After activating the Formation, Xu Yi then took out two Shen Xing Talismans.
He stuck them on his legs and activated the Shen Xing Talismans.
Xu Yi transformed into a phantom and headed towards Qingxuan Market.
Qingxuan Market was a market established by the Qingxuan Sect.
Its scale was vast, comparable to a city, and it was divided into inner and outer cities.
The Spirit Field allocated to Xu Yi was located in the outskirts of Qingxuan Market, a sparsely populated area.
Before long, Xu Yi arrived at the commercial district of Qingxuan Market's outer city.
As soon as he arrived, Xu Yi encountered a familiar face.
"Old Xu, I haven't seen you in a while. Are you keeping a beautiful woman hidden?"
The speaker was an old man with white hair and beard, but a vigorous spirit.
As the old man spoke, he pulled Xu Yi towards a nearby tea stall.
Xu Yi sat down at the tea stall, ordered two cups of Spirit Tea, and then chuckled, shaking his head:
"Old Li, what are you thinking? The deadline is approaching, and I'm busy taking care of the red jade crystal rice."
Xu Yi and Old Li were friends despite their age difference, often going together to brothels to listen to music.
Old Li's background was mysterious; Xu Yi didn't know what Old Li did in his youth.
He only knew that Old Li was knowledgeable and well-traveled.
However, his Cultivation was stuck at the Qi Refining Late Stage, preventing him from reaching Foundation Establishment.
Therefore, Old Li had come to terms with it and now only sought enjoyment.
Xu Yi had often sought Old Li's advice on cultivating red jade crystal rice.
"That's a pity. Joyful Union Hall has a new arrival. Tsk, her appearance, her figure, so alluring."
Old Li shook his head regretfully.
"It's a shame this old man can't enjoy it. Youngsters like you are more suitable.
I was hoping you'd try it and tell me how it felt. Sigh, what a pity."
"Joyful Union Hall hasn't had a new arrival in ten years. The new one will probably be fought over. Where would I get that many Spirit Stones!"
Xu Yi, however, didn't feel it was a pity.
As one of the few major entertainment venues in Qingxuan Market,
Joyful Union Hall followed a high-end route.
Every person there had to go through layers of selection before they could appear.
Therefore, adhering to the principle of 'better to have nothing than to have something substandard,' Joyful Union Hall had not introduced any new people for ten years.
This was the first time in a decade.
Xu Yi couldn't even imagine how popular the scene would be.
Old Li heard Xu Yi's words and nodded in agreement:
"You're right. Just to meet her, it costs a thousand Spirit Stones. It's practically robbery!"
"And that's not all. Besides Joyful Union Hall, the prices in all the other brothels, big and small, are rising. If this continues, we'll all have to entertain ourselves."
Xu Yi keenly sensed that something was amiss.
"What happened?"
Old Li sighed.
"Someone died, and it was a true Disciple of the Qingxuan Sect. I heard it was done by a group of Jie Xiu (robber cultivators).
The Qingxuan Sect has been thoroughly investigating this matter recently, causing widespread panic. Not just in the brothels, but the prices of goods in all the shops, big and small, throughout the market have basically risen by a lot."
Upon hearing this, Xu Yi felt a slight headache.
Jie Xiu (robber cultivators) were like rats crossing the street in the Cultivation world.
There was nothing Jie Xiu (robber cultivators) dared not do.
Loose Cultivators like Xu Yi were most susceptible to the attention of Jie Xiu (robber cultivators).
"Old Xu, the place you live is on the outskirts of the market, not very safe. You should be careful."
Old Li suddenly remembered this and reminded Xu Yi.
Xu Yi nodded, signaling Old Li to rest assured.
Even the outskirts were protected by the market.
If Jie Xiu (robber cultivators) dared to attack Xu Yi, the market's guard team would arrive immediately.
With Xu Yi's Qi Refining Middle Stage Cultivation, plus his Formation, he could hold out for a while even against a Qi Refining Late Stage opponent.
He chatted with Old Li for a while longer.
After finishing a cup of Spirit Tea,
Xu Yi placed fifty grains of spirit sand on the table.
Then he parted ways with Old Li.
From his conversation with Old Li just now, Xu Yi learned the latest news about several other friends.
They were all busy earning Spirit Stones and hadn't been in much contact.
One of them had even used connections to join a Secret Realm exploration team.
They were going to explore a newly discovered Secret Realm near the Qingxuan Sect.
Upon hearing this news, Xu Yi felt a sense of melancholy.
Secret Realm exploration offered high returns; with good luck, earning a hundred or eighty Spirit Stones from one exploration was not a problem.
But it also came with high risks.
There was always the possibility of losing one's life.
Xu Yi could only silently pray in his heart that his friend would survive.
Deep in thought, Xu Yi then arrived at the Spirit Seed Pavilion.
The Spirit Seed Pavilion was a Treasure Pavilion established by the Qingxuan Sect, specializing in selling various Spirit Seeds.
Xu Yi entered the Spirit Seed Pavilion's main hall and began selecting Spirit Seeds.
After browsing around, Xu Yi found that it was just as Old Li had said.
The prices of various Spirit Seeds had indeed risen significantly.
Even the most common Qi-Nourishing Grass Spirit Seed had increased from twenty grains of spirit sand per seed to forty grains of spirit sand per seed.
However, this was not entirely a bad thing.
