Heavenly Pillar Mountain

The Treasure Trade Fair would be held in nine days, at Heavenly Pillar Mountain, where Lingyun Sect was located. After gathering this information, Lin Xuan casually chatted with the two cultivators for a few more moments before taking his leave without drawing attention.

Throughout the entire exchange, his expression had remained relaxed. No matter how one looked at it, he merely seemed somewhat curious, with no other intentions whatsoever. Only after leaving the Library Pavilion, when there was no one around, did a delighted smile appear at the corner of Lin Xuan's lips.

The Spirit Control Technique was within reach!

Of the two conditions for entering the second floor of the Library Pavilion, either he did not meet them or fulfilling them would arouse suspicion. Neither was advisable. But at the Treasure Trade Fair, there would certainly be mid-tier cultivation arts for sale. As an outsider, he could buy one and simply leave afterward, without worrying about future trouble.

Footsteps sounded behind him. The smile at Lin Xuan's lips vanished at once, replaced by his usual expression. He brushed past the newcomer, then wasted no more time and returned directly to the courtyard of the Waste Pill Room.

Since he had decided to attend the trade fair and purchase a cultivation art, Lin Xuan naturally had to prepare for the journey. He had already asked clearly: Heavenly Pillar Mountain was roughly eight hundred li from here. That might be far for ordinary people, but Lin Xuan was a cultivator. Though he could not yet wield a Spirit Tool to fly, he had learned the Wind Control Technique and could travel swiftly. Eight hundred li would take one day at the fastest, two at the slowest. He could reach it no matter what, which meant he still had seven days to prepare.

This sort of trade fair held when a sect disbanded differed from the transactions in cultivation marketplaces. Spirit Stones were not used; pills served as currency instead. To Lin Xuan, this was splendid news. Although he had inherited Zhou Yan and Zhang Yu's assets and possessed several dozen low-grade Spirit Stones, Spirit Stones had uses beyond trade—they would be needed for cultivation and artifact crafting in the future. Lin Xuan was not willing to part with them lightly.

Moreover, Lin Xuan's circumstances were unusual. What he lacked least were pills. Thus, exchanging pills was best for him. Naturally, he understood the principle that wealth should not be displayed. He was merely a low-level cultivator at the Spirit Movement Stage; appearing excessively wealthy could easily invite a fatal calamity. He was not like those people from Lingyun Sect, protected by heavenly rules.

Therefore, his preparations for this trip had to be thorough. He needed to bring enough pills, yet remain cautious and prudent. Unless he saw the right opportunity, he would not act rashly. In short: be careful, and do not attract attention.

After making his plans, Lin Xuan began to act.

His main task over the next few days was to purify more pills. Cultivation could be set aside for the time being. After all, matters had their order of urgency; there was no need to be so rigid. One had to learn to adapt according to the circumstances.

After several months of using the Blue Star Sea, Lin Xuan had become thoroughly familiar with purifying Marrow Cleansing Pills. He remained in his room, fighting day and night.

When the immortal master returned only to shut himself away again, Zhao Ming and the other boys felt no surprise whatsoever. They assumed that the steward was once again busy slacking off and sleeping.

Five days passed like this. Lin Xuan rose from the ground and stretched his somewhat stiff body. Purifying pills without rest for the past few days had truly exhausted him, but the gains had been considerable. He had obtained three bottles—three hundred Low-Grade Marrow Cleansing Pills—as well as nine Mid-Grade Pills.

In terms of quantity, this was already exceedingly astonishing. Lin Xuan had purified so many in order to be prepared for anything. After all, among the various miraculous pills of the Cultivation World, the Marrow Cleansing Pill used only at the Spirit Movement Stage was among the lowest-grade and most worthless kinds. Lin Xuan had no idea how much value it would have as trading currency, so to be safe, it was better to bring more.

He did not want to find himself short on pills when he wanted to buy a cultivation art!

With the pills purified, Lin Xuan prepared to depart. First, he sorted through his possessions: twenty-eight Spirit Stones, three Spirit Tools, and several dozen Five Elements Talismans of metal, wood, water, fire, and earth.

He would carry all of these along with the purified pills. First, it was safer and more reassuring; second, who knew whether he would encounter danger on this journey? With these items, his strength would be greater as well.

Although there were quite a few things, Lin Xuan had obtained a Storage Bracelet and a Storage Belt from Zhou Yan and Zhang Yu. He only needed to put everything inside, making it extremely convenient.

Besides that, Lin Xuan wore a vest he had obtained from Zhang Yu directly against his skin. Though he did not know what material it had been woven from, it was exceptionally tough. One glance showed it to be a defensive treasure. Such a good item naturally could not be left idle to gather dust.

After finishing all this, Lin Xuan left his room. Naturally, he first had to inform the place within the sect that managed the disciples, in other words, obtain permission to leave.

Cultivators in the Foundation Establishment Realm still had to register, but for disciples at the Spirit Movement Stage like them, things were much simpler. The sect did not value them at all; any excuse would easily fool them.

After obtaining an exit token, Lin Xuan left Floating Cloud Valley. This was his first long journey in nearly four years since entering the valley, and he could not help feeling rather emotional.

There was still plenty of time. The trade fair would not open until four days later, but arriving early had its benefits. It was an unfamiliar place, after all. He could first familiarize himself with the surroundings, learn the prices of various items, and know what to expect. That would make this journey safer and more complete. This was also Lin Xuan's nature—he disliked acting rashly and was accustomed to making plans before taking action.

Two days later.

Heavenly Pillar Mountain lay in the eastern part of Yanzhou, Zhao State. It stretched for dozens of li, lush with dense vegetation. Its main peak, Heavenly Pillar Peak, was renowned throughout the world for its steep grandeur. More than five thousand meters tall, it was covered in jagged, strange rocks. It was said that even monkeys could not climb over it.

Since ancient times, quite a few people had come here to sightsee. Yet there were sheer cliffs everywhere, and even after searching the entire mountain, they could not find a single path into it. They could only gaze at the peak and sigh in helpless admiration.

Gradually, fewer and fewer people came here.

Yet on this day, a youth not yet twenty arrived beneath Heavenly Pillar Peak. He had an ordinary appearance and wore coarse cloth garments. This was deliberate on Lin Xuan's part. He had slipped out this time to secretly purchase a cultivation art, so naturally he had to avoid attracting attention. Wearing the clothes of a Floating Cloud Valley disciple would be conspicuous and easily expose him, so he had deliberately changed into the attire of an ordinary Rogue Cultivator. Combined with his already unremarkable appearance, once he blended into a crowd, no one would recognize him.