Guang'an Sword Immortal Zhou Mubai

On the cargo ship's deck.

After fighting the enemy together and dividing the spoils, the relationship between the three of them had visibly grown much closer.

Chen Daoxuan smiled and cupped his hands. "This junior is Chen Daoxuan, a Chen Family disciple from Changping County on Twin Lakes Island. This is my clan uncle, Chen Xianhe. May I ask this senior's esteemed name?"

"This old man is Wei Sihai. Greetings, Fellow Daoists!"

The black-robed old man, Wei Sihai, formally bowed to the two.

Chen Xianhe and Chen Daoxuan hurriedly returned the salute.

"Fellow Daoist Wei is too courteous!"

Chen Xianhe put on a flattered expression.

He knew full well that if not for Chen Daoxuan's sake, the other man likely would not have regarded a sixth-layer Qi Refining cultivator like him at all.

After exchanging pleasantries, the two sides became even more cordial.

Seeing this,

Chen Daoxuan began to subtly inquire about the rental and sale conditions for shops in the Rogue Cultivator Market.

Compared with the Chen uncle and nephew, Wei Sihai, who had spent years frequenting the Rogue Cultivator Market, clearly understood its actual circumstances far better than they did.

Sure enough.

After hearing Chen Daoxuan's account, Wei Sihai frowned and shook his head. "I advise you, Fellow Daoist, not to set your sights on a shop in the Rogue Cultivator Market."

"Why is that?"

Chen Xianhe, standing beside him, frowned.

Wei Sihai looked at Chen Daoxuan, then at Chen Xianhe, and explained, "To be frank with you both, the Cultivation Island where I reside has some Spirit Mine resources as well, yet this old man has never opened a shop in the Rogue Cultivator Market. Do you know why?"

Chen Daoxuan and Chen Xianhe exchanged a glance, then cupped their hands. "We ask for Senior's guidance!"

"Guidance would be too much to call it."

The black-robed old man Wei Sihai waved his hand. "The Rogue Cultivator Market in Guang'an Prefecture differs from the Core Commercial District. Most customers here are Rogue Cultivators and disciples of minor families, and their purchasing power is weak.

If one opens a shop, the cost of goods will rise sharply. In that case, why would Rogue Cultivators not choose to buy from street stalls instead?"

As an old hand who had spent years in the Rogue Cultivator Market, Wei Sihai's words were exceedingly sincere.

If he had not recognized Chen Daoxuan's extraordinary potential and wished to befriend him, he would never have tried to dissuade him like this.

Hearing this, and combining it with his own market research on the Rogue Cultivator Market, Chen Daoxuan knew Wei Sihai was not speaking nonsense.

It was simply that Chen Sihai did not know he was an Artifact Forger, much less that he possessed a Magic Artifact as revolutionary as the Spirit-Melding Furnace.

After pondering for a moment,

Chen Daoxuan decided to reveal part of the truth.

"To be honest, this junior happens to be an Artifact Forger as well, which is why I wish to open an Artifact Shop in the Rogue Cultivator Market."

"Fellow Daoist is an Artifact Forger?"

The black-robed elder was first stunned, then a doubtful look appeared on his face.

Seeing Wei Sihai's suspicion, Chen Daoxuan did not explain. Instead, he displayed a Fire Control Technique before him.

The Fire Control Technique was one of only two spells Chen Daoxuan had mastered before coming to Guang'an Prefecture, and he had long cultivated it to the Great Accomplishment stage.

At Chen Daoxuan's palm,

a flickering flame transformed into all manner of shapes—from common cats and dogs to every kind of bird and beast.

Seeing Chen Daoxuan wield the Fire Control Technique so expertly, Wei Sihai immediately believed him nine-tenths of the way.

Because aside from Artifact Forgers and Alchemists, no one would master the Fire Control Technique so proficiently.

After all, cultivating the Fire Control Technique did not increase one's strength in the slightest and instead consumed enormous effort.

Other than Artifact Forgers and Alchemists, no cultivator whose brain had not short-circuited would cultivate such a spell.

