"Divine Intent Diagram?!"
Lu She roared angrily, "How dare you covet my Red Snake Martial Arts School's secret inheritance?"
The muscles in his legs bulged, and his skin took on an abnormal crimson hue. He looked as if he might attack at the slightest disagreement.
"It's merely a Divine Intent Diagram. How many inner disciples in your Martial Arts School have seen it? So what? How many have reached the Three Changes of Qi and Blood, and how many have successfully cultivated strength?"
Mu Canglong slowly shook his head.
For a Martial Arts School, as long as one paid enough money, any Martial Arts could be sold.
In his view, Lu She was merely deliberately inflating his own value.
"Master Lu."
At this moment, Fang Xi spoke. "I only need to view the Divine Intent Diagram for half a day. To show my sincerity, I'm willing to offer one thousand taels of silver!"
Lu She: "..."
At that moment, this Red Snake Martial Arts School Master finally seemed to understand why She Lei had reddened his eyes and attacked his own Martial Arts School's apprentice.
This Young Master Fang was truly, damn it, just like the rumors said—a huge fat sheep!
In the end, Lu She spoke, his voice hoarse. "Deal!"
It wasn't that he didn't want to haggle. The other party had simply offered too much.
"Red Snake Leg Divine Intent Diagram!"
Inside a quiet room.
Fang Xi frowned as he stared at the piece of animal hide in his hand.
On the animal hide were only disorderly lines, resembling an ink-washed landscape painting. With just a few strokes, it had somehow captured the scene of a mountain forest in an eerie yet vivid manner.
Within the mountain forest, upon the grassland, twisted curves resembling snake shadows crisscrossed and darted about, making one's scalp prickle.
"As the rumors say, one must cultivate Eight Snake Steps to the level of the Three Changes of Qi and Blood before one can view the Divine Intent Diagram. It truly has some mysteries."
Fang Xi nodded slightly, a contemplative look appearing on his face.
This Divine Intent Diagram was extremely strange. Ordinary copying absolutely could not capture its divine intent.
Only a true core disciple of the Red Snake Martial Arts School, practicing while studying it day and night, might be able to cultivate true force!
"However, that only applies to ordinary painters."
In the next moment, Fang Xi flipped his hand, and a blank jade slip appeared.
He pressed the jade slip to his forehead and extended his Spiritual Awareness, engraving the Red Snake Divine Intent Diagram onto it bit by bit.
This was a method cultivators used to record manuals!
Regardless of what kind of ancient text or diagram it was... this method guaranteed an effect akin to 'replication,' without losing its spirit or vividness!
Since the Red Snake Divine Intent Diagram was originally drawn by someone, that means it can be reproduced. Ordinary people can't copy it only because their strength and realm are insufficient... Replicating it with a cultivator's Spiritual Awareness counts as taking a shortcut...
A moment later, Fang Xi gazed at the Divine Intent Diagram in his jade slip and sighed with emotion.
If he were only in this Great Liang World, then perhaps only a Martial Master who had cultivated Red Snake Leg to an extremely profound level could attempt to depict this Divine Intent Diagram.
But now, he had completed it with ease.
Lu She agreed because he thought I wouldn't be able to copy and memorize it in such a short time, right?
Now, he can be said to have miscalculated horribly.
Thinking this, Fang Xi felt extremely satisfied. He went out and returned the Divine Intent Diagram, allowing Lu She to inspect it, and even presented him with a gift of thanks.
Lu She turned the Divine Intent Diagram over and over, confirming that it was his genuine original. He immediately cupped his fists. "The mountains are high and the roads long. Until we meet again!"
"Until we meet again!"
Fang Xi knew that this person had surely taken note of their grudge, but he did not care in the slightest.
After all, the true inheritance of Red Snake Leg was already in his hands. He would have no reason to ask anything of this person in the future.
It had to be said that after arriving in Great Liang, Fang Xi had far fewer concerns.
In the blink of an eye, half a month passed.
Southern Barrens Cultivation World.
Fang Xi gazed at the snow outside that had already begun to melt. Beneath the eaves, he reached out and caught a drop of snowmelt. "Winter passes and spring arrives. Boiling snowmelt for tea is also one of life's great pleasures."
Half a month had passed since the previous incident. He had formally abandoned the Red Snake Martial Arts School and joined White Cloud Martial Arts School. Every day, he received training from Mu Piaomiao, and his White Cloud Palm could be considered to have just entered the doorway.
In the Southern Barrens, meanwhile, the fervor surrounding Purple Nether Mountain had still not died down in the slightest, and the prices of all kinds of talismans and Magic Tools had soared.
Speaking of which, Fang Xi had made a small profit from the talismans he bought last time—they had all gone up in price now.
"No. If I haven't sold them, it can't really count as profit. And I won't sell them either..."
Fang Xi sighed and headed to the marketplace.
Contrary to his expectations, the place was far more crowded than half a month ago. Large numbers of cultivators had appeared, filling every stall.
Yet items such as talismans and Magic Tools, which could immediately increase one's combat strength, had begun plunging in price.
Correspondingly, many more stalls were selling materials produced by the Purple Nether Mountain secret realm. Fang Xi only had to glance at them before the corner of his mouth twitched.
That thing claiming to be a Magic Treasure Fragment from inside the secret realm—wasn't it the same piece Old Man Huang had sold in the marketplace before? The thing supposedly designed specifically to swindle rookies.
Besides that, there were countless counterfeit goods mixed among the genuine items. It was as if, overnight, every stall owner had become a winner in the secret realm.
Clearly, ninety-nine percent of these things were fakes!
