Very well, once I retrieve the spirit medicine, I will take his son as a registered disciple.

Firstly, for peace of mind.

Secondly, to have his son as a hostage, thus ensuring no worries about this matter.

Leaving the Danhai Pavilion, Zhou Xun immediately put on the Thousand Faces Mask, transforming into that middle-aged martial artist.

He had already planned to go to the cave to obtain the Tier Two High-Grade Blue Spirit Lamp Flower.

However, before setting off, he needed to make some preparations.

In a certain elegant room within the Hundred Treasures Pavilion.

A middle-aged martial artist was conversing with a plump shopkeeper.

"Shopkeeper Zheng, do you have any simple and portable arrays here?" The middle-aged martial artist drank the spirit tea in one gulp.

This middle-aged martial artist was indeed Zhou Xun.

"Oh, what would a cultivator with Ninth-Layer Qi Refining cultivation need such an array for?"

Over the years, Zhou Xun discovered some new features of the Thousand Faces Mask.

This mask surprisingly also had the function to simulate mana aura, and more intricately, the stronger your divine sense, the stronger the simulated mana aura.

For instance, Zhou Xun's current divine sense strength was similar to a Ninth-Layer Qi Refining cultivator; hence the aura he mimics is virtually indistinguishable from one.

In other words, as long as he does not take action, others perceive Zhou Xun as a genuine Ninth-Layer Qi Refining cultivator.

"Does the Hundred Treasures Pavilion require customers to state their uses before buying?" Zhou Xun retorted.

During his years in Qingyue Square, Zhou Xun bought several treasures from the Pill Treasure Pavilion using the identity of the middle-aged martial artist and thus had become somewhat familiar with Shopkeeper Zheng.

"No, no, if you don't want to say, I won't ask!" Shopkeeper Zheng laughed.

"Of course, we have arrays, from Tier One Low-Grade to Tier One High-Grade, but the prices aren't cheap!" Shopkeeper Zheng said, looking at Zhou Xun.

"Just show them!" Zhou Xun feigned impatience.

Hearing this, Shopkeeper Zheng chuckled and immediately took out three sets of array flags from his storage bag, introducing them one by one.

"This set is the Low-Grade Wood Element Three Talents Array, consisting of three array flags. It has alert and defensive effects, capable of resisting attacks from ordinary Middle-Stage Qi Refining cultivators, priced at fifteen spirit stones!"

"This Middle-Grade Array, named the Golden Cloud Array, has excellent defense strength; even ordinary Seventh-Layer Qi Refining cultivators can resist for several hours! It's priced at ninety spirit stones!"

"As for this High-Grade Array, named the Nine-Nine Celestial Essence Array, it's a famous trapping and killing array; ordinary Late-Stage Qi Refining cultivators caught in it are bound to perish!"

"It's priced at six hundred spirit stones!"

"Six hundred spirit stones? Why don't you just rob? Ordinary high-grade magical artifacts are priced just about the same!" Zhou Xun said.

High-grade magical artifacts are commonly used by Foundation Establishment cultivators.

A few powerful Late-Stage Qi Refining cultivators could also wield them.

"Moreover, no matter how powerful the array is, it's still an inanimate object; who would foolishly charge into it!" Zhou Xun said disdainfully.

"That's precisely the other amazing aspect of this array!" Shopkeeper Zheng smiled slightly, with a look of confidence that couldn't be swayed.

"When this array was crafted, an array master improved it by adding a layer of concealed transformation, even a Foundation Establishment cultivator would have to search carefully to discover it!"

"Ordinary Late-Stage Qi Refining cultivators cannot detect it at all!"

"Truly, you don't believe it, try it!" As Shopkeeper Zheng spoke, he triggered the array, surrounding a small area.

Zhou Xun used his divine sense to carefully explore and eventually discovered the flaw.

He then pointed out the flaw.

Shopkeeper Zheng, hearing this, coughed a few times and then regained his confident stance:

"If not for that flaw, it wouldn't be priced at six hundred spirit stones. Regardless, that's the price—it's up to you to buy it or not!"

