South of Wushan, three hundred li from Azure Valley Market, lay Jade Mountain Market.
Lu Yan walked out of a shop. The magical artifacts, pills, talismans, and spiritual materials he had taken from the Storage Bags of seven Rogue Cultivators had all been exchanged for Spirit Stones.
Including the Spirit Stones already in the bags, the combined wealth of two Late Stage Qi Refinement cultivators and five Mid-Stage Qi Refinement cultivators came to a full eleven hundred Spirit Stones, enough to fill more than half of a low-grade Storage Bag.
Most ordinary Qi Refinement cultivators had no special skill to rely on, so they could only venture into the mountains to gather spirit herbs and hunt demonic beasts. They not only faced risks along the way, but also had to spend most of their earnings on life-saving talismans and daily cultivation.
Even those who reached Late Stage Qi Refinement might not have many Spirit Stones left on them.
The fact that Lu Yan had managed to scrape together eleven hundred Spirit Stones from seven cultivators showed just how wealthy these raiders were.
Since those seven cultivators were probably somewhat notorious in Azure Valley Market, there was a good chance someone would recognize the magical artifacts they used. That was why Lu Yan had taken a detour to sell them in Jade Mountain Market.
He had been forced to accept somewhat lower prices, but since he had gotten everything for free anyway, Lu Yan couldn't be bothered to quibble over the details.
"No wonder the male leads in those novels love fishing for bandits. Not only is it easy to kill raiding Rogue Cultivators without a shred of guilt, but they're loaded to boot.
"The only thing to worry about is whether you're strong enough. Don't let the fish drag you underwater while you're fishing for them."
Musing to himself, Lu Yan headed toward a Pill Shop in the market.
There weren't many people inside the Pill Shop. To most Rogue Cultivators, pills were a luxury.
Even when low-level Rogue Cultivators bought pills, they mostly chose low-grade ones for treating injuries or restoring spiritual power, rather than proper spirit pills.
As soon as Lu Yan entered, a shop assistant came over to greet him. At the fourth level of Qi Refining, the assistant's cultivation was even higher than Lu Yan's.
But the assistant didn't look down on Lu Yan for having lower cultivation. Instead, he asked earnestly, "What would you like to buy, sir?"
Lu Yan looked around. A faint, pleasant fragrance drifted through the Pill Shop, leaving him feeling refreshed.
"Do you have any pills that can speed up cultivation or help someone break through a bottleneck?"
"May I ask whether you'll be taking them yourself or buying them for someone else?"
"What difference does that make?" Lu Yan asked curiously.
"Different cultivation levels require different pills."
The assistant took three jade bottles from the counter.
"We have three pills suitable for you, esteemed guest: Qi Gathering Powder, Jade Spirit Pills, and Spirit Accumulation Pills."
"Qi Gathering Powder has no grade and is suitable for cultivators in early Qi Refining Stage.
"Jade Spirit Pills are first-grade, low-grade spirit pills, suitable for Mid-Stage Qi Refinement. They can speed up the refinement of spiritual power. Those in early Qi Refining Stage can take them too, but much of the medicinal power would go to waste.
"Lastly, Spirit Accumulation Pills are first-grade, high-grade spirit pills that can help with breaking through. However, they're only suitable for cultivators below Late Stage Qi Refining, and naturally, they're the most expensive."
As he spoke, the assistant took the pills out of the jade bottles for Lu Yan to inspect.
The Jade Spirit Pill was round and green all over, just like a piece of jade.
Lu Yan recognized it at a glance. It was the same pill he had taken in the Apocalypse Version.
Three Jade Spirit Pills, combined with the spiritual energy in the Apocalypse Version, had helped him break through from the First Level of Qi Refining to the fourth level.
The only thing that puzzled Lu Yan was that when he had taken Jade Spirit Pills at the first level of Qi Refining, he hadn't felt as though any of their medicinal power had gone to waste.
