Time flew by like a swift steed.

In the blink of an eye, winter arrived. Hongye City welcomed days of heavy snowfall. The earth was covered in silvery frost, and layers of ice piled high.

On this day, the gleam of a controlled artifact approached from afar. It passed through the hazy, clear light of the Bone Viewing Mirror and landed on the snow-piled city walls.

A young girl jumped down from her Flying Sword, stepping onto the thick snow and making a CRUNCH, CRUNCH sound.

"Brother, is this Hongye City, the one our father's old friend guards?"

The girl, Qian Xiaofeng, was about fifteen or sixteen years old. Her face was red from the cold, and her breath fogged in the chilly air as she spoke.

Her older brother, Qian Xiaohu, was two years older and acted much more maturely. After putting away his Flying Sword, he smiled indulgently and said, "We've traveled thousands of miles. When have I ever lost my way? This is unquestionably the city."

"Our Qian Family's Defense Division is in Green Sheep City. If we need to slay demons for practice, we could just go there. So why did Daddy... insist on us enrolling here?"

Qian Xiaofeng didn't really mind practicing in the Defense Division. She just didn't understand her father's insistence.

Their father was none other than Qian Xingji, the Shopkeeper of the Baodan Pavilion!

Some time ago, right after Qian Xiaohu advanced to the Qi Gathering Realm and stabilized his cultivation, Shopkeeper Qian had urged the siblings to rush to this city.

Qian Xiaohu, who knew a bit more, also sensed the recent changes in their clansmen's attitudes towards them.

Father has defied Great Uncle, leading to delicate relations with the family.

Perhaps he's... worried that if we continue to cultivate within the clan, we might encounter unforeseen accidents!

As for enlisting at the Defense Division in Green Sheep City, it's too close to the family, and many family members are stationed there. It would be impossible to avoid them, Qian Xiaohu silently pondered.

However, he didn't tell Qian Xiaofeng about these thoughts.

Instead, he patted her on the head and said, "Father's actions are based on his considerations. Xiaofeng, don't overthink it."

"Furthermore, the Commander of the local Defense Division is Dad's business partner..."

"With his care, we won't have to worry about being wronged."

Qian Xiaofeng swatted away her brother's hand in dissatisfaction, then spoke with anticipation, "Daddy said this Senior is a prodigy from the Riverside Sect, and his magic is extraordinary. He possesses immense Skill!"

"Are you talking about Commander Shen Mo?"

From a little distance away, a cultivator guarding the city trudged through the snow towards them.

Despite the freezing cold, the man was lightly dressed. Clearly, he was also a Qi Gathering Realm cultivator, unfazed by cold or heat.

This cultivator was Tao Dong; it was his ten-day rotation for guard duty on the city wall.

As Qian Xiaohu and Qian Xiaofeng were conversing on the city wall, they weren't being particularly discreet. Tao Dong, having accidentally overheard them, grew curious and approached to ask.

Qian Xiaohu greeted Tao Dong with a friendly expression. "Indeed, it is Senior Shen. May I ask your name, fellow Daoist?"

"My name is Tao Dong…"

Tao Dong noted the superior quality of the Flying Swords and magic robes Qian Xiaohu and Qian Xiaofeng possessed. Knowing their father had an old friendship with Shen Mo, he became quite enthusiastic.

Since Qian Xiaohu and Qian Xiaofeng were new arrivals, they naturally wouldn't coldly rebuff a local cultivator's friendly approach.

After some conversation, the three quickly became familiar with each other.

"When Master Shen first arrived in Hongye City, the first local cultivator he met was me."

"When he was about to leave, he personally invited me to join the Defense Division."

"..."

"When it comes to Master Shen's capabilities, I know them better than anyone."

"As soon as he arrived at the Defense Division, he began purging a group of parasites who were drawing salaries without actually working. Not long after, a Heavenly Demon sneaked into the city."

"After the Spirit Sea Realm cultivator from the Tian Family was injured, he didn't dare to act defiantly towards Master Shen again and obediently paid a large sum of Spirit Stones."

"Shortly after, both the Gold Toad Tower and the Thriving Gold Sect made up their Spirit Stone payments and even sent several Elders to enlist. Naturally, other families followed suit."

