I Outworked the Entire Cultivation World-Chapter 35 - 26: Nangu Market

"Nangu Market backs onto Wolong Mountain on the east, faces the Fulong River on the west, with the Qingyun Ridge of the Jiuzhong Mountain Range to the north, and the Feifeng Forest of the ancient battleground to the south."

In the cold winter months, paper cranes soared, creaking and squeaking.

Jiang Yuebai rubbed her hands and sat next to Tao Fengnian, listening to him ’point out the landscape.’

She knew that the Qingyun Ridge of the Jiuzhong Mountain Range was the mountain gate of the Heavenly Interence Sect, and she also knew that Wolong Mountain to the east marked the border of Yun Country.

"Grandpa, do you think Cang Country did it on purpose? Yun Country has a mountain called Wolong Mountain, so they named that big river the Fulong River."

Tao Fengnian laughed, "Cang and Yun as the two most prosperous mortal nations among the Central Plains Three Continents and Nine Domains have been at war since ancient times. I too am a native of Yun Country. Under Wolong Mountain, the heroic souls rest; in Feifeng Forest, the loyal bones are buried. Had I not accidentally stepped into the Cultivation Realm, I would have fought on the battlefield."

As they traveled, the paper crane flew slowly and low. The surroundings were nothing but mountains and trees. Jiang Yuebai grew bored and took out the glazed bottle containing the Ice Armor Beetle King.

Last night, she fed it the Grass and Wood Essence Pearl. Now, it no longer played dead, and was emitting cold air against the bottle wall, trying to escape.

Tao Fengnian glanced at it, "Your divine sense is weak. The process of sacrificial refining is to be gradual, but it can be done in three to five days."

Jiang Yuebai nodded. Last night, Tao Fengnian had helped her examine it. Although the Beetle King was strange, it was harmless and could be refined.

Once successful, all it would take is a slight activation by divine sense, and in an instant, ice armor defense could be deployed around her, or the enemy frozen, faster than casting a spell.

After completing today’s sacrificial refining, Jiang Yuebai put away the glazed bottle.

"Grandpa, have you ever used Water Spirit Energy to perform the Grass and Wood Technique?"

Tao Fengnian looked momentarily stunned, "Why do you ask?"

Jiang Yuebai explained the strange occurrence from that day, and Tao Fengnian frowned in thought. This girl, who once knew nothing, had become beyond his ability to instruct in such a short time.

"The way of the Five Elements’ conversion, you need to consult Lii Jiuchuan. Your grandpa’s knowledge is too limited to understand the mysteries of it."

"Alright, what about the Grass and Wood Technique then? I was thinking last night, since the Grass and Wood Technique can plunder the vitality of plants, can it plunder human vitality?"

As soon as she said this, Tao Fengnian sharply stared at Jiang Yuebai with an extremely serious expression, causing her scalp to tingle.

"This is the Evil Dao. Just saying is fine, but never perform it in front of others, or the sect won’t spare you!"

"I was just curious～"

"The essence of the Grass and Wood Technique is plunder. The vitality of plants, beasts, and humans can all be plundered. If a human’s vitality is plundered, it’s their lifespan that will be shortened. The Grass and Wood Technique won’t kill a person until it’s cultivated to the peak of the Fifth Layer, which is why the sect passed down this spell.

"After plundering human lifespan, can it be used to nourish others?" Jiang Yuebai inquired again.

Tao Fengnian shook his head, "Of course not. The vitality plundered by the Grass and Wood Technique can only nourish plants. We’re almost there, hold on tight."

The paper crane suddenly swooped, and Jiang Yuebai grabbed Tao Fengnian’s sleeve, looking out into the distance.

The mountains and rivers were magnificent, the mist and waves vast, the boundless forest stretched out, and the towering woods stood tall.

The paper crane landed outside Feifeng Forest, Tao Fengnian led Jiang Yuebai on foot inside, with tree shadows flickering, tiger roars and insect chirps, nothing but vines entwining trees everywhere, where’s the market?

Since entering the forest, Jiang Yuebai had an inexplicable sense of danger, feeling the urge to rush back immediately.

After twisting and turning, towering ancient trees blocked the path, and Tao Fengnian halted.