Could it be because I absorbed Moonlight Spiritual Energy?
Without dwelling on it, Lu Yan asked directly, "How much are the Jade Spirit Pills and Spirit Accumulation Pills?"
Seeing that Lu Yan was interested in buying, the assistant brightened.
"Jade Spirit Pills cost seven Spirit Stones each. Spirit Accumulation Pills, being breakthrough pills, cost one hundred and eighty Spirit Stones."
Lu Yan clicked his tongue.
The Jade Spirit Pills were already expensive enough at seven Spirit Stones each, and they only assisted cultivation.
The pills had worked so well for Lu Yan before because they were suited to Mid-Stage Qi Refinement, while he had still been in early Qi Refining Stage. Their effects had naturally been stronger on him.
If he took one every three days to aid his cultivation, that would add up to seventy Spirit Stones a month. Even disciples of major sects probably couldn't afford that.
And the Spirit Accumulation Pill could only help someone break through the bottleneck into Mid-Stage Qi Refinement, yet it cost one hundred and eighty Spirit Stones. That was more than the combined wealth of all the Mid-Stage Qi Refinement Rogue Cultivators Lu Yan had killed.
Although spirit pills were expensive, Lu Yan still decided to buy five bottles at once, twenty-five Jade Spirit Pills in total, along with one Spirit Accumulation Pill to help with a breakthrough.
Besides those, he also bought a bottle of Beauty Pills and a bottle of Spring Return Pills.
The former were a weakened version of the second-grade Youth Preservation Pill. They could enhance beauty and preserve one's looks, making them especially popular among female Qi Refinement cultivators.
The latter were a weakened version of the Longevity Pill refined by alchemists. Although they couldn't extend one's lifespan, they could invigorate an aging body and create the illusion of living longer.
These two bottles of pills weren't for Lu Yan himself, of course. He had bought them in preparation for the upcoming Version Update.
The supplies he had received from the Apocalypse Version had made Lu Yan realize how much the different versions varied. Alchemy was one of the specialties of the Xianxia Version, and perhaps he could trade these things for something valuable in another version.
Besides that, Lu Yan planned to buy a batch of Storage Bags unique to the Xianxia Version before the Version Update, so he could use them to fool people in the other versions.
Lu Yan was also curious about what would happen to things from the Xianxia Version after they were brought into other versions and went through another Version Update.
The batch of spirit pills Lu Yan bought was worth a full four hundred Spirit Stones. Such a lavish purchase even brought the Pill Shop's proprietor out to serve him personally.
As a special offer, the proprietor also gave Lu Yan a bottle of Qi and Blood Pills worth ten Spirit Stones.
After leaving the Pill Shop, Lu Yan headed straight out of Jade Mountain Market.
He flew dozens of li away, even stopping several times along the way to see if there were any Rogue Cultivators he could rob.
To Lu Yan's disappointment, the Pill Shop's proprietor seemed to have kept his mouth shut. He hadn't spread the word that a minor cultivator in early Qi Refining Stage had bought a large number of spirit pills.
With no raiders showing up, Lu Yan's plan to recoup some of his losses fell through.
A little disappointed, Lu Yan flew toward Azure Valley Market a moment later.
Jade Mountain Market had a pleasant environment, but its Spiritual Vein was inferior to the one at Azure Valley Market. If Lu Yan wanted to cultivate, he was better off returning to Azure Valley Market.
Besides, Lu Yan also wanted to ask He Dongsheng for more information about the Red Lotus Demonic Sect.
Half a day later, Lu Yan slowly descended into Azure Valley Market.
As soon as he stepped into the market, he sensed someone watching him.
"Did those seven have accomplices?"
A trace of doubt rose in Lu Yan's heart, but his expression remained unchanged as he continued toward the Cave Residence district.
Just then, Lu Yan suddenly sensed the watching presence drawing closer. The next moment, a voice behind him called out with a note of delight.
"Isn't that Fellow Daoist Lu?"
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