At the southern end of Tianji stretched a vast mountain range known as Kunwu. Kunwu extended for tens of thousands of miles, its peaks unbroken, and since ancient times, no one had ever been able to cross it from east to west. Mortals living not far from the mountains would occasionally see purple clouds swirling within them, shimmering with five-colored light. But if they ventured in to seek them out, they would become lost in the mist and clouds, and only by turning back could they find their way out.
Gradually, people came to know that this mountain was an Immortal Mountain, accessible only to Immortals.
Those Immortals came and went with the clouds and mist, possessing an immortal demeanor and the ability to summon wind and rain, each with their own capabilities. If they found someone with a Spirit Root in the mortal world, they would take them back to the Immortal Mountain for cultivation.
Among the common folk, there was no one who did not wish to enter the Immortal Mountain and cultivate an immortal body. Unfortunately, Spirit Roots were difficult to find, and for most people, Immortals were only heard of in legends.
Squatting by a roadside stall in the market, a young-looking boy with a still-youthful face was engrossed in reading a mundane book, sometimes smiling, sometimes frowning with a serious expression, and at particularly interesting parts, he would laugh heartily, completely unconcerned with the gazes of others.
Fortunately, this was a cultivation market belonging to the Yunwu Mountain cultivation sect. Those coming and going were either cultivators or mortals who were used to such sights. If this were the mortal world, such behavior would likely have drawn a crowd long ago.
"Little Tian, what book are you reading? Are mortal books really that interesting?"
The middle-aged Daoist at the neighboring stall looked at him with a smile, stroking his beard as he asked.
The youth called Little Tian looked up and said, "Uncle Huang, the book itself isn't particularly interesting. It's just that I find it amusing how mortals view us cultivators."
"Oh?"
The youth set down the page. "This book writes about an Immortal who eliminates evil and aids the weak in the mortal world, robbing the rich to help the poor. Later, the mortal emperor wanted to recruit him into the court, but he simply left, roaming the world freely. Tsk tsk," the youth shook his head. "For a cultivator, entering the mortal world does nothing for one's cultivation. It shows mortals have far too idealized a fantasy about Immortals."
The Daoist surnamed Huang shook his head. "Mortals are merely indulging in flights of fancy. The difficulty of cultivation is beyond their imagination."
What mortals called Immortals were actually cultivators like themselves. It was said that by cultivating to the extreme, one could ascend to the Immortal Realm and become a true Immortal. However, this was merely a legend. As far as was currently known, the highest realm a cultivator could reach was the Divine Transformation stage, and that was a matter from a thousand years ago. That senior had long since withdrawn from the world, and it was unknown if he still lived. As for the remaining four realms—Qi Refining, Foundation Establishment, Core Formation, and Nascent Soul—each was more difficult to advance to than the last. In the entire Tianji region, there were only a few hundred who had reached the Nascent Soul stage.
The youth before him and Daoist Huang were both merely Qi Refining stage cultivators. In this market, Foundation Establishment cultivators were not numerous, and Core Formation cultivators were completely absent.
After sighing over this for a moment, the Daoist looked at his stall. "Little Tian, you haven't made a sale today, have you?"
Mentioning this, the youth sighed. "Before you came, someone did come to ask, but they thought my things were too expensive. If it weren't for Second Uncle urgently needing pills, I could have just sold them to a shop. It's a pity that shopkeeper didn't recognize their value..."
On his stall were several Formation Disks and formation flags. These items were used to set up arrays, something every cultivator needed for defense during cultivation or to gather spiritual energy. However, the Dao of Formations was profound and unfathomable; even centuries of study might not be enough. Cultivators, fearing their time was short, were truly few who were willing to invest time in this path. Most sects and families would have formation masters, but they were rarely seen among Loose Cultivators.
Logically, his Formation Disks should sell quite well. However, this set of formations wasn't the common, mass-produced goods found in the cultivation world; the materials were rare, so the price was very high. He had displayed them for several days, with people coming to inquire frequently, but they all shook their heads and left. Even if the formation was good, if no one could afford the price, it wouldn't sell.
The Daoist surnamed Huang sold low-grade talismans on his stall, which sold much better. In just this day, he had almost sold out.
