Small Trade Meet

Wang Feng's words did indeed have an impact on Li Mo.

He meditated quietly for a day and a night.

Should he cultivate steadily like the disciples from established families, or like the rogue disciples, striving his best to seize future opportunities?

Though he could continue contemplating, the two cracked and flawed Qi Gathering Pills in his jade bottle couldn't wait any longer.

Because they were refined using the Lightning Refining Method, the medicinal properties and spiritual energy within these pills would continuously dissipate each day. With a sigh, he followed his original plan and went to the Alchemy Hall, requesting another alchemy room. After consuming one of the cracked pills, he began circulating the Greater Heavenly Cycle to refine it.

Li Mo discovered that after consuming the pills and during the refining process, his body's thirst and hunger were greatly reduced. He could go days without eating or drinking without any issues.

Time passed day by day.

In the blink of an eye, it was the Mid-Autumn Festival.

After the initial screening, approximately three hundred disciples from the Enlightenment Hall had arrived at the Advanced Study Hall, becoming first-year disciples. After another half-month of adjustment, they had initially adapted to life in the Lingmu Sect, commuting daily between lectures and routine duty tasks, their lives quite peaceful and comfortable.

Inside the Alchemy Hall, Li Mo slowly opened the secret chamber door. His expression seemed somewhat grim.

He had encountered a bottleneck at the seventh level of Qi Refining.

Over the past two months, he had continuously consumed and refined Qi Gathering Pills, coupled with frequent entries into the Mystic Dream to cultivate by refining with the Greater Heavenly Cycle. His cultivation quickly broke through the constraints of the fifth level of Qi Refining, advancing all the way to the peak of the sixth level. He had attempted to break through the bottleneck of the seventh level of Qi Refining multiple times but had consistently failed.

Simultaneously, the effect of consuming Qi Gathering Pills had become as Wang Feng had said; after the tenth pill, the medicinal properties and spiritual energy became progressively weaker, and further consumption was a waste.

This left Li Mo with a sense of disorientation for a time.

"After consuming those two flawed, broken pills, I didn't restrain myself. But now, I can only press forward and continuously strive for opportunities!"

He currently had ten Qi Gathering Pills left and planned to sell them when he had the chance to exchange them for Spirit Stones.

Although the Summer Flood's thunderstorm season had not yet ended, due to the bottleneck, continuing to circulate the Greater Heavenly Cycle for cultivation in the Mystic Dream was no longer useful. This was not a matter of accumulating daily Magical Power.

Although his current cultivation at the peak of the sixth level of Qi Refining was considered outstanding among second-year disciples of previous years – for instance, Zhao Liang last year was at the same cultivation level – Li Mo was not content with just that.

He had to do his utmost to secure a spot in the top three of this year's year-end assessment to seize his opportunities. Who knew if this year's disciples would be even more outstanding than those of previous years? He might encounter someone at the seventh level of Qi Refining, and unfortunately, he had already met them.

That Jiang Sheng was very suspicious!

As Li Mo left the alchemy room in a daze, contemplating whether he should continue taking on commissioned missions to find opportunities to break through his bottleneck, he couldn't help but look over as a senior brother from the Alchemy Hall was politely seeing someone else off.

"That person looks a bit familiar... could it be Shi Yongjie?"

Shi Yongjie's reputation was not prominent.

The only thing that left a deep impression on Li Mo was when he had rushed to the classroom in the Enlightenment Hall and reported the death of his roommate, Shi Yazhou. Later, disciples from the Enforcement Hall confirmed that he had died from a Magical Power backlash.

"Senior Brother Nie."

Li Mo greeted the senior brother in charge of registering alchemy room applications at the Alchemy Hall.

"What was that person doing here just now?"

"Oh, it's Junior Brother Li. That person just now was Shi Yongjie. He's an artifact refiner from the Artifact Refining Hall, with quite good aptitude. I met him by chance when I visited a senior brother in the Artifact Refining Hall. I heard that this person is highly regarded by several junior uncles."

Nie Zhen even praised him highly.

