"Which shops in the East Market might have the spiritual materials I need?" Yuan Ming casually asked.

"The availability of spiritual materials is highly fluid, especially with the upcoming alliance at White Deer Hill which attracts cultivators from all around, even more so than before. However, the Southern Domain is far richer than our Northern Territory, and the Central Plains Da Jin is the Heavenly Dynasty. If there's a place in Black Rock City where Fellow Daoist might find the needed spiritual materials, it would only be the East Market," Gu Yue explained with a smile.

"Mm, there's some sense in what you've said, I'll head over and take a look first. What about the South and North Markets?" Yuan Ming nodded and asked further.

"The South Market is a gathering place for the Scatter Alliance. As for the North Market, it is the smallest in area, located where the City Lord Mansion is. Except for those associated with the City Lord Mansion, no one else is allowed near there," Gu Yue said.

"What exactly is the Scatter Alliance?" Yuan Ming didn't feign understanding and asked straightforwardly.

"Fellow Daoist doesn't know about the Scatter Alliance? You sect-supported cultivators really don't know the hardships of us Loose Cultivators! The so-called Scatter Alliance consists of various groups formed by Loose Cultivators, who mostly undertake various tasks for rewards," Gu Yue said with a surprised look and a light sigh.

Yuan Ming had previously learned from chatting with Zhao Tong and from some Strange Stories in the Gui Cang Pavilion that the power structure in the Cultivation World mainly revolves around Sects and Cultivation Families, naturally varying widely in strength. Overall, these are considered mainstream forces.

The descendants of Cultivation Families generally have a higher probability of possessing a Spirit Root and better cultivation resource support than ordinary commoners. Moreover, these families often have intricate connections with Sects, such as a Family Clan Leader who is also an elder in a Sect, and some core family disciples directly qualify to become Inner Sect Disciples.

As for the majority in the Cultivation World, the Loose Cultivators, some come from declining Cultivation Families, and others are ordinary people who stumble upon various opportunities to step into the world of cultivation. Yuan Ming belonged to the latter.

Thus, it was no surprise that most Loose Cultivators, often of average talent, were like rootless duckweeds in the vast Cultivation World, unsupported and generally struggling to advance beyond the Qi Refinement Realm if without special opportunities, thus naturally choosing to band together.

"How many Scatter Alliances are there in the South Market?" Yuan Ming thought for a moment, then asked.

"Quite a few, most are ordinary alliances consisting of Qi Refining Stage Cultivators. There are only two or three alliances with a Foundation Establishment presence. If Fellow Daoist is interested, you might consider visiting there," Gu Yue suggested.

"We'll see," Yuan Ming was noncommittal.

Right now, his main concern was how to quickly refine his Green Fish Sword into a Magic Artifact; he couldn't be bothered with other matters.

As the two chatted, they soon exited the West Market.

An expansive circular square appeared in front, laid with neatly arranged large slabs of Black Stone, looking quite tidy.

There were no shops in the square, only small stalls everywhere. Some used wooden boards to set up a rudimentary counter; most simply placed their wares directly on the ground.

Many cultivators moved about the square searching for items, making it a bustling hub of noise, even busier than the larger shops in the West Market.

"This is Black Rock Square, the central area. The City Lord specifically designated this area for Loose Cultivators to set up their stalls," Gu Yue explained.

"Such a prime location, and the Black Rock City Lord is willing to leave it for Loose Cultivators to use, truly a wise person," Yuan Ming looked around the east, south, and north directions and remarked.

"Most of the population in the Cultivation World consists of Loose Cultivators. The City Lord must see this point clearly, which is why he's treated Loose Cultivators well over the years, allowing the Black Rock City Market to thrive until today," Gu Yue said admiringly.

Yuan Ming nodded, agreeing with this view, and didn't linger; he headed straight across the square toward the East Market.

Halfway there, he suddenly stopped and looked towards a nearby small stall.

"What is it, Brother Yuan, did you find something you want?" Gu Yue asked curiously as he glanced at the stall.

Yuan Ming didn't speak; his gaze fixed on a section of green tree wood at the stall.

The wood, patterned like pine and emitting a faint spiritual power fluctuation, was clearly a piece of Spiritual Pine.

"Brother Yuan wants that spirit wood? What's the highest price you could offer?" Gu Yue followed Yuan Ming's gaze and asked softly.

"Five Spirit Stones," Yuan Ming hesitated a bit before speaking.

"Alright, don't say anything later, leave it to me," Gu Yue said.

Then, he approached the small stall, where an old man with graying hair and a ruddy, alcoholic nose appeared somewhat comical.

"Fellow Daoist, how are you selling this piece of wood?" Gu Yue pointed at the green spirit wood and asked.

"Good eye, Fellow Daoist. This item was found by a friend of mine in a Fierce Beast's den, it's top-quality Spiritual Pine, I'll sell it to you for thirty Spirit Stones," the old man, with a glint of shrewdness flickering in his eyes, clearly had noticed Yuan Ming and Gu Yue's earlier whispering.

"Thirty Spirit Stones? Old man, are you planning to rob us? It's just a rotten piece of wood. As I see it, it's not even worth one Spirit Stone," Gu Yue pretended to be shocked, his reaction somewhat exaggerated.

"How is it rotten wood, this is genuinely high-quality spirit wood, I had it verified by someone, and this wood is Patterned Pine Spirit Wood, selling it for thirty Spirit Stones is already very cheap," the old man insisted eagerly.

"Patterned Pine Spirit Wood? You think I have no knowledge! Patterned Pine Spirit Wood is a top-grade spiritual material, a fist-sized piece can sell for a hundred Spirit Stones, would you be selling it at a stall here?" Gu Yue scoffed, exposing the old man's lie.

