Chapter 23: A Grand Shopping Spree in the Market District

Bishui Sect is a righteous sect; surely they wouldn’t stoop so low. After all, it concerned the lives of several thousand Qi Refining cultivators.

“It’s just that Bishui Sect’s bottom line might be too flexible,” he muttered.

Letting out a gentle sigh, Shen Lian paced back and forth in his room. If they possessed some Nascent Soul spiritual item, Bishui Sect would dare level entire mountain ranges. In the tens of thousands of years since the Chu Kingdom’s cultivation world was established, only one Nascent Soul True Lord had emerged a millennia ago, who then left for the wild regions and attached himself to the southern cultivation world. A newly advanced Nascent Soul cultivator has a lifespan of three thousand years, at most ten thousand if they don’t ascend further—otherwise, they’d long since become another tally for the King of Hell.

The three major sects now are all at the Golden Core level.

Of course, the chance of a fourth-tier Nascent Soul spiritual item appearing is exceedingly rare; Shen Lian was merely speculating. Yet to him, a Golden Core sect was a colossal existence. A giant like that could easily crush Qi Refining cultivators as one might crush ants. They didn’t even need to target them specifically—a mere ripple could kill or injure countless Qi Refining cultivators.

“If the ban lasts too long, I’ll have to change my plans.”

He’d dreamed of returning to the Chu Kingdom’s cultivation world to purchase new techniques. But now, with such drastic changes, Shen Lian worried whether he could still make it to the Chu Kingdom’s Tianxia Pavilion as he had planned.

Currently, Bishui Sect’s market was connected to those established by the other two major sects. If Bishui Sect was locking theirs down, the other two markets were probably doing the same. He had to prepare for the worst.

His cultivation level was too low to access much useful information, so he could only do his best to prepare his trump cards.

“I need to refine the Hundred Spirit Poison as soon as possible. And prepare several sets of talisman arrays. Also, a batch of Miasma Dispelling Pills and antidotes, just in case. It would be best to break through to late Qi Refining and develop divine sense—relying solely on divine sense talismans is too flimsy.”

Shen Lian had only recently broken through to the sixth layer of Qi Refining; to reach the seventh, he couldn’t rely solely on his own cultivation.

He’d have to depend on pills.

Ordinary pills wouldn’t suffice; he needed Barrier Breaking Pills.

He didn’t care if his spiritual power wasn’t consolidated—he could spend extra time stabilizing it after advancing, but first he had to awaken divine sense.

That night, Shen Lian slept poorly, his cultivation unsettled. Naturally, he gained no insight points.

The changing environment left him deeply agitated.

At dawn.

After washing up, Shen Lian stepped out of his home.

This time, he affixed a disguise talisman to himself. He wasn’t in a rush to buy anything, but wandered through the shops along the main street.

Beneath his wide robes, two divine sense talismans were activated.

He wasn’t intentionally eavesdropping on other cultivators, but if their voices carried on the street, he couldn’t be blamed for overhearing.

On the street, rogue cultivators were already discussing the ban.

“I heard there’s a big haul from Miasma Cloud Mountain—a ten-thousand-year spiritual ginseng has gained sentience.”

“I heard they discovered a relic from the Middle Ages beneath the Wu-numbered mine.”

…

“Nonsense! It’s over at Changhe Market—a baby spirit beast appeared.”

“I heard a Heaven Mending Ganoderma emerged. That’s a main ingredient for Nascent Soul Pills.”

“No, it was a broken minor cave world that appeared.”

…

Shen Lian was well acquainted with the loose lips of rogue cultivators; he’d only made it halfway down the market street, yet already picked up so many ‘insider’ rumors.

The key point: every cultivator sharing the news swore on their ancestors, acting all mysterious.

He wasn’t in a hurry to visit the Treasure Pavilion. Instead, Shen Lian visited the general store, the artifact shop, the Hundred Talisman Hall, and various other shops.

Detoxification, healing, spirit-restoring pills, and magical artifacts—prices hadn’t risen.

