Settling Down in the Immortal Market

"What? Brother... you... you haven't given up yet?" Chen Zhao'hu was quite surprised by Li Ji'an's farewell.

Over the past year, the situation in the settlement area and the itinerant cultivators who worked part-time in their team were enough for him to see reality.

He actually still wanted to cultivate immortality!

Li Ji'an sighed, "Body refining doesn't lead to longevity."

"Longevity... you still want longevity?" Hearing Chen Zhao'hu's voice, the teammates who were packing up their gear to leave gathered around.

Chen Qingling even snorted with laughter.

He had also had such a bold idea before, but after truly stepping into cultivation, he no longer dared to have such delusions. Being able to become a master in the late Qi Refining stage in this life would be enough to repay his elder brother's efforts.

"Old Li, you're not seeing yourself clearly. Not to mention anything else, just in this Desolate Ridge Wasteland, countless people have embarked on the path of cultivation, but only a few can break through to the Qi Refining mid-stage, standing out from the crowd. Anyone in the late Qi Refining stage is a solid fighting force for their family, the backbone. But even they only have a lifespan of 150 years. Longevity... tsk tsk." An itinerant cultivator at the third level of Qi Refining also found it somewhat amusing.

"To tell you the truth, I regret it. If I had known cultivation was so difficult, I would never have given up my father's shop and cultivated this damn immortal path!"

"Focus on body refining, and you can become a figure of influence in this settlement area, living a leisurely and comfortable life."

Everyone spoke up to persuade him.

Some persuaded him with their own experiences, while others were reluctant to see the mascot Chen Zhao'hu spoke of leave. Li Ji'an could tell.

Li Ji'an agreed that what everyone said was right.

But his resolve to leave remained firm.

Since he insisted on leaving, Chen Zhao'hu naturally couldn't stop him.

"Alright, alright, since you haven't given up yet, then go. But remember, my door, Chen Zhao'hu's door, is always open for you. You are welcome back anytime."

"Thank you, Brother Chen!" Li Ji'an cupped his fists.

"Qingling, you go with Brother Li. Take good care of him when you get to the Immortal Market."

"Brother Li, you are steady and prudent in your actions. Please also keep an eye on this brat for me. Don't learn any bad habits in the Immortal Market," Chen Zhao'hu instructed Chen Qingling and Li Ji'an separately.

Chen Qingling frowned, somewhat unwilling, but he dared not disobey his elder brother's words and nodded helplessly.

Li Ji'an smiled and agreed. Going to the Immortal Market, he needed a guide. Compared to strangers, he felt more at ease with Chen Zhao'hu's brothers, with whom he had spent a year.

"Old Li, if you need to buy pills in the future, you can find me. I have a way to get them much cheaper than in the shops..."

"Brother Li, once you enter the Immortal Market, the thing you need to worry about most isn't cultivation, but earning Spirit Stones. Everything there requires Spirit Stones, so you need to consider it as soon as possible."

With that settled, the others also began to offer their advice.

Not long after, Chen Zhao'hu personally escorted Li Ji'an and Chen Qingling to the post station.

"Old Zhou, I'm counting on you."

Chen Zhao'hu paid the Spirit Steed driver twenty taels of Spirit Sand. Then he walked up to Li Ji'an and secretly slipped him a small bag. "Brother, everything in the Immortal Market requires Spirit Stones. Life is not easy. I don't have much, old brother, take this."

The feel of the contents made Li Ji'an's heart rejoice slightly. It should be about ten Spirit Stones.

"Thank you!" Li Ji'an looked at him earnestly, remembering this kindness in his heart.

Having lived five lives, he could get along well with people unless there was a conflict of interest or he didn't want to, otherwise, his character and emotional intelligence would be questionable.

Cultivating good relationships was not just talk.

Old Zhou's Spirit Steed was purchased from the Liu Family of Beast Tamers to the north. It was a first-tier low-grade steed with a low-grade savage bloodline, mainly used for long journeys, capable of traveling a thousand miles a day.

Back then, Old Zhou had borrowed Spirit Stones from Chen Zhao'hu to start this business.

In less than an hour, Li Ji'an was standing at the entrance of the United Market.

The United Market was not established long ago; it was developed by two pioneering families eighty years ago.

