A Mortal's Journey to Immortality

Upon hearing this, the beautiful woman in the white dress lowered her slender waist slightly, her expression returning to its initial elegance. She quickly raised her hand and led him into a side hall at the back of the main hall.

Zhou Ping smiled slightly, thinking to himself that he had indeed come to the right place.

Inside the side hall, the decor remained antique, though it was not as spacious and bright as the front hall. Only an old man lay on his side beside a desk, seemingly resting with his eyes closed.

"Elder Ge? A distinguished guest wishes to sell his medicinal herbs. We would appreciate your expertise."

After the beautiful woman in the white dress entered, she called out softly from inside the room, then stood respectfully to the side, not daring to make another sound to disturb them.

"Um....?"

The elderly man, addressed as Elder Ge, first twisted his somewhat stiff neck before squinting at Zhou Ping and the other man who had entered.

"Please sit down, young friend. I'm getting old and my energy isn't what it used to be. I apologize for making you laugh, my esteemed guest. Huan'er, please serve some tea."

Seeing the old man straighten his clothes slightly and gesture for him to sit down, Zhou Ping returned the gesture with a bow and slowly sat down.

Seeing that the old man from the Hall of Longevity had no spiritual energy fluctuations, he secretly used his Heavenly Eye Technique to confirm that he was just an ordinary mortal old man, which surprised him.

The white-clad woman's previous respect for the old man was entirely genuine, which undoubtedly piqued her interest in him.

For an ordinary mortal to possess such prestige within the diverse and often chaotic cultivation community of the inner city is no small feat.

"May I ask your name, young friend?"

While the beautiful woman in the white dress was making tea, Old Ge turned to Zhou Ping and asked him a question.

"My surname is Duan. I'd like to greet you, sir."

Zhou Pingmin, without batting an eye, once again blocked his friend's name. In any case, this appearance was similar to Duan Yu's, so it didn't disgrace his handsome appearance.

Since he was wearing this mask, he didn't intend to show his true identity. Although no one here knew him, it was better to keep it separate from his real face for the sake of convenience in the future.

"So it's young friend Duan. May I ask what kind of spiritual herbs you intend to sell? As the chief appraiser of the Longevity Hall, I guarantee that your precious spiritual treasures will not be wasted."

Old Ge smiled and stroked his beard, confidently and calmly assuring everyone.

"Please take a look, Mr. Ge."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Ping didn't hesitate. He took a jade box out of his storage bag, placed it on the table, and gently pushed it over. However, he carefully hid his withered hand in his sleeve to avoid letting the other party notice anything amiss.

Upon seeing this, Elder Ge did not say much, but narrowed his eyes and carefully opened the jade box in front of him.

"This is... a hundred-year-old Red Poria cocos? Judging from its color, it's probably close to two hundred years old, and judging from its appearance, it was probably only recently unearthed. In terms of both medicinal properties and its completeness, it can be considered a top-quality product among its kind!"

Zhou Ping sat calmly to the side, watching the other person observe the spiritual herb he had accelerated from different angles, and felt reassured.

This Red Spirit Grass was a spiritual herb that he had been working hard to mature over the past twenty days. He had watered it three times with the strange mist water he obtained from Agarwood, and after it matured to the age of 180, he brought it out. Therefore, he greatly admired the old man's judgment.

With just his eyes, he could estimate the age of a medicinal herb with remarkable accuracy. It was truly well-deserved that this person held such prestige in the Hall of Longevity.

"As expected of Mr. Ge, you have a keen eye. This Red Poria cocos was indeed recently acquired by Mr. Duan by chance, and he brought it over in a hurry to prevent the loss of its medicinal properties."

Zhou Ping expressed his admiration for her appraisal skills at the opportune moment, saying with slight reverence.

"Young friend Duan, you are truly blessed! How about this, my Changsheng Hall has always been open to all, honest and fair, young and old alike. I will make my offer..."

