Led by the caravan's elder, the group arrived at a sprawling inn.
The caravan were clearly regular customers. As soon as they entered the inn and called out, a server came to greet them.
With a single phrase—"the usual"—the server arranged everything with practiced ease.
The goods and the guards were all arranged in a large, communal room on the ground floor. For those out doing business, it was enough to just make do.
The laborers who had carried the cargo only now set down their loads and departed. They were extremely professional!
Bai Mo, his two companions, and the elder, however, paid out of their own pockets for private rooms.
Ten Spirit Stones a month, including meals. It wasn't too expensive.
Of course, the meals here were just plain rice and noodles, and the meat was only poultry or wild game.
If you wanted to eat well, you had to pay extra for it.
"Heh heh, the environment here may be average, lacking the elegance of other inns, but it has the advantage of being cheap, and the staff is diligent."
"It's perfect for business folk like us."
The caravan elder said with a smile.
Bai Mo ordered some rice and side dishes to fill his stomach, rested in the inn for half a day, and then headed out.
Just as he pushed open his door to leave, Lanshan poked his head out from the room next door.
"Shopkeeper Bai, are you heading out?"
Bai Mo nodded.
"It's rare to get out like this. I'm getting a little restless."
Lanshan laughed heartily.
"The spirit of youth! That's how it should be. Let's go together, let's go!"
He knocked on Lan Ru's door. She seemed a little confused.
"Brother?"
"Get ready. We're going for a walk. You'll be coming to Celestial Mountain City often in the future, so it's good to get familiar with it ahead of time."
At this time, most of the caravan members were resting. It was the time of day when men and horses were weary, and a whole swath of them were asleep in the large common room.
But as they were about to leave, the three of them ran into the caravan elder.
Only one person followed him. He was dressed neatly, his attire both elegant and refined, yet comfortably loose.
"You young people have an energy that an old man like me can't match!" the elder praised.
"You're too kind," Bai Mo said, giving a slight bow with his hands clasped.
The group headed out together.
The elder took the initiative. "Not far from here, there's a shop belonging to the Ren family. Why don't we go take a look together?"
He had come out to discuss business, so he naturally had to bring some gifts.
With an acquaintance who knew the way to guide them, it would have been rude for Bai Mo and his companions to refuse.
Leaving the inn, they were met with streets full of shops, a dazzling array of goods, and the cries of vendors with different accents.
Bai Mo found there was too much to take in.
Compared to Immortal Arrival City, the cultivation industry in Celestial Mountain City was on a whole other level.
It was like the difference between a major city and a county town.
Bai Mo was fascinated, and the desire to enter a shop and explore grew within him.
However, this sense of novelty was instantly diluted by the price quotes of "twenty" and "twenty-seven" he overheard at various stalls.
"Life in Celestial Mountain City is far from easy!"
Bai Mo shook his head and sighed.
But the elder said, "Not necessarily. Most of the customers in these shops are from outside the city. They've come here specifically, so they can afford these prices."
"The city's actual residents, like people anywhere else, aren't exactly flush with cash. They have their own ways of getting by."
They entered a shop, and Bai Mo saw the large sign at the entrance.
Ren's Record Sundries.
The shop sold all sorts of small trinkets, strange and wonderful.
Among the items Bai Mo recognized were many exquisitely carved products made from beast bones and horns.
There were also uncommon items like long incense sticks, silks, and jewelry.
The caravan elder began browsing as soon as he entered, picking out small trinkets and jewelry.
More elegant items included Spiritual Pens and spiritual charcoal.
They were all fine items made by Cultivators, suitable as gifts without being too expensive.
As the elder browsed, a Shopkeeper with a beaming smile approached Lanshan, bowing slightly at the waist.
"What can I get for you, sir? Our shop offers fine goods at fair prices, honest with all our customers!"
Lanshan was looking at the jewelry with a gleam of interest in his eyes. But just as the thought took root, he felt a sharp pinch on his waist from his sister.
The corner of his eye twitched. He forced a smile and pushed Bai Mo forward.
