The Small Trade Fair

However, what Wang Feng had said had indeed affected Li Mo somewhat.

He spent a day and a night in quiet contemplation.

Should he cultivate steadily, like the disciples from Aristocratic Clans, or strive with all his might for the opportunities that awaited him, like the unaffiliated disciples?

He could have kept pondering, but the two flawed Qi Gathering Pills with cracks in the Jade Bottle could not wait.

Because they had been refined using the Lightning Refining Method, the medicinal properties and spiritual energy within the two Qi Gathering Pills were steadily dissipating each day. So, with a sigh, he followed his original plan and went to the Alchemy Hall. After applying for another alchemy room and swallowing one of the cracked pills, he began circulating the Greater Celestial Circuit to refine it.

Li Mo discovered something.

After swallowing a pill, his hunger and thirst diminished greatly while he refined it. He could go for several days without food or water and be perfectly fine.

Days passed one by one.

Before he knew it, the Mid-Autumn Festival had arrived.

After the initial screening, nearly three hundred disciples from the Enlightenment Hall had advanced to the Advanced Study Hall as first-year students. After nearly half a month of settling in, they had more or less adjusted to life in the Lingmu Sect, their days passing peacefully as they went back and forth between their instructors' classes and routine duty shifts.

Li Mo slowly opened the door to the Alchemy Hall's secluded room, his expression seeming somewhat grave.

He had run into a bottleneck at the seventh level of the Qi Refining Stage.

Over the past two months, he had continuously swallowed and refined Qi Gathering Pills. Combined with his frequent visits to the Mystic Dream, where he cultivated by refining his energy through the Greater Celestial Circuit, his cultivation had quickly broken through the restraints of the fifth level and advanced all the way to the peak of the sixth. After that, however, he had tried many times to break through the bottleneck at the seventh level, but had never succeeded.

At the same time, the Qi Gathering Pills' effects had been just as Wang Feng described: after the tenth pill, their medicinal properties and spiritual energy grew weaker and weaker. Continuing to take them would only be a waste.

For a moment, Li Mo felt almost at a loss.

It's all because I couldn't restrain myself after swallowing those two flawed pills. But now that things have come to this, I can only keep moving forward and strive for every opportunity I can get!

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

The Summer Flood thunderstorm season was not over yet, but with his bottleneck in the way, there was no point in continuing to cultivate by circulating the Greater Celestial Circuit in the Mystic Dream. This was not a matter of accumulating his daily reserves of spiritual power.

With his cultivation at the peak of the sixth level of the Qi Refining Stage, he was already among the best of last year's second-year disciples. Zhao Liang, for instance, had only reached this level last year. But Li Mo was not content with that.

He had to do everything he could to secure one of the top three places in this year's year-end assessment and win an opportunity for himself. Who knew whether this year's disciples might be even more exceptional than those of previous years? Someone at the seventh level of the Qi Refining Stage could appear—and, to his misfortune, he might encounter them first.

That Jiang Sheng was suspicious!

Just as Li Mo left the alchemy room, looking somewhat dazed as he wondered whether he should take on another commission and seek an opportunity to break through his bottleneck, he happened to glance over at the sight of an Alchemy Hall senior brother politely seeing someone off.

"That person looks familiar... Could that be Shi Yongjie?"

Shi Yongjie was not well known.

The only thing Li Mo remembered clearly about him was how, back in the Enlightenment Hall, he had rushed to the classroom to report that his roommate Shi Yazhou had died suddenly. Disciples from the Law Enforcement Hall later confirmed that Shi Yazhou had died from a backlash of spiritual power.

"Senior Brother Nie."

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

"What was that person here for just now?"

"Oh, it's Junior Brother Li. That person was Shi Yongjie, an artificer from the Refining Hall. He's quite talented. I met him by chance when I went to visit a senior brother at the Refining Hall. I heard several martial uncles think highly of him."

Nie Zhen praised him without reservation.

