Leaving the courtyard where he resided.
Chen Yang followed the direction Shen Hongmei had pointed out the day before, making his way toward the Sect Market.
Along the way, he passed many disciples hurrying about.
Most wore the attire of Outer Sect Disciples, though occasionally he spotted a few inner disciples dressed in moon-white robes, their bearing noticeably more distinguished.
The closer he drew to the market district, the denser the foot traffic became.
From a distance.
On a flat expanse carved out along the mountain's contours, buildings stood in rows, banners fluttered in the breeze, and the clamor of voices filled the air.
It was utterly unlike the quiet, contemplative atmosphere that pervaded the rest of the sect.
That place was the heart of trade among Verdant Wood Sect disciples — the Sect Market.
Chen Yang felt a swell of excitement in his chest.
He had heard of this place long ago, yet it had always been a name without a face.
Back when he was a Menial Disciple, he hadn't even had the right to set foot inside.
The market had an unwritten rule: only Outer Sect Disciples and above were permitted to enter.
The meager earnings of laborers — even after a month of backbreaking work — amounted to only one or two low-grade spirit stones, nowhere near enough to afford the Pills and Magical Artifacts traded within.
The laborers' trading circle was limited to bartering among themselves, or dealing in the lowest-grade talismans and worn-out spell technique jade slips.
Xiaodouzi had described the market's lively atmosphere to him countless times with longing, along with the daunting one spirit stone entry fee that kept them out.
Later, when he advanced to the inner disciple rank, he should have had the chance to visit — but one thing after another had gotten in the way, and since he genuinely didn't know the route, he had kept putting it off until now.
Thinking about it, Chen Yang couldn't help but laugh at himself.
For an inner disciple, he was truly a complete novice.
Approaching the market entrance, he saw a simple wooden fence serving as a barrier, with a small booth set up beside it. A young man in steward's attire sat inside, looking thoroughly bored.
Chen Yang remembered Xiaodouzi mentioning that entering the market required paying one low-grade spirit stone.
Although he was now an inner disciple, this was his first visit, and he wasn't sure whether inner disciples enjoyed any special privileges.
Erring on the side of caution, he walked up to the booth and reached into the stipend pouch he had only just received — barely warm in his hands — and withdrew a low-grade spirit stone, ready to hand it over.
The young steward looked up when someone approached.
He reached out to take the spirit stone.
But his hand paused mid-air.
His gaze swept over Chen Yang's plain, unremarkable civilian clothes, and a flicker of hesitation crossed his face as he asked:
"Senior Brother, if I may ask — are you Outer Sect or inner disciple?"
Chen Yang blinked, and asked in return:
"Is… there a difference?"
The young steward explained:
"If you're an inner disciple, Senior Brother, there's no fee — you may come and go freely. For Outer Sect junior brothers and sisters, there's a one spirit stone charge."
Chen Yang's heart stirred at those words.
He quickly reached into his robe and produced the jade token that marked his identity as an inner disciple, holding it out for the other man to see.
The young steward examined the jade token, and his demeanor instantly became respectful, a smile spreading across his face.
Not only did he return the spirit stone with both hands, he also said with a touch of apology:
"So it's Senior Brother Chen of the inner disciples — my deepest apologies for the oversight. Is this your first visit to the Sect Market, Senior Brother Chen?"
Chen Yang gave a nod.
He tucked away the jade token and the spirit stone, thinking to himself:
The status of an inner disciple really does come with quite a few conveniences.
"First time here — it's only natural to be unfamiliar with things." The young steward was quite enthusiastic.
He waved to someone nearby, and a sharp-eyed young Outer Sect attendant came trotting over.
"You — escort Senior Brother Chen inside, give him a proper introduction to the market's rules, and help him find a decent stall."
"Yes, Steward Sir."
The attendant acknowledged the order respectfully, then bowed to Chen Yang:
"Senior Brother Chen, please follow me."
Chen Yang was a little surprised by this unexpected service, but he didn't refuse. He offered his thanks and followed the attendant into the bustling Sect Market.
The moment he stepped inside, a wave of noise washed over him.
Stone-slab stalls lined both sides of the street in neat rows.
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Further back were what appeared to be more established shops.
