Shaoyang Market Town

This region where Su Fan is located is in Yongzhou, in the northeastern part of the Western Wilderness, and several mortal kingdoms are distributed here.

The Lesser Yang Sect is located within the Chu Kingdom. Its territory is astonishingly large, even bigger than China in his previous life, with a population of hundreds of millions.

The Chu Kingdom has few Spirit Veins. There are only five small sects, and the highest cultivation within them is only Foundation Establishment.

What shocked him was that several other mortal kingdoms in Yongzhou were much larger than the Chu Kingdom.

Moreover, besides immortal sects like the Lesser Yang Sect, there were also demonic sects elsewhere.

This travelogue was written by a rogue cultivator. He hadn't even left the Chu Kingdom, so his perspective and vision were limited.

However, some information was revealed between the lines.

Su Fan's biggest feeling was that this world was truly immense.

For the next few days, Su Fan continued to lie low and recover from his injuries.

Before being struck by lightning, his previous self had bought medicinal supplies at the market in case of accidents. Now, his injuries had finally stabilized.

His originally shattered body, dilapidated internal organs, and disordered Meridians had all recovered significantly.

Although he was wrapped like a mummy, they were all superficial wounds.

It's just that the bandages had stuck to his skin, and if he tore them off now, it would be excruciatingly painful.

He decided to keep them on for now and peel them off slowly after they scabbed over.

These were indeed medicinal supplies only found in cultivation markets.

The effects of the Tianji Bone-Mending Paste and Dragon Tiger Creation Powder were miraculous compared to the Western and Chinese medicines of his previous life.

If he had suffered such severe injuries in the Mortal World, he would have been buried long ago.

Although his injuries were almost healed, Su Fan didn't want to go out.

This world was quite chaotic. Currently, apart from cultivation techniques, he didn't even know a single defensive spell. How could he dare to go out and fool around?

Su Fan organized his belongings.

Twelve talismans.

A rusty Magic Sword.

Six tattered old books.

A large pile of pungent beast hides and bones.

Several ingots of gold from the Mortal World.

His last bit of savings consisted of six Spirit Stones and a few dozen Magic Coins.

The Spirit Stones were only thumb-sized, their surfaces pure and flawless, with a crystal-clear halo like glazed glass, as if a pool of clear spring water was flowing within.

The Magic Coins were about the size of normal copper coins, pressed from the scraps left over from cutting Spirit Stones, with thin and scattered spiritual energy within.

Magic Coins were only circulated among rogue cultivators at the lowest level; Sect Disciples disdained using them.

Besides these, his living supplies included more than half a jar of Spirit Rice, a pile of firewood, and half a jar of sauce vegetables.

Su Fan sighed inwardly. After twenty years of cultivation, this was all he had managed to save. It was truly...

"The future is worrying..."

He picked up the few tattered books and flipped through them one by one.

"Detailed Explanation of Early Qi Refining Spells," "Compendium of Hundred Herbs," "Bestiary of Demonic Beasts," "Body Tempering Art," "True Explanation of First-Order Talismans," "Miscellaneous Notes on Artifact Refining."

The urgent priority was to learn a few spells for self-defense.

Su Fan picked up "Detailed Explanation of Early Qi Refining Spells" and was quite disappointed after reading it.

There weren't many spells for the early Qi Refining stage, and they were all auxiliary. There were no offensive or defensive spells.

The way he had imagined cultivators fighting was by throwing fireballs and wind blades, or by having magic artifacts and treasures flying everywhere.

After reading this book, Su Fan knew he had been overthinking things.

Early Qi Refining cultivators had weak Spiritual Sense and couldn't control magic artifacts at all. They didn't have much Dharma power either, and couldn't use offensive or defensive spells.

The main methods of combat, besides using talismans, were to hack at each other with Magic Swords.

This wasn't like being an Immortal; it was more like a street brawl.

Su Fan took out over a dozen talismans from his Storage Bag. Each talisman was a little over three inches long and an inch wide, made of either talisman skin or talisman paper.

