A Sudden Fortune

The trip to Azure Mountain Town

had taken Zhang Qingyuan around six or seven days.

The time had not been long,

but the harvest had been exceedingly rich.

After handing over the mission at the External Affairs Hall, the Sect Contribution Points on Zhang Qingyuan's Identity Token rose to 203, and he also received a batch of Spirit Grain seeds.

The gains from a single outing mission

were simply greater than the savings Zhang Qingyuan had accumulated over an entire year before his breakthrough, constantly taking on farming, Spirit Plant management, and similar missions in Area C-D.

This was hardly strange.

The higher one's Cultivation Realm, the more opportunities one had to obtain Cultivation resources, and the faster one could gather resources for cultivation.

A month ago,

Zhang Qingyuan had never even touched a Spirit Stone.

But now,

he carried fifteen whole Spirit Stones on him in ready wealth alone.

That did not even include the value of the Crimson Fiend Yao Python's corpse.

If he took it to the Marketplace to sell,

the price would be even higher.

All in all,

the sect's mission reward

was merely the smaller portion of Zhang Qingyuan's gains from this trip.

After handing over the mission,

Zhang Qingyuan returned to the Inner Residence.

He also temporarily settled Hu Junshan, who had followed him over, in the Inner Residence.

Cloud Water Sect had a hundred thousand Outer Sect Disciples.

Though that might not amount to much,

in the eyes of common folk, they were still lofty disciples of an immortal sect.

Within a thirty-li radius of the Lingduan Mountain Range,

all territory belonged to the sect's Outer Sect.

With such a vast domain, they were still immortal sect disciples in the eyes of mortals.

Every Outer Sect Disciple

basically had an independent dwelling.

These dwellings were all built near the sources of Spirit Veins, where the Spiritual energy was somewhat richer than in the mortal world.

Of course,

if one wanted a more beautiful and comfortable living environment,

one could only build it oneself, and could not occupy anyone else's residential space.

In an independent Inner Residence courtyard,

clearing out a room to accommodate Hu Junshan, a child of twelve or thirteen, was no trouble at all.

When I have time, I'll give this little fellow some guidance in cultivation and lay down a bit of foundation. If he passes the test during next year's Outer Sect entrance examination, Hu Yong'an's entrustment will be considered fulfilled!

This

was not much of a difficult matter either.

At worst, he could treat it as a task of looking after a child.

Fifteen Spirit Stones—

the reward was generous enough.

Faced with the new environment,

little Hu Junshan was somewhat reserved.

However, Zhang Qingyuan did not pay it much mind. In this ancient age, children were relatively more mature, let alone the children of these Cultivation Families.

After instructing him on the various things he needed to watch out for,

Zhang Qingyuan had him cultivate and live in the dwelling for the time being, and told him not to go out lest he stir up some trouble.

Afterward,

Zhang Qingyuan left the dwelling.

He walked out of the Outer Sect,

planning to Head to the Marketplace first and dispose of the Crimson Fiend Yao Python corpse in his Storage Bag.

Within Cloud Water Sect's Outer Sect,

the area spanning dozens of kilometers was not territory entirely forbidden to outsiders.

In fact,

with a hundred thousand Outer Sect Disciples scattered throughout the area, they also needed mortals to provide all kinds of services.

Wanting to completely bar outsiders from entering was simply impossible.

Therefore,

within the Outer Sect's territory,

apart from the numerous scattered spiritual Mountains and Rivers formed by the wisps of Micro Spirit Veins branching off from Cloud Water Sect's Main Peak Spirit Vein, as well as those places rich in Spiritual energy that served as cultivation grounds only Cloud Water Sect Disciples could enter, where idlers were forbidden,

the rest of the land

was open for people to enter and leave at will.

If Cloud Water Sect's Main Peak Spirit Vein were compared to a Big Tree,

then

the countless roots growing from that Big Tree would plunge deep beneath the earth.

Chaoyang Peak, at the center of the Seventeenth Branch where Zhang Qingyuan lived, had a wisp of Spiritual energy emitted by one such underground root, making the Spiritual energy near Chaoyang Peak abundant. The sect had thus established the Seventeenth Branch in the surrounding area.

Within the Seventeenth Branch,

outsiders could not enter. Only Cloud Water Sect Outer Sect Disciples could attend lessons and cultivate nearby, absorbing the Spiritual energy emitted from the mountain.

