Zhao Feng

"Fellow Daoist Li, buying Talismans? I'll give you a cheaper price."

Ye Yutang said warmly.

To conceal his identity, Shen Long had taken the false name Li Xiao. Over the past half year, he had not been idle and had gotten to know quite a few Qi Refining Cultivators.

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

Shen Long asked curiously.

"Fellow Daoist Zhao plans to hold a gathering at his residence tonight at the hour of the Rooster. I suppose he has gone to make preparations!"

Ye Yutang said.

"Not suppose—I was indeed making preparations. Fellow Daoist Li, Fairy Ye, you must both come. Su Family disciples will also be attending tonight's gathering."

A deep male voice rang out.

As the words fell, a medium-built man in red robes walked over. His features were proper, and a faint scent of medicinal herbs wafted from him.

Zhao Feng, a first-tier alchemist.

As the Immortal Ascension Assembly drew near, Yunmeng Mountain had gathered many talented cultivators, and Zhao Feng was one of them.

Under such circumstances, gatherings among Qi Refining Cultivators were plentiful. It was good to make friends far and wide; perhaps they would prove useful in the future. Before the Immortal Ascension Assembly ended, who knew whether someone might emerge as a dark horse?

At the previous Immortal Ascension Assembly, the Mystic Yang Sect had accepted a cultivator with a Heavenly Spirit Root. Before the assembly ended, very few people had known that person possessed one.

Cultivation was not merely bitter training, nor was it all fighting and killing. Human relationships and worldly dealings were indispensable.

Shen Long did not reject socializing. Being able to make a few more friends was a good thing.

"Su Family disciples will be attending as well? Fellow Daoist Zhao truly has connections in every direction."

Ye Yutang said with a smile.

Zhao Feng was an alchemist capable of refining many varieties of first-tier pills. He had broad connections and held a certain degree of influence among the Qi Refining Cultivators of Yunmeng Mountain.

"Fairy Ye flatters me. I merely wish to make a few more friends. The Su Family disciples know the Purple Firmament Gate's requirements for accepting disciples. Come by when you have time; getting to know a few more fellow Daoists can only bring benefits."

Zhao Feng said.

Shen Long and Ye Yutang agreed. They also wanted to learn the Purple Firmament Gate's requirements for accepting disciples.

The disciple recruitment requirements of the Five Great Powers in the Qin Kingdom were not fixed and sometimes changed. Knowing them in advance would allow one to prepare ahead of time.

After chatting for a few moments, Zhao Feng left.

Shen Long began to stroll around. A great number of Rogue Cultivators had flooded into Yunmeng Mountain. To exchange for cultivation resources, some cultivators sold things they had no use for, and one could sometimes pick up overlooked treasures. Of course, there were also plenty of scams.

"Hundred-year jade orchid flowers, freshly picked! Come take a look!"

A loud male voice called out.

Shen Long had no interest in them. He knew little about spirit herbs. He had seized a Jade Slip from an enemy that recorded the appearances, effects, and growing environments of more than a hundred spirit herbs.

Words were dead. Some forgery techniques could pass falsehood off as truth, and even experts could make mistakes.

One could not earn Spirit Stones beyond the bounds of one's knowledge. Shen Long knew more about artifact-refining materials, after all. Sun Huowang had taught him hand in hand, and he had worked at Craftsman Hall for several years.

Over the past half year, Shen Long had also picked up some overlooked treasures. He bought artifact-refining materials cheaply and resold them, making small profits of more than ten Spirit Stones.

His visits to Free Trade Square were not solely for picking up overlooked treasures. He also wanted to broaden his horizons. Some stall owners sold peculiar goods, while others spoke of strange tales and curious events from the cultivation world.

After the time it took to drink a cup of tea, Shen Long stopped before a small stall. The owner was a green-shirted man in his early thirties. Quite a few items lay on the stall: ores, Monster Beast Materials, and spirit herbs.

"How much is this piece of ore?"

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

"This is Mystic Iron Ore. If you like it, ten Spirit Stones."