"Place your hand on the tree and try injecting spiritual energy." 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

Jiang Yuebai, half believing, half doubting, stepped forward and pressed down her hand. Once the spiritual energy was injected, half of her arm slipped into the tree.

She widened her eyes in amazement, maintaining the output of spiritual energy, she stepped straight into the tree, and the scene before her suddenly opened up.

A gentle breeze blew, rain mist drifted, the streets were bustling with people, lively and loud.

Shops lined the roadside with banners fluttering, vendor shouts pierced the skies, spiritual beasts shook their heads and spewed fire at the blacksmith shop in front, children laughed cheeringly, and apprentices swung heavy hammers, clanging away.

The dense atmosphere of the marketplace hit directly.

"How could there be such a large workshop behind the tree?"

Jiang Yuebai turned around and still saw just an ancient tree, casually growing by the roadside.

Tao Fengnian walked beside her, "There are mortals around here, naturally, some concealment methods are required. Other places use it too. This way, let’s first get you some new clothes. Although the market is safe, there are still scoundrels who specifically target wealthy and naive sect disciples. We must be cautious, hide our wealth and don’t attract attention."

"Got it, Grandpa."

Jiang Yuebai clutched Tao Fengnian’s sleeve, looked around everywhere, and found everything fresh and new, her pair of eyes not enough to take it all in.

This place had the lively aura of a mortal town and the immortal aura of a cultivator’s domain.

For example, the yellow talisman small swords flying by bearing messages, the two-headed giant bird pulling a cart overhead, the vendors holding talismans with fiery tails flying chaotically in their hands.

"Take a look, take a look～ Heaven and Earth Square’s various magical artifacts year-end clearance, absolutely more worth it than the Mountain and Sea Building."

"Shushan Square’s new arrivals Magical Technique Jade Scroll, also includes Nascent Soul True Monarch’s cultivation insights, limited quantity, first come first served."

"Immortal Herb Building’s elixir gambling is about to start today..."

"Various spiritual beast cubs for sale at a bargain, fellow Daoist, buy one for your child to play with, look at this Flame Tiger Cat, isn’t it adorable? A purchase you won’t regret."

"You two, looking for a place to stay?"

A male cultivator at the Qi Cultivation Third Layer blocked the way, Jiang Yuebai looked up.

"Our Qiyun Pavilion offers guest rooms that are cheap and excellent. They include a Spirit Gathering Array and come with a safety guarantee. It’s only two Low-Grade Spirit Stones for a night. Would you like to stay for a night?"

Tao Fengnian waved his hand, pushing Jiang Yuebai into the tailor shop.

When they came out, Jiang Yuebai had changed out of her Heavenly Interference Sect disciple attire, now wearing a green dress interwoven with shades of green like wheat seedlings, full of vitality.

Tao Fengnian also changed into an ordinary long robe, with a smoke rod tucked at his waist, leading Jiang Yuebai like a loose cultivator taking his granddaughter out for a stroll.

"So many people, so lively."

"It’s the end of the year, people tend to have more free time. The Heavenly Interference Sect’s year-end minor exam requires preparation of talisman magical artifacts, and sects from all over are also recruiting new disciples, hence there are more activities in the marketplace."

The year-end minor exam at the Heavenly Interference Sect is mainly for the outer and inner sect disciples. Those who fail will be downgraded, inner sect falls to outer sect, outer sect falls to servant.

After the minor exam, there is a test for servants at Qi Cultivation Seventh Layer and above to enter the outer sect. She’s not qualified at the moment, so she doesn’t need to worry.

Passing through the center of Nangu Market, under the towering ancient trees, banners fluttered, and the sounds of people filled the air.

"The Spiritual Crane Sect, Spirit Controlling Sect, Hundred Yang Sect, Chixiao Sect, Vajra Platform... Are these all Immortal Cultivation Sects?"

"Yes, among the Twenty-Five Sects of the Central Plains, aside from recruiting Entry Level children at fixed times, they also recruit loose cultivators from various markets in the Central Plains every few years. This year it’s Nangu Market’s turn."

Jiang Yuebai was amazed, "Then there must be many cultivation families too?"

"Countless throughout the Nine Domains, too many to count."

Jiang Yuebai craned her neck to see that those loose cultivators went to the sect booths to receive tokens and left.

