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Ordinary people still mostly used gold, silver, and copper coins. And it was worth mentioning that spirit stones had astonishing purchasing power—one ordinary low-grade spirit stone could be exchanged for ten taels of silver.

"Ten taels of silver? That much?" Back when he had passed the provincial examination and become a stipend student, he had only received six taels of silver each month.

At the mention of this, Bian Chunchou still could not let it go. "Right? So if you do the math, getting from here to the Heaven-Shattering Sword Sect costs a thousand taels of silver. What kind of family can afford that? How can they bring themselves to pay so much for a one-way ticket?!"

Wen Xu: ...

The two quickly went down the mountain. Once the villagers at its foot learned that they had come to take part in Yonglu Mountain's disciple selection, not only did they refuse to charge them money, they were even willing to lend Wen Xu a set of new clothes. Wen Xu declined, borrowing only an ordinary black cloak and promising to return it the next day.

With the cloak concealing him, the two finally entered the city without trouble. Langyuan City was bustling beyond compare, and there were cultivation shops established by the major sects. There were Golden Cauldron Pavilion auction houses and spiritual treasure shops, as well as Myriad Herbs Hall's shops selling spirit pills and spirit plants. All of these shops were built like "castles in the air," eliminating any possibility of ordinary mortals wandering in by mistake.

Even though Wen Xu knew nothing about the cultivation world, he could plainly see the cultivators' superior social standing.

The more approachable shops, meanwhile, were no different from those in the mortal world.

They were both new to cultivation and barely knew how to use simple spells or talismans. So, as soon as they entered the city, they bought new clothes before charging straight into the bathhouse next door. One incense stick later, Wen Xu emerged glowing with health.

Naturally, he quietly made sure to stand a little farther away from Bian Chunchou.

"Hey, do you have to avoid me like I'm the plague? Fine, I won't help scrub your back next time!" Bian Chunchou waved a hand, but he still could not help leaning closer. "Wen Xuxu, after just a little tidying up, you're practically dazzling. Where did that strip of cloth over your eyes come from? It even matches your clothes. Did you tear up another skirt hem?"

Wen Xu raised a hand to touch it, then shook his head. "The proprietress of the clothing shop saw that I could not see and gave it to me with the outfit." In truth, he had originally wanted to come clean to Bian Chunchou. But it seemed cultivation did not really require eyes. After all, jade slips could be read with spiritual energy, and cultivation placed more importance on one's Spiritual Root and physique. Here, there were no pursuits of fame and fortune, no comparisons in officialdom. After spending a day blind, he even felt that it was rather nice.

At the very least, when he stood amid a crowd now, he would not look up and see everyone wearing the same face.

"She must have given it to you because you're handsome."

Bian Chunchou seemed careless and boisterous, but he was actually very attentive. As he walked beside Wen Xu, he would walk just a little ahead, leaving Wen Xu enough room to move. He knew cultivators had sharp five senses; even if Wen Xuxu could not see, now that his Qi Sea had been opened, he could still sense the world and avoid obstacles. But he had promised to be the man's eyes—how could he do nothing at all? "Once we pass through here, we'll reach Chenyang Street. Cultivators and mortals live together over there. Most of the residents are descendants of cultivators and mortals."

As they walked, he introduced the city's layout and the shops lining both sides of the streets. Whenever the mood struck him, he even dragged Wen Xu inside to browse. They had clearly only just emerged from the secret realm, yet who knew where he had found such boundless energy.

Thanks to Bian Chunchou, Wen Xu rapidly absorbed all sorts of information about the cultivation world. For example, he now knew that it was extremely difficult for cultivators to have descendants with one another, so few cultivators married. This was especially true for female cultivators, who would never easily give their hearts unless necessary. He also learned that the cultivation world's largest merchant association was the Golden Cauldron Pavilion. The Golden Cauldron Pavilion possessed a large spirit vein and operated shops covering every category in the cultivation world. It was said that when the Pavilion's young master went out, he rode in a Golden-Feather Flowing Chariot, and casually rewarded people with high-grade spirit stones.

"Hey, why do these people only spread the news without making thunder? Such a good way to earn spirit stones—where is this young master? Where can I contact him? This old servant merely wishes to help the young master."

Wen Xu was stunned by Bian Chunchou's shamelessness. Who called himself an old servant? Unable to stop himself, he said, "Chunchou, you are very good. There is no need to belittle yourself like this."

Bian Chunchou smiled and leaned closer. "I was joking. Why would a young master like him lack people to serve him? Wen Xuxu, I've discovered that you're a tiny bit old-fashioned."

Wen Xu could not help explaining, "I am merely... a gentleman restraining himself and returning to propriety."

...Ah, not listening, not listening—the turtle is chanting scriptures.

"Besides, the Golden Cauldron Pavilion is enormously wealthy. Even their guards have to start at the Golden Core stage. I'm not qualified yet." Rumor had it that Pei Mingshan, the Golden Cauldron Pavilion's young master, possessed unusual talent but seemed unable to cultivate. It was also said that he was so clever he was almost a demon; though only a mortal, no one dared offend him.

Of course, in Bian Chunchou's view, he was already the Golden Cauldron Pavilion's young master. Even if he were a pig, no one would dare offend him.

Once again, Wen Xu clearly realized that making a name for himself in the cultivation world would not be easy.

The two strolled and stopped along the way, even pausing for a meal. At last, they reached the marketplace Yonglu Mountain had established within Langyuan City. This marketplace allowed only Yonglu Mountain disciples to set up stalls and trade. Though they had not yet entered the sect, they had passed the Preliminary Trial and could use their Mountain Examination tokens to enter and make purchases once.

The outer sect disciples guarding the marketplace inspected their tokens and swiftly let them through.

"It really is twenty percent cheaper here than the shops outside," Bian Chunchou exclaimed in delight. His purpose for coming was to buy some Blood-Recovery Pills and Qi-Replenishing Pills. If luck was on his side, he would buy a couple of talismans to preserve his life as well. He was not picky—Blazing Fire Talismans and Wind-Riding Talismans were both fine. They would serve equally well in a fight or an escape. He had heard that the Mountain Examination did not prohibit candidates from fighting one another, and the examination questions changed every year, so he had not bothered wasting effort gathering information.

Besides, the information he had gathered was not entirely accurate. Take the Cloud-Breaking Secret Realm, for instance. Anyone in the know was aware of the Fragrant Elixir King Grass. Only because he had run into Wen Xu had he stumbled into picking one by accident.

"Senior Brother, how much is a Wind-Riding Talisman? Can it be cheaper?"

The Yonglu Mountain disciple manning the stall raised his head and recognized at a glance that he was broke. "No bargaining. But if you ranked in the top ten of the Preliminary Trial, I can give you another twenty percent off."

Bian Chunchou was skilled at climbing the pole once given a stick. "Senior Brother has eyes of fire and gold. I did indeed just pass the Preliminary Trial."