After seeing Wang Qian off, Jia Ren gazed at the unsold Bait Tempting Technique on his stall. When will I ever sell this? Will I have to take the loss?
"Xiao Wan, come back here!"
A crisp voice, like that of a skylark, rang out. Jia Ren noticed a turtle the size of a basin had appeared before his stall. It nestled by his feet, its small forelimbs placed on either side of its head, rapidly vibrating.
A seventeen or eighteen-year-old girl with a touch of baby fat on her face, wearing a Goose Yellow Taoist Robe, stood before the stall, looking exceedingly embarrassed. She opened her mouth but didn’t know how to explain.
A Spirit Turtle? My luck isn’t bad today. Jia Ren watched the ’dancing’ turtle. Its head seems to have a problem; it would be perfect for making Turtle Spirit Ointment. Ever since experiencing the miraculous effects of Turtle Spirit Ointment, he had constantly longed to acquire more. Spirit Turtle-type Magical Beasts were hard to find, not to mention the poor market for them, as Monster Beast Meat was in high demand. It’s rare to come across a Spirit Turtle; I can’t let this chance slip by.
"Fellow Daoist, are you willing to sell this Spirit Turtle?" Jia Ren reached for a piece of the Bait Tempting Technique, crushed its wax coating, and tossed it to the Spirit Turtle. The Spirit Turtle’s nose twitched, and it quickly swallowed the bait.
The girl in the Goose Yellow Taoist Robe looked at Jia Ren with an increasingly strange expression. What is this man up to?
"Not for sale!" The Wanshou Turtle grew up with me; how could I bear to sell Xiao Wan? The girl in the Goose Yellow Taoist Robe sensed the Wanshou Turtle’s excitement. She approached the stall and picked up a piece of the Bait Tempting Technique. She crushed the wax coating and sniffed it gently.
"Top quality. Although not a genuine Spirit Pill, it has a strange and unique fragrance. An imitation Spirit Pill primarily designed for luring?"
"One Spirit Stone for two bottles, one hundred pieces per bottle." The Bait Tempting Technique was hard to sell, so the price was halved.
"One hundred bottles." The female Cultivator was not short on money and produced fifty Spirit Stones.
"If you ever decide to sell the Spirit Turtle, or wish to buy more Bait Tempting Technique, please let me know." Jia Ren wasn’t planning to keep his stall open for long, so he took out one hundred bottles of Bait Tempting Technique and a Sound Transmission Talisman, offering them to her.
The girl did not accept them. Instead, she picked up the reluctant Wanshou Turtle and turned to leave.
An elderly, stooped figure appeared before the stall like a ghost. He reached out, took the Bait Tempting Technique, and glanced at the Sound Transmission Talisman. After a moment’s hesitation, he put them both away. Perhaps they will be useful one day. The hunchbacked old man followed closely behind her, like a loyal old servant.
Is this some young lady out for an excursion? Selling most of the Bait Tempting Technique had removed a major concern for Jia Ren. Business slumped in the afternoon, with long stretches devoid of customers. Jia Ren couldn’t be bothered to continue hawking his wares, so he left the Northern District Market and headed to the other three districts. Newly arrived Loose Cultivators brought specialties from other regions, most of them exotic, and Jia Ren searched for useful items.
"What kind of insect eggs are these?" Jia Ren stopped at a stall run by a young man with a childish face. Most of the goods he sold were of little value to Cultivators. The only thing that piqued Jia Ren’s interest somewhat was a batch of insect eggs imbued with Spiritual Energy.
"I found these eggs by accident... Take them all for three Spirit Stones." Seeing a potential sale, the young man’s eyes gleamed with shrewdness. He had intended to sell them for one Spirit Stone but decided to ask for three.
"One Spirit Stone. If you agree, I’ll buy them." I’m not sure what kind of insect eggs these are, but they’re definitely Spirit Insect Eggs. I’ll treat it like opening a blind box.
"Alright!" One Spirit Stone is acceptable. This is an unexpected windfall for a first-level Qi Refinement Cultivator.
"You’re quite lucky. For one Spirit Stone, you bought three Green Silk Worm eggs."
Green Silk Worms? Jia Ren glanced at the gaunt old man who had appeared behind him, exuding an eerie aura.
As the elder approached, the Exotic Black Mosquitoes in the Spirit Beast Bag at Jia Ren’s waist became agitated.
It’s Mosquito Daoist! The Exotic Black Mosquitoes still bear his Spirit Contract Marks. His appearance is disguised; he no longer has that half-black, half-white, yin-yang hairstyle.
