The morning mist had yet to disperse, shrouding the three travelers on their journey.
Two horses trailed slightly behind the snow-white steed at the lead. Seated atop it, Du Xinghe contemplated her future plans.
Shenshui, leaving Yunshan Township for the first time, gazed around excitedly: “Speaking of which, if Master wants to establish her own school, wouldn’t Little Cloud Mountain be perfect? We’re familiar with it, and there’s a whole mountain of monkeys we could command.”
Beside him, Xinyue pursed her lips, her face tinged with guilt.
Du Xinghe’s voice came from ahead: “I don’t wish to remain within the borders of the Xuan Dynasty. This land holds no affinity with me.”
She hadn’t forgotten how she’d gone from a rogue cultivator to becoming a wanted criminal in the Xuan Dynasty overnight.
“Then how shall we find a place with affinity? Using Master’s compass Magical Treasure?”
The magic artifact Du Xinghe had produced before the Mountain God Temple had left too deep an impression on Shenshui, who envied such remarkable divine power.
“Don’t rush. I have a bold idea.”
“For now… let’s go forge a sword.”
Her sword had been notched by the Azure Jade Wheel during her decisive battle with Lu Youwei. This sword was merely what the Nine Yang Sect issued to its direct disciples—not some extraordinary divine blade, but one that emphasized sturdiness and durability.
At the nearest cultivators’ market, Du Xinghe found a weapon shop.
The storefront was small, but peering inside revealed a complete arsenal—sabers, spears, swords, halberds, axes, dagger-axes, hooks, and forks, none lacking.
Noticing Du Xinghe’s gaze and the sword on her back, the sharp-eyed shopkeeper called out: “Fellow Daoist, please come in. Looking to replace your sword? You’ve come to the right place. Come, take a look.”
He directed her attention to the swords hanging on the wall, pointing to the most ornate one: “This sword is modeled after the exclusive blades of the Nine Yang Sect’s inner disciples. See these flame patterns? Not exactly identical, but a one-to-one classic reproduction! Across the entire Xuan Dynasty, you won’t find a more accurate imitation than ours.”
Former Nine Yang Sect disciple Du Xinghe: “…”
Well, I’ll be. We cultivators have our own Yiwu Market.
Seeing her silence, the shopkeeper decided to fan the flames, lowering his voice:
“Let me put it this way—the Nine Yang Sect’s sword-forging ore veins and mine share the same source. They just monopolize the highest quality portions. Overall, they’re quite similar, coming from the same lineage! The only difference is the lack of the ‘Nine Yang Sect’ engraving. But for twenty-five extra Low-Grade Spirit Stones, I’ll engrave it for you myself, plus your Daoist name—consider it complimentary. Such prestige!”
The Nine Yang Sect was the world-renowned premier sword sect—every sword user yearned for it.
Even mere imitations, just for show, were enough to make young cultivators flock to them.
“I’ve changed my mind. I won’t buy a new sword,”
Du Xinghe smiled, drawing the sword from her back and tossing it onto the counter:
“Since the Nine Yang Sect’s disciple sword materials are so excellent, I’ll trouble you to melt this down and recast it for me. No need to imitate any sect’s style—just engrave my name.”
The shopkeeper looked down and felt his scalp prickle.
The sword she’d tossed onto the counter like trash was engraved with the Golden Crow Sky Patrol pattern exclusive to Nine Yang Sect direct disciples.
“Th-this…”
The shopkeeper stammered.
Those who dealt in imitations often possessed some ability to identify genuine articles. With just one glance at the customer’s sword, the shopkeeper knew it was a Nine Yang Sect product. He didn’t dare ask Du Xinghe about its origins, simply considering himself fortunate to encounter a reclusive master who disdained major sects.
“That’s great, but melting and reforging the sword will take some time. Are you willing to wait, fellow cultivator?”
“Go ahead and tell me.”
After the shopkeeper raised five fingers, Du Xinghe agreed and continued: “I also want to select a suitable staff from your shop. Help him choose one.”
She gestured for Shenshui to step forward and chat with the shopkeeper.
“Don’t rush. First follow me to build a solid foundation, train your left hand, then consider what weapon to use. If that doesn’t work out, alchemy cultivation and talisman cultivation are both viable paths. This world isn’t only for sword users.”
Seeing that Shenshui was already talking with the shopkeeper, Du Xinghe waved for Xinyue to come over and comforted her.
“I’ll listen to everything you say, Master.”
Xinyue followed closely behind her like a shadow.
After leaving Yanjing County, Xinyue could finally return to human form instead of being a cat, but she would rather not be the great beauty in people’s eyes. She begged her master to use the Disguise Talisman on her to make her look like a tall, strong man with fierce features.
After purchasing the staff that Shenshui had chosen, the three of them stayed at a cultivator’s inn in the city.
Xinyue was the most diligent. Whenever her master didn’t have tasks for her, she would definitely be cultivating. Du Xinghe felt more pity for this girl who had been treated as a premium Cauldron by the Xuan Dynasty. Seeing Xinyue working hard, she had Shenshui handle all other miscellaneous tasks. Only after two days of peace did Xinyue notice something was wrong and immediately competed to do work for her master, telling her junior brother to step aside.
Shenshui scratched the back of his head, confused: “I became your disciple later, so it’s only right that I serve Master and Senior Sister. Why can’t Senior Sister stay idle!”
The ape demon didn’t understand – Xinyue wanted to be useful and stay by her master’s side for a long time.
Du Xinghe paid no attention to the subtle conflicts between her disciples. She personally went to the merchant guild’s outpost to inquire about nearby places suitable for establishing their own territory.
The merchant guild’s products included everything, naturally including information.
After hearing Du Xinghe’s requirements, the sharp-mouthed cultivator pondered: “Places with abundant spiritual energy are all occupied by sects or the Xuan Dynasty. To be frank about the remaining areas – none are suitable for long-term residence by cultivators.”
She said: “That’s fine, just tell me where has fewer people. I can overcome difficulties.”
The sharp-mouthed cultivator thought for a moment and actually came up with two places.
“The Compassionate Sea to the west.”
As soon as he finished speaking, a water mirror projection appeared beside them, showing a yellow expanse. Du Xinghe initially thought it was turbid seawater, but upon closer inspection realized it was desert: “Didn’t you say it was a sea?”
“The west is desert. The Compassionate Sea is a moving lake. If you can adapt to living underwater, it’s actually a good place.”
Underwater breathing wasn’t a problem – cultivators could naturally hold their breath.
The issue was that she was carrying someone else’s Rakshasa Staff, so Du Xinghe asked: “Are there any other places?”
“Hmm… if you can solve the poison that directly pollutes spiritual energy, you could try Evil Ridge.”
The water mirror’s image shifted to show vast, magnificent mountain ranges.
Though called a ridge, the plants displayed had the appearance of tropical rainforest vegetation, with everything growing exceptionally large and having thick leaves and petals: “There’s much miasma inside that even Golden Core stage cultivators can’t withstand. The peripheral areas have milder poisonous gas, but cultivating while resisting it is too troublesome and not worth it. No cultivators like going there.”
“Alright, thank you. Give me maps of these two places.”
“This isn’t particularly rare information. That’ll be twenty Low-Grade Spirit Stones.”
After paying, Du Xinghe left and immediately put the pressure on her System:
“There are many wicked people in the imperial harem. Is it not perfectly reasonable that I merely wish to have a palace as impenetrable as an iron barrel?”