Cultivation begins with alchemy and collecting runes.

Just as Li Xiuyuan was preparing to pack up and run away, a man and a woman, both young men, came to the stall.

The female cultivator was dignified and slender, about twenty-three or twenty-four years old, wearing a blue ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress), with a hint of sorrow between her brows, and her cultivation level was at the fifth level of Qi Refining; the male cultivator was a boy, with a youthful and handsome appearance, around thirteen or fourteen years old, but his cultivation level was at the fourth level of Qi Refining.

The two walked up to Li Xiuyuan's stall and stopped.

The female cultivator couldn't take her eyes off the white jade pendant at Li Xiuyuan's stall; she had clearly taken a liking to it.

"Fellow Daoist, may I handle this magical artifact?"

The dignified female cultivator, with a clear look in her eyes, pointed to the white jade pendant and asked softly.

Li Xiuyuan nodded, and the woman quickly picked up the jade pendant and examined it carefully.

He would sometimes hang it on his waist, sometimes place it on his chest, and fiddle with it up and down, clearly enjoying it immensely.

After playing with it for a while, as if remembering something, he put the jade pendant down with a hint of melancholy.

Then the young man who hadn't spoken a word said, "Sister, since you like it, just buy it. It's just a magic weapon that's lost its grade anyway, and our Liu family can afford it."

"Fellow Daoist, we'll take this magic artifact. Name your price."

Seeing her younger brother make a rather manly decision, the female cultivator forced a smile and said, "Feiyu helped his sister make the decision, and I'm happy. But this magic artifact isn't cheap, and you're still young, so you don't understand the importance of spirit stones."

"Alas, my sister's fate is such that she has no use for such a precious magical artifact. Let it go, Feiyu."

Upon hearing this, the male cultivator named Fei Yu's face flashed with a bitter expression.

He knew that his sister had been under pressure from the clan elders and was being forced into marriage, harboring a lot of resentment.

Despite possessing extraordinary talent for cultivating immortality, he couldn't make his older sister happy.

Naturally, the bitterness in my heart was indescribable.

"Sister, don't feel sorry for yourself. Please accept this magical artifact as a token of your brother's affection. Otherwise, I won't cultivate anymore!"

Seeing her younger brother about to do something foolish again, the blue-clad female cultivator gently soothed his heart with her jade-like hand and advised, "Alright, little brother, I'll grant your wish. I'll take this magic artifact, okay? You have dual spiritual roots and are likely to reach Foundation Establishment in the future. Our Liu family's hopes are pinned on you, so you can't do anything foolish."

The female cultivator in the blue dress naturally understood her brother's good intentions, and she also lamented her own miserable fate.

If it weren't for my younger brother's congenital deficiency, lacking a spiritual object to complete his dual spiritual root aptitude.

Otherwise, the family wouldn't have handed her over as a bargaining chip to exchange for spiritual items with the Demonic Sect.

Seeing that his sister had relented, the cultivator named Feiyu happily said to Li Xiuyuan, "I want this magic artifact. Wrap it up for me."

"The Liu family!"

Li Xiuyuan noticed this detail while listening to their conversation.

"Three hundred and twenty-four spirit stones, fellow Daoist, please count them."

The boy didn't haggle; he simply tossed a small black bag onto the stall.

"That's right, exactly three hundred and twenty-four spirit stones. This magic artifact is yours, fellow Daoist."

Li Xiuyuan scanned the items with his divine sense, counted the items, and handed the jade pendant and magic artifact to the two, indicating that the transaction was over.

As expected of a family cultivator, even though it is a small Qi Refining family, their net worth far exceeds that of independent cultivators of the same level.

Unlike some down-on-their-luck rogue cultivators who are so stingy they can't even afford a low-grade magic weapon.

Time passed slowly until the last stack of talismans was bought by a rogue cultivator at the third level of Qi Refining.

Li Xiuyuan's stall event concluded successfully, earning him a total of 940 spirit stones.

His visit to Black Wind Market was generally successful.

Following the path he had come from, Li Xiuyuan appeared in the valley outside the market.

Li Xiuyuan patted his storage bag, and the golden sword flew out. He then rode the escape light and flew away from the market area.

Instead of heading towards Blackwind City, he first wandered around the mountains and forests a few times.

Finding no one following them, they headed towards Blackwind City, which is currently still under the control of the Blazing Fire Sect.

