Zhao Feng

"Fellow Daoist Li, would you like to buy some talismans? I'll give you a discount."

Ye Yutang said enthusiastically.

To conceal his identity, Shen Long had adopted the pseudonym Li Xiao. Over the past half-year, he hadn't been idle and had gotten to know several Qi Refining cultivators.

"No thank you, Fairy Ye. Has Fellow Daoist Zhao not come to set up his stall?"

Shen Long asked curiously.

"Fellow Daoist Zhao is planning to host a gathering at his residence this evening at the Hour of the Rooster. I imagine he's off preparing for it!"

Ye Yutang replied.

"It's not just an imagination; I am indeed preparing. Fellow Daoist Li, Fairy Ye, you must both come. Members of the Su Family will also be attending tonight's gathering."

A deep, resonant male voice rang out.

As the words fell, a man of medium build in a red shirt walked over. The man had regular features, and a faint scent of medicinal herbs wafted from him.

Zhao Feng, a first-rank alchemist.

As the Immortal Ascension Assembly approached, many elites had gathered at Yunmeng Mountain, and Zhao Feng was one of them.

Under these circumstances, gatherings among Qi Refining cultivators were frequent. Making friends was wise; one never knew when it might come in handy. The Immortal Ascension Assembly hadn't ended yet, and who knew if someone might turn out to be a dark horse.

During the last Immortal Ascension Assembly, the Mystic Yang Sect had recruited a cultivator with Heavenly Spiritual Roots. Before the assembly concluded, few people had known that this person possessed such a gift.

Cultivation was not merely about bitter training or constant fighting; social skills and worldly wisdom were indispensable.

Shen Long did not reject socializing; making a few more friends was a good thing.

"The Su Family members are attending too! Fellow Daoist Zhao, your social circle is truly vast."

Ye Yutang said with a smile.

Zhao Feng was an alchemist capable of refining various first-rank pills. He was well-connected and held a certain influence among the Qi Refining cultivators at Yunmeng Mountain.

"Fairy Ye, you flatter me. It's just about making a few more friends. The Su Family members know the recruitment requirements for the Purple Firmament Gate. You should both come by; there is no harm in getting to know a few more fellow daoists."

Zhao Feng said.

Shen Long and Ye Yutang agreed. They were also interested in the recruitment requirements of the Purple Firmament Gate.

The recruitment criteria for the five major powers of the Qin Kingdom were not fixed and sometimes changed. Knowing the requirements in advance allowed one to prepare accordingly.

After chatting for a few moments, Zhao Feng took his leave.

Shen Long began to wander around. A large number of rogue cultivators had flooded into Yunmeng Mountain. Some sold items they no longer needed in exchange for cultivation resources, and sometimes one could find a bargain—though, naturally, there were plenty of scams as well.

"Century-old Magnolia flowers, just picked! Come and take a look!"

A loud male voice rang out.

Shen Long wasn't interested. He didn't know much about spiritual herbs. He had seized a jade slip from an enemy that recorded the appearance, effects, and growth environments of over a hundred types of herbs.

Words on a page were static, however, and some forgery techniques were so convincing that even experts could be fooled.

One could not earn spirit stones beyond their own knowledge. Shen Long knew more about artifact-refining materials, having been taught personally by Sun Huowang while working at the Craftsman Hall for several years.

Over the past half-year, Shen Long had managed to pick up a few bargains, buying refining materials at low prices and reselling them for a small profit of a dozen spirit stones.

He didn't just wander the Free Trade Square to find bargains; it was also to broaden his horizons. Some stall owners sold peculiar goods, and others would share interesting anecdotes about the cultivation world.

After the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, Shen Long stood before a small stall. The owner was a man in his early thirties wearing a green shirt. The stall held a variety of items: ores, beast materials, and spiritual herbs.

"How much for this piece of ore?"

Shen Long picked up a black ore the size of a watermelon and asked casually. There were six such black ores on the stall.

"That is black iron ore. If you like it, ten spirit stones."

The man in the green shirt said.

