Early morning.
The morning light streamed down onto the verdant mountains, painting a scene of infinite beauty. Lin Zhao, riding his donkey, wasn't in any particular hurry. After daybreak, he had arrived at the Cuiwei Mountain marked on his map. Indeed, from a distance, the mountain peaks were numerous, wreathed in clouds. As the dawn sunlight touched them, the peaks blazed with an ethereal glow. While the spiritual energy wasn't overwhelmingly abundant, it was considerably more vigorous than the barren landscapes Lin Zhao had traversed on his journey.
The mountain paths bustled with people.
There were vendors carrying freshly picked cucumbers and vegetables from their gardens to sell on the mountain, as well as sword cultivators and wandering knights walking the mountain trails with their swords at their sides. Even the air above was frequently graced by streaks of sword light. Cuiwei Mountain was home to too many prestigious sects for it to be difficult for a few sword cultivators to reach the mid-fifth realm.
He had heard that there was a market halfway up Cuiwei Mountain, and that was precisely where Lin Zhao intended to go. With the constant flow of people, he could interact with more individuals and perhaps trigger more events, which might allow him to leave sooner. He had been gone for so long; the people at the Mountain Peak Villa must be frantic. The thought made him frown. He then opened the chat with Leng Yan.
"What's up?" Leng Yan replied instantly.
"Something's happened to me."
"Ah?!"
Leng Yan was startled and said softly, "Lin Zhao, what exactly happened?"
"I was teleported to a place called Hundred Flowers Realm and can't get out for the time being," Lin Zhao frowned and said, "Ayan, could you do me a favor and go to the Mountain Peak Villa? Tell Cui Zhi, Huang Tingyu, and Chu Yu that I'm cultivating somewhere and won't be back for a while, so they shouldn't worry and should carry on as usual."
"I see..."
Leng Yan breathed a sigh of relief. "Alright, I'll fly to Snow Domain Heavenly Lake immediately. Don't worry."
"Okay, thanks!"
"No problem!"
...
Not long after, Lin Zhao arrived at the mountainside of Cuiwei Mountain on his donkey, where he found a vast market, almost like a town. Besides the numerous vendors and wandering cultivators setting up stalls along the road, there were also restaurants and small eateries. Cultivators descending from the mountain were commonly seen eating wontons and drinking at roadside diners.
Lin Zhao led his donkey and began to walk slowly.
Soon, he stopped in front of a stall. It wasn't really a stall, just an old man with white hair sitting by the roadside, displaying a few antique items. These artifacts exuded a faint aura of antiquity, perhaps unearthed from ancient tombs or pilfered from the mountain. They were small trinkets, not overly expensive.
Lin Zhao squatted down to examine them. In his vision, the attributes of these items appeared one by one. While cultivators on the mountain still needed to sift through goods and test their discerning eye, it was unnecessary for Lin Zhao, who could directly see their grades. Among the old man's wares, only one item of heavenly grade, middle-tier, was truly noteworthy: a glazed inkstone, its surface marred by numerous scratches. Carved within the inkstone was a green fish, which, upon closer inspection, seemed to be swimming, quite miraculous. However, the extensive scratches and the concealed spiritual energy made it invisible to the untrained eye.
"Young friend?"
The old man squinted, thinking he had found a gullible customer. He rejoiced inwardly, "First time on Cuiwei Mountain, eh? Which item do you fancy? I'll give you a good price!"
Lin Zhao fiddled with a bone ring, a human-grade, low-tier magic artifact, the most inferior kind. However, its exterior was engraved with several beautiful inscriptions, making it appear like a high-quality item.
"This ring..."
Lin Zhao's eyes sparkled, and he smiled, asking, "How much?"
