Setting Up a Stall

"The Tianshi Manor, Shangqing Sect, and Maoshan Sect have all sent people—the three giants of the Zhengyi Dao, each with elders above the Dao Palace Realm in attendance."

"The Great Xia Dragon-Sparrow clan has also dispatched a strong one, though only a branch lineage from Jiujiang, still at the Dao Palace Realm."

"The strong from the Shu Region Immortal Sword Sect have arrived as well; they're said to be here this time to trade for some heavenly treasures used in sword forging."

On Mount Sanqing, mist and haze rose thickly, clouds and fog coiling around. The splendor of the Thirteen Peaks was breathtakingly beautiful, each with its own unique form. This cultivator gathering had no small influence—not only had elders from the three great sects of the Southern Zhengyi Dao come, but members of the Great Xia Dragon-Sparrow clan and the Shu Region Immortal Sword Sect had arrived in person, and even the Northern Quanzhen Sect had sent experts crossing southward.

A flood of cultivators suddenly descended upon Mount Sanqing, filling every Daoist hall and detached courtyard with people. The once-sparsely populated Three Pure Palace instantly buzzed with life.

The tranquility of the Three Pure Palace was shattered, replaced by clamorous discussions and noisy commotion. The sheer number of people coming and going was overwhelming—from novice acolytes who hadn't even entered the gate to great figures of the Four Extremities Realm, hailing from various teachings and sects, all the powers of the Central Plains.

Indeed, only the powers of the Central Plains. This cultivator gathering was indeed sizable, but given the current state of the times, cultivators rarely held large-scale meetings.

As for those heavyweight gatherings that could influence all of Huaxia, they could only be convened by ancient experts of the Immortal Platform Realm.

Such figures were the true ancestral-level beings of every top-tier faction, each one sealed away in bitter seclusion. How could they waste time holding any grand assembly during the lowest ebb of this era of scarce Dao?

On a low hill within the Three Pure Palace, Yan Kuan stood there in solitude, like a man detached from the world. His ears seemed deaf to all the noise, calmly observing the people and events that had nothing to do with him.

"There's a great figure of the Four Extremities Realm giving a lecture inside the Three Purities Dao Palace, but only cultivators who have truly opened the Sea of Bitterness can enter to listen."

When Yan Kuan heard this news, his heart stirred. He followed a group of Wheel Sea Realm cultivators into the Three Purities Dao Palace.

Legend had it that the Three Purities Dao Palace was built during the Tang Dynasty, originally a Laojun Daoist Temple dedicated solely to Laozi's incarnation, the Supreme One. Over countless years, it was repeatedly repaired and expanded, and only during the Ming and Qing Dynasties was it renamed the Three Pure Palace.

Yan Kuan walked to a cushion at the rear side of the square in front of the Three Purities Dao Palace and sat down, attentively listening to the contemporary great figures ahead as they spoke the wondrous Dao sounds and subtle truths of cultivation.

Cultivation in this age was difficult. Experts of the Immortal Platform Realm had long vanished without a trace, and those of the Dragon Transformation Realm were like divine dragons whose heads were seen but tails never revealed. Only the Four Extremities Realm represented the current peak of active cultivation, mostly elders or even sect leaders of various schools.

These people had managed to cultivate to the Four Extremities Realm in this era. If the great transformation of heaven and earth ever came, they might have hope of glimpsing the Immortal Platform. Of course, the key was whether they could live that long.

Yan Kuan sat cross-legged on the cushion and listened to some of the so-called Dao Palace and Four Extremities Realm experts' lectures, but soon lost interest.

In this era, the internet hadn't yet developed, and sectarian conservatism was deeply ingrained. This was even more true for famous sects and these so-called experts. On top of that, cultivators loved to speak in riddles, making their words hazy and lofty-sounding while leaving listeners utterly confused.

Yan Kuan listened carefully for a while. There was some real substance in what they said. If an ordinary cultivator followed their step-by-step instructions, they might be able to cultivate to the Great Perfection of the Wheel Sea Realm—provided they had the scriptures and resources for each stage.

Yan Kuan naturally lacked none of these things, but he felt that what these so-called experts were saying was rather childish for him. His own insights and interpretations of the Wheel Sea Realm surpassed everything they were talking about. There was really no point in wasting time listening further.

With this thought in mind, he made up his mind. Quietly, he rose from the cushion and slipped away, walking out of the Three Purities Dao Palace along with some other cultivators who also intended to leave.

Outside the Three Purities Dao Palace, many cultivators had set up stalls to trade. The liveliness of these places even drew more attention than the lectures inside the palace.

For gatherings like this cultivator assembly, many people were already experienced. These events were usually hosted in rotation by the major powers, with the aim of selecting talent or building momentum for outstanding younger members of their own sects.

First came the lectures on Dao, then the martial contests among the younger generation. For ordinary rogue cultivators new to such gatherings, the first two events were quite attractive. But for true veterans, these temporary stall markets were the real reason they came.

In this era of scarce Dao, cultivation was difficult. There weren't many cultivators within Huaxia, and even fewer rogue cultivators and wild foxes who could gather together to exchange what they had.

Rogue cultivators came from humble origins. Unlike the sects, which had reserved lands to obtain relatively systematic cultivation resources, everyone struggled to get by. But they all had a few things on hand, and trading with each other could promote progress—that was the real reason most rogue cultivators came here.

Yan Kuan followed a few cultivators into the bustling stall area. This temporary market had at least a hundred different stalls, with vendors shouting in accents from all over the land, making it feel even livelier than Panjiayao in Jingcheng.

Yan Kuan drifted among the stalls, his Fiery Golden Eyes flickering subtly as he swept his gaze over many of them. The goods on these stalls were generally sparse—scattered medicinal herbs and some precious materials.

He noticed that some stalls had old Daoist scriptures piled up casually, not looking very valuable, and seemingly few people were interested in them.

He asked around and learned the specifics. Most of these scriptures put out on the old stalls were genuine, but the ones being sold were basically only Wheel Sea Realm texts.

And those who could attend a cultivator gathering were either actual cultivators or their descendants. They all carried their own inherited teachings, so they wouldn't have much interest in these scriptures.

In this era of scarce Dao, even cultivating one's own method was incredibly difficult. Who would spare the energy to study other Daoist texts? Besides, many of these scriptures for sale were missing pages or damaged, making them even less valuable. Only some large sects might collect them to pad their archives.

When Yan Kuan heard this, his heart stirred. Wheel Sea Realm scriptures were useless to most cultivators, but he was different.

His Wheel Sea Chapter cultivation method was profound, but it was still far from a true supreme ancient scripture. And right now, he had no way to obtain a complete ancient scripture. He could only rely on his cheat to deduce and optimize.

The Burning Art required powerful strange flames to evolve, but the two flames he had obtained so far were too strong for him to refine their seeds. So he had to take another path: collect various Wheel Sea Realm texts, continuously optimize them, and eventually generate the most suitable Wheel Sea cultivation chapter for himself.

As soon as this thought crossed his mind, Yan Kuan acted. Before long, beside a small stall on the outskirts, a short, dwarf-like figure in a black robe sat down cross-legged and placed several small porcelain bottles on a cloth spread.