Xishan Market
Yun Yin's voice, which was usually calm, exploded like his lightning-infused spiritual power.
"If this person weren't still staying in the Xuan Tian Sect, I would definitely make her taste the power of my lightning." Yun Yin gritted his teeth, never having thought that a human cultivator could be so noisy.
Right now, she still had to participate in the grand competition a year later with Jin Chengcheng, so she naturally couldn't let Yunyin bully her like this. After offering a few words of comfort, Ruan Qingyu finally breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing that Yunyin was finally willing to let Jin Chengcheng go.
However, Jin Chengcheng was still looking at Yun Yin with an expectant expression, which gave Ruan Qingyu a headache. She still said directly, "Senior Sister Jin, this beast pet is no different from family to me. Senior Sister, please don't talk about this anymore in the future."
These words were so blunt that even Liu Yan, who was just listening nearby, couldn't help but turn around. After looking around, she guessed what it was about.
"Jin Chengcheng, you should remember what Junior Sister Ruan said. Not everyone is like those who practice the Path of Beast Taming, hoping to have as many usable demonic beasts as possible." Liu Yan's words were rather harsh, and Jin Chengcheng immediately dropped her somewhat joking expression.
He apologized to Ruan Qingyu with some remorse, "Junior Sister Ruan, I was too casual. I promise I won't say it again in the future."
Upon hearing this, Ruan Qingyu's expression softened slightly: "Senior Sister Jin is just not familiar with me enough. I also don't know Senior Sister very well. Senior Sister can tell me more about her in the future."
The matter was thus resolved, and Liu Yan breathed a sigh of relief. This junior sister Ruan Qingyu was so talented; she might improve further in the future, which was a real concern for them.
The group quickly arrived at Xishan Market. Liu Yan put away the spirit boat, and before she could speak, she heard a call from behind her.
"elder sister."
"Senior Sister Liu Yan!"
Blinking, Ruan Qingyu turned around with Liu Yan. She then saw Liu Feng, who had been unusually warm towards her earlier, and a robust young man with a very dark complexion.
Liu Feng quickly approached, nodded to Liu Yan, and then turned his gaze to Ruan Qingyu. However, seeing that the other party ignored him again, he didn't get angry even though his eyes flickered.
"Senior Sister Liu Yan, Liu Feng and I have been waiting for most of the day," the dark-skinned, robust young man said with a simple, honest voice and a smile.
Hearing him say that, Liu Yan naturally knew it was a joke, and turned to Ruan Qingyu and said, "Junior Sister Ruan, this is the last junior brother among the five of us, Yangming. Junior Brother Yangming may look unique, but it is actually due to his family bloodline."
A family bloodline? In an instant, Ruan Qingyu understood why this person's face was so dark. Just as she would experience some mutations if she activated the Phoenix Dharma Form in the future, this person's mutations had lasted so long that his family bloodline must have evolved to a certain stage.
Having known Ruan Qingyu's name for a long time, Yang Ming smiled innocently at her: "Junior Sister Ruan looks to be the youngest I've ever met. She really is the youngest junior sister among us."
"Senior Brother Yangming." Everyone was there, and Ruan Qingyu didn't delay, simply giving a greeting.
The group then walked into the West Mountain Market. However, before Liu Yan, who was leading the way, could enter, a cultivator dressed in black armor suddenly appeared at the previously empty entrance.
"Bring me the Xishan Market Token." The man spoke coldly, but without any condescension, as if everyone entering had to hand over the token.
Ruan Qingyu couldn't help but turn her gaze to other entrances, and soon saw that some people, like them, were blocked at the entrance.
Although Liu Yan was puzzled as to why there was still an inspection this year, she was not angry. She simply looked at the people beside her and said, "Show your sect disciple tokens."
The black-armored cultivator's gaze fell on the Xuan Tian Sect disciple tokens of the group, and he quickly nodded and disappeared. As the five of them continued walking, the suffocating feeling of being crushed by a mountain abyss was no longer there.
At this moment, everyone entered the West Mountain Market, and they were all Golden Core cultivators. Liu Yan then informed them via telepathy: "I have been to this West Mountain Market three times before, but I have never asked for a token. I suppose there has been some change this year."
Ruan Qingyu nodded quietly. If there was a change, it meant that something had happened that ordinary disciples like them shouldn't know. They should be careful on this trip.
With Liu Yan leading the way, Ruan Qingyu followed along, taking the opportunity to observe the surrounding environment. Indeed, as they said, most of the people they encountered along the way were disciples from prestigious families.
Occasionally, a few rogue cultivators would appear, but they all seemed to be upright individuals with clear and pure auras. It's likely that they deliberately drove away any demonic cultivators who came, so that their own disciples could make progress.
Liu Yan looked around and saw that everyone was observing their own things. She couldn't help but chuckle: "When the market auction opens, everyone can see it, but since it hasn't opened yet, we're all going to find what we want."
With this key figure speaking up, the others readily agreed. Just as Ruan Qingyu was about to step in one direction, she saw Liu Feng, who had been keeping a respectful distance, approaching again.
