Looks like I need to specifically buy a book introducing immortal cities. Otherwise, I know nothing about the cultivation world and could be easily schemed against by others.
Lu Xiaotian thought this to himself. He had already suffered several losses due to his ignorance. Even the time he had been discovered by the golden-robed youth, escaping unscathed had been sheer luck. But Lu Xiaotian knew that good fortune would not favor him forever.
"Monster cores for sale! A Second-Order Demon Beast Crimsonblood Python's monster core, only eleven Low-grade Spirit Stones!"
"Cultivation manuals for sale! The ancient inherited technique, Firecloud Art, only six Low-grade Spirit Stones!"
Besides the shops, there were also some cultivators setting up street stalls on both sides of the road. Spirit herbs, cultivation manuals—everything one could want was available.
"Fellow Daoist, come have a look. I have every kind of cultivation manual here. For cultivators, choosing a suitable technique is especially important. If the technique is poor, it will be difficult to reach profound realms later on. You may even remain forever without hope of Foundation Establishment."
A burly man with a face as red as a jujube hawked his wares with great vigor. Seeing Lu Xiaotian, he greeted him warmly.
"I already have a cultivation technique." Lu Xiaotian shook his head.
"It doesn't matter if you do. You can still take a look. Your cultivation is not high yet. If your current technique doesn't suit you, it's best to change early. If you wait until later, it'll be too late." The red-faced man continued indifferently.
"I heard the Primordial Unity Scripture is quite good. Do you have it here?" An idea struck Lu Xiaotian. His Primordial Unity Scripture could only be cultivated to the Qi Refining Middle Stage. Over the past two years, he had also consulted several cultivation manuals obtained from the black-robed elder's storage bag—fire-attributed, water-attributed, and earth-attributed ones. Though all could be cultivated, none felt as smooth as the Primordial Unity Scripture.
"The Primordial Unity Scripture? What kind of thing is that? Never heard of it. There are too many obscure, unheard-of techniques like that. I advise you to give it up as soon as possible and switch to the ancient secret arts I have here. Look at this one, the Coldwater Formula. It is said that several hundred years ago, a Foundation Establishment senior from our Moonwatch City Rogue Cultivator Alliance cultivated this very technique. And this one as well."
The red-faced man introduced several cultivation manuals on his stall in a torrent of words, but most of what he said was mere rumor without any evidence. After listening for a few sentences, Lu Xiaotian felt that the fellow was simply boasting to the heavens. Still, the few cultivation manuals on him were of no use, so it would not be bad if he could trade them for some Spirit Stones.
Lu Xiaotian casually picked up several manuals and flipped through them. He did not find the same technique. However, the manuals on the red-faced man's stall were basically all meant for the Qi Refining Early Stage and Middle Stage, so he asked, "Why don't you have any cultivation manuals for the Qi Refining Late Stage?"
The red-faced man said, "Fellow Daoist, you jest. Complete sets of techniques like those are far too expensive. How could a small operation like mine have that kind of capital? But all these manuals of mine have proper sources. You can find their middle or final volumes in those specialty cultivation-manual shops. Besides, Fellow Daoist, do not aim too high. You are only at the Qi Refining Early Stage right now. Reaching the Qi Refining Middle Stage may take more than ten years. As for going from the middle stage to the late stage, that will take even longer. Even if you buy a late-stage manual, you may not necessarily ever use it."
So that was how it was. Lu Xiaotian asked again, "Do you have anything introducing spirit herbs, spirit beasts, or some secret arts of the cultivation world? Also, I need a map of the area around Moonwatch City."
"Oh, so this is what you need. I have an immortal city map here—one Low-grade Spirit Stone. As for introductions to spirit herbs, demon beasts, and some secret arts of the cultivation world, I suggest you go to a specialized shop. The Compendium of Spirit Herbs and the Record of Demonic Beasts record the growth habits of some common spirit herbs, as well as the habits, strength classifications, and other information on demon beasts. As for records of secret arts, those can only be found in the accounts of cultivators' experiences. After all, cultivators rarely publicize the secret arts they cultivate. That would be extremely disadvantageous in future spell battles. Thus, most people can only record them through observation, rumors, or their own experiences in combat. Keep going straight down this street, then turn left at the intersection ahead. The second shop is run by the Nangong Lineage and specializes in selling such things."
The red-faced man hurriedly put down the cultivation manual in his hand, then took out a scroll from his storage bag. Afraid that Lu Xiaotian would not buy from him, he was especially meticulous in his introduction.
"All right, thank you." Lu Xiaotian nodded. The shops probably sold map scrolls too, but after listening to the red-faced man for so long and asking him so many questions, he would feel somewhat embarrassed if he bought nothing. Besides, street stalls were generally a little cheaper than proper shops.
After taking the scroll, Lu Xiaotian followed the red-faced man's directions to the shop run by the Nangong Lineage. The cultivation manuals inside were indeed dazzling in their abundance, and the books on display were far beyond anything the red-faced man's stall could compare with. Lu Xiaotian specifically asked, but they still did not have the Primordial Unity Scripture. However, the shopkeeper suggested that he visit the largest cultivation-manual shop in the city, run by the Nie Lineage. There might be news there.
Lu Xiaotian thanked the shopkeeper. Buying the Compendium of Spirit Herbs and the Record of Demonic Beasts cost him three Spirit Stones. A sizable chunk had vanished from his storage bag, which truly pained him. Three Spirit Stones were enough for him to cast spells dozens of times. It seemed Spirit Stones were the universal currency among cultivators, much like the gold and silver used by mortal folk. Only, Spirit Stones were far more useful than gold and silver.
