After the meeting ended, everyone dispersed.
"Elian, wait a moment."
Just as Elian was about to leave, the Third Elder stopped him.
Chen Qinghao looked at Elian with a hint of appreciation in his eyes and said, "Your cultivation has progressed quickly this year, to the point where even I can't quite see through you anymore."
"At this rate, you might touch the threshold of Foundation Establishment within three to five years."
"I've made only slight progress. How could I compare to you, uncle, with your profound cultivation?" Elian replied modestly before pausing.
"May I ask why you've called me back?"
"I've summoned you for an important matter."
The Third Elder's expression turned serious. He glanced around to confirm no one else was nearby before speaking in a low voice.
"This time, I need you to make a trip to Tianxu Mountain."
Moments later, Elian understood Chen Qinghao's plan.
The reason for sending him to Tianxu Mountain was that the Second Elder had sold the Naqi Pills refined last year and brought back the spirit stones. Together with this year's income, the family treasury now held over 2,000 spirit stones.
A year ago, the Third Elder had proposed buying a Yangmai Pill to heal the patriarch's injuries. Now that the family had the resources, they intended to proceed with the plan.
This was a crucial matter. Ideally, the Sixth Elder would have been the best candidate to handle the purchase, but with his passing, Elian was the most suitable choice.
"I'll arrange for someone else to handle the spring planting."
"Although Daoist Jiang is a wandering cultivator, he is known for being fair and upright. If the price is right, he will likely sell us the Yangmai Pill."
"However, Tianxu Mountain is a chaotic place, so you must remain cautious and avoid being taken advantage of," the Third Elder warned, his tone grave.
Elian nodded and accepted the spirit stones. "I will not fail this mission."
A few days later, after the New Year's celebrations, Elian left Qingyuan Mountain alone.
Tianxu Mountain was located on the border of the Chu Kingdom, over 100,000 miles away. After three months of arduous travel through mountains and rivers, Elian finally reached the vicinity of Tianxu Mountain.
"What dense spiritual energy."
Looking at the vast mountain range before him, a trace of admiration flashed in Elian's eyes as he recalled its history.
Tianxu Mountain, situated at the edge of the Chu Kingdom and bordering the Desolate Marshlands, served as the kingdom's first line of defense against the demon clans.
It was said that long ago, Tianxu Mountain was controlled by demonic beasts, with the Azure Sky Hawk clan ruling the area. A Purple Mansion-level demon once presided there, causing significant trouble for the Chu Kingdom's Qingyang Sect.
Two hundred years ago, Jiang Daoren, a wandering cultivator, came from the eastern coast and slew the Purple Mansion demon on Tianxu Mountain. He then occupied the third-tier spiritual vein and renamed it Tianxu Mountain.
Due to its proximity to the demon-infested Desolate Marshlands, Tianxu Mountain attracted a large number of wandering cultivators, gradually becoming a renowned haven for them in the Chu Kingdom.
After entering Tianxu Mountain, Elian adjusted his attire to appear more mature before heading into the market town.
This was a market town exclusively for cultivators, with few mortals present.
The harsh environment of Tianxu Mountain, filled with poisonous insects and ferocious beasts, made it nearly impossible for mortals to thrive there.
Because of this, even though Jiang Daoren had occupied Tianxu Mountain for two centuries, he had not established a family of cultivators, remaining a wandering cultivator and only taking in a few disciples.
Upon arriving at the market town, Elian didn't immediately seek out Jiang Daoren to purchase the Yangmai Pill. After all, Jiang Daoren was the most prominent Purple Mansion cultivator in the Chu Kingdom and wasn't someone Elian could meet at will.
This was Elian's first time truly leaving the Chen family, and with over 2,000 spirit stones in his possession, he was especially cautious.
He found an inn to stay in and spent the next four to five days discreetly gathering information. Soon, he had a general understanding of the situation in Tianxu Mountain.
The Tianxu Mountain range spanned over 8,000 miles and, aside from the main peak with its top-tier third-tier spiritual vein, housed over a dozen second-tier spiritual veins.
These spiritual veins were part of Jiang Daoren's domain. Over two centuries, many caves and spiritual fields had been developed.
While some of these resources were reserved for Jiang Daoren's disciples, most were rented out to the wandering cultivators who lived there.
In addition, the largest industry in the Yuyang market, Tianxu Pavilion, was also under Jiang Daoren's control.
Jiang Daoren was a prodigy in cultivation arts, proficient in alchemy, formations, artifact forging, and talismans—all at least at the third-tier level.
Although his disciples weren't as talented, they inherited his skills, giving Jiang Daoren control over 90% of Tianxu Mountain's supply chain. His reputation extended beyond Tianxu Mountain, drawing cultivators from all over the Chu Kingdom to purchase pills and artifacts.
"Tianxu Pavilion."
Elian's gaze shifted slightly as he hesitated.
Unable to meet Jiang Daoren directly, his only option for purchasing the Yangmai Pill was through Tianxu Pavilion.
However, as the saying goes, wealth attracts trouble. Carrying 2,000 spirit stones—enough to buy a mid-tier second-tier artifact—made him a tempting target for many. If someone discovered his wealth, even Foundation Establishment cultivators might be tempted.
Even though Jiang Daoren was reputed to be upright and Tianxu Pavilion had built a stellar reputation over two centuries, Elian couldn't afford to be careless. In this world, driven by sufficient profit, killings and theft were all too common.
Years ago, even the late-Foundation Establishment patriarch Chen Changxuan had nearly lost his life over a Foundation Establishment Pill. How much more vulnerable would Elian be, as a mere ninth-level Qi Refining cultivator?
"I need to remain cautious and observe for a while before making any decisions."
"Let's check out the gathering first."
With this thought, Elian left the inn.
The so-called gathering was a monthly meeting of cultivators in the market town, lasting only a single day.
Although Tianxu Mountain was home to thousands of wandering cultivators, most spent their time cultivating in seclusion or hunting demonic beasts in the wilderness. As a result, the market town was usually quiet.
Unlike the bustling scenes of cultivation markets in novels, with crowds everywhere, such liveliness was rare in reality.
Even the busiest place in Tianxu Mountain, Tianxu Pavilion, received only a dozen customers a day, making it relatively deserted.
Only during the monthly gathering would cultivators come to the market to sell beast materials they had accumulated and purchase needed items.
When Elian arrived at the market, he found several hundred cultivators participating. Many had set up stalls, offering materials from demonic beasts, pills, artifacts, spiritual herbs, and more.
After browsing the stalls, Elian noticed that the prices of spiritual herbs here were slightly lower than those in Pingyang Market.
...
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