“True, but this time I didn’t just buy this invitation to broaden my horizons. I’ve inquired that at the auction, Shengye Sect will offer an elixir called Huayuan Pill, which aids in breaking through the bottleneck of the Foundation Establishment stage. Its efficacy surpasses anything currently on the market, and it’s said to be extremely rare, with only a few bottles refined each year. Aside from the one sold at the auction, they only accept orders from other sects and don’t sell to individual cultivators,” Yu Qingli said.

“Eh, I remember last time we met, Qingli, you were complaining about the slow progress in the Foundation Establishment stage, unsure when you’d even reach the early bottleneck. Isn’t it a bit premature to think about buying elixirs to aid in breaking through?” Zhang Zhi questioned, puzzled.

“Heh, Brother Zhang, you’re not aware. There’s a spiritual incense shop in town that released a new product called Zixuan Incense the year before last. It’s much more effective than Qingxuan Incense. I’ve been buying it frequently these past two years. Combined with elixirs, my cultivation speed has increased significantly. Now, my cultivation level has already reached the peak of the early Foundation Establishment stage,” Yu Qingli said with a laugh.

“Oh, really? I’ve bought Qingxuan Incense before and felt it was too weak, only suitable for the Qi refining stage. I didn’t expect there to be one for the Foundation Establishment stage too. It seems I’ll have to buy a few sticks myself when I get back,” Zhang Zhi said, pleasantly surprised.

“Wait until you get back? Their incense is limited in stock. If you go now, even Qingxuan Incense might be sold out, let alone Zixuan Incense. Dream on!” Yu Qingli shook his head.

“That popular? Then when does their shop open? I’ll go early enough,” Zhang Zhi frowned.

“They open at the hour of Mao in the morning, but there are so many buyers, you’d have to be there at the hour of Yin to get a chance at grabbing a few sticks. However, I do have a way to avoid the queue, but I’m not sure if you, Brother Zhang, would be willing,” Yu Qingli said.

Seeing the mischievous smile on his face, Zhang Zhi felt a bit uneasy, but he couldn’t resist the temptation of Zixuan Incense.

“Come on, Brother Yu, stop beating around the bush and just tell me.”

“Well, I’ve been a patron of their shop for a long time and have accumulated quite a few points, which allows me to reserve in advance, a day before. However, there’s a limit to how much Zixuan Incense a single person can buy in a day. If I give some to you, I’ll have less for myself,” Yu Qingli said meaningfully.

After a moment’s hesitation, Zhang Zhi gritted his teeth and said, “Brother Yu, we’ve known each other for so long, I wouldn’t let you lose out. How about this: for each stick of incense, I’ll pay ten percent more than the price?”

Yu Qingli nodded and agreed with a smile.

However, just then, Yuan Ming suddenly said, “Fellow Daoist Yu, I’ve heard that if the spiritual incense shop discovers someone reselling incense by taking advantage of their points, they’ll blacklist them and never sell incense to them again. You might want to be more cautious.”

Hearing this, Yu Qingli was stunned, and Zhang Zhi, realizing the situation, burst into laughter.

“Brother Yu, with our years of friendship, how could I bear to see you at a loss? To be safe, I’ll just buy at the market price from you. Otherwise, if someone reports us, it would be troublesome.”

Yu Qingli’s face flashed with embarrassment and annoyance as he glared fiercely at Yuan Ming, but he had no choice but to agree to Zhang Zhi’s terms.

Yuan Ming didn’t mind; after all, regular customers with points got a discount on incense, so Yu Qingli was still making a profit.

Reselling was inevitable, and Yuan Ming didn’t have the time to deal with every case, but since it happened right in front of him, he felt obliged to give a warning.

“Fellow Daoist Yu, since you’re placing an order, could you also reserve a few sticks of Beautifying Incense for me? You probably don’t need those, right? I’ll pay the market price,” Hua Xianzi also spoke up.

Seeing this, a cultivator surnamed Lu stroked his beard and couldn’t help but feel a bit emotional, “Even Foundation Establishment cultivators have to reserve incense. The business of that spiritual incense shop must be booming. The owner behind the scenes must be making a fortune.”

“That’s for sure. With the price of their incense and selling out every day, just sitting at home, they’d make thousands of spirit stones a month,” a cultivator surnamed Cui nodded, his words filled with envy.

“How wonderful! Even the top disciples of Changchun Temple don’t have such treatment. If I could open a shop like that in my lifetime, I’d be content,” Zhang Zhi sighed.

“Come on, you? Better stick to doing some loose alliance tasks. Without a unique business, where would you get such profits?” Yu Qingli laughed.

