Cultivation begins with forming a bond with a spirit bee.

After wandering around outside until it was completely dark, Qu Ye returned to the underground cave with practiced ease.

The black market was still bustling with people, but no one spoke loudly; a subtle tranquility pervaded the air.

However, compared to when Qu Ye last came, there were significantly fewer vendors setting up stalls.

Snakes have their own paths, and rats have theirs.

These vendors who dare to sell goods in the black market for a long time all have some kind of information channels of their own.

Perhaps having heard some rumors, those who were more cautious had already stayed in their residences, waiting for the storm to pass.

Qu Ye remained expressionless and walked straight into the depths.

Soon, he arrived again at that shop that had no name and not even a lantern.

"What would you like to inquire about, fellow Daoist?"

Upon entering the shop, Qu Ye sat opposite the middle-aged cultivator.

"The recent situation in the market."

The middle-aged monk extended two fingers and tapped them lightly on the table: "First, let's talk about the scope."

Qu Ye pondered for a moment: "Including the area around the market, especially the movements of the three major families."

Upon hearing this, the middle-aged cultivator gave Qu Ye a meaningful look.

"It seems you are a smart fellow Daoist. This range is not small, five spirit stones."

Qu Ye didn't haggle; with a flick of his sleeve, five spirit stones landed on the table.

The middle-aged man put away the spirit stones before slowly speaking.

"To put it simply, the Hou family has recently reduced its training of spirit beasts, and many of the managers who were working outside have been recalled. The Sun family disciples are appearing in the market much more frequently, and some disciples are even secretly hoarding recovery pills."

"In secret, the number of rogue cultivators from outside the area has increased, the Yang family's enforcement team is short-handed, and the other two families are turning a blind eye, so robbery and murder incidents have also begun to increase. If you want to leave the market, please be careful."

Qu Ye listened, seemingly lost in thought.

Even the black market could clearly sense the changes between the Sun and Hou families, and these two families were probably very familiar with each other's thoughts.

We're basically in an open-ended situation now; it's a matter of who has the better strategy.

Then, Qu Ye spoke again: "I understand the general situation. Has there been any trouble on the way to other surrounding markets recently?"

The middle-aged cultivator smiled but didn't ask any further questions: "There are certainly some troubles, but they are limited to a short distance around Yumen Market."

Qu Ye nodded and asked the last question.

"Is there any way to get to Yunyang Market?"

There was no other way; in the past two years, Qu Ye had also inquired about the specific situation of many markets and towns in Yun Kingdom.

It was discovered that only the markets under the jurisdiction of the four major immortal sects are adjacent to the Hengduan Mountains, and are extremely rich in demon beast resources.

Other markets, even those slightly better than Yumen Market, were only marginally better.

Yunyang Market is the closest market to Qu Ye among all the markets in the Immortal Gate.

The middle-aged cultivator was taken aback, then nodded: "Fellow Daoist, Yunyang Market is extremely far from here. If you had come to ask three months ago, I could only apologize."

"But now, there is indeed a way to Yunyang Market."

At this point, the middle-aged cultivator paused, then held up one finger.

"Ten spirit stones."

There's news!

Qu Ye's eyes lit up, but he still calmly asked, "Is this route safe?"

The middle-aged cultivator shook his head: "Fellow Daoist, I'm just an information broker. I only know that this path is indeed feasible. As for the dangers involved, that's not something I should be concerned with."

"How about it, fellow Daoist? Would you like to listen?"

Qu Ye thought about it and decided that, no matter what, having something was better than having nothing. Even if he couldn't use it, it could still serve as a reference.

"OK."

He then took out ten spirit stones and handed them to the middle-aged cultivator.

The middle-aged cultivator accepted the spirit stones but did not speak. Instead, he took out paper and pen and silently wrote something on them.

A moment later, he finished writing down the intelligence and handed it to Qu Ye.

"Fellow Daoist, please destroy this after reading."

Qu Ye took the bamboo paper, the ink still wet, activated his spiritual eye technique, and began to examine it carefully.

The middle-aged cultivator was about to bend down to pick up the lantern when he saw a glint of inspiration flash in Qu Ye's eyes. He then sat up straight as if nothing had happened and waited.

