Myriad Things Shop Activated Early

The night passed without incident, and Chen Ze enjoyed a peaceful, restful sleep.

Early the next morning, after Chen Ze woke up and filled his stomach with a meal of Spirit Rice, he headed straight out.

Since he didn't need to do anything personally to cultivate, there was no reason to keep cooped up in that dilapidated house.

Since someone was watching him from the shadows, he decided to step out into the light.

Presumably, the other party was wary of the rules at the City Lord's Mansion, which was why they had chosen to use a Knockout Drug at night to harm him in secret.

After leaving his home, Chen Ze followed the alleyway out of the Commoner District and headed toward the crowded marketplace.

Although he didn't know the other party's background, the more people there were, the less likely they would be to make a move.

However, Chen Ze still couldn't understand what he possessed that would make someone target him.

Lost in thought about the cause and effect of this situation, Chen Ze reached the market.

Suddenly, not knowing where to start, he simply wandered from stall to stall.

Whenever a cultivator approached a stall to buy something, Chen Ze would stop and watch, listening carefully as the stall owner gave their pitch.

He knew far too little about this Cultivation World, and the original owner had left behind no information of any real value.

When he grew tired of walking, he would find a spot to squat and rest, then continue wandering once he had regained his strength.

Well, this life isn't bad. I don't have to do anything, just wait for my cultivation to rise—the only problem is the lack of Spirit Stones.

Should I set up a stall later and just sell the items from the Myriad Things Shop?

Chen Ze didn't want to do that, but after the Myriad Things Shop recycled items, the Spirit Stones were converted into Points, which could only be used within the shop itself.

Yet, he still needed to survive in the Cultivation World; he couldn't get by without Spirit Stones.

"Hey, I've been watching you for a while now. You haven't bought a single thing. What are you doing?"

Chen Ze looked around and realized the owner of the stall next to where he was squatting was staring at him.

Chen Ze sized up the stall owner; he was also at the Qi Refining Third Layer, just like him, though he looked quite a bit younger.

"Are you talking to me?" Chen Ze asked, feeling a bit uncertain.

"Who else? Look around this street—no one else is as idle as you."

"Heh." Chen Ze gave a dry laugh. "Sorry, I didn't mean to disturb your business."

Just as Chen Ze prepared to stand up and leave, he heard the other man say, "You didn't disturb me, I'm just curious."

"Curious about what?"

"Curious why you aren't buying or selling anything. You look quite a bit older than me, yet your cultivation is lower. I just wanted to ask how you ended up on the path of cultivation."

Hearing the stall owner's words, Chen Ze felt an urge to punch him, but seeing the man's smiling face, it didn't seem like he was mocking him.

Chen Ze said helplessly, "I used to be a Service Disciple of the Qingyun Sect, but I was kicked off the mountain. Are you satisfied now?"

Chen Ze turned to leave, but suddenly, his arm was grabbed.

Caught off guard by the sudden movement, Chen Ze instinctively prepared to cast an Ignition Art.

But when he turned around, he saw the same stall owner's face, only now it wasn't just a smile—it was filled with sincerity.

"Fellow Daoist, wait! I expressed myself poorly just now. That's not what I meant."

"Then what did you mean?"

"That's just how I am. People have always told me I don't know how to talk. My apologies, Fellow Daoist."

"Let's start over. My name is Zhou Quan. May I ask your name?"

Chen Ze looked at Zhou Quan with suspicion; those who offer favors without cause are usually up to no good.

Still, Chen Ze replied, "No need for formalities. Just call me Chen Ze."

"Fellow Daoist Chen, nice to meet you. Come, come, sit here and let's chat."

Zhou Quan pulled Chen Ze toward his stall and even went out of his way to get a small stool for him to sit on.

Chen Ze thought about it; he had nothing better to do, and this Zhou Quan didn't seem like the scheming type.

He decided to sit down and see what Zhou Quan actually wanted.

He looked at the stall Zhou Quan had set up, which was covered in various talismans.

Chen Ze didn't understand the function of these talismans, but he knew that the art of talismans was highly practical.

Especially when one was low on spiritual energy, these talismans were life-saving artifacts.

He wondered if Zhou Quan had drawn these talismans himself or if he had collected them from others to sell.

There was only one small stool, and since Chen Ze was sitting on it, Zhou Quan simply sat on the ground.

Setting up a stall usually meant laying a cloth on the ground, placing one's wares, and sitting wherever; there wasn't much to be fussy about.

Seeing Zhou Quan sitting on the ground while he occupied the stool made Chen Ze feel a bit embarrassed.

Zhou Quan seemed to read his mind. "It's fine, you sit. I'm used to sitting on the ground to sell my goods. It's a coincidence that I happened to bring a stool today—it must mean we're fated."

"Who said you couldn't speak?" Chen Ze hadn't expected the person who said those words before to be the same one speaking now.

"Fellow Daoist, you flatter me. It's true that I have a habit of not knowing what to say; that cannot be denied.

But in order to run a stall, one must learn to say a few polite pleasantries.

Otherwise, not only would the goods not sell, but I might also invite a sound beating." Zhou Quan said with a smile.

It seems he has suffered quite a few beatings from society, Chen Ze mused inwardly. Society truly is the best educational institution; it doesn't teach anything else, but it teaches you how to be a person first.

Though Chen Ze was grumbling internally, his expression remained unchanged as he said, "Speak up. You kept me here specifically, so there must be something you want to ask."

"It's nothing major. Since you came from the Qingyun Sect, I just wanted to ask you about the situation there."

Chen Ze understood; it seemed this Zhou Quan also wanted to join the Qingyun Sect.

"I'm just a Service Disciple who was kicked out of the Qingyun Sect. How could I possibly know anything about the sect?"

Zhou Quan pressed further, "Would it be convenient to say why you left the Qingyun Sect?"

"Left? You don't need to be so tactful, Fellow Daoist. Being kicked out is being kicked out; there's nothing to be embarrassed about."

Since it was the original owner's business anyway, Chen Ze felt no psychological burden as he continued, "My aptitude was too poor and my cultivation was too low, so I was kicked out."

After Chen Ze finished speaking, Zhou Quan seemed to mutter to himself, "Aptitude too poor?"

"Could it be that you also want to join the Qingyun Sect? Haven't you already started cultivating? Isn't it fine to be a Rogue Cultivator?" Chen Ze asked.

Zhou Quan sighed and said, "Sigh, the path of a Rogue Cultivator is too difficult to walk.

Without resources or a backer, one must face all kinds of dangers at any moment.

If one wants to cultivate immortality, one must have an orthodox sect inheritance to go far."

Chen Ze asked, "What is your aptitude?"

"Mid-grade Spiritual Root."

"That's not bad. In the Qingyun Sect, you could at least be an Outer Disciple," Chen Ze said thoughtfully.

In truth, Chen Ze was still a bit surprised. Judging by his appearance, Zhou Quan was only in his twenties, yet he already possessed the cultivation of the Qi Refining Third Layer.

Even among cultivators with a Mid-grade Spiritual Root, this was considered quite good.

He didn't understand why Zhou Quan had anything to sigh about when he had reached such a realm at such a young age.