"What are they doing with the tokens?"

Tao Fengnian explained, "For an Entry Level child like you, it’s just about testing aptitude and temperament. But for loose cultivators, apart from aptitude, skills matter more. Hence, they need to pick up different tasks. Most of them involve hunting demonic beasts deep in Feifeng Forest or searching for Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures. This is also a way for the local sects to control the number of demonic beasts and gather resources."

Passing the market center, the streets were bustling and prosperous.

"Come, come, freshly hunted Black-Horned Rhinoceros, the horn is intact and can be refined into an Eighth-Grade Magical Artifact. The hide has minor defects but can be made into Nine-Grade Leather Armor. Anyone interested?"

A massive wooden frame by the roadside displayed the bronze-skinned rhinoceros hanging upside down. A robust cultivator wielded a Bone Cutting Saber, shouting while a crowd gathered and vied to place bids.

"It’s just like our village’s year-end pig slaughter. What’s that?"

Jiang Yuebai pointed with her delicate hand at a building across the street, where a Foundation Establishment male cultivator sat immovable in front of a pill furnace, fully concentrated.

Below, small groups of people gathered, whispering.

"He blew up the last furnace, causing me a terrible loss. This time, I’ll bet on him failing again with one pill."

"His pill explosion wasn’t caused by your loud yelling below, disturbing his concentration."

"It’s normal for pills to blow up a few times during alchemy. I think this time he’s steady, and based on his average performance, there’s a fifty percent chance of forming pills."

Tao Fengnian watched for a moment, "At Immortal Herb Building, people bet on pill-making. Alchemists refine pills in public, and everyone can bet on their pill success rate. If you guess right, Immortal Herb Building will reward you. It’s a business tactic that others have started to copy."

"Aside from pill betting, there are also activities like Battle Talisman and Array Breaking that correspond to the Six Arts of Cultivation. Refining pills in public is a great test of an alchemist’s focus and benefits them. Grandpa is going to Immortal Herb Building to visit an old friend. There’s a bookshop across the street you can check out, but don’t wander off, okay?"

"Mm-hmm, Grandpa, go ahead. I’ll just look around here."

Tao Fengnian handed Jiang Yuebai a Communication Paper Crane and squeezed through the crowd into Immortal Herb Building.

Jiang Yuebai watched the pill betting for a while, but only heard people babbling nonsense, and didn’t see any cultivator open a pill furnace, so she lost interest and looked around.

"My Divine Mechanism Lock can’t be solved by just practicing for a few more years. If you’re too slow-witted, don’t embarrass yourself here. Get lost!"

Across the alley, a group of children and several adults stood around a small stall, each holding a wooden device with furrowed brows.

The stall owner was a rugged female cultivator, sitting in a complex and exquisite wooden chair, gears and mechanisms visible everywhere. She had a blanket over her lap as if she had no legs, busy shaping wood strips with a rasp, covered in wood shavings.

Jiang Yuebai curiously walked over and saw the stall filled with puppet mechanism items, with a wooden sign nearby.

[Solve the Nine Divine Mechanism Locks, win a Seventh-Grade Flying Core Boat, limited to children under ten years old]

"What’s a Flying Core Boat?" Jiang Yuebai asked.

The female cultivator didn’t look up, "A Thunder Sound Walnut carved into a boat; escape speed like electricity, a Seventh-Grade Flying Artifact."

Jiang Yuebai’s eyes lit up, "Just solve the Nine Divine Mechanism Locks, and you can really get it?"

The female cultivator blew off the wood shavings and looked up, carefully scrutinizing Jiang Yuebai.

"You seem clever. I’ve been here for half a month, and no one has succeeded in the challenge. It’s three Low-Grade Spirit Stones to challenge once, and you can’t take more than a quarter of an hour. Think it over?"

Before Jiang Yuebai could speak, a seven or eight-year-old boy suddenly burst into tears.

"I can’t solve it—"

As he cried, other children who had been frustrated started crying too.

"It’s too hard, I’m not playing anymore."

"Crying, crying, all you do is cry. You wasted my three Low-Grade Spirit Stones, you brat!"

A man took off his shoe and chased his child down the alley, disappearing from view.

The female cultivator laughed lightly and raised her eyebrow, "Little one, still up for the challenge?"