"How lively."

The entire market bustled with extraordinary activity, offering a dazzling array of immortal artifacts.

Stepping into the bazaar, Xu Changshou found himself dazzled by the sheer variety.

Ye Shanhu led the group straight toward the Senior Brother from Danxia Peak who was peddling Barrier Breaking Pills.

Xu Changshou took a single glance and turned away. Without Spirit Stones, he couldn't afford a single crumb. Staring at things he couldn't buy was pure torture.

"Come and buy! Qi Gathering Pills, twelve for a single Spirit Stone! Genuine goods at a fair price! Tenfold compensation for any fakes!"

Suddenly, a spirited hawker's cry snagged Xu Changshou's attention.

Not far away, a young man sporting a thin mustache bellowed his wares with practiced enthusiasm. At his feet lay a square of red cloth, littered with assorted bottles and jars.

Xu Changshou swept a glance over him. The young man's cultivation was surprisingly profound-he was actually at the twelfth layer of Qi Condensation.

"Senior Brother, might I inspect your Qi Gathering Pills?" Xu Changshou asked as he approached.

"Of course, browse as you please!" The mustached youth casually tossed over a white jade bottle.

Xu Changshou popped the cork and tipped a pill into his palm. It was a Qi Gathering Pill, undeniably, but its texture was coarse. It lacked the glossy sheen of the Sect's stock, and the contained Spiritual Qi was pitifully thin.

"How about it?" the youth asked.

Xu Changshou shook his head, tossing the jade bottle back. "Not interested."

"Now, Junior Brother, I'll admit these pills have slight blemishes, but they are incredibly cheap! Look, if you're genuinely buying, I'll offer a better rate. Fourteen pills for one Spirit Stone. How's that?"

"No." Xu Changshou firmly shook his head.

Seeing the sale slip away, the mustached youth's face fell slightly. He offered a sheepish grin. "Junior Brother, are you looking for purer Qi Gathering Pills?"

"You have some?" Xu Changshou's eyes brightened.

The youth nodded. "I do, but the price is steep."

"How steep?"

"One Spirit Stone for ten pills. But rest assured, I guarantee they match the Sect's standard."

"Let me inspect them first."

"Deal!"

The mustached youth retrieved another bottle from his Storage Bag. Xu Changshou poured a single pill into his palm, inspected it, and gave a satisfied nod.

The pill was vibrant green, perfectly spherical, and emanated a faint medicinal fragrance. It was indistinguishable from the Sect's Qi Gathering Pills.

"Senior Brother, I have fifty broken Spirit Stones. How many can you sell me for that?" Xu Changshou asked with a polite smile.

The youth grimaced. "Junior Brother... fifty broken Spirit Stones only covers five pills. Didn't I just say? They are the exact same as the Sect's."

Xu Changshou pursed his lips. "Senior Brother, if that's the case, I might as well march to the Sect pavilion and buy them there."

The young man flashed a bitter smile and quickly waved his hands. "No, no, no, Junior Brother. My dear Junior Brother. How about this? Your Senior Brother will throw in an extra. Fifty broken Spirit Stones for six pills. Deal?"

Xu Changshou shook his head again. "Seven."

The youth frantically shook his head. "No, absolutely not. Seven pills means I'm bleeding out my own capital."

Xu Changshou kept his tone even. "Senior Brother, how may I address you?"

"My surname is Huang. Huang Xiangui."

"Senior Brother Huang, how about this: from now on, I will purchase all my pills exclusively from you. In exchange, you give me seven."

"That still won't do!" Huang Xiangui's face scrunched in misery.

Xu Changshou leaned in, lowering his voice to a conspiratorial whisper. "I have a Senior Sister. She's a legacy disciple from a wealthy cultivation clan. I can direct her business to your stall."

"You mean that?"

Huang Xiangui's eyes lit up instantly. He waved his large sleeve with grand finality. "Fine! Seven it is. Sold."

"My thanks, Senior Brother. Here are the Spirit Stones."

"A pleasure doing business. How may I address you, Junior Brother?"

"My surname is Xu."

"Junior Brother Xu! Excellent. Don't forget to send that legacy Senior Sister my way."

"I won't forget. Farewell, Senior Brother Huang."

Leaving the stall behind, Xu Changshou sighed inwardly. If only I were a pampered legacy brat. Then I wouldn't have to scrounge and haggle like a beggar over a single Qi Gathering Pill.

After completing a slow lap around the market, Xu Changshou returned to the entrance to wait for Ye Shanhu.

Before long, Ye Shanhu approached with the rest of the group in tow.