"He came by this time hoping to buy a Qi Gathering Pill for thirty Spirit Stones. He asked me to inquire among the brothers and sisters at the Alchemy Hall. Do you know him, Junior Brother?"

"Yeah. We were in the same class at the Enlightenment Hall, but we weren't close."

Li Mo said no more.

At the same time, he couldn't help feeling surprised. He hadn't expected Shi Yongjie to be so shrewd. He was already practically a half-fledged inner disciple, just like Li Mo, and Li Mo had never noticed before.

In that case, wasn't Jiang Sheng his senior brother, much like Tao Ran was to Li Mo?

After saying goodbye to Senior Brother Nie, Li Mo returned to his dormitory.

With the new first-year disciples moving in, the Advanced Study Hall had become noticeably livelier. That afternoon, after eating with Ma Ling, Niu Li, and Yang Guang, Li Mo was approached by Wang Zhu, whom he had not seen in ages.

"Li Mo."

Wang Zhu smiled. "Long time no see. How have you been?"

"Wang Zhu."

Li Mo greeted him, then smiled as he replied, "I took on a commission a while ago. Got lucky and earned a little spending money. What about you?"

Compared with a year ago, when Wang Zhu had been a young gate attendant at the Gathering Treasure Hall, he had clearly grown more mature. His words and actions now had the air of an experienced disciple—or perhaps a meticulous, patient bamboo craftsman. He would never again come out with an innocent remark like his old "booger Dao."

It seemed that Lü Song of the Gathering Treasure Hall had had a profound influence on Wang Zhu, just as Ye Yimeng had on Lu Tianyou and Zhao Siman had on Li Mo.

Wang Zhu sat beside Li Mo.

"Actually... I've come across an opportunity too. But because of some special rules, I can't really talk about it yet. I came to find you this time because I have some good news."

"Oh?"

Li Mo was immediately intrigued.

Wang Zhu leaned close and whispered, "I joined an unaffiliated group in the sect called the Fairness Society. A few senior brothers and sisters just came back from Zhongshan Country, bringing back all kinds of good things that Gan Kingdom doesn't have. They're planning to hold a small private trade fair in a couple of days and invite some unaffiliated disciples to attend. I thought of you. Interested?"

"Zhongshan Country?"

Li Mo immediately understood.

"Gan Kingdom and Lu Country stopped fighting a year ago. Why have they only come back now?"

Zhongshan Country was a small, neutral country between Gan Kingdom and Lu Country.

Wang Zhu thought for a moment, then shook his head.

"I don't know the specifics either. I guess it was arranged by the military. After all, many people were temporarily recruited from various sects during the war. There was a lot of paperwork involved, and the many formations laid out on the front lines had to be carefully dismantled and recovered. The journey was so long, too. Maybe they got held up."

So the Fairness Society had indeed been established in the sect for years and grown into quite a force!

Still, Li Mo had no plans to join the Fairness Society Wang Zhu had mentioned.

Though he was dissatisfied with the behavior of certain disciples from Aristocratic Clans, he had also become friends with some of them. Chen Rong, Wang Feng, and Lü Cuicui, for instance, were all quite decent people.

Wang Zhu seemed to notice Li Mo's reservations.

"It's fine if you don't join the Fairness Society. Just remember, joining has always been voluntary. It's the unaffiliated disciples' last line of defense, a way for them to stand together. This trade fair is a rare opportunity. Just think of it as going to a gathering."

Wang Zhu put it that way, so Li Mo had no reason to refuse.

"Then all right. When does it start?"

"The night after tomorrow, at Xushi, in a meeting room at the Special Service Hall. A gate attendant will take you there. It's already been registered with the sect."

Li Mo agreed, and Wang Zhu nodded before leaving.

"A trade fair?"

Li Mo smiled. He decided to put off taking another commission for a few days and try his luck at the fair first, to see if he could find anything useful.

After all, he had ten Qi Gathering Pills on hand that he could use for a trade.

