Cultivation begins with harvest.

According to Wan Longjing's estimate, it would take about a day and a night to get from Zilongling to Dongdufang.

During this time, Chen Guang found it even more exciting than the ten days that had passed. He encountered a demonic beast that wanted to ambush him, met a rogue cultivator whose thoughts he didn't know, and found an ordinary spiritual herb growing by the roadside that he picked while in a hurry and actually thought it was quite good...

All these things were of varying magnitudes and lacked any real danger, yet they all seemed novel to Chen Guang. Taken together, this day and night became an unforgettable experience for him.

Without much trouble, the two approached the Zhao family's Dongdu Plain. The crowd seemed to be coming from all directions, gradually becoming denser, but everyone remained restrained and courteous. This was not a place where petty people dared to cause trouble.

Dongdu was originally the best spiritual site in this area.

Surrounding 'Qiandong Lake' are four spiritual peaks, each with at least one small spiritual vein in operation, and in the foremost 'Zhendu Mountain', three small spiritual veins coexist.

Qian Dong Lake is even more remarkable, as it contains a second-tier spiritual vein. This is why the Zhao family has been able to produce Foundation Establishment cultivators to protect the family generation after generation. This mountain and lake have earned this area the beautiful name of Dongdu Plain, and the Zhao family is proud of the name Dongdu Zhao family.

When Chen Guang first learned that the Zhao family of Dongdu possessed several spiritual veins, including some of the second-tier ones, he questioned why a rogue cultivation family could control such a spiritual vein. However, as he gained a better understanding of the cultivation world, this doubt was dispelled. Although it may seem like a lot, in reality, nurturing spiritual objects, cultivators' practice, and maintaining the spiritual veins themselves all consume a certain amount of spiritual energy.

Excessive absorption would rapidly deplete the spiritual vein's essence, and the amount each person received would be very limited. For such a family, it would be digging its own grave. Therefore, the Zhao family cultivators truly nurtured by the four mountains and one lake numbered only a few thousand, and among them, fewer than a thousand actually enjoyed the cultivation resources.

Most of the Zhao family cultivators just try to soak up the spiritual energy, while many more Zhao family members don't even get the chance to cultivate.

Chen Guang watched as the Zhao family guards, in groups of three, rode their Blue Hoof Horses and appeared once every so often, patrolling the border of Dongdu Plain and ensuring order for the cultivators entering the market.

"The hooves of bluehoof horses leave behind information that only bluehoof horses can understand, which is used to convey information that the lead horse has found something. After being domesticated, this has become very useful for patrolling. Otherwise, the characteristic of bluehoof horses to follow the path and leave the trail would not be suitable for traveling in the wild."

Wan Longjing explained the characteristics of the Zhao family guards.

"Dongdu Market is located at the foot of Yunlaoshan Mountain, which is the outermost part of the four mountains and one lake of the Zhao family. Once we get there, we can inquire about the seller of the wood-capturing juice."

This is hardly a secret. From the magical armor on their bodies to the standard magical swords in their hands, and the blue-hoofed horses they ride, all the information about the Zhao family guards is already well known to the outside world. But this does not affect the deterrent power of the Zhao family guards at all; on the contrary, it amplifies their deterrent ability.

After all, most independent cultivators consider obtaining a standard spiritual artifact a trump card. There are simply too many independent cultivators; the outstanding ones can rival sect disciples even as independent cultivators, while the less capable ones even use the methods of Qi Refiners to cheat and swindle in the mortal world.

By displaying force openly, it is enough to instill fear in most independent cultivators.

The Zhao family paved a road with stone slabs, defining the scope of cultivators' activities. This was not purely for the purpose of expanding their prestige. The gathering of people in one place was more beneficial than harmful in every respect.

The tall, red-blooded horse was quite eye-catching, attracting the attention of many rogue cultivators. However, they were unaware of Chen Guang and his companion's background. Because the red-blooded horse was a commonly used spirit beast by Qingheng Sect disciples, it was imitated by many rogue cultivators.

"Is this the Dongdu Market?"

Chen Guang asked softly.

As the crowd entered the depths of Dongdu Plain, a flat area unfolded before their eyes, stretching all the way to the mountain peak on the horizon, where clouds naturally rose and fell. Relying on this mountain peak, a cluster of wooden pavilions and towers had been built, with cultivators coming and going, creating a lively scene.

