30: A temporary farewell to high-flying ambitions, time to snag bargains at street stalls!

Qingyun Branch, Listening to the Waves Pavilion.

At the first light of dawn, Wang Duojin paced back and forth in the courtyard, the stone slabs beneath his feet nearly sparking from his pacing.

"Senior Brother, Second Senior Sister, we're almost growing mushrooms here!"

He lowered his voice, complaining to the two tightly closed doors.

"This Qingyun Branch is nice, and the Spiritual Qi is abundant, but staying here every day, what's the difference from being on our Myriad Dao Divine Mountain? What about the promised experience in the Mortal World?"

Creak.

Su Linger's door opened. She had changed into a light blue long dress, the chill between her brows had melted away quite a bit, adding a touch of liveliness.

Cold Qi swirled around her fingertips, and a crystal-clear ice butterfly was dancing around her.

"Third Junior Brother, cultivation values a tranquil heart."

"Tranquil heart, tranquil heart, my heart is almost too tranquil to beat!" Wang Duojin flopped onto a stone stool, picked up his abacus, and clattered it wildly.

"Besides, our Sect is currently in a state of revival, and it's the perfect time to generate revenue! With such a great market outside, and countless Opportunities, if we don't go and explore them, wouldn't that be a waste of natural resources!"

Ye Chenfeng's door also opened silently.

He was still in his green shirt, using a soft cloth in his hand to wipe that ordinary iron sword over and over.

His movements were very slow and focused, as if it were not an ordinary Mortal Weapon, but the most precious treasure in the world.

He raised his eyes and looked at Wang Duojin.

"If the heart is not tranquil, the sword will not be fast."

"Fine, fine, fine, Senior Brother, everything you say is right." Wang Duojin put away his abacus and spread his hands. "But we can't spend our whole lives practicing swords and playing with an abacus on this mountain, right?"

Just then, the door of the main house opened quietly.

Chu Xuanjin walked out slowly, stretched, and the sunlight spilled onto him, gilding his whole person in a lazy golden hue.

He looked like he hadn't woken up yet, and his voice still held a hint of hoarseness.

"Well said, it is time to set off."

The three of them felt a shiver in their hearts and bowed quickly.

"Revered Master!"

Chu Xuanjin walked into the courtyard, looking at the rolling sea of clouds in the distance, his eyes unfocused.

"I originally wanted to come out to tour the mountains and rivers, and see this magnificent landscape."

He whispered to himself, his voice so soft only he could hear.

"As a result, I accidentally acquired a Sect, and became an absentee manager."

He cleared his throat, regained his inscrutable appearance, and turned to look at the three Disciples.

"The business here is finished, and your Foundation can be considered stable. The path of experience has only just begun."

"Sect Master, regarding this Qingyun Branch..." Yun Tianqing had appeared quietly at the courtyard gate, asking with a respectful expression.

"You have done well." Chu Xuanjin glanced at him.

"In the future, if there is anything important, you may use your identity token to enter Myriad Dao Divine Mountain and find me."

"Yes, Sect Master!" Yun Tianqing felt a sense of relief.

Chu Xuanjin's gaze turned to Ye Chenfeng.

"Dust Wind, that sword of yours is ultimately just a Mortal Weapon. It's fine for killing Yao Beasts, but if you encounter a true, powerful enemy, I'm afraid it won't be enough."

He paused and looked at Yun Tianqing.

"Branch Revered Master Yun, in your branch's Treasure Artifact vault, are there any spare Spiritual Artifact swords?"

Upon hearing this, Yun Tianqing was overjoyed. This was the Sect Master giving him an Opportunity!

"Yes! Of course! Sect Master, please wait a moment, this Disciple will go and get them!"

In just a moment, Yun Tianqing returned in a hurry, holding an ancient-looking sword case.

He opened the sword case, and three long swords, shimmering with cold light and exuding oppressive Spiritual Qi, lay quietly inside.

"Sect Master, these three are all the best High Grade Spiritual Artifacts in our Qingyun Branch's vault."

"The one on the left is called 'Autumn Water', its Sword Qi is agile. The one in the middle is named 'Bedrock', the sword body is heavy. The one on the right, 'Qingshuang', carries a trace of cold air."

Chu Xuanjin's gaze swept over them casually, and he pointed to the one on the far right.

"Let it be this one."

He tossed the qingshuang sword casually to Ye Chenfeng.

"Take it, use it for now."

"Thank you, Revered Master." Ye Chenfeng took the sword; it was ice-cold to the touch, and the sword body emitted a clear hum.

"Ding! Host gifted Disciple Ye Chenfeng the High Grade Spiritual Artifact 'qingshuang sword'..."