After hesitating for a moment, Daoist Huang asked, "Little Tian, what's the lowest you can sell this formation set for?"
"Ah, does Uncle Huang want it?" the youth said with pleasant surprise. "If you want it, three hundred Spirit Stones will do." The previous price for this formation set was four hundred Spirit Stones; this was indeed a very favorable offer.
Daoist Huang pondered for a moment, then nodded readily. "Alright, Uncle Huang will take advantage of your offer."
Taking out the money from today's talisman sales and counting his savings, the two exchanged Spirit Stones for the formation disk.
The youth took out a jade slip from his bosom. "Uncle Huang, these are the instructions for using the formation. Once the Formation Disk is set up, as long as you hold the main formation flag, this formation can be used for both offense and defense."
Daoist Huang, his heart aching over the Spirit Stones he had handed over, nodded. "I knew that any formation made by you and your uncle would be worth the high price. I really wouldn't buy it from anyone else."
Three hundred Spirit Stones—even a sect disciple would need several years to save that much. For a Loose Cultivator, it might represent many years of savings. If Daoist Huang weren't skilled at making money, he probably couldn't have afforded it.
"Uncle Huang, thank you so much. I'll go buy some pills now. Uncle is still waiting for me."
Packing up his stall, the youth headed towards the shop run by the Yunwu Mountain sect.
Although Yunwu Mountain was only a small-to-medium-sized sect in the cultivation world, many families and Loose Cultivators were attached to it. Many Loose Cultivators relied on this Yunwu Mountain market to earn some Spirit Stones for cultivation.
The Yunwu Mountain shop was the largest shop in the market.
Entering the shop, the attendant greeted him, "Fellow Daoist, what would you like?"
This attendant was at the early Qi Refining stage. Seeing that the youth was at the mid Qi Refining stage, he was quite polite.
The youth said, "Do you have ten Small Restoration Pills?"
Small Restoration Pills were healing medicine, relatively expensive. When others came to buy, they usually bought one or two. Ten pills already counted as a big sale.
Hearing this, the attendant's smile grew wider. "Yes, yes, we do. Please wait a moment."
Turning around to report a few words to the shopkeeper, the attendant took out a jade bottle from behind the counter. "These are the Small Restoration Pills. Please inspect them."
Removing the stopper, he poured out one pill. The medicinal fragrance wafted out. After carefully smelling it and confirming, he nodded. "These are the ones."
"Ten pills in total, five hundred Spirit Stones. If you have any rare items to trade, that's also acceptable."
The youth said nothing, simply taking out Spirit Stones from his storage bag and handing them to the attendant to count one by one.
Carefully storing the pills in his storage bag, the youth walked out of the shop in high spirits. With these ten Small Restoration Pills, Second Uncle's injuries should be able to heal.
The youth left the shop, turned several corners, and arrived at a small courtyard. With a hand seal, the courtyard gate opened in response.
Entering the courtyard, the youth pushed open the door to a room and called out, "Second Uncle?"
After a long while, a voice came from the corner. "Little Tian, you're back..." The voice was hoarse and aged. In the corner on a bed sat an old man, cross-legged, his face dark and aged.
The youth walked over, happily taking out the jade bottle from his bosom. "Second Uncle, Uncle Huang bought our Five Elements Life-Death Formation. We've gathered enough money to buy medicine."
"Is that so?" The old man managed a difficult smile, taking the jade bottle handed to him, then sighed. "I told you it's useless, yet you still bought them. If you had used the money to buy Qi Nourishing Pills, your cultivation could have improved by at least three layers, reaching the tenth layer. Then the Immortal Platform Meet would be easier..."
But the youth said angrily, "Second Uncle!"
The meditating old man stopped speaking, looking at him and sighing again.
Only then did the youth smile. "Second Uncle, don't worry. Although my cultivation isn't that high, I've practiced my techniques for a long time. I still have hope."
Even so, the old man's expression didn't soften. He only said, "If it doesn't work out, there's always next time. Safety is most important. Don't force it."
"I know. For us cultivators, life is the most important thing. If we can't achieve longevity, what's the point of cultivating? I'll definitely come back safely."
