At the age of one hundred, I inquired about the Dao, awakening the supreme spiritual root that shatt

Ling Xiu walked along the mountain path for about half an hour before the scattered houses and buildings finally came into view.

This is the closest small market town to the Qingyun Sect.

Although the market was not large, it was bustling with people and very lively.

Shops line both sides of the street, displaying a wide variety of goods.

Elixirs, talismans, spirit stones, and all sorts of cultivation materials were readily available, dazzling Ling Xiu.

He mingled among the passing cultivators, seemingly strolling around casually, but in reality, he subtly observed the various gossips of passersby.

Not long after, he spotted a medium-sized shop and stepped inside.

The shopkeeper was a fat, middle-aged man with a large belly and a thick waist.

His cultivation level was at least at the mid-stage of Qi Refining. Upon seeing Ling Xiu enter the shop, he immediately greeted him with a beaming smile and asked.

"Sir, what is it that catches your eye in our shop? Let me introduce it to you in detail, haha... We guarantee that all our goods are genuine and reasonably priced."

"Hello, boss. I'd like to exchange some spirit stones."

Ling Xiu deliberately acted as if he were an old man, and spoke in a hoarse voice.

After saying that, he took out three mid-grade spirit stones from his pocket and gently placed them on the counter.

The fat shopkeeper glanced at the scene and his eyes widened suddenly.

"This is... a mid-grade spirit stone?"

He never expected that this seemingly ordinary old man would actually possess a mid-grade spirit stone, and he quickly picked it up to examine it repeatedly.

After inspecting the stones, he smiled and said, "That's right, they are indeed pure mid-grade spirit stones. Old man, according to our shop's exchange rate, one mid-grade spirit stone can be exchanged for one hundred and two low-grade spirit stones, so three would be three hundred and six. Do you think this price is acceptable?"

Ling Xiu shook his head slightly: "The boss is quite good at business. The market rate is 105 coins for one coin. You've shortchanged him by three coins for one coin, which makes a total of nine coins short."

As soon as he finished speaking, Ling Xiu raised his hand to retrieve the spirit stones and made a gesture as if to turn around and leave.

The portly shopkeeper quickly smiled and tried to persuade him to stay: "Old man, please wait a moment. Buying and selling is all about bargaining. It's no trouble at all!"

"We'll exchange them for 105 coins each, as you said. Is that alright now?"

After saying that, he immediately counted out 315 low-grade spirit stones from the counter and handed them to Ling Xiu.

Seeing this, Ling Xiu nodded in satisfaction.

He dared to directly exchange mid-grade spirit stones, so he must have known what he was doing.

Many outer disciples of the Qingyun Sect occasionally possess one or two mid-grade spirit stones, which are commonly used by inner disciples.

Even though Ling Xiu is old and his cultivation level is only at the first level of Qi Refining, making him at most an outer disciple, it is not unusual for him to have a mid-grade spirit stone on him.

Being able to take out three mid-grade spirit stones at once was already a considerable sum of money, and the shopkeeper's attitude towards Ling Xiu became even more respectful.

"Sir, besides exchanging spirit stones, do you need anything else?"

Ling Xiu looked at the counter and shelves, which were filled with pills and various magical artifacts; the goods were quite complete.

"Shopkeeper, I'd like to buy some pills to aid in cultivation."

Although he was employed by the Waste Treasure Pavilion, the source of pills he obtained by searching through piles of discarded pills was ultimately limited. Sometimes, he would not be able to find a single discarded pill that still retained its spiritual energy for several days in a row.

Whenever cultivation reaches a critical juncture, the lack of timely replenishment of spiritual energy with elixirs makes the cultivation process exceptionally arduous.

Therefore, he planned to purchase a batch of pills for unforeseen circumstances.

"Haha, old man, you've really come to the right place. Our shop has the most complete selection of goods in the entire market."

Especially the various elixirs, which are of superior quality, are mostly made by disciples of the Alchemy Pavilion, and some are even personally refined by sect elders.

After saying that, he pointed to the vendors setting up stalls along the road outside the shop.

