"Nangu Market is backed by Wolong Mountain in the east, faces Fulong River in the west, Qingyun Ridge of the Nine-fold Mountain Range in the north, and Feifeng Forest of the ancient battlefield in the south."
In the cold winter, paper cranes fly into the sky, chirping.
Jiang Yuebai rubbed his hands and sat beside Tao Fengnian, listening to his advice.
She knew that Qingyun Ridge in the Jiuchong Mountain Range was the main gate of the Tianyan Sect, and she also knew that Wolong Mountain in the east was the border of the Yun Kingdom.
"Grandpa, do you think the Cang Kingdom did this on purpose? The mountain in the Yun Kingdom is called Wolong Mountain, so they named the river Fulong River."
Tao Fengnian smiled and said, "Cangyun and Cangyun are the two most powerful mortal countries in the three continents and nine regions of the Central Plains. They have been fighting each other since ancient times. I am also a Yun countryman. There are heroic souls hidden under Wolong Mountain and loyal bones buried in Feifeng Forest. If I hadn't accidentally stepped into the world of cultivation, I would have joined the army and fought on the battlefield."
Along the way, the paper cranes flew slowly and low, and there were only mountains and trees around them. Jiang Yuebai got tired of watching them and took out the glass bottle containing the Ice Beetle King.
I fed it the plant essence beads last night. It is no longer pretending to be dead. It is emitting cold air towards the wall of the bottle, trying to escape.
Tao Fengnian took a quick glance and said, "Your spiritual awareness is weak. You should practice the ritual step by step. You will succeed in three to five days."
Jiang Yuebai nodded. Tao Fengnian had checked it for her last night. Although the Insect King was strange, it was harmless and could be trained through sacrifice.
After success, one only needs to use his spiritual consciousness to instantly deploy ice armor defense around the body or freeze the enemy, which is faster than casting a spell by making hand gestures.
After completing today's ritual practice, Jiang Yuebai put away the glass bottle.
"Grandpa, have you ever used water spirit energy to perform the Herb Technique?"
Tao Fengnian was stunned for a moment, "Why do you ask this?"
Jiang Yuebai described the strange incident that day. Tao Fengnian frowned and thought. The girl who once knew nothing about him had become beyond his control in just a short period of time.
"You still need to ask Li Jiuchuan about the five elements conversion method. Grandpa is not very knowledgeable and does not know the secrets."
"Okay, what about the Grass and Tree Secret? I was thinking last night, since the Grass and Tree Secret can plunder the vitality of plants and trees, can it plunder the vitality of people?"
As soon as he finished speaking, Tao Fengnian stared at Jiang Yuebai fiercely with a serious look in his eyes, which made Jiang Yuebai's scalp tighten.
"This is an evil way. You can talk about it, but you must not perform it in front of others, otherwise the sect will not forgive you!"
"I'm just curious~"
"The essence of the Art of Plants and Trees is plundering. The vitality of plants and trees, the vitality of monsters, and the vitality of people can all be plundered. If a person's vitality is plundered, his life span will be damaged. If the Art of Plants and Trees is not cultivated to the fifth level, it will not kill a person. That's why the sect passed down this magic.
"After robbing people of their lifespan, can we give back to others?" Jiang Yuebai asked again.
Tao Fengnian shook his head, "Of course not. The vitality plundered by the Grass and Tree Art can only be fed back to the plants. We are almost there, sit tight."
The paper crane suddenly rushed down, Jiang Yuebai grabbed Tao Fengnian's sleeve and looked up.
The mountains and rivers are magnificent, the smoke and waves are vast, the forests are boundless, and the trees are towering.
The paper crane landed outside Feifeng Forest. Tao Fengnian and Jiang Yuebai walked in it. The shadows of the trees were mottled, tigers were roaring, and insects were chirping. Everywhere they looked were vines entwined around trees. Where was the market
Ever since Jiang Yuebai stepped into the forest, he always felt that this place was extremely dangerous and he had to return immediately.
After turning around several times, Tao Fengnian stopped when he saw towering ancient trees blocking his way.
"Put your hand on the tree and try injecting spiritual energy into it."
