Chapter 24: Baibao Market

The cultivation speed of a Dual Spiritual Root was indeed extraordinary. With the protection of the prayer mat bestowed by Li Shu, Zhao Chun had already connected her twelve meridians in just two months and was poised to enter the Acupoint Clarification stage.

Once she broke through the first single acupoint, she would be considered a third-layer Qi Refinement cultivator.

One cannot achieve everything in a single burst of momentum; if the momentum is rushed, strength will gradually wane and exhaust.

What Zhao Chun wanted was to ride the momentum of connecting her meridians to head directly toward the third layer of Qi Refinement!

Humans possess hundreds of acupoints, but cultivators must start with the fifty-two single acupoints first. The order cannot be changed at will, otherwise, there is the risk of death and the dissipation of one's Dao!

Most cultivators stagnate at the third layer of Qi Refinement largely for this reason. Among the hundreds of acupoints, every single one must be approached with extreme caution and refined with precision. The single acupoints are the easiest; once entering the stage of the three hundred dual acupoints, the difficulty multiplies. As for the fifty extra-meridian odd acupoints, they can block eighty percent of early-stage Qi Refinement cultivators from entering the middle stage!

Xun Xian had once said that cultivators with Gold and Fire attributes must be extremely careful at the third layer of Qi Refinement to prevent spiritual energy from exploding and damaging their acupoints.

As Zhao Chun mobilized her spiritual energy to strike the first single acupoint, she felt a slight heat and a tingling itch at the site.

Logically, acupoints require a gentle dispersal, yet Zhao Chun felt a strange sensation in her heart, as if she were more suited to breaking through with brute force.

Of the myriad Great Daos, only that which suits oneself is the supreme path.

Thinking of this, she concentrated her essence and gathered her Qi. However, instead of the usual method of slowly washing through the acupoints, she swirled her energy into a gaseous orb, intending to strike the acupoint violently!

The pain lasted only a moment, leaving behind nothing but a sense of clarity after the acupoint had been opened.

As expected, Zhao Chun praised herself inwardly. This method was more efficient, though the risk increased exponentially, carrying a sense of "success or death."

However, she could not be greedy. Once an acupoint was opened, it still required careful nourishment. If she only cared for efficiency and ignored quality, she feared she would damage her foundation.

Having found her method, she now knew how to proceed. Zhao Chun brushed off her clothes and stood up, feeling a surge of exhilaration, and intended to head out.

In these two months, aside from returning to Xuan Cao Garden at the end of the month to visit her Senior Sister and Zhou Pianran, she had hardly left her doorstep. Her daily needs were taken care of, leaving her with nothing to worry about.

Pushing the door open, the morning mist had not yet dissipated. Zhao Chun's residence was located along a secluded path by a clear spring, far from any human habitation, so there were naturally no neighbors.

The courtyard was spotless, with a half-wall of yellow flowers. Two mortal servants were present: one sweeping and the other watering the flowers.

By regulation, an inner disciple could have eight mortal servants. Zhao Chun did not have many affairs, so besides sweeping and cooking, the servants had nothing else to do. Seeing that Zhao Chun was diligent in her cultivation, they did not dare to disturb her. Consequently, the only person Zhao Chun knew was Cui Cui, a young woman in her early twenties who delivered her meals daily. It was only natural that she had become the head of the servants.

The backgrounds of these mortal servants were mostly similar; they were the relatives of low-level cultivators. If a family member broke through to become a formal disciple, they would find an opportunity to bring them along for care; if not, they would continue serving as laborers to support the household.

No matter the world, it is ultimately the people at the bottom who work the hardest.

Now that she had entered the third layer of Qi Refinement, she was only one step away from the middle stage, which would allow her to preliminary bid farewell to her mortal shell. If she were fortunate enough to reach Foundation Establishment one day, she would truly be able to "tread three thousand miles of mist and clouds and grasp the flowing waters of the Milky Way," no longer the same as a mere mortal!

"The Immortal Master has emerged from seclusion!" Cui Cui held a water kettle to her chest and bowed to her.

Zhao Chun gave a slight nod in greeting. She had only been cultivating for two months and had even left the Dao Gate mid-way; it couldn't really be called "emerging from seclusion." She simply treated it as Cui Cui's way of being polite and did not take it to heart.

For Foundation Establishment cultivators, entering a cave dwelling for three to five years without attending to worldly affairs was considered a short time. Nascent Soul Great Cultivators often stayed in for ten or twenty years. Take Zhao Chun's cheap master, Li Shu, for example; he had released news of his seclusion a month ago, and no one knew when he would reappear.

A cultivator's lifespan was inherently different from ordinary people: Qi Refinement lived to 150, Foundation Establishment to 200, and Nascent Soul to 300. There were even those above Nascent Soul, such as the Lingzhen Sect Sect Leader, Daoist Tu Sheng, who could live to 500!

It was precisely because of such long lifespans that they could afford to remain in seclusion for so long.