"Even if this item isn't Patterned Pine Spirit Wood, it's still top-quality spirit wood. If you truly want to buy it, I'll sell it for twenty Spirit Stones, no less," the stall owner said, his face turning red.

"That should be my line, for a broken piece of wood from who-knows-where, if you're sincere about selling, I can offer two Spirit Stones," Gu Yue pressed on.

"Two Spirit Stones? Impossible, at least fifteen Spirit Stones," the old man's head swayed like a rattle drum, clearly losing confidence.

Next, Gu Yue and the old stall owner verbally sparred intensely.

Gu Yue seemed to particularly enjoy bargaining, growing more spirited as the debate went on, and devalued the spirit wood to being worth almost nothing, forcing the old man into continuous retreat until he even began to doubt the true worth of his spirit wood, ultimately securing it for the price of three spirit stones.

The elder no longer possessed his former vigor, hanging his head dejectedly as he handed over the spirit wood like a defeated rooster.

Yuan Ming took out three spirit stones and handed them over, carefully storing the green spirit wood.

"Fellow Daoist Gu Yue has impressive skills, I admire that," he said, seeing Gu Yue in a new light, and handed over a spirit stone to him.

"Thank you, Fellow Daoist! My cultivation is weak, and I have been surviving in Black Rock City all these years just by being quick-witted. Brother Yuan, if you have more of such tasks, feel free to leave them to me," Gu Yue joyously accepted the spirit stone, patting his chest as he spoke, clearly trying to impress Yuan Ming.

Yuan Ming grunted in acknowledgment, his hands unconsciously stroking the storage bag at his waist, secretly pleased.

Regardless, purchasing this piece of spirit wood for four spirit stones was definitely a good deal; in the previous stores, such grade of spirit wood would have cost at least ten spirit stones, and that price was non-negotiable.

"What kind of spirit wood is that? If it's convenient to reveal, might I also gain some knowledge?" Gu Yue asked curiously, seeing Yuan Ming's actions.

"I don't know much about it either, only that it's a piece of spiritual pine," Yuan Ming admitted.

Gu Yue thought Yuan Ming did not want to reveal it and chuckled, wisely not pressing further.

Yuan Ming wasn't concealing anything; he genuinely did not know what specific type of spiritual material the green spirit wood was, only identifying it as a piece of spiritual pine.

That was enough for him, for he wanted to buy spiritual pine.

Based on Wu Sang's unreliable analysis, one of the ingredients in Black Incense is pine wood powder. If he replaced it with higher-grade spiritual pine powder, there might be unexpected effects.

As for which type of spiritual pine would produce better results, Yuan Ming himself did not know; he decided to experiment first.

The two continued forward, Yuan Ming occasionally glancing around the stalls, but unfortunately, he found nothing else of use.

The pair crossed the square and proceeded to East Market.

The layout and environment of East Market were basically similar to West Market, but the shops here were built by external powers and had architectural styles starkly different from West Market, offering a fresh sight.

According to Gu Yue, the shops in the Eastern Domain and Southern Domain traded a lot of spiritual materials and artifacts from the sea because these areas were far from the Ten Thousand Mountains, had no other comparable spiritual vein mountains, and the terrestrial resources were quite poor.

Luckily, both were close to the sea, where countless sea beast and spiritual materials abound, providing a solid material foundation for the cultivators there.

"The world indeed holds endless wonders," Yuan Ming murmured after visiting several shops in the Eastern and Southern Domains.

The marine spiritual materials and sea beast artifacts from these two places broadened his horizons, stirring a desire to travel the world.

Of course, that would have to wait until he possessed sufficient capacity for self-protection.

Gu Yue didn't stop as he led Yuan Ming forward.

"I noticed that many shops in the Eastern and Southern Domains have mid-grade spiritual materials; don't they have one or two frost-related spiritual objects?" Yuan Ming asked.

"Searching these shops works too. However, compared to Central Plains Da Jin, the resources in places like the Southern Border are still far inferior. The chances of finding frost spiritual materials there are greater," Gu Yue explained.

"Let's have you arrange our upcoming travels," Yuan Ming didn't pretend to know better.

"Thank you for your trust, Brother Yuan. I certainly won't disappoint you," Gu Yue said earnestly.

The two continued on, quickly reaching the other end of East Market.

Here, the influence of the Southern Border began to wane, and more shops in the style of the Central Plains appeared before them, including magic artifact shops, talisman shops, and elixir medicine stores. Anything a cultivator might need could mostly be found here.

Yuan Ming nodded to himself; indeed, the Da Jin Cultivation World was incomparable to the Southern Border.

Many people from the Central Plains were bustling in and out of these shops, the vast majority of whom lacked any mana and were ordinary people, and from time to time, phrases in the language of the Central Plains could be heard.

Apart from his earlier experiences with possession on the Emperor and Wang Shun, this was Yuan Ming's first time seeing so many Central Plains people, and he felt a deep sense of familiarity.

"The largest Da Jin shop in Black Rock City is just ahead. They deal in spiritual materials, elixirs, magic artifacts, and other businesses. Let's go check there first; if they don't have it, we'll look elsewhere," Gu Yue pointed ahead and said.

Yuan Ming had no objections and was about to hasten his steps when the corner of his eye caught sight of a shop by the side, causing him to halt.

It was a small shop, consisting only of three rooms and a backyard, but judging by the sign over the door and the items within, it appeared to be a magic artifact shop.

Yuan Ming's attention was drawn not because he wanted to buy magic artifacts, but rather because of a large sign hanging at the entrance of the shop, which bore several large characters: "Buying Refining Runes."

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