Jiang Yuebai was half-believing and half-doubting. He walked forward and pressed his hand. As soon as the spiritual energy was injected, half of his arm penetrated into the tree.
She opened her eyes wide in surprise, maintained the output of spiritual energy, stepped straight into the tree, and the view in front of her suddenly became clear.
There is a gentle breeze, flying mist and rain, crowds of people, and a bustling atmosphere.
The shops along the roadside have flags flying, the vendors' shouts pierce the sky, in front of the blacksmith shop, the spirit beast shakes its head and spits fire, the children laugh and cheer, and the blacksmith apprentice swings his hammer, making clanging sounds.
The strong atmosphere of the city hits you in the face.
"Why is there such a big market behind the tree?"
Jiang Yuebai turned around and there was still an ancient tree behind him, growing casually beside the road.
Tao Fengnian walked over and said, "There are mortals around, so we naturally need some means of concealment. The same is true for other places. Come this way, I will buy you some new clothes first."
"Although the market is safe, there are still villains who target wealthy and ignorant disciples. We need to be careful not to show off our wealth and avoid being targeted."
"I understand, Grandpa."
Jiang Yuebai tugged at Tao Fengnian's sleeve, looked up and around, everything he saw was new and one pair of eyes was not enough.
Here you can feel the everyday life of mortal towns, as well as the fairyland atmosphere of the cultivators’ realm.
For example, there is the small yellow sword that carries messages, there is the two-headed bird that pulls a cart above the head, and there are the talismans with flaming tails flying around in the hands of the roadside vendors.
"Take a look. Qiankunfang has a year-end clearance sale of all kinds of magic tools. They are definitely better quality and cheaper than Shanhailou."
"Shushanfang has newly arrived magic jade slips, as well as the cultivation experience of Yuanying Zhenjun. The quantity is limited, first come first served."
"The betting on elixirs will begin today at Xiancao Tower..."
"Various spiritual beast cubs are available at low prices. Fellow Daoist, buy one for your child to play with. Look how cute this Flame Tiger Cat is. It's worth buying it."
"You two, are you staying at the hotel?"
A male cultivator at the third level of Qi training blocked Jiang Yuebai's way, and he looked up.
"Our Qiyun Pavilion guest rooms are of good quality and low price. They have a spirit gathering array inside and are safe. They only cost two low-grade spirit stones per night. Would you like to stay for a night?"
Tao Fengnian waved his hand and pushed Jiang Yuebai into the tailor shop.
Tao Fengnian also changed into an ordinary long gown, with a pipe stuck on his waist, and held Jiang Yuebai's hand like a casual cultivator taking his granddaughter out for a walk.
“It’s so lively with so many people.”
"The end of the year is a relatively quiet time. The disciples of Tianyan Sect need to prepare talismans and magical instruments for the year-end exams, and the sects in various places also have time to recruit new members, so there are more people active in the market."
Tianyan Sect's annual examination is mainly for outer and inner disciples. Those who fail the examination will be demoted, from inner disciples to outer disciples and from outer disciples to menial servants.
After the small test, there will be an assessment for servants above the seventh level of Qi training to enter the outer sect. She is not qualified now, so there is no need for her to worry about it.
Passing by the center of Nangufang city, you will see flags waving under the towering ancient trees and the bustling crowds of people.
"Linghe Sect, Yuling Sect, Baiyang Sect, Chixiao Sect, Jingangtai...Are these all immortal cultivation sects?"
"Yes, the 25 sects in the Central Plains, in addition to recruiting uninitiated boys at fixed times, will also recruit independent practitioners from the markets in various parts of the Central Plains every few years. This year, it is the turn of the Nangu Market."
Jiang Yuebai's eyes widened, "Are there many cultivation families as well?"
“They are spread all over the nine regions, too numerous to count.”
Jiang Yuebai stretched his neck to look and found that those independent cultivators received tokens from the stalls of various sects and left.
"What are they going to do with the token?"
Tao Fengnian explained, "For a boy like you to enter the sect, we only need to test your aptitude and character. It's different for independent cultivators. In addition to aptitude, we also value ability."
