Junior sister, I really need to control you.

The market at Baoguang Temple.

Mu Xiaoyu followed closely behind Li Yinsheng, glancing left and right.

The surrounding shops looked much like an ordinary market at first glance, and with the vendors around, it looked just like the temple fairs she had visited before, only temple fairs were much more lively.

Although it wasn't exactly deserted, there weren't many people coming and going. Most of them were wearing Taoist robes, but the colors and styles of the robes varied greatly.

"The Taoist temples under the Zhengyang lineage are all highly independent. Any one of them could stand out as a small sect in the cultivation world if placed outside."

Li Yinsheng, who was walking ahead, seemed to notice her confusion and took the initiative to explain.

"Therefore, each Taoist temple has its own rituals, precepts, and traditions, which naturally include clothing."

Mu Xiaoyu glanced down at her simple gray-white Taoist robe and nodded knowingly: "So, the style of our Xuanzhen Temple is to keep a low profile, right?"

After a moment of silence, Li Yinsheng nodded: "That's right."

……

After walking for a short while, Li Yinsheng stopped in front of a shop with a black plaque decorated with flame and cloud patterns.

The plaque reads "Zhu Furnace View". The plaque itself is as black as a piece of charcoal, but the flame cloud patterns around it have faint flame light flowing through them.

"As expected of a Taoist temple renowned for its weapon-forging techniques, even its signboard is a magical artifact."

Li Yinsheng touched the storage pouch at his waist—his Frost Leaf Sword might not even be as good as the plaque in front of him.

A female cultivator in a Taoist robe with the exact same color scheme as the signboard came out of the shop. She cupped her hands to Li Yinsheng and said in a nonchalant tone, "Fellow Daoist, are you interested in the magical artifacts of my Casting Furnace Temple? Why don't you come in, have a cup of tea, and we can discuss it in detail?"

The other party's attitude wasn't exactly rude, but it wasn't warm or welcoming either.

Li Yinsheng wasn't surprised.

When it comes to refining artifacts, the Casting Furnace Temple consistently ranks first among all Taoist temples, and its prices are always fair. Its products never have trouble selling, so it doesn't really need to pander to customers.

It's like in his past life: if a computer mall could sell genuine, brand-new graphics cards of all models at 60-70% of the official suggested retail price, then even if the owner liked to swear at customers, it wouldn't affect business much.

Guided by his junior sister, Li Yinsheng entered the shop and took a seat.

The shop was quite spacious, and the cabinets were filled with a dazzling array of Buddhist artifacts.

However, upon closer inspection, he found that most of them were low-grade magic weapons, with only two or three tenths being low-grade magic weapons, and most of these low-grade magic weapons were inferior to his Frost Leaf Sword.

Although low-grade magic artifacts don't sound good, it's already quite remarkable that they've reached a certain grade.

As far as Li Yinsheng knew, those who could afford high-grade magic artifacts were all top-notch cultivators, such as the abbots, deputy abbots, or stewards of various Taoist temples. Moreover, they would not sell them in such shops; they would have to go to the Casting Furnace Temple to have them custom-made by a weapon refiner.

Mid-grade ritual implements are generally used by senior disciples in Taoist temples or by stewards who do not have high requirements for ritual implements.

For example, the Zhang surname cultivator who came to pull him into the sea a few days ago, if he can afford the Fuyou Talisman, he probably already has a mid-grade magic weapon.

Li Yinsheng estimated that the shop probably sells mid-grade magic artifacts, but it wouldn't easily reveal them to people who don't intend to buy them. Even if a customer explicitly says they want to buy, they would probably need to demonstrate their financial resources or strength first.

The low-grade magic sword in his hand, though it might not sound impressive, was already considered quite good among his peers.

Many independent cultivators spend their entire lives using substandard magical artifacts, with even a low-grade artifact being a luxury.

The female cultivator waved her hand, and a girl who looked about the same age as Junior Sister Mu came over carrying a teacup, a teapot, and a plate of bean cakes and snacks on a wooden tray. She placed them on the table and stood aside.

"My surname is Qi, and I am the manager of this shop," the female cultivator introduced herself, pushing the cup towards the shop.

"Fellow Daoist, what kind of magical artifact do you desire? Is it for combat or for self-defense? What grade do you require?"

She maintained her polite but indifferent attitude, completely ignoring Li Yinsheng's unusual appearance wearing a straw hat.

"No, neither," Li Yinsheng shook his head and pointed to Mu Xiaoyu. "I came here to buy this magical artifact to aid my junior sister who has just begun her cultivation."

Mu Xiaoyu was holding a cup of tea in both hands, chewing on a large piece of bean cake, her cheeks puffed out.

"A magical artifact to aid new disciples in their cultivation?" The female cultivator's calm expression finally changed. "Fellow Daoist, are you looking to purchase the 'Qin Refining Lock'?"

"Not bad." Li Yinsheng nodded.

The female shopkeeper's eyes, which had remained relatively calm, suddenly brightened. She looked at the maid beside her and lightly scolded:

"Xiaomei! How dare you serve such ordinary tea to our distinguished guests? Quickly, replace it with this year's newly picked Baihao tea, and change the tea snacks too. What about the pear cake I asked you to buy last time?"

The maid paused for a moment, then bowed and went to get more tea.

Li Yinsheng was also stunned for a moment, not understanding why the other party's attitude had changed so drastically.

But he immediately realized that although the Tempering Yuan Lock was not expensive in his opinion, it was only useful for new disciples to temper their physique.

First of all, not all cultivation methods require tempering the body and refining the vital energy first. Only high-level cultivation methods like the Qingxuan True Scripture place special emphasis on the foundation, while ordinary cultivation methods generally start directly from condensing magical power.

