Mortal: My name is Ma Liang, and I also possess a magic brush.

Ma Liang arrived at Huangfeng Valley Market and, relying on his memory, found his way to Wanbaolou.

He gazed at the gilded plaque above the door and suddenly recalled the noisy scene from the animation.

"The manager of Wanbaolou is quite a remarkable person."

Ma Liang made no attempt to conceal his identity and strode confidently into Wanbaolou.

The store's shelves are lined up one after another, with elixirs, ritual implements, and talismans displayed in a staggered manner.

The shopkeeper was wiping a jade box with his head down when he heard footsteps. He immediately looked up and saw a young man dressed in the robes of a Yellow Maple Valley disciple. A glint of shrewdness flashed in his eyes, and he immediately put down the jade box and greeted him with a smile.

"Please come in, young friend! May I ask your name?"

"Ma Liang," Ma Liang replied readily.

"Oh, Fellow Daoist Ma!" The shopkeeper immediately changed his address, rubbing his hands together to lead him inside. "Just tell me what you want. My Wanbao Pavilion has everything. Whether it's medicinal herbs for alchemy, magical artifacts for self-defense, or protective talismans, I guarantee I can satisfy Fellow Daoist Ma's needs!"

Ma Liang didn't stand on ceremony at all, "In that case, let's take them all out and have a look."

The shopkeeper's smile froze for a moment upon hearing this. He had seen many well-behaved cultivators, but it was rare to see one who directly wanted to "see everything."

"Of course, of course, Fellow Daoist Ma, please come in! Let's enjoy this in the private room. I'll bring out all my most treasured possessions right away!"

Having said that, he led Ma Liang toward the inner hall's elegant room.

Upon entering the elegant room, Ma Liang took the seat of honor.

The maid quickly brought over a cup of fragrant tea.

He took the teacup, took two sips, and placed it on the table, his gaze already fixed on the shopkeeper.

The shopkeeper immediately took out a long spear magic weapon from his storage bag. The spear body gleamed with a cold silver light, and spiritual power flowed around the spear tip.

"Fellow Daoist Ma, this is a top-grade magic weapon. Take a look at its quality." He handed the spear to Ma Liangmian.

Ma Liang reached out and grasped the spear shaft, sensing the spiritual energy fluctuations of the magical artifact. After a moment, he said calmly, "Anything else?"

The shopkeeper didn't mind, and with a smile, he put the spear aside and brought over a sword-shaped magic weapon. The sword was long and narrow, covered with a layer of blue light, and it was clear at a glance that it was no ordinary item.

Ma Liang stroked it for a moment, his tone unchanged: "Is there anything else?"

"Yes, yes, yes!" The shopkeeper's smile deepened, and he took out another antique wooden box and opened it.

The box was lined with soft cushions, and inside lay a needle-shaped magical artifact as thin as a hair, small yet exuding a sharp edge.

Ma Liang lightly touched the needle with his finger, nodded, and asked again, "Any more?"

In this way, Ma Liang examined dozens of magical artifacts, dozens of talismans, and even dozens of different types of elixirs.

He tried everything – spears and short blades, offensive and defensive talismans, and qi-replenishing pills – but found none to his satisfaction.

The shopkeeper's smile vanished.

He had been busy moving things for almost half an hour, and his hands were aching, but the young man remained calm and collected, neither asking about prices nor making any selections, as if he was there to sample things for free!

"What exactly do these Yellow Maple Valley disciples mean? Are they too picky, or are they just here to make fun of people?"

Finally, seeing Ma Liang put down another bottle of "Mind-Concentrating Pills", the shopkeeper could no longer contain himself and forced himself to suppress his impatience.

"Fellow Daoist Ma, among these treasures, did any of them catch your eye?"

Ma Liang rubbed his hands together. "Yes."

Upon hearing this, the shopkeeper's impatience vanished instantly.

"Oh? Which one has caught your eye, Fellow Daoist Ma?"

Ma Liang pointed to an inconspicuous elixir bottle in the pile of pills.

How many of these Soul-Nourishing Pills do you have here?

So after spending so much time choosing, all you've got your eye on is this Soul Nourishing Pill?

But there's no reason to refuse business when it comes to him, so he immediately composed himself.

"These Soul Nourishing Pills are in very short supply, and our establishment only has fifty in stock. How many do you want?"

"Shopkeeper, how much is one Soul Nourishing Pill?" Ma Liang picked up the bottle of Soul Nourishing Pills and rubbed his fingers against the bottle.

"Not expensive at all! The market price is eighty spirit stones per stone, no deception!"

Without wasting any words, Ma Liang took out the storage bag given to him by Xiang Zhili and threw it on the table.

"Okay, I'll take all fifty of them."

The shopkeeper was both surprised and delighted. This Soul Nourishing Pill was always a rare commodity, and only people with injured souls would buy one or two pills here and there. Today, he had actually encountered a big customer who was willing to buy it all!