Two days later.

Li Mo arrived at the Special Service Hall on time.

After he explained why he had come, a gate attendant immediately led him to a hall. Two or three dozen people were gathered inside, including several familiar faces.

"Tianyou!"

As soon as Li Mo spotted Lu Tianyou, he smiled and walked over.

Lu Tianyou had been standing there with a vacant, dazed expression, but at the sound of Li Mo's voice, he came back to himself and smiled in greeting. The two stood together.

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

He wasn't very familiar with any of the three, so they only nodded to each other from a distance without saying much.

What puzzled Li Mo was that Wang Zhu hadn't come.

But he soon learned from Lu Tianyou that the person who had invited him hadn't shown up either. Then a few more people entered the hall, making the space feel somewhat crowded, and Li Mo understood.

Next, Li Mo turned his attention to the four people standing side by side in the hall, whose bearing was clearly different from everyone else's.

The two men and two women all looked sharp and capable, and their faces seemed much older. They were standing together, quietly talking.

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

Lu Tianyou nodded.

"Must be. They're all at least at the tenth level of the Qi Refining Stage. People who've been on a battlefield really are different. They look more capable than a lot of the sect's martial uncles, and there's a murderous glint in their eyes. I'm a little scared, even from this far away."

Li Mo couldn't help sighing.

"I heard cultivators in Lu Country generally live a long time. I'm so jealous."

After the two whispered together for a while, one of the four, a black-robed cultivator, turned and glanced at the water clock in the room.

"It's about time. Everyone, quiet down."

At his words, everyone turned to look at him.

The black-robed cultivator glanced around at the crowd, his tone calm.

"My name is He Ping. I joined the Fairness Society eight years ago. The Fairness Society is an organization in the sect that stands up for unaffiliated disciples and champions fairness. Our aim is to make sure unaffiliated disciples who join the Lingmu Sect aren't oppressed by disciples from Aristocratic Clans. Those who joined the organization earlier help the newcomers, and the tradition is passed down from one generation to the next..."

He Ping's impassioned words seemed to strike a chord with quite a few people.

Only then did Li Mo realize that the four people he knew—Lu Tianyou, Yang Zhiman, Zhao Huaxue, and Zhou Zheng—had all suffered, to varying degrees, at the hands of disciples from Aristocratic Clans.

As for himself...

Over the past year or so, he had never had a major conflict with disciples from Aristocratic Clans, but they had exchanged sharp words a few times in their daily lives. It was only because his martial arts group with Ma Ling, Niu Li, and Yang Guang was well known that no one wanted to provoke them.

Especially Ma Ling.

They called her Tiger Girl when they were being polite, and the tigress when they weren't. Aside from Li Mo, Niu Li, and Yang Guang, she was fierce as a demon everywhere she went. Outsiders were wary of her, so those few arguments never escalated into real conflicts.

"These three are Zhang Ning, Hua Yuelu, and Zhao Min. During the war with Lu Country, the four of us were assigned to the same squad. We went through life and death together. So, during this trade fair, we'll first put out some materials, talismans, pills, and magical artifacts for sale at prices slightly below market rate, or trade them for other items. After that, you'll be free to trade among yourselves."

The crowd looked expectant and hurried over.

The four took up positions in the corners of the room, opened their Storage Pouches, and brought out a good number of treasures, laying them out for the unaffiliated disciples to browse.

Li Mo and Lu Tianyou first went over to the stall belonging to the woman named Zhao Min.

Seven or eight people were gathered there, discussing the thirty-odd items on display and asking questions from time to time.

There were magical artifacts, consumable Spirit Talismans, healing pills, and many alchemy and refining materials Li Mo didn't recognize. He noticed several pieces of Iron Essence about the size of pigeon eggs, lying there like ordinary stones.

A female disciple picked up a piece of Iron Essence.

"How much for the Iron Essence?"

Zhao Min glanced at it.

