They stayed in Kunzhong City for several days. Apart from resting and cultivating in the small courtyard, Mo Tiange occasionally went out for a walk.
Though Kunzhong City couldn't compare to the great cities of the mortal world, it was Kunwu's foremost trading city. Having come here and not exploring would truly be a waste.
While it was difficult for cultivators at the Core Formation level and above to find satisfactory treasures in such ordinary marketplaces, a trading city was ultimately a trading city. Kunzhong City was renowned throughout Kunwu for having 'only what you can't think of, nothing you can't buy,' and it had its unique features.
Before departing, Mo Tiange had brought with her some materials collected by her sect for refining the Heaven and Earth Fan. Now, upon careful counting, she wasn't missing much. Those miscellaneous materials had all been gathered; what was lacking were only the Thousand-Year Jade Marrow and the Qiyun Stone. The Qiyun Stone was genuinely rare; even those who knew of it were few. While many knew of the Thousand-Year Jade Marrow, it seldom appeared in the world, and when it did, it would quickly be bought up.
Mo Tiange had stayed in Kunzhong City before. Knowing that Kunzhong City held trade meets for high-level cultivators, she sent a transmission talisman to Qin Xi, mentioning this matter.
Qin Xi quickly replied, saying he knew about it and would take her there.
Receiving this reply, Mo Tiange was momentarily lost in thought. The reason she had asked Qin Xi was because he had said that Daoist Kumu and Tong Tianyun were loose cultivators of Kunzhong City. Given their cultivation level, they were likely part of Kunzhong City's management council, and naturally, they would know about these trade meets. She hadn't expected Qin Xi to personally take her, and she couldn't very well refuse. Thinking it over, it wasn't a big deal. Wasn't a trade meet just like that? What did it matter if others were there or not?
When the appointed evening arrived, Qin Xi indeed sent her a message. Mo Tiange gathered her things, opened the door, and he was standing outside.
"Senior Brother Shoujing."
Qin Xi nodded, not wasting words, and said directly, "Let's go. There's a trade meet right now, since you want to go."
Judging by his attitude, he seemed extremely familiar with Kunzhong City. Mo Tiange silently followed behind him. They didn't use flight techniques, only winding through the city's many twists and turns.
It was the middle of the night. The bustling Kunzhong City of the day was now quiet, with only a few cultivators hurrying along. Not a single mortal was in sight.
And these cultivators were mostly of higher cultivation levels, with similar destinations.
Mo Tiange saw these cultivators all heading towards the tallest structure in the city, the Kunzhong Tower. Qin Xi, leading her, was heading in the same direction. Unexpectedly, after walking for a while, he took her hand and whispered, "This way."
His fingers were slightly cool, carrying the unique aloofness of a cultivator, the touch brief and fleeting.
The two then entered the back door of a shop beside them.
This back door held another secret. As soon as they pushed the door open and entered, a low-level cultivator said softly, "We welcome you, Seniors." It was a female voice, very sweet.
No matter where you went, you couldn't escape the use of female cultivators as a means of hospitality. Mo Tiange sighed inwardly but said nothing, following Qin Xi. A female cultivator led the way ahead. They entered a courtyard, then went into a tunnel, and suddenly the view opened up.
"You may proceed at your leisure, Seniors. Please call us if you need anything." This Qi Refining female cultivator bowed respectfully and retreated into the darkness.
Mo Tiange looked around. This small hall was simply furnished, with many chairs placed around it. Several cultivators were resting and waiting. Among these people, the lowest cultivation level was Foundation Establishment mid-stage. Besides them, there were also two Core Formation cultivators.
Qin Xi gestured, and the two also found a corner to sit. He raised his hands, setting up a soundproof barrier, and said to her, "This is Kunzhong City's highest-level trade meet. Even the city's managers will participate."
Hearing this, Mo Tiange was slightly surprised. "They... also need to attend trade meets?"
Qin Xi smiled slightly and said, "Kunzhong City has no city lord, only several esteemed loose cultivators who form the Loose Cultivator Association to manage trading affairs. Even so, they have no special privileges in trading; they just have richer sources of information, making it easier to find what they need."
This management method was rather special, Mo Tiange thought to herself.
Qin Xi continued, "Kunzhong City's Loose Cultivator Association has a total of seven Core Formation cultivators. One of them is always designated to host this trade meet. At this meet, they allow one or two of Kunzhong City's best shops to bring out their finest batch of treasures for auction. After that, it's the cultivators trading among themselves, requiring only the payment of a not-too-large fee. This trade meet is also famous throughout Kunwu. Cultivators below Core Formation can only participate if they have some background. Core Formation cultivators often come here attracted by its reputation."
Mo Tiange was taken aback. "Kunzhong City actually has this many Core Formation cultivators?" To have self-trading, you'd need at least ten or so, right?
Qin Xi shook his head. "These cultivators have come specifically for the trade; they don't linger. As for Core Formation cultivators, are they so easy to come by? On normal days, there are at most about ten in Kunzhong City, with the majority being members of the Loose Cultivator Association. Otherwise, how could they manage Kunzhong City?"
That was true. If there were that many Core Formation cultivators, this so-called Loose Cultivator Association probably couldn't keep them in check.
The two sat for a while. Qin Xi asked, "Junior Sister Qingwei, what do you want to buy? Couldn't you have the Administration Hall handle it?"
Mo Tiange was somewhat unaccustomed to his switching between names. After a moment, she replied, "It's materials for refining my Life-Bound Artifact... The Administration Hall has already collected most of the materials. Only two are missing, but they are rare."