The green-shirted man said.

Shen Long nodded, picked up another, smaller piece of black ore, and asked, "Is this piece of Mystic Iron Ore also ten Spirit Stones?"

"Indeed."

The green-shirted man nodded.

Shen Long did not haggle. He took out ten Spirit Stones and bought the black ore.

After making a round without buying anything else, he left Free Trade Square and arrived before a five-story Cyan Pavilion. The signboard bore the three words, "Hundred Forging Hall."

Shen Long strode inside. Several Dharma Artifacts, ranging from low-grade to high-grade, were displayed on the shelves. Some Green-Shirted Attendants were introducing Dharma Artifacts to customers, while a ruddy-faced golden-robed elder sat behind the counter, flipping through an account book.

"Shopkeeper Sun, do you buy this Ink Cloud Stone?"

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

The golden-robed elder was called Sun Yousheng. At the fifth layer of Qi Refining, he was the shopkeeper of Hundred Forging Hall. Hundred Forging Hall was a store opened by a cultivation lineage, primarily selling Dharma Artifacts.

Sun Yousheng accepted the black ore and inspected it carefully. He nodded and said, "Twenty Spirit Stones. How about it?"

"Only twenty? I spent thirty Spirit Stones to buy it. At least forty Spirit Stones."

Shen Long bargained.

"This is only raw ore. At most, thirty Spirit Stones."

Sun Yousheng said.

"Thirty-five. Not a single stone less."

Shen Long said.

"Thirty-three at most. That is the highest price I can offer."

Sun Yousheng said.

"Deal!"

Shen Long agreed, accepting thirty-three Spirit Stones from Sun Yousheng and making a net profit of twenty-three Spirit Stones.

"You brat have a good eye. You often manage to pick up overlooked treasures."

Sun Yousheng praised.

"Shopkeeper Sun, you jest. It is only good luck. How could I compare to you? You earn far more from selling a single Dharma Artifact. I can only make enough to get by."

Shen Long explained.

"Being able to pick up overlooked treasures is also a skill. Not everyone can do it."

A pleasant female voice rang out.

As the words fell, a Green-Robed Maiden in the bloom of youth came down from upstairs.

The Green-Robed Maiden had an oval face, cherry lips, and a delicate nose. Several plum blossoms were embroidered upon her dress. Her hair was arranged in a Flying Immortal Hairstyle, with a green jade hairpin inserted at an angle. She wore only light makeup, yet her vermilion lips were red without rouge.

"Fellow Daoist Li is familiar with many first-tier artifact-refining materials. It would be such a pity if you did not study artifact refinement."

The Green-Robed Maiden said regretfully.

"Fairy Sun, you flatter me. Being familiar with artifact-refining materials does not mean one can become an Artifact Refiner."

Shen Long said with a smile.

The Green-Robed Maiden was called Sun Changxin. She was an Artifact Refiner at the Qi Refining Eighth Layer.

Sun Changxin nodded, then looked toward Sun Yousheng. "Seventh Grand-Uncle, I am heading out. If Fellow Daoist Yang comes looking for me, tell him I am not here."

"Understood. Go about your business!"

Sun Yousheng agreed.

Shen Long chatted with Sun Yousheng for a few more moments, then took his leave.

At the hour of the Rooster, the sky darkened. Storekeepers brought out lighting tools one after another, and Yunmeng Mountain blazed with lights like a city that never slept.

Shen Long stood outside a small courtyard with red-tiled roofs. He 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 voice and saw a slightly hunchbacked green-robed elder approaching with a purple-skirted maiden in her early twenties.

The purple-skirted maiden was beautifully featured, with fair, delicate skin and eyes clear as water.

"Fellow Daoist Lu, Fairy Lu, it has been a long time."

Shen Long greeted them.

The green-robed elder was called Lu Shan, and the purple-skirted maiden was called Lu Yudie. The grandfather and granddaughter made their living hunting Monster Beasts. Shen Long occasionally bought the corpses of first-tier demon scorpions from them to feed his Iron Tail Scorpion.