Gathering

Just as Song Qingming was racking his brains over how to go to the Marketplace and trade for materials to refine formations, Song Changxin unexpectedly came to find him early the next morning, giving him an unexpected chance to gather materials.

After half an hour of travel, Song Qingming followed Song Changxin to Caolu Mountain, a Spirit Mountain several dozen li from Lingyuan Mountain. This Spirit Mountain was not too far from the Song Family either. Though Song Qingming had never been here before, he had heard of it.

This mountain also possessed a high-grade spirit vein. It had originally been the sect grounds of a small Qi Refining sect. Several decades ago, internal strife had broken out within the sect. After a round of fighting, the small sect, which had never had a deep foundation to begin with, suffered grievous internal losses and gradually declined thereafter.

Most small and medium-sized sects in the Cultivation World found it difficult to endure for long. A sect lacked the bloodline ties of a family, and cultivators who joined midway found it hard to develop a deep sense of belonging toward the sect in a short time.

Once the former Sect Leader passed away, if the successor could not keep the veteran cultivators within the sect in line, they would easily come to blows over sect authority or cultivation resources. The sect would then decline, and in the end could only silently vanish into the vast river of Cultivation World history.

Today's Caolu Mountain had long been jointly occupied by several nearby Late Qi Refining Stage Rogue Cultivators, and it was far more prosperous than before.

This place was near Yunwu Mountain and also lay along the route that many cultivators had to take to venture deep into Yunwu Mountain and hunt demon beasts. Many cultivators stopped at this mountain to rest awhile as they passed through.

After putting their heads together, these Rogue Cultivators opened an inn here for passing cultivators to meditate and rest. Every half month, they also held a small Trade Fair here, drawing nearby cultivators to exchange goods and earning themselves quite a few Spirit Stones.

Upon reaching the edge of a dense forest on the southern side of Caolu Mountain, Song Changxin tossed out a low-grade Sound Transmission Talisman. Before long, a circular gap appeared in the dense woods ahead, revealing the true appearance concealed within the formation. From the once utterly silent mountain came a burst of lively voices.

After the two entered the formation, they saw a large inn not far ahead, with quite a few pavilions and towers on either side. Beneath the vermilion-red entrance plaque before the inn, several people were loudly discussing something.

"Ah, Fellow Daoist Song! I never expected you to come this time as well. We have not seen each other for several months—have you been well?"

Only after Song Qingming drew closer did he realize that these people were all at the Late Qi Refining Stage or above. Upon seeing Song Changxin, one of them hurriedly smiled and raised the whisk in his hand in greeting. He was clearly an old acquaintance of Ninth Uncle's.

"Thank you for your concern, Fellow Daoist Wu. I have been busy cultivating at home during this time. This time, I merely took some leisure amid my busyness to bring my nephew here to broaden his horizons. I hope you will all look after him in the future." With that, he gestured for Song Qingming behind him to step forward and offer greetings.

"This junior, Song Qingming, pays his respects to the seniors." Song Qingming stepped forward calmly and cupped his hands in salute to the group.

"Ah, we are all fellow cultivators. There is no need for such formality."

"The Trade Fair is about to begin. If we miss something we need, the loss will outweigh the gain. Let us go inside and talk."

Among those at the entrance, a Zhang Family Cultivator was somewhat impatient. Unable to stand the group exchanging pleasantries any longer, he urged everyone to go inside before continuing their conversation.

Naturally, no one had forgotten their main reason for coming. After smiling and nodding, they entered the courtyard together.

At this moment, dozens of cultivators already filled the courtyard, each with quite a few items placed before them. Song Changxin led Song Qingming to find a spot in the courtyard.

"Qingming, price these mid-grade Spirit Talismans at five Spirit Stones. If someone wants all of them, you can lower the price by two Spirit Stones. If anyone takes a liking to this Black Stone, do not be in a hurry—do not sell it for less than ten Spirit Stones. Also, help me gather some materials for Talisman Making. The more, the better."

That afternoon, after seeing that Song Qingming had gradually become familiar with some of the rules here, Song Changxin gave him these instructions, then left Song Qingming behind and hurried back to Lingyuan Mountain alone.

With so many cultivators here, a set of formations should not be difficult to sell. It would be even better if he could buy some useful materials as well.

