Cultivation: I Have a Skill Level Panel

[You practiced the Eight Desolates Star Slash thirty times, making every second count. One slash to fell the stars. Eight Desolates Star Slash Skill Level +3%.]

[You practiced the Dharma Golden Body twenty times, working day and night. The Dharma Aspect emerges, peerless and world-shaking. Dharma Golden Body Skill Level +2%.]

[You tirelessly practiced the Thunder Gang Body thirty times. Thunder forges the physique, tyrannical and ferocious. Thunder Gang Body Skill Level +3%.]

...

「Half a month later.」

Terrifying arcs of thunder flickered, tearing and twisting the void. Faintly visible within was the endless, pitch-black abyss of the void.

Gu Yun felt the profound, sea-deep True Yuan within his body grow slightly stronger once again, and his comprehension of Magic and Martial Techniques had deepened. His overall strength was now a hair stronger than before.

But a trace of worry lingered in Gu Yun’s eyes.

Without the aid of Elixirs, although he could still increase his strength, the process was undoubtedly quite slow.

[Alchemy: Human Tier Upper Grade (59%)]

Although he could refine Elixirs, the Pill Formulas on the ancient, basic Pill Scroll that Xiao Chen had once given him were all for fundamental Elixirs.

They were completely insufficient for his current level of strength.

Taking them had a minimal effect!

But he had no other practical Pill Formulas to effectively increase his strength.

"Sigh!"

At this thought, Gu Yun couldn’t help but sigh softly.

"I should go check out the Marketplace."

After a moment of contemplation, Gu Yun murmured in a low voice.

Then, with a flicker of movement, his figure vanished, leaving only an afterimage that slowly dissipated into the air.

...

Gu Yun rode his Escape Light, speeding through the towering mountains and peaks steeped in Spiritual Qi.

Moving as fast as lightning tearing across the sky, he covered dozens of miles in the blink of an eye.

The Profound Celestial Sect’s grounds were vast, spanning nearly hundreds of thousands of miles!

As for the territory under its jurisdiction, it was even more immense!!

However, at Gu Yun’s speed, this distance wasn’t too great.

Soon, Gu Yun arrived above the Inner Sect Marketplace.

He looked down at the forest of pavilions and multi-story buildings below, where crowds flowed like a bustling river.

There were middle-aged Cultivators in Daoist Robes with weathered faces, carrying large gourds on their backs;

young Sword Cultivators with cold expressions and exceptional auras, carrying longswords on their backs;

burly middle-aged Body Cultivators, built like brown bears with knotted muscles and fierce expressions;

and Alchemists, Array Masters, Artifact Refiners, and more...

Countless tall pavilions and smaller shops stood side by side in an orderly fashion.

On the streets, numerous senior and junior brothers had set up stalls, selling all sorts of Miracle Elixirs, Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures, Demon Beast bodies, Magic and Martial Techniques, and more.

In addition, some of the minor sects and families under the Profound Celestial Sect’s jurisdiction had sent people here to sell their wares,

making the place incredibly lively and crowded. The sound of hawking echoed endlessly.

It had the bustling, noisy feel of a mortal marketplace.

Gu Yun lightly stepped on the air, sending out ripples like those on water.

His figure flickered, and in an instant, he was down in the Marketplace below, landing on the hard, stone-paved road before striding inside.

Calls from vendors immediately sounded around him.

"Senior Brother! Over here! I’ve got a Celestial Meteorite, unbelievably heavy and top-quality stone. It’s a treasure for Artifact Refining, come and have a look!"

"Junior Brother, I have a Technique here left over from some Grotto Heaven Ruins! It’s absolutely powerful, and I swear it’s authentic!"

"Hey, Junior Brother, care to look at this Profound Tier Treasure Medicine? It’s brimming with medicinal power, a premium item for your next breakthrough! And the price is a steal—not 996, just 886!"

The cries of various senior and junior brothers came one after another,

but Gu Yun ignored them all. Although most of the items in the Inner Sect Marketplace were far from ordinary, they weren’t what he was looking for.

Gu Yun walked on until he stopped before a tall, grand, and ancient-looking pavilion.

He looked up at the plaque, which bore two large, powerful characters written in masterful, flowing script: Spirit Pavilion.

The Spirit Pavilion was one of the most popular places in the Inner Sect Marketplace for selling Elixirs.

Without any hesitation, Gu Yun stepped inside, and his vision immediately brightened.

The interior was quite spacious. An Incense Burner sat in a corner, burning a refreshing Incense, and precious murals adorned the walls.

The atmosphere was elegant and comfortable. On the first floor, beautiful female staff stood beside exquisite display counters, introducing the Elixirs—which glowed with a faint, misty light—to the customers.