Except for one "Protective Talisman," the rest weren't very good.

It was called a Protective Talisman, but it was actually a low-grade talisman that could only defend against mundane weapons like swords and arrows.

Three "Divine Speed Talismans" were for traveling.

Three "Spring Return Talismans" were for healing.

And three "Muting Talismans" were for stealth and hiding.

The remaining two "Evil Warding Talismans," he had no idea what they were for.

Perhaps they were for dealing with ghosts.

I should learn a few more auxiliary spells to ensure I have as much backup as possible.

"Light Body Art" is a spell for escaping, I must learn this one.

"Qi Gazing Art" can observe the flow of spiritual power. It might not seem like much, but it's actually very useful.

A concealment spell like "Spirit Concealment Art" is definitely something I need to learn.

That should be enough. I can't chew more than I can swallow.

Then I'll head to the market to find a Mortal World sword technique for close combat, and that should be about it.

In the end, my cultivation is still too low.

A Qi Refining Second Layer cultivator like me can only be bullied wherever I go.

Su Fan let out a breath and began to focus on studying the spells.

To his surprise, as soon as he started studying "Light Body Art," some insights into the spell and memories of cultivating and casting it appeared in his mind.

He suppressed his excitement and continued studying the next two spells.

The results were very gratifying. Memories of "Qi Gazing Art" and "Spirit Concealment Art" also appeared in his mind.

He chanted the incantation and formed the hand seals. His body immediately felt lighter. With a light leap forward, he was already in the kitchen.

A distance of four to five meters was covered in a single step.

[Light Body Art +1]

He left the house, gave a light leap, and his body shot up from the ground, floating gracefully onto the rooftop.

[Light Body Art +1]

Su Fan suppressed the urge to play superhero and forced himself to calm down.

If early Qi Refining spells are this amazing, how powerful must "Wind Riding Art," which can be learned in the middle stages, be?

Thinking of this, Su Fan couldn't help but look forward to the future.

They truly are Immortals. Even a simple auxiliary spell looks so earth-shattering to mortals.

He formed the hand seals and chanted the incantation again, circulating his Spiritual power.

[Qi Gazing Art +1]

The scene instantly changed. The entire world turned black and white, with colorful wisps of energy floating between heaven and earth.

On Shaoyang Mountain in the distance, a vibrant aura shone dazzlingly. That was the direction of the Lesser Yang Sect's Mountain Protecting Grand Array.

Next, he tried the Spirit Concealment Art again, and he completed it with ease.

The three consecutive spells opened Su Fan's eyes.

This was the Cultivation World.

No wonder countless rogue cultivators would rather endure hardships in the Lesser Yang Sect's market than return to the mortal society.

After all, even a cultivator at the early Qi Refining stage would be at least a high-ranking individual in a mortal kingdom.

After a moment of reflection, Su Fan opened his status panel, and the data for the three spells appeared.

[Name] Su Fan

[Lifespan] 36/92 years

[Realm] Qi Refining Second Layer: 99/100

[Cultivation Techniques]

1. Primordial Chaos Technique (Tier 1): 22/100.

2. Body Tempering Art (Tier 2): 45/200

3. Demonic Saint Body Art (Tier 1): 100/100

[Spells]

1. Qi Gazing Art (Beginner): 1/100

2. Light Body Art (Beginner): 2/100

3. Spirit Concealment Art (Beginner): 1/100

The auxiliary spells of the early Qi Refining stage were relatively simple and consumed very little spiritual power.

Coupled with his memory, practicing several spells was like having divine assistance.

Through continuous effort, in just two days, he had brought all three spells to Minor Accomplishment.

However, after reaching Minor Accomplishment, the progress bar for spell proficiency doubled, and it was no longer as fast as it was during the Beginner stage.

Since he had already mastered three spells, it was time to visit the market.

Besides replenishing some daily necessities, he also wanted to find a sword technique.

Oh, right, he also needed to buy some mid-grade attack and defense talismans.

