Afterward, Uncle-Master and Yunxia Gu departed directly.
Daoist Ju Cheng turned his gaze back to the four of us:
"Come, Uncle Ju Cheng will give each of you a gift. Pick whatever you like!"
The previously smarmy Daoist Ju Cheng suddenly became generous.
However, I didn't fancy anything on his stall, or rather, they were all practically useless.
Either I already had them, or I couldn't use them.
Qiu Xi and Xiao Yao also didn't have the nerve to accept.
In the end, Daoist Ju Cheng insisted, dragging us along and pressing three Qi Replenishing Pills into each of our hands.
These pills were refined using the Hundred Spirits Grass as a medicinal guide, through traditional alchemical methods.
Upon consumption, they could restore a certain amount of spiritual power in a short period.
They were quite helpful during continuous combat.
However, the Hundred Spirits Grass had stringent growth conditions, making these pills, despite their moderate refining difficulty, uncommon.
At this point, we left Daoist Ju Cheng's stall and continued walking.
Entirely thanks to Uncle-Master's favor, we received a lightning technique and nine Qi Replenishing Pills for free.
I was quite happy about it.
We continued to browse the stalls.
The number of people arriving here kept increasing.
They basically filled the walkways, with some even setting up on the mountainside.
It was exceptionally lively.
Such grand occasions only happened once every five years.
It was a spectacle within the cultivation circles.
Many people had items they wanted to acquire or sell.
Since Old Mo received the lightning technique for free this time, he still had about twenty Ghost Pills.
They were of no use to us, so subsequently.
We traded these items for some hemostatic medicine.
To those fellow cultivators who enjoyed alchemy, Ghost Pills were excellent raw materials, whether used directly in medicine or to guide talisman fire and burn Yin flames.
After trading away the Ghost Pills, we started heading back.
When we passed Daoist Ju Cheng's stall, he had already packed up and left.
Fellow cultivators continued to arrive and depart incessantly.
On our way back, several stalls displayed Taoist techniques and secret skills that truly captured our attention.
The crowds were large, and so were the bidders.
Unfortunately, the stall owners' prices were also high.
They either demanded an equivalent secret skill in exchange, rare heavenly materials and earthly treasures, or cash transfers in the millions.
After watching the lively scene for a while, we left the back mountain and headed back.
Old Mo intended to return immediately for cultivation.
I wanted to go back and get some sleep.
However, Xia Qiuxi and Chen Yao planned to visit other places and asked me to take photos for them.
Inevitably, I became their errand boy.
I don't usually take photos, so I'm not good at angles or capturing the moment.
The resulting photos were often too dark or made my legs look short.
If it weren't for these two having good looks, none of the pictures might have been usable.
We played like this until evening.
Dinner was buffet again. Old Mo was focused on his practice and asked me to bring him food.
Uncle-Master still had VIP treatment, dining in a private room on the second floor.
He was accompanied by his peers, who were now also senior figures in the Taoist martial world.
Since tomorrow was the young generation's challenge tournament.
Many young cultivators were discussing it during dinner, their hands itching for action.
Xia Qiuxi even asked if I wanted to go up and compete a couple of times, to show my face.
She said with my current strength, I definitely had a chance to contend for the top spot.
After all, cultivators from all over the world, including those from abroad, would be gathered.
Winning just a few matches would bring me widespread fame.
I waved my hand, completely uninterested.
Currently, it was all about empty fame, with little practical significance for us. It could also attract unnecessary trouble.
Seeing my lack of interest in the tournament, Xia Qiuxi sighed and said:
"My situation is dire.
The Sect Leader has ordered that I must compete.
And I need to win at least three consecutive matches.
If I lose, I'll face sect punishment!"
Chen Yao, overhearing Xia Qiuxi, became interested and asked:
"Senior Sister Qiuxi, is your sect this strict? Isn't this just a friendly competition?"
Xia Qiuxi shook her head with a wry smile:
"There are no friendly matches here.
Major sects also form alliances or have private grudges.
If one loses too much, it's a blow to their reputation.
Everyone wants to win and assert dominance over others..."
Hearing Xia Qiuxi's words, I became interested in the relationships between these major sects.
And started gossiping.
As it turned out, the more I asked, the more scandalous stories of these major sects emerged.
There was the elopement of disciples from their Maoshan Sect and Longhu Mountain.
Both sides accused the other's disciples of seduction, leading to years of arguments and even several skirmishes.
The eloped couple still hadn't been found...
There was also a disciple from Laoshan Sect who hooked up with his master's wife, causing his master to die of anger. He then took over without anyone daring to speak against him, and Laoshan Sect would get into disputes with anyone who mentioned it.
The Sect Leader of Kongtong Sect fancied an eighteen-year-old female disciple from Canglan Guan and wanted to bring her back to the sect to become the Kongtong Sect's madam. This was opposed by the entire sect, and the Kongtong Sect Leader was close to being abandoned by his followers.
Besides these, there was a female disciple from Emei Sect who was determined to become an internet celebrity and had defected from the sect.
A male disciple from Maoshan fell for an online romance and was scammed into going to northern Myanmar, nearly having his organs harvested. Fortunately, his Taoist skills provided defense, and he managed to escape back.
An old Taoist from Zhongnan Mountain argued with security personnel for trying to bring dual-wielding sabers through security, resulting in him being subdued with an electric baton by special forces on the spot.
In short, there were dozens of such incidents, some hilariously funny, others incredibly dramatic.
But in essence, the Taoist circle, though seemingly mysterious, is capable of exorcising ghosts and subduing demons.
The more skilled ones can even refine elixirs, perform divination, ward off misfortune, and seize the luck of heaven and earth.
However, beyond their professions, they are still susceptible to the seven emotions and six desires, and the three calamities of humanity...
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Brothers, only two updates today.