The primeval forest.
Sunlight filtered through the dense canopy, dappling the thick layer of rotting leaves.
A plump wild rabbit warily nibbled on tender grass, its long ears twitching from time to time.
"Whoosh!"
A pebble shot through the air.
The rabbit didn't even have time to squeal before it toppled over, stiff as a board.
Ye Xuan stepped out from behind a tree, tossing a few pebbles in his hand and humming an unfamiliar tune.
"Sure, cultivating immortality means keeping your heart pure and desires in check."
"But the desire for good food is one of life's greatest pleasures. You can't go without it."
He swiftly skinned and cleaned the rabbit, then built a fire.
Before long,
the tempting aroma of roasted meat filled the forest.
Ye Xuan held a branch and turned the rabbit over the fire. Fat dripped into the flames with a sizzle.
The inconspicuous Bronze Small Cauldron hanging at his waist swayed with his movements.
After eating his fill,
Ye Xuan leaned against a big tree and burped.
Night fell, and the forest filled with the chirping of insects.
He wasn't in a hurry to continue on his way.
There were some ferocious beasts in this primeval forest, but to cultivators, they were no more than oversized cats and dogs.
The next morning.
A thin mist hung in the air, and the morning dew had yet to dry.
"Time to hit the road."
Ye Xuan stretched, his joints crackling.
He flipped his wrist, and a long, emerald-green sword appeared out of thin air.
Its slender blade shimmered with a faint, vibrant green glow. Two archaic characters—Chang Qing—were engraved on the hilt.
This was a flying sword he'd cobbled together on a whim from the leftover scraps after forging the Myriad Ancient Cauldron.
By the standards of the Low-tier Artifact Forging Technique, it was a Mid-grade Magic Tool.
In other words, it was just a piece of iron that could fly and was a little sharper than usual.
But—
Compared to the standard-issue flying sword he'd gotten when he left the mountain,
the Mid-grade Magic Tool Chang Qing Sword was far superior.
"Rise."
Ye Xuan formed a hand seal with one hand.
Chang Qing Sword gave a clear ring and hovered steadily three inches above the ground beside his feet.
Ye Xuan stepped onto the blade.
Steady.
It was even steadier than standing on solid ground.
The Magic Power of the Tai Chi Xuan Qing Dao circulated faintly within him, flowing into Chang Qing Sword beneath his feet.
"Whoosh!"
A streak of green light shot skyward, tearing through the morning mist and soaring into the clouds.
High above, fierce winds howled.
Ye Xuan stood with his hands behind his back, his hair streaming in the wind.
Chang Qing Sword raised a faint green barrier, blocking the fierce winds that could have cracked rocks.
"This speed is decent enough."
Ye Xuan looked down at the mountains and rivers racing past beneath him, making a quick estimate.
About eight hundred kilometers per hour.
A little slower than a commercial airliner from his previous life.
But for traveling through the cultivation world, it was already astonishingly fast.
After all, he was only at the sixth layer of the Yuqing Realm.
An ordinary Qingyun Disciple at this level would be lucky to fly two hundred kilometers on a sword without falling.
And they'd be panting like dogs by the end of it.
Unlike him, who could stroll along at ease, using up Magic Power more slowly than he could replenish it.
That was the joy of overwhelming your opponent with better gear.
He headed north.
By the time the sun was setting,
a towering, precipitous mountain range came into view.
Tianyuan Mountain.
Unlike the ethereal, spiritually rich Qingyun Mountain,
Tianyuan Mountain gave off a wild, rugged air.
Its slopes were steep and its rocks jagged, with countless crude cave dwellings scattered across the cliffs like beehives.
The air was thick with mixed, chaotic fluctuations of spiritual energy.
The strange smells of herbs, ore, and even blood mingled together.
This was a haven for rogue cultivators—and a breeding ground for crime.
Here, having no rules was the greatest rule of all.
Ye Xuan lowered his sword and landed more than ten kilometers from Tianyuan Mountain.
He knew better than to flaunt his wealth.
In his eyes, Chang Qing Sword was junk.
But to these dirt-poor rogue cultivators, it was a peerless divine weapon.
If he flew straight in on his sword,
he'd probably be set upon by hundreds of red-eyed rogue cultivators before he even touched down.
He wasn't afraid of them, but he couldn't be bothered with the hassle.
After putting away Chang Qing Sword, Ye Xuan straightened his clothes.
He wasn't wearing the robes of a Qingyun Sect disciple, but ordinary coarse clothes that made him look like a little herb gatherer who'd wandered into the mountains by mistake.
Still, the Bronze Small Cauldron at his waist added a touch of oddness to his otherwise unremarkable appearance.
He followed the mountain path.
Before long,
a huge valley entrance appeared ahead.
Two massive rocks stood like guardian deities.
A battered wooden sign hung between them, bearing four crooked characters: "Tianyuan Market."
The messy lettering had a wild, bandit-like air.
At the valley entrance,
several cultivators dressed in all sorts of clothes sat cross-legged on the ground.
They seemed to be meditating with their eyes closed, but their gazes darted about as they sized up everyone who came and went.
Ye Xuan walked in with short little steps, his eyes fixed straight ahead.
The men glanced at him. Seeing a little kid who still had milk on his breath, they quickly lost interest.
"Whose brat is this? Come here looking to get himself killed?"
A burly man with a face full of flesh sneered and spat.
Ye Xuan ignored him.
The moment he entered the market, a wave of clamor hit him.
"Come take a look!"
"Fine Red Iron Ore! Top-notch material for forging flying swords!"
"Hundred-Year Vermillion Fruit! Just dug up from Black Wind Ridge! Boost your cultivation! Don't miss out!"
"Family heirloom treasure map! It marks the ruins of an ancient cultivator's cave! Just one High-grade Magic Treasure, and the fortune is yours!"
Stalls stood side by side, filling the entire valley.
Most of the stall owners were dressed in rags.
Some had sinister expressions, while others were all smiles.
Without exception, their eyes were sharp with calculation.
Ye Xuan browsed with interest.
So this was life at the bottom of the cultivation world.
Compared to the ivory tower that was Qingyun Sect, this place felt more like a real world.
Ye Xuan walked over to a stall selling Red Iron Ore and crouched down.
The so-called fine Red Iron Ore was dark red all over, with a pitted surface.
"Good eye, young man!"
"I dug this out from deep in a mine at the risk of my life."
"Just look at the color, and look at the—"
The stall owner was a skinny old man.
As soon as he saw a potential customer, he flashed a row of yellow teeth.
"The impurity content is at least seventy percent."
"And there are cracks inside. The ore's heat has dissipated."
"Take it to forge a sword, and it'll crumble into junk in no time."
Ye Xuan reached out a finger and lightly tapped the ore.
Thanks to the Low-tier Artifact Forging Technique,
Ye Xuan could be considered an artifact-forging master in the Zhu Xian World.
Seeing through the true nature of an artifact-forging material was no difficult task.
"This..."
"How could that be..."
The old man's smile froze on his face.
How did this little tyke know so much?
Ye Xuan paid no attention to the old man's reaction. He stood up and turned to leave.
[ Ding! ]
[ The host has arrived at the check-in location—Tianyuan Mountain! ]
[ Check in now? ]
Just then,
the system's cold voice rang out in Ye Xuan's mind.
Ye Xuan stopped in his tracks.
"Check in!"
Before you continue