Cultivation begins with alchemy and collecting runes.

Half a month later.

A streak of light leaped from the Heavenly Fire Cave and flew towards the Azure Water Sect.

Riding his flying sword, Li Xiuyuan quickly transformed into a black dot and disappeared into the horizon.

Li Xiuyuan roughly estimated his current escape speed: flying at full speed is about three times that of a fully refined Qi cultivator.

There are two reasons for such a significant improvement:

The first is the improvement of one's cultivation level, and the second is the quality of one's magical artifact.

The purity of mana cultivated through Qi refining is insufficient to activate a top-grade magical artifact for an extended period of time at high intensity; its maximum power is about 30-40%.

The true liquid of mana condensed by Foundation Establishment cultivators greatly enhances the quality of mana, making it fully capable of unleashing the power of top-grade magic artifacts.

A distance of over a hundred li is nothing more than half a day for Li Xiuyuan these days.

……

The territory of the Azure Water Sect.

The scenery here is not much different from that under the rule of the Blazing Fire Sect.

The Azure Water Sect is famous for its female cultivators and has a close relationship with the Blazing Fire Sect, which mainly cultivates fire magic. Many disciples and elders from the two sects have married each other.

The Azure Water Sect is said to have three Core Formation True Persons, making it second only to the Blazing Fire Sect among the five major sects.

Li Xiuyuan was pondering the communication talisman Chunsheng had given him. He had learned about the spiritual herbs and fire crow essence needed to refine the [Heavenly Gang True Fire Bell].

Moreover, this item was in an ordinary shop in Bishuifang Market.

This allowed Li Xiuyuan, who was on his way to Biyue Market, to take the opportunity to think about news about the Biyue Sect.

The golden sword artifact beneath their feet suddenly sank and slowly descended to the ground.

It seems to have been attacked by some kind of secret technique, and suddenly lost its ability to fly.

Seeing this, Li Xiuyuan was neither sad nor happy. He knew that he had arrived near Biyue Market, and this was the effect of the formation restricting his flight.

Sure enough, after landing, Li Xiuyuan walked south for eight or nine miles and a complex of buildings that was half again as large as Shanyang Market appeared before him.

The markets of the Azure Water Sect were indeed unique, completely different from those of the Blazing Fire Sect.

It is centered around a domed pavilion that is thirty or forty feet long and wide, with radial sections extending outwards like ripples on water.

The pavilion in the middle was so tall that Li Xiuyuan could see the three gilded characters "Lingshui Pavilion" from two miles away.

Without a doubt, this is definitely a directly operated store of Biyue Sect.

Li Xiuyuan arrived in no time, covering a distance of two miles.

……

The entrance to Bishui Market.

Li Xiuyuan, disguised as a robust man at the ninth level of Qi Refining, simply registered his information at the entrance, paid an entrance fee of one spirit stone, and received an identity token.

If one does not have an identity token, the formation will immediately detect the person entering the city.

"No one may stay overnight in the market unless they rent an inn or cave dwelling."

The monk in charge of the inspection reminded them.

"clear!"

Li Xiuyuan responded with a smile, then stepped into the market, something he was used to.

The market has such regulations, naturally, to prevent independent cultivators or bandits from infiltrating the market and causing damage.

This is a means of maintaining order in the market.

Li Xiuyuan did not rush to Lingshui Pavilion. Instead, he wandered around the perimeter to learn about the specific situation of the place.

To be honest, Li Xiuyuan did see something interesting about it, and it even piqued his interest for a while.

There is a crafting shop that claims to accept all comers and can meet any needs of cultivators who provide materials, crafting all kinds of magical artifacts.

They were even incredibly arrogant, claiming they could forge any magical artifact, and that "if it fails, they won't charge a penny, and will even return three times the amount of the spiritual materials used in the failed attempt."

The other alchemy shop was similar to his, accepting custom orders for any type of elixir.

The other shops were all pretty much the same, and there was also a Spirit Beast Garden that specialized in selling various kinds of tamed monsters.

There are even several late-stage Tier 1 demonic beasts. If you have plenty of spirit stones, you could buy a few to decorate your house.

Bishui Market was a medium-sized market with a large flow of people. The streets were bustling with activity, a scene of prosperity that showed no trace of the gloom brought by war.

The majority of cultivators on the streets are in the mid-to-late stages of Qi Refining, with very few Foundation Establishment cultivators. As for Golden Core cultivators, they are probably a rare sight, perhaps only once every few decades.

Li Xiuyuan kept walking until he stopped at a demon hunter's shop.

"Kaihuang Hall".

Li Xiuyuan spotted the entrance and went straight inside.

