A Mortal's Start in the Spirit Beast Mountain

Luo Ming left the Six-Linked Hall, intending to try his luck at other shops. As he approached a slightly quieter alleyway, a shrewd-looking cultivator in a grey Taoist robe strode forward, a perfectly measured smile on his face, his tone familiar yet respectful:

"Senior, please wait. You look unfamiliar. You must be new to Kui Xing Island. I am Lu Xian, a rogue cultivator who has been on this island for several years and knows all the channels well."

"If you need any assistance with finding goods or asking for directions, please feel free to do so. I will not charge a single penny, only hoping to establish a good relationship."

Luo Ming paused, looked up and sized up the other party. Seeing that his aura was weak and his cultivation was only at the late stage of Qi Refining, he instantly understood that he was probably a shill for some shop or a rogue cultivator who made a profit by acting as a middleman.

He didn't point it out, only nodded slightly: "How did you know I didn't buy what I needed?"

The person opposite was taken aback, not expecting Luo Ming to ask such a question. He cupped his hands and smiled, "To be honest, senior, the look of disappointment on your face when you walked out of the Six-Halled Palace was fleeting, but I have been doing this business on this island for many years, and my eyesight is definitely good, so I dared to come and ask you a few questions."

"I see!" Luo Ming nodded slightly, not really paying attention to his expression. He smiled and said, "There is indeed something I'd like to inquire about. I wonder where on the island I can still buy second-tier or higher demon souls?"

The gray-robed cultivator's eyes lit up. He leaned closer and deliberately lowered his voice: "Fellow Daoist, you've come to the right person! Ordinary shops either have limited stock or are monopolized by the Great Merchant Alliance, and second-tier and above demon souls are especially scarce. However, I know of a secret shop hidden deep in the alleys of the north of the island. As long as you have enough spirit stones, you can get not only second-tier demon souls, but also third- and fourth-tier demon souls."

Luo Ming sneered inwardly. Just as he had expected, this cultivator must be involved with that kind of secret shop.

However, he did need demon soul materials at the moment, and he was unfamiliar with the resource channels of Kui Xing Island. Even if he knew that the other party was a shill, he might as well go and see if it was true or not. No matter where you are, there will be trades where there are demands. Moreover, many demon beast material transactions here are monopolized by the Great Merchant Alliance, so these secret shops have emerged.

He said calmly, "Lead the way. If there's anything good, you'll get your share."

The gray-robed cultivator was overjoyed and quickly agreed, leading Luo Ming into a quiet alley.

About half an incense stick later, the gray-robed cultivator stopped in front of an inconspicuous black stone hut. He knocked on the door three times and then tapped lightly on the windowsill twice. The door slowly opened a crack, and the cultivator behind it glanced at Luo Ming warily. Seeing the gray-robed cultivator nod in acknowledgment, he stepped aside to let the two of them in.

The interior of the small house was much more spacious than the exterior, with the walls filled with jade boxes and bottles inlaid with spiritual light, and the air was filled with a strong demonic power and the smell of blood.

As soon as Luo Ming entered, he felt a hidden divine sense sweep over him. If it weren't for his keen divine sense, he wouldn't have noticed it. He glanced at a certain spot without leaving a trace and then ignored it.

The shop owner was a young cultivator with a sinister face. When Luo Ming entered, he didn't greet him warmly like a typical shopkeeper would, but simply nodded slightly: "What does fellow Daoist need?"

Luo Ming found it interesting. From the other party's tone, it seemed as if they could provide whatever he needed, and they were very confident. He couldn't help but be curious about the store and wondered where their goods came from. Were they all smuggled goods?

Seeing that the other party was efficient and to the point, he also stated his needs without beating around the bush.

Without saying a word, the other party took out a gourd-shaped magic artifact from his storage bag: "I do have more than a dozen level two or higher demon souls that you want, including three level four demon souls, five level three demon souls, and eight level two demon souls. The total price is four thousand spirit stones."

Upon hearing this, Luo Ming felt that the price was similar to that on the market and nodded in agreement. However, just as he was about to take the spirit stones, he realized that he didn't have many spirit stones left.

He now spends most of his time cultivating the essence of the demon-attracting grass and condensing the spirit fire in the Spirit Gathering Cauldron, resulting in a small amount of spirit stones in his reserves. In addition, he just spent several thousand spirit stones in the Six-Linked Palace to buy demon beast blood and pills, so he only has a few mid-grade spirit stones left.

A thought struck him, and he said, "I wonder if you would be willing to purchase magical artifacts and other items here?"

He currently has some unused magical artifacts and other items, which he can dispose of here.

,,,,,,

A quarter of an hour later, Luo Ming walked out of the stone house. Now that he had achieved his goal of coming to Kui Xing Island, he should go back to cultivate and reach the late Foundation Establishment stage as soon as possible. In this Chaotic Star Sea, without Core Formation cultivation, he dared not run around.

Just as he stepped out of the stone house, the stone door behind the young cultivator opened, and a burly man walked out.

The young cultivator frowned and said, "Brother Liu, why did you stop me from attacking just now? With my mid-Foundation Establishment cultivation and your late-Foundation Establishment cultivation, surely we could subdue this person instantly?"

The burly man raised an eyebrow and said, "Now that Second Brother and the others aren't here, the two of us might not be able to take down that guy. I just tested him with my divine sense, and he's already detected me. If we really fight, I might be fine, but Fifth Brother, you're definitely done for."

"What? Could it be that the Foundation Establishment stage kid has a stronger spiritual sense than you?" The young cultivator was shocked. He knew how powerful his boss was. He had cultivated a certain secret technique for spiritual sense, and his spiritual sense was comparable to that of a pseudo-Core Formation cultivator.

"He's not necessarily stronger than me, but he's very perceptive, and I can vaguely sense a burning sensation in his spiritual sense. The situation is tense right now, so it's best not to cause any unnecessary trouble. Once we've shipped this batch of goods, we'll prepare to go to other sea areas." After the big man finished speaking, he returned to the back of the stone chamber.

The young cultivator was left with a look of surprise on his face; he didn't like being cooped up here every day.

After leaving the secret shop, Luo Ming immediately left Kui Xing Island and returned to his cave. He had many things to do, including improving his cultivation and caring for a group of hungry spirit beasts.

"It seems we need to speed things up with this spirit beast, otherwise it'll just be a pet from now on. It won't do if the master has to be the one to handle things when trouble comes." Luo Ming sat cross-legged, pondering his next plan.

Currently, among his spirit beasts, the Azure Dragon is about to advance to level three, while the Wind Fox and the Black Tortoise are still lacking in skill as they advanced to level two later.

For a cultivator, the most important thing is cultivation level. Without cultivation level, everything else is just a castle in the air.

With cultivation as a foundation, supernatural powers and spells become more important. After all, as a means of protection, they can ensure that cultivators go further in the treacherous world of cultivation.

There are many ways to protect one's path; some specialize in swordsmanship, some excel at puppetry, and some are skilled in the art of beast taming.

Since Luo Ming was born in the Spirit Beast Mountain and now has several spirit beasts with considerable potential, he naturally wouldn't abandon the art of beast taming and would have to train them properly. After all, the assistance that spirit beasts can provide to cultivators is still undeniable, especially when their cultivation level is low.

In the past, he would have just let things take their course when raising spirit beasts, but now he has discovered a secret technique that has surprised and delighted him within the Golden Core stage cultivation method of the Spirit Control Technique.

That is to cultivate your own natal spirit beast.