65: Qingling Market

“Hiss~ It’s actually related to an Immortal!”

They had come to Seeking Immortal Town precisely to seek an Opportunity for Immortals, so naturally, everyone at the table perked up their ears when it concerned an Immortal!

“Hehe, that’s a rumor, a rumor, hahaha!”

“But the dead Innate Experts and First-rate Experts are real; after all, their bodies were all fished out of the lake.”

“The scene was tragic! There wasn’t a single intact corpse; many parts of their bodies had already been eaten by fish and shrimp.”

“Tsk tsk, you know those were Innate Experts and First-rate Experts! Such figures, no matter where they are, are people who can make the ground shake with a stomp of their foot, yet they died so mysteriously in the lake.”

“More importantly, how exactly did they die, and who killed them? This matter is still a complete mystery to this day; outsiders simply can’t explain it.”

The well-informed Jianghu expert spoke with great enthusiasm, and not only did the several Jianghu experts at the table listen intently, but even people at other tables pricked up their ears.

“I heard this matter is related to the newly famous Innate Expert in the Jianghu!”

“Could it be that Gu Senior, who is called the Taihu Lake Fisherman?”

“It should be him; he’s also gone missing during this period.”

“Could he be the murderer? Impossible, right? He is an Innate Expert, but the other party was not only an Innate Expert but also had several First-rate Experts assisting them. How could they have been killed so easily?”

“In my opinion, it must be related to Demonic Path experts. Last time, they caused quite a stir in Taihu Lake…”

Gu Chang silently listened to these messages, then went straight upstairs to his room.

“The news has already spread here. If there isn’t the handiwork of the Imperial Court and the Cloud Firmament Palace behind this, then it would be strange. It’s even possible they deliberately released these ambiguous messages to try and lull me into a false sense of security.”

“It’s even possible that there are their informants within Qingling Mountain Trading District, after all, there are only so many places an Innate Expert can go.”

The reason he didn’t immediately go to Qingling Mountain was precisely because of this, so he deliberately stayed in Seeking Immortal Town and made some preparations.

First, he spent almost a full year in the Reincarnation World studying the Yi Jing Bian Gu Gong, a top-tier disguise Cultivation Technique that directly changes the shape of Meridians and bones to alter a person’s appearance, demeanor, and even their tone and gaze.

Secondly, he learned pharmacology and formulated some special medicines that could conceal and alter his Qi.

After completing these two things, Gu Chang then prepared to head to Qingling Mountain Trading District.

The next day, Gu Chang left Seeking Immortal Town and then plunged into Qingling Mountain.

The outer area of Qingling Mountain is quite large; at least a hundred li radius is an area that hunters and woodcutters can enter, but the situation in the deeper parts is different.

Deep within the mountains, mist pervades, sometimes so thick that it’s difficult to see the face of the person even when standing face to face.

Walking deep in the mountains is an extremely difficult task for ordinary people; even Martial Forest experts who know light body skill can easily get lost if they’re not careful.

Only Cultivators carrying a Qingzhu Market waist token or those who have Cultivated Spirit Eye Spells can proceed smoothly within it.

“As expected of a place where Cultivators reside. Although I haven’t reached the market yet, the Spiritual Qi concentration here is already higher than in the mortal world.”

At this moment, Gu Chang, who had completely changed his appearance into that of a middle-aged man dressed in a Daoist robe, walked with light steps deep within Qingling Mountain.

He felt the changes in the surrounding Spiritual Qi and immediately understood that his choice was correct!

If he continued to Cultivate in the mortal world, then the Mixed Origin Skill would take an unknown amount of time to reach Qi Refining sixth layer, and besides wasting time, he wouldn’t gain much benefit.

To Cultivate Immortality, one ultimately cannot do without the resources of Cultivators; otherwise, the final progress would probably be despairingly slow.

After entering the deep mountains, Gu Chang walked for about an hour before suddenly discovering a huge canyon ahead.

On both sides of the canyon, pavilions, towers, flying eaves, painted corridors, and flowing waterfalls were built, looking ethereal and dreamlike under the cover of clouds and mist, truly a scene of an Immortal realm.

“Finally here! This is the entrance to Qing Ling Market!”

Seeing this scene, Gu Chang immediately understood where this place was, as there were corresponding descriptions of it in the hand-written notes of the Divine Image Sect Seniors.

When Gu Chang arrived at the bottom of this canyon, he felt even more that this place was extraordinary, like a heavenly gate standing here, and behind the canyon was the true Qingzhu Market.

Cultivators frequently entered and exited the canyon entrance, but they either flew on swords, rode various exotic beasts, or took some Magical Artifacts for flight; very few people actually walked on foot.

