NOVEL NEXT Chapter 5: Chapter 5: Marketplace (Please Collect)_1
```
The Green Bamboo Mountain Market was named after the "Green Bamboo," and most of its buildings were tall structures made from spiritual bamboo materials.
Even though it was called a market, there were in fact only dozens of real buildings, barely forming a street, which, together with the mobile stalls wedged along the sidewalks and in the square, constituted the most bustling marketplace for Immortal Cultivators within hundreds of miles.
When Fang Xi arrived at the entrance of the market, he saw a layer of faint white mist—this was the market's protective array, rumored to be able to withstand attacks from Foundation Establishment Cultivators for quite a long time.
He did not dare to be negligent and took out a bamboo token, which recorded the identity information of a Spirit Farmer.
With a flash of spiritual light, the surrounding mist dispersed immediately, revealing the originally blurred buildings.
'Drunken Immortal Building,' 'Hundred Refinements Workshop,' 'Pill Furnace Pavilion,' 'Hundred Tricks Tower,' 'Thousand Mechanism Hall'...
Several of the largest buildings came into view instantly.
These were also the most important trading spots in the market, with thousands of Spirit Stones changing hands every day.
Fang Xi's gaze swept from 'Drunken Immortal Building' and he subtly held his waist, immediately turning around with an unchanged expression as if the seductive whispers were but trivial matters.
Mere Charming Skills, don't think about disturbing this young master's Dao Heart!
If it weren't for the financial embarrassment...
It cannot be denied that female Cultivators and ordinary maidservants give completely different feelings.
It's just like the difference between the regular and PROMAX versions of a smartphone from the previous life.
On the main road, scattered Cultivators passed by.
Scholars, monks, Taoists...
Elders, women, children...
Those carrying swords, those with giant wine-red gourds on their backs, those accompanied by Spirit Birds, those riding Monster Beasts...
They were colorful and diverse.
The once-novice Fang Xi was so astounded by this sight that it took half a day to snap out of it, and people ridiculed him as a country bumpkin.
Nowadays, the perspective from which he looked at issues had greatly deepened.
'Qi Refining middle stage, Qi Refining middle stage, Qi Refining late stage...'
'Indeed... even if there are a few at the Qi Refining initial stage, they are either servants or juniors being taken out to see the world...'
'This Cultivation World truly values strength; it's really not easy to get by.'
Fang Xi curled his lips.
If possible, he certainly wished to linger in the Da Liang World.
Alas, the Da Liang World... it was not long-lived.
Given the concentration of Heavenly Earth Spiritual Qi there, it was impossible for the cultivation techniques to make much progress, let alone breakthrough to major realms.
And the local Qi and Blood Martial Arts also seemed not to allow one to live a long life...
Fang Xi was definitely not thinking about lingering in a minor world unless he was driven to a dead end.
He glanced at the various stalls and started selling the Stone Dragon and other materials he had collected recently.
These items were laughable if brought to major shops for sale, and could only be disposed of in a place like this.
"Brother Liu, I'm telling you, this Stone Dragon of such good quality is truly not expensive... And these spiritual herbs, I almost broke my legs to find them..."
After a considerable while, Fang Xi had almost run out of saliva before managing to get his hands on three Spirit Crystals.
He identified the direction and arrived at a square, then familiarly made his way to a stall.
This was a husband and wife stall, with less than half a zhang of space on the stall cloth, filled with various types of Spirit Talismans.
First-order low-grade 'Protection Talisman,' 'Cold Ice Talisman,' 'Flame Talisman'...
Even, Fang Xi caught a glimpse of the 'Minor Thunder Talisman' at the center, which was like the moon surrounded by stars!
"Master Zong Symbol, congratulations on successfully drawing a first-order mid-grade talisman..."
He revealed a smile and congratulated the stall owner.
Master Zong Symbol appeared to be around thirty years old, tall with a burly frame, fair and plump, sporting a small mustache that made him look very amicable and seeming like a secular businessman when he smiled.
Fang Xi had also seen his Taoist Companion who delivered the talisman paper and materials, a woman with the surname Lu and a Kun cultivator, whose figure he remembered particularly well.
This couple made a living processing talisman paper and drawing talismans, known for their good quality and reasonable prices, and seemed to live quite comfortably. Lately, however, for some reason, they appeared to be under a lot of financial pressure.
"Oh, it's Fang Xi..."
Master Zong Symbol smiled and asked, "How did the Cold Ice Talisman I recommended last time fare against the monster insects?"
"Fantastic, in this bitter winter, the Cold Ice Talisman's power has subtly increased, leaving the Stone Dragon no escape..."
Fang Xi nodded, "Give me a few more 'Protection Talismans'..."
'This talisman, just for protection during seclusion, one for a Spirit Crystal, I wonder why this young man needs so many...'
Master Zong Symbol shook his head, muttering in his mind, but since Cultivators value their privacy the most, he didn't voice his thoughts.
After trading several Protection Talismans, he then asked, "Do you still need Cold Ice Talismans? I'll give you a good deal, three Spirit Crystals each..."
"Master Zong Symbol, did you lower the price again?" Fang Xi's eyes lit up, looking just like an auntie from his former life seeing discounts.
"Alas, you know... my home has another child on the way!"
Master Zong Symbol sighed.
Cultivators absorb Heavenly Earth Spiritual Qi with their Spiritual Roots to perform incredible feats, but having children is rather difficult for them.
Even if a child is born, there's a chance that it will be a normal person without any Spiritual Roots.
```
But Master Zong Symbol was an exception, already having three offspring, two of whom possessed spiritual roots.
And now he was expecting his fourth child.
