Yuan Ming's gaze shifted from the Mid-grade Spirit Stones in the man's hands to the two black jade plates, and he paused for a moment, looking slightly puzzled.

"Young friend, this must be your first time trading runes, right?" the skinny old man asked tentatively.

"Cough, indeed, I have not dabbled in this area before," Yuan Ming coughed lightly, admitting with a bit of embarrassment.

"Hehe, it doesn't matter. There's always a first time for everything. This is a Rune Jade Plate, specially designed to record runes. It can capture the entire process of the rune's formation for future reference. You only need to gather a wisp of mana at your fingertip, and trace the rune onto it," the old man chuckled, giving Yuan Ming an encouraging look while secretly rejoicing in his heart, having already categorized Yuan Ming as a profligate scion secretly selling his family's rare runes.

After all, each rare rune in existence is a product of seizing the essence of heaven and earth, and is controlled by some ancient sects and Cultivation families. They pertain to the power of magic artifacts and talismans and are considered heirlooms, not commonly exchanged for Spirit Stones. Such treasures are hard to come by.

Upon hearing this, Yuan Ming took the black jade plate, and, as the old man described, he concentrated his mana on his fingertip and drew the "Wind Listening" rune on one of the Rune Jade Plates.

The initially ordinary-looking jade plate, under Yuan Ming's touch, lit up with a white glow. The light extended following the movements of Yuan Ming's fingers, and when he lifted his finger, the plate displayed a complex rune glowing with white light. It flashed once and vanished, with the jade plate reverting to its original state as if nothing had happened.

As soon as Yuan Ming finished, the old man snatched the jade plate from him, injected a bit of mana, and immediately, a white point appeared on the plate. It then traced the complex rune before blinking out, the entire tracing process and the speed being identical to Yuan Ming's earlier drawing.

"Wonderful, truly indescribably marvelous..." The old man looked entranced, muttering to himself while attempting to mimic the actions in the air, completely out of sorts.

Yuan Ming was secretly amazed, and without further hesitation, he deftly drew the "Illusion" rune on another Rune Jade Plate and handed it to the old man.

"Good, good! My name is Huo Lian. You seem unfamiliar, could it be that you are a cultivator newly arrived at the Black Rock City Market?" Huo Lian fondled the two Rune Jade Plates affectionately for a while before looking up at Yuan Ming with a smile.

"I am Yuan Ming, indeed it is my first visit to Black Rock City," Yuan Ming replied.

"A fine name that suits the temperament of an Artifact Refiner. Work hard, and your potential will be boundless! If crafting a magic artifact isn't urgent, you can come to me anytime once you've decided," Huo Lian said cheerfully, his mood greatly lifted by fulfilling two wishes in one day.

"Thank you for the praise, senior. I shall take my leave now," Yuan Ming expressed his gratitude and was about to leave.

Just as Yuan Ming received six Mid-grade Spirit Stones from the man and was about to rise and bid farewell, he suddenly thought of something, stopped midway, and turned back, "Huo Lian senior, you've never seen these two runes before, have you? How can you tell if they are authentic or fake? Aren't you worried about someone deceiving you with a made-up rune?"

Huo Lian's mind had already sunk back into contemplating the two black jade plates in his hands, completely missing Yuan Ming's question.

"There's no need to worry about that. Runes are born from the essence of the great Dao of heaven and earth. Someone sufficiently knowledgeable about runes can sense the Spiritual Charm within them, even if the runes are unfamiliar; their authenticity can be instantly discerned," the bald man explained.

"I see," Yuan Ming said thoughtfully and then took his leave.

...

Gu Yue had been squatting at the side of the street, idly chewing on a stalk of grass while watching the passersby. Seeing Yuan Ming emerge from the shop, he immediately threw away the grass, stood up, and approached him.

He didn't ask Yuan Ming what he had done in the store, but instinctively felt that Yuan Ming was in a good mood, and that was enough for him.

