Even Bandits Cultivate?

However, Chen Xun did not enter. Instead, he led Black Bull to one side. The Immortal Ascension Assembly would not officially begin for several more days; this was the entry period for Rogue Cultivators.

He silently observed the Rogue Cultivators. They wore all manner of clothing—some in conical hats, some in masks—mysterious beyond measure.

They all stepped into the mist, then vanished from sight. Chen Xun suddenly understood.

"Moo~ moo!" Black Bull seemed impatient. Why were they not going in yet?

"Let's go!"

Chen Xun shouted, pulled the Bandit Headscarf from his robes, wrapped it directly around his head, and led Black Bull into the thick fog.

Buzz—

A humming sound rose. The mist gradually dispersed, and an entirely new world unfolded before their eyes.

Nine-Star Valley was far larger than he had imagined, stretching beyond the limits of sight. Countless Rogue Cultivators walked through the valley as whispers rose all around.

The surroundings were packed with street stalls, yet not a single vendor called out. Chen Xun had never seen any of the items laid out before him; he could not even name them.

There were also pavilions in the distance, permanent stations of small sects and minor schools that came every year to purchase items from Rogue Cultivators.

"Damn..."

"Moo~~"

Chen Xun led Black Bull slowly through the valley, keeping far away from the stalls before stopping to watch. The things being traded were not gold or silver, but hexagonal crystals known as Spirit Stones.

Quite a few Rogue Cultivators also brought out pills to barter for goods. Chen Xun's throat went dry, his eyes widening.

Black Bull wore a completely bewildered expression. What was all this? Where had they gotten it? How had they lived for so many years without seeing a single one of these things?

"Old Bull, we're country bumpkins."

Chen Xun swallowed hard, his heart pounding wildly. It was like Granny Liu entering the Grand View Garden—making a spectacle of himself at every turn.

Black Bull nodded repeatedly, its bell-sized eyes opening wider and wider. It nudged Chen Xun, then pointed its head in one direction.

"Whoa, is that Spirit Medicine?"

Chen Xun looked in that direction, his feet moving of their own accord. He walked over to the stall of a young maiden and saw the three stalks of Spirit Medicine there, lush and jade-green, giving off faint spiritual energy.

They were completely different from ordinary medicinal herbs. Whether in their veins or their fragrance, they were practically a different species.

The maiden had been lowering her head as she sorted her wares when she suddenly saw two human legs and four bovine hooves.

"Fellow Daoist, do you have..."

The maiden slowly raised her head with a smile, but her face abruptly changed. What kind of getup was this? "What do you want?!"

"Miss, don't misunderstand. We're good people." Chen Xun gave a friendly smile. "We're just looking."

Cold sweat broke out on the maiden's brow. Why did that smile beneath the face covering feel so terrifying? This man was definitely not one of the good sort. He might once have been a bandit who robbed homes and looted houses.

"Fine, fine... look."

The maiden scooted back while sitting, her expression tense. That face covering carried such an oppressive air.

"Miss, how do you determine the age of this Spirit Medicine? I once—"

"Are you buying?"

"Not for the moment. I don't have any Spirit Stones."

"Do you have pills that can improve cultivation? You can trade those too."

"Not for the moment."

"Then what are you asking for?"

The maiden spoke irritably. She had already been scared half to death, and now she was being toyed with.

"Sorry for disturbing you."

Chen Xun felt a little embarrassed. He led Black Bull away, realizing that cultivators did business completely differently from mortals. He needed to change his way of thinking too.

Whenever they saw someone standing before a stall, they would remain a short distance away and listen to them explain the names and uses of the items.

After going back and forth like that, they truly gained quite a lot. Talismans, inscription brushes, cinnabar, pills—they learned a little of everything.

"Old Bull, I've remembered it all. At least we'll have a few things to brag about in the future, right?"

Chen Xun was in high spirits. He had learned plenty of new things again. "Come on, let's go look over there."

"Moo~ moo~" Black Bull called out cheerfully. It had remembered them too.

Beside a stall, a white-bearded old man stood full of spirit. Several Rogue Cultivators had gathered around him as he proclaimed, "This is a Qi-Boosting Pill. Take it over a long period, and one bottle can raise your cultivation by an entire level!"

"This old man spent seven times seven, forty-nine days refining it. It is effective even for those at Qi Refinement Level Five. Three Low-Grade Spirit Stones—fair prices for young and old alike!"

After saying that, he opened a bottle. A wave of spiritual energy and medicinal fragrance rushed forth, and quite a few Rogue Cultivators around him were tempted, already preparing to take out Spirit Stones.