"What are they?"
"Thousand-Year Jade Marrow and Qiyun Stone."
Qin Xi frowned. "Thousand-Year Jade Marrow can occasionally be seen, but this item has extremely wide uses—it can be used for both alchemy and artifact refining. Often, as soon as it appears, it's bought at a high price. Getting it requires a bit of luck. As for the Qiyun Stone... I remember about a hundred years ago, I saw it in a small place. Unfortunately, I didn't recognize it at the time and didn't buy it. After all these years, I don't know whose hands it fell into."
Hearing this, Mo Tiange was delighted. "Senior Brother Shoujing, you know what the Qiyun Stone looks like?"
Qin Xi nodded. "But it was a hundred years ago. If you want me to find it now, I'm powerless."
"That's not necessary," Mo Tiange said with a smile. "Few people know about the Qiyun Stone. I asked my master, and even Master had only heard of it but never seen it, nor knew what it looked like, so there's no way to search for it."
Seeing her smiling face, Qin Xi was momentarily stunned, not answering for a good while.
Mo Tiange thought he was unwilling and slowly stopped smiling. "If it's inconvenient for Senior Brother, then forget it..."
"No," Qin Xi shook his head. "I was thinking... It doesn't seem to have very obvious characteristics. But if I could see it, I'd definitely recognize it."
Some ores looked very similar, but the spiritual energy they contained had subtle differences that were hard to describe in words. However, if examined carefully, they could still be distinguished.
Mo Tiange felt both joy and disappointment. If that was the case, her own anxiety was useless.
Qin Xi thought for a moment and said, "You don't need to worry either. Even if we can't find them for the time being, we can entrust the matter to Daoist Kumu and Fellow Daoist Tong. They are well-informed. As long as these two items have appeared in Kunzhong City, they certainly won't escape their notice."
This was the best option when there was no other choice, offering at least some hope. Mo Tiange then said, "That's very good. Thank you for the trouble, Senior Brother Shoujing."
Qin Xi acknowledged with a sound, his gaze slanting slightly to glance at her. He asked again, "What if they can't be found in the short term? Without a Life-Bound Artifact, you'll always be somewhat weaker. The two things you're looking for are both things you encounter by chance, not by seeking."
Mo Tiange was also quite hesitant. "You only get one Life-Bound Artifact. If I settle for something ordinary, I'd always be unwilling..."
Every Core Formation cultivator had this mentality. The Life-Bound Artifact was related to one's combat ability. If chosen carelessly, even if it could grow, it would ultimately lag behind others. Who would want to start from a lower point than others? But if you wanted a high-grade magical treasure as your Life-Bound Artifact, they were harder to find. Not refining one for a long time would have an even greater impact on your own combat ability.
Qin Xi could understand very well. He nodded and said, "Back then, if I hadn't accidentally obtained the refining formula for the Three Yang True Fire Sword during my Foundation Establishment period, I'd probably be in the same situation as you."
Mo Tiange also regretted not having mentioned it earlier. At that time, she was solely focused on forming her Core, always thinking that the Life-Bound Artifact was something to consider after Core Formation, so she hadn't paid it much mind.
The two sat, each lost in their own thoughts. After a while, finally, a Foundation Establishment cultivator entered and announced loudly, "Seniors, Fellow Daoists!"
All eyes turned to him as he said, "Thank you for your patience. Please follow me."
Mo Tiange turned to look at Qin Xi. Qin Xi nodded to her. The two stood up and followed the flow of people, walking through another corridor into another small hall.
This small hall was much more refined than the previous one. In the center was an extremely large round table, big enough to seat about thirty people. Some people were already seated around it. Some, like them, had no disguise, but the majority wore black robes and bamboo hats. Mo Tiange swept her spiritual sense over them and was greatly surprised to find that the hats easily blocked spiritual sense detection.
Qin Xi gently nudged her, casually chose a seat, and gestured for her to go over.
Mo Tiange looked around. Everyone was doing the same, so she followed the crowd.
After they sat down, she heard Qin Xi's secret voice transmission: "Some people here have identities that aren't convenient to disclose, hence the disguise. Don't casually use your spiritual sense on them."
Mo Tiange nodded slightly. Although she had traveled to many places in her youth, she hadn't had the chance to experience this kind of high-level cultivator trade meet and didn't know its taboos.
Once everyone was seated, Mo Tiange made a rough check. She found that including her and Qin Xi, there were actually ten Core Formation cultivators present. Additionally, there were about ten Foundation Establishment mid-to-late stage cultivators.
Such a secret trade meet with only these twenty-plus people showed it must be a rare opportunity. She wondered what treasures would appear.
After a short while, someone entered from a side door, his smiling expression appearing rather eerie. It was actually Tong Tianyun.
Tong Tianyun entered, his gaze immediately sweeping over Qin Xi and Mo Tiange. He nodded with a smile, then quickly shifted his focus and said loudly, "I am Tong Tianyun of Kunzhong City's Loose Cultivator Association. Greetings to all Fellow Daoists."
A Core Formation mid-stage cultivator saluting—the Foundation Establishment cultivators present, no matter how high their status, dared not accept it lightly. They all stood up to return the greeting. As for the Core Formation cultivators, most simply sat and returned the salute.
Tong Tianyun naturally wouldn't take offense. After the salutes, he smiled and said, "Since all of you can come here, you naturally know the rules of the trade meet. Tong will say no more. Let's begin."