Raise a sword!

The boy's name was Ma Ling'er, and as his name suggests, he was a clever and quick-witted person.

After receiving the spirit stone from Jiang Peng, Ma Ling'er immediately followed Jiang Peng respectfully to his side.

"Senior, are you planning to stay in the market for a long time?"

"How did you figure that out?"

Ma Ling'er just smiled foolishly and didn't explain.

You can't exactly say that someone who doesn't have the Cangshan Sect's badge, is new to the market, and whose clothes don't look noble, is obviously a rogue cultivator with no background.

For independent cultivators, Cangshan Market is already a rare and desirable place.

"Hehe, if you want to stay in the market for a long time, you'll have to rent a house, otherwise you'll be kicked out of the market by the patrol team as soon as night falls if you don't have a celestial residence certificate."

Ma Ling'er explained the rules for renting a house in the market.

"The houses for rent in the city are all assets of the Cangshan Sect. They are classified into four grades: A, B, C, and D, with rents of 100, 70, 40, and 10 low-grade spirit stones per month, respectively. Payment is due every three months and cannot be delayed."

"The four types of houses correspond to the four levels of spirit-gathering arrays. I can only say that they are worth the price, it all depends on your financial resources."

Jiang Peng thought of the pitiful sixty-four low-grade spirit stones in her storage bag.

No, there are only sixty-three yuan left. One of them was taken by the kid next to me.

"Even the cheapest house costs 10 spirit stones?" Jiang Peng raised an eyebrow slightly. "Then how did you manage to find a place to live in the market?"

"I have a humble abode left by an elder in the market. Although I can't set up a spirit-gathering array, it's still a place to live," Ma Ling'er replied.

Jiang Peng suddenly realized.

So you're a homeowner? My apologies.

"Besides that, there are shantytowns outside the northwest city gate where you can barely find shelter. Of course, the conditions in the shantytowns are extremely poor, and safety cannot be guaranteed, so you naturally don't need them..."

As they were talking, Ma Ling'er led Jiang Peng to a place called Cangshan Pavilion.

"The rented room is at Cangshan Pavilion. All the official business in the market is handled here by the disciples of the Cangshan Sect," Ma Ling'er pointed out, adding that everyone here has connections.

Jiang Peng understood.

View the property, sign the contract, and pay the money.

The whole process took less than half an hour, and Jiang Peng rented a Class D residence in the market.

The house is not large, and once you enter, it is divided into a front yard and a back yard.

The Spirit Gathering Array was even more powerful than Jiang Peng had imagined.

If the spiritual energy in the marketplace is three to five times greater than that in the ordinary mountains and forests, then the spiritual energy in a Ding-class residence is twice that of the marketplace.

"If I cultivate in this mansion, I will be able to break through to the third level of Qi Refining in another week."

Jiang Peng was very satisfied with the Class D residence, and couldn't help but wonder what the higher-class residences would look like.

But considering the exorbitant price, he had no choice but to abandon the idea for the time being.

...

Over three days, Jiang Peng followed Ma Ling'er and explored the entire market.

From shops specializing in elixirs, talismans, and magical artifacts to gambling dens, brothels, and taverns—places where people squander their money.

Ma Ling'er even gave a clear introduction to the various factions in the city.

The largest building in Cangshan Market is naturally Cangshan Pavilion.

Backed by a sect, Cangshan Pavilion is high and mighty and rarely interferes with the operation of the market. But once Cangshan Pavilion gets involved, then no matter what happens, everyone has to listen to them.

Below Cangshan Pavilion, many other families, large and small, have settled here in the market town.

Most of these families are closely related to the Cangshan Sect. Even if the connection is lost in the present generation, they can still be traced back several generations.

Most of the shops have someone behind them.

Further down, there are also gangs. Although under the control of the Cangshan Sect, most of the gangs only engage in small-scale fighting and dare not cause too much trouble, they still fill the gap in order at the bottom of the Cangshan market.

...

half a month later.

Late at night, in the courtyard of No. 42, Dingzi.

Jiang Peng opened her eyes in the cultivation room and exhaled a breath of stale air.