Secondly, the process of strengthening the body and refining vital energy usually takes at most four or five years.

Spending a thousand coins just to save a little more time in these short four or five years is definitely not worth it.

Use this money to buy a Qiankun bag; it can last for decades.

Alternatively, you can buy a low-grade ritual implement; if properly maintained, it can last a lifetime and even be passed down to future generations.

It's not worth using that money to buy a Quenching Yuan Lock, no matter how you look at it.

Just as someone might spend thousands of dollars to buy themselves a decent formal suit for a formal occasion that they can use for many years, someone else might spend thousands of dollars to buy their growing child a designer outfit that they won't be able to wear next year. The two are completely different things.

Unless, in the eyes of the buyer, a thousand coins is just a small amount of money that can be easily spent.

"So... she sees me as a potential major client in the future?" Li Yinsheng realized.

He didn't point this out, but instead went along with the increasingly enthusiastic female shopkeeper and chatted with her for a few more minutes.

"Although the Tempering Yuan Lock is considered to be of good quality and low price, it is only of some use to new disciples who have just begun their cultivation in terms of strengthening their physique."

"Moreover, and most importantly, the Qi of Earth cannot be truly refined; it can only be controlled through restrictions. Over time, it will dissipate on its own and return to the world. Moreover, regardless of whether it is used or not, whether it is used diligently or lazily, it will gradually dissipate, which is why many people feel it is not worth it."

"Unless they are favored by their elders, only new disciples who have just embarked on the path of cultivation can have a Qi Tempering Lock. It's a pity that very few people are so lucky."

As she spoke, she smiled at Mu Xiaoyu and said, "This junior sister is so lucky to have such a loving senior brother."

Mu Xiaoyu still held her teacup, with two pieces of bean cake in her hand and her mouth still full, but she nodded repeatedly—although her senior brother was strict, he was indeed a very good person!

When the maid, Xiaomei, brought the fresh tea and snacks, Li Yinsheng chatted with the female manager for a few more minutes.

He originally intended to go directly, but Mu Xiaoyu seemed extremely interested in the tea and snacks, and kept eating until her cheeks were bulging like a hamster's, so he waited a little longer.

The female shopkeeper simply had Xiaomei pack two packets of tea and snacks and a small tin of tea for her, which made Mu Xiaoyu praise her repeatedly, saying, "Shopkeeper, you are beautiful and kind-hearted."

After feeding the foodies, Li Yinsheng and Mu Xiaoyu, led by the female shopkeeper, entered a room specifically for storing intangible magical artifacts.

Unlike the cabinets used to display the magical artifacts outside, this room only had a dozen or so stone platforms standing neatly, each about ten feet square, with intricate formations engraved on them.

On the stone platform, different colored orbs of light were restrained by the power of an array, their colors varied and their shapes uncertain.

"These are all intangible magical artifacts, which can only be preserved by arrays, otherwise they will easily dissipate on their own," the female cultivator shopkeeper explained, pointing to the stone platform in front of her. "What's on this is the Qi Tempering Lock."

On the stone platform were several fist-sized wisps of yellowish-brown cloud, devoid of any spiritual light and rarely changing shape.

Li Yinsheng's gaze sharpened, and he probed with his divine sense.

It is indeed composed of Earth Qi, though the quantity is small, it is still considered pure.

"Shopkeeper, may I take it out and take a look?" Li Yinsheng asked.

"Of course, please wait a moment, esteemed guest, while I use a Qi-binding talisman to retrieve it." The female shopkeeper said, and then took the item from her Qiankun bag.

"No need for trouble. Intangible things can be contained with magic."

Li Yinsheng raised his hand, and a beam of azure light shot from his palm, pulling out a wisp of earthy yellow cloud. He probed it with his divine sense and examined it closely.

Mu Xiaoyu, standing beside Li Yinsheng, also looked down carefully—although she couldn't see anything, she loved to join in the fun.

"!!!"

Although no sound was made, the female shopkeeper's pupils dilated dramatically.

It's common knowledge in the cultivation world that one can temporarily imprison an invisible magical artifact by continuously enveloping it with magical power. There's not much technical difficulty involved, only a small hurdle—

One must have a profound foundation in magical power.

As far as she knew, it would probably take around fifty years of cultivation to achieve this.

This person acts with effortless ease, and his true cultivation level is probably even higher... Many stewards in Taoist temples are probably only at this level.

The problem is, although this person's face is covered, his voice sounds very young!

The female shopkeeper guessed that unless the other party had cultivated a secret technique with excellent anti-aging effects, judging from the clear voice, the other party was at most in his early thirties, or even less than thirty.

Maybe... even younger than her!

To possess such cultivation at such a young age, is he a future pillar of some great temple, or a young disciple of a lineage?!

It must be a Taoist temple; there's no reason for a disciple of their lineage to come to a place like this...

She had thought the other party was just wealthy, but she didn't expect him to be even more accomplished!

Thinking of this, the three parts enthusiasm in her eyes immediately turned into great eagerness, and at the same time, she couldn't help but become more serious.

While it's certainly good to be enthusiastic towards the wealthy, one should be even more cautious when dealing with those of high moral character.

Li Yinsheng noticed the change in the female shopkeeper's eyes and was satisfied. He raised his hand and pushed the cloud of energy in his palm back into the formation.

He deliberately showed off a little to avoid some unnecessary trouble.

As the saying goes, "No merchant is without guile."

Although the shops at Zhulu Temple have always had a good reputation, there are still rumors of them overcharging customers, but it's just that they are better than other shops.

He had just been mistaken for a wealthy person, so by proactively displaying his cultivation level, he could minimize the risk of being taken advantage of.

While pretending to be weak to outmaneuver others may sound appealing, the real convenience lies in preventing and resolving potential conflicts before they arise.