Elderly Martial Saint: Sixty Times the Cultivation Speed ​​at the Start

After listening to Xu Min's report, Yi Yang tapped his fingers lightly on the table, clearly deep in thought. Xu Min stood quietly to the side.

Yi Yang's gaze fell on the big tree in the courtyard outside the window, but his thoughts had already drifted far away.

The current situation in Hengyue Town is somewhat strange. The True Qi Realm martial artists recruited from various prefectures have been in Hengyue Town for some time now.

Apart from him, who intercepted the group halfway and arrived ahead of time, the rest of the team had also arrived one after another.

However, these people have not received any substantial missions and have all been placed in the city, ostensibly on standby, but in reality idle.

This contradicts what Lin He, the former president of the Suiyuan Chamber of Commerce, said.

Previously, when they were in Suining Prefecture, Lin He said that the information he received was that the local forces of Qingzhou, the trade bureau sent by the imperial city, and the Wu Kingdom of Southern Xinjiang did not want the other to monopolize the interests of the important town. Therefore, they had drawn elite troops from various prefectures to balance the power of each party.

But now it seems that they were not summoned here for this purpose. It appears that they are waiting for some unknown opportunity, or to guard against some huge threat that has not yet surfaced.

The management of Hengyue Town is well-organized, the Deputy Inspector Jiang Zhongtian is unfathomably powerful, and there are twelve experts at the Tongxuan Realm in charge.

There's no shortage of manpower here; what's lacking is order.

All forces gathered, including the Nine Rivers Sect, the Heavenly Heart Sect, the Four Great Families, the Wu Kingdom delegation, and even the local forces of Qingzhou, like sharks smelling blood, eyeing these three trade routes to the Wu Kingdom with covetous intent.

Yi Yang recalled the Nine Rivers Sect elder Li Chengyan, whom he had encountered in the Ten Thousand Demon Mountains, as well as the two martial artists from the Witch Kingdom.

Those people, for the sake of treasure, turn on you faster than turning the pages of a book. They are ruthless and leave no survivors. In this important town where all sorts of people mingle, such ruthlessness in the pursuit of profit will likely only intensify.

Yi Yang came to the conclusion that he couldn't see through the current situation, but that didn't matter.

Importantly, this will be a huge whirlpool, full of undercurrents, that could swallow people up at any moment.

In such a place, the only thing one can rely on is one's own strength. He was glad that his trip to the Ten Thousand Demon Mountains had been very fruitful.

Not only did he master three deadly moves that directly target the soul, but he also accumulated a vast amount of cultivation resources.

The most urgent task is to quickly convert these resources, which do not directly improve combat power, into spirit crystals and pills that can make him stronger.

Yi Yang pulled himself out of his thoughts and looked at Xu Min, who was standing respectfully in front of him, waiting for instructions.

This young man, who had followed him all the way from Suining Prefecture, from the squad leader of the Zhenfu Guard to the nominal deputy commander, was cautious, thoughtful, and loyal. He was a confidant worth cultivating.

Moreover, he had only recently broken through to the True Qi Realm, and his foundation was not yet stable. This was precisely the time when he needed resources the most to consolidate his realm.

Appropriate investment is necessary.

Firstly, it can completely win over people's hearts; secondly, the low-level resources on him that are no longer of much use to those in the Tongxuan Realm are just taking up space.

With that thought in mind, Yi Yang no longer hesitated. He took out a bottle containing pills from his storage ring.

Opening the elixir bottle revealed ten round, red elixir-sized pills, each the size of a longan, lying quietly inside, emanating a rich medicinal fragrance.

This is the Condensing Qi Pill used in True Qi Realm cultivation. It is a high-grade pill used to consolidate and enhance cultivation in the True Qi Realm, and each one is very valuable.

He then took out five porcelain bottles filled with "Tiger Bone Refining Pills," which are excellent elixirs for tempering bones and muscles in the True Qi Realm.

Some of these items were looted from the warriors of the Nine Rivers Sect and the Witch Kingdom, while others were previous stockpiles.

These things are of little use to Yi Yang now, but they are coveted treasures for Xu Min, a martial artist who has just broken through to the True Qi Realm. It is very difficult to obtain them without a certain amount of wealth and connections.