After flying for only twenty or thirty miles, Li Xiuyuan, relying on his divine sense far exceeding that of a fully refined Qi cultivator, sensed that five more auras were following him.

"Hmph, I knew that bastard Zhu Ritian hadn't given up!"

Li Xiuyuan immediately increased his mana output, and the speed of the Golden Light Sword increased rapidly.

The three people following behind also sped up.

Such a blatant pursuit could only be the work of Pig Ritian, the local bully of Black Wind Market.

As dusk fell, a few streaks of light appeared from the surrounding area.

But when they saw the "Heaven and Earth Society" sign of Zhu Ritian and his group, they all flew away, their faces showing a look of fear as if they had seen bad luck.

Li Xiuyuan understood immediately, never expecting the Heaven and Earth Society to have such a powerful deterrent effect in this area.

If it were an ordinary rogue cultivator, they would probably have given up, but today they encountered Li Xiuyuan, and with his power, it would be easy for him to keep these people here.

Thinking of this, a cold glint flashed in Li Xiuyuan's eyes. He increased his magical power output, transforming into a flame and riding the golden sword towards the mountains.

Seeing this, Zhu Ritian and the others thought that Li Xiuyuan, the alchemist, had been frightened by them.

In a panic, they started running around aimlessly. Pig Ritian was overjoyed. "This guy must be a fool. He's only come to the Black Wind Mine, and he doesn't even give the Heaven and Earth Society any face. Humph, let's see where he runs."

Thinking of this, Zhu Ritian's face was filled with a triumphant smile, and he urged his four subordinates to speed up and catch up.

The moon hangs high in the sky, its faint light scattered across the heavens.

At this moment, in the darkness of night, the surrounding mountains were silent, except for several streaks of light that quickly streaked across the sky.

Li Xiuyuan used the [Divine Sense Transformation] technique, his eyes covered with a layer of milky white spiritual light.

His divine sense split into hundreds of tiny branches, spreading throughout the surrounding world.

The five members of the Heaven and Earth Society were firmly locked in place, and none of them used any secret techniques to conceal their cultivation levels.

Li Xiuyuan took in the cultivation levels of the five people.

Only the leader, Zhu Ritian, had the cultivation level of the eighth level of Qi Refining, while the remaining four were all at the middle level of Qi Refining and were not a threat.

This is because Zhu Ritian is used to running rampant in this place and has the mindset that alchemists are not naturally good at fighting.

In other words, they are good at socializing and know a few powerful cultivators.

Having finally stumbled upon Li Xiuyuan, this lone "hot commodity," how could they easily let him go?

They should be dragged back, severely tortured, and then used to refine pills for him.

Li Xiuyuan took in the cultivation levels of the five people, a hint of killing intent flashing in his eyes.

The six streaks of light chased each other, having been out of Black Wind Market for more than half an hour.

Seeing that he was far enough away from Black Wind Market and had not encountered any cultivators for a long time, Li Xiuyuan looked around and found a secluded place to land.

He flung out two large spirit insects, one golden and one blue, from his spirit beast pouch, which lay in ambush to the side.

He then activated the Golden Armor Spirit Shield to protect his chest, and the Azure Cloud Feather Robe clung tightly to his skin. Li Xiuyuan's physical body and blood surged continuously, and his primordial essence and blood were full of power.

His entire body was bathed in a blend of green and crimson light, giving him a unique and captivating aura.

Just a few breaths after Li Xiuyuan's escape light fell, Zhu Ritian and the others stopped a hundred meters away.

Zhu Ritian looked at the alchemist strangely, seeing that he was so calm and did not show any panic.

This, on the contrary, made the old cultivator feel uneasy.

This is the keen subconscious of a lowly, wandering cultivator who has been teetering on the edge of life and death for many years.

But now that things have come to this, how can I turn around and leave?

There's no turning back once the arrow is released; who knows if this person is still stubbornly holding on?

"Brother Yuan, we've met again somewhere along the way. Since we're so destined to meet, why don't you come back with me and take on the role of vice president of the Heaven and Earth Society, where you'll be in charge of refining elixirs for the brothers?"

"As long as Brother Yuan is willing to go back, Brother Pig will guarantee you a life of plenty, with no worries about food or clothing, and you'll have all the luxury cars and beautiful women you could want. I will definitely not mistreat you, Brother Yuan."

Even so, Zhu Ritian always kept one hand on his waist, ready to activate his storage bag and retrieve his magical artifact at any time.

He gave a signal, and the four cultivators behind him stepped forward in unison, releasing their auras in a posture of coercion.