Subsequently, the two Qi Refining stage families with shallow foundations engaged in a fierce battle to seize this first-tier low-grade Spirit Vein Land.

All sorts of underhanded tactics were used during the conflict.

However, in the end, it was a case of the mantis stalking the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind.

The two Qi Refining stage families, in order to compete for this Spirit Land, exhausted all means to win over other families who had successfully pioneered the wasteland in the early days.

As a result, both Qi Refining stage families were wiped out, and these families then stepped forward.

Afterward, the two Qi Refining stage families disappeared into the dust of history, and the United Market came into being, managed and operated by eight families jointly.

Passing through the market gate, Li Ji'an paid a five tael Spirit Sand entrance fee, while Chen Qingling took out his jade token for residing in the market.

"Hey, let's make it clear first. Don't interfere with my business. If my brother asks, just say everything is fine. In exchange, you can ask me anything you don't understand, but you have to trade it for fried chicken wings!" As soon as they entered the city gate, Chen Qingling said.

Li Ji'an nodded, which was exactly what he wanted.

The scale of the Immortal Market was relatively smaller than the settlement area, mainly because its Spirit Vein was only first-tier low-grade, unable to cover a large area.

Even its current scale was somewhat excessive; the Spiritual Energy in the outermost areas was almost as thin as outside.

However, it was sufficient for beginners in Qi Refining.

"South Main Street is the commercial district. Most of it is owned by the eight major families of this place, as well as scattered branches of major external forces. There are pills, artifacts, talismans, and formations, but you won't need them for now, so don't go there."

North Street is the stall area, mostly for rogue cultivators selling goods. The quality is definitely not as good as shops with known backgrounds, but the price is cheap.

Don't go to the west district unless you have to. It's mostly where the nobles reside, with residences of major families and dojos of powerful rogue cultivators. The Spiritual Energy is also most abundant there.

"We'll stay in the east district..." Walking down the main street of the market, Li Ji'an listened to Chen Qingling's introduction while sensing the Spiritual Energy of the Spirit Vein Land.

He had to admit, there was a huge difference between the Spirit Vein Land and the spiritually impoverished lands outside. Although the Spiritual Energy here wasn't as dense, it was exceptionally pure.

"Remember, in the market, unless you're in your rented dojo, you're not allowed to absorb Spiritual Energy to cultivate. If you're caught, you'll be fined Spirit Stones." Chen Qingling, who was explaining the market situation, suddenly noticed Li Ji'an sensing Spiritual Energy and quickly reminded him.

As soon as the words left his mouth, he realized. Li Ji'an hadn't even stepped into cultivation yet and didn't have any Qi Condensation cultivation methods. What Spiritual Energy could he possibly absorb? It was an unnecessary warning.

"Yo, what a coincidence, Little Lingzi." Just then, three young men approaching from the opposite direction saw Chen Qingling and walked over.

Chen Qingling's face stiffened. The superiority he usually displayed towards Li Ji'an vanished as he instinctively took a step back behind Li Ji'an and shrunk his head. "Brother Quan."

The group then looked at Li Ji'an, their playful expressions slightly subdued. "Oh, your brother came to see you?"

Chen Qingling nodded stiffly.

"Then we won't disturb you. See you later." The three turned and left.

Li Ji'an watched the scene calmly, feeling a strange sense of familiarity.

"Hmph, it's all your fault! If I hadn't brought you here, how would I have run into them!" After watching the three leave, Chen Qingling didn't even look at Li Ji'an, but assuming Li Ji'an was watching him, he immediately shifted the blame, intending to prevent Li Ji'an from asking questions.

In reality, Li Ji'an wasn't looking at him at all, nor did he have any intention of asking.

"I'm warning you, you absolutely cannot tell my brother about this." Chen Qingling still felt uneasy and deliberately reminded him again.

But this time, Li Ji'an did not agree.

He could ignore it, and it wasn't his business to handle, but informing Chen Zhao'hu about this matter was necessary.

Chen Qingling was just a fourteen-year-old child, ignorant and unable to handle such matters correctly, which was normal. But with Chen Zhao'hu's character, experience, and Body Refining strength, he would definitely be able to handle it well.

"Did you hear me when I was talking to you? You can't tell my brother, or else... or else my brother will be at a disadvantage! Do you know who that person is? He's from the Yan Family!"