Old Crow

"Who said I wasn't wearing a mask?"

"I'm wearing the mask of my heart!"

"Ever heard of Flesh Magic? It'll scare you to death."

Zhong Shenxiu rolled his eyes internally and moved closer to a small circle.

This circle was where Old Crow had been. Seeing him approach, Old Crow let out an unpleasant laugh, "Little fellow daoist, where do you hail from?"

"I am Young Master Shenxiu, born into the martial world. My cultivation has reached the peak of Xiantian, and I've been traveling far and wide, seeking a path to the Dao."

Zhong Shenxiu cupped his fists in a polite bow. This was a perfectly normal explanation; after reaching a bottleneck, nine out of ten martial artists would choose this path.

Although some did find true opportunities, the probability of dying in a foreign land was much higher.

"Heh heh!"

Before he finished speaking, a light chuckle came from beside him, "As expected, a foolish boy."

Zhong Shenxiu looked around his circle. Besides Old Crow, there were four others: an unshaven swordsman in a bamboo hat, a monkey that seemed to have achieved sentience, constantly scratching for fleas on its body, and a paper figure with rouge on its cheeks.

In addition, there was a woman wearing a silver-white mask, draped in light gauze, with a graceful bearing. The laughter had come from her.

"Tsk tsk!" The woman in the silver-white mask stared at Zhong Shenxiu's face and sighed, "What a handsome young man... How about this? If you're willing to spend a night with this humble servant, I'll offer you some guidance?"

"I sell my skills, not my body," Zhong Shenxiu said, his face seemingly flushing. Then, his voice lowered, "If you had a true Daoist Magic scripture, it wouldn't be impossible."

Although back then, he would have probably just released the Headless Count and robbed them blind.

"A true Daoist Secret scripture, you really dare to ask for that."

Old Crow scoffed, "We rogue cultivators are all unorthodox. Having one or two powerful Daoist Arts is enough to be proud of. You want a Daoist Secret scripture in exchange for your body? Even with your good looks, it's impossible."

The woman in the silver-white mask seemed to recall something and let out a long sigh, also falling silent.

"So, the method to enter the Dao is actually this rare?"

Zhong Shenxiu exclaimed, "I'm not very familiar with these matters, please enlighten me."

"We could tell that long ago, you're just a naive kid!"

The woman in the silver-white mask pointed at Zhong Shenxiu, her tone flirtatious.

"Then, in our Fufeng Protectorate, are there any powerful cultivators?" Zhong Shenxiu ignored her and humbly asked.

"It's not guidance, just a discussion," Old Crow said with a smile. "Speaking of powerful cultivators, most of them are in the government or sects. Let's not even talk about the government; we can't afford to offend them. As for sects, this place was originally a land of barbarians, with no sects before. Now, there's only the Cloud Mirror Sect, trying to expand its influence here."

Zhong Shenxiu suddenly felt that Feng Xi'er's sect didn't seem very powerful.

Truly powerful sects wouldn't be relegated to recruiting in remote areas.

"However, there are many exiles here, as well as those who flee here for defying the law. Thus, among the rogue cultivators, there are indeed a few experts."

Old Crow's expression turned solemn.

"Squeak squeak... For example, you, old sir, can preside over this place and hold the Black Mountain gathering every full moon. You are also a top-tier expert," said the monkey beside him, eating a flea with a grin.

This monkey is quite the flatterer. It must be a Daoist Yin spirit inside.

Zhong Shenxiu glanced at it, then looked at the swordsman and the paper figure. They remained silent, seemingly in agreement.

"Haha... This old man is untalented. I only managed to step into the Dao at the age of sixty-something. Now I've achieved the Nine Yin nourishment and still need to refine my Gang Sha. I don't know if I'll ever have the hope of glimpsing the door of Divine Abilities in this lifetime," Old Crow sighed.

"Being able to cast Yang Gang Spells is already the mark of an expert among rogue cultivators," the woman in the silver-white mask said solemnly.

Spells formed by Gang Sha were indeed formidable, unafraid of most countermeasures.

"Speaking of true experts among rogue cultivators, the first would have to be True Lord Dragon Tiger. His magical power and Divine Abilities have reached an inconceivable realm. He's likely only one step away from forming a Yuan Dan," Old Crow said slowly.

"Such an expert must possess a true Daoist inheritance. Why doesn't he cultivate in an immortal sect or join the government?"

Someone immediately asked.

With his Divine Abilities, securing a position with the treatment of a fifth-rank official would be a piece of cake.

"He must have serious cases against him and be unwelcome in immortal sects," Zhong Shenxiu sighed.

"Besides him, there are the Flying Flower Sisters cultivating on Scattered Flower Mountain, Venerable Poison Dragon in Poison Dragon Cave, and among the foreign races, there are also quite a few experts..."

Old Crow concluded, "The path of cultivation is long and arduous. When will we achieve eternal life?"

"Alright, Fellow Daoist Lu is here for an exchange, not to listen to stories," the swordsman in the bamboo hat suddenly spoke.

"Exchanging information is also one of the purposes of our Black Mountain gathering," Old Crow said with a cheerful disposition. "Since Fellow Daoist Lu is in a hurry, let's begin the exchange. Who shall go first?"

"I have the complete pelt of a demon wolf I killed, and one Origin Crystal. I wish to exchange them for a strand of Geng Jin Sha Qi," the swordsman stated directly, looking around.

To think he's a Sword Hero in the Gang Sha Realm?

Zhong Shenxiu immediately felt the atmosphere around them become much more tense, yet no one produced any Sha Qi for the exchange. Perhaps they truly didn't have any, or perhaps they felt the demon wolf's belongings weren't worth that much.

"So be it."

The swordsman nodded, stood up, and went to other circles to browse. It seemed he was only interested in Geng Jin Sha Qi.

"It seems this fellow Daoist truly walks the path of the sword cultivator, straightforward and direct..." Old Crow chuckled, "Continue..."

The monkey quickly raised its hand and said, "I have some homemade Hundred Fruit Wine here, it can boost vital energy. I wish to exchange it for a Daoist Art..."

Zhong Shenxiu found it amusing and slowly watched the trade unfold. In the end, Old Crow showed interest and exchanged a minor spell for it.

Before long, it was his turn.

He thought for a moment and said, "I was fortunate enough to obtain a secret for artifact refining, named 'Mysterious Yin Nail'. Unfortunately, it only contains the method for refining the artifact. I'm not particular about what I can exchange it for, please name your price."

"Artifact refining? Without reaching Gang Sha, you have no magical power, so it's useless."

The woman in a silver-white mask seemed a bit regretful, "If the Daoist Art for the Mysterious Yin Nail were still here, I could offer a thousand White Emperor Coins."

The paper figure and the monkey also shook their heads repeatedly, clearly having no use for it.

However, Old Crow suddenly said, "I also have an artifact refining technique here, called 'Soul Summoning Banner'. Unfortunately, it also lacks the method for Daoist cultivation. What do you say?"

It seems this Old Crow might know the Daoist Art for the Mysterious Yin Nail, but he doesn't want to help me. If he exchanged the Daoist Art, it would be mutually beneficial.

Zhong Shenxiu's heart stirred upon hearing the words 'Soul Summoning Banner', and he said, "Let's trade. They are both artifact refining techniques, so I won't be at a disadvantage."

"Heh heh, Daoist friend, you may not know this, but at our Black Mountain gathering, when selling Daoist Secrets or spells, we must make a promise not to resell them here."

Old Crow added with a smile.