"That old swindler is scamming people at the Immortal Ascension Assembly again!" Several furious shouts suddenly came from the distance.

"Everyone, this old man has suddenly gained an insight. My cultivation may be advancing again. Come back tomorrow!"

The old man's expression changed. With a sweep of his hand, he fled at once, disappearing into the sea of people. His movements were so practiced that he clearly had done plenty of such wicked deeds.

"Fellow Daoists, do not believe that man. Those pills are all fake. They have absolutely no effect after consumption."

The few people who had rushed over hurriedly cupped their hands toward the crowd, fury in their eyes. It seemed they had been cheated badly.

The surrounding Rogue Cultivators all returned the salute in thanks, a wave of lingering fear rising in their hearts. They had nearly been scammed; there had been no visible issue with those pills at all.

After the crowd dispersed, Chen Xun clicked his tongue and sighed. "Old Bull, look. There are scammers in the Cultivation World too. They're no different from us mortals."

"Moo moo!"

Black Bull nodded heavily, its pupils trembling. It had believed that old man's nonsense just now too.

Chen Xun led Black Bull onward, eavesdropping everywhere and gathering information. His behavior was exceedingly furtive, though he did not notice it himself.

"The Immortal Ascension Assembly will begin in three days. The Ten Great Immortal Sects of Gan Kingdom will gather here. If you get in, it'll be like a carp leaping over the Dragon Gate."

"Haha, let's not dream too big. We'd be lucky to enter an ordinary Immortal Gate. How could the Ten Great Immortal Sects be places for people of mediocre talent like us?"

"That's true, but if we don't give it a try, it'll still be hard to accept in our hearts."

"The Ten Great Immortal Sects have each set five trials in the center of the valley. Without great wisdom and great perseverance, don't even think about it."

"I hear there are plenty of casualties every year. If you haven't reached the Seventh Layer of Qi Refinement, you'd best stay away."

"Alas."

Several Rogue Cultivators shook their heads and sighed as they passed Chen Xun. The path to immortality was like ten thousand troops crossing a single-log bridge, fraught with difficulties. How could it compare to those exceptionally gifted people, who were taken away the moment they were born?

"The center of the valley. The Ten Great Immortal Sects. Five trials."

Chen Xun and Black Bull remembered the key points again. They looked at each other and smiled, feeling as if they had made another profit.

"Old Bull, let's go over there. It looks like they're selling weapons."

Chen Xun shouted excitedly. Blacksmithing was his specialty. He led Black Bull over, where plenty of people had gathered as well.

They stood at the outer edge, but the truth disappointed Chen Xun. These were not weapons, but magical artifacts, not things made simply by blacksmithing.

Quite a few flying swords and bizarrely shaped objects were displayed there, all requiring mana to wield.

"Damn, that's awesome."

Tears of envy streamed from Chen Xun's mouth. If the Mountain-Splitting Axe could be forged into a magical artifact, then perhaps one day he truly could split a mountain with a single swing.

"Moo~"

Drool ran from Black Bull's mouth. If its horns could be refined into magical artifacts like those, who could withstand a Black Bull Charge?

The man and bull seemed to share one heart. They each began fantasizing, drool flowing without end. The surrounding Rogue Cultivators frowned deeply at the sight. Where had these hillbillies come from? Even the ox was cut from the same cloth.

They paid no attention to the gazes of others and spotted another stall.

"Old Bull, it's all skills... no, spells."

Chen Xun was so excited he could barely speak coherently. He led Black Bull closer once more, startling the burly Rogue Cultivator watching the stall. Fuck me, even bandits cultivate?

Object Manipulation Technique Fireball Technique Qi-Concealing Art Immobilization Technique and other spells were spread across the stall in dazzling array.

Chen Xun and Black Bull kept swallowing. They wanted every last one of them, but they lacked Spirit Stones. For the first time, they felt so desperately poor.

"Fellow Daoist, have you taken a liking to anything?"

"Big Brother, where did you get all these spells? There are so many..."

"What do you mean by that?"

The burly man frowned. Was this fellow planning to return to his old trade here? He quietly pulled out a talisman, ready to call for help.

"Big Brother, don't misunderstand, don't misunderstand. I'll come buy them next time when I have Spirit Stones."

Chen Xun hurriedly waved his hands, realizing he had lost his composure. He grabbed Black Bull and ran, his heart still pounding wildly. He was too excited.

"What the hell was that?"

The burly man put the talisman away again and glared viciously in the direction Chen Xun had left.