In their line of work, if one's "boss" was satisfied, it would naturally bring benefits to oneself, after all, although Yuan Ming appeared shrewd, he was also reasonable in his dealings.

Before Gu Yue could speak up, Yuan Ming suddenly asked, "Next, are you planning to take me to a Central Plains workshop?"

"Let's first visit a Central Plains shop. If nothing suitable is found, we can look elsewhere later," Gu Yue nodded and replied.

"Is there a place here where I can buy Central Plains' clothing? Take me there," Yuan Ming requested again.

Puzzled but obliging, Gu Yue led Yuan Ming to a nearby clothing workshop. Asking Gu Yue to wait, Yuan Ming went inside. Moments later, he reemerged dressed in the fashion of a Central Plains man.

"Tsk tsk, Brother Yuan, with this outfit, if I didn't know better, I'd think you were a scion of some wealthy family from Da Jin!" Gu Yue said, clearly impressed.

"Let's go," Yuan Ming responded with a smile, without further explanation.

Gu Yue wasn't wrong; Yuan Ming's attire indeed resembled that of his real status in Da Jin when he would venture out for leisure activities.

As for why he had chosen to do this, even he wasn't entirely clear. Perhaps it was a nostalgic longing for home, or maybe he considered that a Central Plains man shopping in a Central Plains shop would be more convenient.

The two continued on their way and after about a quarter of an hour, they stopped in front of a large shop.

The shop was high and imposing, with five floors, green tiles, yellow walls, ornate eaves, and beast figurines. It looked extraordinarily majestic. Above the wide-open doors of the shop hung a large gold-plated signboard with the words "Longevity Immortal Tower" written on it. Customers were coming in and out ceaselessly.

"Is this the place?" Yuan Ming inquired, eyeing the gold signboard.

"Yes, Longevity Immortal Tower is the largest Central Plains shop in the market and it's owned by the Chang Chun Temple, a Cultivation family of great wealth from Da Jin. Many of their goods come directly from Da Jin. Except for being expensive, there's no downside," Gu Yue said with a laugh.

"Chang Chun Temple!" Yuan Ming's heart stirred, and he took another look at the shop before him.

The "Nine Elements Technique" he cultivated was, after all, the secret Cultivation Technique only provided to elite disciples of Chang Chun Temple, wasn't it?

In terms of the effects of cultivation, it indeed couldn't be compared to any Cultivation Technique from Biluo Cave; otherwise, with his talent, he wouldn't even barely reach the Fourth or Fifth Layer of Qi Refinement, let alone the Ninth Layer.

Add to that the close relationship this sect had with the Da Jin Imperial Family, and even setting up shop in the Southern Border, the term "wealthy family" really was well-deserved.

"Right, I heard Brother Yuan came from the Central Plains, you must have heard of Chang Chun Temple, right?" Gu Yue seemed to have realized something and asked.

"It seems to be a Daoist sect in Da Jin," Yuan Ming replied vaguely.

"Brother Yuan really has extensive knowledge. The religions of the Central Plains honor Daoism, Buddhism, and Confucianism the most, and Chang Chun Temple is an orthodox Daoist sect, proficient in Alchemy and talisman-making. The elixirs and talismans within Longevity Immortal Tower are far beyond comparison to any sect in the Southern Border. Brother Yuan Ming, aside from spiritual materials, if you're interested, you could also take a look later," Gu Yue said.

"Okay," Yuan Ming agreed with a single utterance, his mind spinning with thoughts.

Elixirs were exactly what he was looking for and as for talismans, they were consumables that, although convenient to use, cost at least one or two low-level spirit stones for a low-grade junior talisman—certainly not something he had considered within his range before.

But times had changed; he now carried more than six hundred spirit stones, naturally instilling him with much more confidence.

The two entered Longevity Immortal Tower one after the other, stepping into an impressive hall that could accommodate a hundred people without feeling crowded. The interior layout was similar to other shops, with shelves lined up and displaying all kinds of goods.

