Shengui Changsheng: Start from Zhenwuwei and add some points to cultivate immortality

Fu Shaoping carried these miscellaneous items to the free trading area of ​​the market and set up a small stall. He priced the Yin-attribute ores and spiritual herbs at market price, and priced the few self-made array plates slightly lower than similar products on the market, under the name of "simple and practical small array plates, suitable for temporary cave protection".

At first, no one paid any attention to it, until a middle-aged rogue cultivator who seemed quite shrewd at the sixth level of Qi Refining picked up an array plate, examined it carefully, and then injected his true qi to test it. His eyes lit up.

"Fellow Daoist, this array, though rough around the edges, has ingeniously constructed core warning and concealment runes. The energy flow is very stable, and the coverage area is quite large. It's good value for money," the middle-aged rogue cultivator commented. "I'll take them all. How about a discount?"

After some haggling, Fu Shaoping finally sold several array plates and some minerals and herbs for a price slightly higher than expected, earning over two hundred spirit stones. Although it wasn't much, it was a good start.

The middle-aged rogue cultivator seemed somewhat interested in Fu Shaoping's "array-making skills," and asked before leaving, "Do you still accept custom orders, fellow Daoist? I need a small array plate that can warn of the aura of specific demonic beasts."

Fu Shaoping's heart skipped a beat. Wasn't this a perfect opportunity to test his idea of ​​integrating contract perception into the formation? He thought for a moment and said, "We can try, but it will take time and be quite expensive."

The two agreed on the details, delivery time, and location. Fu Shaoping accepted the job, which provided him with a temporary source of income and a cover identity—a wandering cultivator who knew a little about basic formations.

In the days that followed, Fu Shaoping studied the warning array plate for the specific demonic beast aura (he tried to simplify the perception logic of specific energy fluctuations in the "Identification Technique" into array runes), while keeping an eye on the auction news. At the same time, he quietly inquired about Foundation Establishment Pills, Purple Heart Barrier Breaking Pills, and other unorthodox methods that might assist in Foundation Establishment in the market.

Five days before the auction, Fu Shaoping successfully crafted the custom-made array plate and delivered it to the middle-aged rogue cultivator, receiving another payment. At the same time, he also learned some less-than-good news: the competition at this auction was likely to be fierce, attracting not only local forces from the Qingyue Mountains but also cultivators from other nearby areas. The starting bid for the Purple Heart Breakthrough Pill was said to be eight hundred spirit stones, and the final price could very well exceed two thousand!
Fu Shaoping patted his storage bag; it contained less than five thousand spirit stones at most. With that amount of money, competing for the Purple Heart Breakthrough Pill would be a stretch, let alone if other desired items came along.

"It seems we need to think of another way." Fu Shaoping's gaze was deep. In his mind, the bone altars of those evil cultivators in Fallen Soul Valley, and... the ill-gotten wealth they might have accumulated, came to mind.

A bold and dangerous idea quietly took root.

The evil cultivator from Fallen Soul Valley's thought flashed through his mind for only a moment before Fu Shaoping suppressed it. Robbing evil cultivators might yield considerable profits, but the risks were extremely high, and it went against his principles—at least he shouldn't take risks when his strength was insufficient or his chances of success were slim.

"We still need to find a way through legitimate means." Fu Shaoping composed himself and focused his attention back on the auction and earning spirit stones.

In the following days, in addition to continuing to complete the few simple array orders that had been agreed upon beforehand (he deliberately controlled the quantity and complexity to avoid attracting attention), he also kept an eye out for opportunities in the market.

One day, while resting at a teahouse, he overheard several wandering monks at the next table whispering:
"...Have you heard? It seems that Old Master Sun of 'Medicine King Manor' has recently offered a reward for a rare spiritual herb called 'Three Yang Rejuvenating Grass,' which must be at least fifty years old. The reward is five hundred spirit stones plus a bottle of 'Jade Marrow Pill'!"

