Gu Changhuan wanted to find a market where he could rest. The long journey had left him tired.

He took out the map and discovered that the market closest to him was called Yuanxing Market, located just a few hundred kilometers away. Gu Changhuan then headed toward Yuanxing Market.

Yuanxing Market was established by a Purple Mansion family. After paying five Low-Grade Spirit Stones as the city entry fee, he successfully entered the market.

The scale of Yuanxing Market was similar to Cloudheaven Market, but there were even more people here. What surprised Gu Changhuan was that there were many Foundation Establishment cultivators in the market; almost one in every twenty people was at Foundation Establishment.

Heng Prefecture really did have deeper reserves than Qingzhou!

Gu Changhuan sighed.

But now that he was here, how could he pass up the square where rogue cultivators set up their stalls?

After inquiring about the direction to the rogue cultivator square, Gu Changhuan set off enthusiastically.

In any market, the rogue cultivators' square was always the liveliest spot. There were surprises to be found, bargains to be had, and plenty of people waiting to fleece the unwary.

Some called shopping there a gamble: it was thrilling, and a single find could make you rich.

Although most gamblers end in failure, Gu Changhuan was someone who might not always win in this gamble but would never lose.

Because he had the Tongxian Map, his great trump card.

It could now reveal the grade of every spiritual item within two hundred meters of him!

Gu Changhuan browsed the rogue cultivator square while examining the Tongxian Map with his Divine Sense. He felt picking up bargains was just too easy.

Gu Changhuan leisurely strolled through the rogue cultivator square. After covering about one-third of the stalls, a quarrel suddenly erupted from a stall not far ahead.

"You said it yourself! As long as I could come up with two hundred Spirit Stones today, you would keep the Fortune Cloud Shield for me, and you even took twenty Spirit Stones from me as a deposit! But after I scraped together the Spirit Stones, you sold the Fortune Cloud Shield to someone else! Yang Laoer, what kind of business practice is this?!" shouted a short rogue cultivator, his face flushed red. As he spoke, he angrily slapped the stall table.

"I gave you your deposit back. What more do you want? I sell to whoever pays the most!" Yang Laoer retorted, utterly unashamed.

Gu Changhuan stopped walking. Naturally, it wasn't to watch the commotion, but because a spiritual herb on that rogue cultivator's stall, resembling a willow branch, had caught his interest.

There was no mistake! This was a Jade-Pattern Spirit Leaf, one of the auxiliary ingredients for refining Foundation Establishment Pills!

To think that just after arriving in Heng Prefecture, he had discovered a missing auxiliary ingredient. This was truly a stroke of fortune!

Gu Changhuan approached Yang Laoer's stall and let his Foundation Establishment aura show. Both Qi Condensation cultivators immediately fell silent.

"How much for this spiritual herb sapling?" Gu Changhuan asked.

Seeing a Foundation Establishment cultivator wanted to buy Yang Laoer's goods, the short cultivator dared not cause trouble. He could only glare fiercely at Yang Laoer before leaving resentfully.

Yang Laoer ignored the short cultivator's glare. His eyes darted shrewdly as he put on an ingratiating smile.

"Another senior asked me to hold this herb for him. But if you want it, Senior, seven hundred Spirit Stones will do."

Gu Changhuan gave Yang Laoer a half-smile, thinking that rogue cultivators were indeed slippery, daring to ask for seven hundred Spirit Stones for just a spiritual herb seedling.

"Final offer: four hundred Spirit Stones. If you don't want to sell, Little Friend, then forget it."

Yang Laoer wore a pained expression on his face, but inwardly he was overjoyed. Because it was a sapling, even a Second-Tier spiritual herb wouldn't fetch a high price in shops. He had simply brought the herb to the rogue cultivator square, never expecting someone would actually buy it!

Four hundred Spirit Stones, at that!

But Yang Laoer pretended to be extremely reluctant and said, "Four hundred Spirit Stones is a bit..."

Gu Changhuan made to leave. Before he had taken even half a step, Yang Laoer called out,

"Four hundred it is, Senior! The herb is yours!"

Gu Changhuan concealed the smile at the corner of his mouth, tossed four hundred Spirit Stones to Yang Laoer, and stored away the Jade-Pattern Spirit Leaf.

Having secured an auxiliary ingredient for Foundation Establishment Pills, Gu Changhuan felt satisfied. Even if he found nothing else worthwhile, this trip would not have been in vain.

As he was thinking this, a soft cry suddenly reached his ears.

What was making that sound?

Gu Changhuan stopped and looked around, finally discovering the source of the sound inside a cage.

It turned out to be a fox cub.

And it was a white fox with green eyes.

The little fox cub noticed Gu Changhuan looking at it and pitifully let out another cry. Its eyes stared intently at Gu Changhuan, as if pleading for help.

Gu Changhuan searched his memory of fox demon beasts, but none of the species he knew matched this cub.

And the Tongxian Map showed this fox cub only had First-Tier High Grade cultivation.

The little fox cub continued to cry intermittently, its voice much softer now. Perhaps it was scared because there were too many people around, or maybe it was already running out of strength.

Already at the high grade of the First Tier while still a cub? It must have considerable potential. With proper care, it could become a valuable ally.

Besides, Mo Lin had no fur, was slippery to the touch, and kept hissing at people. Hardly the sort of creature one wanted as a pet.

Gu Changhuan walked over to the fox cub. The person running the stall was a Foundation Establishment cultivator.

"May I ask, Fellow Daoist, how much for this spirit beast?"

The stallholder looked pale. At the sight of a customer, he made an effort to rouse himself.

"Two thousand Spirit Stones. I would also accept good healing pills in exchange."

Gu Changhuan took out a bottle of White Feather Pills and a Storage Bag.

"This is a bottle of Second-Tier Middle Grade healing pills. This Storage Bag contains one thousand Spirit Stones."

The cultivator was not entirely pleased. Together, the pills and stones were worth less than two thousand Spirit Stones. Still, he badly needed healing pills, and not everyone could offer him Middle-Grade Second-Tier ones.

He opened the White Feather Pill bottle and carefully sniffed the medicinal fragrance. Feeling his spirits revive and even the pain from his injuries lessen slightly, he hurriedly accepted.

"Take the fox, Fellow Daoist!"

After saying this, the Foundation Establishment cultivator began packing up his stall. It seemed he couldn't wait to return and heal his injuries.

Gu Changhuan lifted the cage and stuffed both the cage and the fox into a Spirit Beast Pouch.

At the same time, he warned Mo Lin not to bully the little fox cub.

Inside the Spirit Beast Pouch, Mo Lin hissed at the air in protest at Gu Changhuan, then turned its attention to the new white, fluffy creature.

Its body wasn't as agile as Mo Lin's, its aura was weaker, and it was locked up. It really didn't seem threatening.

Reassured, Mo Lin coiled up and went back to sleep.

Gu Changhuan finished browsing the rogue cultivator square without finding anything else worth his attention. Concerned about the fox cub in the Spirit Beast Pouch, he quickly found an inn to stay at.