"You have a keen eye, young friend!" the old man said with a smile. "This ring is carved from the bone of a spirit beast! Wearing it has the effect of clearing the mind and brightening the eyes, allowing cultivators to enter a state of meditation more effectively. If you can refine it into your life-bound object, there's a high chance you can reach the mid-fifth realm, perhaps even the legendary nine realms! If you wish to become a martial god like Yu Wanling, such a treasure is indispensable."
Lin Zhao couldn't help but chuckle, baring his teeth. "Old sir, aren't you exaggerating a bit? It's just a broken ring."
"Ahahaha~~~"
The old man probably hadn't fooled anyone in a long time. He laughed, "Actually, it's not an exaggeration. My words are rarely empty. The value of this bone ring is extremely high. You, young friend, are also a discerning individual. Since that's the case, I'll let you have it for fifty Flying Fish Coins."
"Fifty Flying Fish Coins?!"
Lin Zhao's eyes widened. "Senior, you might as well just rob me! You want fifty Flying Fish Coins for this ring? How is that possible?!"
The old man was very patient. "How much do you want then?"
"Ten Flying Fish Coins at most."
"No, no, that's too cheap. Selling ginseng at a cabbage price? I'm not a fool," he stared at Lin Zhao's expression. "Young friend, if you truly want it, I can lower the price a bit more for you. Thirty-five Flying Fish Coins, and that's the lowest price."
"No, no!"
Lin Zhao frowned. "Thirty-five Flying Fish Coins for something like this? I'd be losing too much. How about... I pick three more of these ornamental pieces from your stall, and they'll be included as a bonus? What do you say? If that works, we have a deal. If not, then we don't."
The old man was overjoyed. He had acquired this batch of goods from a cultivator in the lower fifth realm. In reality, only the bone ring had any real value; the rest were just for show. Selling all four items, including the bone ring, for 35 Flying Fish Coins was definitely profitable. After all, he had only paid five Flying Fish Coins for them. In fact, the old man, unable to discern the grade of the glazed inkstone, had suffered a significant loss in that regard.
Shortly after, Lin Zhao paid thirty-five Flying Fish Coins and took possession of the four items. Nearby cultivators who had been observing shook their heads, thinking how many fools there were these days. Lin Zhao, however, was beaming with joy. A heavenly grade magic artifact was actually quite decent. He could give it to Zhang Luobai later. After all, Zhang Luobai was a scholar, and such an item would be useful to him.
Moving further on, he saw an old Taoist of the fourth realm selling talismans. The spiritual energy within these talismans was very sparse, indicating the drawings were likely done by a beginner. The demon-suppressing and ghost-exorcising talismans were drawn sloppily, making Lin Zhao, an expert, feel quite uncomfortable just looking at them. However, the business seemed good, with nearly half of them sold in a blink of an eye.
Lin Zhao shook his head. The cultivators in this world were simply too narrow-minded.
Continuing forward, a building selling magic artifacts appeared before him, named "Sword God Pavilion." It was a shop selling famous swords. As Lin Zhao stepped inside, he felt a rush of sword intent. This establishment was rather impressive, especially the sword embryo displayed in the center, which was quite extraordinary. It was a flying sword emitting a deep blue aura, named "Cold Dew," a celestial-grade, middle-tier magic artifact, priced at 100 Golden Mullet Coins. Two Golden Core old immortals guarded it, clearly indicating its formidable nature.
Lin Zhao's heart was stirred!
Were celestial-grade magic artifacts so cheap in this world? A sword immortal embryo, no less, selling for only 100 Golden Mullet Coins!? This was perfect. Miss Leng was still in need of a celestial-grade life-bound flying sword, and he should keep an eye out for it. After all, Leng Yan had helped him so many times; he had to show some appreciation. Otherwise, how would others view him? Taking advantage of her affection for him and treating her casually? That wouldn't be good in the long run.
However, Lin Zhao had used up all his unbound Golden Mullet Coins. The remaining ones were bound. Magic artifacts purchased with bound Golden Mullet Coins would also be bound and could only be given to people at the Mountain Peak Villa. He wouldn't be able to trade them with Leng Yan, making all his efforts in vain.