"He came here this time wanting to spend thirty Spirit Stones to purchase a Qi Gathering Pill, asking me to inquire among the brothers in the Alchemy Hall. Do you know him, Junior Brother?"

"Yes, we were in the same class at the Enlightenment Hall, just not very familiar."

Li Mo didn't say much.

At the same time, he couldn't help but be surprised. He hadn't expected Shi Yongjie to be so shrewd, already considered a half-inner disciple like himself. He hadn't paid any attention to this before.

If that was the case, wouldn't Jiang Sheng be his senior brother, similar to the relationship between Tao Ran and himself?

After bidding farewell to Senior Brother Nie, Li Mo returned to his dormitory.

With the influx of the first-year disciples this year, the Advanced Study Hall had become noticeably livelier. In the afternoon, after having a meal with Ma Ling, Niu Li, and Yang Guang, Wang Zhu, whom he hadn't seen in a long time, came to find him.

"Li Mo."

Wang Zhu said with a smile, "Long time no see, how have you been recently?"

"Wang Zhu."

After greeting him, Li Mo replied with a smile, "I took on a commissioned mission a while ago and was quite lucky, earning some quick money. How about you?"

Compared to when he was a gatekeeper boy at the Treasure Gathering Hall a year ago, Wang Zhu now appeared significantly more mature. His words and actions were like those of a seasoned disciple, or perhaps a meticulous and patient basket weaver. He was no longer capable of making naive remarks like those about a "snotty nose path."

From this, it seemed that Lü Song of the Treasure Gathering Hall had a profound influence on Wang Zhu, much like Ye Yimeng on Lu Tianyou, and Zhao Siman on himself.

Wang Zhu sat down next to Li Mo.

"Actually... I've also had some opportunities, but due to certain special rules, it's not convenient to reveal them for now. I came to find you this time because I have some good news to tell you."

"Oh?"

Li Mo's interest was piqued.

Wang Zhu leaned in and whispered, "I've joined a rogue organization in the sect called the Fairness Society. There are a few senior brothers and sisters in the organization who just returned from Zhongshan Country and brought back many good items that aren't available in Gan State. They're planning to hold a small private trading fair in a couple of days and intend to invite some rogue disciples to attend. So, I thought of you. What do you say, are you interested?"

"Zhongshan Country?"

Li Mo immediately understood.

"Didn't the Gan State and Lu Country cease hostilities a year ago? Why are they only returning now?"

The Zhongshan Country was a neutral small nation between the Gan State and the Lu Country.

Wang Zhu pondered for a moment before shaking his head slightly.

"I don't know the specific details. I guess it's the military's arrangement. After all, many people were temporarily seconded from various sects during the war. It involves a lot of procedures, and many grand formations deployed on the front lines need to be carefully recovered. The journey is also so long, perhaps they were delayed."

This Fairness Society had indeed been established in the sect for many years and had considerable influence!

However, Li Mo had no intention of joining the Fairness Society that Wang Zhu mentioned for the time being.

Although he was somewhat dissatisfied with the words and actions of some aristocratic disciples, he had also become good friends with some of them, such as Chen Rong, Wang Feng, and Lü Cuicui, who were all quite good people.

Wang Zhu seemed to see through Li Mo's concerns.

"It's okay if you don't join the Fairness Society. You have to remember that joining the Fairness Society is always voluntary. It's the last guarantee for rogue disciples to unite. This trade fair is a rare opportunity, so just treat it as attending a gathering."

Since Wang Zhu had said so, Li Mo naturally had no reason to refuse.

"Alright, when does it start?"

"The night after tomorrow, at Xushi (7-9 PM), in a reception room in the Special Service Hall. The gatekeeper boy will take you there. It's already been reported to the sect."

After Li Mo agreed, Wang Zhu nodded and left.

"Trade fair?"

Li Mo smiled, planning to postpone his commission mission for a few days and try his luck at this trade fair first to see if he could find anything useful.

After all, he now had ten Qi Gathering Pills in his hand that could be used as exchange items.

Two days later.

