First achieve immortality, then cultivate immortality.

After paying 10 talisman coins, Xu Mu entered the city discreetly.

This time, no one paid attention to him, and no one conscripted men.

He strolled around the city and immediately saw shops, pavilions, and teahouses catering to cultivators.

These shops were mainly opened by the Qinglan Sect and some surrounding Core Formation level sects; I didn't see any signs for the Guihe Sect or the Tianjian Sect.

That makes sense, since this is Qinglan Sect's territory, there's no reason for them to come and steal the market.

"The businessman recommended by Lu Yiming is..."

Xu Mu searched from day to night, found an inn to rest for the night, and finally found a pavilion that matched Lu Yiming's description in an alley in the north of the city the next day.

The attic was small, but it had an antique feel to it. The two large red-lacquered doors were half-open, welcoming guests while obscuring the view inside.

There was no signboard above the door, only long wooden planks hanging on the left and right sides, on which a couplet was inscribed:

Using the sun and moon as a plate and the universe as a price, I dare to sell even a few ounces of a god's bones.

Yin and Yang are bound by contract, life and death are signed, and one can even borrow half an inch of Yama's soul.

Upon seeing the couplet, he knew he had come to the right place.

That's incredibly arrogant.

So he turned and left.

Knowing where it is is enough; he doesn't want to deal with it directly, and will come back when needed later.

For example, he could come here to buy materials for the Golden Saint Pill, but he doesn't have any money right now and hasn't learned the second-stage alchemy technique yet, so there's no rush.

Now he only needs to buy youth-preserving pills and spirit stones; he doesn't need such an awesome place.

……

After leaving "Sun and Moon Pavilion", Xu Mu came to a treasure pavilion that buys and sells second-hand magic treasures. It was opened by a Core Formation level sect called Huode Sect.

Upon reaching the counter, he took out a storage bag, a defensive magic item, and three talismans.

These were all stolen from that man surnamed Cao, to raise money to buy the Youth Preservation Pill.

They eventually sold it for 236 coins, which was slightly higher than the purchase price in Nanlian Valley.

Adding to his original 62 talisman coins and the 10 talisman coins he paid for the city entrance fee, he now has a total of 288 talisman coins.

"It's still a little short." Xu Mu grinned.

He didn't bring any Spirit Gathering Fruits to sell this time, because Spirit Gathering Fruits need to be fresh to be used, otherwise they will lose spiritual energy and rot, so he had to find another way to make money.

The Youth Preservation Pills here are also 180 talisman coins each, and two pills would cost 360 talisman coins. We are still 72 talisman coins short.

Counting the time, it has been two years and eight months since the two sisters last took the anti-aging pills.

It seems like there are still two years left, but it would take at least five months to go back, and then planting more medicinal herbs to sell would take even more time, so it's definitely impossible to make it in time.

So when I go home this time, I must bring the Youth Preservation Pill, otherwise the medicine won't be able to continue its effects.

Fortunately, there are plenty of opportunities to make money here. If I could steal another storage bag, that would definitely be enough.

After thinking for a moment, Xu Mu looked around and walked towards the large teahouse he had seen earlier.

The teahouse is located in the center of the crossroads and has twelve stone pillars. Each pillar is carved with a toad at the bottom, making it look as if twelve toads are carrying the teahouse.

The teahouse was frequented by cultivators, making it a place for them to exchange ideas.

When Xu Mu stepped over the threshold and entered, he saw that the spacious hall was bustling with activity, with many cultivators gathered in front of the notice board on the wall to read.

Xu Mu curiously approached and found that most of them were handwritten and pasted together as communication posts.

It looks like a forum, with content including but not limited to complaints, warnings, information on selling rare monsters, secret realm treasures, and precious spiritual medicines, as well as team invitations.

A two-headed wolf has recently been spotted. Those interested, please contact me privately.

This person is a scammer, don't believe them.