After several dozen breaths, Qu Ye finished reading the bamboo paper, memorized its contents, and then burned the bamboo paper clean with a spiritual flame in his hand.

"How is it, fellow Daoist?"

"Are you sure it's three months from now?"

The middle-aged cultivator nodded: "Fellow Daoist, rest assured, this information was obtained by my distant cousin. He is a good friend of Wanyan Liang of Wuliu Market, so he knows a little about the other party's plans."

"It is said that Wanyan Liang has luckily broken through to the late stage of Qi Refining. He somehow learned the route and wanted to go to Yunyang Market to seek the opportunity of Foundation Establishment, but he lacked spirit stones, so he recruited many teammates to go together."

"We still have plenty of time. Would you like a map showing the route to Wuliufang Market, fellow Daoist?"

Qu Ye stood up and waved his hand, "No need."

"Alright, welcome to visit again next time, fellow Daoist."

The middle-aged cultivator was not disappointed despite his failed sales pitch, and bowed to Qu Ye.

Qu Ye left the shop and did not linger in the black market. He walked out of the underground cave and came to the surface.

His face changed for a moment, then returned to its original appearance.

Then, he turned into several alleys and came to a familiar street.

This was Qu Ye's previous residence in the market.

He walked into the familiar courtyard and sat down cross-legged in the meditation room.

"Three months is enough."

"After I pay the last spirit tax in a couple of days, I'll pack my things and leave Yumen Market. Maybe I'll even have some time to visit Uncle Wang and the others."

It wasn't that Qu Ye didn't want to leave early.

Firstly, the spirit contract contains Qu Ye's aura. If Qu Ye were to leave without saying goodbye and take the Queen Bee with him, the Hou family would be able to track him down based on the aura.

Even if Qu Ye had rendered meritorious service, the Hou family had already rewarded him, so the two sides owed each other nothing and naturally wouldn't be lenient.

Secondly, if Qu Ye leaves the Spirit Horse Farm, it will be difficult for him to find a stable first-tier mid-grade spiritual vein to cultivate in.

Even if you find one, the rental fee will be a huge expense.

After thinking it over, Qu Ye took out the Four Directions Wandering Cloud Boots from his storage bag.

This top-grade magic boot was what Qu Ye used to make up for his last weakness.

It is inscribed with three restrictions: "Light Body", "Wandering Clouds", and "Spirit Fusion".

"Lightness of Body" is a spell similar to the Lightness of Body Technique, which makes the cultivator's body light.

"Wandering Clouds" is the core restriction of these boots. By infusing spiritual power into the boots, it can be activated at any time.

Once activated, a small amount of mist will appear on the soles of the boots, which can continuously increase the cultivator's movement speed and allow the cultivator to move around in a small area, making them quite graceful.

But what Qu Ye valued most was actually the "Spirit Fusion" restriction.

This restriction was originally of average function, merely making it easier for cultivators to transmit their magical power and enhancing the compatibility between the magic boots and the cultivators.

However, for Qu Ye, who was at the fifth level of Qi Refining and wanted to begin refining a high-grade magic weapon, this restriction came at just the right time.

Without the "Spirit Fusion" restriction, it would take him at least ten days to perform the initial refinement and unleash some of its power.

Now...

Qu Ye's magical power emerged and surged continuously towards the magic boots in his hands.

After a while, he sensed the progress of the refining process.

"At this rate, it should be roughly completed within two days."

"However, if you want to unleash its full power, you will have to refine it again after reaching the seventh level of Qi Refining."

After thinking it over, Qu Ye cleared his mind and closed his eyes.

……

Two days passed in the blink of an eye.

Inside the cultivation room, Qu Ye opened his eyes, and specks of spiritual light appeared on his Four Directions Wandering Cloud Boots.

Become!

He picked up the boots and compared them to his feet, finding them slightly too big, but it wasn't a big problem.

Afterwards, he changed into the Four Directions Cloud Boots and took a few steps in the cultivation room.

At that moment, he felt the Four Directions Cloud Boots change, automatically adjusting to a suitable size that fit him perfectly.

"That's convenient."

Qu Ye nodded in satisfaction, thought for a moment, and then used his magic to change the appearance of the Four Directions Wandering Cloud Boots, making them look ordinary.

He then used a dust-removing spell to clear away any remaining traces of his aura and walked straight out of the courtyard.