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

Time flows like water, passing by quietly.

Another month has passed in the blink of an eye. The willows by Half Moon Lake have turned from tender green to deep emerald, the carp in the lake have grown fatter, and the clucking of the spirit chickens can be heard every morning, making Qingtian want to climb over the wall and pluck all their feathers.

Chen Qing stood on the blue stone by the lake, his aura calm and his spiritual power restrained, a stark contrast to a month ago.

Half a month ago, he successfully broke through the seventh level of Qi Refining and entered the late stage of Qi Refining.

A 22-year-old at the seventh level of Qi Refining.

Although this speed cannot compare to Xiao Chunu, who is at the eighth level of Qi Refining at the age of twenty, it is already considered outstanding among her peers in the Lingyun Sect.

Fortunately, he had the "Hidden Spirit Technique" with him, which allowed him to suppress his aura at the peak of the fifth level of Qi Refining. To outsiders, he was just an ordinary disciple with decent aptitude and fairly diligent cultivation.

"call--"

Chen Qing opened his eyes and exhaled a breath of stale air.

For the past month, he has been consolidating his cultivation level while waiting for replies to the three letters.

Qian Youfu's reply arrived seven days ago, and its content was almost identical to what Xu Gui had said—either you have a powerful background, or you're dead there, otherwise it would be difficult to transfer you ahead of time.

However, Qian Youfu did manage to find out some information.

He has a senior brother who is at the tenth level of Qi Refining and works in the sect's mission hall, responsible for the paperwork of appointing low-level disciples. He is currently preparing for Foundation Establishment and urgently needs spirit stones. He has secretly set a price of two thousand spirit stones and can help him change locations.

Two thousand spirit stones.

Chen Qing shook his head at that moment.

After deducting expenses, he only has two or three hundred spirit stones left at the end of the year. He simply doesn't have the means to earn two thousand spirit stones.

And this may not be reliable.

However, after thinking about it, Chen Qing decided to keep it as a backup plan. If absolutely necessary, he would have to temporarily stop spending money on pills and find a safer cultivation environment.

As for Zhou Ruoqing and Shen Tu Yu, there has been no response so far.

Chen Qing guessed that the two must have entered a secret realm.

The opening time of secret realms is uncertain. Some are as short as a few months, while others, like the Lingyuan Secret Realm, have been open for as long as ten years. The two of them are probably still in some secret realm and haven't come out yet.

"It's better to rely on yourself than on others."

Chen Qing muttered to himself, his gaze fixed on the eastern horizon.

Since we can't leave for the time being, we can only try to strengthen ourselves. We need flying artifacts, attack methods, and life-saving trump cards. We can't do without any of them.

Coincidentally, he learned some news from Qin Yun in Mingyuan County—

There are several black markets in Jueyuan County.

Although it's called a black market, it's actually a trading point that spontaneously formed in the gaps between three areas.

The Lingyun Sect, the Blood Soul Sect, and the Water Moon Immortal Sect—these three sects intertwine here, and none of them can control the others. Over time, it has become a lawless place where all sorts of shady dealings circulate.

One of them is not far from Jueyuan County City. It opens on the fifth day of each month and is frequented mostly by independent cultivators and sect disciples who do not want to reveal their identities.

Three days later will be the fifth day of the month.

……

Three days later.

Jueyuan County, Dark Moon Valley.

Chen Qing stood on a secluded cliff at the mouth of the valley, gazing at the deep valley below.

He changed into a black Taoist robe, wore an ordinary wooden mask on his face, revealing only his eyes, replaced the old storage bag at his waist, and put the spirit beast bag into his bosom. There was nothing on his body that could identify his identity.

"It should be fine."

Chen Qing lowered his voice, coughed twice, tested his voice to make sure it was completely different from his usual way of speaking, and then displayed his cultivation at the sixth level of Qi Refining before stepping into the valley.

The valley widened as he walked, and after rounding a mountain pass, a small flat area came into view, with dozens of stalls scattered around. Most of the stall owners, like him, wore black robes and masks, while only a few made no attempt to conceal their true faces.

But the aura of those people was so strong that it made Chen Qing's heart skip a beat.

"Eighth level of Qi Refining... Ninth level of Qi Refining... That one has actually reached the Qi Refining Perfection stage..."

Chen Qing glanced over, then subtly looked away.

Because of the secret realm, it is rare to see late-stage Qi Refining cultivators in Lin Yuan County on ordinary days. Unexpectedly, he saw as many as seven or eight of them in this small black market.

Chen Qing was alert and dared not look too much, so he lowered his head and wandered around the stalls.

