"I knew you were a wise man, Shopkeeper Qian!"

Shen Mo laughed heartily, picked up his teacup, and using tea instead of wine, toasted Shopkeeper Qian.

After drinking, Shopkeeper Qian returned to his previous affable demeanor, asking, "Master Mo, shall we draw up a written contract between us?"

"Shopkeeper Qian, are you in such a hurry to die?"

Shen Mo glanced at him, his expression indifferent.

"Once it's written down, there's the risk of discovery. If it falls into your clan uncle's hands, do you think he'd let you live even a moment longer? We can simply keep this agreement secret in our hearts! If, after half a year, I can't withstand Elder Qian's pressure... you can sell off your assets and pretend this never happened."

Hearing this, Shopkeeper Qian nodded and no longer mentioned drawing up a contract.

...

Coming out of Baodan Pavilion, Shen Mo was in a splendid mood. He had long wanted to establish some businesses in Jiyun Town to provide resources for his cultivation. For one thing, he consumed Spirit Stones too quickly and found it difficult to save enough to acquire a shop. For another, even after a windfall had left him with ample funds, he couldn't find suitable people to manage the businesses and earn profits for him.

The interests in Jiyun Town were intricate and complex; buying a shop with nothing but enthusiasm would, nine times out of ten, result in losing one's initial investment. However, Shopkeeper Qian was experienced and astute. The fact that he could thrive in Jiyun Town and accumulate such a large fortune demonstrated his true capabilities. Shen Mo was willing to tread these muddy waters precisely because he recognized Shopkeeper Qian as a capable man!

When the new shop opens in the future, with Shopkeeper Qian's capabilities, the profits should be no less than Baodan Pavilion's. The four shops could collectively earn over 40,000 Lower Grade Spirit Stones each year. Of this, Shen Mo would own sixty percent, equivalent to over 240 middle-grade Spirit Stones—a substantial income. Even if he used [Martial Performance] daily, it could sustain him for more than half a year!

The next challenge was twofold: first, earning enough Spirit Stones to buy the shops, and second, enhancing his strength to handle potential trouble from the Qian Family and Elder Qian of Rising Sun Peak.

"Three-headed Six-armed, transform for me!" Shen Mo murmured the seal as he weaved through the crowd.

Before long, his soul's aura changed once again. Subsequently, he entered Baoping Alley and set up an Elixir stall in an open space!

In his Universe Bag, there was still a batch of common and superior quality Elixirs that needed to be sold. Thanks to choosing the right Elixirs, by sunset, this batch was completely sold out, earning him more than 40 middle-grade Spirit Stones in total!

After paying the Keeper his commission, Shen Mo left Jiyun Town and flew his sword towards the Riverside Sect's gate, forty miles away.

Perhaps it was due to the Heavenly Demon invasion and stricter enforcement by the Immortal Workshop, or perhaps it was because he had used the Three-Heads Six-Arms True Immortal Technique to change his soul's aura. Whatever the reason, he surprisingly encountered no bandits blocking his way on this journey! For a moment, Shen Mo found this rather unfamiliar.

Returning to the sect, Shen Mo went directly to the Magic Tower.

"Greetings, Keeper Elder. Disciple Shen Mo wishes to purchase a low-grade spiritual level swordplay!"

Upon entering the tower, Shen Mo respectfully bowed to the blue-robed elder guarding the Magic Tower.

"Hmm? Do you have enough Sect Merit Points and Spirit Stones?"

The Keeper Elder examined Shen Mo thoroughly, a flash of surprise in his eyes. Although other inner disciples came to purchase spiritual-level cultivation methods, most were at the peak of the Qi Gathering Realm and had been immersed in this realm for a long time. It took them years, even decades, to accumulate enough Merit Points and Spirit Stones.

It was indeed rare for someone as young as Shen Mo, who was only at the middle-stage of the Qi Gathering Realm, to seek to purchase a spiritual-level cultivation method. Such an event hadn't been witnessed in decades.

