On the mountain. Below the mountain.

The mountain possessed the feeling of the mountain, and below the mountain had the flavor of the valley. Up high, the mountains and rivers were pristine, enveloped by swirling mist, as if residing in a celestial realm.

There, one could laze about until their very bones felt rusty, spending days meditating, cultivating for a spell, practicing swordsmanship, or simply sleeping—utterly comfortable. As long as one didn't get entangled in struggles for power, the mountain was scarcely different from the legendary realms of the immortals.

The feeling of the mountain was that of the immortal; the immortal energy was dense. Below the mountain had the flavor of the world below; there too were green mountains and clear waters, but down below there were cities.

Thousands, even tens of thousands, resided in a county seat, while a prefecture city housed tens of thousands or even a hundred thousand people. Provincial capitals held populations numbering in the hundreds of thousands.

As for the famous cities of the Great Jin Dynasty, like the Imperial Capital, it housed over ten million souls within a single metropolis, with other renowned cities holding several million each. Within these cities, the press of humanity diminished the ethereal, yet it gained the unmistakable savor of the mortal realm—the rice shops, the merchant stalls, the pawn brokers, the singers, and the monkey handlers—all contributed a unique, worldly charm.

The immortal savor had its merits, and the human savor possessed its own subtle magic. Lu Yuan was precisely the sort of person who could appreciate the misty, rarefied atmosphere of the mountain heights, yet equally enjoy the vibrant flavors of the human world.

Simply put, he was someone supremely adaptable, capable of savoring any environment. The morning sun was mild and gentle, soaking pleasantly into the skin.

This was a major thoroughfare, connecting all directions. Though it was early, the road was already busy with travelers coming and going.

A youth, his face set in an easy, unrestrained smile, journeyed onward, a long sword sheathed on his back, a wineskin grasped in his hand. To say he was hurrying was perhaps an overstatement; the youth walked at a leisurely pace, pausing now and then to take a pull from his wineskin.

If he spotted a roadside stall, he would stop, spend a few coppers, and sample local snacks. He had finally descended the mountain.

He had spent over a year secluded up there. "Time to come down and breathe some fresh air," Lu Yuan mused languidly.

He remembered the tasks assigned by his Master, of course. But things had to be handled step by step; there was no need to rush.

Wandering along, he glanced at the map in his hand. This was an internal map of the Cultivation World, marked far more intricately than any standard map of the Great Jin Dynasty; many locations absent on public maps were clearly noted here.

According to it, shifting fifty li to the right would bring him to a Cultivators’ Market. Throughout the Great Jin Dynasty, numerous such markets existed, varying in size, usually established where transport lines converged.

Naturally, the grandest of these was the Five Gates Cultivators’ Market, situated near the Imperial Capital of the Great Jin. The Five Gates Market, as its name suggested, was controlled jointly by the five great Immortal Sects.

Its location near the capital was the result of mutual negotiations among the five powers. Rumor had it that this market was incredibly prosperous and lively, a place where, provided one possessed sufficient Spirit Stones, acquiring a Flying Sword was trivial—indeed, even Spirit Swords were said to be obtainable.

Legend claimed that the Five Gates Cultivators’ Market had once traded in Immortal Swords. However, that remained mere hearsay.

What was the significance of an Immortal Sword? Even the Lord of a Peak did not possess one.

The marvels of an Immortal Sword were indescribable; its power, immeasurable. Thus, the claim that the largest market in the Great Jin had ever sold an Immortal Sword could only be attributed to legend.

Of course, that was speaking of the largest market. Smaller markets simply couldn't compare in scale.

Following the orientation marked on the map, he headed toward the market ahead, and indeed, he found it was a relatively small affair. Looking down from a height, the entire settlement was perhaps only the size of his birthplace, Donglin Town—exceedingly small.

He stepped inside briskly. Truth be told, the market was tiny, but like the proverb went: small sparrows, complete with all vital organs.

A quick survey showed that the shops operating here generally fell into four main categories. The first category comprised medicinal herbs and elixirs.

Herbs and elixirs could enhance a cultivator’s magic power, and since cultivators prioritized Fali (magic power), these commodities were highly sought after, nearly as valuable as Spirit Stones themselves. Of course, neither Spirit Stones nor medicine could truly compare to Spirit Beasts.

Normal Spirit Beasts perpetually provided the world's vital energy (Tiandi Yuanqi), an endless supply that Spirit Stones or elixirs could never match. Naturally, if one compared a supreme-grade elixir to an ordinary Spirit Beast, the comparison was moot, but under normal circumstances, the price of a Spirit Beast far outstripped that of an elixir.

For someone like Lu Yuan, possessing seven Cloud-type Spirit Beasts already placed him in a position envied even by core disciples who commanded significant resources, let alone by itinerant cultivators. Therefore, it was impossible for a small market like this to carry Spirit Beasts.

The second category was weaponry. A variety of arms, mostly limited to the mortal tier—such things like "Divine Martial Weapons of the Jianghu." Setting aside the rare materials required for a Flying Sword, its forging also demanded a drop of the creator’s vital blood from someone in the Body Tempering stage to properly consecrate it.

Consequently, Flying Swords were always scarce. These smaller cultivation markets mostly peddled mortal weapons.

If a Flying Sword happened to appear, it fetched a price of one to two hundred low-grade Spirit Stones. Don't assume that one or two hundred low-grade Spirit Stones is insignificant; a core disciple like Lu Yuan only received ten such stones annually.

Back in the day, the Daoists Bichen and Biyi once fought fiercely over a single Spirit Stone. While some itinerant cultivators could scrape together one or two hundred stones, they were exceedingly rare.

The third category consisted of various cultivation manuals—both core mental techniques and sword forms. Most were third or fourth-rate materials.

Occasionally, a genuine second-rate manual could command an exorbitant price. As for sword forms of the caliber of the One Hundred and Eight Swords of Wind and Cloud, forget it entirely.

Many sword manuals lacked even a shred of rudimentary Sword Intent. Not every sword technique possessed Sword Intent; that quality only manifested in truly high-tier, supreme manuals.

As for the fourth category, it wasn't for selling goods but exclusively for acquiring them. Whatever you brought in—be it herbs, elixirs, weapons, or techniques—they would take it.

They exchanged Spirit Stones for goods, and they accepted all manner of strange and unusual items as well. Naturally, the price they offered was slightly lower than the standard market rate.

In the Cultivation World, such an establishment was known as a Pawn Shop. ...

Lu Yuan entered the Pawn Shop and stated plainly, "Selling." A Pawn Shop allowed for pawning or outright selling. Selling yielded slightly less than market price, but the item could not be redeemed later.

Pawning allowed redemption within a set time frame, but the price paid out for a pawned item was significantly lower than a sale price. Not long before the Five Hundredth Birthday celebration of Venerable Yuanyuan, he had clashed with a broad-shouldered man surnamed Dao.

During that confrontation, Lu Yuan captured the water-elemental magical artifact, the Twin Snake Gourd, and twenty "Spirit Detonating Stones"—stones that exploded violently when infused with Fali. They might prove useful in a future fight.

The Twin Snake Gourd held little value for him, so he decided to sell it, hoping to gain Spirit Stones to supplement his power for his own advancement. He had been stalled at the middle stage of the eighth level of the Qi Refining Realm for a while now; it was time to break through.

(The splendid fourth update is delivered.) (Writing the old novel alongside the new one used to cause errors. The old book concluded two days ago, allowing me to focus solely on this one.

I am also correcting my habit of not proofreading and have begun to review the text.)