42: Reunion

The transaction was complete.

Lu Xian pushed open the door and entered the guest room.

Glancing around, he took out over a dozen Formation Flags and formation stones from his Storage Pouch, precisely embedding them into the pre-set node positions.

Buzz—

A Formation that isolated Divine Sense probes instantly took shape.

'Brother Han is still so steady; I have much to learn.' Du Qinghong watched and silently took note.

This was all life-saving experience. Although he didn't understand Formations, he always kept one-time protective Talismans as a necessity.

"Alright, I'll say a few words."

Lu Xian didn't waste words; he still had to go out and scout the area tonight.

Being in an unfamiliar place, he needed to get a feel for the terrain, plan several escape routes, and anticipate various emergencies.

In short, there was still much to do.

"Tomorrow I'll scout the auction house. You're responsible for searching the surrounding shops for the Materials on the list, understood?" Lu Xian's tone was serious.

If he weren't spread so thin, he wouldn't want to bring a burden along.

This wasn't to belittle the other's ability, but a statement of the fact regarding the gap in their strength.

Du Qinghong's combat power was at the bottom of his rank; even the aftershocks of a magical duel could injure him.

They had already agreed before coming that if they were caught in a fight, he had to immediately activate all his life-saving methods and flee without looking back.

"Understood! Brother Han, I guarantee the mission will be completed!" Du Qinghong stood at attention, his eyes as firm as if he were about to achieve Immortal Ascension.

The instructions were finished.

Lu Xian pushed open the window of the small guest room and looked out at the layers of buildings in the Market Town.

If I were to build a [Market Town], what kind of Heaven-Defying upgrade effects would appear?

After a moment, he shook his head.

He was being a bit whimsical; finishing the goal of this trip was more important.

At the very least, he had to secure that set of first-tier top-quality teleportation arrays.

Ideally, he would obtain one type of upgrade material.

If his luck was explosive, he'd get two.

As for anything else?

He would just see if any "Opportunities" came knocking on his door.

Lu Xian's figure flickered, and he silently leaped from the fourth-floor window, landing as light as a leaf without stirring a speck of dust.

It was the middle of the night.

The streets were empty and quiet, the perfect time for scouting.

Clad in black, he appeared to be wandering aimlessly, but he was actually fully focused.

His Divine Sense extended cautiously at its lowest intensity; though he could only vaguely perceive his surroundings, it was stealthy and safe.

Even if detected by a hidden Foundation Establishment Cultivator, he could instantly retract it without leaving a trace.

The Market Town's layout was simple, with two main streets intersecting.

The vertical street was for various permanent shops, while the horizontal street was for temporary stalls reserved for Loose Cultivators.

Judging by the aura radiating from the occasional passersby, Lu Xian made a rough estimate: the average cultivation level here was one level higher than the Wujian Workshop black market in Qingyun City.

It was around the sixth layer of Qi Refining.

In just half an hour, he had encountered quite a few Late Stage Qi Refining Cultivators.

This situation caught Lu Xian slightly by surprise.

But after a moment's thought, he understood.

This place could be called the true "First Stop of the Wilderness."

If Loose Cultivators wanted to venture deep into dangerous lands to seize great Opportunities, they could only use this place as a springboard.

If starting from Qingyun City, they would have to travel an extra thousand miles, passing through several Foundation Establishment Family territories along the way, inevitably being exploited at every turn.

It was better to sell their gains directly to the Lin Family nearby.

If one's strength was too low, the risk of dying while venturing alone into the Wilderness was too high.

Over time, this led to a situation where the overall cultivation level of the Cultivators here was relatively high.

"The Lin Family, those who sit back and enjoy the fruits of others' labor! The Cangye Sect's recruitment is the same; it's all about expanding their sphere of influence and acquiring as many resources as possible. By gathering grains of sand to build a pagoda, they ensure the Golden Core True Persons don't Face a generational gap."

The structure of the cultivation world was inherently pyramidal; the higher up you go, the fewer those in high positions, but the lower down, the larger the base of providers.

Fortunately, resources were still relatively abundant, and power conflicts hadn't reached a fever pitch.

Even foundation establishment pills could be publicly auctioned, so ordinary people weren't without chance.

As the sky began to brighten, Lu Xian had already sketched a topographical map of the Market Town in his mind and planned several emergency evacuation routes.

He delayed no further and quietly returned to the inn.

A female Cultivator was now on duty on the first floor.