Previously, when they were in the prefectural city, they could only get one or two pills to improve their cultivation when the monthly salary of the Sky Patrol Division was issued. However, now that they, the Zhenfu Guards, have left with Yi Yang and are no longer in the prefectural city, those salaries are naturally decided by Yi Yang.

Yi Yang pushed the items in front of Xu Min and said in a calm voice, "You've worked diligently these past few days. Consider these a reward for you."

Xu Min's gaze fell on the pills in the box. He was stunned when he saw what was inside. His breathing became heavy, and his face instantly showed disbelief, shock, and ecstasy.

His hands trembled slightly as he tried to refuse, but he couldn't look away no matter what.

Yi Yang saw his hesitation and gave the order without room for argument:

"Take it."

"I need to focus on my training; I need capable people to help me."

The phrase "I need capable people" was like a warm current that instantly flowed into Xu Min's heart.

He understood that the adults were truly treating him as one of their own; this was not just a reward, but a sign of their high regard and trust.

Xu Min was about to express his gratitude when Yi Yang took out a thick stack of silver notes from his storage ring, each note worth five hundred taels.

He casually counted out ninety bills and handed them to Xu Min, saying:

"These will be distributed among the brothers, 1,500 taels each."

"They've had a tough journey with me from Suining Prefecture all the way to this important town of Hengyue."

Xu Min froze on the spot. He hadn't expected his boss to be so generous. Thirty brothers, one thousand five hundred taels each, that's a full forty-five thousand taels of silver!

You should know that a Zhenfu Guard at the Inner Qi Realm only earns five hundred taels a year. This amount is equivalent to their entire income for three years without eating or drinking!

You should know that the reason they chose to leave with Yi Yang before, besides the fact that he was the commander of the Zhenfu Guard, was precisely for the silver and cultivation resources, right?

Now that Yi Yang had fulfilled his promise, Xu Min took a deep breath and said no more.

Holding the pills and silver notes, he knelt on one knee, clasped his hands in a gesture of respect, and said in a slightly trembling voice, "Your Excellency is truly kind. On behalf of my brothers, I thank you!"

"From now on, we thirty-one of us are willing to go through fire and water for you, sir, even unto death!"

His loyalty to Yi Yang reached its peak at this moment.

Yi Yang waved his hand, gesturing for him to stand up, and then said:

"Go, distribute the supplies, and let the brothers cultivate properly."

"Furthermore, warn them not to cause trouble in the city; this is not Suining Prefecture."

Xu Min solemnly agreed, carefully holding those things that he considered more important than his own life, and bowed as he left the room.

After Xu Min left, the room fell silent again.

Yi Yang sat at the table and took out the illicit spoils from his storage ring, spreading them all over the table.

Five precious artifacts and more than eight hundred spirit crystals.

Some miscellaneous martial arts manuals, and the most conspicuous one, the "Azure Water Cold Light Sword," with a blade like a pool of autumn water and a chilling aura.

These things must be dealt with as soon as possible.

Firstly, they can convert the money into more useful cultivation resources; secondly, keeping it would only cause trouble.

If one day someone recognizes its origins, especially that famous sword engraved with the Zhao family mark, it could bring enormous trouble.

Yi Yang began planning his route to sell the stolen goods. He could take the five ordinary magical artifacts and some pills and miscellaneous items to several reputable large merchants in the city and sell them in batches.

Unless it's something too conspicuous, it shouldn't arouse suspicion.

However, the "Azure Water Cold Light Sword" is different. This sword belongs to the Zhao family of Qingzhou, and it would be too risky to sell it through an open merchant guild.

It seems we need to find a reliable black market channel in Hengyue Town. Yi Yang is quite at ease with this kind of place. With so many martial artists gathered in the city, there must be a black market for clearing accounts. There's no need to worry about not finding one.

Having made up his mind, Yi Yang stood up, took out a new set of martial arts clothes from the wardrobe and put them on. He activated the "Thousand Illusionary Faces", and the muscles and bones of his face twitched slightly.

His once stern face, which had been sharp and cold in his early forties, quickly became ordinary, with a few wrinkles appearing at the corners of his eyes, making him look like a middle-aged man who had been struggling to make a living for many years.

