Gu Changhuan sighed, deciding to first investigate just how large the first floor of this Xuantian Tower actually was.

After roughly the time it took an incense stick to burn, he had surveyed the first floor.

The first floor was one qing large, which is to say one hundred mu in size. The terrain wasn't entirely flat; there were several small hills at the edges.

The spiritual medicines that Zhenlingzi had planted earlier had all perished without exception; only a portion had left behind seeds.

What puzzled Gu Changhuan was that the Spiritual Qi level inside the first floor of Xuantian Tower wasn't high, only about Third Tier Low Grade.

Could it be because there were no spiritual objects nurturing it? Gu Changhuan guessed.

Spiritual land needed tending, too. Even Emerald Maple Mountain, with its third-tier middle-grade spirit vein, was covered in spiritual plants. The vein nourished the plants with Spiritual Qi, and the plants in turn nourished the vein, each sustaining the other.

He would have to find seeds, roots, and seedlings of spiritual herbs and plants soon.

Gu Changhuan summoned the Tongxian Map and took out the Azure Cloud Sword. He began searching for spiritual medicine seeds among the piles of weeds.

An hour later, Gu Changhuan straightened his back and surveyed his work. He had cleared only a tenth of the weeds. This was going to take time; he would have to be patient.

He left the world inside Xuantian Tower and suddenly thought of something.

Time passed ten times faster inside the tower. Did that mean he would also use up his lifespan ten times faster while he was in there...?

Gu Changhuan shuddered.

He still needed to think of a solution.

A few days later, Gu Changhuan quietly left Emerald Maple Mountain. Before setting out, he had visited the Scripture Pavilion to learn several new spells, preparing for whatever danger or combat might catch him unawares.

He had not even stayed for a Foundation Establishment celebration. Such celebrations were not required for every breakthrough. Their real purpose was to announce that a clan had Foundation Establishment cultivators, successors to carry it forward, and the strength to hold its lands.

The Gu Clan no longer needed that announcement. It was a Purple Mansion clan now.

Therefore, neither Gu Shixin nor Gu Changhuan held a Foundation Establishment Celebration.

Those who chose not to hold a celebration received an allowance from the clan instead.

When Gu Changhuan went out traveling, of course he wasn't wearing the Gu Clan family attire, but casually wore a green daoist robe.

He flew toward the Hidden Dragon Mountains aboard the shuttle-shaped artifact Gu Wanhao had given him. He had named it the White Dragon Shuttle: the White Jade Bird-Headed Beast used in its making supposedly carried a trace of white dragon blood.

And this artifact also had a white dragon pattern drawn on it.

However, Gu Changhuan felt this claim was mostly undeserved. Demon Beasts with dragon bloodline are mostly extremely difficult to deal with, and can often even resist opponents one cultivation layer higher than themselves. But the White Jade Bird-Headed Beast, aside from being a bit more beautiful and flying a bit faster, actually didn't have any powerful combat ability. Otherwise, it wouldn't have become the most commonly used Artifact Refining material.

Still, White Dragon Shuttle sounded grand and rolled off the tongue. That was enough.

The speed at Foundation Establishment was naturally much faster than at the Qi Condensation Realm. Gu Changhuan flew over nearly half of the Nine Perches Mountains using only half a day. When he reached the edge of the Nine Perches Mountains near the Hidden Dragon Mountains, Gu Changhuan put away his artifact, concealed his aura and Divine Sense fluctuations, and traveled using the Divine Movement Technique.

The vegetation thinned where the Nine Perches Mountains approached the Hidden Dragon Mountains. Many cultivators must have taken this route to Linyao Market.

He checked his map from time to time. After an hour on the road, he reached a waterfall.

Water crashed down into a deep pool, spraying in all directions. Many spiritual fish swam below, though none had reached the first tier.

That's right, Linyao Market was inside the mountain behind this waterfall.

Truly an ingenious idea.

The Hidden Dragon Mountains teemed with demon beasts, but few liked water. The falls alone kept many of them out.

He cast the Water-Repelling Art on himself, then pushed off lightly. With True Essence lending him strength, he cleared the pool, over ten meters across, and plunged through the middle of the waterfall.

Beyond the falls, he found a passage wide enough for three or four people to walk abreast. Luminous pearls set into the rock walls every few meters lit the way.

A few meters farther on, steps led down to an open doorway.

Gu Changhuan arrived at the door, and an old man suddenly appeared before him.

He looked over seventy, but his rosy complexion suggested he could easily live another forty or fifty years.

"I don't believe I've seen you before, young friend. Your first visit to Linyao Market?" the old man asked with a friendly smile.

Gu Changhuan smiled, remembering his bargain hunts on Nine Perches Market's West Street. He had been only seven or eight, and the rogue cultivators had called him "young friend" to win him over. Now he was almost twenty, and people were still calling him that.

But compared to the age of the old man before him, he was indeed truly a young friend.

By cultivation rank, though, the old man—a fifth-layer Qi Condensation cultivator—should have addressed him as Senior.

But he didn't release his own aura and Pressure; being too ostentatious in an unfamiliar environment wasn't good.

"You're right, Fellow Daoist. It is my first visit. Was there something you wanted to tell me?" Gu Changhuan asked.

The old man quickly waved his hands.

"Oh, I wouldn't presume to offer advice! To come here alone at your age, you must be quite accomplished.

"My name is Lin Gui. I work here as a guide and broker. For just two Spirit Stones, I can tell you everything you need to know about Linyao Market."

So he's a broker. Gu Changhuan understood.

Most markets had brokers who earned their living from information and contacts. They knew people from every walk of life.

This old man looked as though he had spent decades working the market.

Gu Changhuan took out two Low-Grade Spirit Stones. The old man happily accepted the Spirit Stones, took out a book from his Storage Bag, and handed it over.

Gu Changhuan leafed through the book. It covered the market in considerable detail, even giving the backgrounds and founding dates of reputable shops.

The Gu Clan's shop was also among them.

One could tell the person who wrote this book was indeed very familiar with Linyao Market.

Gu Changhuan put away the book and, under Lin Gui's gaze, entered the market gate.

Entering the gate, Gu Changhuan was stopped again.

"First-time visitors pay an entry fee: ten Low-Grade Spirit Stones each," said the armored guard in charge, his face expressionless.

Gu Changhuan was shocked!

Ten Low-Grade Spirit Stones!

Why not just rob him outright?!