Immortality begins with equipping a worn-out talisman pen.

However, Li Mufeng pondered for a moment before slowly shaking his head.

"I apologize, but I am accustomed to cultivating alone and have no intention of living with others."

With his equipment inventory system, it's impossible for him to live under the same roof as anyone else.

Moreover, Zhao Lingyue had hinted at this to him time and time again; who knows if she had said the same thing to other cultivators as well.

Hearing this, Zhao Lingyue didn't show much surprise on her face.

It seemed that she had already guessed the answer before she even arrived.

But the last glimmer of hope in his eyes eventually faded away.

She managed a weak smile.

"I was being presumptuous."

"I apologize for disturbing Fellow Daoist Li's peaceful cultivation."

After saying this, she gave a slight bow and turned to leave.

Under the cover of night, that slender figure appeared exceptionally frail.

Li Mufeng stood at the door, watching the other person's departing figure, and felt a slight sense of emotion.

It seems that the situation in the market is deteriorating even faster than I expected.

Capable people are migrating to safer places.

Those who lack strength begin to seek out people they can rely on or band together for mutual support.

A storm is brewing.

After looking away, Li Mufeng closed the door.

Several low-grade spirit stones were placed around the spirit-gathering array.

He then re-equipped the [Spirit Gathering Jade Talisman].

Feeling the gradually increasing spiritual energy of heaven and earth around him, Li Mufeng slowly closed his eyes.

The Black Stone Market is now rife with undercurrents.

Only continuous improvement in his cultivation level could give him a true sense of security.

......

At the end of the month, Li Mufeng stepped out of his room, determined to go to Jubaoge to sell some talismans and replenish some living supplies.

Black Stone Market was much larger than before, with several more streets and alleys. He had thought that with the recent tense atmosphere, the market would be much quieter, but to his surprise, it was bustling with people, even more lively than before.

If you look closely, you'll see that everyone's eyes are more wary, and they don't linger when their gazes meet, quickly looking away.

He walked straight into the Treasure Pavilion. This time, Hongyu did not come to greet him after seeing him. Instead, she activated some kind of talisman after seeing him from afar.

As soon as Li Mufeng stepped into Jubaoge, he saw Liu Yan'er slowly descending from the second floor.

Today, she wore a light green robe, with a slit in the skirt revealing a glimpse of her long, slender legs, exuding mature charm with every gesture.

"Fellow Daoist Li, please come to the private room upstairs."

Their attitude was noticeably more friendly than before.

Upon entering the private room, Li Mufeng keenly noticed that Liu Yan'er had even changed the spirit tea she served to guests.

The original Bibo Yunya has disappeared, replaced by the more valuable Lingshan Xiaozhong.

Although Liu Yan'er maintained her dignified smile, she couldn't hide the expectation in her eyes.

Seeing this, Li Mufeng didn't keep them in suspense any longer.

With a gentle flick of his sleeve.

A stack of spirit-gathering talismans and dozens of first-grade mid-level talismans were neatly arranged on the table.

"Manager Liu, these are the talismans for this month."

Liu Yan'er had been waiting for this long time, and was already extremely anxious. In recent days, the inner disciples of Qingxuan Sect had almost worn down her doorstep, all asking her for news about the Spirit Absorption Talisman.

She made a few inquiries and learned that it was Cheng Yantang from Danxia Peak who had shone brightly in the sect competition by using the Spirit Absorption Talisman.

After that battle, the reputation of the Spirit Gathering Talisman spread far and wide, and many sect disciples tried to use their connections to inquire about it.

The price of the spirit-gathering talisman, which was originally priced at twenty spirit stones, suddenly skyrocketed, with some people even offering several times the original price to buy it.

Even the usually aloof and reserved fairy from Lingyun Peak personally visited to inquire and took a rubbing of an ancient book on spirit-gathering talismans back to study.

"Fellow Daoist Li, could you supply more of these Spirit Gathering Talismans next month? As for the price, our Treasure Pavilion is willing to increase it by 20% from the current price."

Liu Yan'er's beautiful eyes brightened slightly, her tone filled with anticipation.

Upon hearing this, Li Mufeng simply shook his head slightly.

"Manager Liu, you overestimate me. These spirit-gathering talismans are already the result of a great deal of effort I've put into their production. I'm afraid I can't increase production any further."