Mid-grade talismans were often very expensive, but he couldn't afford to worry about that now.

Without some life-saving means, he couldn't even sleep soundly.

Su Fan sighed, unbuckled the storage bag from his waist. No matter how reluctant he was, he had to exchange it for spirit stones.

It had only been a few days since he got it, and it was gone before he could even warm it up.

The next morning, as soon as the sky began to lighten, Su Fan got up.

He tidied his belongings, slung his pack over his shoulder, fastened his magic sword, and then pushed open the door to leave his room.

In the early morning, a drizzling autumn rain, like a thin mist, enveloped the hazy Shaoyang Mountain.

The sky was a dull gray, and the ground was muddy.

Some fallen leaves were stuck in the mud, making a faint crunching sound when stepped on.

In the distance, a range of undulating mountains – that was the main peak of Shaoyang Mountain, stretching for thousands of miles.

Ethereal clouds and mist swirled around them, appearing hazy.

The market town was built at the foot of the mountain, while the Lesser Yang Sect was on the mountain, covered by a massive mountain protection array.

Even though the Lesser Yang Sect, with its thousands of disciples, was just a small sect.

The Shaoyang Market Town still attracted nearly ten thousand rogue cultivators.

This was because within a radius of thousands of miles, this was the only spirit vein.

Countless chaotic shantytowns were scattered like stars around the market town.

One dense cluster of self-built huts after another was crammed together, filling every available space.

Dilapidated, low-roofed shacks, muddy, potholed roads, and overflowing sewage.

The air was filled with a thick, putrid smell, and one could step on fresh excrement and urine without paying attention.

From time to time, people on both sides of the road would hold up chamber pots and skillfully empty them into the roadside ditches.

Before long, the fresh air, the fragrance of the earth, and the pervasive smell of night soil gradually merged together.

Although the Lesser Yang Sect Enforcement Team patrolled day and night, and each shantytown had its own self-organized guard teams, the public security situation remained extremely poor.

Bandit cultivators were desperate outlaws, hiding like hungry wolves in the dense shantytowns.

If one was not careful and revealed their wealth outside, they could meet a tragic end.

In fact, few of the nearly ten thousand rogue cultivators here were peaceable.

The surrounding mountains hid countless corpses, most of whom had died in conflicts between cultivators.

Most rogue cultivators had a hard life. Many would take desperate risks for just a few spirit stones.

Su Fan wore a bamboo hat and a faded green Daoist Robe, trudging along in the drizzling rain.

He walked nervously the whole way, afraid of attracting unnecessary trouble.

Fortunately, although it was chaotic here, it was fine during the day. Danger mostly occurred at night.

He was just a low-level cultivator, clearly a pauper.

As long as he didn't go out gallivanting at night, no one would waste their time plotting against him.

As he neared the market, the number of cultivators on the road increased.

Occasionally, he could see cultivators riding flying swords, whistling past overhead, drawing gasps of amazement.

The market was in a town with only one main street, lined with shops on both sides.

The street was filled with scattered stalls, selling all sorts of goods.

Besides various Cultivation Resources, items like Vegetables and Fruits, Seasoning, Sauce Vegetables, dried fruits, Pastries, and Cosmetics from the Mortal World could all be found here.

By Mortal World standards, these goods were exorbitantly priced. The stall owners wouldn't even accept gold, only Magic Coins.

Most stall owners and buyers were rogue cultivators, haggling for half a day over a few Magic Coins.

There were no mortals living around the market. The Lesser Yang Sect disciples' relatives without spiritual roots also lived in the Mortal World.

He browsed the main street with the crowd, constantly entering and exiting various shops.

Su Fan didn't have anything specific he wanted to buy. He was surveying the market prices, looking for a suitable Livelihood.

He had no ambition, no desire to go out adventuring, and certainly no wish to fight and kill every day.

He just wanted to be a law-abiding life player.

Earn a little money, hide away in his small house, and cultivate in peace.

Newcomer, new book, please give some encouragement, thank you everyone.