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

The figure watched Lin Mo and his companion enter the shop, but did not rush forward.

They simply stood quietly in place, as if waiting for someone.

A few moments later, a sudden gust of wind arose above the market, followed by a strong, pungent stench.

A sharp, piercing cry ripped through the sky, and a huge, black, strange bird appeared in mid-air.

The strange bird had a wingspan of about four zhang (approximately 13 meters) on each side, its feathers as black as ink, gleaming with an eerie light. Its sharp beak was curved like a hook, and its pair of scarlet eyes were fixed on the market below, exuding an indescribable ferocity.

"Senior Brother Lin, look! What a huge, strange bird!"

After leaving the market, Su Jiutong looked up and saw the strange black bird circling in mid-air, and couldn't help but exclaim in surprise.

Lin Mo looked back and saw that the strange bird was surrounded by a faint black mist, which sent chills down his spine. A sense of foreboding immediately welled up in his heart.

"I wonder whose mount this monstrous bird is. It seems we don't have such a beast in our Yue Kingdom."

Hearing the discussions among the surrounding cultivators, his heart sank even further.

"Who knows? Perhaps it's a disciple of Spirit Beast Mountain. But then again, Spirit Beast Mountain doesn't seem to have any demonic beasts of such enormous size. How strange!"

Lin Mo picked up Su Jiutong, who was still looking up at the strange bird with curiosity, and suddenly quickened his pace.

"Let's go, let's hurry up and get things done."

......

By the time all the spirit stones from all the shops had been collected, it was already completely dark.

As the sun sets behind the rolling mountains, the bustling market gradually quiets down.

"Senior Brother Lin, aren't we going back to the sect today?"

As the restrictions on the market gradually closed, Su Jiutong couldn't help but ask a question.

Lin Mo glanced at the sky, seemingly unintentionally. The huge black bird from earlier that day had completely vanished, as if he had just happened to bump into it while it was passing by.

"Since the market is closed, we won't return for now. However, since we're here, we should first visit Senior Huang, who is in charge of guarding this place."

Seeing Lin Mo's calm expression, Su Jiutong nodded obediently.

As a Foundation Establishment cultivator guarding the market, Huang Jingshan lived in the only five-story building in the area.

"So you are Lin Mo? Although I am in Jianzhou, I have heard your deeds from my friends in the sect. It is said that even the sect leader speaks highly of you. Truly, a hero emerges from among the young."

In the center of the hall, an elderly man in a plain white Taoist robe picked up his teacup, took a sip of tea, and then his gentle gaze fell on Lin Mo.

Upon hearing this, the latter immediately bowed his head and clasped his hands, humbly saying, "Senior, you flatter me. As a disciple of the tax collector, I was merely fulfilling my duty."

"I heard you have a unique spiritual root? Looks like you're close to Foundation Establishment."

Huang Jingshan stroked his beard and smiled, his brows furrowed with admiration for Lin Mo.

"You have a discerning eye, senior."

Lin Mo did not deny that he was not deliberately activating the Ghost Breath Technique at the moment.

Putting aside whether this technique could conceal itself from a Foundation Establishment cultivator, even if it could, he wouldn't do it.

Lin Mo believed that now was not the time to hide his talents.

If placed in his past life in his memory, then the Foundation Establishment Realm would be like high school.

Cultivators with different spiritual roots are like naturally intelligent and quick-witted students.

For sects, cultivators with unique spiritual roots who have not reached the Foundation Establishment stage will not be given priority in training.

For example, in the original work, after Senior Brother Lu was killed by Han Li in the Qi Refining stage, he didn't cause a ripple in Huangfeng Valley at all, as if he didn't exist.

For example, the Murong brothers were promised to be taken in by a Core Formation cultivator, but the prerequisite was that the two of them must successfully establish their foundation.

Therefore, only by appropriately demonstrating one's potential and value within the organization can one gain favor with higher-ups and thus attract more "investment".

Huang Jingshan probably intended to befriend Lin Mo in advance.

During the conversation, he even took the initiative to talk about his own foundation-building process, and the two naturally had a very pleasant chat.

Su Jiutong stood quietly to the side, not daring to interrupt. After the conversation had ended, Huang Jingshan slowly asked, "When do you plan to return to the sect? If it's tomorrow morning, I will prepare to release the restrictions in advance."

"This matter is not urgent."

Lin Mo bowed slightly, his expression calm and composed.

"I plan to stay in the market for a couple more days and postpone my return trip."

"Is there something wrong?"

Huang Jingshan asked subconsciously.

Generally speaking, disciples of the Si Que sect either return to their sect immediately after collecting spirit stones, or they return to their sect at the early morning or evening of the following day to avoid the time when ordinary cultivators are out and about. If they delay for several days, there is only one possibility: that the disciples of the Si Que sect believe that they are being watched.

"It's too early to say."

Lin Mo lowered his gaze slightly and slowly spoke.

"Very well, if you sense something is wrong, and it really comes down to it, I will personally escort you back to the sect."

Lin Mo naturally wouldn't refuse Huang Jingshan's suggestion.

Early morning of the second day.

Before dawn, shrouded in a thin, bluish-gray mist, the market's security barriers suddenly lit up silently.

Just as the pale golden light began to circulate, two figures quietly appeared above the market.

Immediately afterwards, a gourd appeared out of thin air, and after a flash of light, it carried the two of them away in a certain direction.

"Senior Huang, has your divine sense detected anything?"

One of the figures was naturally Lin Mo.

He looked at the other person and asked in a deep voice.

"Strange, my divine sense did not detect any other cultivators around. It seems that either the other party has used some kind of sophisticated concealment technique, or they have used some kind of magic array."

Another person slowly spoke; it was Huang Jingshan.

"Could it be my imagination?"

Lin Mo looked around with some confusion. The two flew for a while longer without incident.

The gourd suddenly turned around and flew back towards the market.

That evening, just as the restrictions on the market were about to be lifted.

Lin Mo drove the gourd out for another spin, accompanied by Huang Jingshan as always.

However, this time, nothing seemed out of the ordinary.

The surrounding mountains and forests were quiet, the evening breeze was cool, and the whole world seemed peaceful and serene, as if Lin Mo had only scared himself.

"Senior Huang..."

Lin Mo cupped his hands in a respectful gesture, his tone tinged with apology.

He had repeatedly asked a Foundation Establishment cultivator to accompany him to test the waters, but nothing ever came of it, which made him feel a little embarrassed.

"It's alright. Since you seem uneasy, it might be your intuition giving you a warning. How about this, I'll spend another day testing you tomorrow. If it's still the same, then you can set off in peace."

Huang Jingshan waved his hand, showing no impatience whatsoever.

Lin Mo knew that the "spiritual perception" Huang Jingshan spoke of was mysterious and unpredictable, formless and intangible, yet capable of predicting a cultivator's fortune and misfortune in the dark, so he immediately said no more.

The next day, the two conducted two more rounds of probing.

The result was exactly the same as yesterday.

Huang Jingshan scanned the area with his divine sense and found the surrounding mountains and rivers silent, with no wind blowing through the grass and trees.

"It seems I was being overly cautious."

Lin Mo smiled apologetically at Huang Jingshan and spoke.

Upon returning to the market, he summoned Su Jiutong, and the two decided to set off back to their sect at dawn the next day.