The thought made him frown. He needed to make money!
...
He turned and walked out, quickly setting up a stall by the roadside. He was selling the Clarity Talismans, Courage Talismans, Demon-Suppressing Talismans, and Rain-Summoning Talismans he had drawn. These weren't particularly powerful talismans, but their core spirits were brimming with spiritual energy. Moreover, these talismans could evoke the aura of the military. Therefore, anyone with a discerning eye would surely pay a high price for them.
"Talismans for sale!"
He began to shout.
Within minutes, a large crowd gathered, mostly mountain cultivators, many of whom were just curious onlookers. A fourth-realm sword cultivator sneered, "Fellow Daoist, are your talismans actually effective? Others sell Daoist talismans, which are imbued with the profound mysteries of the Dao. Your talismans... are not Daoist talismans, so what are they?"
"These are military talismans."
Lin Zhao smiled. "The Daoist school has its strengths, and the military school has its strengths. They are all the same, ultimately. The Great Dao leads to one!"
"Just boasting!"
A young man in red laughed. "Whether they work or not is uncertain. If your Rain-Summoning Talisman can truly summon rain, then I'll acknowledge its efficacy."
"Really?"
Lin Zhao smiled, picked up a Rain-Summoning Talisman, and threw it towards the mountain range behind him, shouting, "Rain come!"
In an instant, the originally clear sky became densely overcast. Immediately after, a torrential downpour began on the mountain range. However, the place where they stood remained bathed in sunshine, leaving everyone dumbfounded.
"It really works!"
Someone began to ask for prices.
Lin Zhao was, naturally, a greedy merchant. If he wasn't greedy, how could he earn money to buy a celestial sword for Leng Yan?
"Clarity Talisman, ten Flying Fish Coins. Courage Talisman, twenty Flying Fish Coins. Rain-Summoning Talisman, fifty Flying Fish Coins! For combat support talismans: Immobilization Talisman, one Golden Mullet Coin; Fiend-Dispelling Talisman, two Golden Mullet Coins; Sword-Illuminating Talisman, five Golden Mullet Coins! Purchase is voluntary!"
Almost immediately, more than half the crowd dispersed.
...
Upper Realm, White Jade Mountain.
"Ding Muchen!"
The young Daoist frowned, his surroundings filled with myriad Dharma forms. He suddenly spread his left hand, grasping thousands of Daoist laws within it, ready to strike at any moment. After all, the person before him was a fourteenth-realm Martial Saint, the only fourteenth-realm sword cultivator in existence. If he were truly possessed by inner demons and became a puppet of the Outer Heavens, it would spell great disaster for the Upper Realm.
On the tower, the young man in green robes smiled and suddenly flicked his arm. With a "bang," he shattered all the inner demons that were clinging to him, and said with a smile, "Look how scared you are..."
The young Daoist frowned. "At such a critical juncture, you still have the mind to tease me?"
"Otherwise?"
The young man in green robes let out a sigh of relief and slowly rolled up his left sleeve. A shocking wound, stained with blood, was visible on his arm. He frowned and said, "Ten thousand inner demons, not so easy to kill. I only managed to slay fewer than five thousand inner demons this time and got injured. Others would likely fare worse. The Eternal Secret Realm suffered many casualties this time. Next time it's the turn of the Sea of Heavens to resist the Daemon Lords in the Outer Heavens, I hope those old fellows won't be stingy with their lives."
"A piece of bad news."
The Daoist Saint frowned. "That stone in your junior brother's hand is connected to a Hundred Flowers Realm. Not long ago, the backlash from the Outer Heaven's inner demons also stirred the opportunities within the Hundred Flowers Realm. Therefore, your junior brother was swept into the Hundred Flowers Realm."
"What!?"
The young man in green robes gritted his teeth. "The commotion in the Outer Heavens actually implicated my junior brother..."