Born with immortal seed

Chapter 365 Revisiting the Market
Several precious beads are strung together to form a bracelet, each bead perfectly round and full, without a single impurity.

The first mirage pearl was shimmering with light, creating a mesmerizing scene. If you listened carefully, you could hear bustling traffic, a cacophony of voices, and the sounds of magical battles and the clash of precious lights.

This tiny bead contains hundreds of scenes that change rapidly, making it dazzling to look at.

Turning down, you'll find a pearl, smooth and lustrous like jade, radiating warmth.

When the true energy is stimulated, it shines out like smoke and mist, illuminating the person in a faint glow.

There are also Heavenly Fragrance Beads, Bewitching Beads, Illusionary Beads, and so on, a total of nine beads, strung together in a circle, the bracelet itself exuding an ethereal and dreamlike quality.

"The Celestial Bracelet, let's see if it's as magical as they say..."

As soon as Bai Zichen put on the bracelet, nine beams of light converged, and a seven-colored light descended. His figure immediately shrank by two inches, revealing a face with strong features and distinct angles.

"I've undergone a complete transformation, even my demeanor is completely different, I almost couldn't react to it myself!"

Looking at the unfamiliar face in the water mirror, Bai Zichen reached out and touched his own face, noticing that even his hands had become larger and rougher.

It wasn't just the changes in his face, but also his limbs, his demeanor, and even his voice, which became deep and hoarse.

A year ago, while organizing his storage bag, he found a clam pearl, which was left behind from a clam spirit he had killed when he opened up Jade Moon Lake.

This item reminded him of a magical artifact, the Heavenly Illusion Bracelet, which was recorded in the fourth-order weapon-refining inheritance of the Naihe Sect. He figured he might need it during his travels, so he gathered materials from the weapon-refining hall and the secret hall and successfully refined this mid-grade magical artifact.

Whether in the Boundless Sea of ​​Bitterness or heading to the Central Region, it is foreseeable that one will encounter more conflicts and battles than in the cultivation world of Liang Kingdom.

In Liang Kingdom, he had already earned the reputation of being a killer of Core Formation cultivators; in any other place, even more cultivators would likely die by his sword.

For safety reasons, it is necessary to have a disguise to distinguish oneself from one's true identity in critical moments, so as to avoid causing trouble and implicating the sect.

Once you reach the Core Formation stage, you can't hide it with disguise or illusion techniques.

Any cultivator with a stronger spiritual sense than you can see through the illusion and discover your true nature at a glance.

Those with similar spiritual awareness can also see the traces of illusion and clearly know that the face you reveal is not your true form.

Unlike the Heavenly Illusion Bracelet, this magical artifact does not change the user's appearance in any way. It also carries with it a secret technique for transforming the physical body, which is passed down through the crafting process.

By reshaping the physique and subtly adjusting the facial features, a completely new image was created.

The Heavenly Illusion Bracelet merely conceals the signs of the physical body's secret techniques being used; it does not directly affect the body.

According to the art of weapon crafting, those below the Nascent Soul stage cannot see through it.

Upon seeing the physical body technique, Bai Zichen wondered whether it was because the technique itself was not difficult to learn, or because he had the foundation of the Five Crystal Glazed Body.

In just a few days, he completed the training and mastered this secret technique that could transform one's appearance.

At the same time, he concealed his secret technique with the Heavenly Illusion Bracelet, making him appear flawless to himself, as if he were a completely different person.

Bai Zichen changed into a Taoist robe, flew away from Flaming Mountain on his sword, and headed to Black Mountain Market. Because he had concealed his cultivation, no one recognized him.

Today, after more than a hundred years of improvement and expansion, this market town has doubled in size, and a large number of independent cultivators who originally gathered here have long been relocated.

No longer are the thousands of rogue cultivators who lived in cramped little boxes, leading oppressive lives, not even as comfortable as ordinary wealthy people.

As the Qingfeng Sect significantly increased the number of miscellaneous disciples it recruited, it absorbed all the relatively outstanding individuals among the independent cultivators into the sect.

Through several pioneering wars, a large number of spiritual veins were opened up, and many new resource points were added, all of which required the manpower of cultivators.

The newly formed cultivation families, resource bases, and secluded spiritual lands have provided a plethora of job opportunities for independent cultivators.

Of course, the most important thing is to take over Hejian County.

Because the Ghost Spirit Sect and a large number of affiliated immortal cultivation families were eliminated, the Qingfeng Sect was so short of manpower during that period that even a mid-stage Qi Refining rogue cultivator from Black Mountain could be assigned a rank-advancing spiritual land if he signed up to go to Hejian County.

Although it was only the lowest grade, first-class low-grade spiritual land, the allure of owning a spiritual land that could be passed down was too great for a rogue cultivator in Black Mountain who still had no fixed property.

In a short time, thousands of qualified independent cultivators signed up to relocate, and it is said that during that period, the residential area for independent cultivators in Heishanfang City was deserted.

With the subsequent construction of Hejian Market, another place became available for making a living.

The number of independent cultivators who have long lived in Heishanfang City and made a living by doing odd jobs and working as apprentices in shops has dwindled to less than a thousand, a far cry from its heyday.

However, the number of people in Heishan Market has increased by more than four or five times compared to before.

There are many ways to earn spirit stones under the Qingfeng Sect's current jurisdiction. As long as you work hard and have a skill, it's better than staying in the market and running errands.