"I've finally stabilized my Qi Refining Level 3 realm."

Breaking through to the third level of Qi Refining was a natural progression.

However, Jiang Peng wasn't particularly happy.

Because he had just entered a new realm, he could already clearly feel that his cultivation speed had suddenly slowed down.

Even in this environment where the spiritual energy far surpasses that of the past, his cultivation growth has begun to slow down.

"Just as Elder Hao said back then, the boost that the 'White Ape Strength' brought me in the early stages of Qi Refining has come to an end."

Jiang Peng wasn't exactly frustrated, but she had already decided to take things one step at a time.

But then I thought of Mr. Hao.

Jiang Peng had previously sent Ma Ling'er to help him find Hao Lao's daughter, Hao Xue, but half a month has passed and there is still no news.

He was pondering this matter in his heart.

Suddenly, the jade pendant in Jiang Peng's arms made a sound.

That jade plaque is the array-based access control for the residence, equivalent to the key to the main gate.

Jiang Peng left the cultivation room, went to the front yard, opened the gate, and found that Ma Ling'er, whom he had been talking about, was standing outside the door.

"Senior Jiang, I've gotten the information you requested."

Jiang Peng handed over three spirit stones.

After receiving the spirit stone, Ma Ling'er immediately put on a smile.

"The Hao Xue you asked me to inquire about must be the daughter of Hao Qian, the inner disciple of the Cangshan Sect who disappeared several years ago, right?"

Upon hearing this, Jiang Peng's eyes lit up.

When he asked about Hao Xue, he did not mention Hao Qian's name.

The main point is that when talking about Hao Qian, one inevitably has to mention Old Demon Dan. Hao Qian went missing after his mission to exorcise demons went wrong.

If this matter arouses the curiosity of the Cangshan Sect, even if Jiang Peng tells the truth, he will still be in trouble.

Therefore, it would be better to simply hide it.

"Senior Hao Xue is now a spirit plant grower hired by the Song family, and she helps the Song family manage their spirit fields."

"A spiritual plant husband?" Jiang Peng was somewhat surprised.

Old Hao only said that his daughter's aptitude was average, but he never mentioned the matter of Lingzhifu.

"What is Hao Xue's cultivation level?"

"I heard it's the mid-stage of Qi Refining."

Jiang Peng nodded slightly, asked a few more questions, and then sent Ma Ling'er away.

It seems that even without her father's protection, Hao Xue can still make a living in the market, and she seems to be doing quite well.

The Song family is a large and powerful family. Even a newcomer like Jiang Peng, who has just arrived in the market, knows that the Song family has a genius who is a true disciple of the Cangshan Sect.

To become a true disciple of the Cangshan Sect, one must cultivate to the late stage of Qi Refining before the age of forty, and also be favored by a Foundation Establishment elder to be accepted as a disciple.

Although Qi Refining cultivators have a lifespan of 120 years, if they want to establish their foundation, they must reach the ninth level of Qi Refining before the age of 60.

After the age of sixty, a cultivator's vital energy begins to decline. Although it is not entirely impossible to establish a foundation, when a sect distributes foundation-establishing pills, it will definitely give priority to younger cultivators.

Therefore, every single one of those who can become a true disciple of the Cangshan Sect is a standard Foundation Establishment seed.

"With the Song family behind me, I don't need to be presumptuous and bother Hao Xue... She's doing better than me, it's not my place to take care of her."

Hao Xue's matter was an obsession for Jiang Peng.

Now that he knew the other party didn't need his care for the time being, Jiang Peng's mind returned to his own cultivation.

"It's time to put my alchemy skills, which I've been working on for so long, to come in handy."

Jiang Peng estimated her assets.

30 low-grade spirit stones.

Gone.

"There is still a top-grade Tier 1 Puppet Talisman, but unfortunately it's not easy to sell."

The puppet talisman was originally the one used by Dan Laomo. After being refined by Jiang Peng, the high-grade talisman became a top-grade talisman.

However, top-grade talismans are already considered treasures for Qi Refining cultivators.

The origin of this thing is unclear and uncertain; taking action rashly might lead to trouble.