In order to save some Spirit Stones, Rogue Cultivators would choose stable, safe locations to exchange resources and goods. This saved them quite a few Spirit Stones compared with going to the Marketplace, since whether buying or selling there, the Marketplace always had to make a profit.

There were quite a few Rogue Cultivator gatherings like this throughout Qinghe County. Song Qingming had followed family elders to several of them in the past, so he was not unfamiliar with them.

Earlier that morning, he had intended to ask Ninth Uncle to let him make another trip to the Marketplace to sell the formations he had crafted. Yet after hearing him out, Song Changxin said he would take him to a closer place to do business instead. This saved Song Qingming a great deal of trouble.

Of course, Ninth Uncle had also found someone who could help him gather Talisman Making materials in the future.

The gathering before him was organized by the three Late Qi Refining Stage Cultivators who had established themselves here. It was held once every half month, and each time could gather fifty or sixty cultivators.

Most of the goods traded were merely materials, talismans, and low-grade pills. If one wanted to buy anything truly good, one still had to go to Qinghe Market.

Most cultivators setting up stalls here were familiar faces, and with the Three Elders of Caolu acting as guarantors, the market atmosphere was fairly good. Fraud and cheating were also rare.

Not long after Song Qingming set up his stall, several cultivators came over to ask how he was selling his formation.

"Low-grade Five Elements Formation, fifteen Spirit Stones or Spirit Rice of equal value."

The few cultivators had wanted to bring out several surplus low-grade spirit items from their own possessions to trade, but Song Qingming firmly refused them all. Though those items were worth the same, they were not things he needed. What he urgently needed most were Spirit Stones.

Seeing that Song Qingming remained seated and showed no intention of yielding, they could only give up in disappointment and turn to leave.

After the people gathered around his stall dispersed, Song Qingming finally had time to let his eyes wander over the nearby stalls. He gradually discovered that while quite a few people had come to the Exchange Meeting to set up stalls and sell things, there were truly not many who brought out useful items like his.

Most were selling basic materials, ores, relatively obscure Spirit Talismans, or discarded low-grade magical artifacts.

There were also some crafty old foxes. They brought out useless things that had been gathering dust in their hands for years. Unwilling to sell them cheaply at the Marketplace, they wanted to try their luck at this Exchange Meeting and see whether they might encounter a buyer who happened to need such an item.

Just as Song Qingming was curiously surveying his surroundings, a crisp voice interrupted him.

"How many Spirit Stones for your formation?"

Song Qingming turned his head and saw that the one asking was a Yellow-clothed Woman, around twenty years old.

"Fifteen Spirit Stones!"

"Will you sell it for ten Spirit Stones and a bottle of Qi Refining Powder?"

Hearing the newcomer's gentle voice again, Song Qingming froze slightly before quickly agreeing.

"Yes!"

Though pills like Qi Refining Powder, which could increase one's cultivation after consumption, had only average effects, they were still hard currency. Whether traded with others in the clan or taken directly to the family Treasury Pavilion, they could be exchanged for Spirit Stones at any time.

After receiving the pills and Spirit Stones she handed over and confirming that everything was correct, Song Qingming handed the formation in his hand to her.

With the trade completed smoothly, Song Qingming was in rather good spirits. He had finally made his first sale.

His luck was fairly good that day. Not only did both of his own formations sell smoothly, even Ninth Uncle's Spirit Talismans were all sold. Only the Black Stone he had worried about most—he had no idea what the thing was—sat there for the entire day without even drawing a second glance from more than a few people.

Not only had Song Qingming sold those items, he had also gathered quite a few materials for Talisman Making and formation refinement. The Rogue Cultivators here often went to Yunwu Mountain to hunt demon beasts and had plenty of such low-grade materials in their hands. As long as his price was no lower than the Marketplace's purchase price, Song Qingming easily gathered a considerable amount of the materials he wanted.

By the time he left Caolu Mountain, dusk was already near at the horizon. Song Qingming quickened his pace and happened to return to Lingyuan Mountain before the sun set.

Before leaving, Song Qingming had specifically gone to meet the several masters of Plain Hut Mountain. These three were all veteran local Rogue Cultivators of Qinghe County and enjoyed making friends with nearby cultivators. After Song Qingming explained his purpose, he quickly received an access token just like Ninth Uncle's.

He would definitely be coming here often in the future.