The towering walls of Moonwatch Immortal City, constructed from massive cyan stone blocks, once again came into view. The hooves of spirit beasts trod upon them, producing crisp, clear sounds.

  "Why have so many guards been added?" Leo asked, startled, as he saw several hundred soldiers in spirit armor standing alert at the city gate.

  "Brother Leo, you might not know this, but the few days before each sect's disciple recruitment are the liveliest in Moonwatch Immortal City. However, they are also the most chaotic. There are more thieves and troublemakers than usual. So, each city gate has additional guards, and the patrols inside the city are several times more numerous than before," Sasha explained with a smile.

  After passing the guards' inspection, they entered the city. Leo noticed that the crowds on the streets were several times denser than before. There were even more people setting up stalls, and the air was filled with the sounds of hawkers from all directions.

  Once inside the city, Soren and Pax, whose spirit artifacts had been damaged, took their leave to go to an artifact forging shop for repairs.

  "Brother Leo, I have quite a few spiritual items and was planning to set up a stall. Why don't we set up together?" Morana looked at Leo expectantly.

  "No, I'm still missing a few types of spiritual items needed to join a sect. I need to go and look for them." Leo shook his head. Setting up a stall was too inefficient; searching himself would be faster.

  Morana watched Leo's figure weave through the crowd, unable to hide the disappointment on her face.

  "Sister, don't overthink it. Brother Leo is meticulous and devoted to the Dao. He's no ordinary person. He'll probably join a sect within a year or two. By then, the gap between you will only widen. He likely hasn't even considered that possibility." Sasha sighed. He understood his sister's feelings all too well.

  "Brother, what are you thinking? I, I haven't given it much thought either. Besides, you're at the sixth layer now, and I'm about to enter the middle stage of Qi Refining. Joining a sect isn't hopeless for us either."

  Morana's face flushed red, and she turned away. But her eyes held a determined glint. One day, she too would complete an immortal sect's task. Perhaps by then, the distance between them wouldn't seem so vast.

  "I have Blaze Fire Jade here! Only trading for Crow Ore. Fellow Daoists with Crow Ore, come trade quickly—you won't find this again!"

  "Rain Grass, the spiritual herb needed for the Palace of the Heavenly Apex task! Trading for Crow Ore here!" A round-faced elderly man with a youthful complexion, white hair, and rosy cheeks hawked loudly, his enthusiasm rivaling that of any young man nearby.

  This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.

  "I do have some Crow Ore here, but this piece is quite large. How about we find an artifact forging shop later and cut off a portion?" Leo took out a piece of glistening black ore.

  "Th-this... young friend, could you let me have a look at that ore in your hand?" Seeing the black crystalline ore in Leo's hand, the white-haired elder's aged voice trembled slightly with unusual excitement.

  "Of course." Leo nodded.

  "It really... it really is Crow Ore!" The white-haired elder breathed on it, gently wiped it with his worn-out sleeve, his wrinkled face glowing red, instantly appearing years younger.

  "Could I buy the excess portion with spirit stones? Or exchange it for other spiritual items?"

  The elder emptied his storage pouch in one go, spilling out all sorts of spiritual herbs and several hundred spirit stones of various elements.

  Leo was astonished. This old man was only at the sixth layer of Qi Refining, yet he had so many spirit stones. But since they were in Moonwatch Immortal City, where violence was prohibited, he didn't have to worry about being robbed. In the Moonwatch Mountains, this white-haired elder probably wouldn't have lasted a few days.

  "Joining the Raksha Sect only requires a small piece of Crow Ore. Why do you need so much?" Leo asked curiously.

  The white-haired elder chuckled. "To be honest with you, young friend, my entire family cultivates. I am already old and nearing the end of my lifespan, with no hope of Foundation Establishment in this lifetime. But I have two sons. If they can both join the Raksha Sect, they can look out for each other. That would be best. If you don't mind, young friend, why not come with me to my son's stall and see if he has anything you need?"

  Leo nodded. This family was truly dedicated. It was difficult enough for most people to gather a single set of spiritual items needed to join a sect. This old man was trying to gather two sets. It seemed this family wasn't just lucky; they were probably quite formidable as well.

  "Fellow Daoist, are you selling this Fire Rhinoceros demon core? How many spirit stones?"

  Two streets later, in front of an artifact forging shop called Treasure Refining Pavilion, a man wearing a bamboo hat asked a horse-faced, black-robed middle-aged cultivator.

  "Get lost! This Fire Rhinoceros demon core is one of the Supreme Clarity Sect's task items. Spirit stones can't easily buy this now. I'm only trading it for spiritual items." The horse-faced man rebuffed him.

  "Er... this is my son." The white-haired elder rubbed his nose awkwardly.

  "Father, you're supposed to be at your stall. What are you doing here..." After driving away the other man, the horse-faced man noticed Leo and his father.

  The white-haired elder explained the situation, and the horse-faced man immediately became enthusiastic. "So you have Crow Ore! Come, come, take a look. Whatever you want from these items, just say the word."

  "There's nothing here I need." Leo rummaged through the various items but didn't find what he was looking for. However, he did notice a few orange-yellow insect eggs with light gray pattern. Their description matched exactly that of a strange insect called the Barrier-Breaching Insect, recorded in the True Explanation of Spirit Insects. The Barrier-Breaching Insect itself had no offensive power, but it could break through certain strange barriers.

  "Nothing you need? I obtained these insect eggs by chance in the Moonwatch Mountains. I found them peculiar and brought them back hoping to hatch them and see what was inside. But they're impervious to water and fire; they still haven't hatched. If you're willing to trade your Crow Ore for my items, I'll throw in these insect eggs for free." The horse-faced man shrugged.

  "There's nothing here I want. How about this: you buy it with spirit stones. Two-thirds of this Crow Ore for the Rain Grass, eight hundred spirit stones, and these insect eggs." After a moment's thought, Leo named his price.

  "Done!"

  Before the horse-faced man could speak, the white-haired elder agreed immediately. Crow Ore itself was quite valuable. Under normal circumstances, one-third of a piece like this would be worth about two or three hundred low-grade spirit stones. But as a task item for the Raksha Sect and the main material for refining Crow Swords, its price had naturally multiplied several times over. The problem was, even at a high price, it was hard to find. If they acquired it, they could easily resell it for a profit of one or two hundred spirit stones. Ordinary loose cultivators couldn't afford it, but the cultivation families of Moonwatch Immortal City certainly could.