 25 Spirit Stones."
The old man explained.
"Then I'll sell it. I urgently need Spirit Stones."
"Alright, Senior Brother, please wait a moment."
The old man sealed the jade box and personally carried it to the counter. Not long after, he returned with a bag of Spirit Stones.
"Senior Brother, please count them."
The old man said respectfully.
Li Xuan picked up the bag of Spirit Stones, glanced at it, stood up, and nodded, saying, "Thank you, Senior Brother. May I ask your surname? Li Xuan is new to this place, and I hope we can interact more in the future."
Hearing this, the old man's face lit up with joy, and he immediately replied, "My surname is Li, Li Gengsheng."
"Good, then Senior Brother Li, we'll meet again another day. This Junior Brother has other matters, so I'll take my leave first."
"Senior Brother, take care."
Calling everyone Senior Brother was an old tradition among the Bingxuan Sect's Outer Sect and Utility Disciples. Only after reaching Foundation Establishment or attaining a certain status would a hierarchy be established.
...
After leaving the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion, Li Xuan walked towards the area where the stalls were gathered.
"A spirit boat in the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion costs 20 Spirit Stones. Based on my daily patrol distance, it would consume about 1 Spirit Stone per month. Calculated this way, while a Low Grade Flying Sword is expensive at 50 Spirit Stones, in the long run, it's much more cost-effective than a spirit boat."
"However, a spirit boat also has its advantages. At least it doesn't require as much concentration to control, unlike a Flying Sword, which demands most of one's attention once one starts to fly on it."
Passing by the Spring Breeze Pavilion, a beautiful female Cultivator came forward to solicit customers. He smiled, shook his head, pushed her hand away, and walked on.
The stalls displayed a variety of items: bloody Magical Artifacts, various Spiritual Materials, and he even saw a spatial crystal, but he merely glanced at it and walked away.
The stall owner had a fierce appearance, and his Late-Stage Qi Refinement Aura was intimidating; clearly, he was not someone to be trifled with. Although he was an Outer Sect Disciple of the Bingxuan Sect, this identity wouldn't deter a Rogue Cultivator, and 100 Spirit Stones would be enough for a Rogue Cultivator to make a move.
He spent 5 Spirit Stones to buy some spiritual rice and another 10 Spirit Stones to acquire a First-Rank Low Grade spirit boat with a damaged Formation. At an inn, he spent 1 Spiritual Fragment to rent a two-hour room. After locking the door, he focused his attention on the spirit boat.
【Damaged spirit boat (Upgradable): A damaged First-Rank Low Grade spirit boat. Its flying Formation is damaged, but its material has reached First-Rank Medium Grade.】
【Can be upgraded to a complete First-Rank Low Grade spirit boat or a First-Rank Medium Grade spirit boat.】
【Effect after upgrade: Flying speed is 20% faster than spirit boats of the same grade.】
【Upgrade requirements: Low Grade 5 Spirit Stones, Medium Grade 10 Spirit Stones.】
【Upgrade time: Low Grade half an hour, Medium Grade one hour.】
"Upgrade to a Medium Grade spirit boat."
He took out 10 Spirit Stones and said in a deep voice.
"A First-Rank Low Grade flying boat costs 30 Spirit Stones, but a First-Rank Medium Grade flying boat costs 50 Spirit Stones, equivalent to the price of a Low Grade Flying Sword. This time, I still made a profit."
While quietly waiting for the spirit boat to upgrade, he pulled out a stack of Talismans. Most of them were Fireball Talismans, some First-Rank Low Grade, and a few First-Rank Medium Grade. Besides Fireball Talismans, there were also a few Vajra Talismans and wind riding talismans, all of them Low Grade.
Vajra Talismans were defensive Talismans; a Low Grade Vajra Talisman could withstand a Middle Stage Qi Refinement Cultivator for one breath, while a Medium Grade Vajra Talisman could withstand a Late-Stage Qi Refinement Cultivator for one breath.
A wind riding talisman could accelerate a spirit boat. A Low Grade wind riding talisman could increase a spirit boat's speed by 10%, a Medium Grade by 20%, and a High Grade by 30%. They were only effective for the same rank, meaning a First-Rank wind riding talisman could not accelerate a Second-Rank spirit boat. Because he didn't have a spirit boat back then, he had only hoarded one wind riding talisman.
After much hesitation, considering his current situation, once the spirit boat upgrade was complete, he gritted his teeth and spent another 3 Spirit Stones to upgrade 5 Vajra Talismans and 1 wind riding talisman to Medium Grade, costing an average of 5 Spiritual Fragments per upgrade.
"Low Grade Vajra Talismans are priced at 1 Spirit Stone on the market, while Medium Grade Vajra Talismans are 5 Spirit Stones. If I were to resell them, it would be a good way to make money. Unfortunately, with my current strength, it's better to be cautious. Selling mountain goods wouldn't raise suspicion, but selling Talismans, if targeted by someone with ulterior motives, would expose my secret."
"Moreover, I'm probably already being watched. Lingxu Mountain is rich in resources, and it's hard to guarantee that no one is secretly planning something."
He forced out a drop of essence blood to make the spirit boat recognize him as its master, then pried out a Spirit Stone and embedded it into the spirit boat. Feeling the sensation of controlling it as if it were an extension of his arm, he was filled with a sense of security.
Zhou Family.
"You mean he went to the inn and rented a room by the hour? Did he bring a female Cultivator?"
Zhou Lin sat in a chair, toying with the teacup in his hand, and asked the servant in front of him.
"Reporting, Second Young Master, he did not bring a female Cultivator. He was alone."
The servant bowed his head and replied.
"Then proceed with the original plan. Tell them not to take a life, just rob him and teach him a lesson. Also, after they're done, you tell Revered Elder Liu to..."
Zhou Lin made a gesture of slitting a throat.
"Yes."
The servant hastily withdrew.
"A third-layer Qi Refining Cultivator, daring to covet Lingxu Mountain... I hope you'll be sensible next year and not obstruct our path to wealth..."