"Junior Sister Ruan, is this your first time at the Xishan Market? Why don't I accompany you?" Liu Feng's voice was actually quite pleasant, with a touch of magnetism. However, Ruan Qingyu didn't seem to feel anything for him and frowned slightly as she looked over.
"Senior Brother Liu, there are some things I still want to see myself." This was a clear indication that he had some secrets and it was inconvenient for someone to follow him.
Seeing this, Liu Feng shrugged and said, "Then please be careful, junior sister. If anything happens, just call me." With that, he handed Ruan Qingyu a talisman.
Both of them were disciples of the Xuantian Sect, so there was no need to completely sever ties. Ruan Qingyu accepted the talisman, her expression softening slightly: "Thank you, Senior Brother Liu."
Ruan Qingyu only relaxed after turning three corners without seeing Liu Feng follow. If this shameless man had really followed her, she would have had to consider taking action.
Since entering the West Mountain Market, Yunyin had long been stored in her pet token. Now that she was exploring alone, she released Yunyin.
Fortunately, there were many cultivators with beast pets in the West Mountain market. The sudden appearance of Yun Yin's large black leopard only made the cultivators who originally wanted to go this way take a second look.
Just now, Yun Yin urgently urged Ruan Qingyu to come over through her spiritual sense. This was because he keenly sensed that there was a spiritual entity here attracting him. Yun Yin would not have felt this unless it was something that cared about his safety.
If she were far away, Ruan Qingyu wouldn't have felt anything unusual. But as she got closer, she realized that she was starting to feel a bit restless.
"What exactly is this thing? Is it a spiritual medicine or some kind of magical artifact?" Ruan Qingyu asked again in her divine sense, blindly searching for something based on her intuition. All she could see were various stalls; how long would it take to find it?
However, there were quite a few people in Xishan Market like Ruan Qingyu, looking around and searching for things that caught their eye. After all, if you acted too purposefully, you were just waiting to throw away a lot of spirit stones.
Those skilled in crafting magical artifacts would display their creations directly outside, and cultivators who needed them would automatically gather around to negotiate prices with them.
As Ruan Qingyu walked along, she saw tall puppets that moved like humans, tidying up the items on the stalls. Meanwhile, the cultivator himself was fast asleep on a chaise lounge.
There were also Buddhist and Taoist practitioners with glowing heads, sitting upright to one side, their prayer beads constantly rolling in their hands. This was experiencing the atmosphere of the mortal world and understanding one's true self.
"Go a little further ahead." Yun Yin's somewhat anxious voice rang out in her mind, which surprised Ruan Qingyu.
After cautiously looking around, Ruan Qingyu resolutely walked towards a stall selling spiritual herbs. However, the stall was very deserted; even when cultivators stood there, they shook their heads and left after a moment.
Seeing Ruan Qingyu approach the stall, the cultivator flicked his bangs and said in a hoarse voice, "All spiritual herbs are the same price, but you have to exchange them for exotic varieties."
Although she couldn't see the cultivator's face clearly, she could tell from his voice that he was a young cultivator. However, Ruan Qingyu didn't understand what this strange creature was.
He couldn't help but quickly search through his bloodline heritage. Some memories, if not deliberately memorized, are like sediment at the bottom of the sea, unlikely to surface.
Yun Yin spoke up at this moment: "Species are things that mutate under the nourishment of spiritual energy. They can be strange fires or rare spiritual medicines, as well as demonic beasts and spiritual plants that mutate again after a tribulation of lightning."
A strange fire? Ruan Qingyu boldly communicated with the Phoenix Divine Fire within her body. After a moment, the active, leaping flame suddenly grew larger, eventually separating into a flame the size of a fingernail.
The flame, however, was quite static, unlike the vibrant Phoenix Divine Fire. Ruan Qingyu placed the small flame into a jade bottle and handed it to the other party.
"Take a look at this exotic specimen and see if it matches?" Ruan Qingyu said, gesturing for the other party to open the jade bottle.
This person, besides having a unique appearance, also acted unpredictably. He took the jade bottle but didn't open it; he simply held it to his nose and smelled it.
"A strange fire, it even has the scent of an ancient spirit beast." The man's voice was hoarse, but he was overjoyed, and his eyes suddenly lit up.
He then looked at Ruan Qingyu and said, "If you can give me five more strange fires the size of jade bottles, I will give you everything on the stall."
Upon hearing this, regardless of Ruan Qingyu's reputation, some strange gazes were cast towards them. However, because the Xishan Market was backed by someone, these covetous glances were suppressed.
Ruan Qingyu shook her head without hesitation: "I obtained this by chance. Tell me, how can I exchange it?"
Hearing her say that, the man sighed with some regret, but he wasn't surprised. He quickly put away the jade bottle and pointed to his stall, saying, "These are all spiritual herbs that are over a thousand years old. You can take three of them as you like."
Just now you said you could take all five jade bottles, but now you can only take three plants with one bottle? Ruan Qingyu glanced at his stall but didn't rush to speak.
"The more of what's in your jade bottle, the better it will be. One portion won't get you much in return. But three is the limit, and I won't let you lose out on any of these items," the man added casually, seeing that Ruan Qingyu hadn't yet chosen anything.
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