The stalls displayed a wide variety of items: pills, talismans, magical artifacts, spiritual materials, and even a few jade bottles labeled with the words "Foundation Building Pill." However, Chen Qing only glanced at them before looking away.

That kind of thing is obviously fake.

After looking around, Chen Qing frowned slightly, not seeing a single flying artifact on the stalls in the black market.

"It seems the really good stuff isn't found at these street stalls."

Chen Qing's gaze swept across the depths of the valley, where there was a row of stone houses, much more orderly than the street stalls outside. Each stone house had a plaque hanging in front of it, clearly indicating that they were permanent shops.

Anyone who can open a shop in this lawless area must have powerful backers.

After pondering for a moment, Chen Qing walked towards the row of stone houses. When he reached the third stone house, he stopped. He saw that the plaque had three large characters, "Qi Bao Zhai," written in a vigorous style with a faint spiritual light flowing through it, clearly the work of a high-level cultivator.

Chen Qing glanced around before stepping inside.

The shop is simply furnished, with a few magical artifacts scattered on a few wooden shelves. They all have a restrained spiritual aura and are of good quality.

Behind the counter sat a middle-aged man with an ordinary face and a slightly overweight build. He looked like a friendly and prosperous businessman, but the aura he exuded caught Chen Qing's attention.

Nine layers of Qi refinement.

"What would you like to buy, sir?" The middle-aged man stood up and greeted him with a smile. His gaze swept over Chen Qing, not caring that he was covered up. "Although the shop is small, it has a full range of items. We have magic tools, pills, spiritual materials, and array formations. Please feel free to look around."

Chen Qing lowered his voice, his tone hoarse: "A flying artifact, do you have one?"

A glint of shrewdness flashed in the middle-aged man's eyes, and his smile deepened: "Yes, please follow me, guest."

As he spoke, he turned and walked into the inner room. Chen Qing looked around and then followed him.

The inner room was a small, secret chamber with simple soundproofing arrays carved on the four walls. The middle-aged man walked to the stone table in the center, took out three items, and placed them one by one.

"This is called the 'Silver Light Sword,' a mid-grade first-tier flying magic weapon. It is made of century-old cold iron and the feathers of a wind-attribute spirit bird. It can be used for both flight and attack. Its speed is decent, making it suitable for mid-stage Qi Refining cultivators."

The middle-aged man pointed to the first item, then to the second, "This one is called 'Wind and Thunder Wings,' a first-grade superior item, made from the feathers of a second-grade thunder eagle. It can carry one person and is 40% faster than the Silver Light Sword, but it consumes more spiritual energy."

Chen Qing's gaze fell on the third item.

It was shaped like a small boat, entirely green, about a foot long, with faint wind patterns flowing on its hull, its spiritual light restrained, making it look quite extraordinary.

Seeing Chen Qing's gaze fall on the Leaf Boat, the middle-aged man smiled and said, "Guest, you have a good eye. This 'Azure Leaf Boat' is a top-grade first-class vessel, crafted from two-hundred-year-old Azure Spirit Wood and the feathers of a second-class wind-attribute spirit bird. It can carry two people, and when fully activated, its speed is comparable to that of a Qi Refining Perfection cultivator flying at full speed. It is extremely fast, yet consumes little spiritual energy, making it convenient for carrying both people and goods."

"How many spirit stones does this Green Leaf Boat cost?" Chen Qing asked directly.

The middle-aged man held up six fingers: "Silver Light Sword, 260 spirit stones; Wind and Thunder Wings, 470 spirit stones; Green Leaf Boat... 600 spirit stones."

Chen Qing was making plans in his mind.

The Silver Light Sword and Wind and Thunder Wings are reasonably priced flying magical artifacts, while the Azure Leaf Boat costs 600 spirit stones, which is more than 50% more expensive than the Silver Scale Soft Armor he is wearing. However, its speed is comparable to that of a Qi Refining Perfection cultivator, so the cost-effectiveness is completely different.

That year, he earned over 1,700 spirit stones from selling blue carp and spirit sheep chickens. Although he bought Gathering Profound Pills, Blazing Essence Pills, and a lot of talismans, with the items in Yang Ming's storage bag, the profits he made from collecting taxes, and the wealth he received from the cultivator a month ago, he now has over 900 spirit stones on him.

Six hundred spirit stones, I can afford it.

But Chen Qing didn't rush to take out money. Instead, he looked up at the middle-aged man and asked, "Fellow Daoist, do you buy things here?"

A smile appeared on the middle-aged man's face, as if he had been waiting for these words: "I'll take it, but the price will be 30% lower than outside. That's the rule of the black market, you should know that."