The soil on Julang Mountain has been scraped away several times; where can we still find medicinal herbs to harvest? Please advise.

【Fellow Daoist, Julang Mountain is for hunting demons; there are no spiritual herbs there.】

[You guys, can you stop picking at the same spot? Give the medicinal herb some time to grow, okay?]

Where can I still find medicinal herbs to pick?

I'd like to know too.

[If you keep asking here, do you think you'll ever get your hands on a miracle cure?]

……

Xu Mu browsed through them and found that these posts were indeed quite unconventional.

However, at least he can get some useful information from it, which helps him understand his surroundings.

Then he saw that there were maps for sale in the teahouse for only 5 coins, so he bought one.

"Wow, this paper is so ordinary, no wonder it's so cheap..."

This is the most ordinary paper used by ordinary people, which is easily torn up.

Fortunately, the terrain drawn on it is fairly clear. Although the geographical markings are terrible, you can still make out the relative positions of the city, mountains, rivers, and lakes.

Xu Mu found a table, ordered a pot of tea, and began to study it carefully.

Elixir is out of the question; the main focus will be on hunting and obtaining materials from monsters.

Many materials from demonic beasts can be used in medicine or for refining weapons and arrays, so the treasure pavilions of major sects are all buying them. Some of these materials are as valuable as spiritual medicines, or in other words, they are spiritual medicines in themselves.

However, not all parts of a demon beast possess spirituality, especially for low-level demon beasts, where usually only one or two parts are usable.

The higher the level of the monster, the higher the "drop rate".

If Xu Mu can find high-value prey, killing one or two should be enough to make enough money.

However, such targets are difficult to spot and are very dangerous.

Demonic beasts are never chickens, ducks, or geese to be slaughtered at will; countless cultivators have died in the demon realm.

To the demon beasts, human cultivators have delicate skin and flesh, and their entire bodies are filled with spiritual energy. They are like walking, delicious spiritual medicines, and eating them can help with cultivation.

Therefore, humans and monsters have always been killing each other.

Even if human cultivators do not enter the demon realm, demon beasts will still choose to enter the human realm to hunt.

In essence, there is not much difference between humans and monsters. They both fight and compete under a cruel set of rules to seize resources, become stronger, and acquire more resources.

Xu Mu disliked this atmosphere, but he didn't need to run away from it.

With his current strength, earning 100 talismans in the wild shouldn't be a problem.

He's currently making preparations, looking for hunting techniques to save up enough money while ensuring his safety.

"Oh, I've got it. The first rule of the hunter's manual: A high-level hunter must appear as the prey. Learn to play the fool in order to catch the tiger."

Xu Mu sipped his tea while flipping through the documents in the teahouse.

The manual states that monsters are intelligent and won't just stand around waiting to be killed.

Once they sense danger and realize they can't win, they'll turn tail and run.

Conversely, if they feel capable of hunting, they will take the initiative to attack, which can be described as bullying the weak and fearing the strong.

Therefore, knowing how to conceal one's own strength and lure demonic beasts to attack is a hunting skill that cultivators must learn, commonly known as "playing dumb to catch a tiger."

Xu Mu analyzed himself: He had a strong ability to control spiritual energy. Since learning the "Jade Purity Qi Observation Technique", he had become quite adept at concealing his aura and suppressing his cultivation level.

Therefore, the tactic of "pretending to be weak to deceive others" is perfectly valid.

The next step is to choose a hunting location.

After looking at the map, Xu Mu selected the area near the "Thunder Mountains".

Areas too close to Wulei City, including Julang Mountain, have been explored by countless people, leaving little good prey. However, venturing too far in is too dangerous.

The Thunder Mountain Range is a recognized watershed, and most cultivators can only reach that far.

Because deep within the mountains lies the territory of a demon clan called the "Thunder Tiger Clan," getting too close would be tantamount to courting death.

"Just look for prey on the outskirts, take your time, there's plenty of time anyway."

Once you're ready, let's go!