“Three Yang Resurrection Grass? That stuff is hard to find. It only grows in a special environment where the most yang land meets the yin energy, and it has to be a steep cliff with the sun facing the sun and the shade behind it... I remember there seems to be a similar terrain at the junction of 'Red Sun Peak' and 'Cold Crow Ravine' deep in the Qingyue Mountains?”

"That's right! But that area is near the edge of the mine that the 'Golden Saber Sect' and the 'Green Wood Sect' are fighting over, so it's not a safe place! Besides, even if there were any, they would have been looted long ago, right?"

"Old Master Sun is in a hurry; it's said to be for treating his granddaughter who was injured by the 'Mysterious Yin Palm.' The bounty has been posted for seven or eight days, and no one has completed it yet."

Fu Shaoping's heart skipped a beat. The Three Yang Resurrection Grass? It was briefly mentioned in the herbal medicine section of the *Mysterious Treatise on True Understanding*. This herb possessed both pure Yang and soul-soothing effects, indeed remarkably effective against certain Yin-cold palm poisons. Its growing environment was exactly as those people had described. Five hundred spirit stones plus a bottle of Jade Marrow Pills—the reward was quite generous, enough to alleviate his spirit stone burden.

More importantly, the border between Chiyang Peak and Hanya Ravine... if this herb really exists, it would be a good excuse to search for medicine, and perhaps we could also observe the fighting between the Golden Knife Sect and the Green Wood Sect, as well as the movements of the evil cultivators in Luohun Valley (the two places are not too far apart).

The risk lies in the fact that the area has now become a hotbed of trouble. But fortune favors the bold, and for the sake of the auction, it's worth the gamble.

Fu Shaoping left the teahouse and went directly to the "Yaowangzhuang" branch in the market. Yaowangzhuang was a well-known family of alchemists in the Qingyue Mountains area, with a good reputation.

The branch manager confirmed the bounty and showed Fu Shaoping the bounty jade slip, which detailed the characteristics, age requirements, and reward of the Three Yang Rejuvenating Grass. Fu Shaoping expressed his willingness to try and noted down the relevant details.

Instead of setting off immediately, he returned to his cave and made more thorough preparations. He drew several topographical maps of the area near Crimson Sun Peak (combining the purchased map jade slips with his own understanding), and checked all the pills, talismans, and magical artifacts, especially the "Yang Thunder Talisman" which countered the Yin-cold attribute and protective magical artifacts. Finally, he also brought along the array plate he had just completed, which warned of the aura of a specific demonic beast—there was a demonic beast called the "Fire Scale Python" near Crimson Sun Peak, and its aura was one of the targets the array plate was warning of, so it might come in handy.

The next morning, Fu Shaoping left Liuyunjian Market and headed southwest towards Chiyang Peak.

Chiyang Peak is a rather unique mountain in the Qingyue Mountains. The sunny side of the mountain has reddish rocks, rich in fire-attribute minerals, and has a higher temperature; the shady side is close to the cold and damp Hanya Ravine, forming a distinct place where yin and yang meet.

Fu Shaoping did not head directly to the border. Instead, he first circled around to the sunny side of Chiyang Peak to observe the terrain, carefully avoiding any potential high-level fire-attribute demonic beasts. He released the warning array and indeed sensed faint traces of fire-scaled pythons nearby, but did not encounter them.

After circling around for most of the day, he gradually approached the boundary between the sunny and shady sides. Here the terrain indeed became treacherous, with a steep, red cliff on one side and a bottomless, chilling ravine on the other, with a narrow, jagged transition zone in the middle.

Fu Shaoping activated his "Discerning Technique," carefully sensing the flow of Yin and Yang energies and the distribution of vegetation in the environment. The Three Yang Resurrection Grass prefers sunlight but needs the balance of Yin energy, so it must grow in a special location that can absorb both ample sunlight and the damp moisture of the Cold Crow Ravine.