The shopkeeper immediately took out four more pill bottles from his storage bag and pushed them in front of Ma Liangmian.

"Fellow Daoist Ma, fifty pills, not one less!"

Ma Liang nodded, and with a flick of his finger, four thousand spirit stones flew out of his storage bag and were stacked on the table.

After finishing his inventory, the shopkeeper's smile widened, and he tentatively asked, "Fellow Daoist Ma, besides these Soul Nourishing Pills, we have many other good items in the shop. Would you like to take a look?"

"No need," Ma Liang waved his hand, then changed the subject, "However, I would like to ask the shopkeeper something: besides the Soul Nourishing Pill, do you know of any other pills that can nourish and strengthen the soul?"

"Yes, there is! However, this pill is prepared for Foundation Establishment cultivators. If you take it at your current level, it will probably waste a lot of its medicinal properties."

"No problem, please speak freely, shopkeeper." Ma Liang gestured for him to continue.

"This pill is called the Soul-Condensing Jade Marrow Pill! It can not only nourish the soul, but its nourishing effect is several times stronger than that of the Soul-Nourishing Pill. It can also directly strengthen the origin of the soul and make the divine sense more refined! It's just a pity that its core medicinal materials are rare, much rarer than those of the Soul-Nourishing Pill, so the price is naturally much higher."

A hint of curiosity flashed in Ma Liang's eyes. "Shopkeeper, does your establishment carry Soul-Gathering Jade Marrow Pills? How much is one pill per spirit stone?"

The shopkeeper flipped his wrist and took out a carved jade bottle from his storage bag, handing it over.

"To be honest, Fellow Daoist Ma, this pill is extremely rare. Our shop only has five in stock, and each one costs five hundred low-grade spirit stones."

Ma Liang took the jade bottle, and the moment he uncorked it, a clear and mellow medicinal fragrance rushed into his nostrils.

With a flick of his fingertips, a wisp of spiritual energy lifted a pearl as white as jade, which he examined closely in his hand.

Just as the shopkeeper was about to begin his introduction, Ma Liang decisively put the pill into his mouth.

"Hey! Fellow Daoist Ma!" The shopkeeper panicked and reached out to stop him, but it was too late. The pill rolled down his throat and went straight into his stomach.

The pill dissolved instantly upon entering the stomach, and a cool sensation spread throughout the body, flowing along the meridians and finally converging in the sea of ​​consciousness.

The sea of ​​consciousness, which had been aching slightly due to the depletion of his soul, was instantly refreshed and cleared by the cooling sensation of the pill.

As this comfortable feeling spread throughout his body, Ma Liang couldn't help but let out a long sigh, a satisfied groan escaping his throat.

"Cool!"

He immediately closed his eyes and focused his mind, looking inward into his sea of ​​consciousness. The divine brush that accompanied him floated quietly, and its original golden light even shone a little brighter.

After a moment of careful observation, Ma Liang was secretly alarmed.

"Good heavens! The effects of this Soul-Gathering Jade Marrow Pill are several times stronger than those of the Soul-Nourishing Pill! Just this one pill can nourish the soul for nearly ten days, it's truly excellent value for money."

Ma Liang was still immersed in the pleasant sensation in his sea of ​​consciousness when, in the next moment, the medicinal power of the Soul-Condensing Jade Marrow Pill suddenly erupted.

A surge of immense spiritual power exploded in his sea of ​​consciousness, causing his soul to swell violently!

"what!"

A heart-wrenching scream escaped his lips, and Ma Liang fell directly from his seat to the ground.

The shopkeeper was terrified at the sight and hurriedly stepped forward.

"Hey, Fellow Daoist Ma! I told you you shouldn't eat things like that! How could a Qi Refining cultivator like you possibly digest the medicinal power of a Foundation Establishment stage pill! Quickly let the effects dissipate, don't try to tough it out!"

Ma Liang gritted his teeth, cold sweat streaming down his face.

"Shopkeeper, do you have a secluded meditation chamber?"

The shopkeeper's expression immediately darkened: "Fellow Daoist Ma, don't be foolish! Forcibly absorbing this excess medicinal power will cause your soul to burst!"

"Do you have it? Tell me where it is!" Ma Liang suddenly raised his voice and roared, interrupting him.

The innkeeper, startled by his shout, dared not offer any further advice. He pointed to an inconspicuous side door on the west side of the private room: "That room! That room is the secluded training room!"

Ma Liang didn't have time to thank them. He struggled to his feet and staggered towards the house.

As he passed the bookshelf in the corner, he saw several scrolls stacked on it. Remembering that he couldn't always paint on his clothes with his magic brush, he immediately reached out, pulled out a scroll, gripped it in his hand, kicked open the door to the seclusion room, slipped inside, and slammed the door shut with a "bang."