Mortal: I, Zhang Tie, started by joining forces with Han Li to kill a strategist.

"Alright!"

Qingyan Daoist was silent for a moment, then sighed, took out two items from his storage bag, and handed them to Zhang Tie and Han Li.

Zhang Tie took it, and his eyes lit up as he looked at the magical longsword in his hand.

The blade is jet black, about half a foot wide, and has a heavy, substantial feel. The edge of the blade faintly gleams with a cold light.

In Han Li's hand was a small shield about the size of a palm, gray in color, with inscriptions engraved on its surface.

"The Mountain-Slicing Blade, a low-grade offensive magic weapon, and the Gray-Patterned Shield, a low-grade defensive magic weapon, together are worth fifty or sixty spirit stones, enough to repay your favor!" Looking at the expressions of the two, Qingyan Daoist knew that they must be rogue cultivators from some remote place.

[Obtained the magical weapon, the Mountain-Slicing Blade; Karma Value +20]

Zhang Tie carefully sheathed his sword, clasped his hands in a fist salute, and said, "Thank you, fellow Daoist!"

Qingyan Daoist did not respond, but turned around and helped Wan Xiaoshan up.

Wan Xiaoshan stood up and looked at Zhang Tie and the other man: "Fellow Daoists, the Tai Nan Small Gathering has already begun. If you have nowhere to go, you can go and take a look. It's located on the northern foothills of the Tai Nan Mountains, not far from here!"

Zhang Tie nodded.

Qingyan Daoist summoned a flying boat and left with Wan Xiaoshan without looking back.

Han Li looked at the gray-patterned shield in his hand and remained silent for a moment.

"Brother Tie, you can use this shield. In the ring, fists and kicks have no eyes; the more tricks you have, the more opportunities you have!"

Looking at the gray-patterned shield Han Li handed him, Zhang Tie smiled and shook his head: "Keep this magic weapon. I have enough with the Mountain-Slicing Blade!"

Han Li wanted to say something more, but Zhang Tie interrupted him.

"Let's go check out that Tainan Little Fair; we might find some good treasures!"

Seeing this, Han Li had no choice but to put away the gray-patterned shield and follow Zhang Tie's steps.

......

Deep in the northern foothills of the Tainan Mountains lies a secluded and beautiful valley.

Tainan Xiaohui is located in the valley.

Although the Tai Nan Small Gathering is called a small gathering, it is actually quite large in scale. It is jointly managed by nearby cultivation families and highly skilled independent cultivators, with hundreds and thousands of pavilions and cottages located in the valley.

After being led inside, Zhang Tie and Han Li were both somewhat stunned by the lively scene before them.

"Is this what you call a small meeting?" Han Li said in a low voice.

Zhang Tie didn't answer, but his expression was similar to Han Li's.

The two of them had only stayed in the small place of the Seven Mysteries Sect for a while. Now that they had come to a gathering place for cultivators and were watching the cultivators coming and going, they couldn't help but feel like country bumpkins in the city.

"Let's go in and take a look!" Zhang Tie took the lead.

The two walked along the main street.

Zhang Tie and Han Li noticed that in addition to the shops on both sides of the main street, there were also many stalls, and many cultivators were standing in front of those stalls bargaining.

Han Li watched this scene, secretly alarmed: "Brother Tie, these people's cultivation levels are all quite high!"

"Hmm! Half of them are cultivators at the late stage of Qi Refining or above, and it's rare to see even those at the mid-stage of Qi Refining!" Zhang Tie also noticed this.

The two exchanged a glance, both seeing seriousness in each other's eyes.

It seems that the Ascension Ceremony is a great opportunity for independent cultivators. This is just a market town; it's hard to imagine how many independent cultivators will participate in the Ascension Ceremony.

"It seems the competition in the cultivation world is much fiercer than we imagined!" Zhang Tie said in a low voice.

Han Li nodded, his expression grave.

The two continued walking in, their eyes scanning the roadside stalls.

These stalls are very simple; a table or even just a piece of cloth is placed directly on the ground with the items for sale on it.

The two were dazzled by the sights: magical artifacts, talismans, cultivation techniques, elixirs—everything imaginable was there.

Zhang Tie stopped in front of a stall where several talismans were displayed. The yellow talisman paper was covered with crooked runes, and there was a faint flow of spiritual energy.

"Fellow Daoist, take a look at these talismans! The quality is absolutely top-notch!" The stall owner, a middle-aged man with a goatee, said with a smile.

