I tamed beasts and achieved immortality in the world of cultivation.

Yunzhou Market is located about seventy miles west of Yunzhou City, nestled among a range of mountains.

Chen Qing and Xiao Chunan rode their horses to the foot of the mountain. They saw that the clouds and mist ahead were vast and white, covering the entire mountain range. The distance was only a few feet, and there was no trace of any market or market.

Xiao Chunan pulled on the reins and looked around: "Is this the place?"

"It should be." Chen Qing dismounted, extended his spiritual sense, and carefully sensed the clouds for a moment. The corners of his mouth turned up slightly. "There is an array, but it is the simplest maze array, specifically designed to block mortals."

As he spoke, he took out the sect token from his storage bag, infused it with spiritual power, and a beam of azure light shone from the token, shooting into the clouds.

A moment later, the clouds and mist slowly rolled to both sides, revealing a mountain path about ten feet wide, paved with bluestone, winding its way into the depths of the mountains.

The two men led their horses in, and after traveling no more than a mile, the view ahead suddenly opened up.

Nestled in the mountain valley, a cluster of buildings was constructed along the mountainside, layer upon layer, arranged in a harmonious and orderly fashion. Pavilions, terraces, and flying eaves and brackets appeared and disappeared in the clouds and mist, making it look like a fairyland from afar.

Various banners fluttered in the wind, shimmering with light, and intertwined with the mountain mist, adding a touch of ethereal beauty.

"That's more like it," Xiao Chunan praised.

Chen Qing nodded.

The two rode their horses to the entrance of the market, dismounted, put the dragon-scaled horse into their spirit beast pouch, straightened their clothes, and stepped inside.

The streets were bustling with people, mostly rogue cultivators. Their auras were mixed and impure, with most being early-stage Qi Refining cultivators. Occasionally, you could see a few mid-stage Qi Refining cultivators, all with dark complexions and covered in dust, clearly living a life of hardship and danger.

As soon as Chen Qing and Xiao Chunan stepped into the market, they attracted a lot of attention.

The two men, dressed in the blue robes of the Lingyun Sect and with tokens hanging from their waists, exuded a calm and composed aura. They stood out like cranes among chickens in this market, making it difficult for them to go unnoticed.

"A disciple of the Lingyun Sect."

"He looks young, but his cultivation level is quite high; he's probably already at the fifth or sixth level of Qi Refining."

"Nonsense, how can disciples of major sects compare to us rogue cultivators?"

Whispers came from all directions, tinged with envy and awe.

Chen Qing remained calm and unconcerned, while Xiao Chunan kept his eyes straight ahead, the long sword at his waist swaying gently with his steps, exuding a sharp aura.

The two crossed the main street and arrived at a magnificent three-story palace in the center of the town.

Lingyun Pavilion.

The palace doors swung open, and the two stepped inside.

There were already seven or eight people seated in the main hall, all dressed in the robes of Lingyun Sect disciples. Some were resting with their eyes closed, while others were talking in hushed tones. When they saw the two enter, they all looked up and sized them up.

It was Chen Qing and Xiao Chunan's first time visiting Yunzhou Market. They nodded slightly and found two adjacent seats to sit down.

Time passed slowly.

People gradually entered from outside the door, some alone, some in twos and threes, and each found a place to sit down. The atmosphere inside the hall gradually became lively. Several familiar disciples talked in hushed tones, and occasionally a few soft laughs could be heard.

When the sun reached its zenith, all eighteen disciples guarding the three prefectures and eighteen counties had arrived.

Chen Qing observed the surroundings discreetly.

The lowest cultivation level was the fifth level of Qi Refining, and there were only three of them, including him; the highest was a young man sitting at the front, with a white face and no beard, his eyes slightly closed, and his aura was calm and solid, clearly already at the eighth level of Qi Refining.

The rest of the people were mostly at the sixth or seventh level of Qi Refining.

Chen Qing secretly pondered: "Just as Fatty Qian said, the people who come to this remote garrison mission are not very good. Only those at the fifth level of Qi Refining can be at the bottom. It's not too bad."

Just then, footsteps came from behind the hall.

A man in his thirties emerged from behind the screen. He was also dressed in a blue Taoist robe, with an ordinary face and a faint smile on his lips. However, his cultivation level was genuinely at the tenth level of Qi Refining, just one step away from Foundation Establishment.