Seeing this, Gu Chang followed them directly to the entrance, where there were also people responsible for management and defense.

When it was Gu Chang’s turn, the other party specifically paused on his face for a moment, with faint spiritual light flowing, clearly some kind of Spirit Eye Spell. Only then did he open his mouth and ask Gu Chang: “Where are you from? Do you have a credential?”

“I am from the mortal realm, and by chance, I learned of this place. This is my waist token!”

Seeing this, Gu Chang immediately took out his bamboo waist token and simply replied to him.

“Hmm, a Loose Cultivator, no doubt. What is your name?”

“My name is Zhao Zhen!”

“Alright, Zhao Zhen, Qi Refining first layer, Loose Cultivator.”

The other party nodded slightly and then cast a Spell into Gu Chang’s waist token, then returned it to him, but still reminded him:

“Private fighting is strictly forbidden within the market. Any violation will be punished without mercy!”

“Furthermore, with this waist token, you can only stay in the market for one day at most. If you wish to continue staying in the market, you must pay Spirit Stones or rent an Immortal Cave.”

“Yes! I understand!”

“Alright, go in.”

With that, the other party waved his hand directly, signaling Gu Chang to pass. He had no interest whatsoever in a Cultivator who was only at Qi Refining first layer.

Upon hearing this, Gu Chang immediately entered the Heavenly Gate Canyon. After he passed through it, the front suddenly opened up, revealing a large valley in the mountains. It was truly a scene of thousands of acres of fertile land, winding rivers, lush green bamboo, and abundant Spiritual Qi!

After passing through this cultivated land, ahead was a vast expanse of pavilions and towers, some even built directly on the mountainside, exuding an air of an Immortal realm.

“Hoo~ Haa~”

Gu Chang stood at the edge of the valley and took a deep breath of the Spiritual Qi-filled air, feeling almost intoxicated.

The Spiritual Qi concentration here, compared to the mortal world, was simply the difference between heaven and earth, a shocking disparity.

“What are you standing there for? Don’t block the way!”

Just as Gu Chang was immersed in the abundant Spiritual Qi of this place, a voice suddenly came from behind him.

“Sorry, sorry, I’m new to this place and genuinely a bit overwhelmed.”

Hearing this, Gu Chang immediately moved aside, speaking with some embarrassment.

“A new Loose Cultivator? No wonder you’re making such a fuss. Qing Ling Market is a spiritual land with a second-grade low-tier Spiritual Vein, so the Spiritual Qi is naturally much more abundant than in mortal places.”

“And this is nothing. When you enter the Immortal Caves specially excavated and built within the market, that’s where the Spiritual Qi is truly abundant; almost every breath can increase one’s Cultivation!”

The other person appeared to be an old Daoist priest. Seeing Gu Chang’s naive appearance, he couldn’t help but boast to him.

“May I ask Your Excellency’s name?”

Gu Chang saw that he was quite talkative, so he intentionally tried to befriend him.

“My surname and given name are no longer important. However, the people around here just call me Qinghezi. I specialize in cultivating spiritual fields and planting spiritual rice in Qing Ling Market. If you ever want to taste this spiritual rice in the future, you can come find me.”

With that, the man shook his head and walked towards the nearby farmland, then began to cast Spells, summoning clouds and rain to moisten the crops below.

Under the nourishment of the spiritual rain, the plants in the spiritual field grew at a speed almost visible to the naked eye, each one verdant and dripping, each root vibrantly alive.

Seeing this, Gu Chang then walked towards the interior of the market, and soon he saw the situation inside.

On the surface, it looked somewhat similar to an ancient town in the mortal world. Both sides of the street also had various shops, restaurants, and residences, and there were also vendors on both sides of the street. Pedestrians came and went, stopping from time to time to enter shops or interact with stall owners.

However, unlike the mortal world, it was relatively quiet here. Neither the various shops nor the vendors loudly hawked their wares; at most, they would hang out a sign indicating what was for sale that day.

Most stall owners would even sit cross-legged directly on the street, appearing serene and laissez-faire, as if waiting for those with affinity to come.

After Gu Chang entered the market, he began to examine carefully and listen attentively. As he walked through the streets here, some of his doubts quickly diminished.

Simply put, there was no fundamental difference between this place and the mortal world. Cultivators, in addition to Cultivating, also needed to eat, drink, excrete, and deal with daily necessities.

Moreover, the Cultivation resources needed by Cultivators were even more valuable and had to be exchanged for spiritual items or Spirit Stones!

Mortal gold and silver were of little use here.