Mortal: Starting by looting Han Laomo's entire herb garden

Lu Yan returned to Tianxing City and cultivated with Yuan Yao and Yan Li for a few days before going to find Han Li.

Han Li's cave was tightly closed, clearly indicating that he was still in seclusion. Lu Yan left a message note to remind him not to forget the few ancient spiritual herbs he owed him.

The medicinal properties of the ancient spiritual herbs are rich and pure. They are the main ingredient for refining many high-level pills. The older the herbs are, the rarer they become. They are almost extinct on the market.

In the original work, a plant appeared at the auction in Tianyuan City with a starting price of seven million spirit stones. Even though ordinary ten-thousand-year-old spirit herbs are of different varieties, they should still be worth two or three million, right?

He's held a grudge about this for a long time.

Afterwards, Lu Yan went to the Tianxing City teleportation array, and with a flash of white light, he headed to the outer sea.

I heard that Old Master Jin Hua recently went to the outer sea.

-----

The light from the teleportation array gradually faded, and Lu Yan's figure emerged from the center of the array.

He walked out of the formation with his hands behind his back, his gaze sweeping over the cultivators coming and going around him, a slight feeling of emotion washing over him.

The last time I came here, I was still at the Core Formation stage; now, I'm a Nascent Soul cultivator.

Yin Yue spoke in her mind's eye: "Brother Lu, what are you doing in the outer sea? Aren't you going back to Tiannan? Old Ancestor Linghu must be missing you terribly right now."

Lu Yan said calmly, "No rush. He'll be even happier when I return at the late Nascent Soul stage. Let's take care of business first."

"What important matter is it?"

"The Golden Flower Ancestor possesses a Golden Jade Book, which is destined to be mine."

The voice of Celestial Master Tianfu suddenly rang out from the Soul-Nourishing Wood, tinged with shock: "The Golden Jade Book? That's something passed down from the True Immortal Realm! I once saw it in an ancient book. Are you sure there's a piece in this Chaotic Star Sea?"

Lu Yan smiled slightly: "When have I ever done anything without being sure?"

Yinyue asked curiously, "What do you plan to offer him in exchange? Such a precious item as the Golden Jade Book won't be swayed by ordinary things."

Lu Yan smiled faintly: "Trade his life for it."

Silver Moon was taken aback: "What do you mean?"

"If he knows what's good for him and hands over the Golden Jade Book, I'll spare his life," Lu Yan said calmly.

Yinyue and Tianfu fell silent.

After a while, Yin Yue chuckled: "Brother Lu, you're too domineering. But I like it. In this dog-eat-dog world of cultivation, that's how it should be."

The market on Qiyuan Island was far more bustling than Lu Yan had anticipated.

The outer sea is rich in monster resources, attracting a constant stream of monster hunters. The market is filled with the sounds of vendors hawking their wares and haggling over prices. Various monster materials, spiritual herbs, and elixirs are on display, making it as prosperous as Tianxing City.

Lu Yan walked with his hands behind his back on the bluestone street, while Yin Yue muttered in her mind, "This run-down place is quite lively."

His gaze swept over the stalls on both sides, then suddenly stopped. A group of people had gathered not far ahead, and the sounds of arguing could be faintly heard.

As Lu Yan approached, he saw a middle-aged manager dressed in the red robes of the Red Light Sect standing in the middle, with a Foundation Establishment disciple of the Azure Cloud Sect and a rogue cultivator with a pale face in front of him.

The steward frowned, looking at the spiritual herb in the hands of the Biyun Sect disciple, then at the rogue cultivator, and said in a deep voice, "What's going on?"

The disciple of the Azure Cloud Sect raised his head and spoke arrogantly: "I've taken a liking to this Demon-Companion Grass. Thirty spirit stones, and this rogue cultivator refuses to sell it and is arguing with me."

The rogue cultivator said urgently, "Sir, this Demon-Companion Grass was obtained by me through countless brushes with death near the cave of a powerful demon in human form. If that demon hadn't happened to be out at the time, I would never have been able to get it. His offer of thirty pieces is clearly extortion!"