Sweeping his gaze across them, Xu Changshou noted that Jiang Xiaochuan, Han Zong, Lin Xian'er, Qian Yuanbao, Zhang Feixian, Shi Wantong, and several others were practically beaming with joy.

Li Linhao maintained a mask of calm indifference, while Su Mo's complexion looked rather grim.

A quick inquiry revealed the truth: Su Mo simply lacked the Spirit Stones to afford a Barrier Breaking Pill. Aside from Li Linhao, everyone else had secured one.

Ye Shanhu glanced at Li Linhao and offered, "Junior Brother Li, and you as well, Junior Brother Xu. Give me another half a month and I can procure another batch of Barrier Breaking Pills. Will you be needing them?"

Li Linhao smiled and shook his head. "Many thanks, Senior Sister, but there is no need. My clan has already prepared them for me."

"Ah..."

Xu Changshou faltered for a fraction of a second before smoothly adding, "My situation is the same as Junior Brother Li's. My family has prepared mine as well. They should be delivered shortly."

"Very well! Let us return!"

The White Jade Boat was deployed once more. The group bounded aboard, soaring away from Danxia Peak.

"Senior Brother Xu, you have no idea how formidable Senior Sister Ye truly is. With a single word, she emptied the market of all its Barrier Breaking Pills."

"Indeed. We owe Senior Sister Ye a great debt. Without her, we would never have secured Barrier Breaking Pills at such a generous discount."

"We will surely have to rely on Senior Sister Ye's grace in the future."

...

Soon, they touched down at the Gengzi Courtyard.

Inside Xu Changshou's room.

Jiang Xiaochuan pinched a fiery-red pill between his fingers, flaunting it obnoxiously. "Senior Brother Xu, what do you think?"

Xu Changshou curled his lip defensively. "What's the big deal? I have one too."

Jiang Xiaochuan chuckled wryly. "Junior Brother Xu, exactly when will you receive your Barrier Breaking Pill?"

"It should be soon," Xu Changshou deflected.

Jiang Xiaochuan's grin widened into a beaming smirk. "'Soon' means you don't have it yet. Right now, I am the one holding the pill. I plan to enter Secluded Cultivation tomorrow. Once I emerge, you'll be the one forced to call me 'Senior Brother'."

"This..."

Xu Changshou was momentarily stunned, a sharp pang of bitterness seizing his chest.

The Cultivation world operated on a brutal, ironclad rule: mastery dictates seniority. Among cultivators, age and entry dates meant nothing; whoever held the higher cultivation was the Senior Brother. Should a lowly Qi Condensation disciple encounter a Foundation Establishment expert, they would have to bow deeply and call them 'Martial Uncle'.

Pampered scions like Jiang Xiaochuan hailed from aristocratic clans, backed by deep coffers and rich family foundations.

During the early stages of Qi Condensation, Xu Changshou could keep pace with them by practically bleeding himself dry through sheer, maddening diligence.

But entering the later stages, the speed of cultivation inherently plummeted. Here, the overwhelming advantage of raw resources became terrifyingly clear.

Soon enough, junior disciples like Jiang Xiaochuan would blast past him, one by one.

His hollow title of Senior Brother would be unceremoniously stripped away.

"Come now, Junior Brother Xu. Call me 'Senior Brother' just once. Let me hear how it sounds."

"Piss off! Wait until you actually surpass me before you start barking!"

"Right!"

Xu Changshou hurriedly changed the subject. "Junior Brother Jiang, I can't sense much difference between this Barrier Breaking Pill and a standard Qi Gathering Pill. Why is the price so absurdly high?"

"Senior Brother Xu, you've genuinely cultivated yourself into a stupor. This is basic common knowledge."

Jiang Xiaochuan looked utterly exasperated.

Xu Changshou bristled with displeasure. "If I spent all day goofing off and running around like you, I'd naturally know everything too. Why else would I bother asking?"

"Fair enough."

Jiang Xiaochuan nodded. He could genuinely understand Xu Changshou's profound ignorance of Cultivation world affairs. After all, the madman spent every waking second buried in Secluded Cultivation, leaving zero time for worldly gossip.

Secretly, Jiang Xiaochuan was immensely envious of Xu Changshou's terrifying diligence. Unfortunately, it was a level of suffering he simply couldn't endure himself.

"Senior Brother Xu, what you don't realize is that Barrier Breaking Pills possess miraculous utility at critical junctures. That is precisely why their price completely eclipses other pills of the same grade.

Take the legendary Foundation Establishment Pill, for example. Stripped to its core, it is ultimately just a high-tier Barrier Breaking Pill."