51: Entering the Star City

Dressed in the Outer Sect Disciple attire, Gu Changan faced no one who dared to stop him.

He thus walked straight into the establishment.

A Waiter at Qi Refining Layer One stepped forward and asked, "Fellow Daoist, are you here to eat or to stay?"

Gu Changan replied, "I'm looking for someone!"

"Is Zhou Yanshan, Fellow Daoist Zhou, here?"

The Waiter at Qi Refining Layer One suddenly realized, "He is! He is!"

"Go up to the second floor, turn left, it's the second room!"

Gu Changan nodded in response and headed straight upstairs.

Arriving at the door, which was quiet, Gu Changan knocked.

At that moment, the door to the private room suddenly opened, revealing a charming face.

Gu Changan looked closely; the female cultivator who opened the door was also a Sect Disciple, wearing the Outer Sect Disciple attire.

She was about 30 years old, with her hair styled in a Double-Ring Bun, and her eyebrows were long, thin, and slightly upturned.

Her cultivation level was likely in the Qi Refining Middle Stage, around Qi Refining Layer Five or Six.

Seeing Gu Changan, she smiled slightly, "This must be Fellow Daoist Gu, who just received the Sect mission!"

"Hurry and come in!"

"Team Leader Zhou is already waiting for you inside!"

Gu Changan stepped inside. The layout was not luxurious but appeared refined.

Zhou Yanshan was sitting at the table, where two teacups rested, indicating the two had been conversing earlier.

Against the wall was a small table holding an Incense Burner, from which a wisp of smoke was rising.

Gu Changan composed himself and said, "Fellow Daoist Zhou, I have arrived to report!"

"Does this Patrol Mission have any special requirements?"

Zhou Yanshan scrutinized Gu Changan, finding nothing particularly unusual about him.

But why would he take this Patrol Mission?

This mission offers no real benefits.

Could there be another reason?

Zhou Yanshan couldn't guess. He picked up his teacup and took a sip. "Come, come! Fellow Daoist Gu, please sit first."

"I will explain everything to Fellow Daoist Gu!"

Gu Changan was also observing Zhou Yanshan, noting that his aura was quite profound, likely in the Qi Refining Late Stage, estimated to be Qi Refining Level 8 or Qi Refining Layer Nine.

He first bowed to Fellow Daoist Zhou, then sat down next to Fellow Daoist Zhou without being prompted.

Zhou Yanshan smiled and asked, "Fellow Daoist Gu, why did you take on this mission?"

Gu Changan pondered briefly, "This mission seems simple!"

"Although it doesn't offer many Contribution Points, if I happen to discover anything unusual and report it, that would also be a considerable income!"

"I plan to find other things to do first; this mission is just something I'm doing on the side!"

Zhou Yanshan understood and nodded, "I see!"

"However, we are all the same way!"

"Taking this mission is just something convenient to do."

"Regarding Fellow Daoist Gu's earlier question about special requirements?"

"There actually are none, but since we all accepted this mission together."

"I presume everyone's area of activity will be within Wenxing City."

"Since we are bound to run into each other, we can look out for one another in the future."

"Also, if any of us encounter trouble, we can call upon each other for help."

"Since we are all from the same Sect, handling certain matters will be better than relying on outside Loose Cultivators!"

Gu Changan nodded in agreement.

"Do we not have to Check In normally?"

Zhou Yanshan was slightly surprised, "No, we don't!"

"Normally, everyone handles their own business. If something comes up, we gather, or just send a message through the Token."

"When there's nothing pressing, those who need to go into seclusion do so, and those who need to Cultivate do so!"

Gu Changan smiled, "That's wonderful!"

"Then I shall not disturb the two of you any further."

"I'm going to take a look around the city!"

Zhou Yanshan raised his teacup in farewell and watched Gu Changan leave!

He asked Lin Mei, who was beside him, "What do you think?"

Lin Mei bent slightly and gave a charming smile, "How else can I see it?"

"He's just an Outer Sect Disciple at Qi Refining Layer Three, what trouble could he possibly cause?"

Zhou Yanshan gave a self-deprecating smile, "You're right, I was too cautious."

"Then let's continue with what we were doing!"

"Tell them to continue, and you send someone to keep an eye on him. Don't let him ruin our plans!"

Lin Mei bowed slightly, "Understood, Team Leader, I'll go now!"

Gu Changan felt completely relaxed once he left the room, like a Dragon entering the sea.

Next, it was time to think about getting rich.

First, he couldn't go to the Sect Cultivation location in the middle of Wenxing City; the costs there didn't match his identity.

If he were investigated one day, it would be difficult to explain.

He could only go to the outskirts and rent a small, relatively secluded courtyard.

He finally chose a small courtyard near the city wall; it was remote and quiet.

The courtyard also came with an Early Warning Formation. As for Spiritual Qi, Gu Changan did not rely on it to Cultivate.

He relied entirely on top-grade qi gathering pills. The rent was 20 Spirit Stones a month, or 200 Spirit Stones for a year.

Gu Changan rented it for three months first, planning to renew later!

Next was familiarizing himself with the environment, primarily getting to know the various shops within Wenxing City.

The most important among them was the Treasure Pavilion, followed by the Sect's shops.

There were many other smaller shops.

Medicinal Pill shops, Spirit Medicine shops, General Stores, and Magical Artifact shops—although these stores were small, they still contained some quality goods.

If he used them to sell the items he had duplicated, they could absorb a large quantity.

Gu Changan changed out of his Sect Disciple clothing and put on a Loose Cultivator outfit.

After changing his appearance, he began scouring the streets inside Wenxing City.

He checked every shop he passed.

If it was a Medicinal Pill shop, he would check roughly to see if they had any Medicinal Pills he was missing.

If they did, he would buy them for duplication; if not, he would move to the next store.

There were many medicinal herb shops, and Gu Changan collected all the common herbs available on the market.

He also spent quite a few Spirit Stones, but most of the payments were offset by duplicated Medicinal Pills.

Going back and forth like this, his Spirit Stones didn't decrease; instead, they grew, reaching 6,000 Spirit Stones.

The variety of items inside the treasure gathering basin continuously increased.

As for Magical Artifact shops, Gu Changan collected every type of Magical Artifact available on the market.

However, they were all the lowest Rank low-grade magical artifacts, each costing only a few dozen Spirit Stones.

After collecting them, the number of Magical Artifacts in the treasure gathering basin reached 70.

This way, every time he opened his eyes, he could harvest 70 strands of Orange Treasure Qi.

This was enough to upgrade two top-grade magic artifacts or two Foundation Establishment Stage treasures.

After collecting all the ordinary items, Gu Changan set his sights on the Treasure Pavilion.

That place held all the true quality goods, including various Magic Treasures, precious Medicinal Pills, and Cultivation Techniques that were not found on the general market.

After much thought, Gu Changan decided to give up on the Treasure Pavilion for now.

Currently, what Gu Changan lacked most was Cultivation time. With an ample supply of top-grade qi gathering pills, he could reach the Peak of the Qi Refining Stage without any Bottleneck.

Therefore, the most urgent need right now was a foundation establishment pill!

When he left Wenxing City for the Tianji Pavilion previously, he had already inquired at the Treasure Pavilion.

To obtain a foundation establishment pill, one could only do so through an auction.

Going to the Treasure Pavilion now to trade items would be inefficient and could easily expose him!

Therefore, Gu Changan planned to first visit various private trading venues.

For example, Private Gatherings, Small Black Markets, and various channel Trade Fairs.