At this moment, there were plenty of customers in the hall, with the sounds of conversations and the language of bidding everywhere—quite the lively atmosphere.

Yuan Ming glanced over the shelves, which mostly contained spiritual materials, but he didn't see the elixirs and talismans that Gu Yue had mentioned.

"Longevity Immortal Tower has five floors, and the items sold on each floor are different. The first floor sells spiritual materials, while the business of elixirs and talismans happens on the second and third floors. As for the fourth floor, it's said to be specifically for receiving distinguished guests and requires a special invitation to enter," Gu Yue saw Yuan Ming's confusion and explained, his face filled with longing when he mentioned the fourth floor.

Yuan Ming nodded and began to look around among the shelves.

The spiritual materials in Longevity Immortal Tower were also sorted according to their Five Elements Attribute, placed in separate sections. He quickly arrived at the area selling Water attribute materials and after a thorough search, he finally spotted a half-transparent green stone box at the top of a shelf not far away. Inside the box was a piece of white Cold Jade the size of a thumb, exuding an intense chill even through the box.

"Ice Soul Stone! A true Mid-grade spiritual material!" A flash of excitement swept through Yuan Ming's eyes.

Before Yuan Ming could walk over, a green-robed attendant approached him and, with a full-faced smile, said, "What kind of spiritual materials would our honored guests like? Our Longevity Immortal Tower boasts a wide range of products, fair prices, and excellent quality, and we will surely make you feel right at home."

"I'm looking for several spiritual materials, preferably Mid-grade or above. If you have good elixirs and talismans, I'd like to have a look at those too," Yuan Ming spoke calmly.

This time, Yuan Ming spoke in the Central Plains language, a standard and fluent Central Plains Da Jin accent, which took Gu Yue by surprise.

As an intelligence broker in Black Rock City, Gu Yue naturally understood the Central Plains language and could speak a few phrases, but he couldn't do so as fluently.

The most important point was that Yuan Ming's manner of asking for things was much bolder than when they first met. After all, a single Mid-grade spiritual material was worth dozens of spirit stones, not to mention elixirs, and talismans were not something average Qi Refining Stage Cultivators could afford.

If he truly was going to buy all these items, it would cost him several hundred spirit stones, wouldn't it?

"The honored guest is from Da Jin? I apologize for any oversight. Please move to the fourth-floor private room; I will go and invite the deacon immediately." The green-robed attendant had already noticed that Yuan Ming's Da Jin attire and behavior were out of the ordinary and grew even more excited upon hearing him speak, responding with unmatched enthusiasm in the Central Plains language as well.

Then, calling another female attendant to take care of Yuan Ming and his companion, he quickly left.

Yuan Ming and Gu Yue, one after the other, followed the female attendant up the stairs to the fourth floor.

The second and third floors were indeed as Gu Yue had said, dedicated to the sale of elixirs and talismans. The stairway to the fifth floor was obstructed by an iron gate, which the attendant advised only Foundation Establishment Cultivators could enter.

The fourth floor had been outfitted with separate rooms, each tastefully furnished with exquisite furniture and refreshments, creating a very comfortable ambiance.

After settling the two of them in, the female attendant served two cups of pale red Spiritual Tea and excused herself.

"Fiery Sun Tea? This is made from Fiery Sun Grass that grows near the mouth of volcanoes, and drinking it benefits the cleansing of meridians and the calming of the mind. Today, I am fortunate to share Brother Yuan's light," Gu Yue picked up the cup, drank it in one gulp, and showed a face of bliss.

Yuan Ming also took a small sip, feeling a warm flow from his throat entering his insides, and then spreading throughout his body.

He felt as if he had bathed in hot water during winter, with his whole body warm and exceedingly comfortable, and was glad for his spirit-lifting change of attire. The frustration he had previously felt at Biluo Cave due to the different treatment he received as a Central Plains person seemed to melt away with the ice and snow.

Here, it was indeed more advantageous to have a Central Plains identity!

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