I replied calmly.

  “I intend to do both.”

  The female cultivator began explaining Xianqi Pavilion’s operating principles.

  Honest transactions, reasonable prices, swift processing, and so on.

  A string of pleasant-sounding words followed.

  But....

  The most important part always came last.

  “Therefore, you must pay a commission of thirty percent of the sales proceeds.”

  My eyes nearly popped out at the murderous commission.

  At this rate, it rivaled even the auction house’s fees.

  Maintaining a composed expression with effort, I asked,

  “Were the fees always this high?”

  The female cultivator smiled prettily with her eyes as she answered.

  I must not be fooled by that smile.

  She was not smiling at me, but at the profit she would extract from me.

  “It used to be ten percent. But as you know, Daoist, demonic cultivators have been running rampant everywhere lately... and a Heavenly Treasure has reappeared. Thus, the City Lord issued special measures. Other cities are the same.”

  ...Damn monopoly.

  I felt like crying.

  Why was my luck so rotten?

  What did the appearance of a Heavenly Treasure have to do with me?

  I was already short on spirit stones, and now a thirty percent fee—thirty percent!

  Seeing my gloom, the female cultivator offered advice as if sympathetic.

  “Please don’t be too disheartened, Daoist. It’s not as though there is absolutely no way to avoid paying the commission.”

  Keeping calm, I asked,

  “What way is that?”

  “If you affiliate with Qingyun City and take on city duties, you won’t need to pay commissions.”

  Her tone was exceedingly gentle. I needed to be careful.

  Flowers always had thorns.

  “City duties?”

  “Yes. Coincidentally, five days from now on the first day of the month, the city will select those to be affiliated with it. Once affiliated and assigned duties, commissions at all shops within the city are waived. You may also receive discounts when purchasing goods.”

  The benefits sounded too good.

  Wouldn’t people be lining up for that?

  The female cultivator smiled again.

  “Of course, there are many who wish to join. That’s why you must pass a basic examination. And.... Once affiliated with the city, you must participate if a war against demonic cultivators or a demon beast suppression occurs.”

  My expression stiffened.

  No matter how painful the commission was, I did not want to get involved in such matters.

  A war against demonic cultivators, demon beast suppression.

  Hadn’t Yun Xian’s parents been dragged into a demon beast suppression as outer disciples of a sect and died?

  Just thinking about it was horrifying.

  “These conditions may seem harsh, but in reality they are not,” the female cultivator continued calmly.

  “After all, cultivators like us at the lower ranks inevitably get swept into wars or suppressions anyway. How easy is it to live alone outside the city?”

  She continued persuading in a quiet tone.

  She must get some commission for recruiting people. Otherwise, there would be no reason to talk this long.

  “More importantly, such events are what allow growth. The rewards are substantial. In chaotic times, being affiliated somewhere may actually be safer.”

  I fell into thought.

  In its own way, she was not wrong.

  Lone cultivators were always exposed to danger.

  Above all, I had confidence in snatching only the cherries and running away.

  In that case...... affiliating with a city might be worth considering.

  Of course, not here. In Qingliu City.

  “Thank you for the explanation. But I don’t plan on staying in one place right now. May I first look at some talismans?”

  The female cultivator showed a brief look of regret before smiling again.

  See? She really does get a commission for recruiting people.

  “Of course. This way, please.”

  Following her inside, I saw display shelves filled with various talismans.

  Listening to her explanations, I browsed them. Depending on the type, prices ranged from five to one hundred spirit stones.

  They were certainly more expensive than talismans sold at stalls.

  But the effectiveness of talismans varied wildly depending on who refined them.

  Buying from a reputable shop was the better deal.

  I bought one bundle each of Concealment Talismans, Thunder Talismans, and Divine Movement Talismans.

  In an instant, 150 spirit stones were gone.

  But it was a worthwhile expense.

  If you wanted to be treated properly, you had to prove you had the purchasing power.

  When I casually hinted that I wanted to see magical artifacts, the female cultivator’s eyes gleamed.

  “Please follow me. I will guide you to the best of my ability.”

  Unlike the talisman display, the presentation of magical artifacts was more refined.

  She guided me to a private room and served tea.

  The treatment was clearly different.

  I decided not to mind the oppressive atmosphere of the private room.

  It was probably to prevent customers from grabbing items and running.

  “This is spirit tea. It invigorates spiritual energy and offers slight aid in cultivation.”

  After a moment, the female cultivator returned carrying four lacquered boxes.

  “These are all the magical artifacts currently in the shop. Two are for defense, and two are offensive. Defensive artifacts are naturally a bit more expensive.”

  She then opened each box one by one.

  Every item radiated powerful spiritual energy.

  My eyes nearly ached from it.