Disciples jostled shoulder to shoulder.
The sounds of haggling and merchants describing their wares were constant and unceasing.
Pills, talismans, magical weapons, materials, spirit herbs, and even all manner of strange demon beast parts were laid out in dazzling abundance, leaving Chen Yang's eyes spinning.
The attendant led the way.
And introduced everything with practiced familiarity:
"Senior Brother Chen, trade in the market is completely free. If you wish to sell something, simply find an empty stone slab, lay your items out, and you're ready. You can set a fixed price, or leave it open and negotiate when someone inquires — entirely up to you. Just be mindful: forced buying or selling is not permitted. If a dispute arises, you may seek the steward at the entrance for arbitration."
Chen Yang listened while observing the stalls on either side.
He saw some disciples with only one or two items displayed, while others had a full spread of goods.
Some stalls drew crowds, while others sat empty.
The attendant brought Chen Yang to a relatively clean stone slab in a spot with decent foot traffic, and said:
"Senior Brother Chen, how does this spot look to you?"
Chen Yang glanced around, found the location acceptable, and nodded:
"Thank you for the trouble — this will do."
The attendant smiled:
"You're too kind, Senior Brother. I'll leave you to it then. If you need anything, feel free to come find me or the steward at the entrance anytime."
With that, he bowed and departed.
Chen Yang stood behind the stone slab, drew a slow breath, and steadied the mix of novelty and mild nerves he felt.
He reached carefully into his Storage Bag and withdrew the demon beast demon cores he had prepared to sell.
He arranged them on the stone slab one by one.
The demon cores varied in size and color, but each one radiated a faint pulse of Demon Energy and Spiritual Energy.
There were several dozen in total — mostly first-rank Shadow Wolf demon cores, along with a few second-rank demon beast demon cores.
He had barely finished laying them out when the attendant who had guided him earlier passed by nearby — seemingly making a deliberate detour to check — and upon seeing the pile of demon beast demon cores on the slab, his eyes lit up with admiration:
"Senior Brother, you've hunted so many demon beasts!"
Chen Yang smiled and explained:
"There was a demon beast rampage a few days ago. I was lucky enough to come away with some gains."
At those words, the attendant's gaze toward Chen Yang filled with genuine respect:
"Ah, I see! Senior Brother, you're truly admirable! Every year during the demon beast rampage, many inner disciples… choose to stay out of it, leaving us Outer Sect and laborer disciples to suffer. The fact that you stepped forward and hunted so many demon beasts — it's truly inspiring!"
His words were heartfelt, and it was clear that as an Outer Sect Disciple, he felt the threat of demon beasts far more keenly.
Chen Yang felt a little embarrassed by the praise and waved it off:
"It was simply my duty."
The attendant gave another respectful bow before turning to leave.
Once the attendant was gone, Chen Yang looked at the demon cores on the slab and let his mind work.
He had learned beforehand that demon beast demon cores weren't particularly sought-after in the market.
The main reason was that the Verdant Wood Sect had Crimson Glow Peak dedicated to alchemy, and the Pills refined by Elder Zhu Dayou and his disciples were gentle and pure in potency, easy to absorb, with minimal side effects.
Demon beast demon cores were a different matter entirely.
The Demon Energy contained within them was wild and violent, still carrying the ferocious aura of the beast.
Consuming them directly not only yielded a far lower absorption rate than Pills of the same rank — often only a third of the effect, or even less — but prolonged or heavy use could also disturb one's mind, and even carry the risk of Qi Deviation.
Take a first-rank Shadow Wolf demon core, for instance: its rough equivalent in Pills would be the most basic Pure Origin Pill.
Yet its effect might only reach thirty percent of a Pure Origin Pill's potency.
A single Pure Origin Pill was worth close to a hundred low-grade spirit stones in the market, while Shadow Wolf demon cores — due to their inferior efficacy and side effects — typically sold for around twenty spirit stones each.
Chen Yang estimated that selling off all his demon cores would take some time.
But he didn't dare bring out Pills to sell.
The Verdant Wood Sect's supply of Pills came from relatively fixed sources, primarily Crimson Glow Peak.
