A Mortal's Start in the Spirit Beast Mountain

Chapter 361 Lu Xuan Reunited

The latest update is now available on Cola Novels; we await your interpretation.

Qinghu Market is situated in the middle of a vast, misty lake, built upon the spiritual energy of a small island in the heart of the lake.

This place was once the border area where the three major powers, including the Spirit Beast Mountain, intersected within the Yue Kingdom. As a result, the market that formed here was quite large, a mixed bag of people, yet also bustling and prosperous.

Today, the Yue Kingdom has already fallen to the demonic invasion more than a hundred years ago, and the location of Qinghu Market happens to be the intersection of the territories of the three major forces: the Yuling Sect, the Moyan Sect, and the Guiling Sect.

This delicate geographical location, far from causing the market to decline, has instead attracted more cultivators who are unwilling to completely rely on a single sect or engage in shady transactions due to its "no man's land" gray area.

Combined with the original spiritual veins and transportation advantages of this place, the scale of the market has expanded several times compared to a hundred years ago. There are towering buildings and shops everywhere, and colorful lights rise and fall in the sky from time to time, creating a prosperous and thriving scene.

More importantly, the market is now overseen by a Nascent Soul cultivator known as "True Man Sanyang," who came from a humble background.

This person is quite shrewd and has a deep understanding of business. He organized an enforcement team led by Foundation Establishment cultivators and mainly composed of Qi Refining cultivators.

Within the market town and its surrounding area of ​​several hundred miles, the market town rules are strictly enforced. The crackdown on murder and robbery, forced buying and selling, and especially the looting of low-level cultivators is extremely severe, bordering on cruel.

In just a few decades, the previously chaotic market town and surrounding area were transformed into a well-ordered and safe place. This attracted a large number of independent cultivators and small families seeking a relatively stable environment to settle and trade there, leading to a surge in market tax revenue and rental income.

The three major demonic sects—Ghost Spirit Sect, Spirit Control Sect, and Demon Flame Sect—did not want to lose this piece of meat.

However, the three parties are mutually restraining each other, and none of them want to see one of them completely control the area and thus gain a strategic advantage on the border. In addition, the "Three Yang True Man" is a mid-stage Core Formation cultivator with considerable strength, and he is also good at maneuvering. He also seems to have some unclear and ambiguous relationships with some of the higher-ups of the three sects.

Ultimately, the three major demonic sects tacitly chose to allow the area to remain "autonomous," only collecting a portion of the "offerings" periodically and not directly interfering in its management, thus turning Qinghu Market into a unique entity that survives in the cracks of the demonic path yet remains relatively independent.

On this day, a streak of azure light slowly flew to the outskirts of the market. When the light faded, a young cultivator appeared, dressed in an ordinary black robe, with a slightly dull and sallow complexion, but with unusually calm eyes. This was Luo Ming, who had changed his appearance and arrived on the Wind-Traveling Shuttle.

He hovered outside the market, his gaze sweeping over the cluster of buildings below that was larger than he remembered, with more densely packed pavilions and a noticeably richer spiritual energy. A hint of surprise flashed in his eyes.

"It seems that this place has developed quite well over the past hundred years and is even more prosperous than it was back then."

Luo Ming pondered to himself, while keenly noticing that what enveloped the entire market was a pale blue, semi-transparent light curtain that rippled like water.

The light screen emitted a soft yet resilient spiritual energy fluctuation, faintly connecting with the water vapor of the lake below.

"Azure Water Profound Wave Array? And judging from the intensity and coverage of this spiritual light, it is already the complete version, enough to withstand the full-force attack of a Core Formation cultivator for a period of time." Luo Ming recognized the origin of this protective array at a glance and made a rough judgment on its strength.

This market town was also familiar territory to him. It was near this place that he obtained the Azure Dragon back then.

Returning to this familiar place, the young cultivator who used to run away at the first sign of trouble is now second only to those Nascent Soul stage monsters in strength, which inevitably evokes a faint sense of emotion in him.

Just then, Luo Ming felt a slight stirring in his heart, as if sensing something. He turned his head and looked towards the sky in the southeast direction of the market, a hint of doubt appearing in his eyes.

On the horizon, a crimson streak of light was seen breaking through the air at an extremely fast speed. The light was condensed and its aura was intense, clearly indicating that the newcomer was not weak and was practicing a fire-attribute technique.

In just a few breaths, the crimson light had already flown to the sky above the entrance of the market. When the light faded, a middle-aged cultivator appeared, wearing a blue Taoist robe, with a gentle face, three long wisps of beard, and a somewhat otherworldly air.

This person exuded a deep and dignified aura, with a faint fire elemental aura surrounding him, indicating that his cultivation had reached the mid-stage of Core Formation!

The moment he appeared, the two Qi Refining stage cultivators who had been lazily chatting or meditating by a stone pavilion while on duty at the entrance of the market suddenly stood up like cats whose tails had been stepped on. They hurriedly straightened their robes, bowed in unison, and loudly proclaimed their greetings:

"Greetings, Master Sanyang!"

The voices were synchronized, clearly indicating that they were well-trained.

One of them quickly took out a token and cast several spells at the barrier light screen at the entrance.

"Buzz..."

The pale blue light curtain rippled slightly, cracking open a gap just wide enough for one person to pass through.

Once the figure of the Three Yang Immortals disappeared, the Qi Refining stage guards seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. The respectful expressions on their faces faded, and they returned to their previous state of being somewhat lazy yet not daring to completely relax, and continued to stand guard.

Luo Ming stood in mid-air outside the market, taking in everything. He gazed in the direction where the Three Yang Immortals had disappeared, a playful expression on his face, his eyes thoughtful.