"My elder brother and the others went hunting in the mountains yesterday. You may have to wait a few days for the monster meat. If you need it urgently, you might as well check other shops in the market."

The person who received Li Xiuyuan was a short-haired young man dressed in brown hunting clothes. This man was the younger brother of Da Huang, the "old hunter" Chun Sheng had mentioned.

"I don't want the monster meat. I've come to collect the items belonging to the manager of Chunsheng Hall."

After saying that, Li Xiuyuan handed over a jade pendant with the words "Chunsheng" on it.

The young man took the jade pendant and was taken aback at first, then became extremely respectful, a hint of panic flashing in his eyes as he spoke.

"This junior was blind and did not recognize your greatness, senior. I beg your forgiveness!"

Little Huang knew perfectly well that the burly man before him was the very 'Foundation Establishment Grandmaster' his elder brother had repeatedly warned him against offending before his departure!

He just turned him away, which ruined his brother's big plan. They were planning to make a fortune from this business.

"Little Huang, come back! Don't be rude to this senior!"

A thin, middle-aged male cultivator with piercing eyes emerged from the backyard.

He recognized Li Xiuyuan's identity at a glance, and his expression changed. He quickly dismissed his underlings, fearing that they might offend the important person with their careless words.

"My name is Huang Zhongxiang. Greetings, senior! Please feel free to ask me anything."

This middle-aged cultivator was clearly the elder brother the young man had mentioned. "Well, it's all a small matter. Since you're here, let's find another place to discuss it in detail."

Li Xiuyuan showed no sadness or joy on his face, and spoke in a calm tone.

Upon hearing this, the middle-aged male cultivator immediately breathed a sigh of relief and said with a hint of reverence on his face.

"Please follow me, senior. I'll brew a pot of top-grade spiritual tea, and be quick!"

After saying that, he stepped aside and led the way for Li Xiuyuan.

After passing through several beautifully decorated halls and corridors, Li Xiuyuan arrived at a living room.

"Please wait a moment, senior. The item you requested is in the storeroom. I will fetch it immediately."

The middle-aged male cultivator spoke humbly, bowed to Li Xiuyuan, and withdrew.

Half an incense stick later.

A middle-aged male cultivator walked over carrying several storage bags, followed by the short-haired youth from before. He held a pot of spiritual tea, poured two cups properly, handed them over, bowed, and withdrew.

"Please forgive me, senior. I made a mistake and failed to collect all the Fire Crow Essences, which delayed your important business. I deserve to die."

The middle-aged male cultivator put down the storage bag in his hand and immediately knelt on the ground, looking humiliated and helpless.

Li Xiuyuan remained noncommittal, calmly taking the storage bag and examining it carefully.

He quickly scanned the contents of the storage bag with his divine sense, and after a long while, he spoke calmly.

"I am not a bloodthirsty person, but since you have accepted the spirit stones, you must do your job properly. This is a matter of principle. Now that you say you have a reason for your actions, then explain the whole story in detail."

Seeing that Li Xiuyuan seemed to have truly forgiven his mistakes, the middle-aged male cultivator was filled with excitement. He knelt down and told the truth.

……

"Oh, you said that the flamingo in the late stage of the first tier was at the critical moment of breakthrough. You originally planned to take advantage of its unpreparedness and kill it when it was weak after breaking through to the second tier, so as to obtain a second-tier demon core and thus obtain the main material for the Foundation Establishment Pill."

"Hmm, three late-stage Qi Refining cultivators were repelled by a female cultivator at the peak of Qi Refining. The female cultivator is suspected to be a disciple of a sect, and her cultivation techniques and magical artifacts are all of superior quality. Hmm... that is understandable and not your fault."

Li Xiuyuan stroked his chin, carefully considering the truth or falsehood of the words spoken by the kneeling male cultivator.

This late-stage flamingo is the bird-like demon beast he currently knows that has the closest bloodline to the Great Sun Fire Phoenix.

"When cultivating the [Heavenly Gang True Fire Bell], the higher the grade of the spiritual materials, the better. A Qi Refining Perfection cultivator, who is suspected to be a disciple of a sect, dares to steal from me, Li Xiuyuan. He has quite the nerve."

Li Xiuyuan already had a plan in mind, and he wasn't afraid at all that the person in front of him was lying.

Just now, he had his divine sense spread out at all times, watching every word and action of this person, in addition to a special lie detection technique that came with his Foundation Establishment stage of the Divine Refinement Technique.

Similar to the "telepathy" of Buddhist monks, it can discern the good and evil, truth and falsehood in people's hearts, and know that what they say is true and reliable.

"Gather your troops, and I'll accompany you on this journey!"