Market

Thinking about it that way, the possibility is quite high.

Because the plan that Senior Yun Fang mentioned is easy to understand: they want to make Lady Luofu owe Wushen Mountain until she has no choice but to repay it, but no matter what, she will never be able to repay it.

This applies to both resources and personal connections.

In this way, the remnants of Mount Luofu had no choice but to seek refuge with the Wushen Mountain lineage. They could be ungrateful, but that would incur karmic consequences.

Having received a favor, one is now burdened with an unpayable debt, and from then on, one is firmly bound to Wushen Mountain.

The Sun Moon True Lead Cauldron, including the First Grade Great Dao Opportunity within it, must naturally be preserved.

However, no matter who chooses, only Lady Luofu is qualified to make the choice.

Shen Shuibi dared not, nor could she, take sides prematurely.

That's why she wanted to distance herself from him, to avoid becoming one of the bargaining chips that would force Lady Luofu to side with Wushen Mountain.

"Is that so... no wonder." Li Qi sighed.

The more he thought about it, the more likely it seemed.

That's highly likely; otherwise, he couldn't think of any other reason why Shen Shuibi would suddenly become distant.

How can this be resolved?

After much deliberation, Li Qi concluded that there was no solution.

The mark of the Wushen Mountain on him was too deep. As long as this mark was not removed, getting close to him would inevitably lead to this kind of thing.

No matter what you say, you can't deny this point.

"Sigh..." Li Qi rubbed his temples and turned to look out the window.

Think about it more, there's always a way.

However, before he could think further, the car stopped.

Before we knew it, we seemed to have arrived at the banquet venue.

"Alright, disciple, get out of the car!" Zhu Fengdan seemed quite happy, jumping out of the car and waving her hand to put it away. The two Iron-Eating Beast shook their heads and followed her around happily.

These two probably knew it was a banquet, as they were happily wiggling their butts, drool dripping down their faces.

The car was put away, and Li Qi naturally got out of the car as well.

Then he found himself at the entrance of a palace.

This place seems to be a hidden paradise, completely isolated from the outside world. You can't feel the aura of Wushen Mountain from here.

At the palace gate, two groups of welcoming attendants lined up on either side of the road.

There were tea and wine servers, quick attendants, and officials of etiquette who presented gifts with whips to entertain guests from all directions.

All around were singing and dancing performances, and countless handicrafts and crafts, a feast for the eyes.

Besides Li Qi and Zhu Fengdan, there were hundreds of guests, each with their own ceremonial procession, adorned with brocade canopies and embroidered banners. Among them were attendants carrying baskets, musicians, and countless lanterns that shone like stars.

A golden pavilion stands by the Qinghe River; a white jade palanquin arrives at the Xuanmen Gate.

Green trees and verdant peaks rise beyond the clouds, while vermilion pavilions and painted towers open onto the water.

Looking down from the dragon boat at the Mermaid's Chamber, the feathered banners soar high above the Phoenix Maiden's Terrace.

Countless teams, in turn, rallied and cheered, with thousands of chariots and tens of thousands of riders of different races, surging like clouds and tides, gathering in orderly ranks, and slowly making their way into the main gate.

The various artifacts and cultural relics among them are countless and cannot be fully described.

However, none of these prosperous scenes belong to Li Qi.

Everyone else had a royal procession, but my teacher was just a small car, pulled by two rather unimpressive Iron-Eating Beast.

Upon arrival, they didn't even bother with the car, leading Li Qi on foot into the area, with the two Iron-Eating Beast following behind, shaking their heads and swaying as they went—a completely different scene from the others.

But this also has an advantage: it allows you to move faster.

While others were still queuing, Zhu Fengdan had already led Li Qi inside.

On the way, Li Qi curiously touched the head of one of the Iron-Eating Beast.

It seemed quite pleased, nuzzling against Li Qi and making squeaking noises.

... So that's what it's called. I've never heard of it before.

They followed their teacher forward, but because their procession was small and they didn't make much of a show of it, hardly anyone paid any attention to them along the way.

After all, everyone else had a bunch of servants and strange mounts like mountain-carrying turtles and phoenixes carrying towers, while the master and disciple were just too ordinary.

However, Zhu Fengdan seemed to be quite pleased with this, and did not cause any trouble.

He led Li Qi through the main gate into the palace, just like the attendants of other guests, and was even less eye-catching than their attendants.

After entering, Zhu Fengdan stopped and said, "Alright, the banquet hasn't started yet. It'll probably be another seven or eight days before it officially starts. I'll go inside and catch up with my old friends first. You can kill some time on your own. I'll call you when the banquet starts."

