A Mortal's Journey to Immortality: Starting as a Rogue Cultivator

Closer to home.

Back at Huadaowu, Wang Li learned his lesson and only took out one Youth Preservation Pill to auction at the auction held every few days.

This time, as expected, it was a close call.

Nearly a thousand spirit stones—while not exactly a huge catch, it's certainly a small one.

Even if only one item was auctioned, it brought him a top-tier magic weapon and a net profit of over four hundred low-grade spirit stones.

Honestly, if the Youth-Preserving Pill could be sold in two halves, he would buy it without hesitation.

Then, following his usual routine, he strolled through the various shops, found nothing of value, and, after confirming that no one was watching him, decisively bought the only intermediate-level beginner-grade attack talisman on the market to enhance himself. He also acquired some spirit herbs and seeds, before turning back and heading straight for the Spirit Beast Mountain Market.

The fourth stop is Spirit Beast Mountain.

As the second largest sect in Yue Kingdom after the Hidden Moon Sect, it should normally be quite prestigious; however, considering that it wouldn't be long before Spirit Beast Mountain would betray the other six sects and return to the embrace of the Spirit Control Sect, one of the six major sects of the demonic path, Wang Li dared not be careless in the slightest.

So he became even more low-key.

He was so low-key that he didn't even take out half a Youth Preservation Pill, but instead stingily took out a few dozen spirit stones to buy a beginner spirit beast bag, basic beast taming methods, and three pets.

The three spirit pets are the most common first-level lower-tier demonic beasts: a lark, a chameleon, and a cowardly mouse.

They are still just cubs now, and need to be trained for a month before they are ready to be used.

Furthermore, based on past experience, even adults that have been trained for one or two years can usually only reach the mid-level of the first tier, with extremely low individual growth potential, which is outrageously low.

Even so, the three beasts in their adult form are still considered divine beasts by mortals.

Because they have gained sentience and reached the intermediate level of the first stage, they are similar to mid-stage Qi Refining cultivators who have mastered one or two basic spells.

This shows what kind of status ordinary humans in the world of mortal cultivation truly occupy.

On the other hand, the Spirit Beast Mountain treats these low-level spirit beasts, whose average lifespan is only thirty or forty years, with utmost care and never treats any customer perfunctorily.

They always offer the best items to customers who have spirit stones in their pockets.

1. Lark.

By observing the situation from high altitude, feeding the lark chicks with the Spirit-Supplementing Pills, which are their favorite and help them grow longer, for a month can help them quickly develop strong wings and fly hundreds of feet into the air.

Feeding young birds with the special supplemental supplements for three months will allow them to grow into adult birds with the physique to fly higher and see farther.

It typically takes one year and three months for a baby to reach maturity.

It takes at least two years to reach adulthood and has a period of strength of about fifteen years, after which they slowly age and their physical abilities and other aspects gradually decline.

If they don't die young, they can live to around forty years old.

Wang Li bought this lark to conduct a small experiment, to see if he could use it as the eyes for his future journey through the Crimson Forbidden Land.

2. Chameleon.

The camouflage ability of chameleons in dense forests is unparalleled. Adult chameleons not only possess excellent visual deception skills, but can even deceive the spiritual senses of cultivators below the Foundation Establishment stage.

Of course, this is the best adult chameleon; most ordinary adult chameleons cannot even escape the divine sense of a Qi Refining stage cultivator.

The special feeding pills also have the effect of stimulating the body's growth and development. When a juvenile is the size of a fingernail, feeding it for a month can help it grow to the size of a thumb. Feeding it for five months can help it grow into a mature body the size of half a palm. Continuing to feed it for a year can help it grow into an adult body the size of an adult's palm.

Entering adulthood involves a robust period of about ten years.

Without a fortuitous encounter, he would not live past twenty years.

Compared to wild spirit beasts, their lifespan is much shorter!

Wang Li bought this one with the intention of using the little guy as another eye for his future Blood Forbidden Trials.

3. Bile mice.

As the name suggests, they are genuinely timid.

If it encounters something stronger than itself, it will run away without hesitation, regardless of whether the other party is herbivorous or carnivorous. If it really can't escape, it will curl up into a ball, or bury its head in the ground and stand there trembling with its rear end sticking out, to show its submission.

Aside from bullying the weak, they have absolutely no fighting ability.

The only redeeming quality is its exceptionally sensitive sense of smell, or rather, its remarkable perception.

The juvenile's perception range is about five meters. Look, no matter who gets within five meters of Wang Li, this guy will tremble violently.

Feed it a sufficient amount of its special Spirit-Feeding Pills daily: After about twenty days, it will enter its growth stage, and its perception range will increase to about fifteen meters. After three months, it will enter maturity and can sense danger within fifty meters. After nine months, it will reach adulthood and be alert to any movement within one hundred meters. Its peak strength period can last for seven or eight years. After that, it will slowly age and become a true rat spirit, but it will definitely not live past thirty years old.

Having this thing can avoid a lot of trouble.

Carrying one on your person allows you to detect hidden dangers within range and avoid being ambushed by others.

Without a doubt, there are definitely better spirit beasts in Spirit Beast Mountain.

But they won't sell it.

Or the price is outrageously high.

Normally, people would put good things into their own pockets; giving them away wouldn't be in their interest!

As for those rare items sold to the public...

Wang Li, a mere Qi Refining cultivator, didn't want to become a big fish in other people's eyes.

