Chapter 5: The Arrival Is Not Friendly

"Borrow Spirit Stones?"

Luo Yao nodded hesitantly, though they were close, borrowing money was still borrowing money.

Like in her past life, a close friend suddenly asked to borrow money—and it was all she had.

That one Spirit Stone was, indeed, all Fang Qingyan possessed.

"Sure!"

Yet Fang Qingyan didn't hesitate—she nodded cheerfully, "Take it. I don't need Spirit Stones anyway."

"Sure!"

"I really mean no harm!"

Yet despite Luo Yao not hiding her strength, someone still struck.

For centuries, neither side could win, so eventually the two sects compromised and jointly controlled the Market.

Thus came the name "Ziguang Market."

Luo Yao returned to her Cave Abode with quiet anticipation, excitedly pulling out the Seven-Colored Dice.

"Sell things? Don't you sell things at the Market? Who sells things by intercepting people on the road? I think you're trying to force a sale!"

"Forget it. One shouldn't be too greedy."

"Huh, wait?"

Although Ziguang Sect's higher-ups never admitted it, their disciples definitely attacked Xuanyuan Sect disciples on sight.

One Spirit Stone was indeed precious—but only to low-level disciples like them. In the Immortal Cultivation World, to the big shots, even if several Spirit Stones lay on the ground, they wouldn't bother to pick them up.

Boom!

The Fireball slammed into the ground, but he dodged it effortlessly.

In truth, this Market originally had no name.

Seeing Luo Yao stop attacking, the man wiped the sweat from his brow.

He was merely a Qi Refining Fourth Layer cultivator.

Although fighting was forbidden inside the Market, nothing prohibited it outside.

"I just want to sell things!"

The Outer Sect disciples combined probably didn't have as many Spirit Stones as she did alone!

Since her future was limitless, she must help Yan Jie break free from her constraints and stand beside her at the peak of the Immortal Cultivation World.

So Luo Yao didn't hesitate—she struck first, seizing the initiative.

Twenty-seven in total, meaning it wasn't just doubled—it was raised to a power.

"Puff!"

Moreover, she had no good Breath Concealment Art; even slightly higher cultivation could easily see through her disguise—what difference did hiding make?

But Xuanyuan Sect wasn't foolish—they wouldn't let Ziguang Sect control the Market, so the two sects clashed in a great war over control.

Walking down the road, Luo Yao didn't conceal her strength, openly displaying her Qi Refining Stage 5 cultivation.

The man's face lit up; he hurried over, ready to show Luo Yao his wares—but as he bowed his head, a flash of cold light flickered in his eyes.

Not only did disciples from both sects frequently come, but passing Immortal Cultivators also stopped here. Over time, the Market gradually expanded into today's Zixuan Market.

Thinking of this, she immediately packed her things and prepared to descend the mountain.

With Market information in mind, Luo Yao made a simple disguise, changed out of her sect's distinctive robes, and headed toward the Market.

Yet the man seemed startled—he quickly dodged and cried out urgently.

Though Luo Yao still had doubts, she chose to stop attacking; her offensive techniques were too few, and the man clearly wasn't just Qi Refining Fourth Layer—he'd dodged her attacks with ease.

"I have Pills, Talisman Paper, even Monster Beast Eggs… Brother/Sister, want to take a look?"

Luo Yao nodded, clearly believing he was selling things.

"Really?"

"3"

But Luo Yao didn't lower her guard; a Qi Refining Fourth Layer cultivator daring to block her, a Qi Refining Stage 5, wasn't just bold or confident—he must have allies.

Even their previous covert friction had evolved into open conflict.

Thus, they took control of the Market.

Looking at the pile of Spirit Stones, Luo Yao opened her mouth wide, suppressing her excitement as she counted them.

To avoid crossing the line and being killed by the other side, disciples from both sects chose to trade at the border—and over time, this became the Market.

After all, Qi Refining Stage 5 was still lowly in the Immortal Cultivation World.