"Yes." Li Qi bowed to his teacher.

Although it's absurd that the banquet is still seven or eight days away... I still need to get used to the time concept of the immortals.

I'll use these seven or eight days to think about how to handle Miss Shen's situation.

Zhu Fengdan, after saying those words, pondered for a moment, then suddenly handed Li Qi a bag. "Here, take these. Buy some if you like anything. Go shopping and broaden your horizons."

After speaking, he didn't even say goodbye, and abruptly disappeared from Li Qi's sight.

Li Qi held the bag in his hand, somewhat taken aback.

Is this considered... pocket money?

Wait, those two Iron-Eating Beasts are still here!

"Forget it, you two probably can't get in anyway, so just stay with me." Li Qi shook his head, picked up the bag in his hand, and started counting the contents.

Holy crap, that's a lot of money!

Li Qi could see that this Mustard Seed Bag contained countless refined and purified qi, all made into small beads, probably... one or two million beads?

Damn it, is this how rich kids are treated?

Just as I opened the bag, the Iron-Eating Beast next to me suddenly scurried over.

The two adorable animals rubbed against Li Qi, squeaking and drooling as they rubbed against Li Qi thighs.

Li Qi tilted his head.

They tilted their heads as well.

Then, the two Iron-Eating Beast looked at each other, then left Li Qi, rolling and somersaulting on the ground.

Because he was so fat, his whole body jiggled when he did somersaults.

After they finished flipping through the pages, the two of them plopped down on the ground and gave Li Qi a bright smile.

Li Qi remained silent.

Then they simply turned the Mustard Seed Bag inside out.

Countless Qi bead rolled out, and the two Iron-Eating Beast jumped up happily, opening their mouths and sucking the air in with gurgling sounds.

With each inhale, thirty to forty thousand beads were sucked in. Only then did the two of them finally stop, burping as they happily circled around Li Qi, their attitude extremely affectionate.

Li Qi had a headache.

Looking at it this way... it seems like one or two million of them aren't very durable.

However, in reality, judging by quality, you could probably buy your own Innate Divine Weapon for around ten thousand of these kinds of energy.

In other words, the bag contains one or two hundred rank-eight Innate Divine Weapon.

Fortunately, these two Iron-Eating Beasts are exotic creatures without intelligence, otherwise they probably wouldn't have enough to eat.

Beasts can also be considered a type of cultivator, but they are not born with intelligence and do not follow the path of demons, so they cannot awaken their spirits. Although they can increase their power and rank, they cannot possess intelligence.

However, for spiritual practice, spiritual wisdom is not actually a necessity.

Whether or not one is spiritually enlightened is of no concern to the 'Tao'.

For example, the Heavenly Dao in most worlds lacks self-awareness and has never developed spiritual power, but this does not prevent it from having a high level of Heavenly Dao and from reacting to and responding to all external stimuli.

Spiritual wisdom is not a necessity for spiritual practice. One can have one's own Dao Path without spiritual wisdom, and it can even be purer and faster.

At even higher levels, some mythical beasts completely abandon their own selves and can even assimilate with a certain 'Dao,' greatly improving their own grade and becoming a kind of objective rule of the outside world.

However, the two Iron-Eating Beasts in front of us are not so extreme; they are still only at the stage of having knowledge but no wisdom.

Li Qi shook his head. Thinking about these things was useless. He should listen to his teacher and go see the banquet to broaden his horizons.

Then I'll find a place and think about how to communicate with Shen Shuibi.

Li Qi snapped out of his thoughts, shook his head, and said, "Alright, you two come with me. Let's go and explore this place."

The two Iron-Eating Beast naturally wouldn't refuse, and happily wiggled their butts as they followed Li Qi.

He walked through the palace, looking into the distance.

It's not that you won't find your way. Apart from the main hall, the palace covers only about 40 or 50 miles in length and width. You can tell the direction just by sensing the qi.

He's at least an eighth-rank official; walking several dozen miles is just a matter of taking a couple of steps.

"There's actually a market here? Is it just for fun?" Li Qi wondered. It was supposed to be a banquet, so why was there a market? Was it just for fun?

However, upon closer inspection, he understood the reason.

"It's for children..." Li Qi sighed.

This market can be broadly divided into two categories of people.

Those who buy things, and those who sell things.

Those selling things were also from Wushen Mountain, but they were probably disciples from the outer perimeter.

Just like the old lady Wang Family I met in Li Prefecture back then.