Li Mo arrived at the Special Service Hall on time.

After he stated his purpose, a gatekeeper boy immediately led Li Mo into a large hall. About twenty to thirty people had gathered inside, and surprisingly, there were a few familiar faces.

"Tianyou!"

Li Mo saw Lu Tianyou and walked over with a smile.

Lu Tianyou, who had been in a daze, also snapped back to attention and greeted Li Mo with a smile. The two stood together.

Besides him.

Li Mo also saw Zhou Zheng, Yang Zhiman, and Zhao Huaxue.

However, he wasn't too familiar with these three, so he kept a distance, nodding to each other without saying much.

To Li Mo's surprise, Wang Zhu was not there.

But he soon learned from Lu Tianyou that the person who had invited him had also not come. Coupled with the arrival of more people in the hall, which made the space a bit crowded, he understood.

Then, Li Mo looked at the four people standing side by side in the hall, their auras clearly different.

These two men and two women exuded an aura of shrewdness and competence, and they looked much older. They were currently whispering to each other.

"Those four should be the senior brothers and sisters who returned from the Zhongshan Country, right?"

Lu Tianyou nodded upon hearing this.

"They should be. They all have at least Qi Refining level ten cultivation. People who have been to the battlefield are indeed different. They look more capable than many of our sect's uncles, and their eyes carry a killing intent. I feel a bit scared even from this distance."

Li Mo couldn't help but sigh.

"I heard that the lifespan of cultivators in the Lu Country is generally long. I'm so envious."

After the two whispered for a while, a black-clothed cultivator among the four turned his head and glanced at the sundial in the room.

"Time is almost up. Everyone, please be quiet."

Everyone turned their attention to this person.

The black-clothed cultivator surveyed the crowd and spoke in a calm tone.

"My name is He Ping. I joined the Fairness Society eight years ago. The Fairness Society is an organization that supports rogue disciples in the sect and upholds justice. Its aim is to ensure that all rogue disciples who join the Lingmu Sect are not oppressed by aristocratic disciples. Senior members who joined the organization earlier help the juniors, passing down the tradition continuously..."

He Ping's impassioned speech seemed to resonate with many people.

Li Mo then realized that Lu Tianyou, Yang Zhiman, Zhao Huaxue, and Zhou Zheng, all people he knew, had all suffered oppression from aristocratic disciples to varying degrees.

As for himself.

Although he hadn't had any major conflicts with aristocratic disciples in the past year or so, he had still had a few arguments in his daily life. It was just that because he and his martial arts small group, Ma Ling, Niu Li, and Yang Guang, had a reputation, no one was willing to provoke them.

Especially Ma Ling.

Politely called "Tiger Girl," impolitely called "Mother Tiger," she was usually fierce and intimidating wherever she went, except when she was relatively friendly to Li Mo, Niu Li, and Yang Guang. Outsiders were wary of her, which prevented these arguments from escalating into conflicts.

"And these three are Zhang Ning, Hua Yuelu, and Zhao Min. The four of us were assigned to the same group during the war with the Lu Country, sharing life and death. Therefore, during this trade fair, we four will first offer some materials, talismans, elixirs, and magic artifacts for sale at slightly below market price, or for barter. After that, you can trade amongst yourselves."

Everyone's faces lit up with anticipation, and they crowded around.

The four occupied corners of the room, opened their Storage Pouches, and took out quite a few good items, placing them in front of them for the rogue disciples to choose from.

Li Mo and Lu Tianyou went together and first approached the stall of the female cultivator named Zhao Min.

Seven or eight people were gathered around, discussing the thirty-four items on the stall, with occasional inquiries.

The items included magical artifacts, consumable Spirit Talismans, healing pills, and many alchemical and crafting materials that Li Mo didn't recognize. He noticed several pigeon-egg-sized pieces of Iron Essence, displayed as if they were mere stones.

A female disciple picked up a piece of Iron Essence.

"How much for the Iron Essence?"

Zhao Min glanced over.

"One coin of Iron Essence is nine and a half Spirit Stones, two coins are nineteen Spirit Stones."