Li Xiuyuan wore a black robe, his hair was simply tied up in a bun, and his long hair cascaded down his shoulders, giving him the air of a carefree Taoist priest.

His handsome, otherworldly face held a half-smile as he looked at Zhu Ritian, the golden sword in his hand creaking softly.

He's not a three-year-old child who can be easily fooled by a few words from someone from the Heaven and Earth Society.

"Enough with the nonsense, let's get started!"

Li Xiuyuan's eyes flashed, and the next moment...

"Pfft!"

Dozens of extremely sharp earth spikes sprouted from beneath the feet of the five men, piercing the soles of the feet of their four subordinates who were at the mid-stage of Qi Refining.

"oops!"

Pig Heaven's cultivation was slightly superior, and his reaction was the fastest, allowing him to dodge the Misty Valley Rat's long-prepared earth spike technique.

He turned halfway, lightly stepped on the soil spikes, and leaped into the air.

He then drew a blood-red spear from his waist, its cold light gleaming fiercely, and thrust it directly at Li Xiuyuan.

He didn't even care about the painful screams of the four people next to him.

"snort!"

Transforming into a streak of crimson flame, it swiftly flew to Zhu Ritian's side, whereupon seeing the shimmering azure light on his body, it suddenly increased its speed.

In a single breath, he traversed hundreds of meters and arrived behind Zhu Ritian.

Li Xiuyuan made no attempt to hide his intentions, immediately activating his Azure Feather Robe and Fire Escape Technique at full speed to dodge Zhu Ritian's fatal attack.

He even mobilized his own original blood and qi, wrapping his entire body in a protective aura, and under the protection of the top-grade magic weapon and his first-order limit body refinement cultivation, he was completely safe.

It hurtled towards Zhu Ritian like a cannonball.

"A top-grade magical artifact?!"

Sensing the overwhelming aura of the Azure Feather Robe, Pig Ritian's pupils shrank, and his heart sank instantly.

He wasn't surprised that "Yuanxiu" would suddenly make a move, and he also knew that alchemists were wealthy.

But he never expected that this person would possess a top-grade magic weapon, and he immediately felt regret, thinking that he was extremely unlucky this time.

Before he could think any further, he heard a whooshing sound behind him and felt a sudden tightness in his chest.

Li Xiuyuan snorted coldly, but then he saw the golden flames and the green sword light on the small golden sword that was about to be released intertwined and changed.

His magical power poured out like a raging flood from his dantian, and the [Crimson Flame Mystic Light] attached itself to the Yi Wood Sword Light.

Brush brush!

Dozens of cyan sword beams rushed directly toward Zhu Ritian's vital chest.

Zhu Ritian hurriedly took out a small, earth-yellow token from his storage bag, infused it with his magic power, and in a few breaths, it quickly expanded to the size of three feet, protecting his heart meridian.

He had just set up his defense when Li Xiuyuan's sword attack came.

The golden-blue sword light slammed into the earthen-yellow token, causing it to creak and tremble for dozens of breaths, but it ultimately blocked the attack.

The combined power of Li Xiuyuan's Golden Light Sword and the [Crimson Flame Mystic Light] Wood Sword Aura was considered a killing move even among late-stage Qi Refining cultivators.

The fact that this earthen-yellow token could block this attack means it is undoubtedly a high-grade magic artifact, and of extremely high quality at that.

Zhu Ritian managed to stop it this time, but his accomplices weren't so lucky.

Those four were nothing more than his lackeys who bullied men and women on his behalf. All the pills and spirit stones were divided up by him and several vice presidents who were in the late stage of Qi Refining.

Their cultivation levels were limited, and the magical artifacts they possessed were only of low grade.

How could that possibly withstand the full force of Li Xiuyuan's Yi Wood Sword Light?

With several screams, the group was cut in two by the sword light, and even their magical artifacts were broken and shattered, their spiritual light extinguished.

Not to mention that their lives were all lost under the sword's edge.

"Pfft!"

Hearing the noise, Zhu Ritian quickly turned around and immediately saw the eight corpses.

"Tick-tock, tick-tock!"

Pig Ritian was covered in sweat, his face sizzling with oil, and he stared at the scene before him with a deathly pale expression.

He was overwhelmed with mixed feelings – shock, fear, and, most of all, regret.

But no one expected that Li Xiuyuan, this alchemist, could unleash such formidable combat power.