The steward frowned even more, about to speak, when a disciple of the Azure Cloud Sect sneered and whispered in his ear, "My uncle is Elder Gu of the Azure Cloud Sect, a mid-stage Core Formation cultivator. Steward, are you really going to offend the Azure Cloud Sect for the sake of a rogue cultivator?"

The steward's expression changed slightly. The Azure Cloud Sect was one of the five major powers on Qiyuan Island, with a Nascent Soul Ancestor in charge.

But he was just a minor manager with no powerful backing. He had offended the Core Formation Elder of the Biyun Sect, and his future days were likely to be difficult.

He sighed and turned to the rogue cultivator, saying, "Fellow Daoist, why don't you just sell it? Thirty spirit stones isn't too little..."

The rogue cultivator's eyes were filled with grief and indignation, his lips trembled, but he could not utter a word of rebuttal.

The onlookers whispered among themselves, but no one dared to step forward.

Just then, a hand reached out from behind the Biyun Sect disciple and casually snatched the storage bag from his waist.

"who!"

The Biyun Sect disciple turned around abruptly, only to be met with a blank face.

A faint pressure from a Nascent Soul cultivator emanated from that person, instantly turning the Biyun Sect disciple's face deathly pale. He swallowed back the angry curses that were on the tip of his tongue, his legs went weak, and he almost knelt down.

Lu Yan didn't look at him. He casually took out a few bottles of pills from his storage bag and tossed them to the rogue cultivator, saying in a calm tone, "I'll buy this Demon-Accompanying Grass. These few bottles of pills are enough for you until the late Foundation Establishment stage."

The rogue cultivator hurriedly caught the bottle, opened the stopper, and took a sniff. His eyes widened instantly; it was full of top-quality Foundation Establishment stage cultivation pills.

He knelt down with a thud, his voice trembling, "Thank you, senior! Thank you, senior!"

The disciples of the Azure Cloud Sect stood there, their faces alternating between pale and flushed.

His storage bag was stolen, and the pills inside were given away, but he didn't dare utter a sound.

He couldn't afford to offend a Nascent Soul cultivator. He could only curse silently in his heart: "Those are my pills... You used my money to buy herbs?"

Yin Yue laughed out loud in her mind: "A dignified Nascent Soul cultivator, stealing the storage bag of a Foundation Establishment junior?"

Lu Yan casually tossed the empty storage bag back to the Biyun Sect disciple and replied indifferently, "You don't understand. In the path of cultivation, one cannot reach a thousand miles without accumulating small steps. Even a mosquito's leg, I will snatch it."

Silver Moon was speechless: "...What kind of 'step-by-step' is this?"

The disciple of the Azure Cloud Sect received the empty storage bag, feeling utterly dejected, but could only sheepishly bow and take his leave: "Senior...this junior takes his leave."

After saying that, he ran away without looking back.

The manager of the Red Light Gate finally came to his senses and hurriedly stepped forward to bow, beads of sweat appearing on his forehead: "This junior was unaware of your arrival, senior, and has failed to greet you properly. Please forgive me."

Lu Yan put away the demon-accompanying grass, glanced at the steward, and casually asked, "Are you from the Red Light Sect?"

The steward bowed immediately, his attitude even more respectful than before: "Yes, yes, yes, this junior is the outer gate steward of the Red Light Gate, responsible for maintaining order in the market. It is truly an honor to meet you today, senior."

"Is Elder Jinxia of your esteemed family present?"

"Yes, yes, yes." The steward nodded repeatedly. "Elder Jinxia is currently handling some business at a base in Blackstone City, not far from here. If you wish to see her, I will lead the way."

Lu Yan hummed in agreement. The steward quickly stepped aside to lead the way, walking ahead with a fawning expression, and cautiously struck up a conversation as they went: "Elder Jinxia loves to make friends with fellow Daoists from all directions. Senior, your arrival is perfectly timed."

Lu Yan ignored her and casually asked, "Anything interesting happening out at sea lately?"