Lu Xian showed his room token and entered smoothly.

While taking the spiritual elevator, he saw a man and a woman inside hugging intimately.

"Young Master Tang, don't be like this, I was exhausted last night... Ah, some—someone's coming..."

Yao Xianger feigned resistance while her Face flushed red.

And the male Cultivator whose hands were wandering all over her was someone Lu Xian happened to know—it was Tang Jingcheng, whom he had seen yesterday!

Tang Jingcheng also recognized Lu Xian. Thinking of the "good thing" that was interrupted yesterday, his mood soured instantly, and his expression darkened slightly.

"Fellow Daoist Han, we meet again," he acknowledged.

"Mm, Fellow Daoist's physique is quite good. Didn't the one from yesterday join in?" Lu Xian said casually.

"Her? She wasn't to Tang's taste; I don't know which snowbank she's buried in. Fellow Daoist, what do you think of this one? Eighteen years old, so tender she's practically dripping..."

A lewd smirk curled on Tang Jingcheng's lips.

From his tone, that female companion was likely dead.

Lu Xian remained unperturbed. Even if the woman's death had a slight connection to his interruption yesterday, he felt no guilt.

In the cultivation world, life and death were commonplace.

Lu Xian's tone was flat: "Miss Xianger is indeed not bad, but unfortunately, I don't have much interest."

The spiritual elevator reached the fourth floor, and he walked straight out.

The moment the door closed, the frivolity on Tang Jingcheng's Face vanished, replaced by an icy chill: "Recount every single detail of this person's check-in yesterday without missing a beat, or else!"

Yao Xianger was terrified by his sudden change in attitude, her Face turning pale. She didn't dare show any more flirtatiousness and hurriedly began to transmit her voice tremulously.

She detailed everything—how Lu Xian entered, how he booked the room, and how he rejected the top-grade room.

Tang Jingcheng, holding her as they returned to the top floor, gave a cold laugh after listening.

"So, he's not from the Han Family? Han Feiyu? Never heard of him! It seems he's just a Loose Cultivator who doesn't know death when he sees it, daring to impersonate an Aristocratic Family and even ruining my mood yesterday... I must strike hard!"

Tang Jingcheng's way of doing things was primarily to follow his own whims.

Those who made him unhappy had to die!

But Tang Jingcheng hadn't completely lost his mind. He only had a trash-grade Spiritual Root; even as a direct descendant of the Tang Family, his cultivation progressed slowly despite being piled with resources.

This made him especially resentful of Loose Cultivators who weren't respectful enough toward him!

Usually, when he encountered a Loose Cultivator he didn't like, he would torture and kill them for fun.

As for how to kill them?

If his strength was lacking, his background would make up for it!

As the third son of the Tang Family head, it went without saying that he was prepared with precious Talismans, Medicinal Pills, and Magical Artifacts.

Even if he stood there letting ordinary Loose Cultivators hit him for several hours, they couldn't hope to break his defense!

Of course, Tang Jingcheng didn't dare be so unscrupulous toward targets who were also from a Family.

After deducing that Lu Xian was just a Loose Cultivator, killing intent surged in his heart.

"Hehe, ruining my good time and then daring to put on an act in front of me... What kind of interesting death should I choose? Xianger, what do you think?"

Tang Jingcheng squeezed his fingers hard, making Yao Xianger wince in pain.

"Third Young Master, I don't know, I don't understand fighting and killing," Yao Xianger's body trembled.

"Don't understand? Then why aren't you getting on top and moving yourself. Don't stop until the auction starts! Otherwise... Tang will have to speak with my uncle-in-law and have someone else come to serve..."

...On the other side, Lu Xian returned to his room.

If he knew what Tang Jingcheng was thinking, he would only call him an idiot.

A piece of trash relying on his Family's shadow—did he really think he was worthy of Lu Xian giving him Face?

He was just cautious, not a coward.

Unless a Golden Core True Person was before him, whom Lu Xian might try to seek protection from.

Even Foundation Establishment Cultivators were just strangers without much value.

Below Foundation Establishment? They'd have to be able to threaten his life first.

"It's time to officially execute the plan."

Lu Xian mentally rehearsed it a few times and finally confirmed there were no omissions.

He had also made contingency plans for emergencies.

"Today, I'll first go to consign the Spirit Medicine and get the auction list. On the premise that the teleportation array is secured, I'll then seek out the other Materials..."