Two hours later, Zhou Ping walked out of the Wanbao Pavilion on the other side without any expression. After touching the storage bag in his clothes, he walked towards the direction of the Spirit Mountain Realm with a slight sense of relief.

It turned out that after Changshengtang offered a relatively reasonable price for the red lingcao, Zhou Ping did not hesitate for long and immediately agreed to the transaction.

Since this was not his purpose for the trip, he hurriedly bid farewell to the old man surnamed Ge, then turned around and went into the Wanbao Pavilion next door. With the spirit stones he had just acquired, he bought three low-grade magic artifacts. Only then did he leave the place satisfied.

Although it was only a low-grade magic weapon, Zhou Ping was already extremely excited at this moment.

Having learned his lesson from the Three Flowers Gang, Zhou Ping realized his shortcomings. Cultivators cannot devote all their energy to cultivation; they must also possess sufficient combat power to protect themselves.

Otherwise, like before, when faced with the ribbon attacks of women in palace attire, he couldn't even produce a suitable magical weapon, making him like a lamb to the slaughter in front of cultivators of the same level.

What use is a cultivator with high cultivation if they can't even protect their own life?

Therefore, Zhou Ping made plans as soon as he arrived in Jiyun City. Improving one's cultivation level is a long-term process that requires a gradual approach. The most urgent task is to acquire a few handy magical artifacts to protect oneself.

This is also why he didn't go to the sect's headquarters immediately after arriving in Jiyun City. He was afraid that once he arrived in the Spirit Mountain Realm, he would be too busy with missions, and with powerful sect leaders stationed there, he wouldn't be able to easily use the ripening power of the agarwood.

After all, the mysterious agarwood was too extraordinary, and it was the most secretive thing on his body. He would never dare to use it lightly unless in an absolutely safe environment.

If this item were exposed in the cultivation world, not to mention whether he could save his life, even some powerful immortals would beat his brains to a pulp in the struggle for it.

......

Although the Spirit Mountain Realm is located in the center of Jiyun City, it is a transcendent realm. Only the disciples of various sects reside here, and outsiders are not allowed to enter. It is like a miniature version of the mountain gate of these sects, and thus, it has become a sacred place in the hearts of the rogue cultivators of Jiyun City.

It should be noted that high-level cultivators from various sects frequently come and go from this place. Being able to come into such close contact with these powerful sects is something that would be unthinkable elsewhere.

Therefore, on the outskirts of the Spirit Mountain Realm, young talents among the rogue cultivators often gather, hoping to gain the attention of high-level cultivators.

If the heavens are kind and the ancestral graves emit auspicious smoke, one might be noticed by some senior masters and transform from an ugly chicken into a phoenix, becoming a formal disciple of the Five Great Mystic Sects!

This isn't just wishful thinking on their part; there are real-life examples to support it.

It is said that decades ago, there was a lucky rogue cultivator who possessed both earth and wood spiritual roots and was at the third level of the Qi Refining stage. He was discovered by a Core Formation stage elder of the Huangting Xuanzong sect who was passing by and was directly accepted as a disciple by him. Thus, he successfully entered the ranks of the five major Xuanzong sects, which became a popular story and the envy of others.

When the Qinglian Xuanzong heard about this, they learned that they had missed a promising cultivator with dual earth and wood spiritual roots. They even sent people to inspect the area. This undoubtedly made the rogue cultivators in the city ecstatic, and almost all of them flocked there to seek their immortal destiny.

However, reality was cruel; not a single person was chosen by the Qinglian Xuanzong sect and they all returned disappointed.

However, this did not affect the aspirations of the independent cultivators. From then on, circles of independent cultivators would gather on the outskirts of the Spirit Mountain Realm from time to time, engaging in battles and discussions on the Dao, like peacocks displaying their plumage, hoping to gain the attention of the Spirit Mountain Realm.

Over time, this place gradually evolved into an important venue for cultivators in Jiyun City to exchange ideas and discuss the Dao, attracting many cultivators to come and observe almost every day.