Wanlong Scenic Area nodded: "The unique scenery of Yunlaoshan is truly beautiful. Let's find a place to stay first, and then go and gather more information."

Chen Guang is perfectly acceptable.

The crowd naturally split into two groups, one going left and the other right. This was due to the structure of Dongdu Market. Dongdu Market also relied heavily on human management. With Yunlaoshan Mountain as the gathering point, it was divided into two areas, "left" and "right". One area was used for residence, and the other was a purely trading place.

Pure trading venues have very strict controls, making it impossible for cultivators to wander around with their spirit beasts. They can only find an inn in the residential area to settle their horses first.

The two naturally went to Guanglin Hall first. They didn't hide their identities as disciples of Qingheng Sect too much. As long as they didn't go too far and make it obvious to others, it was fine. In fact, at Yang Qingfeng's level, they basically didn't bother to pretend.

Chen Guang and his companion concealed their identities as disciples of a sect to prevent any unforeseen circumstances along the way. Once they arrived at Dongdu Market, they couldn't let fear of trouble prevent them from continuing their charade. With this concern in mind, they decided to maintain their disguise to the end.

"To enter the market, you need to pay ten ears of silver or fifteen catties of spirit rice, and you must leave before dark."

The only way from the residential area to the market was marked by a group of Zhao family guards with even stronger auras standing beneath the massive stone gate pillars, demanding that every cultivator who wanted to enter pay a fee.

This was only the intersection of the market, but Chen Guang could already see the most eye-catching wooden building at the entrance to the market square. It was made of the same material as the surrounding shops. Unlike the bustling activity in front of other shops, there were almost no cultivators in front of this shop. Occasionally, one or two would attract the attention of other cultivators.

Guanglin Hall.

Wherever there is a resource point developed by a sect, there will be a Guanglin Hall. Initially, the Zhao family was unable to complete the development of Qiandong Lake on their own and frankly requested the assistance of the Qingheng Sect. Even now that they have the ability to monopolize Qiandong Lake, they are still willing to let the Qingheng Sect get involved. That's why the Guanglin Hall exists here. This is also one of the few Guanglin Hall outposts that does not involve hard labor.

The Zhao family's actions were undoubtedly clever. Not to mention Qian Donghu, the Qingheng Sect had directly given away all the resource points occupied by the more than thirty independent cultivator families in this area to these independent cultivators. Being able to exchange such a resource point for closer contact with the Qingheng Sect was definitely a worthwhile deal.

After paying the entrance fee, the two headed straight for Guanglin Hall.

Inside Guanglin Hall, a cultivator with a bulbous nose leisurely invited Chen Guang and his companion to a private room. He brewed tea and set out fruit, and after understanding their purpose, he slowly said, "The person who sells the 'Capturing Wood Juice' comes from a certain 'Sharp Outpost' on the edge of the Endless Wilderness. His whereabouts are quite secretive. If you ask the fellow disciples of Lu Hall, they will definitely know. We are just Guanglin Hall; the aquatic products of Qiandong Lake are our responsibility."

Wan Longjing said helplessly, "Only the Taoist priest can directly obtain information from Lu Tang."

"Haha, that's true. Sometimes it's easy to get them to run errands, but it's really hard to get them to give us information," the man with the bulbous nose laughed. "But I know which of the Zhao family's weapon refiners he asked. You can go and ask him. It's just that there are too many people asking him questions lately, and being a Qingheng Sect disciple probably won't be very helpful. It'll be difficult to get them to tell you the truth."

The monk with the red nose wrote down an address and a name and handed it to Wan Longjing.

Wan Longjing and Chen Guang exchanged glances. The Dongdu Zhao family and other independent cultivator families were, to some extent, also considered to be outsiders of the Qingheng Sect. They actually knew quite a bit about the Qingheng Sect. For ordinary independent cultivators, sect disciples were mysterious and respected figures. However, for the Dongdu Zhao family, since they were not at the late stage of Qi Refining, although they were polite and respectful, they would not fawn over them and take whatever they wanted.

"Then thank you very much, Senior Brother. I am truly ashamed to have troubled you." Wan Longjing stood up to take his leave.

The monk with the red nose returned the greeting with a bow: "If you really get what you want, don't forget to bring some wine to visit me next time."