"Fellow Daoist is actually an Artifact Forger. How disrespectful of me, how disrespectful!"

If Wei Sihai had merely intended to befriend Chen Daoxuan before, then now, his attitude carried a faint hint of currying favor.

After all, among Rogue Cultivators, Artifact Forgers and Alchemists were simply far too rare.

Only great families and sects generally had the means to cultivate such specialized talents.

Moreover, the major powers kept them under tight protection in ordinary times, so ordinary Rogue Cultivators had no chance to come into contact with people like them.

It was only that Wei Sihai had always been rather reserved by nature. Though he clearly wanted to say something flattering, when the words reached his lips, all that remained was a dry, "How disrespectful!"

Chen Daoxuan did not mind. He had revealed his secret as an Artifact Forger precisely so that Wei Sihai, this old hand of the Rogue Cultivator Market, could introduce him to a reliable shop.

Sure enough.

After learning of Chen Daoxuan's identity as an Artifact Forger, Wei Sihai gave a detailed introduction to the shop information he knew.

In the end, he patted his chest and guaranteed, "Rest assured, Fellow Daoists. Once we return to the market, I'll introduce the shop owners to you both. Leave this matter to me."

"Then many thanks, Senior!"

"Fellow Daoist is too polite."

Just as they were speaking, the battlefield at the distant Frontline seemed to undergo another change.

At the Frontline battlefield,

after the Zhou Family disciples routed the Demonic Beast tide, the unwilling Merfolk Tribe entered the fray in person and launched an attack on the Zhou Family clansmen.

Thanks to cultivators' astonishing eyesight, coupled with Chen Daoxuan and the others looking down from above,

even from over a hundred miles away, they could clearly see the Mermaids' appearances.

Just as recorded in ancient texts, Mermaids looked almost no different from humans. Moreover, the males of the Merfolk Tribe were exceptionally robust, their exposed muscles gleaming bronze beneath the sunlight.

The female Mermaids, on the other hand, were astonishingly beautiful, delicate and lovable to behold, each one a soft and lovely great beauty.

Of course.

That was provided one did not look below their waists.

Regardless of gender, Mermaids lost all human characteristics below the waist, instead possessing fish tails about a zhang long.

Seeing this, Wei Sihai could not help sighing. "They say the Merfolk Tribe carries the bloodline of humanity's ancient ancestors. I never believed it before, but after seeing their faces now, perhaps it is not entirely smoke without fire."

Chen Daoxuan did not care whether they were Mermaids or anything else. His entire mind was focused on opening a shop in the Rogue Cultivator Market, then having Chen Xianhe oversee it.

After that, he would return home to establish an Artifact Forging Workshop, mass-produce Magic Artifacts, and use industrialized productivity to plunder the wealth of the Myriad Star Sea.

As for the war between the Merfolk Tribe and the Zhou Family, who cared?

Not to mention that the Zhou Family had easily crushed the attacking Merfolk Tribe— even if the Zhou Family could not win, was there not still the Prefectural City above them?

And if the Prefectural City fell, there was still the Qianyuan Sword Sect!

In this world, humanity was the absolute overlord.

Besides them, neither Demonic Beasts nor foreign races could contend with Human cultivators.

Otherwise, with a common external enemy, the Qianyuan Sword Sect would not have fought Cloud Country to the death for four hundred years.

As they spoke,

among the Merfolk Tribe, a middle-aged Mermaid with an incomparably sturdy build and resolute features stepped upon the waves and walked out from the group.

Opposite him,

a young man in white robes stood before him, his face as fair as jade and his bearing handsome and refined.

The man in white stood tall and straight, a three-foot sword strapped to his back as he hovered in the air.

Even from over a hundred miles away, Chen Daoxuan could sense the calm, transcendent aura radiating from him, as though an exiled immortal had descended into the mortal world.

"Who is that?"

At those words, Wei Sihai's expression turned complex.

"Guang'an Sword Immortal Zhou Mubai!"