"It's so lively here."
The entire market bustled with activity, its dazzling array of cultivators' wares offering something at every turn.
As Xu Changshou entered the market, he hardly knew where to look.
Ye Shanhua led everyone straight to the senior brother from Cinnabar Clouds Peak who sold Barrier-Breaking Pills.
Xu Changshou took one look and left. He had no spirit stones and couldn't afford any. Looking only made him miserable, so he might as well not look at all.
"Come and get them! Twelve Qi Gathering Pills for one spirit stone! Genuine goods at a fair price-if they're fake, I'll compensate you tenfold!"
Suddenly, a vendor's cry caught Xu Changshou's attention.
Not far away, a young man with a thin mustache was hawking his wares with all his might. A red cloth lay spread at his feet, covered with bottles and jars.
Xu Changshou glanced at him. The mustached young man's cultivation was impressive—he was actually at the Qi Refining Twelfth Layer.
"Senior brother, may I take a look at your Qi Gathering Pills?"
Xu Changshou approached and asked.
"Of course! Look all you like!"
The mustached young man casually tossed Xu Changshou a white jade bottle.
Xu Changshou unscrewed the lid, poured out a pill, and examined it. It was indeed a Qi Gathering Pill, but its texture was rough. It wasn't as smooth and round as the ones sold by the sect, and its spiritual energy content was lacking, too.
"What do you think?" the mustached young man asked.
Xu Changshou shook his head and handed the jade bottle back. "I don't want it."
"Junior brother, I admit these pills have a few flaws, but they're cheap! How about this? If you really want to buy some, I'll lower the price further. Fourteen for one spirit stone. What do you say?"
"No!" Xu Changshou still shook his head.
Disappointed that he hadn't made a sale, the mustached young man gave an awkward smile. "Would you like purer Qi Gathering Pills, junior brother?"
"Do you have any?" Xu Changshou's eyes lit up.
The mustached young man nodded. "Yes, but they're expensive."
"How much?"
"Ten for one spirit stone. Don't worry, I guarantee they're just like the sect's Qi Gathering Pills."
"Let me take a look first."
"Sure!"
The mustached young man took a bottle of pills from his Storage Bag. Xu Changshou poured one into his palm and examined it, then nodded despite himself.
The pill was emerald green, smooth, and round, giving off a faint medicinal fragrance. It was no different from the sect's Qi Gathering Pills.
"Senior brother, I want to buy fifty Fragmented Spirit Stones' worth. How many can you sell me?" Xu Changshou asked with a smile.
"Junior brother..." the mustached young man said. "Fifty Fragmented Spirit Stones will only buy five Qi Gathering Pills. Didn't we agree? They're the same as the sect's."
Xu Changshou pursed his lips. "Senior brother, if that's how it is, I might as well buy them directly from the sect."
The mustached young man gave a wry smile and hurriedly said, "No, no, no! Junior brother, my dear junior brother, how about this? I'll give you one extra. Six for fifty Fragmented Spirit Stones. What do you say?"
Xu Changshou still shook his head. "Seven."
The mustached young man hastily shook his head. "No, absolutely not. I'd take a huge loss giving you seven."
Xu Changshou asked, "Senior brother, what should I call you?"
"My surname is Huang. Huang Xiangui."
"Senior Brother Huang, let's do this. From now on, I'll come to you whenever I buy pills. Give me seven."
"I can't do that!" Huang Xiangui's expression turned slightly bitter.
Xu Changshou lowered his voice. "I have a senior sister who's an Immortal Second-Generation. I'll recommend your pills to her."
"I'm holding you to that!"
Huang Xiangui's eyes lit up, and he swept his broad sleeve through the air. "Fine! Seven it is. They're yours."
"Thank you, senior brother. Here are the spirit stones."
"My pleasure. What should I call you, junior brother?"
"My surname is Xu."
"Junior Brother Xu. Good, good! Don't forget to introduce that Immortal Second-Generation senior sister of yours to me."
"I won't forget. Goodbye, Senior Brother Huang."
Leaving the mustached young man's stall, Xu Changshou sighed. If only I were an Immortal Second-Generation. Then I wouldn't have to pinch and scrape over a single Qi Gathering Pill.