Such an exquisite array was perfect for setting up in that valley, how could Zhou Xun let it go? He immediately took out spirit stones to purchase it.

Then, he also bought a dozen high-grade talismans and a middle-grade defensive spiritual artifact before leaving the Hundred Treasures Pavilion.

...

After purchasing the treasures, Zhou Xun left Qingyue Square directly, heading to the valley Zhou Jimin described.

For Zhou Xun, the most precious items were always carried on him; the cave mansion only housed relatively ordinary items.

Such as spirit rice and half-spirit grass.

He wouldn't feel distressed if they were lost.

Zhou Xun had thought about taking the spirit grass and escaping to a distant place, but eventually abandoned this plan.

Firstly, all his connections were within Xui Country; fleeing would mean abandoning everything he had built, which was not worth it.

Losing a legal identity, Zhou Xun would find it difficult to obtain cultivation resources through formal channels.

Having a low cultivation wasn't an issue; blending among low-tier cultivators didn't attract attention.

But once his cultivation increased, so did the demand for resources, and high-level cultivation resources were often controlled by the upper echelons of cultivators.

An unknown, without foundation cultivator, wouldn't easily be accepted into the high-tier cultivators' circle.

Secondly, going to other cultivation countries wasn't easy; it was said that various natural barriers existed between each cultivation country.

Be it the Land of Extinct Spirits, insurmountable mountains, or extremely wide rivers.

With Zhou Xun's current cultivation, leaving Xui Country was no easy task.

Thirdly, he had made extremely thorough preparations; first by controlling the information, and then by purchasing the high-grade array and talismans.

Unless a Foundation Establishment cultivator intervened, he had nothing to fear.

Even if a Foundation Establishment cultivator did show up, he was ready to reveal his connection with the Lin Family's young lady, with the Lin Family and Master Fengyue's relations, any Foundation Establishment cultivator within Xui Country would offer some respect.

His life would be assuredly safe.

After careful consideration, Zhou Xun decided to stay at Qingyue Square.

...

Quickly, Zhou Xun located the valley Zhou Jimin mentioned.

The valley was very small, a few dozen feet wide, surrounded three sides by steep stone walls, leaving only a very narrow side leading out.

A pond was situated on the north side of the valley, over ten feet wide.

Zhou Xun speculated that an underground river linked this pond to Qingyue Lake, which explained the presence of spirit fish here.

After all, without a spirit vein, spirit fish wouldn't favor such an environment.

He took out the Nine-Nine Celestial Essence Array's array flags, totaling nine, and placed them within a certain range.

"Activate!"

Zhou Xun released a spell, instantly enveloping the entire valley in a blue translucent light shield, then cast another spell, causing the light shield to gradually disappear.

As if it had never appeared.

Seeing this, Zhou Xun nodded in satisfaction.

Subsequently, he took out a High-Grade Golden Shield Talisman and activated it to envelop himself.

Then he plunged into the pond with a sharp dive.

Just as Zhou Jimin had described.

The pond was extremely deep, reaching a hundred feet down without hitting the bottom, and then upwards.

He finally emerged from the water, finding a cave at the entrance, six or seven feet wide, extending northward with a tunnel of unfathomable depth.

Zhou Xun took out the middle-grade defensive spiritual artifact, the Black Profound Shield, activating it and holding it before him.

Then he took out the Golden Cicada Mother-Child Blade, gripping it in his hand, ready to strike at any moment.

Proceeding deeper by a thousand feet, the front suddenly opened up, revealing a super-sized cave several hundred feet wide indeed.

Along with it came an extremely strong surge of spiritual power.

Zhou Xun was shocked.

This spiritual power's strength was unmatched by him.

Zhou Xun stealthily approached, hiding behind a large stone.

In the vast cave of several hundred feet, two demon beasts entwined, fiercely battling each other.

Not far from them, a spiritual medicine with hundreds of blue leaves was quietly blossoming.

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