In the blink of an eye, twenty days had passed.
On the third day of seclusion, Zhao Zuo finally broke through his bottleneck. He now only needed five rounds of forging to transform Refined Iron into Spirit Iron.
After his Spirit Iron Refining speed increased, Zhao Zuo had four hours of free time each day. He didn't continue Refining Spirit Iron, but instead used the time to absorb Heaven and Earth Spiritual Power to advance his Cultivation.
Whether it was reselling Magical Artifacts or Refining Spirit Iron, they were just means for Zhao Zuo to earn Spirit Stones. His ultimate goal was to use Spirit Stones to speed up his Cultivation and reach Foundation Establishment as soon as possible.
He could never put the cart before the horse. If he became too engrossed in minor skills and spent too much time on them, he would ultimately forfeit his chance at eternal life.
After a few attempts at Cultivation, Zhao Zuo was pleasantly surprised to find that cultivating in the center of the Market was about fifty percent faster than in Qingni Lane. At this rate, he could advance to the Qi Cultivation Fifth Layer in half a year.
And this was just the edge of a third-grade Spirit Vein. No wonder the previous owner's obsession had been to join the Moyun Sect up on the mountain. The concentration of Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi in the core of the Spirit Vein had to be at least double that of the Market.
Zhao Zuo surmised, 'It probably wouldn't be hard to reach Qi Cultivation Perfection within ten years in the core of the Spirit Vein.'
Then he would have more time to raise his Cultivation, achieve Body Nourishing Perfection sooner, and then plot a course toward Foundation Establishment.
'No wonder Loose Cultivators have no future,' he thought. 'After all, all the Spirit Veins in the world are controlled by one power or another. Only by backing a powerful faction can one's path of Cultivation be a smooth one.'
As his Refining speed for Spirit Iron increased, Zhao Zuo found himself with more free time, allowing him to dedicate ample hours to his Cultivation each day.
There was another important point: at home, he could only eat two jin of Spirit Rice a day. Here, he got two and a half jin per meal, and every meal was filling. His standard of living had skyrocketed. He could even occasionally practice his Body Refining Technique.
Of course, Zhao Zuo had done other things during these twenty days as well, such as repairing four Willow Leaf Darts by upgrading them. Now... Zhao Zuo had five brand-new Willow Leaf Darts, with two still unrepaired.
The trade-off was... the upgrade progress for his Sky-Breaking Saber had slowed down a bit, but he wasn't in a rush.
Zhao Zuo's reason for temporarily ending his seclusion was simple: twenty days of living without sunlight had left his mental state a bit unstable. 'If this keeps up,' he thought, 'I'll go crazy long before I achieve immortality.'
He exchanged his Black Iron Coins for twenty Spirit Stones. He could still hear jeers from the other workers, but they were far less frequent. They had mocked the previous owner for his poor talent, lack of effort, and constant bragging, but they had to respect the Zhao Zuo who had spent twenty days in seclusion Refining Spirit Iron.
The few who were doing even worse than Zhao Zuo still tried to make fun of him, but when they realized no one was joining in, they just chuckled awkwardly and fell silent. 'Perhaps for them, with no hope of ever reaching Foundation Establishment, the mockery is born from envy and jealousy. They envy my youth and are jealous of my talent as someone with Three Spirit Roots.'
As he walked out of the Earth Fire Forging Hall, the bright sunlight felt almost blinding to Zhao Zuo. The air itself seemed exceptionally fresh, as if he had been reborn.
Zhao Zuo circulated his Mana, activating a Cleaning Talisman. A gentle breeze enveloped his body, carrying away the iron filings and dust clinging to his Taoist Robe, as well as the stench of sweat from twenty days without bathing. His body became dry and comfortable, and his gray Taoist Robe looked as if it had just been washed.
"Truly magical," Zhao Zuo remarked before turning to leave under the blazing sun.
It's amazing what a change of perspective can do. After twenty days of sunless living, the sight of the Market's buildings now sparked an instinctive feeling of warmth.