"These were all drawn by my own hands: fireball talismans, vajra talismans, and wooden shield talismans... Which one would you like, fellow Daoist?"

Zhang Tie picked up a fireball talisman and examined it from all angles.

"How many spirit stones are needed for one?"

"Elementary Fireball Talisman, two spirit stones each; Wooden Shield Talisman, same price. This Vajra Talisman is a mid-level elementary talisman, six spirit stones. If you buy a lot, I'll give you a 10% discount!" The goatee offered his prices with a grin.

Zhang Tie put down the talisman and shook his head.

Two spirit stones per piece? He and Han Li were both penniless, with hardly any spirit stones on them. The spirit stones they got from Master Jin Guang had long been used by Zhang Tie for cultivation!

Asking for a price is just to get a feel for the market.

Seeing that he had no intention of buying it, the goatee was not annoyed and smiled as he carefully put away the talisman.

The next stall sold magical artifacts. The quality of the artifacts on the stall was almost the same as the ones given by the old Taoist Qingyan, which made Zhang Tie's heart stir and he stopped walking.

Zhang Tie's gaze lingered on a small shield.

The shield was similar to the one in Han Li's hand, entirely cyan, and should be a wood-attribute magic weapon.

"Fellow Daoist has excellent taste. This Green Wood Shield is a low-grade magic weapon, incredibly sturdy, and its defensive capabilities are comparable to top-grade. It only costs thirty spirit stones!"

Thirty spirit stones?

Zhang Tie silently memorized the number. Although the old Taoist priest with the green face was arrogant, he was quite generous in giving out magical artifacts.

The two magical artifacts are worth about fifty or sixty spirit stones!

The two continued to wander aimlessly through the market. The further they went in, the more people there were. At the end of the main street was a small square where many cultivators were gathered, chatting in twos and threes, seemingly exchanging information.

Zhang Tie and Han Li sat down in a corner and listened intently.

"...I heard that for this Ascension Ceremony, the seven sects have sent Core Formation cultivators to oversee it..."

"...The Foundation Establishment Pills flowing out from the Seven Sects are becoming increasingly scarce...It's tough for us rogue cultivators!"

"That's not all! I heard that people from those cultivation families will also be here this time! These people are actually competing with us rogue cultivators for spots! Shameless..."

"...You think you can join the Hidden Moon Sect with that kind of appearance? Why don't you take a good look at yourself in the mirror? What female cultivator would choose you as their Daoist partner?"

"...you*******"

"..."

The two listened in the square for a long time. Although most of the information was uninformative, they still gained some insights.

This Ascension Ceremony is hosted by the Hidden Moon Sect, and a Core Formation cultivator will be present to oversee it. Thinking of this, Zhang Tie glanced at Han Li without changing his expression.

It seems that the Core Formation cultivator in question was Nangong Wan, one of Han Li's destined Daoist partners. Later, within the Crimson Forbidden Land, only a powerhouse like Han Li could fight a Core Formation cultivator while only at the Qi Refining stage and emerge unscathed!

"Brother Tie, is there something on my face?" Han Li asked, puzzled by Zhang Tie's gaze.

"Ahem, nothing, just thinking about some things!"

Zhang Tie quickly shook off these chaotic thoughts.

This Tai Nan Small Gathering is indeed a great place. Whether it's talismans, magical artifacts, pills, or spiritual herbs, anything related to cultivation can be found here.

The problem is that the prices are not cheap.

Han Li also saw many things that caught his eye, but unfortunately neither of them had any spirit stones.

"Don't rush to buy anything; focus on gathering information first!"

Han Li nodded, and the two wandered around the square, listening intently to the conversations around them.

"...Have you heard? Several more lone cultivators have fallen victim to this. These bandit cultivators are too arrogant!"

"This is the ninth incident this month! I heard that a patrol team has been set up in the market area, but it hasn't been very effective!"

"I think we should travel together; it's too dangerous for someone to go alone!"

Zhang Tie and Han Li exchanged a glance. They were probably referring to the group that had been chasing Wan Xiaoshan!

They've committed so many crimes already, they really act without restraint.

"Brother Tie, what if those people come looking for us?" Han Li said in a low voice.

"Not necessarily. The Tai Nan Mountains are so vast, and besides, they wouldn't dare to make a move in this market town! Even if they find us, there's no need to worry!"

Han Li didn't reply, but their eyes said it all.

The two left the square and continued strolling. When they came to a stall selling pills, Han Li suddenly stopped.