"Triggered 100,000 times critical return!"

"Congratulations to the Host for obtaining: Low Grade Immortal Artifact 'Star Meteor Sword'!"

"Star Meteor Sword: Forged from the core of extraterrestrial stars, when the sword is unsheathed, one can see the scene of stars falling, and it comes with armor-piercing and soul-shattering effects."

Chu Xuanjin's eyelid twitched, but his face remained calm.

He waved his hand.

"Let's go."

Eastern Desolate Region, Tianluo City.

This city was the largest Human Race city within the jurisdiction of the Qingyun Branch, with towering walls and a magnificent Aura.

At the city gate, there was a constant stream of people and carriages.

There were Mortal merchant teams carrying luggage, as well as Cultivators traveling on swords, passing each other by, yet living in peace.

The city guards were all Outer Sect Disciples of the Qingyun Branch. They stood tall with sharp eyes, but they did not oppress the Mortals, instead offering help to some commoners who encountered difficulties.

The entire city exuded a prosperous and orderly vitality.

"Wow..."

Wang Duojin walked on the wide street, his eyes couldn't take it all in.

"This is a big city! This flow of people, this density of shops, how many Spirit Stones must be exchanged in a day?"

He looked at the dazzling array of shops on both sides of the street, drool almost flowing out.

Su Linger also curiously looked around.

She saw a candy figurine vendor smiling happily as he handed a monkey-shaped candy figurine to a child with a topknot; the child's mother was a female Cultivator at the Qi Refinement Stage.

The female Cultivator paid the copper coins with a gentle smile on her face.

This scene made her frozen heart melt a little more.

Ye Chenfeng remained silent. He felt the worldly atmosphere of the Mortal World, and the qingshuang sword in his hand seemed to have lost a bit of its coldness.

"Revered Master, where are we going?" Wang Duojin asked excitedly.

"Just wandering around."

Chu Xuanjin led the three of them into an older, more ancient street.

There were no magnificent shops here, mostly small stalls laid out on the ground.

The stall owners were from all walks of life, and there were all kinds of people.

The items they sold were also a motley mix.

There were beast bones picked up from the Yao Beast mountain range, broken weapons dug up from who knows what remote corner, and some ancient objects that looked quite old.

This was the "treasure hunting street" for Cultivators, and also a money pit for scammers.

Wang Duojin's eyes instantly lit up like two gold ingots.

He took out his abacus, his fingers flicking across it rapidly, muttering to himself.

"That stall on the left is soaring with Evil Qi, the stall owner's forehead is dark, everything sold there is an ominous object; touch it and you're sure to have bad luck!"

"The one selling jade on the right, the jade is good jade, but unfortunately it's all from a new mine and not worth much!"

He was having a great time calculating, looking like a walking charlatan.

Chu Xuanjin ignored him and just walked forward slowly.

His eyes swept over the stalls seemingly casually, but deep within his eyes, there was a golden light flowing that ordinary people could not perceive.

Heavenly Dao Dharma Eye, already activated.

"Item: Rusted Iron Axe"

"Rank: Mortal Weapon (Damaged)"

"Evaluation: Too dull even for chopping wood."

"Item: Unknown Beast Tooth"

"Rank: Profound Rank Materials (Most of the Spiritual Qi has been lost)"

"Evaluation: Ground into powder, it might be able to treat certain unspeakable ailments."

Walking along the way, everything was worthless trash.

Just as Chu Xuanjin was about to lose patience, his footsteps stopped in an inconspicuous corner.

It was a stall set up by an old man in ragged clothes, reeking of alcohol.

On the stall, a few pieces of scrap metal were scattered, along with some pottery fragments whose original appearance could not be discerned.

Chu Xuanjin's gaze, however, was drawn to a turtle shell fragment among them that was only the size of a palm, pitch black, and looked like it had been scorched by fire.

The turtle shell was covered with fine cracks and looked like it would shatter at any moment.

"Item: ??? (Sealed by the ancient Restriction 'Four Symbols God-Locking Seal')"

"Rank: ??? (Far beyond the understanding of this world, suspected Divine Grade)"

"Hidden Trait: Contains the Legacy of one of the Four Sages of antiquity, the Divine Beast Xuanwu, a fragment of the 'Xuanwu Sea-Suppressing Scripture', and contains a trace of Xuanwu Origin power!"

"Evaluation: A pearl left behind by the Heavenly Dao, a divine object covered in dust. If the Seal can be broken, it will surely shake this world!"

Deep in Chu Xuanjin's eyes, a flash of brilliance flickered.

He walked to the stall, squatted down, and picked up a rusty piece of iron.

"Old man, how do you sell this thing?"