At Wang’s Artifact Shop, he bought ten first-tier top-grade Thunder Seeds—single-use artifacts that, when detonated, rival a strike from a ninth-layer Qi Refining cultivator. Price: five hundred and eighty spirit stones, with a twenty-stone discount.

At the general store, he purchased a first-tier top-grade defensive bell for three hundred and ten low-grade spirit stones.

He acquired two first-tier entry-level poisons and six unranked poisons.

He bought six stalks of first-tier antidote herbs.

He also purchased a first-tier top-grade storage bracelet for three hundred and twenty low-grade spirit stones.

After visiting several shops along the street, he bought five bottles each of Miasma Dispelling Pills and Detoxification Pills.

Lu’s Apothecary.

As he walked, Shen Lian arrived at Lu’s Apothecary, where he’d first bought Yellow Bud Pills.

“Fellow cultivator, want a bottle?” the shopkeeper greeted him with a cheerful smile.

Shen Lian entered slowly and noticed, besides the shopkeeper, a young girl in a pale yellow immortal dress arranging spiritual herbs on a shelf.

The girl glanced at Shen Lian, lingering for a moment on his face.

Seeing only an ordinary middle-aged uncle, she quickly looked away and continued arranging the shelves.

Shen Lian was already approaching forty, and only recently had his life become comfortable; before, when he’d wandered everywhere, his face was weathered and devoid of any immortal aura.

He glanced at the girl and then looked away, confirming her type.

A beauty enthusiast.

Don’t underestimate plain middle-aged men—when he forms his foundation, he’ll surely craft himself a youthful face anew.

“Fellow cultivator, what pills do you need?” the shopkeeper asked warmly.

“Do you have Barrier Breaking Pills?”

“Yes… yes, we do!” The shopkeeper’s eyes lit up—a big sale had arrived.

A first-tier top-grade pill was among the best in his store.

“Xingyan, watch the shop,” he instructed the girl, then led Shen Lian behind the screen.

“Please, take a seat.”

Once Shen Lian sat, he saw the shopkeeper retrieve a small jade box from his storage pouch. He opened it from three feet away, revealing a pill with a green glow and a pitted surface.

“Please have a look, fellow cultivator. My Lu family—”

Shen Lian hadn’t studied alchemy, but he knew that the smoother the pill’s surface, the higher the quality; superior pills even bore pill patterns.

This pill’s quality was only low-grade.

“Do you have any of medium quality?”

Considering the four bonds within his spiritual root, Shen Lian felt a low-quality Barrier Breaking Pill might not suffice.

“No,” the shopkeeper shook his head. Pills of medium quality were rarely sold by the family.

Rogue cultivators were lucky to get any pills at all—wanting good ones was too much to ask.

“What’s the price?”

“Two hundred and thirty low-grade spirit stones.”

Shen Lian frowned. Many spiritual items in Yunmeng Market were two or three tenths pricier than in the Chu Kingdom’s cultivation world, but this pill was over fifty percent more expensive.

The shopkeeper said nothing further—the Lu family made their profits off rogue cultivators, never holding back with the blade.

Lowering the price was out of the question; there weren’t many pill vendors in the market, and if you wanted to break into late Qi Refining, you had to pay.

If they didn’t squeeze the rogue cultivators, their sickle would go unused.

“How much for two pills?”

Looking at the Barrier Breaking Pills, pocked like a face full of moles, Shen Lian felt speechless. With his spiritual root, a single low-grade pill might not be enough to break through.

“Two pills?”

The shopkeeper, who’d intended not to reduce the price at all, was overjoyed at Shen Lian’s request.

After so long in the market, he’d finally met a generous customer and could sell off these mediocre Barrier Breaking Pills.

“Xingyan, serve tea. The finest tea.”

…

A quarter hour later, Shen Lian placed the pills in his storage pouch, satisfied, and headed out.

Just as he stepped through the door, he bumped into a woman in a black robe, her features elegant, about to enter the shop.

Shen Lian glanced briefly and saw the undulating peaks on her chest embroidered with a green water pattern; he immediately looked away and hurried off.

Only inner disciples of Bishui Sect wore black robes.

Best not to provoke her.

He vanished swiftly.