  I waited for the explanation.

  This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

  “This jade token is made from Cold Ice Jade. In emergencies, it automatically activates to protect your life. After activation, there is a three-hour cooldown, so please keep that in mind.”

  Clear white jade engraved with intricate patterns.

  An automatic shield.

  That was a must-buy.

  “This is a scale armor made from Iron Spirit Serpent hide. Thin and light, it’s excellent for personal protection.”

  Oh, this one appealed to me as well.

  The female cultivator continued.

  “This is the Thousand Flame Needle Wheel. It excels when surrounded by multiple enemies or for ambushes. When infused with spiritual energy, up to a thousand needles rotate and fire. The quantity is adjustable, and the fired needles can be retrieved.”

  “And this is the Spirit Extremity Flame Fan. It releases streams of high-temperature fire. Used well, it can even affect Foundation Establishment cultivators. However.... it consumes a great deal of stamina and requires precise aim.”

  After explaining the palm-sized circular device and the fan, the female cultivator smiled.

  “The Cold Ice Jade Token and the Iron Spirit Armor are each twenty mid-grade spirit stones. The Thousand Flame Needle Wheel is twelve mid-grade spirit stones, and the Spirit Extremity Flame Fan is fifteen mid-grade spirit stones.”

  The explanation was refreshingly clear.

  The prices were not.

  Typically, one hundred low-grade spirit stones equaled one mid-grade spirit stone...... meaning even the cheapest Thousand Flame Needle Wheel required 1,200 spirit stones.

  As expected, the threshold of Xianqi Pavilion was sky-high.

  Even so, the value would match the price.

  Having proper magical artifacts drastically increased survival chances.

  That being the case.... what would a three-thousand-year-old Flying Immortal Grass be worth?

  I took out a jade box from my pouch and subtly showed it.

  The Flying Immortal Grass, glowing with an iridescent purple hue, exuded a faint fragrance.

  The patterns on its stem were numerous at a glance.

  Most astonishing of all was that there seemed to be no fewer than a hundred such Flying Immortal Grass plants.

  “Th-this is...!”

  The female cultivator widened her eyes in shock.

  She hurriedly composed herself with proper etiquette.

  “I failed to recognize a distinguished guest. Please wait a moment.”

  As expected, the impact of an aged spiritual herb was immense. The female cultivator hurried off inside.

  I waited leisurely, sipping tea. Mm, good aroma.

  ***

  A short while later, a middle-aged man wearing elegant golden silk robes entered the private room. He was likely the steward managing the shop.

  “I heard a distinguished guest had arrived today, so this Mo has come to pay his respects.”

  The steward smiled so broadly his eyes nearly disappeared as he examined the Flying Immortal Grass on the table.

  Go ahead and look all you want. Would that change its age?

  Soon, the steward let out a joyful sigh and spoke.

  “Ah... today my horizons have truly broadened. Flying Immortal Grass over three thousand years old—how did you obtain something so precious?”

  “I was fortunate. It was growing in clusters.”

  As expected, he did not probe further.

  Flying Immortal Grass was not an exceedingly rare spiritual herb.

  It was just uncommon to see one this old.

  Refining Spirit Ascension Pills from this would greatly aid a Foundation Establishment cultivator’s cultivation.

  Still, it was not enough to provoke Xianqi Pavilion’s greed to the point of murder and robbery.

  Judging by the steward’s expression, he seemed quite taken with it.

  Then, shall we begin negotiations?

  ***

  The compensation for handing over over a hundred Flying Immortal Grass plants was substantial.

  Four magical artifacts.

  A spirit beast pouch.

  Ten Protective Talismans priced at one hundred spirit stones each.

  Protective talismans were expensive, but worth it.

  Their defensive power was on a different level from ordinary calming talismans.

  In addition, I received formation plates, spirit ink, spirit brushes, and talisman paper in abundance.

  What remained were fifteen mid-grade spirit stones and seven hundred low-grade spirit stones.

  This was enough.

  The remaining Flying Immortal Grass I planned to consume myself after learning pill refinement methods.

  Until I learned the method, I would have to chew it raw....

  This was why life as a lone cultivator was hard.

  You could not learn pill refinement, nor magical artifact crafting.

  Well, once I learned the Nine Transformations Spirit Root Scripture, my situation would change.

  After leaving Xianqi Pavilion, I headed straight for the teleportation formation.

  No one could know my pouch was now full, but one could never be too careful.

  Safety came first, after all.

  I moved toward the teleportation formation area as quickly as possible.

  There were not many people in the teleportation zone.

  The guide stationed there greeted me with an indifferent expression.

  This man was probably affiliated with the city as well.

  “Welcome, sir. Where would you like to go?”