Chapter 19 Sweeping Through Various Markets

Wang Li had already visited the markets of Tianque Fortress, Qingxu Sect, Huadao Dock, and Spirit Beast Mountain, acquiring magical artifacts, talismans, spirit beasts, fragments of magical treasures, and seeds of spiritual herbs, and accumulating over four hundred spirit stones. Only the markets of Giant Sword Sect, Hidden Moon Sect, and Yellow Maple Valley remained.

Geographically speaking, the Giant Sword Sect, which directly faces the cultivation world of the powerful Fengdu Kingdom, has the most awkward position among the seven sects of Yue Kingdom in terms of its market. Judging from their attire, the cultivators entering the market are all family members or independent cultivators from the cultivation world of Yue Kingdom; not a single cultivator from another country has been seen.

The market town is quite large, roughly the size of a mortal town, not much smaller than Qingxu Sect, which is thousands of miles away.

However, although this place is a bit shabby, it still has quite a few treasures for those in the Qi Refining stage.

Here we are in a shop that specializes in talismans and magical artifacts.

"Hey kid, I own a shop, and you're selling things here? That's not really appropriate, is it?"

Behind the counter, a female cultivator rolled her eyes at Wang Li, who had come here in full disguise.

"Sister Liu, you can't say that. We were just bartering."

"Hmph, I'm already past my prime, what use is this youth-preserving pill to me?"

Although the shop owner, Madam Liu, said those words, Wang Li clearly saw the small gesture of her clenched fists under her sleeves.

"What do you mean, 'middle-aged woman'? Who's blind enough to talk nonsense?"

Those who are chosen as his targets must be quite attractive to even catch his eye.

"I see that you, sister, are only in your early twenties, the most beautiful time of a woman's life, with a charming and noble air. This Youth-Preserving Pill will keep you young forever, radiant and glowing. To put it another way, with just this one pill, those so-called beauties of your time and level, those so-called peerless beauties, will slowly... slowly... slowly wither and fade away with the years!"

But Sister Liu, you remain as beautiful as ever, even more mature and alluring than before. You're forever a ripe, fresh peach; any man who sees you will feel pity, love, and cherish you. See? Doesn't that easily outshine those later sluts?

If it weren't for the mask, someone wouldn't even mind flirting on the spot.

When young, one doesn't know how good an older sister is, and mistakenly treats the younger sister as a treasure.

Mr. Cao is truly a remarkable person among us.

"Sister Liu, when the time comes, watch them wither and fade, while you remain in full bloom. Savor the experience and feel the sense of accomplishment of looking down on all the female cultivators!"

He, Wang Li, only speaks the truth and only offers this kind of superficial guidance.

Sigh, I regret not learning properly from my mentor back then; I missed out on a valuable professional skill.

"So... what do you think of my looks?"

Madam Liu gently stroked her long hair.

"If you can take this youth-preserving pill, then I envy those who can marry Sister Liu. This is what I truly believe."

His eyes were full of sincerity.

"Hehehe, little guy, you've got a good business sense..."

After laughing, the woman boldly spread out the five fingers of her right hand:

"Five basic-level high-grade talismans, how's that price?"

Happy as I am, I still have to haggle over the price, but I have to say, I haggled a little too much.

"Five mid-level low-grade talismans + five beginner-level high-grade talismans + five packs of Thunderbolt Pearls + that top-grade magic artifact, Madam Liu, this is my bottom line, no bargaining!"

As luck would have it, this store had just received a new batch of goods that morning, including several intermediate-level talismans.

Therefore, Wang Li conscientiously quoted a price based on the purchasing power of one thousand spirit stones.

"Are you crazy! Five mid-level talismans and a Heavenly Silkworm Inner Armor can't be obtained without thousands of spirit stones. How dare you exchange your mere Youth Preservation Pill for so many of my precious items?"

She was just calling me Sister Liu, and now she's calling me Madam Liu.

Oh man.

Her delicate body trembled slightly, and she looked furious, which made me feel sorry for her.

Unfortunately, Wang Li wasn't buying it.

"Well...we will meet again someday, and the future is full of promise. Madam Liu, I'm sorry to have bothered you. I'll take my leave."

After bowing respectfully, he strode quickly toward the shop entrance without the slightest hesitation.

Lady Liu was not the only excellent candidate he had chosen.

The Giant Sword Gate Market has been known for its "three beauties" over the years.

One of them was this Lady Liu.

Unfortunately, she was already on the verge of becoming obsolete. It was truly remarkable that she, with her three spiritual roots, had managed to reach the twelfth level of Qi Refining in her thirties. However, among the three women, she was the oldest and had the lowest cultivation level—that was an undeniable fact. Furthermore, in two more years, her beauty would fade, and the once stunning beauty would begin her decline into old age.

Secondly, there was a beautiful alchemist from the neighboring medicine shop.

She should be described as the shop owner's daughter.

Not only is he good-looking, but the excellent pills he refines are also highly sought after by the disciples of the Giant Sword Sect. He looks to be eighteen or nineteen years old, but his cultivation level has already reached the twelfth level of Qi Refining. It seems that in less than two years, he will be able to obtain the Foundation Establishment Pill bestowed by the sect and attempt to establish his foundation.

Once the mission is accomplished, Madam Liu will face an unprecedented embarrassment.

Because the third of the three beauties had successfully established her foundation a year ago.

As a top female auctioneer at the Fangshi Auction House, this woman has the powerful backing of the Giant Sword Sect. It is said that a direct descendant of a Core Formation elder in the sect has already made a move on her, so this marriage seems inevitable.

They are all Foundation Establishment cultivators, possessing not only longer lifespans but also more enduring and beautiful appearances, with everything flourishing. And what about Madam Liu?