52: Qi Refining Level 7

Gu Changan heard that Treasure Pavilion holds an auction every month, where foundation establishment pills occasionally appear.

Then there was the Star Sand Mine, located five hundred li away from Wenxing City.

There was a Star Sand Mine Black Market there, which was a relatively large black market within a two-thousand-li radius.

An auction was also held there once a month, with a wide variety of items being traded, from both the Righteous Path and the Evil Path.

However, it was also much bloodier; once outside the black market, there was no protection at all.

It was a complete meat grinder for Cultivators; if one only went to see the world, they could still escape unscathed.

But if one participated in the auction, they would be relentlessly hunted down after leaving the black market.

Everyone killed on sight; it was a carnival for Evil Cultivators!

From time to time, news would break of foundation establishment pills being auctioned there.

Gu Changan was currently only at Qi Refining Level Six; whether going to the Star Sand Black Market or Wanbao Pavilion, his cultivation level was simply not enough.

Therefore, Gu Changan spent most of his time trying to Cultivate.

Fortunately, no one was paying attention to him or disturbing him for now.

What Gu Changan didn't know was that his every move was being watched by two of the Saint's subordinates who were tailing him!

They monitored Gu Changan's whereabouts every day.

Every day, they watched him enter and exit various shops and small gatherings.

The thoughts of the two men had changed somewhat.

The Fat Man asked the Skinny Man, "Are you sure he has no connection with the Saintess?"

"After so many days of observation, you've seen how much stock he's offloaded!"

"I reckon there are at least several thousand Spirit Stones in his Storage Pouch!"

"Should we still make a move on him?"

The Skinny Man was also a bit conflicted; neither of them expected Gu Changan to be so wealthy.

This was somewhat different from the information they had previously received.

But the Saint had ordered them to eliminate Gu Changan.

They wanted to eliminate Gu Changan and take his entire fortune—several thousand Spirit Stones!

Once split between the two of them, reaching Late Stage Qi Refining would be within sight.

They might even touch the threshold of Qi Refining Perfection.

But the risk was truly great.

Not to mention whether the Saint would find out if they pocketed Gu Changan's Spirit Stones!

It was more that these Spirit Stones wouldn't appear out of nowhere; they must have been bestowed by the Saintess.

If the two of them killed Gu Changan, they would offend both the Saint and the Saintess.

Their future lives would certainly not be easy.

But there was another possibility: after they succeeded...

The Saint wouldn't discover their embezzlement, and the Saintess wouldn't care about him. This was what they hoped for most.

The Skinny Man thought it over. "Let's wait and see. Wait for a day when he leaves the city and is alone."

"If there's a chance, we'll take him out and then blame it on Bandit Cultivators or someone else."

"That way, we won't be exposed and we can make a fortune!"

The Fat Man's eyes grew brighter and brighter. "Hehehehe! You always have a plan!"

"Let's do it!"

"You keep watch; I'm going to buy some food!"

"I don't care about these few Spirit Stones anymore; let's have a good meal!"

They clearly already considered Gu Changan's Spirit Stones as their own.

Gu Changan was obviously unaware of their situation and continued to Cultivate diligently every day.

In the morning, he climbed onto the roof to bathe in the sunlight and absorb purple qi.

During the day, he meditated in his room to digest top-grade qi gathering pills.

In his spare time, he shuttled between various private trade fairs and small gatherings.

Half a month later, he suddenly achieved a Breakthrough to Qi Refining Level 7.

Then, Gu Changan discovered that because he practiced the Jade Cleansing Art every day, his physical fitness had been greatly enhanced.

The Meridians, flesh, and internal organs in his body were significantly stronger than his previous Mortal body!

This also greatly increased the absorption speed of the top-grade qi gathering pills.

Previously, he was afraid his Meridians wouldn't be able to withstand it and would be destroyed.

Now, there was no need to worry at all; a single top-grade qi gathering pill could be absorbed in about one day.

Then, at night, he could absorb another one.

In this way, the refinement speed of Spiritual Qi reached twice its original rate.

Gu Changan was overjoyed; he hadn't expected that practicing the Jade Cleansing Art to achieve the effect of Body Refining would simultaneously enhance the speed of Spiritual Qi refinement.

Feeling the Qi Refining Level 7 cultivation in his body, he used the Qi Concealment Art again to control his apparent cultivation at Qi Refining Level Three.

Calculating the time, there was a small gathering of Loose Cultivators in the south of the city today.

Dressed in black, Gu Changan used the Disguise Art to transform into a burly man.

He hurried toward the location of the gathering.

The gathering place was an Inn called Listening Bamboo Pavilion.

After Gu Changan stated his purpose, he was led to the backyard by the Waiter.

Various miscellaneous items were piled up at the entrance of the bungalow in the back. The Waiter skillfully opened the door and invited Gu Changan inside.

Gu Changan was bold due to his skill; after entering the room, he saw a cover plate on the floor.

The Waiter pulled up the cover plate again and invited Gu Changan to enter.

Gu Changan jumped into the cellar, which contained a long passage.

The entire passage was reinforced with bluestone, and beads like night-luminescent pearls glowed on the walls on both sides.

The entire passage was shrouded in yellow light.

Gu Changan moved forward on his own. After walking about twenty zhang, he saw a door with two guards at the entrance.

After Gu Changan paid twenty Spirit Stones, he was let in.

Upon entering, he saw more than twenty seats, more than half of which were already occupied.

Everyone was dressed uniformly, wearing bamboo hats to cover their faces.

Most of their clothes were gray or black.

There was a long table near the wall, and an Elderly Man sat behind it.

It seemed he was the organizer of this gathering.

Then, in a corner of the room next to the long table, sat a Middle-aged Cultivator.

The pressure of the Foundation Establishment Stage emanated from him; it seemed he was the backer of this gathering.

Most of those who entered were Qi Refining Cultivators; as of yet, no one dared to pull any stunts in front of someone in the Foundation Establishment Stage.

Gu Changan felt relieved and found a seat against the wall to sit down.

In less than half an hour, the twenty-plus seats in the room were gradually filled.

The Elderly Man behind the long table, dressed in a Daoist robe, rang a bell.

This drew everyone's attention.

"Alright! This trade fair will be hosted by this old man."

"Almost everyone is here, so I will take the lead."

He took out a three-foot-long piece of bamboo, its surface covered with gold silk running from top to bottom.

He placed it on the long table and began to introduce it.

"Thirty-year-old Gold Arrow Bamboo, a Rank Two Material. It has a hard texture and can conduct metal-attribute Spiritual Qi very well."

"It is generally used to craft metal-attribute Magical Artifacts."

"Now, any Fellow Daoist who wants to trade with me can make an offer."

"This old man has no special requirements; Spirit Stones, Medicinal Pills, medicinal herbs, or Magical Artifacts can all be exchanged with me."

"If the value is insufficient, Spirit Stones can be used to make up the difference!"

Gu Changan finally understood the trading process.

At this time, no one made an offer because Gold Arrow Bamboo is an Artifact Refining material.

Ordinary people wouldn't need it; only those wanting to craft metal-attribute Magical Artifacts might collect it themselves.

Additionally, Artifact Refiners might collect such Materials.

Thus, the scene immediately turned cold.