“Senior, do you need a guide? It only costs one spirit stone a day to show you around the market… I grew up here and know every shop like the back of my hand. If you want to visit the shop where Old Ancestor Bai once bought his sword, I can try to get you a ticket for tomorrow.”

A boy of medium height strode up and spoke rapidly.

The clothes were plain and had been starched until they were almost white. You could tell from the stitches that they were originally a Buddhist robe, but after being tailored, the style was changed to fit the length of a boy.

The color shows that it has been worn for a very long time, but there is not a single stain or loose thread. The person looks cheerful and sunny, without the slightest fear or timidity.

"Guide..."

Bai Zichen only revealed his early Foundation Establishment stage cultivation, while this young man who was ahead of his peers only had Qi Refining Stage 2.

It seems he hasn't been on the path of cultivation for long, and his spiritual roots aren't particularly outstanding.

Otherwise, it would be better to join the Qingfeng Sect as a menial disciple than to work as a guide in the market, making a living by leading the way and receiving occasional tips.

More importantly, they didn't practice properly during the crucial foundational stage, wasting time on such things.

Even if you accumulate spirit stones, it will be difficult to catch up with your peers who started their cultivation earlier.

"Then you lead the way and give me a proper introduction."

Bai Zichen wanted to say that he knew the place very well, but after looking at the market that was completely different from what it was a hundred years ago, he changed his mind.

He tossed out a spirit stone and hired the young guide.

“Senior, what would you like to buy? I’ll take you to a suitable shop… My name is Gan Congju, you can just call me Xiao Ganzi.”

Gan Congju received the spirit stone, wiped it carefully, put it in his pocket, and said seriously.

"Tell me first what's the story behind the place where Old Ancestor Bai bought the sword, and why we have to buy a ticket?"

Bai Zichen was somewhat amused and exasperated. Why was he trying to capitalize on his celebrity status by turning the places he had visited into tourist attractions?

He didn't die peacefully; he's still alive and well, which feels strange.

"Senior, you're not one of us Black Mountain cultivators, are you? Local cultivators all know that Old Ancestor Bai bought his first flying sword in this market, which marked the beginning of his legendary life as a swordsman... That's why cultivators from all over come here to buy flying swords and hope to absorb some of Old Ancestor Bai's spiritual energy."

Gan Congju spoke with pride, explaining the matter clearly in a few words.

"Later, because there were so many visitors that it affected the normal operation of the shops, they simply partitioned off that hall and made it a place specifically for paying homage to the Old Ancestor Bai. The number of people allowed each day is limited, and if you don't have connections, you have to wait three to five days to get a turn."

"Is that so? This is the first time I've ever heard of such a thing... Judging from your tone, you have great respect for Elder Bai?"

"That's for sure. Who doesn't know that besides being a peerless swordsmanship genius who appears only once every ten thousand years, Ancestor Bai is also a true man who cares about the world and walks on thin ice. The Black Mountain rogue cultivators are able to live the life they have today thanks to Ancestor Bai... Apart from him, which other great figure cares about the life and death of us lowly cultivators?"

Gan Congju's eyes shone, his face flushed slightly, and he spoke excitedly.

Bai Zichen had no idea when he had gained such a high reputation among rogue cultivators.

However, even with his little fanboy right in front of him, he didn't recognize that the person in front of him was the White Ancestor he had been talking about, which shows that the transformation was very successful.

Bai Zichen's portrait had long been known throughout Heishan, and Gan Congju, who admired him so much, must have been very familiar with it.

The Heavenly Illusion Bracelet doesn't rely on illusion magic; it regenerates a face based on the original facial features.

Below the Nascent Soul stage, whether one can distinguish them depends not on their cultivation level, but on their familiarity with each other.

Therefore, Bai Zichen planned to make more contact with Qingfeng Sect disciples, and deliberately go to crowded places to see if anyone would think that his facial features and physique were disproportionate.

"Which shop in the market is the most popular? Just lead me there."

After a stick of incense had burned, Bai Zichen followed Gan Congju through several streets before arriving at a five-story shop with a towering archway in front of it.

"Guanghui Trading Company...Isn't Wanbao Pavilion the most successful business in the market?"

Bai Zichen looked at the unfamiliar name of the trading company and asked a question out of curiosity.

After reaching the Core Formation stage, he could no longer pay attention to the minor matters within the sect.

Unlike when we contracted Lingtian, we now have to deal with several merchants frequently.

"Senior, you may not know this, but Wanbaoge may be the most successful business in your hometown. However, it's not so good here in Heishan. I heard from the older generation of Qingfeng Sect disciples that Wanbaoge offended Ancestor Bai back then. When the sect was in trouble, Wanbaoge bought low and sold high. A few years after Ancestor Bai reached the Core Formation stage, the business got worse and worse, and eventually he simply moved away from Heishan Market."

Gan Congju chuckled, quite pleased with himself.

"And then there's Hejian Market, which didn't even give Wanbaoge a shop space... This Guanghui Trading Company has a very powerful background. They can get all sorts of good stuff, and they hold auctions from time to time. Even the elders of the Upper Sect often come here to buy treasures."

"I see. Let's go in and take a look."

There was a time when they were selling spirit rice, and the newly arrived branch manager of Wanbaoge really didn't give Bai Zichen any face and lowered the price.

He had long forgotten about it, but he didn't expect that someone in the sect would remember it and kick Wanbaoge out of Qingfeng Sect's territory.

(End of this chapter)