"Half a tael of Iron Essence for nine and a half Spirit Stones; one tael for nineteen."

Her price for the Iron Essence was indeed a little lower than what the marketplace charged. Just then, Lu Tianyou picked up a flying-dagger magical artifact and asked,

"How much for this flying dagger?"

"The low-grade Windbreak Knife, eighty Spirit Stones."

As far as Li Mo knew, the cheapest low-grade magical artifacts on the market went for around eighty Spirit Stones.

Although the Windbreak Knife was a low-grade magical artifact, it wasn't among the worst of its kind. Its market price would be around eighty-five to ninety Spirit Stones, so eighty was indeed a bargain.

Lu Tianyou couldn't bear to part with it, but in the end he sighed and put the Windbreak Knife back.

Li Mo didn't own a magical artifact either. He wondered whether he should take the opportunity to buy one. Whether it was for travel, combat, defense, or support, a magical artifact could obviously improve a cultivator's capabilities.

But after hesitating for a long time at Zhao Min's stall, he decided that none of the magical artifacts here really suited him.

So the two went to Hua Yuelu's stall.

Hua Yuelu had put out even more items than Zhao Min.

Li Mo glanced over them and suddenly fixed his gaze on two unremarkable round objects. He picked them up.

"Demon cores?"

Lu Tianyou looked over too, his face clouding with doubt.

"They don't seem right. Why is their spiritual energy so weak? And they don't have that savage aura of a demon beast. How could they be used as a primary ingredient?"

Lu Tianyou's doubts were shared by many.

Quite a few people had already inspected the two strange demon cores, but as disciples of the Lingmu Sect, they had quickly noticed that something was off. One after another, they had given up on them.

Li Mo didn't answer Lu Tianyou.

He opened his Spirit Eye and studied the two round objects in his hands. A look of barely restrained excitement gradually appeared in his eyes.

That was right!

They were Ephemeral Demon Cores!

Demon cores that formed at the Qi Refining Stage and had an ability to ward off lightning, with mysterious patterns inside—their features all matched those of Ephemeral Demon Cores.

Li Mo was so excited that his heart pounded. He had searched high and low, only to find them without any trouble at all. He had actually found Ephemeral Demon Cores here!

"Senior Sister Hua, where did these two demon cores come from?"

Hua Yuelu looked helpless.

"Another person and I killed a Qi Refining cultivator from Lu Country together, and I got these from his Storage Pouch. There were five in all. I thought they were some kind of low-grade demon core unique to Lu Country, so I was delighted and planned to use them as the primary ingredient for alchemy. I figured that even if their medicinal properties were weak, using enough of them would make up for it. But I asked two alchemists to try, and both times they failed. Not only did I lose three cores, I also had to pay for quite a few auxiliary ingredients."

She sighed.

"So now I suspect they might not be demon cores at all, but something else. I've asked a lot of senior brothers and sisters, but none of them could tell me what they are."

Li Mo wasn't disappointed.

At the very least, he could now be fairly certain that Ephemeral Demon Cores were something cultivators from Lu Country had access to, while cultivators from Gan Kingdom had little chance of encountering such things because they were enemies of Lu Country.

And since Senior Sister Hua had managed to acquire them as spoils, other senior brothers and sisters who had fought in the war might have acquired some too. He could keep investigating.

With that in mind, Li Mo asked cautiously,

"How much are you asking for them? I'm from the Alchemy Hall and want to study them carefully."

"If you really want them, then ten Spirit Stones each. You can take both. But I'll make this clear first: if something goes wrong later, don't come blaming me."

"Don't worry, Senior Sister!"

Li Mo took out the only fifteen Spirit Stones he had on him, then turned to Lu Tianyou and said, "Lend me five Spirit Stones for now. I'll pay you back in a moment."

"Sure."

Once Li Mo had scraped together enough Spirit Stones, he put the two Ephemeral Demon Cores into his Storage Pouch. The enormous weight on his heart finally lifted.