But beyond the Seventeenth Branch,

although it was still within Cloud Water Sect's territory, those areas with thin Spiritual energy lay beyond the coverage of the Micro Spirit Veins extending from the main Spirit Vein. Mortals could freely enter and leave, and the sect would not concern itself with them at all.

In many places with convenient transportation, bustling little towns had even formed.

Relying beneath the shadow of the colossal Cloud Water Sect,

trade flourished.

Of course,

the Marketplace Zhang Qingyuan intended to visit was not one of those towns built by mortals, but a Marketplace where true cultivators gathered!

Cloud Water Sect's hundred thousand Outer Sect Disciples

each had their own needs.

Thus, a Cultivation Market had gradually been established within the Outer Sect.

Some small chambers of commerce from the Cultivation World

maintained a permanent presence in Cloud Water Sect's Outer Sect Marketplace, selling goods from other places.

Zhang Qingyuan hurried all the way,

and after half a day's travel,

arrived at Cloud Water Sect's Outer Sect Marketplace.

Within the Marketplace,

there were sect-owned shops specializing in purchasing Demonic Beast corpses, but their prices were ten percent below market value.

Zhang Qingyuan entered and asked about the price for the Crimson Fiend Yao Python corpse,

then emerged with a dark face not long afterward.

"Eighteen Spirit Stones? Do they take me for some ignorant sucker?"

They had slashed the price by more than a full ten percent.

Given the value of the Crimson Fiend Yao Python's corpse,

he would lose at least two Spirit Stones.

If he encountered a cultivator who urgently needed it,

he could earn even more!

For Zhang Qingyuan, a Beggarly Ghost who had to break every Spirit Stone in half before using it,

such a large price gap was utterly unacceptable.

Let Alone,

the Crimson Fiend Yao Python itself was a relatively sought-after type of Demonic Beast on the market.

Its snakeskin could be made into low-grade defensive Magic Tools, its bones could be forged into low-grade offensive Magic Tools, and the venom and Fangs in its head were rare poisonous Spirit Items. Even the remaining snake meat could be sold as Spirit Material to restaurants.

If he found someone who needed it,

he could sell it for more than thirty Spirit Stones.

"Black-hearted, truly black-hearted! These sect shops are genuinely black-hearted!"

Cursingly leaving the shop operated by the sect,

Zhang Qingyuan went straight to the square where independent vendors set up their stalls.

At this time,

the square teemed with people

and buzzed with noise.

One vendor after another spread their wares on the ground and haggled with customers.

There were enormous Demonic Beasts, Spirit Grain, Spirit Material, and even Spirit Pills; some vendors even sold Techniques and Martial Arts.

All kinds of goods

filled the eye in dazzling profusion.

This place

was somewhere he had visited a few times before,

so he did not feel much about it.

He directly found an empty spot

and laid out the Crimson Fiend Yao Python's corpse, along with the Spirit Devouring Rat whose fur had been corroded away over half its body.

The moment the adult Crimson Fiend Yao Python's Massive Body appeared,

it immediately drew the attention of quite a few people nearby.

One had to know

that to kill an adult Crimson Fiend Yao Python, at least three cultivators at the Eighth Layer of Spirit Essence Realm were needed to ensure safety.

Moreover,

the corpse of such a Demonic Beast was quite valuable and rarely seen on the market.

Before long, several people Stepped Forward to discuss and inquire with Zhang Qingyuan, tentatively offering prices of around twenty Spirit Stones.

Zhang Qingyuan did not agree.

The highest offer was only twenty-two Spirit Stones.

Although that was already four Spirit Stones more than the sect shop had offered, it still had not reached his expectations. Zhang Qingyuan wanted to sell it for a little more.

At worst, he could wait another day or two.

In any case, a Demonic Beast corpse would not rot or spoil in such a short time.

It was not until the following morning,

when an outsider, a Middle-aged Cultivator at the Eighth Layer of Spirit Essence Realm, gritted his teeth and offered twenty-seven Spirit Stones for it together with the Spirit Devouring Rat, that Zhang Qingyuan gave it some thought.

He nodded

and agreed to the transaction.

The deal was concluded.

Twenty-seven Spirit Stones entered his hands,

bringing the number of Spirit Stones Zhang Qingyuan possessed to a full forty-two.

It could be called becoming rich overnight!