That level of existence was still far from Zhao Chun. She would first aim for Foundation Establishment to solidify her status as an inner disciple.

"I am going out for a trip. Keep the house secure. If there is anything important, you may use the transmission talisman at the gate to inform me."

Cui Cui nodded and took her leave.

The sect provided inner disciples with various daily necessities, including transmission talismans and smoke-boat talismans, so Zhao Chun did not need to purchase them.

This trip was to the Outer Sect's Treasure Market to sell some of the medicinal pills obtained from Yue Cuan and to see if she could find any useful treasures.

Zhao Chun had discovered that her constitution was quite peculiar; spiritual pills meant to increase cultivation had no effect on her and instead caused harm. Among the pills she had obtained that day was an advanced version of the Qi-Boosting Powder, known as the Qi-Boosting Pill. This item was also part of the monthly allowance for inner disciples. She had intended to use it to aid her cultivation, but instead of progressing, her spiritual energy had gone into revolt.

Recalling this, Zhao Chun did not dare use it again. She had picked out all the types that increased Qi and breath, while keeping the healing and auxiliary pills.

Things that others scrambled for became useless to her. It was better to sell them all to supplement her own resources.

The Treasure Market was located in a small hilly area in the Outer Sect. It was unknown which ingenious craftsman had hollowed out the hills to arrange the market neatly within.

The various markets were distributed in rings across three levels. The entrance led to the Outer Market, where most itinerant cultivators set up stalls.

The East and West sections were the Pill Market and the Martial Market, respectively. The center was the essence of the Treasure Market: the Treasure Workshop. Only formal disciples could enter that area, where most rare and precious treasures were kept.

To enter, Zhao Chun had to pay ten Essence Stones. One must realize that a regular ride on a smoke boat cost only two stones, and a preparatory disciple's monthly allowance ranged from five to twenty Essence Stones. Just entering would strip her of a significant portion of her wealth.

Once inside, she realized the money was well spent. There was a dazzling array of spiritual plants and exotic metals, as well as various silks, brocades, gold, and jade hairpins.

These were no ordinary items; they were infused with spiritual energy, making their colors vibrant and their luster brilliant.

Although the sect provided finished garments, they did not restrict the disciples' attire. This was simply because the sect's manufactured clothing was too dowdy; even Zhao Chun could not bear to dress like a small tree every day.

These were all external matters, not what she required. Zhao Chun headed straight toward the Pill Market in the east. She had already taken the pills out of her storage cloth bag, wrapped them in silk, and placed them separately to prevent others from noticing she possessed a storage treasure.

The first floor of the Pill Market consisted of cultivator stalls, the second floor featured established shops, and the third floor held the seats of Alchemists. If one needed custom pills, they could request them from an Alchemist.

Alchemists were special cultivators with Fire and Wood attributes. Although their cultivation speed was slower than others due to practicing two attributes, their status was quite high. Even the most basic Mortal-grade Alchemists could produce pills usable by late-stage Qi Refinement cultivators, making them highly sought after.

However, Zhao Chun's attributes were incompatible, so that path was not viable for her. With her Gold and Fire spiritual energy, she was well-suited for the path of Artifact Refining, but she lacked the necessary techniques and would have to seek them out later.

Having a specialized skill would make the road ahead easier to walk.

Zhao Chun strolled to the second floor and entered the largest shop, intending to sell the Qi-Boosting Pills.

While on the first floor, she had inquired about the price of the Qi-Boosting Pills. They went for five Essence Stones per pill. Naturally, a shop would buy them for less than the selling price; they offered her ten stones for three pills, which was considered fair.

Zhao Chun had twenty stones from her two-month inner disciple allowance, plus eighteen she had obtained from Yue Cuan. Seeing her agree readily, the shopkeeper took them for 130 Essence Stones, and both parties benefited.

Additionally, she had five Yuan-Nurturing Pills obtained from Yue Cuan's belongings, which were used by Foundation Establishment cultivators. The shopkeeper had a significant background; he only gave her two subtle, searching glances but said nothing.

Seeing this, Zhao Chun produced her inner disciple identity plaque. The shopkeeper assumed they were a gift from a mentor and sighed inwardly, wondering which profligate disciple was trading Yuan-Nurturing Pills for wealth.

"The selling price for this pill is eighty per unit. I will buy it for sixty. Are you willing?"

Zhao Chun nodded and counted out the pills. She felt no attachment and exchanged them all for Essence Stones, totaling three hundred. Combined with the previous Qi-Boosting Pills, she had earned four hundred and thirty in a single day.

She collected them all into an ordinary cloth bag, wrapped them in gray cotton cloth, and quickly exited the Pill Market.

Although others were generally wary of inner disciples, Zhao Chun preferred to act cautiously to avoid making others envious.

This trip was only halfway complete. She intended to enter the Treasure Workshop first to select some useful defensive treasures, and then head to the Thousand Treasury Pavilion to obtain the two techniques: the *Tiger Strength Manual* and the *Serpent Step*.