The items they sell are all cleverly designed rare treasures, unusual objects, rare gems, and astonishing feats of skill—all just fancy tricks and ingenious techniques.

There are very few truly practical Law Treasure and objects; most are positioned as toys, but it must be admitted that they are indeed very attractive.

Most of those who bought things, like Li Qi, were second-generation rich kids.

It seems that the outer disciples must have gotten wind of the banquet and brought these things over to make money.

It could be considered a business opportunity.

However, the diversity of the world is reflected in this place.

Li Qi walked in.

But before he had taken two steps, a young man strode towards him and said, "Young master! Please wait!"

"And who are you, sir?" Li Qi stepped aside and bowed, looking at the young man.

He did not become arrogant because the other person was of a lower status than him, but treated people with the same equality as always.

However, he was also observing the aura emanating from the other person.

This aura doesn't seem to belong to any orthodox Shaman, meaning it's not from the three lineages of incantation, divination, or ritual...

Is it 'prayer'?

A ninth-rank Pray person?

"Qi" means to pray or shout, referring to the cry for blessings in the event of disaster.

The Pray person are a small branch of the Shaman lineage. Their job is to relay messages. Their Divine Ability are good at long-distance communication. They are closely related to the divine way. The earliest method of prayer was developed by the Pray person lineage.

The Pray person approached, bowed, and then politely asked Li Qi, "Is this your first time visiting the Hundred Forms Market, young master?"

"Hundred Forms Market? That's a nice name. Yes, this is indeed my first time encountering one," Li Qi replied politely.

Na Pray person a sigh of relief, "Phew, then I wasn't wrong. Since you know nothing about this, why don't I guide you through it and introduce you to the wonders of this Hundred Forms Market?"

"How much does it cost?" Li Qi asked directly, without any hesitation.

Tour guides, of course, need to charge money.

The Pray person was somewhat surprised.

I've been doing this for quite a while.

This was the first young master to ask him the price.

The other young masters never asked about the price.

However, he quickly realized what was going on and replied, "Of course there's no need to spend money. It would be my honor to provide you with some nice and interesting items. You don't need to address me as 'Your Excellency.' My surname is Zhang and my given name is Zidu. You can just call me Zidu."

Li Qi finally understood.

They get a commission.

That's normal, though; people need to eat too.

Upon thinking of this, Li Qi nodded. "It would be too impolite to call you by your name. You are probably a few years older than me, so I will call you Brother Zhang. Brother Zhang, shall we go for a stroll first? Could you tell me what this Hundred Forms Market is all about?"

"Alright, please, young master. Let's talk as we walk." Zhang Zidu nodded, then took the lead and walked ahead to guide Li Qi.

As he led the way, he said:

"Since you haven't heard of the Hundred Forms Market, I'll start from the beginning. This Hundred Forms Market is an organization formed by the other disciples of the Wushen Mountain, besides you."

"The main purpose of the market is to exchange goods and services. We each find some treasures that we don't need, so we bring them to the market to exchange. This has led to its development. Now, the market is always involved in various occasions in Wushen Mountain, such as now."

After listening, Li Qi asked, "Then why not let the young masters participate? If it's about trading, the young masters have more financial resources and should be of greater help to the market."

Zhang Zidu smiled wryly and shook his head, "Young master, you're missing the point entirely. As I said before, this market was set up for the exchange of goods, but young masters, there is no such thing as 'nothing'."

The disciples of the Great Shaman are all under the Great Shaman's own care, and anything truly lacking on the Dao Path has long been made up for.

Nothing? What are you thinking about?

Li Qi shook his head.

I'm not entirely sure, but he seems a bit different from the other young masters.

Besides the bag of Qi bead in my hand, there are also cultivation Cultivation Method, but it seems the teacher hasn't given me anything...

There were no protectors, and they wouldn't give us Law Treasure.

Oh, and he was also given the identity of 'Young Master of Wushen Mountain,' which directly led to this conflict in the Tang Kingdom.

Zhang Zidu casually skipped over the topic. "Alright, let's not talk about that anymore. Let me tell you about the wonders of these items."

As he spoke, he pointed to one of the stalls, where several strangely shaped beasts were displayed. "Young master, look, this is a pupil worm. It can be implanted in the eye and give people many perspectives that they could not see before."

"For example, when the human eye sees objects, there are only three colors. All the myriad colors are just a mixture of red, yellow, and blue. The Purple Pupil Worm can give people four-color vision. After wearing it, you can see four colors: red, yellow, blue, and purple."

Zhang Zidu explained.