After leaving, Lu Xiaotian wandered around nearby and found another shop selling spirit talismans. He bought the most ordinary Fireball Talisman.
Spirit talismans were outrageously expensive. A single Fireball Talisman actually cost one Low-grade Spirit Stone. After paying, Lu Xiaotian held the Fireball Talisman with aching reluctance. At this rate, the Spirit Stones on him would probably be used up before long. No wonder the blue-robed Daoist had wanted to fight that fat man surnamed Zhu to the death after being swindled out of a few Spirit Stones.
Everywhere in Moonwatch City required Spirit Stones. Without them, one could barely take a single step. Yet the wages offered by the various shops and workshops were not high. Lu Xiaotian looked through several places and discovered that low-level cultivators like him, who knew nothing, could earn at most four to five Spirit Stones per month.
Meanwhile, even the cheapest inn charged two Spirit Stones a month for a tiny room no more than a few feet square. But Lu Xiaotian was eager to verify his idea, so he did not continue searching for inns. He directly paid the Spirit Stones and moved in.
Other than a bed and a chair, the room contained nothing. It was so crude it could not have been more crude. Lu Xiaotian had no time to fuss over such matters. He hurriedly sat cross-legged on the bed, holding the Fireball Talisman in one hand.
Whoosh—
In the void floated an enormous green sphere, so distant that its edges could not be seen. Within the familiar Green Fruit Barrier, the black-robed elder's Primordial Spirit had wandered off somewhere. With a movement of Lu Xiaotian's divine sense, a Fireball Talisman immediately appeared beside him. Taking advantage of the black-robed elder's Primordial Spirit being absent, Lu Xiaotian directly activated the Fireball Talisman.
Boom! A massive fireball appeared and smashed against the barrier. Flames scattered in all directions, but as expected, the barrier did not budge in the slightest.
Just as I expected, anything containing spiritual energy can be moved into this mysterious space. Spirit talismans are no exception, and they can even be used directly.
Lu Xiaotian was delighted. Although the black-robed elder's Primordial Spirit was trapped inside the barrier and could not threaten his safety for the moment, every time he consumed pills, the black-robed elder took away half the spiritual energy. How could Lu Xiaotian tolerate that? Moreover, the black-robed elder was like a venomous snake hidden in the shadows, capable of slithering out and biting him at any moment. He did not know how long the Green Fruit Barrier could imprison him. It would be best to remove this thorn in his flesh as soon as possible.
Previously, the black-robed elder had been too powerful for Lu Xiaotian to do anything about him. Now, he had finally found a solution. Although the black-robed elder was nearly at the peak of Qi Refining, within this barrier, he had no spiritual energy to replenish himself. After casting spells, his cultivation would decline. Lu Xiaotian's gaze turned cold. As long as he prepared enough spirit talismans, it would be the black-robed elder's day of death.
"Huh? I clearly heard some movement here just now. Why isn't there even a ghost in sight?"
Not long after Lu Xiaotian left, the black-robed elder's golden-red Primordial Spirit sphere appeared not far from where Lu Xiaotian had been. With a suspicious expression, it searched the surroundings several times but found no trace of anything. Apart from mist, there were only bare grains of sand on the ground and that damned green barrier.
His consciousness returning to his body, Lu Xiaotian saw that it was still early and left the inn again. He squatted beside a bustling street with relatively heavy foot traffic, took the three cultivation manuals from his storage bag, and set up a stall. Though there were only three manuals, all of them were sufficient to cultivate to the Qi Refining Late Stage.
Compared to ordinary vendors, he had a greater advantage. Thinking this, Lu Xiaotian sat there waiting for a hare to dash into his trap while flipping through the Record of Demonic Beasts, learning about the common demon beasts along the edges of the Moonwatch Mountains.
"A Second-Order Demon Beast Crimsonblood Python, first-order demon boars, even third-order Demon Boar Kings... A fourth-order Ironback Demon Lizard is actually comparable to a Foundation Establishment cultivator. Truly formidable!"
Lu Xiaotian read with great interest. Only after entering Moonwatch City had he truly come into contact with the world of cultivators. It was so bizarre and wondrous.
"You won't be able to sell anything by setting up your stall like this."
Suddenly, a crisp and delicate voice, somewhat youthful, rang out.
Lu Xiaotian looked up and saw a young girl in a pale yellow dress. With bright eyes, pearly teeth, and lovely features, she carried a small bundle on her back. She spoke with a faint smile, then skillfully removed the bundle and spread it out less than half a zhang away from him. There was a small purple furnace resembling an incense burner, several pale-red blocks of wood, and several brushes, all emitting faint spiritual energy.
"Have you set up stalls often before?" Lu Xiaotian asked, closing the Record of Demonic Beasts in his hands.
"Yes. I've been setting up a stall here this whole time. Look, this pill furnace has been on sale for over a month, but it still hasn't sold." The girl shrugged, then quickly smiled optimistically. "But I believe it will sell eventually. My name is Luo Qing. What's yours?"
"My name is Lu Xiaotian. Is your pill furnace any good? How much are you selling it for?" Lu Xiaotian asked.
"My pill furnace is absolutely excellent. It was forged from Violet Profound Copper and can increase the success rate of pill refinement. Even high-level alchemists can use it. It cannot be compared with the ordinary red-copper pill furnaces sold by other vendors. What, do you need a pill furnace? If you want it, I can lower the price a little." Luo Qing looked at Lu Xiaotian expectantly.
Before you continue