"The Three Yang Immortal... So it was him." Luo Ming muttered to himself, his tone carrying a hint of realization and a touch of sarcasm.

"Unexpectedly, Lu Xuan, who invited him to refine the Xuanhuo Mirror back then, has not only successfully condensed his Golden Core, but has also broken through to the mid-stage of Core Formation. It seems that running a market is indeed very lucrative, and the amount of spirit stones he earns must be enormous. Otherwise, it would be difficult to support such a rapid advancement in his cultivation and to refine his fire attribute magic power to such a pure and condensed state."

"This person has been stationed here for many years, running the market and making friends with all sorts of people. His information network must be extremely extensive. Moreover, with his mid-stage Core Formation cultivation, the levels he has come into contact with are far beyond what those low-level Qi Refining or Foundation Establishment cultivators can compare to." A glint flashed in Luo Ming's eyes, and he instantly made a plan.

Without further hesitation, he slowly descended and walked towards the entrance of the market.

Upon reaching the entrance, the two Qi Refining stage guards lazily raised their heads when they saw someone else arrive. One of them glanced at Luo Ming, noticing his unremarkable aura and ordinary clothing, and then formally extended his hand: "Entrance fee, one low-grade spirit stone."

Luo Ming remained calm, took out a low-grade spirit stone from an ordinary storage bag at his waist, and handed it over.

The guard took the spirit stone, casually tossed it into a wooden box nearby, and then took out a small jade temporary token, no bigger than the palm of his hand, engraved with the words "Qinghu." He handed it to Luo Ming and waved it impatiently: "Take this. With this token, you can stay in the market for three days. You'll need to pay extra after that. Go in, and don't cause trouble."

Luo Ming took the token, didn't even look at it, and casually stuffed it into his pocket.

His gaze swept over the pale blue barrier, and in the instant the guard cast a spell and the barrier cracked, he moved silently and passed through, entering the interior of Qinghu Market.

He straightened his clothes, the wooden expression on his face disappeared, replaced by a deep calm and restrained sharpness. He strode forward, like a fish returning to the sea, silently blending into the surging crowd, walking unhurriedly into the depths of the market.

The interior of a cave dwelling located deep within the city, in a place rich in spiritual energy, is decorated quite luxuriously.

The walls were adorned with calligraphy and paintings imbued with spiritual light, and an exquisite tea set and several antiques were displayed on a jade table. In one corner of the cave dwelling, a small spiritual garden had even been cultivated, where several rather rare fire-attribute spiritual herbs were planted.

Lu Xuan, the "Three Yang Immortal," who had just returned to his cave, had an undisguised look of joy on his face as he carefully took something out of his storage bag.

It was a strange stone, about the size of a walnut, entirely crimson, seemingly with lava slowly flowing within it, radiating an astonishingly hot aura. The moment the stone appeared, the temperature inside the cave seemed to rise several degrees.

"Haha, I never expected that Old Monster Hu of the Demon Flame Sect would have such a large 'Crimson Flame Stone' hidden in his possession! Its quality is so perfect, and the fire elemental power it contains is incomparably pure!"

Lu Xuan pointed at the warm, crimson stone, his eyes gleaming, and his face full of a satisfied smile.

"By refining it into my natal magic weapon, the 'Mystic Fire Mirror,' and using this stone as one of the main materials to reforge it, I can increase the power of the 'Mystic Fire Mirror' by at least 30%! At that time, even when facing a late-stage Core Formation cultivator, I might not be without a fighting chance!"

The more he thought about it, the more excited he became, and he couldn't wait to start refining the weapon immediately. Without further delay, he held the Crimson Flame Stone in his hand, turned around, and walked towards the secret chamber on the inner side of the cave, which he had specially opened and which was heavily restricted for refining weapons and for seclusion.

However, just as he took his first step, before he even touched the protective barrier of the secret chamber's stone door,

"Pfft!"

A faint yet crystal-clear sound, like a bubble bursting, suddenly came from the direction of the cave entrance! Though the sound was small, it was particularly jarring in the silent cave.

Lu Xuan's joy froze instantly, his steps halted abruptly, he turned around abruptly, his gaze sharp as a knife, shooting towards the entrance of the cave, his face suddenly darkening!

"Someone has triggered the outermost warning barrier of the cave!" Lu Xuan was both shocked and furious.

The protective array around his cave was meticulously crafted by him at great expense, combining the "Azure Water Profound Wave Array" with several defensive restrictions, making it extremely difficult for ordinary Core Formation cultivators to infiltrate it silently.

Who is so bold as to act so presumptuously on his territory, outside his cave?

His mind raced, and his internal magical power began to circulate quietly. He clenched his right hand, and a crimson treasure mirror with an ancient design and flame patterns on the edge appeared faintly in his palm. It was his natal magic weapon, the "Mysterious Fire Mirror," ready to be unleashed.

At the same time, his powerful mid-stage Core Formation divine sense instantly spread out, probing towards the entrance of the cave, intending to find out who the newcomer was and what their strength was.

However, his divine sense had just probed out—

"boom--!!!"

A vast, boundless, and intense divine consciousness, imbued with supreme majesty and terrifying oppression, descended with overwhelming force, like an invisible mountain or a furnace that incinerates all things. In an instant, it completely enveloped and suppressed his entire being, along with the divine consciousness he had just extended!

"Ugh!"

Caught off guard, Lu Xuan felt a buzzing in his head, as if he had been struck hard by an invisible hammer! His vision went black, his blood churned, and a sweet taste rose in his throat. He almost spat out a mouthful of blood, but he forced it back down.

His face turned deathly pale instantly, cold sweat poured out of his forehead, his body trembled slightly uncontrollably, and his eyes were filled with indescribable horror and fear!