“If it’s just a simple trade, how easy is it to lose money? Besides, compared to running a shop, loose alliance tasks are more dangerous, right? Not to mention the usual exploring secret realms and escorting fugitives, I heard that recently some fallen loose alliances have started trafficking people, luring local cultivators to unfamiliar places to poison and trap them. Those with better luck get their cultivation sealed and are sent to mine spirit stones, and the unlucky ones are sold to evil cultivators as sacrificial materials,” Zhang Zhi said.

“Really? That’s terrifying,” Yu Qingli exclaimed in surprise.

“I have a friend who encountered a similar situation. He was told the task was in the northern part of Zhao country, but the path led closer to the Northern Deserts. Luckily, he realized something was wrong and escaped immediately, saving his life,” the cultivator surnamed Cui said.

Everyone showed shocked expressions, and at that moment, Jiang Xiong from the table next to them leaned over.

“Gentlemen, I’m from the Northern Deserts and shouldn’t be speaking out of turn, but after the warm assistance from a few fellow Daoists, I’d feel guilty if I didn’t offer a word of caution. In recent years, the cultivation world of the Northern Deserts has been strange, with many cultivators disappearing without a trace and some with little potential suddenly rising. In the black market of Wangyue City, Qi refining slaves appear frequently. If possible, it’s best to avoid the Northern Deserts, or if you must go, be fully prepared,” he said, causing everyone to tense up. Yu Qingli chuckled awkwardly and quickly changed the subject, easing the atmosphere.

After this incident, they no longer discussed other rumors and instead chatted about trivial matters. Yuan Ming listened and occasionally chimed in, staying for over half an hour before taking his leave.

However, as he was leaving, he suddenly saw Hu Tu driving a carriage in a hurry, stopping in the alley behind the Four Symbols Tea House.

Yuan Ming, curious and unnoticed by Hu Tu, quietly stood at the entrance of the alley.

In the alley, Hu Tu jumped off the carriage and knocked on the back door of the Four Symbols Tea House.

“Who is it?” A servant in light blue clothing peeked out.

“From the spiritual incense shop, we’ve arranged with your manager to deliver incense,” Hu Tu said, rubbing his hands.

The servant scrutinized him, “Wait here, I’ll call the manager.”

Soon, a middle-aged male cultivator came out, smiling and greeting Hu Tu with a bow.

“Ah, Brother Hu Tu, for such matters, you could have just sent someone from my side. Why bother coming yourself?”

“Can’t help it, the boss ordered me to personally inform you. From now on, you’ll get a consolidated supply of incense, delivered once a month on the first day. And don’t forget to promote our products when you use them,” Hu Tu said.

“Will do,” the manager nodded, checked the delivery, and confirmed the quantity. He then went inside and quickly returned with a storage bag.

“Here’s the payment for the incense from our shop. Could you check it, Brother Hu Tu?”

Hu Tu took the storage bag, counted the spirit stones inside, and then looked up, “Manager Xu, it seems you’ve given me extra spirit stones?”

“Heh, that’s a little token of appreciation for your hard work, Brother Hu Tu. It’s the rule of the City Lord’s Mansion,” Manager Xu said with a smile.

Hu Tu’s eyes flickered, and he pocketed the storage bag without changing his expression, “With the relationship between you and me, Manager Xu, I wouldn’t forget such a favor even if you didn’t mention it.”

After a few more words and laughter, the two parted ways.

Outside the alley, Yuan Ming turned and left.

······

Back home, Yuan Ming sat cross-legged, carefully pondering the information gathered from the tea house visit.

The whole city knew about Sha Hao’s case, and even the deaths of Gu Qiulong and Xu Changqing were attributed to him. Now, who knows how many were after his life.

It would be one thing if they simply killed him, but he feared some might covet Sha Hao’s soul cultivation techniques, deliberately keeping him alive to extract them. After a moment, he took out the artifact refining books he had purchased in the past few days and began to study them intently.

He had paid a high price for these books, which contained much about top-grade magical artifacts.

He had already learned the basic content in Biluo Cave, so he quickly skipped over it, focusing instead on the explanations and analyses of top-grade magical artifacts.

Top-grade magical artifacts, for Nascent Soul stage cultivators, can also be referred to as “treasure embryos,” considered unfinished magical treasures.

Unlike magical treasures, the runes on top-grade magical artifacts cannot be connected into arrays; they exist independently.

Not all magical artifacts can withstand the engraving of a fourth rune to become top-grade. The fundamental issue lies in the differences in spiritual materials.

Ordinary spiritual materials can only bear three runes at most. Attempting to add another would disrupt the balance of the existing runes, leading to their shattering and the destruction of the artifact material due to the inability to withstand the power.

Only artifacts that incorporate top-grade spiritual materials during the refining process can endure the imprinting and infusion of a fourth rune. Even if the process fails, the artifact will only drop one grade and not be completely destroyed.