Gateway of Immortality

"Brother, you have a good eye. This Netherworld Scripture is indeed a top-tier foundational water art!"

The stall owner was a short, stout man who appeared to be in his thirties or forties. Before Qin Sang could even speak, the man enthusiastically began his pitch. "Among all the foundational water arts, the Netherworld Scripture is absolutely top-notch. Once cultivated, it greatly refines the body and enhances the five senses, far surpassing other arts. It provides a significant advantage in combat. I'm offering it to you for fifteen spirit stones, which is a fair price."

Qin Sang flipped through a few pages. The copy he owned ended at the sixth stage, but this one continued beyond that. As he kept turning the pages, he discovered it had a total of thirteen stages—complete from start to finish!

Indeed, the Netherworld Scripture corresponded perfectly with the stages of the Qi Refining Realm.

Qin Sang remained impassive. Along the way, he had seen many vendors selling foundational arts, most priced at five or six spirit stones at most. It was clear that these foundational arts weren't rare in the world of immortal cultivation, yet this Netherworld Scripture was being sold for fifteen spirit stones.

His Water Barrier Talisman was only worth eight spirit stones, and he'd still need to add more stones for the difference. He certainly wouldn't spend such an exorbitant amount without bargaining. Just as he was about to start negotiating, someone nearby suddenly shouted.

"You deceitful merchant! It's bad enough that you lie, but to mislead others into cultivating the Netherworld Scripture for a few spirit stones—have you no conscience?"

Qin Sang was startled and turned to see who had spoken. It turned out to be two young men who had just purchased something from a nearby stall. One of them was burly and rugged, with a full beard, and was glaring angrily at the stall owner.

The other youth was much slimmer and was anxiously pulling on his companion's arm, forcing a strained smile as he repeatedly apologized to Qin Sang and the stall owner.

Qin Sang furrowed his brow in thought.

The stall owner, now furious that his business had been disrupted, glared at the burly youth and snapped, "It's a willing buyer and a willing seller—no one's forcing anyone. What business is it of yours? Keep your nose out of it!"

The burly youth snorted, shrugged off his companion's hold, and strode over, his eyes blazing with righteous indignation. "You deceitful merchant! The Netherworld Scripture is one of the hardest foundational arts to cultivate. The cultivation speed is excruciatingly slow, and breaking through bottlenecks is much more difficult than with other arts. The supposed benefits are insignificant compared to the drawbacks. No one would buy it for even five spirit stones, yet you dare to sell it for fifteen! You only mention the benefits and not the flaws, misleading people into cultivating the Netherworld Scripture and leading them astray. If you're not a deceitful merchant, then what are you?"

Hearing this, Qin Sang was taken aback. Throughout his cultivation journey, he had only encountered a bottleneck when breaking through the third stage, but he hadn't found it particularly difficult.

Moreover, according to Zhen Ming, some cultivators never reach the tenth stage of the Qi Refining Realm in their lifetime. Yet Qin Sang had reached the fifth stage in less than five years, so his progress couldn't be considered slow, could it?

Qin Sang's mind stirred, and he flipped a few more pages, making a discovery.

This Netherworld Scripture made no mention of the Yan Luo Banner!

The youth's loud voice had attracted the attention of those nearby.

The stall owner's face turned crimson with rage. He wished he could strike down the burly youth with a single blow, but not only was fighting prohibited in the market, the youth's cultivation level also seemed to be on par with his own.

Unable to win a fight, the stall owner was infuriated and angrily retorted, "I wasn't even finished explaining! I was just about to talk about the art's drawbacks when you jumped in! Moreover, this Netherworld Scripture isn't just a complete art; it also includes many carefully selected water-based spells at the end. It's definitely worth fifteen spirit stones! If you don't understand, don't butt in."

Qin Sang nodded. "There are indeed some spells, but they're quite common."

He had already noticed a list of spells at the end of the book, including the Object Manipulation Technique and the Qi Perception Technique, as well as more impressive-sounding spells like River-Locking Fog and Thousand Li Ice Seal.

Whether it was the art or the spells, they were all things he urgently needed.

"Big Brother, stop talking!"

"Please forgive him, Senior. My big brother acted on impulse..."

The slender youth finally managed to drag his companion away, repeatedly apologizing to Qin Sang and the stall owner. He whispered a few words into the burly youth's ear, and only then did the burly youth, still huffing in anger, allow himself to be pulled away.

Qin Sang hadn’t expected that even in the world of immortal cultivation, there would be people with such a strong sense of justice. They had saved him the trouble of bargaining. Seeing that they were about to leave, he quickly set down the art he was holding and stepped forward to stop them, cupping his hands in greeting. "My name is Qin Sang. It's an honor to meet you both. May I ask how you are addressed?"

The slender youth seemed a bit shy, lowering his head slightly as he replied, "I am Tan Jie. It's a pleasure to meet you, Brother Qin. This is my elder brother, Tan Hao. My brother acted impulsively and may have caused you some trouble. I hope you won’t hold it against him." ŕΑΝồβĚṩ

These two don't resemble each other at all, yet they are brothers?

Qin Sang was inwardly surprised, thinking to himself. Why would I blame you? I’m too grateful as it is.

"Tan Jie, there's no need to be so formal. I should be thanking both of you for your guidance. Otherwise, I might have almost gone down the wrong path. Meeting by chance is fate, and both of you have done me a great favor. There’s a Drunken Immortal Tavern up ahead. I’d like to treat you both to a drink as a token of my gratitude. Would you do me the honor?"

He wasn’t familiar with the taverns on the street paved with cyan stones and didn’t dare enter, but those outside accepted silver.

However, Tan Hao wasn’t interested at all and coldly replied, "I simply couldn’t stand that merchant’s deceit. It would have been the same if it were someone else. There’s no need for your thanks, and I don’t have time to drink with you. Step aside!"

"Brother!"

Tan Jie looked distressed and cupped his hands to Qin Sang, "Please don’t mind my brother, Brother Qin. That’s just how he is... We truly have urgent matters to attend to. If we have the chance in the future, we’d be happy to share a drink with you."

The Tan brothers hurriedly left, leaving Qin Sang scratching his head. He mused that there were still such straightforward and brash individuals among immortal cultivators. But since they had helped him out significantly, he wouldn’t hold a grudge over something so minor.

Qin Sang glanced at the stall owner and then turned to leave.

"Brother! Brother Qin! Please wait!"

The stall owner quickly stepped forward and grabbed Qin Sang’s arm, speaking with righteous fervor, "Brother Qin, don’t be misled by that young hothead. Choosing a cultivation art depends entirely on what suits you best. How can you let someone else’s words sway you? Besides, I have more than just the Netherworld Scripture here. Why don’t you take a closer look? The price is negotiable."

From what Tan Hao had said and the murmurs from the crowd, Qin Sang already knew that few people were interested in buying the Netherworld Scripture. This fat stall owner had likely had it on display for who knows how long. Having finally caught someone interested, he wasn’t about to let go easily, which was why Qin Sang had feigned leaving.

His guess had been right.

Feigning reluctance, Qin Sang allowed himself to be pulled back to the stall, hesitating as he said, "To be honest, I’m not lacking in cultivation arts. I was just curious about the Netherworld Scripture since I’ve never seen it before. But if it’s that difficult to cultivate, it might not be of much use to me. And it’s so expensive..."

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