Ascended Without Me: Cultivating with a Genius Son | Chapter 21 | The Bustling Beast Spirit Market | Novela.app

Li Xue and her companions had already heard from Tang Yiran that entering the inner regions of the Mangyun Mountains required an inspection of one’s identity plate. It was largely a symbolic check. After the old man examined their plates, he waved them through and returned to his meditation. Leaving the teleportation hall, they found themselves facing a small plaza. To the right stood a row of buildings housing more teleportation arrays leading to various destinations. The plaza served as a transit hub, dotted with stalls where people sold their wares. Several small cultivation families were also settled in the vicinity. Li Xue and the others had no intention of lingering. Once they located the correct array, they took a brief rest before continuing their journey. Having experienced it once, the second teleportation was much more bearable. After two more transfers, they finally reached the inner territory controlled by Beast Spirit Mountain. The spiritual energy here was markedly denser than in the outer regions. It was no wonder so many people sought to join the great sects; the sheer abundance of spiritual energy in their territories was reason enough. Beast Spirit Mountain was the name of both the mountain range and the sect itself. Perhaps the founding ancestor had been too lazy to come up with something else, and so the name had stuck. The sect’s headquarters occupied the northernmost part of the range, while the rest of the territory was inhabited by various small-to-medium sects and cultivation clans. The mountain range was vast, stretching for tens of thousands of miles and teeming with spiritual beasts and monsters. Most of the smaller powers under the sect’s jurisdiction had some connection to beasts, such as the Feiling Sect, the Beast Taming Sect, and the White Family of East Beast Mountain. At the foot of the eastern mountains lay the famous East Beast Mountain Market. As one of the seven great markets of Beast Spirit Mountain, it saw a massive influx of cultivators daily and boasted an exhaustive variety of cultivation resources. As Li Xue’s group strolled through the market, they were stunned by its prosperity. The streets were lined with a dazzling array of shops. In front of each stood small signboards indicating items for sale or purchase. They functioned much like the electronic scrolling banners from Li Xue’s previous life, flickering with neon-like light. For a moment, Li Xue almost felt as if she had returned to the modern world, though the sight of the passersby quickly dispelled the illusion. Ji Rufeng and Li Lin were completely mesmerized. They had never seen such sophisticated displays. At first, they assumed they were magical artifacts, but they didn't seem to possess any offensive or defensive capabilities. "The cultivation civilization is far too advanced," Li Xue marveled. "Is this some kind of cultivation high-tech?" In truth, they were simply overreacting. If master smiths could forge profound treasures, a simple advertising board was child's play—far more elegant than anything "high-tech." While the technology of Li Xue’s previous life brought pollution, these creations were entirely "environmentally friendly." Of course, if one considered actual magical treasures, their destructive power far surpassed that of nuclear weapons. Ji Rufeng and Li Lin clearly didn't understand Li Xue’s terminology, as they remained lost in their shock. Suddenly, a wave of spiritual pressure swept over them, filling them with an inexplicable dread. A cultivator walked past, spared them a single glance, and continued on his way. "Was... was that a Foundation Establishment cultivator?" Li Xue asked, shaken. Such immense pressure had come from just a glance. Only then did they realize they couldn't see through the cultivation levels of almost anyone around them. There was only one explanation: everyone’s cultivation was at least five or six levels higher than theirs—meaning they were either at the eighth level of Qi Condensation or higher, or perhaps even in the Foundation Establishment stage. They felt like children who had wandered into a circle of adults. They proceeded with extreme caution, their hearts leaping into their throats every time a powerful aura swept over them, even if those auras held no killing intent. They finally understood why so many low-level Qi Condensation cultivators stayed in the outer regions. In the inner circle, such cultivators were rarely seen walking about alone. The risks were too high; an accidental offense could lead to utter ruin. Generally, low-level cultivators only visited these massive markets under the protection of their elders. This wasn't to say there were no low-level cultivators at all—the shop assistants, for instance, were usually at the fifth or sixth level of Qi Condensation, often working in shops owned by their families or sects. A group like Li Xue’s, consisting only of third-level Qi Condensation practitioners, was truly out of place. Many onlookers assumed they were just children from some local family out for a stroll. Their faces were pale. Ji Rufeng swallowed hard and approached a shop where a fifth-level Qi Condensation cultivator was tending the counter—the lowest-level person they had seen so far. "Senior," Ji Rufeng said with a respectful bow, "could you tell us where we might find lodging?" The cultivator looked up, appearing somewhat startled by the trio. "There," he said slowly, pointing a finger. Looking to the right, they saw an inn called the Guest Abode. It looked quite opulent. The cultivator then added in a leisurely tone, "The cheapest room at the Guest Abode is ten low-grade spirit stones a night." As expected, the three of them winced at the exorbitant price. The cultivator watched them with an amused expression. After he had his fill of their discomfort, he added, "Keep going straight, then check the small alleys on the right." He then ignored them, muttering to himself, "Kids these days... always running around where they don't belong."