He climbed and searched along the boundary line like a gecko. An hour later, in a sunny crevice where the mist from the Cold Crow Stream rose, he found his target—three strange spiritual herbs with leaves of three colors and tiny golden buds at the top, the Three Yang Resurrection Grass! Judging by its age, the middle one was about fifty years old, while the two on the sides were slightly smaller.

Fu Shaoping was overjoyed and was about to go forward to pick the fruit when suddenly, his "Identification Technique" issued a strong warning—intense fluctuations of spiritual energy and sounds of fighting were coming from the thick fog in the direction of Cold Crow Ravine ahead, and they were rapidly approaching! He immediately retreated into the shadows of the rock crevice, concealed all his aura, and focused his gaze.

Thick fog rolled in, and two groups of people fought and retreated, rushing out from the direction of Hanyajian!
On one side were three cultivators dressed in light blue outfits with tree patterns embroidered on their chests—disciples of the Azure Wood Sect! Two were at the ninth level of Qi Refining, and one was at the eighth level. They were all in a sorry state, with injuries on their bodies. The leader, a ninth-level Qi Refining disciple, was tightly clutching a fist-sized ore that shimmered with an earthy yellow spiritual light.

On the other side were five cultivators dressed in golden short-sleeved shirts and carrying large swords—they were from the Golden Saber Sect! Two were at the ninth level of Qi Refining, two at the eighth level, and one was even at the Great Perfection of Qi Refining! Their attacks were fierce, their swords flashing, clearly intending to seize the ore from the Green Wood Sect disciples.

"Senior Brother Chen! Hand over the 'Earth Refined Gold'! Otherwise, you will all perish here today!" The Golden Saber Sect disciple at the Great Perfection of Qi Refining shouted fiercely, his saber strikes as fierce as a storm.

"Don't even think about it! We discovered this refined gold first!" The ninth-level Qi Refining disciple of the Green Wood Sect gritted his teeth and resisted, but was clearly at a disadvantage.

The two groups fought and moved, arriving near the area where Fu Shaoping was hiding. The aftershocks of the battle sent debris flying.

Fu Shaoping inwardly groaned; it was exactly what he feared. He only wanted to gather herbs and didn't want to get involved in the conflict between the two factions. But retreating now would easily lead to discovery, misunderstanding, or even attack.

He held his breath and concealed himself even further, hoping they would finish fighting and leave as soon as possible.

However, things didn't go as planned. The Qingmu Sect's eighth-level Qi Refining disciple, caught off guard, was struck in the thigh by a blade of energy from the Golden Saber Sect, collapsing to the ground with a scream. A gap immediately appeared in the Qingmu Sect's formation!

"Junior brother!" The ninth-level Qi Refining disciple of the Qingmu Sect cried out in despair, wanting to come to the rescue, but was held back by the Great Perfection Qi Refining disciple of the Jin Dao Sect.

Another disciple of the Green Wood Sect at the ninth level of Qi Refining was also besieged by two disciples of the Golden Saber Sect, and was in grave danger.

Seeing that the three members of the Qingmu Sect were about to be wiped out, a look of despair and ruthlessness flashed in the eyes of the Qi Refining Level 9 disciple holding the ore. Suddenly, he forcefully hurled the "Earth Refined Gold" in his hand towards the direction of Cold Crow Ravine! At the same time, he roared, "Want it? Go pick it up yourself!"

The Earth element transformed into a beam of yellow light and disappeared into the fog-shrouded valley.

The members of the Golden Saber Sect were stunned for a moment, then flew into a rage.

"You're courting death!" The Qi Refining Grand Perfection disciple forced his opponent back with a single strike, his figure flashing like lightning as he rushed towards the direction where the refined gold had fallen! The other four Golden Saber Sect disciples also abandoned their opponents and chased after the refined gold.