Next, he activated the "Concealed Breath Formless Technique," revealing his Profound Realm strength at the Perfect True Qi Realm level. This level of strength would reduce a lot of trouble when he acted.

After doing all this, he put the weapons and pills he was about to use back into his storage ring, and then Yi Yang quietly left the courtyard.

In the bustling city center of Hengyue, the area was teeming with people and traffic.

Yi Yang chose a grand store called "Wanbaoxuan" and went inside.

The mahogany counters inside the shop were polished to a shine, and the staff, dressed in uniform, greeted customers with beaming smiles as soon as they entered.

Yi Yang ignored the waiter and casually released a wisp of his True Qi Realm Perfection aura.

The shopkeeper's expression changed instantly upon sensing the aura. He quickly came out from behind the counter and respectfully invited him to a private room on the second floor.

In this important town of Hengyue, a master of the True Qi Realm is already considered a top expert, and wherever he goes, he is worthy of respect.

Inside the private room, calming sandalwood incense burned in the incense burner.

Without further ado, Yi Yang took out a beautifully crafted longsword from his storage ring, a treasure he had obtained from an elder of the Nine Rivers Sect.

The shopkeeper was a connoisseur; he knew it was no ordinary weapon when he saw Yi Yang take it out. He carefully took the longsword, drew it from its sheath, and lightly flicked the blade with his fingertip.

hum.

The sword emitted a clear, melodious buzzing sound.

"What a fine sword!"

Upon hearing the sword's cry, a glint of light flashed in the shopkeeper's eyes. "A top-grade treasure. Judging from the forging technique, it should be the work of a renowned craftsman from Qingzhou. Sir, I can offer eighty-eight spirit crystals for this sword."

Yi Yang was satisfied with the price, so he didn't haggle and nodded in agreement to the deal.

This price is already very fair. The other party probably saw that I was powerful and wanted to make friends, so they didn't make much profit.

The deal was quickly finalized, and the shopkeeper counted the spirit crystals on the spot, packed them in a brocade bag, and handed them to Yi Yang.

Yi Yang then took out two jade bottles from the cloth bag, which contained "Gathering Qi Pill" and "Blood Tendon Powder" respectively.

After inspecting the goods, the shopkeeper pondered for a moment and said, "Eight Condensing Qi Pills, top grade, half a spirit crystal for each, four in total."

"This Blood Vein Powder... judging from its color, it should be from the Witch Kingdom. It's very potent, and there are still impurities. We can't trade this for spirit crystals here. Each portion costs two thousand taels of silver, five portions, totaling ten thousand taels."

After a moment's thought, Yi Yang immediately countered: "Six spirit crystals in total, one price."

Upon hearing Yi Yang's counter-offer, the shopkeeper hesitated for a moment, but looking at Yi Yang's unremarkable face with its calm, unwavering eyes, he gritted his teeth and nodded in agreement.

It's not worth offending a formidable True Qi Realm Perfection expert for just two spirit crystals.

After leaving Wanbaoxuan, Yi Yang visited several large shops, including Jubaoge and Tianyuan Trading Company, and sold off the remaining treasures and pills in small quantities.

He always acted decisively and efficiently, neither greedy nor entangled, giving the impression that he "urgently needed money to raise funds for the auction in three days."

After an afternoon of walking, Yi Yang had sold most of the spoils he had obtained from the Ten Thousand Demon Mountains. These items had fetched about 280 spirit crystals, which was quite a fortune.

As evening approached, the sky grew darker.

Yi Yang changed his appearance again and came to the depths of a secluded alley in the eastern part of Hengyue Town. At the end of this alley was a pawnshop with a dilapidated facade that looked inconspicuous.

On the shop's black facade hangs a crooked signboard with two characters written on it, which is the shop's name.

"Gathering Righteousness".

According to information gathered by Yi Yang, this pawnshop is backed by an underground force in Hengyue Town. They specialize in buying goods of dubious origin, and as long as the price is right, they will even accept stolen weapons from the Sky Patrol Division.

Yi Yang wanted to get rid of the "Azure Water Cold Light Sword," and this was the best place for him. Seeing that he had arrived at his destination, he pulled up his straw hat to cover most of his face, pushed open the creaking wooden door, and went inside.