"Fellow Daoist, let's talk this out. I know a top secret: the Heaven and Earth Society's spirit stones and elixirs are all kept there."

"And...and all the spiritual objects and magical artifacts I possess, I can give them to you as an apology, as long as you spare my worthless life!"

In just a few breaths, he had killed the four people he had taken over.

This completely terrified him, and all his previous swagger vanished. He immediately threw all dignity and status to the back of his mind.

He began to cry and beg for mercy, showing no trace of the pride of the leader of the Heaven and Earth Society.

Li Xiuyuan naturally wouldn't hold back; he simply let out a cold snort.

The divine soul issued a command to a hidden corner a few meters away.

A streak of blue-white cold air transformed into an ice arrow and shot out.

The target was Zhu Ritian, who was crying and begging for mercy.

"Damn it, are you really going to fight me to the death?!"

Zhu Ritian noticed the ice arrows flying from behind him and assumed it was an ambush prepared by Li Xiuyuan.

He brandished his spear, sweeping left and right, and used a series of swirling hand movements to deflect the flying ice arrows.

But at that moment, Li Xiuyuan moved.

He formed hand seals, holding a small golden sword in his left hand and a blood-stained butcher's knife tightly in his right.

One gold and one red, with crimson-gold flames flowing across the magical artifacts, there was no doubt that these two magical artifacts, which had reached the limit of superior grade, had been pushed to their limit.

The gloomy sky was illuminated by two beams of light, one gold and one red.

The cyan sword light was launched from the two magical artifacts and slashed directly at Zhu Ritian.

Pig-Head roared, "What the hell?! Is this how an alchemist should operate?!"

He saw that Li Xiuyuan was determined to kill him and had no intention of showing any mercy.

A fierce glint flashed in his eyes as he channeled his magic power into the earthen-yellow token, causing it to radiate light and stand firmly in front of him.

The next moment, he activated the storage bag at his waist and took out an earth-yellow flying shuttle magic weapon, which was clearly another high-grade magic weapon.

Zhu Ritian's hands moved rapidly, channeling all his magical power into the yellow shuttle, which he then tossed towards Li Xiuyuan. The shuttle grew to a size of ten feet, meeting Li Xiuyuan's flying sword and dagger head-on, clearly intending to fight to the death.

Under the gloomy sky, the earthen-yellow shuttle clanged against two streaks of light, one gold and one red.

The three powerful beams of spiritual light collided, their aura enough to make ordinary Qi Refining cultivators tremble with fear.

Half an incense stick later, unsurprisingly, two is greater than one; the two superior magic artifacts were indeed more powerful than the superior flying shuttle.

The combined force of swords and blades directly repelled the earth-yellow shuttle, and even with its residual power, it charged directly towards the earth-yellow token.

"Bang bang bang!"

The violent impact sent the token flying several meters before it crashed down into the valley below.

Pig Ritian was also lying on the ground, his face contorted in rage, blood flowing everywhere.

Li Xiuyuan took a deep breath, and his vital energy was rapidly mobilized.

In the next instant, he actually flew through the air, leaving several afterimages in the air, and his body turned into flames, flashing to the front of Zhu Ritian.

*Pfft!*

Under his command, the golden sword pierced directly through Zhu Ritian's protective aura.

*Thump!*

A flash of blood appeared and disappeared in an instant; the head, the size of a watermelon, rolled to the ground, staining the earth red with blood.

Li Xiuyuan made a hand seal, summoning the earthen-yellow token that had fallen into the valley and the dimly lit shuttle not far away.

He walked up to Zhu Ritian, took out the storage bag from his waist, and flicked out several crimson fireballs from his fingertips.

Bang bang bang!

The corpses on the ground were instantly incinerated by the fireball, leaving no trace.

"Migu, Xiao Liuzi, you two clean up the battlefield."

Li Xiuyuan gave commands to the Misty Valley Rat and the Two-Winged Frost Centipede through the soul connection, and then walked to the side.

The golden-yellow Migu Mouse emerged from the ground, squeaking and squeaking, then busied itself with pulling the blue-white Frost Centipede along.

After a few dozen breaths, the Migu Rat returned to Li Xiuyuan's side with the remaining four storage bags.

Seeing that the battlefield was properly dealt with, Li Xiuyuan introspectively examined his own insufficient magical power and realized that it was not advisable to stay here for long. He decided to go back and take stock of the spoils of war, so he rode the Dark Flame Flying Wheel towards Black Wind City.