Only then did the old man show a smile. "That's the right way to think. The Immortal Platform Meet is in ten days. You must prepare well, especially practicing the techniques for using spiritual artifacts. That's the method for preserving your life."
"Mm. Second Uncle, you heal your injuries first. I'm going to cultivate."
"Alright, go ahead."
The youth left this room and pushed open the door to the adjacent room.
Fetching water, he washed his face, then untied and re-braided his hair. The face reflected in the mirror was clear, bright, and lovely. But in an instant, he tied his hairband again, transforming back into a youthful boy.
Ye Xiaotian was her current name. The name Mo Tiange should not appear before she achieved Core Formation. This was Second Uncle's decision when they left Dongmeng Mountain seven years ago.
Over these seven years, she had followed Second Uncle wandering around East Kunwu, gathering herbs, running a shop, and hunting beasts. Second Uncle's accident happened when the small shop became unsustainable, and they had to rely on capturing demon beasts to earn money.
At first, the Ye Family had many stored treasures, and Perfected Lord Shoujing had returned her father's belongings, so their assets were quite substantial. But the path of cultivation consumed too much, especially since both of them had poor Spirit Roots. Second Uncle had a Four Spirit Roots; his ability to establish his Foundation back then was only because her father had piled up pills for him. She had Five Spirit Roots; although she had a good cultivation method, every step was difficult. Being able to cultivate to the seventh layer of Qi Refining in seven years was also due to Second Uncle piling up pills for her.
Over the years, they used up all their Spirit Stones for cultivation and had to think of ways to increase their income. At first, they only gathered spiritual herbs to exchange for pills, but they found this couldn't support both their cultivations at all. So they used all their savings to open a shop in a small market. However, because the cultivation family managing the market oppressed them, the profits were meager, forcing them to close and seek another place. Finally, Second Uncle discovered that hunting demon beasts was very profitable, so he joined other cultivators to hunt beasts deep in the southern mountains. Unfortunately, they accidentally encountered a fifth-rank Thunderlight Beast, equivalent to a Core Formation cultivator. The five of them returned, one dead and four injured.
Second Uncle was injured, making their situation even more difficult. Not only could they no longer rely on pills for cultivation, but they also had to treat Second Uncle's injuries. Fortunately, the Ye Family originally had deep research into formations. Although both had poor Spirit Roots, they had great talent for formations. So uncle and niece usually studied formations, and Mo Tiange would set up a small stall in her spare time to sell them in exchange for pills and such.
Second Uncle always said that continuing like this would hinder her from establishing her Foundation. So a year ago, they came to this Yunwu Mountain, planning to enter the Yunwu Sect through the Immortal Platform Meet. This way, the sect would have its own benefits, and her life would be much easier.
The so-called Immortal Platform Meet was a method for Loose Cultivators like them to join sects. Most Loose Cultivators had poor Spirit Roots, and these sects required at least Three Spirit Roots for disciples. Only cultivation families with extremely good relations with a sect could join with Four Spirit Roots. Loose Cultivators like them obviously had no chance. However, even with poor Spirit Roots, some people, through chance encounters, advanced in cultivation extremely quickly. The Immortal Platform Meet was to select these promising cultivators to join sects.
As for the selection method, to put it bluntly, it was a arena duel competition. Once on the stage, life and death were not considered. Although most sects would have a Core Formation cultivator presiding, they couldn't guarantee no casualties. Sometimes the fights were brutal, and there had even been tragedies where both parties perished together.
Mo Tiange certainly didn't intend to learn from them and fight desperately. Over the years following Second Uncle, although it was a wandering life, it had broadened her horizons. Second Uncle treated her extremely well; the two depended on each other for survival, and she had moved past the shadows of her childhood, her temperament becoming much more cheerful. She firmly remembered what Second Uncle said: cultivation aimed for longevity, and life was the most important thing. Moreover, she didn't believe that if she couldn't enter a sect, her life would be over. Second Uncle said that her father had also established his Foundation and formed his Core alone. It was precisely because of his existence that the Ye Family continued on Qingmeng Mountain for another two hundred years. Since her father could do it, she could too!
Firming her resolve, she sat on the bed and began today's cultivation.