Mortal: I can unlock the card pool by becoming an apprentice to him.

"Liuyunfang Market" is located at the border pass between Xinzhou and Linzhou.

Although this place is only a hundred miles away from the Qingxu Sect, one of the seven major sects, it is one of the many markets under the Yanyue Sect and is under its protection and jurisdiction.

"Junior Brother Lin, this is your first time going down the mountain on business. When we arrive at the market, you can observe how I handle matters and then follow my example in the future."

On the flying boat, a middle-aged woman with gentle features smiled and spoke to Lin Mo.

The latter nodded slightly and answered respectfully:

"I will follow your instructions, Senior Sister."

A day earlier, Lin Mo, who was making the most of his time to cultivate, was approached by a young woman named Yu Jingyan.

Because his status as a disciple in charge of taxation had been verified, the sect specially arranged for the two of them to go to the market together to manage taxation affairs.

Naturally, he dared not delay, so Lin Mo quickly packed his things and then boarded the flying boat with the young woman, setting off together.

"Junior brother's concealment technique is indeed superb; I couldn't discern even the slightest difference in your skill."

The flying boat soared leisurely through the air. Yu Jingyan glanced at Lin Mo and chuckled softly.

"It's just a trivial skill, Senior Sister is too kind."

Lin Mo answered humbly on the surface, but was secretly on guard in his heart.

Along the way, this senior sister, who was at the twelfth level of Qi Refining, kept trying to find out his background. As the saying goes, too much talk leads to mistakes, so Lin Mo kept being vague and evasive about the young woman's questions. However, this response only aroused her curiosity.

Perhaps sensing Lin Mo's wariness, Yu Jingyan finally stopped asking questions.

Several hours later, the flying boat slowly came to a stop above a canyon.

There were clearly restrictions placed inside the valley, with layers of spiritual light intertwining and intertwining.

Yu Jingyan flicked her jade finger, and a stream of spiritual energy flowed into the array pattern. Immediately, the thick spiritual light barrier slowly parted, creating a gap large enough for two people to pass side by side, instantly revealing the entire valley.

Lin Mo looked back and secretly memorized the location.

For cultivators, the marketplace is not just a place to trade items.

Generally speaking, this place is a melting pot of all sorts of people, with all kinds of intelligence flowing freely between them. Controlling this place is equivalent to controlling the information hub for hundreds of miles around.

"Senior Pan, who is stationed here, is a renowned mid-Foundation Establishment cultivator within the sect, and is most skilled in the art of formations..."

As Yu Jingyan continued her eloquent conversation, the two entered a shop called "Jubaozhai" one after the other.

The shop was filled with the fragrance of incense, and various religious artifacts were neatly arranged.

At the counter, a long-bearded monk was helping a young boy choose protective magical artifacts.

They were greeted by a very capable-looking girl in a purple dress.

"Fellow Daoist has excellent taste. This Crimson Cloud Sword is our shop's top-tier mid-grade magic weapon, most suitable for Qi Refining cultivators for self-defense and training."

The young man was clearly tempted, but the long-bearded cultivator hesitated and slowly said, "This item is powerful, but it is too expensive. Your cultivation is still shallow. Ordinary protective magic items are enough to protect you. There is no need to be so extravagant."

Seeing this, the girl in the purple dress was immediately disappointed and turned to look at Lin Mo and the other person who had just walked in.

"What would you two like to see? Pills, magical artifacts—our shop has everything, and we're sure to satisfy you."

Yu Jingyan smiled without saying a word, but simply showed the token in her hand.

Lin Mo also possessed this token, which was an exclusive item representing the identity of a disciple of Si Que.

The girl in the purple dress immediately became serious and bowed, saying, "Please follow me, both of you."

Having said that, he left the hesitant long-bearded cultivator and the boy behind and respectfully led Lin Mo and the other two towards the back hall.

"Seniors, this is the rent for my shop for the past three months, totaling seventy spirit stones."

On the way here, Yu Jingyan had explained to Lin Mo the sect's criteria for classifying shops in the market, which was based on size and location.

The judgments made during this period were entirely determined by the disciples of the tax collector.

But no matter how they secretly adjust the levels or maneuver around the situation, the basic number of spirit stones to be handed over to the sect is a hard and fast rule, and not a single one can be less.

The extra benefits are the unspoken profits.

Seeing that Yu Jingyan accepted the spirit stones without saying a word, the two of them left the shop without saying anything more.

Liuyunfang Market is not large, consisting of only a few dozen shops and some peripheral stalls.

After collecting all the rent, Yu Jingyan took Lin Mo to pay respects to Senior Pan. This was, of course, to avoid being spied on and plotted against by those with ulterior motives. It should be noted that this place could only be considered a small market town, yet the spirit stones collected this time amounted to more than five thousand, almost equivalent to the entire fortune of a mid-Foundation Establishment cultivator.

No wonder she was so cautious.

"Junior brother, please find a quiet room to rest for a while. You will be fine here with Senior Pan. We will set off to return to the sect at dawn tomorrow."

After seeing Lin Mo accept the forty spirit stones she secretly offered without any change in expression, Yu Jingyan secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

She had been worried that her junior brother didn't know the rules, but seeing that he was fully aware of everything and accepted it calmly, she was completely relieved.

Seeing the worry disappear from Yu Jingyan's eyes, Lin Mo simply smiled slightly.

it is more than words.

Of course, it was still early, and Lin Mo was not prepared to give up so easily.

After changing his clothes, he returned to the market.

"Shopkeeper, do you buy spirit herbs here?"

Inside the shop called "Songhetang," only a young man with the sixth level of Qi Refining cultivation stood in front of the counter.

He glanced at Lin Mo, unable to discern the man's true character, and politely asked, "Yes, I do. May I ask what kind of herbs you wish to sell, sir?"

Before arriving, Lin Mo had already planted several commonly used herbs in the spirit field and cultivated each of them to a medicinal age of about four or five hundred years.

While herbs from this year are rare, they are not as astonishing as herbs from thousands of years ago. Although there are risks, they are within manageable limits.

Seeing Lin Mo raise his hand and release four wooden boxes, the young man calmly focused his gaze on the boxes.

Even if he couldn't discern Lin Mo's true cultivation level, he figured it was probably at the Qi Refining stage, and the most he could offer were some herbs that were a hundred years old.

But as the wooden box was slowly pulled open, his expression instantly froze.

"This... there's no mistake, this is a 500-year-old Ganoderma lucidum! Sir, no, senior, how many do you have? Our shop is willing to pay a high price to buy them all!"

"Hmph, do you think this is some kind of roadside weed, something you can take as much as you want?"

Hearing Lin Mo say that, the young man finally came to his senses, a slight smirk appearing on his face as he lowered his head in embarrassment.

Indeed, this thing is so rare that it is already a stroke of luck to have encountered these today. If there were a few more, even Songhetang might not be able to consume them all.

After the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, Lin Mo walked out of the shop with satisfaction.

He looked around, then used the Dragon-Trapping Technique to suddenly disappear from the spot...

......

"Junior brother, let's go."

Before dawn, Yu Jingyan had already finished packing and stood outside the door.

A short man waited silently to the side; this man was none other than the Foundation Establishment cultivator surnamed Pan from the Hidden Moon Sect, who was stationed here.

After Lin Mo stepped out of the house, the cultivator surnamed Pan spread his divine sense and casually surveyed the surroundings before releasing the market's restrictions and sending the two of them out.

Taking advantage of the thin morning mist, the flying boat quietly glided over the silent market, heading towards the location of the Hidden Moon Sect.