Chapter 41: Nanxifang Market

Nanshi Market.

As one of the larger cultivation markets in the southern part of Yun State, within the Nineteen Nations of the Eastern Wilds, Nanshi Market always had a high volume of visitors. So, when Chen Mobai stepped inside, he didn't attract any particular attention. Only two young cultivators at the first Qi Condensation level came forward to greet him. The two exchanged a glance as they rose, and then one of them stepped back, yielding the business to the one dressed in linen.

"Senior, do you need a guide? I know all the shops here, even what's being sold at the stalls today, like the back of my hand."Chen Mobai looked at the person before him, who appeared to be around his own age, and felt a flicker of doubt. *How is his cultivation so low?* In the Immortal Sect, someone this age with only first-level Qi Condensation wouldn't even be admitted to high school; they would be directly expelled. Moreover, the spiritual energy in this market wasn't low; it was at a mid-grade first-tier level.

However, he certainly wouldn't ask that question. Instead, he asked another, with a slight hint of awkwardness: "Is there a fee?""Ten taels of gold per day will suffice."Hearing this, Chen Mobai recalled the dozen or so taels of gold he had obtained from the old man's satchel. He now understood that this was also a currency unit for cultivators, though he didn't know how much gold was needed to exchange for a single spirit stone. He wanted to ask more, but he feared exposing himself by asking such common-sense questions. He could only shake his head and refuse.

"Senior, please reconsider. I also know some channels for fencing stolen goods in this market."Seeing Chen Mobai refuse, the linen-clad youth grew a little anxious and uttered words that made Chen Mobai blush. *Is this place so lawless? Can such things be openly spoken in broad daylight?* However, Chen Mobai was truly short on funds and could only refuse again, then quickly slipped away.

The linen-clad youth watched his retreating back with disappointment."Brother Liu," said the first-level Qi Condensation youth who had stepped back earlier, coming over. He had been observing Chen Mobai from the side. "This person looks unfamiliar, but he seems to be in the late Qi Condensation stage. And judging by his clothes, the stitching is dense yet incredibly neat. He probably comes from a significant background." The youth had carefully examined the ancient-style outfit Chen Mobai had ordered online, amazed by the neat machine-stitched lines, noting that only large cultivation families would pay such close attention to their attire and appearance.

"He doesn't have that natural disdain for rogue cultivators that cultivation families often show. He might be a disciple of one of the Seven Great Sects." Based on his brief exchange with Chen Mobai and comparing him to the cultivation family members he had dealt with before, the linen-clad youth surnamed Liu shook his head and drew a conclusion he believed to be correct.

"Someone from the Seven Great Sects? Why would they come to our Yun State? Are they unhappy with the annual tribute we pay and have sent someone to investigate?""Forget it, just pretend we don't know anything," Liu replied. "Anyway, if the sky falls, we rogue cultivators can just run. At worst, we'll hide in the mortal world."Hearing this, the youth nodded.

The Eastern Wilds had always been chaotic and lawless. Killing for treasures and seizing opportunities were common occurrences. Even the major sects above would have conflicts and fierce struggles every few decades. Rogue cultivators had long grown accustomed to it. It was a pity that these newcomers, who had managed to enter the cultivation world with such difficulty, had believed they had a chance at immortality. Instead, they had entered an even more struggling world, where they couldn't even afford a complete Qi Condensation cultivation manual.

Chen Mobai, of course, had no idea that his industrially produced ancient-style outfit had led to him being mistaken for a disciple of a major Eastern Wilds sect. He had learned about Nanshi Market from the records of Bibo Lake. Liu Lingpei, a disciple of the Five Elements Sect, had managed affairs in this area for twenty years and naturally had many dealings with the local cultivation forces. He had recorded these matters in a ledger, intending to pass them on to his successor when he returned to the sect to undergo Foundation Establishment. However, fifty years ago, some unforeseen event caused him to leave Bibo Lake and never return.

After scanning all the books in the side hall and finding this ledger that recorded local powers and specialties, Chen Mobai had been planning to come out and see for himself. However, it wasn't until today that he finally resolved to follow the information and seek out this place. He had initially worried that fifty years would bring changes, but to his surprise, this market, established by local cultivation families and minor sects, still existed and was thriving.

He walked along the main thoroughfare of the market. On both sides, in addition to shops selling cultivation pills and magic artifacts, there were numerous eateries, inns, and even a formation shop selling formation flags and arrays. He was tempted to enter and broaden his horizons, but these shops had very few customers. To avoid attracting attention, and because he genuinely had no money, he decided to visit the stall area first to get a sense of the market prices.

Besides the two dozen or so prime-location shops along the main street, the market corners were filled with stalls selling all sorts of strange and wonderful items. Although Chen Mobai had no gold, much less spirit stones, he enthusiastically wandered around, observing and learning the general pricing of this world.

He discovered that low-level Qi Condensation cultivators primarily used gold for transactions, and spirit stones were exceptionally precious to them. The standard exchange rate between gold and spirit stones was ten thousand taels of gold for one spirit stone. However, for actual exchanges, spirit stones were certainly more valuable and would command a premium. Most transactions at the stalls were conducted with gold; only a very small fraction of items, those usable by cultivators at the fourth Qi Condensation level and above, involved spirit stones.

Chen Mobai saw a stall selling books, where a complete Qi Condensation cultivation manual was astonishingly divided into three volumes—upper, middle, and lower—for sale. He thought this was strange enough, until he saw at another stall the same Qi Condensation manual being sold level by level. The nine levels of Qi Condensation were split into nine separate volumes. Each volume cost one spirit stone, and business was brisk, as most rogue cultivators could seemingly only afford one volume. Chen Mobai was greatly tempted. He could easily download hundreds of such Qi Condensation manuals, but he dared not resell them. After all, each download came with a minor Dao Heart Oath; if he were to pass them on for others to cultivate, he might invite heart demons in the future, which would be undesirable.

However, he did possess one manual that wasn't downloaded from the Immortal Sect: The Black Water Art. He circled the stalls and found that this cultivation art was also for sale, and it wasn't cheap. It was priced at 8 spirit stones. Moreover, this was just the price for the cultivation art itself; if one wanted the accompanying spells, additional spirit stones were required. "Water Manipulation Art" was 2 spirit stones, "Water Elemental Shield" was 3 spirit stones, and "Ice Art" wasn't even for sale. Upon asking, he learned that the vendor's version wasn't complete either, only allowing cultivation up to the seventh Qi Condensation level.

Chen Mobai took a deep breath, calming himself. He recalled that among the spoils he had acquired, there seemed to be a few bottles of pills. He didn't recognize these pills and dared not consume them, but if he put them up for sale at a stall, there might be someone who "knew their worth." *Where were those bottles of pills?* He remembered them being on the bottom shelf of his bedside table. He would bring them with him next time he came.

Chen Mobai then circled the magic artifact stalls. Without needing to ask for prices, he simply stood for a while, observing numerous cultivators haggling with stall owners. He silently noted the prices, then compared them to the needle box he possessed. An artifact of similar quality was actually worth 30 spirit stones.