"If there's a fee for appraisal, Master, please don't hesitate to speak," Yuan Ming said upon seeing this.

"That won't be necessary. This Red Curved Horn contains powerful Fire Attribute Spiritual Power, and I can't determine its origin. I can only say that it's at least Mid Grade, perhaps even higher," Master Huo Lian waved his hand and said.

Yuan Ming was delighted, yet even an experienced Artifact Refiner like Huo Lian couldn't recognize the origin of the Red Curved Horn. It seemed it wouldn't be possible to find out its origin anytime soon.

"I wonder if Master Huo Lian would be willing to use this to refine a Magic Artifact?" he asked with clasped hands.

"To use it to refine a Low Grade Magical Artifact would be an appalling waste. I'm afraid I cannot assist you," Huo Lian shook his head.

Yuan Ming was taken aback and then said, "Master Huo Lian, I've seen the Magic Artifacts you've refined. The smelting, Forging Embryo, and engraving are all excellent—surely meeting the requirements to refine Mid-grade Magical Artifacts. Why do you only refine Low Grade ones?"

"Do you also understand Artifact Refining?" Huo Lian asked in return.

"I know a little," Yuan Ming replied vaguely.

"That involves my secrets and it's inconvenient to disclose," Huo Lian said, glancing at Yuan Ming before shaking his head.

"My apologies for the intrusion," Yuan Ming clasped his hands in apology, gathered the two materials, and turned to leave the Magic Artifact Shop. From behind, Huo Lian's voice reached him.

"Young friend, if you come across any good runes, remember to come find me. The price won't disappoint you."

"This Concealing Symbol claims to prevent Divine Sense spying by Cultivators below the early stages of Foundation Establishment. It appears that Master Huo Lian's Cultivation is not low!" Yuan Ming paused briefly in his steps and then continued walking without turning back, though his mind pondered deeply.

...

As the day was drawing to a close, with the western half of the sky turning red, it should have been a magnificent sight of crimson clouds filling the sky. However, with two large mountains surrounding Black Rock City and obscuring most of the western skyline, only threads of the red glow could be seen.

Yuan Ming looked at the sky and did not return to the inn; instead, he headed towards the South Market of Black Rock City.

He was actually quite interested in the Scatter Alliance of the South Market but had been too preoccupied with collecting spiritual materials to pay attention. Now that things had unexpectedly gone quite smoothly and he was enjoying a bit of leisure, he decided to take a look.

When he passed through the central circular plaza again, he saw an old Taoist with white hair, dressed in a tattered Daoist robe, setting up a stall. It was rather deserted, with barely anyone taking notice.

There were no Magical Artifacts or talismans for sale at the stall, nor elixir medicine books—only one item stood out: incense emitting faint fluctuations of Spiritual Power.

This immediately piqued Yuan Ming's interest. After some inquiry, he learned that the man hailed from a remote minor nation in the Eastern Domain. The incense he sold was not ordinary incense but a special kind known as "Spirit Incense." Although it wasn't a Magic Tool, talismanic pill, or elixir, it was claimed to work wonders similar to these items and could even complement elixirs.

The man sold three kinds: Qingxuan Incense, which could increase the cultivation speed of Qi Refining Stage Cultivators; Soul Nourishing Incense, which aided in nurturing the Divine Soul; and Jiangzhen Incense, which could banish ghosts and ward off evil spirits.

Its unpopularity stemmed partly from the fact that not many Cultivators in the Southern Border used incense during their practice, and partly due to its high price. A single bundle of Qingxuan Incense with thirty-six sticks was priced at twenty Spirit Stones, and each stick would only last for about a quarter of an hour—a far cry from the efficiency of elixirs that cost the same.

However, the old Taoist claimed that he was selling the incense for Spirit Stones out of a dire need arising from an unfortunate event. Otherwise, he wouldn't be selling the incense at all, giving the impression that he was practically giving it away.