  The teleportation fee to Qingliu City was one mid-grade spirit stone.

  “When five people heading to Qingliu City gather, the formation activates. Since one group departed just yesterday, it should take about two or three days. Qingliu City is a large city, so it won’t take much longer.”

  If I wanted expedited teleportation, I would need to pay five mid-grade spirit stones.

  It was not worth the price.

  I decided to wait.

  I subtly handed the guide one spirit stone.

  There was no need for him to mess with the order.

  The guide smiled brightly and slipped the spirit stone into his sleeve.

  As expected of an official from a large city—his skill at pocketing spirit stones was impressive.

  “Oh my, thank you, sir. Rather than waiting here, you should find an inn nearby. When it’s your turn, I’ll notify you through this jade token.”

  Earlier, he had not mentioned a word about this, but once the spirit stone changed hands, a jade token appeared.

  ...The slyness of officials in the cultivation world.

  Well, as long as I benefited, that was fine.

  I accepted the jade token and tucked it into my sleeve.

  It seemed to be a kind of pager.

  This would be the perfect time to rest and examine the newly acquired cultivation method.

  I entered the inn district the guide indicated.

  For serious cultivation, one needed to seek the eastern regions, but for a short stay, an inn was best.

  The inns boasted all manner of flashy names.

  Ascension Inn.

  Success Inn....

  Soaring Heavens Inn, and so on....

  Among them, I entered an inn that advertised having produced five Foundation Establishment cultivators.

  Ahem, receiving good fortune wouldn’t hurt.

  I was itching to learn the Nine Transformations Spirit Root Scripture as soon as possible.

  After paying three spirit stones, I entered a room.

  Inside was a small bed and a formation for cultivation.

  Just in case, I released Baizi and had it thoroughly inspect the room.

  There was nothing unusual.

  After setting up defensive, concealment, and alert formations, I took out the jade slip.

  When I pressed it to my forehead, all its contents flowed into my mind.

  Even so, mastering it would take time.

  But I had points.

  I invested points decisively.

  [3 points have been deducted. Proficiency 1]

  It seemed learning a cultivation method required three points.

  Still better than wasting time.

  Hmm.... So this was the method.

  My appetite was whetted.

  In the cultivation world, spirit roots were literally everything—the beginning and the end.

  Without spirit roots, cultivation itself was impossible.

  Spirit roots possessed the attributes of fire, water, wood, metal, and earth, and were categorized from single spirit root to five spirit roots.

  Occasionally, those with unusual spirit roots of different attributes appeared, but that had nothing to do with me.

  I had four spirit roots of wood, fire, earth, and water, with wood being the most active.

  Better than the so-called useless five spirit roots, but four spirit roots still fell under mixed spirit roots—not good aptitude.

  Unless one was born into a cultivation family, and unless one had the backing of a sect, the only path for those with four or five spirit roots was as a lone cultivator.

  Even then, becoming an outer disciple was the limit.

  And outer disciples met the same end as Yun Xian’s parents.

  They were used as expendable pieces.

  From three spirit roots onward, one could enter a sect as an inner disciple.

  Two spirit roots were considered talented.

  Single spirit roots were so coveted that everyone fought to recruit them.

  Unusual spirit roots received treatment similar to single spirit roots.

  Here, a question arose.

  A single spirit root possessed one of the Five Elements, while five spirit roots possessed all five—so why was a single spirit root considered better?

  The answer was simple.

  A single spirit root meant one attribute had reached the extreme. It was that much purer and easier to absorb the energy of heaven and earth.

  Five spirit roots sounded nice, but in reality, the five attributes were in complete disarray.

  Of course, at higher realms, all attributes became important, but if one could not even reach those realms with useless or mixed spirit roots, what was the point?

  Then where did the true wonder of the Nine Transformations Spirit Root Scripture lie?

  Did it push one chosen spirit root to the extreme?

  No. The method recorded in the jade slip did not stop at that level.

  It raised all five spirit roots to the extreme and allowed one to display only the spirit root one wished others to see.

  And ultimately, it altered one’s very constitution.

  A cultivator changing constitution implied only one thing.

  Becoming a special constitution.

  It was nothing short of an astonishing cultivation method.

  There was a drawback.

  It could only be cultivated during the Qi Refinement stage, and raising a single spirit root required five hundred years.

  No wonder everyone cursed it.

  Not even a single stage would be successfully completed.

  That was likely why no one truly understood the Nine Transformations Spirit Root Scripture.

  But I was different.

  A chill ran through me.

  A thirty low-grade spirit stone cultivation method.

  A useless method abandoned by all.

  To think it contained such a truly defiant, heaven-transcending secret art.

  As if possessed, I immersed myself in the cultivation method.