After making a circuit of the market, Xu Changshou returned to its entrance to wait for Ye Shanhua.
Before long, Ye Shanhua came over with the others.
He glanced over the group and found Jiang Xiaochuan, Han Zong, Lin Xian'er, Qian Yuanbao, Zhang Feixian, Shi Wantong, and the others all beaming with delight.
Li Linhao looked as he always did, while Su Mo's expression was rather grim.
After asking, he learned that Su Mo had no spirit stones to buy Barrier-Breaking Pills. Aside from Li Linhao, everyone else had bought some.
Ye Shanhua looked at Li Linhao and said, "Junior Brother Lin-oh, and Junior Brother Xu, too-if you wait another half month, I can get some more Barrier-Breaking Pills. Do you want any?"
Li Linhao smiled and shook his head. "Thank you, senior sister, but I don't need any. My family has prepared some for me."
"Uh..."
Xu Changshou froze for a moment, then said, "I'm in the same situation as Junior Brother Li. My family has prepared some, too. They'll be delivered soon."
"All right! Let's head back, then!"
She released the white jade flying boat. They jumped aboard and flew away from Cinnabar Clouds Peak.
"Senior Brother Xu, you have no idea how amazing Senior Sister Ye is! With just a word from her, we bought out every Barrier-Breaking Pill in the market."
"That's right. It's all thanks to Senior Sister Ye. Otherwise, we'd never have found Barrier-Breaking Pills at such a good price."
"We'll have to rely on Senior Sister Ye a lot more in the future."
Soon, they returned to Gengzi Courtyard.
In Xu Changshou's room.
Jiang Xiaochuan took out a fiery-red pill and showed it off. "What do you think, Senior Brother Xu?"
Xu Changshou curled his lip. "What's so special about that? I've got one, too."
Jiang Xiaochuan chuckled. "Junior Brother Xu, when will you get your Barrier-Breaking Pill?"
"It should be soon," Xu Changshou replied evasively.
Jiang Xiaochuan's smile grew even brighter. "Soon means you haven't got it yet. Right now, I'm the one who got a Barrier-Breaking Pill first. I'm going into seclusion tomorrow. Once I come out, it'll be your turn to call me senior brother."
"Well..."
Xu Changshou paused, a bitter feeling welling up within him.
The cultivation world had a rule: those who attained more were the masters. Among cultivators, whoever had the higher cultivation was the senior brother.
If they encountered a Foundation Establishment cultivator, they had to respectfully address him as martial uncle.
People like Jiang Xiaochuan were all disciples from aristocratic clans, with at least some family wealth behind them.
In the early stages of Qi Refining, Xu Changshou could still keep pace with them through sheer diligence.
But in the later stages, the higher one's cultivation realm, the slower one's progress became. At that point, the advantage of resources would quickly reveal itself.
When that time came, junior brothers like Jiang Xiaochuan would surpass him one after another.
He would go from senior brother to junior brother.
"Junior Brother Xu, let me hear you call me senior brother."
"Go on, get out of here! Say that after you surpass me!"
"Oh, right!"
Xu Changshou hurriedly changed the subject. "Junior Brother Jiang, this Barrier-Breaking Pill doesn't seem all that different from a Qi Gathering Pill to me. Why is it so expensive?"
"Senior Brother Xu, you've really cultivated yourself silly. This is common knowledge!"
Jiang Xiaochuan looked utterly speechless.
Xu Changshou said irritably, "If I ran around everywhere all day like you, what wouldn't I know? Would I still need to ask you?"
"That's true."
Jiang Xiaochuan nodded. He could understand Xu Changshou's lack of knowledge about the cultivation world. After all, Xu Changshou spent his days buried in secluded cultivation and had no time to inquire about other matters.
In that respect, Jiang Xiaochuan greatly admired Xu Changshou's diligence. Unfortunately, he couldn't manage it himself.
"Senior Brother Xu, you don't understand. Pills like Barrier-Breaking Pills are extremely useful at crucial moments, so they cost much more than other pills of the same grade.
"Take Foundation Establishment Pills, for example. To put it plainly, they're Barrier-Breaking Pills, too."
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