When Yuan Ming expressed his desire to try the incense before deciding, the Taoist readily agreed.

Following the Old Taoist's instructions, Yuan Ming gave it a try and found that the incense truly had an effect. After negotiating like Gu Yue, he managed to buy all thirty bundles of Qingxuan Incense for fifteen Spirit Stones each, as well as ten bundles of the pricier Soul Nourishing Incense.

In this transaction, Yuan Ming spent over six hundred Spirit Stones, yet felt a tinge of excitement.

His aptitude was poor, but now armed with the Nine Elements Technique, a multitude of Nourishing Origin Pills, and this Qingxuan Incense, his cultivation during solitary meditation was bound to improve significantly.

The white-haired old Taoist smiled from ear to ear, claiming a destined connection with Yuan Ming. He introduced himself as Immortal Xuanhua, gave Yuan Ming a dirty Ancient Bronze Token, and invited him to stop by the Xuanhua Temple in the Eastern Domain whenever he was free, with the token granting entrance to join him for a drink. Then the old Taoist packed up his things and left.

After Yuan Ming stored the token and the incense, he did not linger and quickly made his way to the South Market.

The layout of the South Market resembled that of the East and West Markets, but the buildings along the streets were not shops, but residences of the Scatter Alliance. These dwellings varied in size and were spaced apart, each bearing a sign with names like "Wind-cutting Alliance" and "Broken Army Alliance."

At the entrance of these Scatter Alliance residences, people in martial attire stood guard, some in pairs, others in groups of four, all looking sturdy and fierce.

Each building had a red chart posted at its entrance, listing the specialties of the alliance: typically gathering spiritual materials, hunting Fierce Beasts, or escort services.

Comparatively, there were fewer pedestrians in the South Market at this time, making it a bit more desolate than the East and West Markets.

Yuan Ming walked slowly, his gaze sweeping across each Scatter Alliance along his path.

He suddenly stopped, looking at one particular Scatter Alliance.

The people standing at its entrance all had Central Plains features, and even the name had the distinct style of Da Jin: "Hundred Battle Alliance."

"How odd, could this be an alliance formed by Da Jin Cultivators?" Yuan Ming mused to himself.

Yuan Ming noticed the Hundred Battle Alliance, and it wasn't just because of these reasons; the list on their board contained a recruitment notice stating that anyone with cultivation above the sixth-tier Qi Refining could join.

At the moment, there were more than a dozen people gathered around the entrance, whispering about the recruitment notice, seemingly discussing matters related to this Scatter Alliance.

After listening for a while, Yuan Ming gained a general understanding of the Hundred Battle Alliance.

As he had anticipated, the Hundred Battle Alliance was indeed a Scatter Alliance founded by Loose Cultivators from Da Jin. It had entered Black Rock City this year, mainly engaging in trade missions, transporting items from Da Jin to the Southern Border and the specialties of the Southern Border back to Da Jin, profiting in the process.

Rather than calling it a Scatter Alliance, it was more like a merchant association.

Its leader was a Foundation Establishment Cultivator, and the strength of its members was also significant, with many skilled practitioners at the eighth, ninth, and even the tenth level of Qi Refinement. Although they had been in Black Rock City for only a year, they had already made quite a name for themselves.

Some time ago, they suffered losses of their members due to dangers encountered on their way back to the Southern Border from Da Jin, which is why they were openly recruiting members now.

Upon hearing this, Yuan Ming was somewhat tempted.

The Southern Border and Northern Territory were a long way from Da Jin, and crossing several regions of the Southern Border alone would likely prove challenging for him. Since the Hundred Battle Alliance frequently traveled between Da Jin and the Southern Border, he could potentially rely on their power to return to Da Jin.

"The White Deer Hill Assembly is imminent. After participating in the assembly, it wouldn't be too late to consider joining the Hundred Battle Alliance," he thought, and decided against approaching them right away.

