"It's not that exaggerated." Seeing Shen Mo hesitate, Gu Qingshan hurriedly said, "There are only a few hundred disciples under Lingyun Sect, and even fewer of them are traveling outside the sect."
"If you learn this Light Body Immortal Art and don't make a show of it, no one will recognize it."
"The risk is too great."
Shen Mo shook his head, firm as iron.
"This immortal art is one of Lingyun Sect's finest Light Body techniques. Though it's only Mystic Grade Low-Tier, once mastered, it can absolutely rival a Mystic Grade Mid-Tier Light Body Immortal Art!"
Seeing Shen Mo shake his head in refusal, Gu Qingshan said, "All I need is a hundred Light Body Talismans."
"Thirty." Shen Mo pondered for a long while, then held up a finger and waved it before Gu Qingshan's eyes. "At most, I'll give you thirty Light Body Talismans in exchange."
"If you're willing, we can make a deal. If not, forget it."
"Fine!"
Gu Qingshan gritted his teeth. Though Shen Mo was willing to give far less than he had hoped, he couldn't afford to be picky right now.
"This entire art is recorded on this jade slip. Take a look and make sure."
Shen Mo took the jade slip and examined it carefully. After confirming that it really did contain an immortal art, he handed Gu Qingshan thirty Light Body Talismans.
Gu Qingshan took the talismans and hurriedly disappeared into the crowd.
As Shen Mo watched him leave, a smile finally bloomed across his face.
Thirty Light Body Talismans had gotten him an immortal movement art.
He had to admit, he'd made a killing!
Shen Mo tucked the jade slip into his robe, his heart full of joy.
In truth, he was quite satisfied with the deal.
His earlier display of misgivings had only been to drive the price down.
As for the risks of learning another sect's secret art—
They were real, but how could you pick up a bargain without taking any risks?
Shen Mo wasn't timid as a mouse. As long as the benefits were great enough, he was willing to take a little risk.
[Thunderbolt Quickstep]
[Grade: Mystic Grade Low-Tier]
[Type: Movement Art]
[Description: Created by Master Lingxu upon entering the Origin Core Realm, after observing the phenomenon of thunderbolts. Once mastered, its movements arrive like wind and thunder, like thunderbolts racing through the long night.]
He attached his divine sense to the jade slip and began comprehending the first immortal art he had ever acquired, all while tending his stall.
High above, the sun gradually drifted west.
It was now afternoon.
During that time, more than a dozen customers came by one after another and bought all the talismans Shen Mo had for sale.
"Closing up!"
Shen Mo packed up his stall and carefully counted his earnings.
Forty-one low-grade Spirit Stones.
That was how much he'd made from selling every last talisman.
"With everything sold, it's time to look around."
He carefully put away the heavy bag of Spirit Stones, rose to his feet, and headed deeper into Treasure Vase Alley, browsing the shops along the street.
"There are so many treasures. They're enough to make your eyes go blurry."
As he strolled along, the dazzling array of treasures left Shen Mo dazzled.
"Too bad this Destiny, 'Keen Eye,' doesn't seem to do much. Maybe its grade is too low."
He had been hoping to spot a bargain as he looked around.
But he found that even with the boost from his special Destiny, he still couldn't tell one thing from another.
"Forget it. I'd better go buy a cauldron."
After trying for a while, Shen Mo gave up on the idea of relying on his special Destiny to find a bargain. He quickened his pace and headed for the area that specialized in selling alchemy equipment.
The Treasure Vase Alley market wasn't just home to cultivators setting up temporary stalls. There were also shops that had rented storefronts and stayed open for business.
Shen Mo browsed the stalls for a while, but found no opportunities to score a bargain. So he went to the shop beside Mandarin Duck Pavilion called Treasure Pill Pavilion.
If he couldn't find a bargain, then a proper shop was obviously the best place to buy a cauldron.
After all, cultivators who set up temporary stalls could vanish without a trace. If anything went wrong with a purchase, they'd be hard to track down.
But if something went wrong with a purchase from a proper shop, at least he could go back and ask for after-sales service.
"Well now, what can I get for you?"
As soon as he stepped inside Treasure Pill Pavilion, the shopkeeper came over to greet him.
The shopkeeper was short and plump, with a good-natured, almost comical look about him. "Our shop specializes in selling alchemy supplies."
"I'd like to buy a cauldron for making pills. A beginner's one will do."
Shen Mo stated what he was looking for.
"A pill cauldron?" The shopkeeper led him to a room devoted to them.
"Here, all the cauldrons are beginner-level, and they're each priced at forty low-grade Spirit Stones. Pick whichever one you like."
Shen Mo nodded at the shopkeeper's introduction and took a close look around.
There were more than twenty pill cauldrons in the room.
Their shapes, colors, and styles varied, but they were all the same grade: beginner-level pill cauldrons.
These cauldrons could meet a cultivator's needs for making pills, but that was all. They offered no special benefits.
Higher-grade cauldrons, on the other hand, didn't just provide the basic functions needed for making pills; they also came with all kinds of wondrous effects that helped an alchemist get twice the results with half the effort.
Of course, cauldrons like that were extremely expensive, and Shen Mo wasn't in a position to consider one yet.
"Which cauldron should I choose?" Shen Mo felt his indecisiveness flaring up again.
Though all the cauldrons worked the same way, he looked them over for quite a while and still couldn't make up his mind.
"Hm? This one?"
Just as Shen Mo was thinking it over, his eyes wandered to the ancient-looking, bright red pill cauldron on the right—and then stopped.
A moment earlier, he thought he had seen a strange glimmer flash across the cauldron.
"Was that an illusion?" Shen Mo hesitated.
"Or... is my special Destiny, 'Keen Eye,' giving me a hint?"
Earlier, he had tried for a long time, but never felt that the special Destiny he drew last night had brought him any changes.
But now, it seemed to be working. It had reacted?
"I'll take this one!"
At the thought, Shen Mo's heart gave a leap, and he picked the cauldron on the spot.
"Mm, a Red Cloud Cauldron. That'll be forty low-grade Spirit Stones."
The shopkeeper worked his abacus beads and gave him the price.
"No rush. I'll take a look at the other things first." After picking out the cauldron, Shen Mo didn't hurry to pay. Instead, he continued browsing Treasure Pill Pavilion.
Besides the cauldron, if he wanted to officially start making pills, he'd also need to buy some medicinal ingredients.
After looking around and making his selections, he picked up the ingredients for a hundred batches of Vitality Strengthening Powder and a hundred batches of Qi Recovery Pills.
Besides that, he also took a liking to a pill formula.
Lesser Foundation Establishment Pill. A first-grade spirit pill with the effects of boosting cultivation and strengthening one's foundation. It was commonly used by Qi Gathering Realm cultivators during their practice.
"How much is the formula for the Lesser Foundation Establishment Pill?"
Shen Mo asked.
"Ten Spirit Stones. If you buy it, I can throw in the ingredients for ten batches of Lesser Foundation Establishment Pills."
The shopkeeper spoke generously.
"Fine, I'll take it."
Shen Mo calculated how many Spirit Stones he had and decided to buy it.
"That comes to a total of sixty-one low-grade Spirit Stones. Here's your receipt. Keep it safe."
The shopkeeper clicked his abacus, worked out the bill in no time, then wrote out a receipt and handed it to him.
Before you continue