At dusk, Chu Mo appeared in a rogue cultivator market, wrapped in a black robe.
After parting with Lin Feng and Yue Mian in the main hall of Thousand Currents Prefecture, the three had agreed to meet again tomorrow and investigate a nearby area.
Chu Mo had originally planned to purchase a flying dharmic instrument after coming out of seclusion.
But plans could never keep pace with change. The moment he emerged, Jiang Yunya had come calling, forcing him to leave the sect temporarily and lie low.
The rogue cultivator market was remote and small. The cultivators passing through wore all manner of clothing, and most had mixed, impure auras. Their cultivation was predominantly at early or middle-stage Qi Refining, with very few late-stage cultivators.
After making a circuit, Chu Mo found that everything sold here was a low-tier spiritual object. Finished products such as talismans and pills were not only limited in variety but also thoroughly mediocre in quality.
That was only natural. Rogue cultivators had neither a steady supply of cultivation resources nor easy access to proper inheritances. Those who could enter Qi Refining within a year already counted as reasonably talented.
Still, the path of a rogue cultivator was not entirely without advantages.
At least, provided they were cautious enough and knew how to seek fortune and avoid calamity, they stood a fair chance of dying peacefully of old age, even if their cultivation progressed slowly.
Unlike in the Duo'e Sect, where fellow disciples whose cultivation advanced slowly had long since "ascended in glory" to the Darkworld Grotto-Scenery Banner. How could a blessing like "dying peacefully of old age" ever fall to them?
Chu Mo reined in his wandering thoughts and swept his gaze around, finally settling on a shop named the Hundred Treasures Pavilion.
Compared with the surrounding stalls and shabby storefronts, this shop looked quite imposing, standing like a crane among chickens in this market.
The moment he entered, the old man behind the counter approached warmly. "Fellow Daoist, are you looking for a dharmic instrument that suits your hand? The goods at our Hundred Treasures Pavilion are of excellent quality and fairly priced. Your satisfaction is guaranteed!"
[Level 8 · Shopkeeper]
Chu Mo withdrew his gaze and asked directly, "Do you buy damaged dharmic instruments here?"
At his words, a sharp gleam flashed in the shopkeeper's eyes as he studied Chu Mo carefully. Although the black robe concealed his figure, the shopkeeper could still sense his concentrated aura. A big fish, he thought.
"Yes, yes," the shopkeeper said hastily.
Many damaged dharmic instruments came from dubious sources. The man before him might well be a ruthless robber cultivator.
But what did that have to do with a shopkeeper doing business? In the Turbid Abyss Sea, the greatest taboo was asking where goods came from.
So what if he was a robber cultivator? Robber cultivators were customers too! Especially capable ones like this-if he maintained a good relationship, he might even gain a regular customer.
At that thought, his smile grew even more eager.
Chu Mo gave the shopkeeper a puzzled look. Why had the man suddenly become so excited?
He shook his head, took out a sword and a spear-two damaged dharmic instruments with dim spiritual glows-and handed them over, asking in a roughened voice, "How much?"
The shopkeeper took the instruments and examined them closely for a moment, then sucked in a breath. "Hiss... middle-grade dharmic instruments!"
These were a rare sight in his shop. On an ordinary day, acquiring a damaged low-grade instrument was already a good haul.
The longer he looked, the more astonished he became. Though the sword and spear were damaged, the craftsmanship was exceptionally sophisticated. Even among middle-grade dharmic instruments, they were superior pieces.
"What a shame. What a terrible shame! How did they get damaged?" The shopkeeper stroked the cracks in the instruments with an expression of heart-wrenching regret.
This level of artifact refining far exceeded anything he knew. Had they been intact, studying them for a while might have allowed him to achieve a breakthrough in his own refining skills.
Fortunately, the core runes remained undamaged.
Knock, knock. Chu Mo tapped the counter to remind him. "Shopkeeper, are you buying them or not?"
"Yes! Absolutely!" As though afraid Chu Mo would change his mind, the shopkeeper swept both damaged instruments into his arms and spoke rapidly:
"How about two hundred spell coins-no, three hundred!" As he spoke, a pained expression appeared on his face.
"Uh..." Chu Mo was slightly taken aback, not because the offer was too low, but because it was rather high.
