After closing the shop, Li Ping could not help wondering about Gu Musheng's cultivation.
He remembered that not long ago, his third sworn brother had only been at the sixth level of Qi Refining. How had he broken through in just over a month?
With his four-spirit root aptitude, breaking through to the Late Qi Refining Stage should not have been so easy.
Gu Musheng had no intention of hiding anything from the curious Li Ping. He said frankly, "Eldest Brother, I got lucky and bought a Qi Condensation Pill from one of Master Hu's disciples. That was how I broke through the bottleneck of the Late Qi Refining Stage in one go."
Li Ping nodded slightly. He knew about Qi Condensation Pills too. Like Foundation Establishment Pills, they helped cultivators break through bottlenecks.
However, Foundation Establishment Pills could assist in breaking through to the major realm of Foundation Establishment, whereas Qi Condensation Pills could only help cultivators break through to the minor realm of the Late Qi Refining Stage.
Even so, pills that helped overcome bottlenecks had always been highly sought after by cultivators. Their prices were steep, second only to Longevity-Extending Pills.
Although Qi Condensation Pills were only first-tier upper-grade pills, they were worth more than ten times as much as ordinary pills of that grade, costing at least a hundred spirit stones.
At such a high price, usually only Cultivation Families or Foundation Establishment cultivators were willing to buy them for their juniors.
That Gu Musheng could produce such a large sum of spirit stones showed that he had considerable wealth.
Moreover, as far as Li Ping knew, Qi Condensation Pills, which could advance a cultivator's realm, were even more popular in the Immortal City than second-tier spirit talismans.
The Spirit Materials needed to refine Qi Condensation Pills were also hard to find, and a long time might pass without even a single batch being refined. As a result, each batch was often divided up among people with connections before it even left the furnace.
His third sworn brother had considerable ability to secure a share of the pie.
Of course, Li Ping understood something else as well.
He and his other sworn siblings were craftspeople who earned their living through their skills.
Gu Musheng was a businessman, and what mattered most for a businessman was cultivating connections across all trades and keeping abreast of the news.
Gu Musheng said he had managed to buy the Qi Condensation Pill because he was lucky.
But Li Ping believed he must have deliberately cultivated a friendship with Master Hu's disciple well in advance, laying his plans for a long time before finally acting decisively at the crucial moment and securing the Qi Condensation Pill.
And now, through a cultivator he was on good terms with, he had found another avenue.
It would allow Li Ping to buy a High-Tier Cultivation Method needed for the Foundation Establishment Realm at a very low price.
Gu Musheng unconsciously lowered his voice. "Eldest Brother, Senior Wang, who guards the Secret Arts Pavilion in the Immortal City, failed in his attempt to reach the Foundation Establishment late stage a while ago and suffered a severe loss of vitality. He only had forty or fifty years left to begin with, and this injury damaged his vital foundation. There's no telling when he might pass away. So before he dies, he wants to leave more spirit stones for his descendants, so they won't lose their security after he's gone."
Li Ping nodded, motioning for him to continue.
"That's why he secretly sent word to trustworthy cultivators outside. Anyone willing to pay a certain amount of spirit stones can slip into the Secret Arts Pavilion he guards and choose cultivation methods or secret arts," Gu Musheng continued. "I happened to have done business with one of Senior Wang's descendants. He considered me trustworthy, so he told me about it."
Gu Musheng grinned as though seeking credit. "Heh heh... since he's nearing death, Senior Wang is very accommodating. According to the price his descendant quoted me, just a hundred spirit stones will let you enter the Secret Arts Pavilion and take away one High-Tier Cultivation Method."
"A hundred spirit stones for a High-Tier Cultivation Method?" This time, Li Ping was truly astonished.
He had previously asked the major merchant associations in the inner city about the prices of High-Tier Cultivation Methods. Even their cheapest offerings started at five hundred spirit stones, while the expensive ones could cost more than several thousand.
As for the Black Market, its gatherings were held outside the city, so Li Ping had not visited since reaching Foundation Establishment. Still, he imagined the prices there would be much the same.
Yet here, he only needed a hundred spirit stones!
Li Ping could not help marveling. This Foundation Establishment cultivator named Wang really was making use of his authority before it expired!
For him, though, this was a good thing.
Originally, he would have needed quite some time to save enough spirit stones for a cultivation method. But now... it seemed he could get one immediately?
At that thought, Li Ping could not help feeling tempted. At the same time, however, he had his doubts. "He's acting so recklessly. If this comes to light, won't I get dragged into it?"
The price was certainly enticing, but the risk of chipping away at a Core Formation True Person's foundations still left Li Ping uneasy.
Gu Musheng saw his misgivings and reasoned, "Eldest Brother, there is some risk, but it really isn't that great. The Wang Family certainly won't dare tell anyone themselves. After all, if Windmist True Person finds out what they're doing and refuses to show consideration for old ties, he might cripple the cultivation of their entire lineage and expel them from the Immortal City."
"First, everyone who goes to choose a cultivation method is trustworthy. Second, Senior Wang requires them to swear a Daoheart Oath, so there's little chance of word leaking from them," Gu Musheng continued. "Besides, if you really go to the Secret Arts Pavilion to choose a cultivation method, you'll certainly conceal your identity."
He smiled. "The Wang Family cultivators themselves won't know exactly who took which cultivation method. That way, even if disaster really does befall the Wang Family, it won't implicate you, Eldest Brother."
Li Ping nodded. From Gu Musheng's analysis, the risk really did seem small.
If he went with his identity concealed, then even if the Wang Family's activities came to light, the Immortal City would have no evidence proving Li Ping's involvement.
But the problem was that this was not Earth. This was the cultivation world. With Windmist True Person, a Core Formation cultivator, presiding over it, did the Immortal City need evidence to act?
After much hesitation, Li Ping finally decided to use Gu Musheng's connection and choose a cultivation method from the Immortal City's Secret Arts Pavilion.
He believed that although there was risk, it remained manageable.
First, Foundation Establishment cultivators were no fools. That Foundation Establishment cultivator named Wang had lived in the Immortal City for over a hundred and fifty years. He would not do something so foolish without some confidence.
If he dared to do it, he must not have been worried about Windmist True Person discovering it.
Second, as Gu Musheng had said, he would go with his identity concealed. Even if disaster really befell the Wang Family, the likelihood of his being implicated was low.
Finally, because Dai Sangyu had previously set a trap for him, Li Ping had not even dared return to the Jiang Kingdom to see his master one last time. Thus, he not only loathed her to the bone, but also harbored considerable resentment toward the Immortal City Authorities.
Now that he had a chance to chip away at the Immortal City's foundations, he felt a strange sense of satisfaction.
After repeatedly questioning Gu Musheng in detail about the relevant information, Li Ping handed the six second-tier lower-grade spirit talismans in his Storage Bag to the overjoyed Gu Musheng, accepted 300 spirit stones from him, and only then left.
That night, Li Ping quietly appeared at a residence near the Immortal City's inner city.
He wore a gray Daoist robe, a Divine Sense-Blocking Mask over his face, and a black bamboo hat on his head. He had even used a secret art to conceal his aura, making it appear to be at the ninth level of Qi Refining.
He had specially prepared this outfit for trips to the Black Market. He had not expected it to prove useful now.