"You have my Exotic Black Mosquitoes on you," Mosquito Daoist said, looking Jia Ren up and down with interest. "I didn’t expect you to get such a bargain. What surprises me most is... you’re still alive. You didn’t die at my senior brother’s hands."
Could there be some unknown peril with the Insect Control Scripture? I’ve learned too little of it for it to have much of an effect.
"The Insect Control Scripture contains the method to refine the Life Extension Gu, something few can resist," Mosquito Daoist continued. "My senior brother likes to use this method to ’fish.’ The Life Extension Gu Method Gate he spreads is only for the child Gu. Those who refine the Life Extension Gu ultimately just pave the way for him. You must not have received the complete inheritance. My senior brother is very picky; poor wretches can’t afford to refine the Life Extension child Gu." Mosquito Daoist continued to examine Jia Ren, a look of astonishment in his eyes. Last time I saw Jia Ren, he was only at the Fourth Layer of Qi Refinement. In just half a year, he advanced to the Sixth Layer of Qi Refinement—a talent worth nurturing.
"You have decent potential. Are you interested in joining Thousand Beasts Mountain to study the true Insect Control Scripture?"
If this were in the past, I might have been tempted. But times have changed. Thousand Beasts Mountain is on the decline; joining them now would be like asking for a quicker death, wouldn’t it?
Mosquito Daoist noticed Jia Ren’s hesitation and added, "You wouldn’t have to fight Five Elements Sect Cultivators. Just stay in the Great Wilderness Market and gather intelligence for me. If you agree, I can teach you the Insect Control Scripture right now."
Anything associated with Thousand Beasts Mountain is no small matter. However good the Insect Control Scripture might be, it isn’t worth the risk.
"Not interested." Jia Ren decisively refused and turned to leave. He didn’t want anything to do with Thousand Beasts Mountain—the farther away, the better.
To prevent Mosquito Daoist from launching a sneak attack, a ten-foot-tall projection of a turtle materialized around Jia Ren, the Turtle Prime Spirit Armor, leaving no blind spots. Its Proficiency Level had recently reached the Grandmaster Level, shoring up his weaknesses and becoming his strongest defensive Spell. Shrouded by a solid Spirit Shield as well, the dual-layered defense greatly enhanced his sense of security. With both the Turtle Prime Spirit Armor and the Spirit Shield at Grandmaster Proficiency Level, his defense far surpassed that of his peers. They were more than enough to ensure his safety.
Having taken these precautions, Jia Ren departed from the Market. Mosquito Daoist did not pursue, merely watching Jia Ren’s retreating figure.
Jia Ren used the Turtle Breath Technique to conceal his aura and the Spirit Eye Technique to scan himself and his surroundings, checking for hidden dangers or trackers.
"Just as I suspected—trouble!" Jia Ren found a few small insects tailing him. Their bodies were tiny and nearly transparent. Without being on guard, it would have been difficult to detect them.
So persistent! A Cultivator at the Ninth Level of Qi Refinement from Thousand Beasts Mountain sneaking into the Outer City? They’re probably planning some trouble.
"I’d better hide out in the Inner City for a couple of days!"
His Fireball Technique incinerated the tiny insects, and he hurried towards the Inner City without delay.
Jia Ren exchanged two Spirit Stones for a seven-day Inner City Token and then used seven more Spirit Stones to rent the No. 36 Ding Character Cave Residence for seven days.
"As expected of a Cave Residence meant for High-Order Cultivators! The Spiritual Energy is abundant, and most importantly, protective Formations ensure security." The Spiritual Energy inside the Cave was far superior to that of the Outer City, at least five times stronger, making it suitable for breaking through Cultivation Level bottlenecks. "Jia Character Cave Residences even have access to Earth Fire, which can be used for Artifact Refining and Alchemy. The downside is, they’re too expensive..."
The Exotic Black Mosquitoes also pose a security risk; it’d be best to deal with them. Jia Ren opened his Spirit Beast Bag and looked at the three Exotic Black Mosquitoes. All three Spirit Insects bore Mosquito Daoist’s Spirit Contract Mark, indicating a substantial risk of him tracking Jia Ren down.
"I’ll give you seven more days. If you don’t lay eggs by then, I’ll have no choice but to slaughter you!" Jia Ren issued a forceful command to the Exotic Black Mosquitoes, compelling them to lay eggs. In seven days, regardless of the outcome, he would exterminate them.