Are These Fruits Guaranteed Ripe?

Chu Xuan's ears twitched, and he glanced towards a nearby table where two Qi Refining stage cultivators were sitting opposite each other. The lean cultivator inquired, "...Fellow Daoist, are there any bounty tasks in Peace Market? I'm a bit short on spiritual stones."

The burly cultivator replied, "Yes, there's one helping the Divine Star Sect find remnants of the Infinite Sect. Finding one yields three hundred small spiritual stones. By the way, Elder Sun from the Divine Star Sect mentioned that if anyone finds Chu Xuan from the Infinite Sect, who is at the Qi Refining stage, they'll give four hundred small spiritual stones."

"Still not found? It's been six days already."

"That guy is as slippery as an eel; not so easy to catch. Elder Sun once led a group of Qi Refining disciples in a surround, and he still managed to escape."

"I heard he's only at the fourth level of Qi Refining; I could easily crush him in a one-on-one fight."

"Don't underestimate him. I've heard that although Chu Xuan has mediocre talent, he's a master of poisons and gu insects. Two cultivators at the fifth level of Qi Refining from the Divine Star Sect have already fallen to him."

"...Maybe I should change my target then; he's too slippery to catch."

"Ha, just say you're scared."

The lean cultivator's face reddened, veins bulging on his forehead as he retorted, "Nonsense! Those who wish to tread the way of cultivation must be alive. How can a cultivator be called fearful?"

What followed was a series of profound utterances about the "Way of Caution" and "Seeking Fortune and Avoiding Disaster," prompting laughter from the burly cultivator. The atmosphere around was filled with mirth.

Chu Xuan, overhearing this, wore a bizarre expression.

Six days! It had been only six days since he killed He Liang and escaped the encirclement of the Divine Star Sect cultivators. By such estimates, the time flow ratio between the Mystic Azure Realm and the apocalyptic planet was about one to ten.

That meant, in the eyes of the cultivators here, he had advanced from the fourth to the sixth level of Qi Refining in just six days—a miraculous feat of cultivation! Even daily immersion in medicinal baths couldn't achieve such rapid progress.

"Blood Mirror, truly a precious treasure!" Chu Xuan sipped his tea broadly smiling.

Two more days passed. Chu Xuan had thoroughly explored Peace Market, becoming familiar with every stall owner. Only then did he approach a large shop.

Hundred Herbs Pavilion, specializing in spiritual plants. After comparing several shops, Chu Xuan found this one to offer the best value for money. Before long, he walked out of Hundred Herbs Pavilion, satisfied with the variety of spiritual plant seeds he had purchased. He also mixed in some materials for corpse refining. The shopkeeper, seeing his substantial purchases, even threw in some extras.

Chu Xuan wondered if the shopkeeper would have recoiled in horror and retracted the gifts had he known he was dealing with a demon cultivator.

After acquiring various items, Chu Xuan made his way to a nondescript stall in the marketplace with practiced ease. Setting up a stall here was straightforward: just spread a cloth on the ground and lay out the wares. Those who were more particular might use a wooden sign to mark prices next to their items. The goods on this stall were nothing special, hardly worth a second glance, except for a withered white herb that caught Chu Xuan's eye.

Bonegrass.

This spiritual plant demanded extremely harsh growing conditions. It thrived only in the Burial Bone Cave of the Infinite Sect, withering immediately if transplanted elsewhere. After the fall of the Infinite Sect, its disciples scattered, and Chu Xuan agreed on secret signs and tokens with a few close peers for future contact. Bonegrass was one of these tokens.

Chu Xuan squatted down in front of the stall owner, picking up one item, then another. The stall owner, an experienced cultivator, quickly grew impatient. "Buy if you're going to buy, otherwise get lost and stop touching everything."

Chu Xuan picked up a fruit and smiled, "Fellow Daoist, how much for this Pool Dragon Fruit?"

The stall owner replied nonchalantly, "Two small spiritual stones each."

Chu Xuan smiled slightly, "Is the skin made of gold, or is it the flesh?"

The stall owner paused, then shook his head, "There are no Pool Dragon Fruits around anymore. These I picked up from the ruins after the Infinite Sect was gone. If you think it's expensive, so do I."

Chu Xuan's smile widened, "Are these fruits guaranteed ripe?"

The stall owner's eyes brightened, "These are of average quality, but if you're willing to pay a higher price, I have better ones."

Chu Xuan nodded, "Good, lead the way."

The stall owner quickly packed up his worn cloth and items into his storage bag and led Chu Xuan away. Although Chu Xuan followed, he remained alert, watching and listening to everything around them.

The two left Peace Market and soon reached a secluded spot under some trees. The experienced cultivator lowered his voice, "Which senior brother are you?"

Chu Xuan replied calmly, "He Liang."

The cultivator was startled, "He Liang? That traitor has been dead for a while."

Chu Xuan then relaxed and nodded, "Chu Xuan."

The older cultivator became excited, "Senior brother Chu! Is it really you?"

Chu Xuan nodded slightly, "And you are?"

The cultivator took a deep breath and quickly said, "Chen Ge, I entered the Infinite Sect in the same batch as you! This token and password were taught to me by senior brother Wei Hua."

Chu Xuan nodded. Wei Hua, ranked twelfth among the inner disciples, had always been on good terms with him.

"How is Wei Hua doing?" Chu Xuan asked casually.

Chen Ge spoke softly, "Senior brother Wei is still recovering from his injuries, and Uncle Master Liu and the others are all at the Wu family."

Chu Xuan chuckled silently. Among the Foundation Establishment stage cultivators of the Infinite Sect, only one bore the surname Liu—Liu Zhenxiong. Uncle Master Liu referred to Liu Zhenxiong himself.

Unexpectedly, these Infinite Sect cultivators were residing directly within the Wu family's territory. No wonder the Divine Star Sect had been unable to find them. They would never have imagined that right under their noses was the perfect hiding spot for demon cultivators!

Chen Ge earnestly said, "Senior brother Chu, why don't you join us? We, the cultivators of the Infinite Sect, must stick together to survive."

Chu Xuan shook his head, "Having many people makes us a big target. I just came to buy some items."

Chen Ge appeared somewhat disappointed, but he nodded, "What are you looking to buy, senior brother?"

"The Blood Refining Array."

Chen Ge was surprised, "The Blood Refining Array? What do you need that for? The five righteous sects are currently cracking down on any killings of mortals. You might barely activate the Blood Refining Array before the righteous cultivators come knocking."

Chu Xuan just smiled, "Do you have it?"

Chen Ge nodded, "I remember senior brother Wei has one, and it can be bought for a medium spiritual stone. Here's what we'll do: you wait outside the Wu family, and I'll get the item for you."

Chu Xuan gave a slight nod.

The two approached the Wu family's location quickly. Established in a valley rich in Spiritual Qi, with buildings every few steps—a veritable small kingdom—the Wu family's estate was formidable. Chu Xuan stopped at a distance and tossed over a low-grade storage bag.

"This contains one medium spiritual stone for the Blood Refining Array. Additionally, there are thirty blood pearls. Exchange them for spiritual stones at the old rate."

Chen Ge, delighted by the offer, quickly accepted, "Great, we are currently in need of blood pearls!"

He promptly stored the items, "Please wait here, senior brother, I will be back shortly."

With that, he hurried towards the Wu family estate.