Inner Armor [Heart-Protecting]

"I have attained the seventh level of the Body Tempering Realm," Shen Mo mused to himself. "The mission reward isn't bad either; ten Vermilion Fruits are worth at least fifteen spirit stones."

Vermilion Fruit is a type of medicinal herb that boosts blood and Qi, though its efficacy falls short of more precious elixirs.

Even so, among entry-level medicinal herbs, it is considered a valuable item.

With these ten Vermilion Fruits, added to the Vitality Strengthening Powder he refines daily, Shen Mo felt that these medicinal supplies would be enough to sustain him until he reached the ninth level of the Body Tempering Realm without needing to worry about resources.

Moreover, the most important thing was that this mission was not particularly dangerous.

It was merely to go to a private residence and slay a demonic beast.

With members of the Zhao Clan assisting on the side, even if some unexpected situation arose that he couldn't handle, it was unlikely to be life-threatening; at worst, he could simply run.

"I accept this mission."

Shen Mo quickly confirmed his acceptance of the task.

"Hum!"

He extended his palm toward the light screen of the Spirit Platform, which emitted a low, vibrating hum.

The next instant, a mission manual appeared out of thin air.

After carefully stowing the manual away, he went to the window of Deacon Ma, who handled matters for outer sect disciples, to register before departing.

"The trial mission is accepted, but before I set out, I still need to make some preparations!"

He pondered as he crossed the sect plaza, returning to his residence without a moment's delay.

"I'll sell all the elixirs I refined this month, then buy some magical artifacts and talismans for self-defense."

Since it was his first time venturing out, he had to be thoroughly prepared!

He quickly gathered all his elixirs into his Qiankun Pouch and headed for the marketplace.

River-Facing Sect, Dao-Gaining Alley.

This time, he did not head down the mountain to the marketplace in Cloud-Gathering Town.

After all, trading within the sect was free of commission, and it was much closer.

He wasn't in a rush to sell his elixirs; as long as they were sold within two days, it would be fine.

The mission Shen Mo had accepted had a three-day time limit; as long as he arrived at his destination within three days of accepting it, he would not be late.

Yongan Town was only a little over a hundred miles from the sect. If he used a Lightness Talisman and traveled at full speed, he could arrive in about an hour, leaving him with plenty of time.

[Selling Vitality Strengthening Powder, Qi Recovery Pill, Lesser Foundation Establishment Pill!]

After setting up his sign, he laid out his stall.

Soon, people came to make purchases.

The foot traffic in the marketplace was quite heavy today, and the elixirs Shen Mo was selling moved very quickly.

Unexpectedly, by the afternoon, he had sold almost everything.

The Vitality Strengthening Powder and Qi Recovery Pills were completely sold out, with only three Lesser Foundation Establishment Pills remaining.

His earnings were exactly sixty low-grade spirit stones—no more, no less.

"Time to pack up and go look for the items I need!"

Shen Mo had no intention of waiting until he sold the last three Lesser Foundation Establishment Pills before closing shop.

With over sixty spirit stones tucked into his robes, he began to wander through the marketplace.

"Senior Brother, how much for this inner armor?"

After walking around for a while, he finally stopped in front of a stall run by an inner sect disciple.

"One hundred low-grade spirit stones."

The inner sect disciple spoke without even lifting his head.

"One hundred spirit stones?" Upon hearing the price, Shen Mo immediately turned to leave.

"This inner armor of mine is a genuine Profound-grade treasure, no longer a mere mortal object but a true magical artifact. Equipping this armor not only greatly enhances your defensive capabilities but also possesses the special effect of [Dust-Free].

It allows the wearer to remain untainted by dust or filth. One hundred low-grade spirit stones is hardly an exorbitant price."

Seeing Shen Mo about to leave, the inner sect disciple looked up and hurriedly introduced the item.

"A Profound-grade inner armor is naturally worth that price, but... my pockets are empty; I cannot produce that many spirit stones."

Shen Mo truthfully informed him of his financial situation.

"No money, eh?" Upon hearing this, the man looked him up and down and asked casually, "Are you in urgent need of inner armor?"

"I just accepted a trial mission that requires me to go out and face enemies, to slay a demonic beast. Since it is my first trial, I wanted to purchase some items for self-preservation."

"But the price of a Profound-grade artifact is too high; I should look for a lower-grade one instead."

With his current financial means, he could not afford such artifacts.

Let alone an outer sect disciple like him, even some Qi Gathering Realm disciples who had just been promoted to the inner sect with insufficient savings might not be able to afford such equipment.

"How many spirit stones do you have in your pouch?"

"I have my eye on a Profound-grade middle-tier body-refining technique, but I'm still thirty spirit stones short. I've been setting up this stall for half a month and haven't been able to scrape enough together. If you're interested, I have an inner armor here that I can sell to you at a discount."

As he spoke, he retrieved a mottled, slightly damaged cyan-purple inner armor from beneath the sheepskin scrolls on his stall.

"This inner armor is also a Profound-grade low-tier magical artifact. It's called the Heart-Protecting Armor, crafted by Elder Xu of the Weapon Forging Hall, and its defensive capabilities are quite impressive."

"I've worn it for years and never parted with it, but last month, during a beast tide at River-Facing Mountain, the armor sustained some damage."

A damaged Profound-grade low-tier inner armor?

Shen Mo took the armor curiously, stroking it for a long moment before asking, "The damage to this inner armor is not insignificant. How much has its defensive power dropped?"

"I asked Elder Xu and tested it myself; it has dropped by roughly forty percent. However, in terms of protective effect, it is still far superior to ordinary, unranked items. If you want it, I'll sell it to you for thirty low-grade spirit stones."

Thirty low-grade spirit stones.

"I'll take it."

After a brief moment of hesitation, Shen Mo made up his mind to purchase it.

Handing the spirit stones over to the other party, Shen Mo tucked the inner armor into his pouch.

Next, he made his way to the Heavenly Talisman Hall in Dao-Gaining Alley, where talismans were sold.

This storefront was an enterprise of the Talisman Making Hall within the River-Facing Sect.

The talismans sold inside were all produced by disciples of the Talisman Making Hall and entrusted to others for sale.

"What kind of talismans do you need?"

"Something for self-preservation will do."

There was a vast array of talismans here, covering all sorts of types.

However, Shen Mo had little desire for offensive talismans; his heart was set on adding to his own trump cards for survival.

Only by staying alive could one deal damage!

"Something for self-preservation?"

The disciple guarding the Heavenly Talisman Hall reached into the counter and pulled out a talisman engraved with the image of a mountain: "The Bedrock Talisman. This is a first-tier talisman with extremely strong defensive capabilities."

"Once activated, you gain the protection of a bedrock phantom, which lasts for roughly the time it takes for a stick of incense to burn. Its defensive power can block almost all attacks from below the Qi Gathering Realm, and it can even withstand the majority of a full-force strike from a Qi Gathering early-stage cultivator."

"Take a look, is this enough for your self-preservation needs?"

"How many spirit stones?"

Shen Mo's eyes lit up when he saw the talisman.

"Five low-grade spirit stones per sheet."

The disciple in green robes held up his fingers and shook them.

"I'll take it." Shen Mo produced five spirit stones and bought it.

"Do you need any other talismans?" Seeing how straightforward Shen Mo was, the disciple in green robes began to pitch more items.

After some introductions, another talisman caught Shen Mo's interest.

The Earth Escape Talisman.

It was also a first-tier talisman.

Unlike the Bedrock Talisman, which was defensive in nature, the Earth Escape Talisman was an item for fleeing and maneuvering.