Although Qi-Nourishing Grass was only the most common First Order, Low Grade Spirit Medicine,
the price of one stalk was also sixty grains of spirit sand.
With the rise in Spirit Seed prices, the price of Qi-Nourishing Grass also rose to one Spirit Stone per stalk.
And the acquisition price also increased from the previous fifty grains of spirit sand to ninety grains of spirit sand.
Based on the exchange rate of one hundred grains of spirit sand for one Spirit Stone, compared to before, selling one stalk of Qi-Nourishing Grass would yield an extra ten grains of spirit sand.
Although spirit sand was not as valuable as Spirit Stones, being merely some scraps left over after mining Spirit Stones,
accumulating small amounts added up. Selling ten stalks of Qi-Nourishing Grass would earn one more Spirit Stone than before.
If Qi-Nourishing Grass was like this, other Spirit Medicines were naturally no exception.
Xu Yi only had thirty-seven Spirit Stones on him.
He had to be frugal. After deducting Cultivation expenses and reserves, he only had about ten Spirit Stones that he could freely use.
After some thought, Xu Yi decided to purchase chijing grass Spirit Seeds.
chijing grass was a First Order, Low Grade Spirit Medicine.
It was also one of the main ingredients for the First Order, Low Grade Solid Essence Pill.
The Solid Essence Pill was a Medicinal Pill for healing. Due to its good efficacy and affordable price,
it was deeply favored by many low-level Loose Cultivators, and its market was vast.
The current price of chijing grass Spirit Seed was fifty grains of spirit sand per seed.
Xu Yi estimated in his mind that with his profound Small Cloud Rain Technique, he could Cultivate chijing grass.
The cultivation success rate would not be low, around ninety percent.
After the price increase, the acquisition price for one stalk of chijing grass was one Spirit Stone.
If he could Cultivate nine out of ten stalks, he could sell them for nine Spirit Stones.
The return on investment was extremely considerable.
Moreover, chijing grass was also fire-attributed, which was very suitable for Xu Yi.
With this thought, Xu Yi spent ten Spirit Stones to purchase twenty chijing grass Spirit Seeds.
Leaving the Spirit Seed Pavilion, Xu Yi then headed to the Spirit Rice shop.
The Spirit Rice shop sold many types of Spirit Rice.
red jade crystal rice was also available, and the price had already risen to twelve Spirit Stones per jin.
Xu Yi could only look on with envy, lamenting that he cultivated red jade crystal rice but couldn't enjoy it.
However, this was only temporary.
It was just red jade crystal rice, after all. Xu Yi believed that in the future, he would definitely eat it until he was sick of it.
He bought ten jin of bamboo rice, spending ten Spirit Stones.
Xu Yi then quickly left the Spirit Rice shop.
As he walked out of the Spirit Rice shop, a voice called out to Xu Yi.
"Xu Dage!"
Xu Yi turned around and saw a young man in his prime.
A name immediately surfaced in Xu Yi's mind.
"Jiang Hao."
Jiang Hao was someone Xu Yi's predecessor had met three years ago.
At that time, Xu Yi's predecessor was going to Qingxuan Market, and it happened to coincide with the Qingxuan Sect's founding ceremony.
Youngsters from all walks of life came to the Qingxuan Sect to seek Immortality and the Dao.
Jiang Hao was no exception.
However, Jiang Hao encountered bandits who sought to rob and kill him along the way.
At the brink of death, Xu Yi's predecessor stepped in and rescued Jiang Hao.
Xu Yi's predecessor didn't take this matter to heart and didn't pay much attention to Jiang Hao.
He didn't expect to meet him again here today.
Jiang Hao walked forward, very happy to see Xu Yi.
"Xu Dage, it's been three years since we last parted. How have you been recently?"
Xu Yi nodded lightly: "I've been doing alright."
As Xu Yi spoke, he sized up Jiang Hao.
When he saw the Inner Sect Disciple token hanging from Jiang Hao's waist, Xu Yi was very surprised.
Becoming an Inner Sect Disciple in three years, Jiang Hao's talent was extraordinary.
"Xu Dage, we parted in a hurry back then, and I never properly thanked you for saving my life. Now that we've met again, I must repay you properly."
"Xu Dage, just tell me what you need, and as long as I can do it, I will definitely fulfill your request."
Jiang Hao looked at Xu Yi with sincere eyes.
Xu Yi heard this and smiled: "Why talk about repaying? It was just a small matter."
Jiang Hao shook his head, disagreeing.
"To Xu Dage, it was a small matter, but to me, it was a life-saving grace. They cannot be confused."
Xu Yi nodded inwardly after hearing this.
"Let's not talk about repayment for now. But what are you, an Inner Sect Disciple, doing in the outer reaches of the market?"
"I've taken a Sect mission to supervise the handover of red jade crystal rice a month from now," Jiang Hao honestly told Xu Yi.
Xu Yi's heart stirred upon hearing this.
But before Xu Yi could say anything,
the token on Jiang Hao's waist suddenly flickered.
Seeing this, Jiang Hao pulled out a small pouch from his Pregnant and handed it to Xu Yi.
"Xu Dage, I have an urgent matter and must leave temporarily. Please take these Spirit Stones for now. If you've thought of something, you can come to this Spirit Rice shop and find the shopkeeper, just mention my name."
Leaving these words, Jiang Hao departed in a hurry.