It was said that the Situ Family was very interested in Master Zong Symbol, wanting to use his seed, but they were tactfully rejected....
Fang Xi nodded, the descendants of two cultivators, and possibly even three, that pressure... was like three huge mountains.
The miserable fate of middle-aged men from his past life appeared vividly on Master Zong Symbol's person, even giving Fang Xi the impression that the man's hair was prematurely balding.
However, this was none of his concern.
"These Cold Ice Talismans and Flame Talismans, whether used for protection or killing pests, are excellent..."
As Master Zong Symbol was worrying over the little spiritual stone-gobbling beasts at home, he suddenly heard Fang Xi ask, "May I know the price of this 'Minor Thunder Talisman'?"
If a lower-grade first-tier talisman only equated to the attack of a Qi Refining stage spell, then a mid-grade talisman undoubtedly reached the mid-stage of Qi Refining!
Master Zong Symbol paused for a moment, then showed a pained and reluctant expression, "This mid-grade talisman has been painstakingly created by this old man, wasting I don't know how many talisman papers. If you really want it... take it for one and a half spirit stones...."
"One and a half?"
Fang Xi showed an embarrassed look on his face, "Is there any chance it could be cheaper?"
"You still want it cheaper?" Master Zong Symbol glared but immediately seemed to become bent under the weight of heavy life burdens, softening his demeanor, "Unless you buy a few more lower-grade talismans."
"In that case, add one lower-grade 'Gold Light Shield Talisman' as well."
Fang Xi replied with equal reluctance.
...
In the end, he successfully acquired the 'Minor Thunder Talisman', which was comparable to a hit from a mid-stage Qi Refining master, along with several lower-grade talismans.
For this, he not only spent all the money from the materials he sold at the market, but also a good portion of his savings.
Fortunately, holding the Gold Light Shield Talisman in his pocket, Fang Xi felt much safer.
Although this talisman could at most withstand one or two attacks from an early-stage Qi Refining spell in the Southern Wilderness Cultivation Realm, in the Da Liang World, it wasn't that simple.
"Let's go, let's go, looking any longer will only add to the heartache...."
Standing in front of a stall selling spiritual pills, Fang Xi's feet might as well have grown roots.
He was currently in a stage of vigorous and rapid progress, and with spiritual pills to aid him, he might be able to break into the fourth layer of Qi Refining and enter the mid-stage!
Unfortunately, the prices of spiritual pills were generally even more expensive than talismans!
'Pity... other transmigrators trade between two realms, living a life of leisure and comfort. How did I end up like this?'
Fang Xi had always been cautious about trade between the two realms.
It was only after confirming that he had the power to protect himself in Da Liang that he dared to reveal some items from the Cultivation World.
But in the Cultivation World, he did not dare to reveal anything extraordinary.
After all, his own cultivation was too weak, and cultivators were too talented and skilled; there might be some unique methods of detection!
'At least... I should wait until I'm in the late stages of Qi Refining. No, at least the mid-stage...'
Fang Xi had always been extremely cautious in his dealings, and this was even more so after he obtained a heaven-defying opportunity.
Less conflict, a very peaceful life, advancing smoothly in cultivation until Foundation Establishment, Core Formation... Who the hell wants to struggle on the brink of life and death?
Just as he was getting ready to leave the Green Bamboo Mountain Market, there was suddenly a commotion on the street.
Soon after, the commotion spread around like it was contagious.
Amidst the subdued voices, words like 'ruins', 'treasure', and 'cultivation method' could be heard.
Fang Xi paused his steps for a brief moment, and immediately heard a piece of news from a nearby cultivator.
"What? A small secret realm has been discovered in Purple Dark Mountain, suspected to be a remnant of an ancient cultivator? Some cultivators have already brought out ancient cultivation methods and Base-building Spiritual Objects from it?"
This news ignited the longing in the hearts of all cultivators like gunpowder!
Ancient cultivation methods!
Base-building Spiritual Objects!
These were things that some may yearn for their entire lives but never attain.
Such was the way of the Cultivation World: many low-level individual cultivators live their lives in obscurity, maybe never even getting close to touching the edge of Foundation Establishment.
But if by chance they found an Immortal Fate and received ancient legacies and miraculous pills, they could soar through advancement like the Dapeng bird riding the wind for ninety thousand leagues in a single day, and one day ascend to the heavens!
Take Fang Xi for example!
His spiritual root was not outstanding, merely a lower-grade biased toward wood, and he was cultivating the common Eternal Spring Skills, which might not bring him to the fully completed Qi Refining state even in sixty more years, unable to break through the barrier to Foundation Establishment.
It was a well-known fact in the Cultivation World that after the age of sixty, the chances of a cultivator reaching Foundation Establishment would significantly decrease!
But with top-notch cultivation methods combined with the power of pills, charging into Foundation Establishment within five to ten years was very possible!
This was the kind of opportunity countless cultivators desperately sought!
"What is the Base-building Spiritual Object?"
A female cultivator's eyes turned red, grabbing a male cultivator who knew the news and asked loudly.
"It's a bottle of 'Earth Fire Evil Qi'! It's very useful for breaking through the Blood Qi Realm," the male cultivator murmured with longing and desire.
"Pity it's not a Foundation Establishment Pill," an elderly cultivator said with a sigh.
"Where in ancient times would there be a Foundation Establishment Pill?" a scholarly cultivator near him chuckled lightly, "Modern practitioners are not necessarily inferior to the ancients. This Foundation Establishment Pill was personally developed by Master Shutong, the top alchemist in the last thousand years, harmonizing the three realms of Foundation Establishment as one, enabling a breakthrough overnight... It can increase the odds of establishing foundation by a full thirty percent!"