Cultivation is just so scientific!

Chapter 37 Marketplace

Li Shiming's figure dashed swiftly, with blue light flickering above his legs.

Although he was considered a cultivator now, neither 'Spring Breeze and Rain Skill,' 'Geng Metal Skill,' nor 'Earth Spirit Technique' could give him the feeling of having a physique far superior to an ordinary person.

After using the 'Basic Light Body Talisman,' his speed of travel was like that of a car from his previous life.

The problem was that even if he could make a car, on these rugged paths without smooth roads, he couldn't achieve the speed of the 'Basic Light Body Talisman.'

With a light tap of his feet, his body floated forward, each step under the effect of the 'Basic Light Body Talisman' seemed like he was being carried by the air in a sprint.

A ten-meter drop, he could easily jump over, and he could even cross rivers that were not too wide by stepping on the water's surface several times with the momentum.

The distance of twenty li was quickly reached.

At this moment, Li Shiming bore no resemblance to his usual self. Even his father, Li WenYuan, and the most familiar Si Qin, could not recognize him if they were here.

He wore a black hooded robe with a black mask on his face.

These were not the most important part of his disguise; his body shape also differed greatly from before.

He used soft materials and the micrometer-level control of consciousness in the mechanical room space to create decoy items.

Inside his boots was a heel pad that added 5 centimeters, his shoulders were widened with shoulder pads, and his chest and back had pads simulating muscles, all of which transformed him into a real brawny man.

The material that altered the shape of his face was crafted through chemical means, followed by a base makeup to cover the traces.

Li Shiming didn't know if there were Disguise Techniques in this world, but he surmised that the makeup techniques from his previous life probably weren't much different from Disguise Techniques as both could dramatically alter one's appearance.

He had to be cautious; this visit was to the marketplace to interact with other cultivators.

He did not want his carelessness to allow other cultivators to learn about his origins and thus find him.

Li Shiming stopped moving, the blue light on his legs still maintained. A 'Basic Light Body Talisman' could last for two hours.

"This is the place!" he knew he found the right place when he compared it to the map Gu Jia had given him.

The spot looked empty, nothing but a mountain wall. Even when he touched it with his hand, it felt like a normal stone wall.

He witnessed once again the magic of cultivators. Ordinary people or even cultivators who were unaware would not be able to detect the marketplace even while standing right in front of it.

Of course, Li Shiming was only at the Qi Refining Second Level, so he was looking at everything from the perspective of someone at that level of cultivation.

He channeled the spiritual power within his body, drawing a special rune with his finger.

As soon as the Spiritual Power Pattern appeared in mid-air, the stone wall in front of him shook, revealing an entrance big enough for one person to enter.

Without hesitation, he stepped into the opening, and looking back, he could see the scenery outside from within.

Li Shiming didn't observe too much; he needed to act like an experienced person, not a newbie.

Upon seeing the marketplace, he was quite disappointed.

Although the way into the place was magical, the interior was not as bustling as he expected, nor was there any air of an immortal family.

The whole marketplace could be seen at a glance; it was just a small path about a hundred meters or so in length.

At intervals along the path, there were small stalls, and he wasn't sure if he was early or if there were just not many stalls in the market, as there were only about a dozen of them.

There were about a dozen cultivators walking between the stalls, not much different in number than the stalls themselves.

Several of these cultivators had concealed their faces, and even a few of the stall owners had hidden theirs as well.

The concealed-stall owners simply laid out a cloth on the ground, while those that did not hide their faces, at least had a table displaying their wares.

Gu Jia had explained that if one had surplus resources, they could be sold to the stall owners, or one could find a clear spot to sell by themselves.

However, having a stall in the market would require the payment of 10% of the earnings, so most of the time it would be better to sell directly to the stall owners.

Li Shiming ran the 'Concealing Breath Skill' to its extreme, hiding the fluctuations of the spiritual energy vortex within him.

He walked to the first stall and looked down at the items on the wooden table.

What stood out most on the table was a sign with the character 'Hao' written on it, alongside a rune pattern.

The items for sale here were all related to talismans.

Talisman paper, talismanic ink, and talisman pens were available. The talisman paper, with a greenish-yellow hue, came in bundles of one hundred sheets.

There were three talisman pens, carved with intricate patterns on the pen barrels and faint spiritual power fluctuations on the pen bristles.

Talismanic ink was the most plentiful because each type of talisman required different inks.

This was something Li Shiming had read in 'Introduction to Runes.' Given the materials, he could mix such talismanic inks himself.

Then there were some finished talismans, but only one of each kind was displayed.

Li Shiming recognized the 'Basic Light Body Talisman,' 'Basic Fireball Talisman,' 'Basic Ice Arrow Talisman,' and 'Basic Earth Armor Talisman,' which he owned and knew. There were also a few others he had not seen before and could not identify.

The stall owner was an old man, with his eyes slightly squinted as if he were asleep, paying no attention to Li Shiming standing in front of the stall.

Li Shiming had a need for the talisman paper, talisman pens, and talismanic ink; with these three items, he could try crafting talismans himself.

However, he did not make an immediate purchase. Even if he bought the talisman paper, talismanic ink, and pens now, he could only try crafting 'Primary Geng Metal Talismans.'

Because the most basic requirement for crafting a talisman is to create it based on the spells the crafter masters.

He needed to look around the marketplace more, as he was unsure of the purchasing power of his spirit stones and how much he could buy with the ones he had. He had to survey the entire marketplace before deciding on the essentials he must purchase.

He headed towards the second stall, which also had a wooden table. This one displayed a similar sign with the character 'Deng.'

It seemed the 'Hao' from the first stall and this 'Deng' acted like shop banners in the secular world.

This table had five magic artifacts, with swords and shields among them. Judging by the fluctuations of spiritual energy, they were all low-grade magical artifacts.

Li Shiming did not linger long at this stall as he didn't lack magic artifacts; what he lacked was the method to use them.

He dared not ask about the methods of using magic artifacts here; wouldn't that be like telling all the cultivators here that he didn't even know how to use a magical artifact, marking him as a complete rookie?

The stall owner was a middle-aged man. The owner's gaze swept over him from time to time, seeing that he had no intention to purchase and thus remaining silent.

But the owner's gaze made him uncomfortable; fortunately, the man did not seem intent on using any method to probe further.