At the beginning, I cleaned the Sutra Library and completed the incomplete skills.

Underfoot was a road paved with neat blue flagstones.

Qing Shi Alley was named for these stones.

On both sides of the road were well-arranged shops.

Most of these shops were built from simple flagstones and wood.

Inside, they were filled with a dazzling array of goods.

These included spirit herbs exuding faint spiritual energy, various simple magical tools, and spirit rice and noodles to aid cultivation.

Since the market was located within the sphere of influence of the Guangji Temple, the cultivators who came and went were all insiders.

Therefore, selling cultivation resources here meant there was little fear of someone resorting to robbery.

Of course, where there are benefits, there are bound to be drawbacks.

Some items forbidden by the sect or ill-gotten gains that couldn't be seen in the light of day were definitely not found here.

This also led to the cultivation resources here being of a lower grade compared to those in outside markets.

However, for Li Lan at this moment,

even if the quality of the items in Qing Shi Alley wasn't particularly high, it was enough to dazzle him.

"Take a look, come and see! Freshly forged magical tools from the Weapon Forging Peak!"

"Forged from the shed scales of a Rank 1 Fire-attribute demonic beast, the Scarlet Scale Snake!"

"It provides the greatest boost to cultivators practicing Fire-attribute techniques and is most suitable for self-defense in battles during the early Qi Refining stage!"

"Hey, hey, this fellow disciple, how about one?"

"Large quantities of Qi Refining Essence Pills and Grains Abstinence Pills for sale. Fellow disciples in need are welcome to visit the shop."

"This humble Daoist has various types of low-grade talismans for sale, each with different functions. Limited quantities, so buy quickly."

… …

Li Lan stopped from time to time, carefully examining each item.

To be honest, he was quite tempted by most of the things sold here.

However, whenever he inquired about the price, it always made him hesitate.

In these six months, Li Lan had also borrowed a lot of spirit sand from Zhou Huairen.

Since the Dust Washing Ceremony, the old man's mood seemed to have become very good, and he readily agreed.

Initially, Li Lan didn't know the reason.

Later, he learned that Elder Jian Chen had found him on the day the ceremony ended.

Zhou Huairen didn't say what the two of them discussed.

But Li Lan could guess with his knees.

In order to be a hands-off shopkeeper, Elder Jian Chen must have offered a good price.

Li Lan, after deducing this, felt more and more like he was losing out, and immediately borrowed another twelve taels of spirit sand from Zhou Huairen.

Adding in the salary he had saved up over the past six months,

he now had a total of seventy-three taels of spirit sand on him.

Although this spirit sand seemed like a lot,

it immediately became insufficient in this Qing Shi Alley.

Many cultivators participated in the market, including some in the mid and late stages of Qi Refining.

The artifacts refined by disciples of their level were something Li Lan couldn't afford even if he emptied his current savings.

After calming his mind,

Li Lan simply stopped overthinking and walked straight into a shop specializing in low-grade spiritual materials.

"This fellow cultivator, may I ask if your esteemed shop sells spirit paper, spirit ink, and Purple Sandalwood Spirit Beans?"

Before even entering, Li Lan politely made a Daoist greeting with cupped hands.

"Yes, we do, fellow disciple. What age of tree-based spirit paper do you need?"

"Our spirit ink is divided into two types. The better quality one is processed from the spirit fat extracted from low-grade demonic beasts."

"The ordinary spirit ink is refined from Spirit Tung Fruit."

"The age of this Spirit Tung Fruit also affects the price of the spirit ink…"

Hearing the customer's inquiry, the shopkeeper began to introduce the products incessantly before even turning around.

When he was halfway through his explanation, he saw Li Lan's face clearly and immediately let out a soft "Eh".

"It's you?"

Hearing this, Li Lan's expression didn't change, and he calmly sized up the other party.

This person wasn't old, about seventeen or eighteen years old.

His eyes were sharp but not without warmth, his nose was straight, and a gentle smile hung on the corners of his lips.

He wore a light cyan wide-sleeved robe, his hair was tied in a Daoist bun, and his lapel was embroidered with patterns of snow-white cranes and spirit mushrooms.

Overall, he looked like a refined and cultured young nobleman.

Li Lan was very sure that he didn't know the other party.

"This fellow cultivator, we don't seem to have met before, have we?"

