Cultivating immortality begins with formations.

They were originally a five-person demon-hunting team, sometimes acting as thieves. Two of them were killed last night, and they were lying in wait near the apothecary's residence, planning to retaliate by kidnapping him again late at night.

However, they discovered Lu Yuan, a big fish, and immediately changed their target.

The three of them were extremely excited as they followed the trail to this place.

Living in the heart of the market area, owning only four floors of Lianqi, and frequently visiting Cui Xuan Bao Zhai, is practically the epitome of someone who is foolish and rich.

However, Lu Yuan did not stop along the way, and even when he took detours, he did not take side roads. Moreover, the sun was shining brightly, so there was no chance to make a move.

"Take action my ass!"

"The law enforcement team patrols this area the most frequently. If any trouble is caused, none of us will escape."

The cultivator, whom the two called "boss," was clearly experienced and whispered a command.

"No one is allowed to make a move without my order. Second brother, you stay here and notify us immediately if he leaves the house."

One of the cultivators replied, "Boss, maybe we should just forget about it. Won't we suffer retribution for doing this?"

"Get lost."

"Now that we can't go to the Jiuling Mountains, what else can we do?"

After giving a few more instructions, the other two cultivators hurriedly left.

The cultivator known as the second-in-command was obedient and did not act rashly. He stood guard outside Lu Yuan's house for five days.

"That's his mother's."

"You haven't left the house for five whole days! What have you been doing? Don't you need to work to earn spirit stones?!"

Actually.

Lu Yuan hadn't been idle for the past five days either, and had engraved another set of Five Elements Mystery Array Plates.

He originally intended to continue his efforts and continue engraving array plates.

But then I thought about it again.

After becoming a guest of the Hundred Treasures Pavilion, I haven't visited it at all, which seems a bit inappropriate and makes me feel uneasy.

After all, the place we're staying in now was provided by the other party.

And most importantly, today Baibaoge is distributing its monthly allowance.

Lu Yuan changed his clothes, locked the door, and headed towards the Treasure Pavilion.

He also happened to arrive at mealtime.

After receiving their monthly allowance, Lu Yuan and Manager Luo sat down in a private room, where three small dishes and a pot of fine wine were laid out on the table.

Looking at the exquisite dishes on the table, Lu Yuan's appetite was whetted, but he suppressed his foodie nature and drank with Manager Luo.

After a few drinks, they started talking.

"Brother, I'm several decades older than you. I hope you don't mind if I call you Xiao Lu."

Manager Luo put down his empty wine glass and poured himself another one.

Upon hearing this, Lu Yuan raised his wine glass and smiled, "Of course I don't mind. Manager Luo is the manager of the Hundred Treasures Pavilion and comes from the Glazed Tile Sect. If the environment were different, I should address you as a senior."

"I don't like to talk big, just call me Lao Luo."

Manager Luo waved his hand, then said, "How could you know that although I seem to be in a prestigious position, I am actually a nobody in the Glazed Tile Sect."

"Regarding the longevity pill you mentioned earlier, although I tried my best to obtain it, the higher-ups were adamant about not giving in, and there was nothing I could do about it, brother."

"I see."

Lu Yuan nodded, drank the wine in his cup to the brim, and looked deep into the distance.

He was well aware of his situation; he was merely a high-level employee hired by Baibaoge.

It is normal for Baibaoge to react this way before it has shown its greater value.

But from here.

Lu Yuan was also aware that the other array formations and diagrams that Manager Luo had mentioned when he recruited him were probably unlikely to be fulfilled.

"But I also have some good news to tell you."

Manager Luo circulated his spiritual power to dispel the smell of alcohol, and his eyes regained some clarity: "It won't be long before the Qi Gathering Array is in short supply. You should prepare more now, and you should be able to earn a lot of spirit stones."

Lu Yuan asked in confusion, "Why is that?"

"If the problem of the Yinluo Palace cultivators within the Nine Ridges Mountains can be resolved smoothly."

"The layout of Jiuling Market will change immediately, and it will be divided into an inner city and an outer city. Both the market's defensive formation and the market's second-tier Qi gathering formation will be based on the inner city."

"Therefore, whether in the outer city or in the scattered cultivator shantytowns outside the market, the concentration of spiritual energy has dropped significantly, which will naturally boost the sales of Qi Gathering Arrays and Qi Condensation Pills."