One must understand that cultivators at the Qi Gathering Realm had a lifespan of up to two hundred years. Even among inner disciples, the wealth they accumulated varied greatly! Not to mention that stronger individuals could complete sect tasks offering higher Merit Points and richer rewards. The sheer difference in years of accumulation could create a considerable gap! For instance, assume two inner disciples, one young and one old, accumulated resources at the same rate: ten Merit Points and five middle-grade Spirit Stones per year. The younger one, after ten years, would only have one hundred Merit Points and fifty middle-grade Spirit Stones. The older one, however, after a hundred years, could amass one thousand Merit Points and five hundred middle-grade Spirit Stones. And the actual situation was often far more extreme than this!

"Thanks to the sect's grace, I've saved enough."

As he spoke, Shen Mo handed over his identity jade pendant and took out three hundred middle-grade Spirit Stones from his Universe Bag.

"Hmm!"

The Keeper Elder took the jade pendant, glanced at it, and then used his sense to count the Spirit Stones, his astonishment growing. After a moment of silence, he said, "The Magic Tower only has two low-grade spiritual level swordplay manuals! One is the 'All-Encompassing Sword Canon', and the other is the 'Maiden Sword Mantra'. Which swordplay do you wish to cultivate?"

Unlike the previous process of choosing a cultivation method, this time the Keeper Elder did not allow Shen Mo to go upstairs and retrieve the cultivation method's jade slip himself. The reason was quite simple: the Magic Tower didn't have many spiritual-level cultivation methods, so there was no room to be picky! Furthermore, Shen Mo wasn't there to receive a sect reward; he had taken out Spirit Stones to purchase a cultivation method! As one of the Five Great Sects, the Riverside Sect couldn't very well take a disciple's Spirit Stones and only give them one chance to pick a cultivation method, could they?

Shen Mo didn't make a decision based solely on the names of the swordplay. Instead, he earnestly asked the Keeper Elder about the characteristics, advantages, and disadvantages of these two swordplay magics.

"The 'All-Encompassing Sword Canon' draws its name from the idea of 'all-encompassing phenomena'! Various landscapes and myriad objects, within heaven and earth and beyond—anything you can name can be transformed into sharp sword techniques. If you are capable, you can even incorporate your own created swordplay into this canon! However, this is extremely difficult. After a thousand years of evolution and additions, the 'All-Encompassing Sword Canon' truly lives up to its name, including almost every conceivable thing and scene."

Shen Mo's heart stirred. So, things like sunsets and sunrises, birds flying and beasts roaming, flowers blooming and wilting, tides and waterfalls... even floods, Starfalls, landslides, earthquakes, and Heavenly Demon invasions could all be transformed into deadly killing moves? If so, it truly wouldn't betray the name 'Universe'!

"And what about the 'Maiden Sword Mantra'?"

Although its name sounded like a swordplay meant for women, every spiritual-level cultivation method embodied the painstaking efforts and insights of predecessors into the Sword Path; none could be underestimated. How could Shen Mo dismiss it simply because its name didn't sound appealing?

The Keeper Elder nodded slightly and patiently explained, "The 'Maiden Sword Mantra' was created by a legendary female sword immortal from our sect eight hundred years ago! This swordplay is ethereal and cunning. Swift as a fleeting glimpse of a startled swan, it takes the enemy's head. Even cultivators with higher cultivation often find themselves caught off guard when facing this swordplay... They are slain before they can even deploy their magic artifacts!"

As Shen Mo listened, he felt that the 'Maiden Sword Mantra' was more like an assassin's swordplay. It wasn't that its concept was flawed or its power lacking! It just didn't quite align with his "Carefree" sword intent and his temperament. He was more adept at using magnificent, overwhelming sword might to obliterate any obstacles on his Immortal Path. This was preferable to employing cunning swordplay merely to achieve victory over stronger foes by striking from a position of weakness.

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