Immortality begins with equipping a worn-out talisman pen.

Upon arriving at the Qingxuan Sect, Li Mufeng was assigned to a mountain peak near the outer perimeter.

Zhou Zhengyang left in a hurry, leaving only the instruction for Li Mufeng to stay where he was and not move.

Li Mufeng was somewhat familiar with this mountain; it was the Nine-Bend Peak used by the Qingxuan Sect to test the Immortal Seed Disciples.

However, Li Mufeng was eliminated in the first round of the spiritual root test and never got to see the second stage of reaching the summit of Nine-Bend Peak, let alone the third stage of the Questioning Platform.

At this time, Jiuqu Peak had long passed the period of recruiting immortal seedlings, and most of the immortal seedlings had also passed the assessment period and were assigned to other peaks, so it seemed that the population was somewhat sparse.

As the disciples of the immortal sects disembarked from the magic ship one after another, they began to fly away on different magical artifacts. During their journey, when they passed through the Nine-Bend Peak, a spiritual energy fluctuation detected their bodies.

Li Mufeng knew in his heart that this was probably the protective formation of the Qingxuan Sect.

As the crowd gradually dispersed, Li Mufeng, who was originally inconspicuous, became somewhat conspicuous.

After a moment, a cultivator dressed in the standard robes of the Qingxuan Sect walked over.

"This fellow Daoist looks unfamiliar. Is this your first time visiting my Qingxuan Sect?"

Li Mufeng cupped his hands slightly and said, "Indeed, I came to participate in the Talisman Inquiry Conference with my martial uncle."

Li Mufeng glanced at the cultivator in front of him and secretly marveled. As expected of the Qingxuan Sect, even a random gatekeeper disciple had a cultivation level of Qi Refining Level 6.

Judging from the appearance of the person in front of him, he was probably only in his early twenties.

Thinking back, those who were in the same cohort as me back then and didn't fail to be selected are probably already late-stage Qi Refining cultivators or even Foundation Establishment cultivators.

Upon hearing that Li Mufeng had come to participate in the Talisman Inquiry Conference, the man's attitude became even more friendly than before.

He began to chat with Li Mufeng about the history of the Qingxuan Sect and the local customs and culture.

Li Mufeng was happy to learn about the Qingxuan Sect, nodding repeatedly and occasionally offering praise to provide the other party with ample emotional support.

About half an hour later, after discussing the entire cultivation world of Yue Kingdom, Li Mufeng finally saw a familiar streak of light on the horizon.

To his surprise, besides Zhou Zhengyang, there were two Foundation Establishment cultivators with him.

Upon seeing the three, the young cultivator immediately bowed.

"Greetings to the two peak masters and Elder Zhou."

Zhou Zhengyang nodded slightly, his expression not good. He simply swept Li Mufeng onto his flying magic weapon and then flew towards the summit of Nine-Bend Peak.

There was a pavilion at the top of the mountain. After the group sat down, their expressions varied.

It was Zhu Xuanhuo, the peak master of the weapon refining peak, who broke the silence first. He looked at Li Mufeng with a kind expression, as if he were seeing a long-lost relative:

"Young friend, I am Zhu Xuanhuo, the peak master of the Weapon Refining Peak. I heard that you will be filling in for that absent mid-grade talisman master in this year's Talisman Inquiry Competition?"

When Li Mufeng saw that it was three Foundation Establishment cultivators who had come, he already had a bad feeling. However, facing someone who could easily crush him like an ant, he could only put on an appearance of being flattered.

"Exactly."

Zhu Xuanhuo was clearly an impatient person and didn't seem to care about Li Mufeng's answer. He immediately continued:

"Young friend, you may not know this, but this Rift Wall holds extraordinary significance for my Weapon Refining Peak. Therefore, could you perhaps give your spot in this Talisman Inquiry Tournament to a disciple of my peak?"

Li Mufeng glanced at Zhou Zhengyang, who hesitated but made no comment, seemingly leaving the choice to Li Mufeng.

Seeing this, Li Mufeng hesitated for a moment, then his expression turned grim:

"Senior Zhu, I have been preparing for this Talisman Inquiry Conference for more than half a year. I dare not delay for even a moment, for fear of losing face for the Qingxuan Sect."

Upon hearing that the other party had not refused, Zhu Xuanhuo knew that he had a chance and quickly said:

"I will not let your efforts go to waste. How about this, since you are here to participate in the Talisman Inquiry Tournament for the sake of the top-grade spiritual weapon or spiritual embryo, my Weapon Refining Peak has accumulated some wealth over the years. If you are willing to give up your spot, I can let you choose any weapon from my Weapon Tomb."

Hearing this, Li Mufeng's expression improved considerably. He was not one to seek the limelight, and the main reason he came here was for the spiritual embryo that he might obtain. Now that someone was promising to give it to him for free, he even felt that it was better than nothing.

However, at this moment, Luo Guanhong, the peak master of Lingyun Peak who had been silent all along, finally couldn't sit still any longer:

"Zhu Xuanhuo, who doesn't know that your weapon-refining peak's weapon tomb is full of second-hand goods that others have used up? Young friend, don't listen to his flowery words. The best things in the weapon-refining peak are in the Famous Weapon Pavilion. Old man, don't think you can get rid of me with a piece of trash."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Xuanhuo's expression instantly darkened, but fortunately, he was very good at maintaining his composure and quickly regained his amiable demeanor, saying with a touch of magnanimity:

"The Famous Instruments Pavilion is also an option, as long as you are willing to exchange your spot."

At this moment, Li Mufeng completely disregarded the matter of whether it was a famous or not, and respectfully asked:

"May I ask, Senior Zhu, is there perhaps a spiritual embryo left behind by a senior cultivator in that artifact tomb?"

Zhu Xuanhu stroked his beard and said in a pretentious tone, "Of course there is."

He muttered to himself, "I do have some, but I can't guarantee whether they'll be usable. A peasant from the market town thinks he can pull off the kind of bargain-hunting stories you only read about in novels? There's no such thing as a bargain. He's seen almost every item in the artifact tomb; there's no bargain to be found."

After hearing this, Li Mufeng finally made up his mind:

"In that case, I'll choose the Tomb of Weapons."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Zhengyang spoke first, "Nephew Li, have you thought this through? Even if you wanted a top-grade magic weapon from the Famous Artifacts Pavilion, this generous peak master of the Weapon Forging Peak wouldn't refuse you."

Li Mufeng naturally understood the implication behind his uncle's words. Others might not be able to do it, but he had an equipment slot system, so he decided to give it a try.

Zhu Xuanhuo laughed loudly after hearing this, seemingly having a changed opinion of Li Mufeng. It seemed that this peasant from the market was quite sensible and knew not to touch what didn't belong to him.

No wonder he stood out from the crowd. Zhu Xuanhuo was overjoyed and found Li Mufeng more and more pleasing to the eye.

"Don't worry, young friend. I, Zhu Xuanhuo, am not such a stingy person. You have done my weapon-refining peak a great favor this time, so I will naturally not treat you unfairly. Otherwise, people will think that my weapon-refining peak is only doing things that force people to do things they can't do. How about this, I will add another magic weapon."

"I'll also give one to you, young friend, as every disciple who participates in this year's Talisman Inquiry Conference will receive a Spirit Gathering Pearl."

Li Mufeng hadn't expected this tightwad to come up with anything good, but when he heard the other party promise him another magic weapon that he could have obtained in the first place, he gained a new understanding of the peak master of the weapon refining peak.

The people in the cultivation world are just like those in my previous workplace—full of hypocrites who bully the weak by abusing their power and status.