"Of course, we have, hey ya…"

He gave a sheepish smile, snapping out of his surprise and saying:

"I forgot to introduce myself. I am Miao Chenfeng, and my father is Elder Miao of the Spirit Plant Peak."

"You may not recognize me, but Chenfeng has long heard of your esteemed name."

"That scene of fellow disciple at the Dust Washing Ceremony is still vivid in Chenfeng's mind."

A trace of understanding flashed in Li Lan's eyes. So that was it.

He had indeed been too flamboyant at the ceremony six months ago.

It was inevitable that he would leave a deep impression on others.

If Li Lan hadn't always kept a low profile and maintained a distant relationship with everyone,

he would probably have a large group of followers surrounding him like Tie Niu back then.

Miao Chenfeng returned to his gentle nobleman demeanor.

He smiled slightly and continued:

"Speaking of which, it's fate. Chenfeng was also a participant in this year's Dust Washing Ceremony."

"In fact, if we were to be serious, Chenfeng should call you senior brother."

Hearing this, a hint of suspicion flashed in Li Lan's heart.

Why did this sound faintly like an attempt to curry favor?

He was the descendant of an outer sect elder.

It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that his family was prominent, so why would he need to please him, a mortal who climbed up from the bottom?

This was very wrong.

"I am new to this and lack qualifications. I really can't be called senior brother."

"Fellow cultivator Miao, please don't tease me, or I'm afraid I'll be subjected to family law by my master when I return."

While politely responding, Li Lan pondered the deeper meaning of the other party's actions.

"Haha, the world of cultivation is not like the mortal world. Respect for elders and juniors does not apply here."

"We cultivators have always respected strength. Chenfeng sincerely admires fellow disciple, so I said that."

"Since fellow disciple thinks the title of senior brother sounds too old, then Chenfeng won't call you that."

Miao Chenfeng had grown up in this Qing Shi Alley since childhood.

He had seen many kinds of people, and his verbal skills were already superb.

In a few words, he resolved the awkwardness and followed Li Lan's words, offering a way out.

Immediately afterward, Miao Chenfeng appropriately brought the topic back to the main point.

"I just heard that Fellow Cultivator Li is in urgent need of a batch of spirit paper and spirit ink?"

"If fellow disciple takes a fancy to anything in the shop, just take it and use it."

"Let it be a gift to witness the fate between you and me."

Upon hearing that he was going to give it away for free, Li Lan not only wasn't happy, but instead became more worried.

After all, the cheapest and free things are the most expensive.

"I would never dare to accept such a generous gift."

"Forgive me for being straightforward, but if Fellow Cultivator Miao has something to say, please say it directly."

Li Lan made a Daoist greeting and retreated to the door of the shop.

He had already prepared to change to another shop if necessary.

Anyway, the spirit paper and spirit ink with short years were mass-produced goods, and he could buy them anywhere.

"Fellow Cultivator Li, please don't be angry."

"Chenfeng has no plans for you, just simply admires you very much and wants to make friends with you…"

Before he could finish speaking,

seeing that Li Lan was really about to leave, Miao Chenfeng didn't care about his noble young master demeanor.

He quickly stepped forward to stop him and sighed helplessly:

"Alright, Fellow Cultivator Li is quick to speak, then I won't beat around the bush."

"Although my father is an outer sect elder, he has many enemies both openly and secretly."

"Chenfeng's cultivation is still shallow and his foundation is weak. My father is afraid that something might happen to me, so he specifically told me to make good connections when I'm out."

"Fellow Cultivator Li cultivates four attributes at the same time, and is still able to achieve something. Your determination is truly admirable."

"I really want to be your friend, so I wanted to help fellow disciple solve your problems."

"If fellow disciple doesn't want it, then just don't accept it."

Miao Chenfeng's words were exceptionally frank and sincere, making people subconsciously willing to believe him.

On this point, he wasn't lying.

It was just that he only told half the truth.

It was true that Elder Miao of the Spirit Plant Peak told him to make good connections, and it was also true that he specifically instructed him to pay special attention to Li Lan.

The reason was none other than that Elder Miao had the same idea as Elder Jian Chen.

He wanted to fully exploit the remaining value of Li Lan's cultivation of the incomplete technique and use him to ensure the safety of his son before the fourth level of Qi Refining.