Even if they were genuine, Fang Xi couldn't afford them.
Therefore, he maintained an excellent state of mind. He merely looked around before squeezing into the crowd to gather information.
"Damn it!"
"The Purple Nether Mountain secret realm is an opportunity bestowed by Heaven! On what grounds do the Situ Family and Red Leaf Valley forbid us Rogue Cultivators from entering?"
Quite a few cultivators were indignant, and Fang Xi understood.
It turned out that the Situ Family had taken action. Not only that, they had joined forces with a nearby Foundation Establishment faction—Red Leaf Valley—to blockade Purple Nether Mountain. These Rogue Cultivators could only return empty-handed.
It was said that the other side had even mobilized a Foundation Establishment Great Cultivator, leaving Qi Refining Cultivators able only to gaze across the sea and sigh.
"Looking at it this way, Old Mai Tou should be back too, right? The spring harvest is almost here..."
Fang Xi strolled among the stalls while sighing with emotion.
Taking this opportunity, perhaps he could fulfill his long-held wish and buy a Low-grade Magic Tool at a low price!
He looked over the stalls one by one. At this time, quite a few Magic Tools on the stalls were damaged. Some were even stained with blood, clearly either obtained through improper means or having gone through a fierce battle.
And... as far as he was concerned, the prices were still too high.
Fang Xi wasn't upset. He merely browsed casually.
Suddenly, he stopped in front of a stall, staring blankly at a flying sword-type Magic Tool displayed there.
This Magic Tool was only First-grade Low-rank. It was shaped like Green Grain, measured one foot and three inches long, and had several gaps on its surface. The damage was already quite severe.
Most importantly, Fang Xi recognized this flying sword Magic Tool!
It was precisely the sword Old Mai Tou had kept hidden as his ultimate trump card!
With this item appearing here, Old Mai Tou's fate was self-evident.
Fang Xi sighed inwardly and looked at the stall owner. He was a burly man in black, his face veiled, with a trace of Killing Intent clinging to him.
Perhaps Old Mai Tou died at this man's hands.
Just as Fang Xi was sighing with emotion, the man in black seemed to notice something as well. He looked at Fang Xi. "Boy... don't tell me you've taken a fancy to something of mine?"
His voice was low, carrying a dangerous undertone.
"Indeed. May I ask how much you're asking for this Low-grade Magic Tool flying sword?" Fang Xi asked tentatively.
"An ordinary Low-grade Magic Tool sells for anywhere from five to ten Spirit Stones. I'll give you this flying sword cheaply—four Spirit Stones." The man in black replied.
"Fellow Daoist, don't make fun of me." Anxiety appeared on Fang Xi's face. "This Magic Tool is already close to being ruined. On top of that, Magic Tool prices have fallen recently. Four Spirit Stones is truly too high..."
"Then how much will you offer?" Clearly, the man in black had casually named a price earlier to slaughter a fat sheep. Upon hearing Fang Xi's words, he immediately changed his tune.
If he really insisted on four Spirit Stones, this Magic Tool probably wouldn't sell until the end of time.
"One Spirit Stone!"
Fang Xi thought for a moment, then held up one finger.
"Are you making fun of me?" The man in black was displeased. "At least three Spirit Stones!"
"Look at this Magic Tool. Even the formation patterns are cracked. Its spiritual power circulation may well be unreliable, and there are gaps in the blade. If it clashes with another sword, it might snap..." Since they were in the marketplace, Fang Xi was a little bolder and dared to drive down the price.
After a round of haggling, the deal was finally concluded for two Spirit Stones plus three Spirit Crystals.
Fang Xi's face was full of pain. He scraped together various bits of Spirit Crystals from all over his body and finally assembled the price, obtaining the Green Grain Sword.
In reality, after buying this flying sword Magic Tool, he had indeed exhausted all his reserves. For the next period of time, he could not even afford Spirit Rice and could only eat ordinary rice.
But Fang Xi was quite willing, and felt it was well worth it.
If he hadn't taken advantage of the current market chaos and the sharp plunge in Magic Tool prices, obtaining a Low-grade Magic Tool would not have been so easy.
The shantytown.
After returning to his room and closing the door, Fang Xi took out the Green Grain Sword.
He gazed at the flying sword, his expression shifting between gloomy and bright. The cold gleam on the blade shone across his face, bringing with it a strange sensation.
After a long while, Fang Xi lowered the flying sword. "Who would have thought... the first Magic Tool of my life would come from Old Mai Tou."
Thinking of the scene when Old Mai Tou had drawn his flying sword and fought desperately for a chance at survival, Fang Xi couldn't help sighing inwardly. He became even more vigilant, warning himself that he absolutely must not follow Old Mai Tou's example!
He had the Golden Finger. From now on, he had to leave himself room in his dealings with others. He absolutely could not risk his life for a tiny, petty profit!
"Fortunately, the Situ Family and Red Leaf Valley joined forces and quelled the disturbance."
Fang Xi put away the Green Grain Sword, planning to go to the Great Liang World tomorrow and properly learn how to manipulate Magic Tools.
At the same time, he felt a little more relaxed.
That chaotic environment and the restless hearts of the people had truly displeased Fang Xi.
If the disturbance had continued, he had even been preparing to leave the marketplace for a while to avoid disaster.
"Even now, it still can't be considered especially safe."
Fang Xi swept his gaze around the surroundings and made up his mind!
He would dig a hole—a cellar, preferably with an escape passage prepared as well!
This was a major project, but it could be done slowly.
Moreover, in the future, he could choose to travel between the two worlds inside the cellar!
That would provide another layer of concealment.
Before you continue