"So we have to accept different missions. Most of them involve going to the depths of Feifeng Forest to hunt monsters or search for natural treasures. This is also a way for local sects to suppress the number of monsters and collect resources."
Walking through the city center, the streets are crowded and bustling.
"Come here, here's a freshly hunted black-horned rhino. The horn can be made into an eighth-grade magical weapon if it's intact, and the skin can be made into a ninth-grade leather armor if it has minor flaws. Anyone want any?"
A bronze-skinned one-horned rhinoceros was hung upside down on a huge wooden frame by the road. A sturdy monk was holding a bone-cutting knife and shouting, while a group of people gathered around and competed to bid.
"It's just like killing the New Year pig at the end of the year in our village. What's that for?"
Jiang Yuebai pointed with her white hand, and on the opposite pavilion, a male foundation-building cultivator was sitting in front of an alchemy furnace, with his mind focused and concentration.
People downstairs gathered in twos and threes, whispering.
"He made me lose miserably the last time he made a furnace of pills. This time I'm going to bet against him and lose a single one."
"He exploded the pills because you were yelling too loudly down there, disturbing everyone."
"It's normal for alchemy to explode a few times. I think he is steady this time. According to his average level, he has a 50% chance of succeeding."
Tao Fengnian watched for a moment, "Xiancao Tower is gambling on pills, asking alchemists to make pills in public, and everyone can bet on his success rate. If the bet is right, Xiancao Tower will give him a gift. This is a means of attracting business, and other places have followed suit."
"In addition to gambling on pills, there are also fun activities such as fighting talismans, solving formations, etc. that correspond to the six arts of cultivation. And refining pills in public is the most challenging for the alchemist's concentration, which is quite beneficial for the alchemist. Grandpa is going to Xiancao Tower to look for an old friend. There is a bookstore opposite, you can go and have a look first. Don't run around, okay?"
"Yeah, go ahead, Grandpa. I'll just look around here."
Tao Fengnian gave Jiang Yuebai a paper crane as a message, squeezed through the crowd and walked into Xiancao Tower.
Jiang Yuebai watched the alchemy gambling for a while, just listened to those people's nonsense, and did not see the cultivators upstairs open the alchemy furnace. He felt bored and looked around again.
"This magic lock of mine can't be unlocked by practicing for a few more years. If you are stupid, don't embarrass me and get out of here."
At the opposite entrance of the alley, a group of children and several adults gathered around a small stall, each holding wooden objects and frowning.
The stall owner was a rough-looking female nun, sitting on a complicated and delicate wooden chair with gear mechanisms everywhere. A leather blanket covered her knees as if she had no legs. She was grinding wooden strips with a file, and her body was covered with sawdust.
Jiang Yuebai walked over curiously and saw that the stall was full of mechanical puppets with a wooden sign next to it.
[Unlock the Nine Magic Locks and receive a Seventh-grade Flying Nuclear Boat, limited to children under ten years old]
"What is a flying nuclear boat?" Jiang Yuebai asked.
The female cultivator did not even raise her head. "A boat carved from a Leiyin walnut, it can fly as fast as lightning, a seventh-grade flying magic weapon."
Jiang Yuebai's eyes lit up, "As long as I can unlock the nine magic locks, will you really give it to me?"
The female cultivator blew away the sawdust, looked up, and examined Jiang Yuebai carefully.
"You look smart. I've been here for half a month, and no one has ever succeeded in challenging me. Three low-grade spirit stones are required for one challenge, and the challenge cannot take more than a quarter of an hour. Have you thought it through?"
Before Jiang Yuebai could say anything, a boy of about seven or eight years old next to him suddenly burst into tears.
"I can't untie it—"
As soon as he started crying, the other children who were being tortured also started crying.
"It's too difficult. I don't want to play it anymore."
"You're just crying. I've wasted three low-grade spirit stones on you, you bastard!"
The man took off his shoes, chased his child and beat him, then disappeared into the alley.
The female cultivator chuckled and raised her eyebrows, "Kid, are you still challenging me?"
(End of this chapter)