At North Cliff Market, a damaged dharmic instrument of the same quality would only fetch a little over a hundred.
Are rogue cultivators all this generous? he wondered silently. But seeing the fervor in the shopkeeper's eyes, he understood a little-the sect's dharmic instruments were simply too well made.
"Three hundred spell coins is acceptable."
Seeing Chu Mo agree, the shopkeeper hurriedly pulled a pile of spell coins from his Storage Bag and placed them on the counter.
Chu Mo paused at the sight of the spell coins. There were actually three different designs in the pile:
One was lustrous white throughout, engraved with the words "Heaven's Will" and cloud patterns on the reverse. Another was deep black, engraved with "Great Evolution" and Dao markings on the reverse. The last resembled yellow jade: the Duo'e Spell Coin he knew best.
"Shopkeeper, what are these?" he asked, pointing at the spell coins.
The shopkeeper was absorbed in stroking the dharmic instruments. At the question, he glanced up in surprise. "Fellow Daoist, have you only just arrived in the Turbid Abyss Sea?"
Without waiting for an answer, he explained, "Things are different here. We only accept spell coins from the three supreme sects. As for coins from any other minor outfit, we don't accept them at all."
He paused, reluctantly put away the dharmic instruments, and continued, "Rest assured, Fellow Daoist. In the Turbid Abyss Sea... no, throughout Fuli Heaven, no one dares refuse the spell coins of these three sects.
"Who hasn't heard of the might of the Three Supreme Sects? Who doesn't know their names? Even beings from other realms fear them."
As he spoke, his expression took on a hint of, Learned something new today, haven't you?
"..." Chu Mo had no words. He not only knew the Duo'e Sect's fearsome reputation, but had experienced it firsthand.
In the end, rather than putting away the spell coins immediately, he selected a flying dharmic instrument of decent quality from the shop, named [Spirit Cloud].
Once activated, it could form a bank of mist beneath his feet to carry him through the air. Its speed was reasonable and its consumption was modest, making it well suited to his current needs.
After settling the bill, he turned and left the Hundred Treasures Pavilion under the shopkeeper's increasingly enthusiastic gaze.
"?" The moment Chu Mo stepped through the doorway, he sensed several gazes land on him.
He quietly surveyed his surroundings. More than a dozen red names had appeared in the crowd, including two level 3 cultivators.
This eager? Chu Mo half lowered his eyes. A single visit to a shop, and he had already been marked.
With a thought, he activated the Spirit Cloud instantly. Mist formed beneath his feet and swiftly lifted him into the air.
Down in the market, some of the red names beat their chests and stamped their feet at the sight. Most lacked flying dharmic instruments and could only watch helplessly as the "fat sheep" flew away.
Several other red names exchanged glances with their companions and quietly sent out a voice transmission talisman.
Piloting the Spirit Cloud, Chu Mo shook off several rogue cultivators who followed him, then flew straight toward Thousand Currents Prefecture.
However, when he reached a desolate stretch outside the market, four figures suddenly shot up from below and blocked his path.
"Fellow Daoist, why the hurry? Where are you headed?" The man in the lead, his bronze upper body bare, grinned with a rather savage expression.
The other three were equally ill-intentioned. One cultivator with slanted, triangular eyes chuckled. "Fellow Daoist, meeting is a matter of fate. Lend us a little money to spend."
[Level 6 · Wandering Cultivator (Red Name)] [Level 5 · Wandering Cultivator (Red Name)] [Level 4 · Wandering Cultivator (Red Name)] ×2
Chu Mo swept his gaze over the four. Their true qi was impure and their auras insubstantial. A glance was enough to tell that the cultivation methods they practiced were inferior.
"Highway robbery? It's been a long time since I last encountered this," Chu Mo remarked. The scene before him felt familiar, except that back then, he had yet to join the Deliverance Sect.
"Hey, don't make it sound so ugly." The triangular-eyed cultivator grinned cheekily. "We're all seekers of the Dao. We ought to help each other."
"Tsk." A trace of nostalgia surfaced in Chu Mo's eyes as he said, "Actually, back in the day... I was the one who robbed people on the road."
As his words fell, a dazzling radiance suddenly appeared.