Soon, a female staff member in a red qipao approached him. Her figure was curvaceous, her face beautiful, and she came to greet him:

"Good day, Sir, and welcome to the Spirit Pavilion. How may I help you?"

Gu Yun nodded and asked in a low voice, "Do you sell Pill Formulas here?"

Hearing this, the woman immediately shook her head gently.

"I’m sorry, the Spirit Pavilion does not sell Pill Formulas."

Seeing this, a flicker of disappointment crossed Gu Yun’s eyes, but it vanished as quickly as it came.

’It makes sense. That’s how they make their living, so why would they sell it off so easily?’

’Still, even if they don’t sell Pill Formulas, I can buy Elixirs.’

Next, Gu Yun wandered through the three-story Spirit Pavilion, stopping here and there.

He ended up spending one thousand Middle Grade Spirit Stones to purchase two True Spirit Cloud Pills, which were suitable for increasing his strength at his current stage.

The moment Gu Yun stepped out of the Spirit Pavilion, he couldn’t help but let out a long breath.

"Haaaah!"

"So damn expensive!"

One True Spirit Cloud Pill cost five hundred Middle Grade Spirit Stones, so two cost one thousand.

His entire fortune had only been one thousand six hundred Middle Grade Spirit Stones. Just like that, his purse was two-thirds empty.

One had to remember that a single Middle Grade Spirit Stone was equivalent to one thousand Low Grade Spirit Stones.

That meant one Elixir was worth five hundred thousand Low Grade Spirit Stones.

And back when he was an Outer Sect Disciple, his monthly stipend was a mere two Low Grade Spirit Stones...

’The further you go in Cultivation, the more astronomical the resources required become.’

’This won’t do!’

’I have to find a way to get my hands on some high-grade Pill Formulas.’

’I need to become self-sufficient.’

’I need to make a big score!!’

With this in mind,

Gu Yun began walking through the endless stream of people, the sounds of hawkers continuing to ring in his ears.

Gu Yun’s gaze swept over the stalls one by one, trying to find any treasure related to Pill Formulas.

Time passed slowly.

But he still couldn’t find any Pill Formulas that suited his needs.

They were either too low-grade, making them not worth refining,

or they were too obscure and wouldn’t be of much help to Gu Yun’s improvement.

After all that searching,

he came up with absolutely nothing.

"Sigh!"

’It seems if I want a Pill Formula,’

’I’ll have to exchange for one from the Sect!’

With a sigh,

Gu Yun decided to leave.

He turned and started walking toward the exit of the Marketplace.

Flight was forbidden within the Sect’s Marketplace.

Soon,

Gu Yun was about to step outside the Sect’s Marketplace.

Just as he was about to take to the sky and leave, suddenly,

a commotion erupted not far away.

At the same time, a terrifying pressure, thick with the stench of blood, rolled out.

A huge black shadow crashed like a cannonball into an open space in the Marketplace,

the immense force of the impact instantly shattering the stone slabs beneath into a spiderweb of cracks.

A visible gale of wind and dust billowed out in all directions!

"Wh-what is that?!"

someone exclaimed in shock.

Soon, the dust settled, revealing the scene that had been hidden within the massive cloud.

It was a man in a black Profound Robe. He had a powerful Physique, a resolute face, and black hair. His brow carried an aura as unshakable as a mountain, and on his shoulder, he carried a long spear engraved with arcane dragon patterns.

Dangling from the tip of his spear was a Blood Tiger, a Demon Beast as large as a small hill! It was entirely blood-red, its eyes were wide open, and its mouth revealed two huge, sharp fangs!!

The crimson Demon Tiger hung from the spear tip, fist-sized drops of blood dripping from its body. Its face was terrifying and savage, yet its fierce, enormous pupils held a trace of fear!!

Although the Blood Tiger was long dead, the immense, ferocious aura it still emanated made the hearts of most nearby Cultivators pound with fear.

It was as if a nine-layered mountain was pressing down on their shoulders, an invisible pressure building spontaneously!

This was a Demon Beast at the True Martial Eighth Layer!!

Its power was enough to instantly kill the vast majority of people present!!

So who was this man in black? To show up at the Sect’s Marketplace carrying a True Martial Eighth Layer Demon Beast on the tip of his spear!

The immense aura he radiated just by standing there was so powerful it seemed to suffocate everyone!!

"How incredibly powerful! Who the hell is this guy?!"

After a moment of stunned silence in the Marketplace, someone couldn’t help but ask in a low voice.

But someone with sharp eyes recognized him instantly, their face a mask of shock.

Never expecting to run into such a prodigy here, they exclaimed in a booming voice:

"That’s... Xiao Chen!!!"