Shen Long nodded and picked up a smaller piece of black ore, asking, "Is this piece of black iron ore also ten spirit stones?"

"Exactly."

The man in the green shirt nodded.

Shen Long didn't haggle; he took out ten spirit stones and bought the black ore.

He wandered around a bit more but didn't buy anything else. He left the Free Trade Square and arrived at the entrance of a five-story green pavilion. The plaque bore the characters "Hundred Forging Hall."

Shen Long strode inside. The shelves were lined with magical artifacts ranging from low-grade to high-grade. Several attendants in green shirts were introducing artifacts to customers, and an elderly man in a gold robe with a ruddy complexion sat behind the counter, reviewing an account book.

"Shopkeeper Sun, are you buying this piece of Ink Cloud Stone?"

Shen Long walked over, took out the black ore, and spoke.

The elderly man in the gold robe was Sun Yousheng, a fifth-layer Qi Refining cultivator and the shopkeeper of the Hundred Forging Hall. The hall was a shop opened by a cultivation family, primarily selling magical artifacts.

Sun Yousheng took the black ore, examined it carefully, nodded, and said, "Twenty spirit stones. How about that?"

"Only twenty? I spent thirty spirit stones to buy it. It should be at least forty."

Shen Long bargained.

"This is just raw ore. Thirty spirit stones is the most I can offer."

Sun Yousheng said.

"Thirty-five, not a single piece less."

Shen Long said.

Sun Yousheng said, "Thirty-three at most; that is the highest price I can offer."

"Deal!"

Shen Long agreed, took the thirty-three spirit stones from Sun Yousheng's hand, and made a net profit of twenty-three spirit stones.

"You kid have a sharp eye; you're always picking up bargains."

Sun Yousheng praised.

"You flatter me, Shopkeeper Sun. It's just good luck. I can't compare to you all—you make much more selling a single magical artifact, while I can only just scrape by."

Shen Long explained.

"Being able to pick up bargains is a skill in itself; not everyone can do it."

A pleasant female voice rang out.

As the words fell, a young girl in a green dress, in the prime of her youth, walked down from upstairs.

The girl in the green dress had an oval face, a cherry mouth, and a delicate nose. Her dress was embroidered with a few plum blossoms, her hair was styled into a flying immortal bun, and a green jade hairpin was slanted into it. She wore light makeup, and her lips were naturally red without the need for rouge.

"Fellow Daoist Li is familiar with many types of first-tier refining materials; it would be a pity not to study artifact refining."

The girl in the green dress said in a regretful tone.

"Fairy Sun, you jest. Being familiar with refining materials doesn't necessarily mean one can become an artifact refiner."

Shen Long said with a smile.

The girl in the green dress was named Sun Changxin; she was an artifact refiner with the cultivation of the eighth level of Qi Refining.

Sun Changxin nodded, looked at Sun Yousheng, and said, "Seventh Great-Uncle, I'm going out for a while. If Fellow Daoist Yang comes looking for me, just tell him I'm not here."

"Understood, go ahead with your business!"

Sun Yousheng agreed.

Shen Long chatted with Sun Yousheng for a few more sentences before taking his leave.

At the hour of the Rooster, the sky darkened, and various shopkeepers brought out their lighting tools. Yunmeng Mountain was brightly lit, resembling a city that never sleeps.

Shen Long stood at the gate of a small red-tiled courtyard, sent out a sound transmission talisman, and waited quietly.

"Fellow Daoist Li, what a coincidence!"

A somewhat weathered male voice rang out.

Shen Long followed the sound and saw a slightly hunched old man in a green robe and a girl in a purple dress in her early twenties walking toward him.

The girl in the purple dress had a beautiful appearance, fair skin, and eyes as clear as water.

"Fellow Daoist Lu, Fairy Lu, long time no see."

Shen Long greeted them.

The old man in the green robe was named Lu Shan, and the girl in the purple dress was named Lu Yudie. The grandfather and granddaughter made a living by hunting demonic beasts, and Shen Long would occasionally purchase the corpses of first-tier demonic scorpions from them to feed his Iron Tail Scorpion.