With the pressure on the three members of the Green Wood Sect eased, the injured Qi Refining Level 8 disciple barely managed to stand up. The three exchanged a glance, gritted their teeth, and fled in another direction—which happened to be the cliff face above where Fu Shaoping was hiding in the crevice—in a disheveled state! They clearly wanted to climb the cliff face and escape from a higher place.

However, one of the disciples of the Golden Saber Sect, at the eighth level of Qi Refining, seemed unwilling to give up, or perhaps felt that the Green Wood Sect was already at its last gasp. He broke away from the main force pursuing the refined gold, turned around, and grinned as he chased after the three members of the Green Wood Sect: "Trying to run? Leave your life behind!"

He was fast, and in a few leaps he reached the bottom of the cliff. The three members of the Green Wood Sect had just climbed a few feet when they saw this and were terrified.

Fu Shaoping could see clearly from the crevice in the rocks, his mind racing. The Golden Saber Sect member was alone, his cultivation at the eighth level of Qi Refining, roughly equal to his own. The three from the Green Wood Sect, though injured, might be able to turn the tide if they joined forces. But at this moment, their courage had vanished, and they only knew how to flee…

In a flash, Fu Shaoping made a decision. He didn't want to save the Green Wood Sect, but rather he couldn't let this lone Golden Saber Sect disciple discover him! Once exposed, the consequences would be dire.

Just as the Golden Saber Sect disciple grinned maliciously, preparing to swing his saber at the climbing Green Wood Sect disciple, Fu Shaoping made his move!
He shot out from the crack in the rocks like a silent shadow! His speed far exceeded the reaction of the Golden Saber Sect disciple! The combination of "Shadow Step" and "Military Soul Lock" gave his attack a strange and mind-blowing aura!

The Golden Saber Sect disciple felt a gust of wind behind his head, and a chilling, soul-chilling aura suddenly descended upon him! He was terrified and tried to turn around to defend himself, but it was too late!

"puff!"

Fu Shaoping's steel longsword (which had been replaced with a slightly better one) was wrapped in an invisible layer of "Military Soul Lock" soul power, piercing through his heart from behind with unparalleled precision! At the same time, his other hand struck out with lightning speed, and a surge of scorching wood and fire true energy rushed into his body, instantly severing all his life force!
The Golden Saber Sect disciple didn't even have time to scream before his eyes widened, and he collapsed to the ground, lifeless.

All of this happened in an instant. The three members of the Green Wood Sect, who were climbing, only heard a muffled thud and a fall behind them. When they turned around, they saw that the Golden Saber Sect disciple who had been chasing them was dead. An unfamiliar gray-robed cultivator was quickly taking the storage bag from the corpse and giving them a cold glance, making a gesture of "shut up and get out of here".

The three members of the Green Wood Sect were both surprised and suspicious, but escaping was the priority, so they didn't have time to think too much. They nodded to Fu Shaoping and climbed even more desperately upwards, soon disappearing above the cliff.

Fu Shaoping quickly cleaned up the scene, erasing any obvious traces he had left. He then dragged the Golden Saber Sect disciple's corpse to a more secluded crevice nearby and sprinkled it with corpse-dissolving powder (obtained from the Tianque City market). Afterward, he swiftly returned to his original hiding place and carefully harvested the fifty-year-old Three Yang Resurrection Grass, roots and all, placing it in a specially made jade box. He hesitated for a moment before touching the two younger plants beside him, leaving them to continue growing.

Having done all this, he didn't linger. He immediately followed the shadows below the cliff and sped away in the opposite direction from the Golden Saber Sect's pursuit.

After running for more than ten miles in one breath, Fu Shaoping stopped to catch his breath only after confirming that it was safe. That sudden attack, seemingly clean and efficient, had actually consumed a significant amount of his soul power and true energy, especially the burden of fully activating "Shadow Step" and "Military Soul Lock." (End of Chapter)