"He's the one you should be talking to."
The Shopkeeper's face showed a hint of doubt, but then he saw Bai Mo take out a large, red invitation.
"About this. When will your family have news?"
The Shopkeeper's expression changed in an instant. He spoke with great respect:
"So, you are one of the promising heroes."
He ushered the three of them to the side and explained:
"The Pill Master certification begins on the fifteenth of the month. Today is only the third, so there's no rush."
"The three Pill Masters are also busy receiving friends who have come to visit with their juniors, so they can't get away. But I imagine it won't be delayed for long."
He thought for a moment, then added:
"Where might you be staying, young master? When there's news, I can just send someone to inform you. There's no need for you to trouble yourself by asking."
Bai Mo immediately felt a good impression of him. He told him the inn's location and asked a few more questions about the Pill Master certification.
When the three of them left the shop, the elder was still inside. From here, their paths would diverge.
"Shopkeeper Bai, are you planning to register for the certification?"
Lanshan asked.
"Of course," Bai Mo nodded.
"But the registration point is quite far. Do you still want to come along, Lanshan?"
Lanshan exchanged a look with his sister.
"We have nothing else to do anyway. It would be good to go and see."
He rubbed his hands together. "This business with you pill apprentices and Pill Masters isn't something one sees every day. It's considered one of Celestial Mountain City's grand events."
So, Bai Mo led them toward the certification registration point.
They walked down the long street, looking around as they went. Before long, a set of Soft Armor appeared in Lanshan's hands. He hadn't been able to resist.
"The main material of this Soft Armor comes from a Demon Beast called a Swamp Tapir. They're very hard to find, and their hides are extremely tough."
Despite him saying that, Bai Mo witnessed Lanshan purchase this fine item for a mere forty Spirit Stones.
In response, Lanshan explained, "There's a hole in the waist, probably torn by a sharp weapon. That's why it was this price."
"I know someone who can patch this hole for me. When it comes to Demon Beast materials, people from my Immortal Arrival City are more knowledgeable."
He was somewhat relieved. If Celestial Mountain City had possessed such craftsmanship, he probably wouldn't have been able to get it for forty Spirit Stones.
As they were talking, Bai Mo's gaze shifted. He noticed the Pill Qi wafting through the street had become denser and more complex.
Looking again, he saw that Pill Shops now made up seventy percent of the storefronts on both sides of the street.
Passersby who carried the lingering scent of Pill Qi could also be seen from time to time.
Bai Mo's eyes lit up.
"We're almost there."
He quickened his pace, but the Lanshan siblings became much more reserved.
Many pill apprentices had begun to line the road, loudly discussing their understanding of Pills.
Although Lanshan couldn't make heads or tails of it, he had the feeling these people were very impressive.
But Bai Mo was dismissive. He commented:
"Don't mind how loudly they talk. Most of it is just stuff they've read in books. They haven't truly absorbed it yet, so they just show off with empty theories."
"It's useless. These people are on the same level as the apprentices in Immortal Arrival City who can only do menial work."
Hearing Bai Mo's assessment, Lanshan's impression of the apprentices changed drastically.
"But these people seem much more dashing than those apprentices who can't even refine a Pill."
Bai Mo looked again and saw someone pushing through the crowd to offer a Pill Token to one of the loudly-speaking apprentices.
'No wonder they're playing to the crowd. So they're after something.'
However, the person who offered the invitation couldn't even tell if the apprentices' discussion was any good. 'Their Pill Assembly must not be much to speak of either,' he thought.
The three continued on. Lan Ru watched the pill apprentices, who were now a common sight, arguing heatedly amongst themselves.
"Shopkeeper Bai, are all these people just playing to the crowd?"
Bai Mo shook his head.
'If they were all like that, I'd be quite disappointed.'
"Some of them do have real skill."
"Oh? Which ones?" Lanshan asked quickly.
He wanted to see what kind of people Bai Mo approved of.
Bai Mo observed for a moment, then suddenly pointed in a certain direction.
"For example... that gentleman over there!"