Taiyi Origin-Returning Art

The shop attendant respectfully helped Li Ping'an over to a reclining chair, seated him, and poured him some water.

"Sir, please wait a moment. I'll go find it for you right away."

"Good! My patience is limited. If I finish this cup of tea and you still haven't found anything, I'll have a proper chat with whoever's in charge here!"

Li Ping'an snorted coldly.

The shop attendant nodded repeatedly, then scampered off to look for the items.

Watching the attendant's bedraggled retreating figure, Li Ping'an felt a surge of secret satisfaction!

Sure enough, money made a man the boss!

As for finding a cultivation art, he was not worried in the slightest.

This shop attendant knew the place well and would definitely be able to find something suitable.

A moment later, the attendant came scampering back, several cultivation manuals cradled in his hands. He said respectfully,

"Here, sir, take a look. These are several cultivation arts I selected for you. They're all excellent value for money. Please have a look."

"Introduce them." Li Ping'an narrowed his eyes, took a sip of tea, and spoke blandly.

The attendant nodded obediently, picked up one of the manuals, and gave a simple introduction.

"Sir, this cultivation art is called the Taiyi Origin-Returning Art. It's one of the finest cultivation arts in our shop, and it has the most practitioners. It isn't expensive either—just five hundred spirit stones."

Five hundred?

Upon hearing that, Li Ping'an nearly sprayed out the tea in his mouth.

Five hundred, and that was not expensive?

Li Ping'an felt a wave of displeasure. He had not brought that many spirit stones with him.

His expression remained calm. "Anything else?"

"Of course! We also have this Soul-Devouring Body-Refining Art. This cultivation art is extremely powerful and is also a body-refining art, making it very suitable for you. And it's excellent value for money too—only six hundred spirit stones."

Li Ping'an frowned and said unhappily, "Is there anything else?"

"There's also the Origin-Returning Sword Art. This is a sword cultivator's art. Sword cultivation arts are all very expensive, but this one only costs one thousand spirit stones!"

After saying that, the attendant's face was piled high with ingratiating smiles.

Li Ping'an knew perfectly well that the attendant was trying to curry favor with him.

But he had not brought enough spirit stones. Wasn't this making things difficult for him?

Li Ping'an snorted unhappily and glared at the attendant with an unfriendly expression.

"Take a good look at me. At my age, you want me to practice swordsmanship?"

"Or body refinement? With this old body of mine, can I withstand it?"

At those words, the attendant immediately broke out in a cold sweat again. "My lord, what exactly do you want?"

Li Ping'an continued, "Go find me something properly. It would be best if it suited someone my age!"

The attendant smiled bitterly and hurried back to the cultivation art section without pause to select more manuals for Li Ping'an.

Not long after, he returned. "Sir, look at this one. It's called the Taiyi Qi-Guiding Art, a breathing and meditation technique. But don't underestimate it just because it's a breathing technique—it comes from the Taiyi Mysterious Gate! This cultivation art is most suitable for cultivators like you, who come into their own late in life and possess a steady temperament."

"Mm, this one isn't bad."

Li Ping'an's eyes lit up.

For an old and frail cultivator like him, this sort of breathing and meditation technique suited him best.

"Oh? How much is it?"

Li Ping'an asked as though he did not care in the slightest.

"Sir, this cultivation art is cheap. It's merely an immortal cultivation breathing technique for cultivating one's body and nurturing one's nature. Our shop sells it for only one hundred spirit stones."

"Good, not bad."

Li Ping'an nodded.

"I came here this time precisely to buy an immortal cultivation breathing technique. This one is good. I'll take it."

Li Ping'an did not haggle either. Large shops like the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion generally did not bargain with customers.

After buying the Mysterious-Heaven Qi-Guiding Art, Li Ping'an walked out of the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion without looking back.

Watching Li Ping'an's departing figure, the shop attendant muttered,

"That old fellow—I never thought he was actually a wealthy man. I really misjudged him this time."

Just as he was preparing to return to the shop and continue serving other customers, a burly man suddenly walked up beside him, seized him by the throat, and asked viciously,

"Tell me, what's that old man's background? What did he buy? How much did he spend?"

The shop attendant was suddenly caught by the burly man and could not move for a moment. The foul breath the man exhaled washed over the tip of his nose, frightening him badly.

"Sir, what are you doing? If you have something to say, let's talk properly!"

"Speak quickly, or I'll snap your neck!"

The attendant was terrified and immediately spilled everything Li Ping'an had done like beans pouring from a bamboo tube.

Hm, he had even bought a cultivation art that cost only one hundred spirit stones!

That old man was actually so rich?

Interesting!

The black-clothed burly man looked in the direction where Li Ping'an had vanished and grinned viciously.

As for Li Ping'an, after buying the cultivation art, he continued strolling through the market, intending to take a few more rounds before returning to the sect.

It was already evening. Lanterns had just begun to glow throughout the market, their lights bright and enchanting, making the place even livelier.

"Honored guest, come in and have some fun!"

At the entrance to the Beautiful Spring Courtyard, several scantily clad female cultivators enthusiastically solicited passersby, striking seductive poses and flaunting their charms.

Quite a few passing cultivators were tempted by their manner and followed them inside with lecherous grins. There were also many resolute men, righteous and dignified, who kept their eyes straight ahead and strode past with heads held high.

This was the Beautiful Spring Courtyard, the largest entertainment venue in the market. Many cultivators spent dozens, even hundreds, of spirit stones there every month.

It was both a massive bottomless pit for spirit stones and a haven for countless disheartened cultivators.

"Sir, come in and have some fun!"

One female cultivator from the Beautiful Spring Courtyard patted Li Ping'an, who was watching the excitement from the side, on the shoulder and spoke in a bewitching tone.

Yet when Li Ping'an turned around, she froze completely.

Sir! He really was an old man!

She thought Li Ping'an was at least seventy, if not eighty. Disgust immediately flashed across her face, and she turned to leave.

"Wait!"

The old man suddenly called out to her.

"You said to come in and have fun. What is there to have fun with inside?"

Hearing this, the female cultivator from the Beautiful Spring Courtyard was startled. This old man was actually an old lecher?

But as long as he had money in his pockets, who cared how old he was?

At once, the corner of her lips curled into a seductive smile. She placed her jade-like hand on Li Ping'an's shoulder and said,

"Sir, you'll know once you go in. There are plenty of ways to have fun inside."

"Fine. Then lead the way."

Li Ping'an spoke as he followed the female cultivator from the Beautiful Spring Courtyard inside.

The surrounding onlookers were left dumbfounded.

Heavens, what kind of world was this? Even old men were like this? He was already that old—could he still manage it?

All sorts of criticism entered Li Ping'an's ears, but he remained unmoved.

Ignoring the strange looks around him, Li Ping'an followed the alluring female cultivator into the Beautiful Spring Courtyard.

Only after entering did Li Ping'an understand what it meant to be surrounded by warblers and swallows.

Before him was a spacious hall, decorated in a dazzling riot of lantern light and wine-colored splendor, awash in every shade and hue.