"I'm rich!"

The kind of hidden-strength, pretending-to-be-weak tropes from her past-life novels? Total overthinking.

Also, the Market's Pills were varied, cheap, and effective.

"Wait, Brother/Sister, hold your hand—I mean no harm!"

Ziguang Sect's higher-ups also saw the business opportunity.

A plain, ordinary number—Luo Yao felt disappointed. If only it had been 7, then she'd have gotten seven Spirit Stones.

"Yan Jie, I'll borrow it for a few days—I'll pay you back double."

Kill a Ziguang Sect disciple, take their Token, and exchange it with an Elder for Spirit Stones.

"1, 2, 3, 4, 5..."

Now at Qi Refining Stage 5, she had at least some means of self-defense.

The man dodged while quickly explaining to Luo Yao.

The path of cultivation is long and endless—having someone to fight beside you keeps loneliness at bay.

Moreover, with Spirit Stones, she no longer needed to risk her life doing missions to earn points—she could just go to the Market and buy Pills directly.

With her previous cultivation at the first layer of Qi Refining, she wouldn't have dared come to the Market at all; doing so would have been delivering her head to someone else.

Whoosh!

A figure suddenly appeared ahead, blocking her path.

This was also why, even when she had the chance to obtain Spirit Herbs before, she had no way to exchange them for Spirit Stones.

The two chatted for a while longer, and Fang Qingyan stopped disturbing Luo Yao.

She rubbed her hands together and nervously used her willpower to activate the Seven-Colored Dice.

"25, 26, 27."

Even within the Ziguang Sect, rumors circulated that killing a disciple of the Xuanyuan Sect would earn you a Spirit Stone as reward.

Bad people never admit they're bad people!

Therefore, within the Xuanyuan Sect's Inner Sect, such rumors also circulated.

Three is three.

"Then why are you blocking my way!"

How did it become this many?

"What doubling are you talking about." Fang Qingyan shook her head. "What relationship do we have? If you want it, just take it. I can't use it anyway, and you don't need to return it. As long as it can help you, that's enough."

It seemed the two factions had reached a compromise, but as more and more cultivators gathered at the Market, its profits grew higher and higher, and naturally neither faction was willing to let their share be carved away.

The Seven-Colored Dice spun rapidly above the Spirit Stones, then came to a stop, revealing the numbers on top.

Her original talent could no longer bind her—her future was promising, and Foundation Establishment Stage, Golden Core Stage were no longer dreams.

Luo Yao took the Spirit Stones with a touch of emotion, silently vowing to repay her. Before, she could only think about it, but now she had the Golden Finger.

Shaking her head, Luo Yao watched the Seven-Colored Dice return to her dantian, and a Spirit Stone on the table, under a flash of white light, turned into...

Luo Yao was stunned—wasn't it 3?

"Hmph!"

Zixuan Market, a cultivator's market located between the territories of the Ziguang Sect and the Xuanyuan Sect, gathered a large number of cultivators.

She had 27 Spirit Stones here—didn't that mean she could buy nearly three thousand sheets of Talisman Paper? When the time came, she could blast Zhao Lili to death with Talisman Paper alone?

Luo Yao couldn't help jumping up from the ground in excitement.

Although Fang Qingyan wasn't a big-shot cultivator, for her, friendship and loyalty were priceless.

With so many Spirit Stones, couldn't she buy whatever she wanted?

It was said that one Spirit Stone could buy at least a hundred sheets of Fireball Technique Talisman Paper.

So, although the two factions appeared very harmonious, frictions in the shadows were not few.

"No, really not—setting up a stall at the Market costs money, so I had no choice but to resort to this!"

27 Spirit Stones!

Her cultivation wasn't very high to begin with; if she hid it any further, it would be gone.

The long sword pierced through the chest, went straight through the back, and fresh blood kept gushing from the wound. The injured person's face was full of disbelief, eyes wide as they stared at the other.

"Why?"

(End of this chapter)