If he, a market newcomer, suddenly produced a large quantity of Pills — whether Pure Origin Pills, Spirit Origin Pills, or Minor Vitality Cultivation Pills — it would almost certainly arouse suspicion, and having their origins investigated would be a serious problem.
Demon beast demon cores, by contrast, came from scattered sources and were far harder to trace — much safer.
Watching the people come and go, Chen Yang still felt a little uncertain.
His entire experience with proper trading, from childhood to now, amounted to hauling surplus grain to the town mill after the autumn harvest.
And that had almost always been an unpleasant experience.
Either the shopkeeper would hammer him down on price, or they'd fiddle with the scales to shave off a few pounds…
He was poor with words and too honest by nature, and he usually ended up swallowing his losses in silence.
Standing here now, he instinctively tightened his grip on the Storage Bag holding his spirit stones, reminding himself to be careful this time — he couldn't let himself be pushed around so easily again.
Fortunately, he had picked up a rough sense of demon core prices from rumors during his days as a laborer, so he at least had a floor price in mind and wasn't going in completely blind.
Just as Chen Yang's thoughts were wandering.
A young man in the blue attire of an Outer Sect Disciple stopped in front of his stall.
The man's gaze was immediately drawn to the row of dull-gray Shadow Wolf demon cores laid out on the slab.
He leaned down, picked one up for a closer look, sensed the energy fluctuations within, then raised his eyes to Chen Yang and asked:
"Senior Brother, how much for these Shadow Wolf demon cores?"
Chen Yang suppressed a flicker of excitement and kept his tone as calm as he could manage:
"Twenty low-grade spirit stones each."
The Outer Sect Disciple frowned and haggled:
"Senior Brother, twenty is a bit steep. These Shadow Wolf demon cores have impure Demon Energy — they're a pain to absorb. How about eighteen? I'll take a few more."
Chen Yang hesitated inwardly.
He was afraid that if he refused outright, the man would turn and walk away.
Would it be bad luck if his very first sale fell through before it even started?
But then he reconsidered.
His demon cores were genuine goods, and they were cultivation resources — if it came to it, he could come to the market a few more days and they'd sell eventually. There was no need to undercut himself right from the start.
With that thought, he shook his head and said nothing more.
The Outer Sect Disciple said nothing either.
He simply held the demon core and stared at Chen Yang, as if weighing his options — or perhaps applying pressure, waiting for Chen Yang to cave first.
Chen Yang felt uncomfortable under that gaze.
But he thought of how, back in the mortal world selling grain, he had always backed down under exactly this kind of stare…
This time, he gritted his teeth and held firm, meeting the man's eyes directly without a word, though the hand hidden in his sleeve quietly clenched.
The two of them stood locked in a standoff, the air around the stall growing tense.
Just as Chen Yang began to think the man was truly going to give up — a flash of regret crossing his mind as he wondered whether he should call out to him —
The Outer Sect Disciple's expression grew more visibly conflicted.
At last, as if steeling himself, he let out a sigh:
"Fine! Twenty it is! Give me three!"
With that.
He pulled out a slightly worn Storage Bag.
And with a pained look, counted out sixty gleaming low-grade spirit stones and handed them to Chen Yang.
Chen Yang suppressed his inner delight, accepted the spirit stones, and counted them carefully.
Once he confirmed the number was correct, he handed over the three Shadow Wolf demon cores.
Transaction complete, the Outer Sect Disciple took his demon cores, gave Chen Yang one last look as if he wanted to say something, then ultimately just shook his head and walked away briskly.
Holding the sixty spirit stones still warm from the other man's touch, Chen Yang felt momentarily dazed.
Just like that… sold?
It had gone far more smoothly than he had imagined.
No price-gouging, no trickery — just a simple back-and-forth, and then a deal.
Trading in the Cultivation World seemed far more straightforward than what he had experienced in the mortal towns of his childhood.
And yet.
Before he could fully shake off the mild giddiness of his first successful transaction, two or three more disciples were already drawn in by the demon beast demon cores on his stall, gathering around.
"Senior Brother, how much for the Iron Claw Bear demon core?"
"A second-rank Blazing Flame Tiger demon core! That's a fine find — what's the price?"
"……"
Chen Yang quickly gathered himself, forced a reasonably composed smile onto his face, and began attending to his new customers.