"The Defense Division of today is a far cry from the past!"

"Just the cultivators in the Qi Gathering Realm alone number around thirty to forty. Those in the Body Tempering Realm, Layer VII or above, number over two hundred. Their momentum is truly impressive!"

"Their achievements in battle are also extraordinary, with countless demon heads slain..."

Qian Xiaohu and Qian Xiaofeng listened to Tao Dong's lengthy, enthusiastic account, their hearts stirring and faces filled with longing.

「Meanwhile, in a cultivation chamber within the Defense Division's mansion.」

Shen Mo looked serious, his hands constantly forming seals, engraving complicated runes into the knife-shaped magic artifact floating before him.

[You successfully forged the middle-grade profound level magic artifact, the Cold Flame Knife, using Cold Crystal Stone, Qiling Iron, Fire Frost Gold, and Blood Silver Mine. Your understanding of the Forging Path has improved during the forging process. Forging experience +50.]

CLANG!

Shen Mo flicked the blade of the knife. The flame-like runes on it flowed, looking exceptionally beautiful.

"The quality is acceptable," Shen Mo mumbled to himself.

He then put the Cold Flame Knife into a Universe Bag embroidered with cloud patterns.

His previous low-grade Universe Bag could no longer meet his daily needs, so Shen Mo had spent fifteen middle-grade Spirit Stones to buy a high-grade Universe Bag.

Its interior space was a full three hundred cubic meters, three times that of a middle-grade Universe Bag.

Moreover, this kind of high-class Universe Bag had an additional benefit: even if stolen or snatched, it couldn't be easily breached.

Even if someone were to use a Realm Breaking Talisman!

At this time, inside the Universe Bag, in addition to Shen Mo's commonly used spiritual items, were finished elixirs, talismans, and magic artifacts, as well as various materials for refining them, all neatly arranged by category.

There was no need to elaborate on items related to elixirs.

The talismans and magic artifacts were specifically prepared for the two newly opened shops.

After discussing with Shopkeeper Qian, the talisman shop was named Talisman Room, specializing in the sale of finished talismans and talisman-making materials.

The magic artifact shop was named Myriad Immortal Warrior Tower. It specialized in selling finished Flying Swords, magic artifacts, inner armor, and magic robes, as well as forging materials. It also offered repair services for magic artifacts and robe armor.

Apart from funding the first month after their opening, Shen Mo had invested nearly a hundred middle-grade Spirit Stones to purchase various spiritual goods. After that, he hadn't put any more money into the two shops.

It's fair to say that Shopkeeper Qian really knows his stuff.

Just in the second month, he managed to get the two new shops up and running smoothly, making a profit.

Shen Mo benefited greatly from this by gathering materials for talisman-making and forging through the Talisman Room and the Myriad Immortal Warrior Tower. After refining the finished products, he sold them directly through these two new shops.

This saved him considerable effort and also allowed his understanding of the Talisman Path and the Forging Path to improve.

[Destinied Lord: Shen Mo]

[Cultivation: Qi Gathering Realm, Layer VII]

[Talisman Path: Grade III (755/6,000)]

[Alchemy Path: Grade III (5,390/6,000)]

[Forging: Grade III (20/6,000)]

His attainment in the Talisman Path had been close to advancing and had now officially reached the Grade III realm.

However, there hadn't been any significant increase recently. The reason was simple: the proficiency for all the Grade II talismans he knew how to make had been maxed out.

Moreover, it wasn't easy to obtain Grade III or Grade IV talisman scrolls.

This caused the experience gain for his Talisman Path to slow considerably, almost to a standstill.

The Alchemy Path didn't pose much of a problem. At worst, he could coax Zhao Lingyin into trading more Grade III and Grade IV elixir recipes, so he didn't need to worry too much about their scarcity.

Comparatively, his Forging Path had improved significantly.

Having just finished forging the Cold Flame Knife, he had advanced to Grade III in Forging.

After all, with the Myriad Immortal Warrior Tower, every time Shen Mo forged or repaired different magic artifacts or pieces of robe armor, his Forging Path would improve.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.