The price she quoted for Iron Essence was indeed cheaper than in the market. At this point, Lu Tianyou also picked up a flying knife artifact and stepped forward to inquire.

"How much for this flying knife?"

"Low-grade magical artifact, Windbreak Knife, eighty Spirit Stones."

As far as Li Mo knew, the lowest price for a low-grade magical artifact on the market was around eighty Spirit Stones.

Although this Windbreak Knife was a low-grade artifact, it wasn't the worst of its kind. Therefore, its market price should be between eighty-five to ninety Spirit Stones. The price of eighty Spirit Stones was indeed a bargain.

Lu Tianyou was reluctant to put it down, but he sighed in the end and placed the Windbreak Knife back.

Li Mo also didn't have any magical artifacts and considered taking the opportunity to buy one. Whether it was for travel, combat, defense, or assistance, magical artifacts were obviously beneficial for cultivators.

However, after hesitating for a long time at Zhao Min's stall, he ultimately felt that none of the magical artifacts there quite satisfied him.

So, the two of them went to Hua Yuelu's stall.

Hua Yuelu had even more items displayed than Zhao Min.

After a brief glance, Li Mo's gaze suddenly narrowed, and he picked up two inconspicuous round orbs.

"Demon Cores?"

Lu Tianyou, who was beside him, also looked over, a look of confusion on his face.

"They don't seem right. Why is there so little spiritual energy? And there's no violent aura of a Demon Beast. How can these be used as main ingredients?"

Lu Tianyou's confusion was shared by many others.

Quite a few people had already examined these two strange Demon Cores, but as disciples of the Lingmu Sect, they quickly discovered the anomaly and gave up.

Li Mo didn't respond to Lu Tianyou.

He opened his Spirit Eyes and carefully observed the two round orbs in his hand, a hint of barely concealed excitement gradually appearing in his pupils.

That's right!

These were Misty Demon Cores!

Demon Cores that formed during the Qi Refining Stage, possessing lightning-avoidance properties. The cores contained mysterious Dao patterns, all matching the characteristics of Misty Demon Cores.

Li Mo was incredibly excited. It was truly a case of searching high and low without success, only to find it effortlessly here. He had actually discovered Misty Demon Cores.

"Senior Sister Hua, where did these two Demon Cores come from?"

Hua Yuelu's face showed helplessness.

"These were obtained from the Storage Pouch of a Qi Refining cultivator from Lu Country after I and another person jointly killed him. There were five in total at the time. I originally thought they were low-grade Demon Cores unique to Lu Country, so I happily prepared to use them as main ingredients for alchemy. I figured even if the medicinal properties were a bit weaker, the quantity would suffice. In the end, I hired two alchemists, but both failed. Not only did I lose three Demon Cores, but I also had to compensate for many auxiliary ingredients."

She sighed as she spoke.

"So now I suspect they might not be Demon Cores, but something else entirely. However, I've asked many senior brothers and sisters, and no one has been able to provide an answer."

Li Mo was not disappointed upon hearing this.

He had at least confirmed that Misty Demon Cores were likely items that cultivators from Lu Country could access. Gan State cultivators, due to their hostile relationship with Lu Country, would find it difficult to obtain such items.

Furthermore, since Senior Sister Hua Yuelu was able to capture them, it was highly probable that other senior brothers and sisters who participated in the war might have also captured them. He could continue his investigation.

Thus, Li Mo asked tentatively.

"How much are you planning to sell them for? I'm a disciple of the Alchemy Hall and intend to study them thoroughly."

"If you're truly buying, then ten Spirit Stones each. You can take them both. However, I must state upfront, if any problems arise later, you absolutely cannot come looking for me."

"Don't worry, Senior Sister!"

Li Mo took out all fifteen Spirit Stones he had on him and then said to Lu Tianyou beside him, "Lend me five Spirit Stones for now, I'll return them to you later."

"Alright."

Once Li Mo had gathered enough Spirit Stones, he put the two Misty Demon Cores into his Storage Pouch, a great weight lifted from his heart.