The female cultivators from Qunfang Pavilion were as enthusiastic as ever, and Zhao Zuo was just as firm in his refusal. 'I just can't bring myself to pay for something like that.'
Twenty days spent baking in the heat of the Earth Fire had darkened his skin a shade. From a distance, he looked as if he were cast from steel, exuding a virile, masculine aura. Even his Taoist Robe couldn't completely conceal his well-developed muscles.
The core of the Market resembled a small town. Where there were residential areas, there were naturally commercial districts. Rows of quaint, two-story buildings were packed tightly together, adorned with all sorts of plaques. They were mostly similar in height and shape, with the sole exception of a building in the very center, which was about a meter taller and far more exquisite than its neighbors.
The building was constructed from antique-toned red brick and stone, topped with a green-tiled roof. Its facade featured a large door of paneled zitan wood, carved with exquisite patterns. The door and window frames were intricately inlaid with precious gems like turquoise, jade, and longan stone, giving it an exceptionally valuable appearance.
Clearly, the pavilion's owner wasn't afraid of people knowing he was rich; in fact, he seemed to enjoy displaying his wealth. He also had no fear of anyone harboring malicious intent. This was the Spirit Treasure Pavilion, also known as the Spirit Treasure Chamber of Commerce... its influence extended across several major surrounding nations. It had to be a power backed by a Golden Core True Man.
It was also the most reputable shop in Moyun Market, operating on a principle of three "don'ts":
They never asked about a customer's origins, never asked about an item's origins, and never revealed a customer's private information.
Zhao Zuo straightened his gray Taoist Robe, then stepped onto the white jade steps, crossed the threshold that glowed with a golden luster, and entered the Spirit Treasure Pavilion.
'This place is a bit like a jewelry store from my past life,' he thought. In the center of the hall was a circular counter, and behind it stood several Female Cultivators in short skirts who exuded a dazzling charm. Beneath the hemlines, their long legs were as fair as snow, and their faces were alight with enthusiastic smiles.
A faint scent of sandalwood wafted from an incense burner in the corner, putting one's mind at ease.
"Fellow Daoist, what might you be looking to purchase?" one of the Female Cultivators, who looked to be around twenty years old, immediately put down her ledger and asked Zhao Zuo respectfully.
"An auxiliary Magical Artifact," Zhao Zuo said directly. "The kind that increases the efficiency of absorbing Heaven and Earth Spiritual Power." 'To advance my Cultivation as quickly as possible, the best way is to absorb Spiritual Power faster. If I buy a Magical Artifact, I can upgrade its efficiency, which is a permanent solution.'
"This way, fellow Daoist, please." The Female Cultivator led the way. Her graceful back and slender waist, so narrow one could seemingly wrap a hand around it, inevitably brought certain pleasant thoughts to mind.
"Hoo..."
Zhao Zuo took a sharp breath. 'How sinful,' he thought. 'I finally understand why the Spirit Treasure Pavilion became the number one chamber of commerce in all of Great Yue. They're experts at playing to the psychology of male cultivators.'
The counter on the left was made of zitan wood. The Female Cultivator guided Zhao Zuo to a seat and asked him to wait a moment.
She returned a dozen or so seconds later with a Storage Bag in her hand.
"Sir, you may call me Qing Ci. Please allow me to make an introduction." Qing Ci arranged her skirt as she sat down, offering a better view of her long, fair legs. As she infused Mana into the Storage Bag, a round, white jade disk about sixty centimeters in diameter appeared on the table. Its surface was uneven, as though carved with incredibly complex Spirit Patterns.
The jade disk was pure and translucent, faintly glowing. It was made of the finest mutton-fat jade.
"This Magical Artifact is called the Gathering Spirit Jade Disk. As the name suggests, it is cut from Gathering Spirit Jade and carved with two Spirit Gathering Spirit Patterns. It can increase the local Spiritual Power concentration by twenty percent, no matter where you use it," Qing Ci explained with a radiant smile. As she spoke, two adorable dimples appeared on her cheeks.
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