"Counterfeit goods are rampant at those street stalls outside, so the elderly person's choice of our store shows truly discerning taste."

While enthusiastically promoting his products, the shopkeeper took out six or seven kinds of elixirs from the counter and placed them all in front of Ling Xiu.

"This is the Spirit Soul Pill, which is very beneficial to nourishing the soul after being refined; this is the Bone Cleansing Pill, which can temper the muscles and bones."

There are also Rejuvenation Pills, Golden Rejuvenation Pills, Soul-Summoning Pills... These are all low-grade spiritual pills, with transparent prices, ranging from two to three low-grade spirit stones.

The fat shopkeeper, spitting as he spoke, touted these low-grade elixirs as incredibly miraculous.

Ling Xiu chuckled lightly, understanding in his heart that low-grade spiritual pills were indeed readily available on the market.

"Shopkeeper, do you have any top-grade spirit pills in your shop?"

The shopkeeper was slightly taken aback upon hearing this, and then shook his head repeatedly.

"Top-grade spirit pills? Those are treasures with four pill patterns. Old man, our little shop doesn't have such things. Not to mention us, even a big sect like Qingyun Sect has very few cultivators who can refine top-grade spirit pills."

Ling Xiu nodded slightly, it seemed that top-grade spiritual pills were extremely rare on the market.

It should be known that a top-grade elixir costs as much as seventeen or eighteen low-grade spirit stones, which is expensive and ordinary cultivators simply cannot afford.

Moreover, top-grade elixirs are pure and flawless in their medicinal power, making them the finest elixirs for cultivators. They contain no trace of poison and have an excellent effect on enhancing cultivation.

"I rarely handle elixirs, thank you for informing me, shopkeeper. Here, please give me some of each of these low-grade elixirs."

Ling Xiu stopped asking questions. Right now, the most practical thing to do was to use the spirit stones he had to stockpile more pills.

"Alright, I'll pack it up for you right away. Don't worry, old man, these pills have very few impurities. I guarantee you'll come back next time."

The shopkeeper, beaming with smiles, deftly began packing the pills.

"Shopkeeper, to be honest, my grandson has just joined the Qingyun Sect, and I am completely unfamiliar with the sect's rules and personnel."

"I wonder how much you know about the Qingyun Sect? Could you tell me a little about it? I'd like to remind my grandson to be careful with his words and actions, and not to offend any disciples of high status."

The shopkeeper chuckled and replied, "That's easy. I know the Qingyun Sect inside and out. You've come to the right person. Disciples from the sect often come to my shop to buy and sell things."

Then, the shopkeeper told him a lot of information about the disciples of the sect, including their identities, backgrounds, and the elders of their sects they relied on, etc.

"Grandpa, I can only give you a brief overview; you probably won't remember too much if I say too much."

Actually... I also have a list of biographical information about the disciples of the Qingyun Sect. If you're interested, you can take it home and look through it at your leisure.

"Not only the Qingyun Sect, but I also have information on the other major immortal sects in the Eastern Spirit Region, which records detailed information on the extraordinary talents and geniuses in each sect..."

As he spoke, the shopkeeper took out a thick book from a locked compartment under the counter. The cover of the book had the words "Encyclopedia of the Characters and Figures of Dongling Immortals" written on it.

"This book will definitely suit your taste. It contains detailed records, including cultivation secrets, identities, origins, family backgrounds, and much more from cultivators from all walks of life."

What Ling Xiu wanted most at this moment was to figure out the personnel of the Qingyun Sect and to figure out which disciples in the sect should never be provoked.

"Old man, if you wish, you can take it for ten low-grade spirit stones. I searched far and wide for this information and compiled it, which took a lot of time and effort."

Ling Xiu shook his head: "Ten spirit stones is too expensive. How about six spirit stones?"

"make a deal!"

The two quickly agreed on a price.

Ling Xiu casually flipped through the pages and glanced at the book. The records were detailed and comprehensive, and he nodded in satisfaction.

"The content is excellent; I'll take it home for my grandson to study carefully. Thank you, shopkeeper!"