Lu Yuan heard this.

He couldn't help but think to himself, "Isn't this going to cut off the lifeline of the independent cultivators in the market?"

He asked himself if he had any compassion for humanity.

However, upon hearing this news, my first reaction was to express my concern for the living conditions of independent cultivators.

After all, he also came from a background of independent cultivation.

"Is it... what the higher-ups want?" Lu Yuan asked in a low voice.

"Um."

Manager Luo continued, "I suppose Zhu Meng has already told you that the actual power holder in the market is the Azure Lotus Sword Sect, and this is the rule they established."

"The Azure Lotus Sword Sect believes..."

"Low-level rogue cultivators shouldn't enjoy such treatment without any effort. Only by working hard to cultivate and earn spirit stones can they deserve better cultivation resources."

Lu Yuan nodded.

He not only understands it, but he is also very familiar with it.

The professional term for this approach is "revitalizing the economy and boosting market activity."

Nowadays, in Jiuling Market, any independent cultivator who comes here with a hundred or so spirit stones can enjoy a second-tier spirit vein and quietly cultivate for decades, even if they live off their savings.

This may be the reason why Jiulingfang Market was able to develop so rapidly.

Lu Yuan believed that even without the Azure Lotus Sword Sect, the Nine Ridge Market would use this tactic in the near future.

However, Lu Yuan quickly snapped out of this inexplicable emotion and began to think about how to take advantage of the prevailing trend to accumulate more spirit stones.

Spirit stones are a good thing.

If longevity pills or array diagrams appear at future auctions, even incomplete array patterns, one would need substantial financial resources to acquire them.

"Better to sacrifice a fellow Daoist than myself..."

"Cultivating immortality is inherently defying the heavens; how can one succeed without being somewhat selfish!"

……

After leaving the Treasure Pavilion, Lu Yuan's storage bag was already filled with materials for the Qi Gathering Array.

He decided to take advantage of this wave of capitalism and amass enough spirit stones in one go.

As Lu Yuan was walking on the main street of the market, he suddenly stopped and frowned.

"An intruder has broken into my home."

The array flags of the Five Elements Mist Array issued a warning to Lu Yuan. He glanced at the teahouse by the roadside and walked in without making a sound.

Sitting by the window on the second floor, I ordered a pot of tea and began to observe my surroundings, intentionally or unintentionally.

soon.

He then spotted two monks traveling along the way, acting suspiciously.

They clearly hadn't expected Lu Yuan to walk into the teahouse. He hesitated at the entrance for a while, but instead of following him in, he went along the main street of the market and blended into the crowd.

"A treacherous cultivator?"

Lu Yuan's eyes flickered slightly as he pondered to himself.

He couldn't observe the intruder's cultivation level or appearance through the formation, but he could sense the intruder's location.

at this time.

The thief who broke into the house went into the two rooms, looked around, and then returned to the courtyard, hiding in a corner.

This is clearly an experienced cultivator.

His current location is one that Lu Yuan could never see with the naked eye when he opened the door to his home.

By the time Lu Yuan entered the courtyard and realized what was happening, the other party's broadsword might already be at his neck.

of course.

All of this is predicated on the absence of the Five Elements Mist Array.

Lu Yuan didn't rush to activate the Five Elements Mist Array. He first needed to confirm how many people the other side had, since it concerned his life and death.

The tea in the pot had cooled down, but Lu Yuan wasn't in a hurry. He ordered another pot and savored it slowly.

It was at this moment.

Using his perception ability through the Five Elements Mist Array, Lu Yuan sensed another person entering the courtyard, standing to the left and right of the previous person.

"Waiting for a rabbit to run into a tree stump..."

Lu Yuan's mind raced as he pondered a way to break the deadlock.

Knowing that the other two were waiting in ambush, there must be another person following behind, ready to surround him in a triangle once he stepped into the courtyard.

"Hey, isn't this the Ma family's triangle killing technique?!"

Lu Yuan wasn't worried about the two people who had already entered the courtyard. As long as he activated the Five Elements Mist Array, they would be trapped like turtles in a jar.

His concern was how to win over the third person.

After all, if you fail and let one person escape, you'll have to worry all the time about whether the other party will seek revenge.

Just as I was thinking this, I saw several men walking downstairs. They all looked fierce and were dressed in the black robes of the law enforcement team...