To outsiders, this statement doesn't seem like a lie.

Spirit-gathering talismans are extremely difficult to draw, and even with the help of his equipment slots, it was far from as easy as outsiders imagined.

Moreover, the popularity of spirit-gathering talismans in the market is increasing.

Things are valued for their scarcity; releasing too many at once might not be a good thing.

A gradual increase in production is in line with the normal growth trajectory of a talisman master.

Upon hearing this, Liu Yan'er did not continue to persuade her, but simply bowed slightly.

"It was my rudeness."

In fact, the number of spirit-gathering talismans that Li Mufeng took out this time was 10% more than last month.

However, there were simply too many people wanting to buy it.

The two chatted for a few more minutes, then Liu Yan'er seemed to remember something and suddenly spoke up to remind them:

"By the way, Master Li, the market has been rather unstable lately. If you don't need to, please try to avoid going out at night."

Li Mufeng's eyes flickered slightly; this was also what he wanted to find out from Jubaoge.

"What happened in the market? I heard that many people died in the shantytown."

Upon hearing this, Liu Yan'er's face immediately revealed an undisguised look of disgust.

"Who else could it be? Just some shady characters from the Xuan Yin Sect."

"Some time ago, the Xuan Yin Sect produced another Golden Core cultivator, greatly increasing its influence. Recently, many evil cultivators have taken advantage of this to cause trouble, and their activities in various markets and towns have become increasingly rampant."

"However, Master Li doesn't need to worry too much."

"The cave dwelling area under the jurisdiction of Qingxuan Sect has always been heavily guarded. In addition, with the Talisman Inquiry Conference about to be held, all four major sects will be coming in advance. Those rats in the gutter will not dare to cause any trouble at this time, otherwise, it will be a joint attack by the four sects."

Upon hearing this, Li Mufeng's heart sank slightly.

He was naturally familiar with the name of the Xuan Yin Sect.

If we were to name the most fearsome force in the cultivation world of Yue, the Xuan Yin Sect would undoubtedly be at the top of the list.

Its heritage is extremely ancient, and it is said that it can be traced back to thousands of years ago.

Unlike orthodox sects such as Qingxuan Sect and Shuilong Sect, Xuanyin Sect never cares about spiritual roots or background. Whether you are a rogue cultivator, a family cultivator, or a sect outcast, as long as you are willing to join the sect, you have the opportunity to receive the inheritance.

Therefore, whenever chaos arises, the power of the Xuan Yin Sect expands rapidly. For cultivators with inferior spiritual roots and no way forward, the doors of righteous sects are often closed long ago, but the Xuan Yin Sect is willing to give them a chance.

Even if that opportunity requires someone else's life to be exchanged.

Even if this road is not easy to travel.

Most of the Xuan Yin Sect's techniques rely on essence, blood, life force, and Yin energy as their resources.

Their cultivation speed far surpasses that of other cultivators of the same level. What righteous cultivators often take ten years of arduous training to break through, evil cultivators can achieve in just a few years.

However, the cost is equally high; long-term refining of the blood-fiend energy will continuously erode the cultivator's soul.

At best, they become violent and bloodthirsty; at worst, they lose control of their minds and become madmen who only know how to kill.

Therefore, although many powerful individuals emerge from the evil cultivators, very few of them are able to die a peaceful death.

Many people died from the backlash of their cultivation techniques before their lifespan was exhausted.

Even so, the Xuan Yin Sect was still able to stand firm despite the hundreds of years of encirclement and suppression by the four major sects of Yue Kingdom.

The reason is simple: when righteous sects select disciples, they look at their spiritual roots, comprehension, and opportunities.

The Xuan Yin Sect recruits members based on only one thing: whether they are ruthless enough.

The cultivation world of Yue Kingdom has never lacked geniuses, but rather people who have nowhere else to turn.

There's even a saying that's been circulating among the people.

"Of the 100,000 independent cultivators in the world, 30% died from demonic beasts, 30% died from combat, and of the remaining 40%, some will inevitably enter the Xuan Yin Sect."

Although no one knows who said this.

But the fact that it has been passed down for so many years already speaks volumes.

However, once the Talisman Inquiry Conference is held and the powerful figures from the four sects gather, this place will likely soon undergo a major purge.