He walked to the long table, looked around, cupped his hands and smiled, "Fellow junior brothers, my name is Meng Xingzhou, and I am here to preside over this meeting on the orders of Uncle Zhang. Uncle Zhang's cultivation has recently improved, and he is currently in seclusion to break through to the late stage of Foundation Establishment. He is really unable to get away, and I hope you junior brothers will understand."

Upon hearing this, everyone returned the greeting with clasped hands, saying polite things like "Congratulations, Uncle Zhang," but what they were really thinking was anyone's guess.

Meng Xingzhou waved his hand, signaling everyone to be quiet, and said seriously, "Alright, enough with the formalities, let's get down to business. As is customary, fellow disciples, please take turns reporting on the situation in your respective prefectures over the past year, including spirit taxes, spirit veins, cultivation families, and independent cultivator forces, no matter how small the matter is, please report it all."

As soon as he finished speaking, the young man at the eighth level of Qi Refining, sitting in the front row, spoke first, his voice unhurried: "In Chiyan County, the spirit tax is 220 spirit stones. The spiritual veins are stable, and the three cultivation families within the territory are operating normally with no abnormalities."

He spoke succinctly, and Meng Xingzhou nodded without asking any further questions.

Next, everyone reported in turn, and they were all similar, nothing more than the usual stuff about the stability of the spiritual veins, the obedience of their families, and the honesty of the rogue cultivators. Occasionally someone would say a few more words, but they were all trivial matters.

When it was Xiao Chunan's turn, he stood up, cupped his hands, and said, "Zhenyuan County, the spirit tax is 350 spirit stones, and the spirit vein is stable. There were originally four cultivation families in the county, but now only three remain. The Huang family in the north was robbed by unidentified cultivators six days ago. Their spirit vein was destroyed, all the cultivators in the family were killed, and the spirit tax was also stolen. The matter has been reported to the sect."

Upon hearing this, the hall immediately fell silent.

The disciples exchanged glances, their expressions becoming more serious.

Meng Xingzhou frowned slightly and said in a deep voice, "I already know about this matter. Before Uncle Zhang went into seclusion, he instructed me to go with you to Zhenyuan County after the meeting to investigate."

Xiao Chunan nodded and sat down.

Chen Qing then stood up and gave a brief report on the situation in Lin Yuan County: "Lin Yuan County has a spirit tax of 240 spirit stones. The spirit veins are stable. The Lin and Yang families within the county are behaving themselves and there are no abnormalities. There is another matter: there have been occasional raiders appearing within the county, but they have not caused any major damage. I have increased patrols."

Meng Xingzhou nodded without asking any further questions.

After all eighteen people had finished reporting, Meng Xingzhou closed the booklet, his gaze sweeping over everyone's faces. Suddenly, he smiled and said, "Interesting. This year, the spirit tax in two counties is more than 40% higher than in previous years."

He looked at Chen Qing and Xiao Chunan: "Junior Brother Chen, Junior Brother Xiao, it seems you two have done quite well this year."

Chen Qing's heart stirred slightly, but his face remained expressionless. He cupped his hands and said, "Senior Brother Meng, you flatter me. It's just that the weather in the prefecture has been favorable, and the cultivation families have had a better harvest."

Xiao Chunan echoed this sentiment.

Meng Xingzhou smiled and didn't press the matter.

The disciples nearby exchanged knowing glances, their eyes darting around.

Chen Qing and Xiao Chunan exchanged a glance, and the same thought popped into their minds at the same time—it seems that they haven't quite grasped the appropriate amount of "leaving oil" in this matter.

Meng Xingzhou said no more. After counting the spirit tax and putting it into his storage bag, he clapped his hands and said with a smile, "The business is done. Now, as usual, fellow disciples, if you need anything, or if you are looking for anything good, magic tools, spells, pills, spiritual materials, talismans, anything you can bring out, feel free to bring it out and take what you need."

As soon as he finished speaking, the atmosphere in the hall immediately became lively.

Several disciples took out all sorts of items from their storage bags, their spiritual light shimmering, creating a dazzling array that made for a lively scene.

[New book recommendation period, please vote, fellow readers!]