Just at that moment, the crowd around him suddenly stirred and surged forward, with phrases like "so much reward" and "incredible" being faintly heard in the distance.

After a moment's contemplation, Yuan Ming followed the crowd.

The crowd stopped in front of another Scatter Alliance's establishment, a magnificent building with red tops and white walls. The plaque above its gate bore four powerful characters from the Southern Border.

"White Night Alliance..." Yuan Ming murmured to himself.

Earlier in the day, when he and Gu Yue were meandering through the workshop, he had asked Gu Yue for some information regarding the Scatter Alliances of Black Rock City and had learned a few famous names, including the White Night Alliance. Its leader, Bai Ye, was said to be a Late Foundation Establishment practitioner who was quite prestigious among the Loose Cultivators in the Southern Border.

The crowd was drawn over by the White Night Alliance's announcement board, which also posted a recruitment notice. However, they were recruiting temporary members to hunt a formidable fierce beast. The reward offered was very generous, with the performance-based maximum being up to five hundred spirit stones.

The recruitment requirements were also high, stating explicitly that one's cultivation must be above the Qi Refining Eighth Level, and one also had to pass the White Night Alliance's test to participate in this mission.

It was known that the usual tasks for Qi Refining Cultivators of Loose Cultivator alliances would typically offer five to ten spirit stones, and a reward of fifty spirit stones would be considered extremely generous.

Such a high-paying task was extremely rare in Black Rock City. Although many people were skeptical or had a wait-and-see attitude, some still stepped out from the crowd and entered the White Night Alliance's establishment.

Yuan Ming was also greatly tempted; though he currently had over a thousand spirit stones, which was considered wealthy among his peers, to further accelerate the enhancement of his cultivation and strength, even ten times more spirit stones could be spent in the blink of an eye.

He had planned to return to Biluo Cave and find new ways to earn money, but unexpectedly, he encountered a good task in Black Rock City. Although the description wasn't very clear, he just met the qualifications, so it was not an opportunity to be missed lightly.

Moreover, according to Gu Yue, the way the White Night Alliance conducted their affairs was quite upright, without any misdeeds, so this public recruitment for the hunt was unlikely to be any sort of plot.

After weighing the pros and cons in his mind, Yuan Ming stepped into the White Night Alliance.

As he walked through the gate, a courtyard appeared before him, and two men dressed in white stood in his path.

"Fellow Daoist, are you here to take part in this hunting mission?" the thin and tall man on the left, with his hands clasped behind him, looked Yuan Ming over and asked.

This man had a face full of pockmarks, sallow skin, and appeared rather uglier, yet his eyes were exceptionally bright, suggesting he practiced a certain cultivation technique.

"That's right," Yuan Ming responded.

"Fellow Daoist must have seen the requirements for participating in the hunting mission. We need to test your cultivation level; please don't take offense," the thin and tall man said.

Yuan Ming naturally nodded without any objections.

Upon hearing this, the man on the right took out a crystal sphere and pointed it at Yuan Ming. The other hand touched the sphere, and soon, the surface began to display sparkling lights, moving unpredictably.

Although Yuan Ming didn't feel anything out of the ordinary, he couldn't shake off the sensation that his body and soul were being thoroughly inspected by the other person.

A moment later, Yuan Ming's figure appeared within the sphere, surrounded by nine green glows that shone brightly.

Yuan Ming gave the crystal sphere another look. It was curious that this device could not only ascertain his cultivation level but could also detect the attributes of his cultivation technique.

"Fellow Daoist's cultivation meets the requirements; please enter the inner hall for the next round of tests," the thin and tall man with a now gentle look in his eyes said, gesturing towards a hall ahead.

Yuan Ming knew that the real test was about to begin. The White Night Alliance was not one to throw money away; since they offered a high reward of five hundred spirit stones, they would certainly have very strict criteria for the candidates.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.