Living steadily in the world of gods and mystery

```

The arrival of the cultivators from the Artefact Sect marked the end of the chaotic state of the slums and the return of order.

Some laughed, and some cried.

A mix of joy and sorrow occupied several households.

Some took advantage of the chaos to loot and amassed great wealth.

Others did the same but died on the streets.

Of course, there were also many Loose Cultivators who did not participate; they were the most innocent, simply because of their weakness, they were killed when other bloodthirsty Loose Cultivators broke into their homes.

Chen Li stood at the door, quietly listening to the occasional cheers and laughter outside, feeling out of place here.

This place gave him the feeling of the chaos-ridden areas in Black Africa, where warlords abound, everyone is belligerent, and there is an inherent restlessness in everyone, yet each one possesses rich expertise in killing and still diligently practices every day.

"Weakness is a sin. In this world, survival is not easy!"

He turned and shut the door, bolted it, drank a few sips of salted boiled water, and picked up his sword to start practicing.

He had already delayed for an entire day.

...

Late at night.

Chen Li, who was practicing his swordsmanship, suddenly heard a noise from next door.

He couldn't help but stop his motion.

After thinking for a bit, he put on his clothes and quickly opened the door.

He saw Zhou Hong ready to enter her house, covered with mud and bloodstains all over her body, face, and feet.

"Why are you in such a sorry state, where is Gao?" Chen Li had some guesses in his heart, but he couldn't help asking out loud.

Zhou Hong fell silent, then turned with a numb expression and said, "Dead, buried! Do you need anything?"

Her face was full of weariness.

"Uh! No, please accept my condolences," Chen Li suddenly didn't know what else to say.

...

Chen Li closed the door.

"He actually died!"

He still vividly remembered what Gao Bo had said when he walked towards the crowd last night:

"I might only have this one chance in my life, and it's my only chance. I don't want to give up..."

Unfortunately, he could not empathize.

Although he didn't know what kind of opportunity this was, he wouldn't gamble with his life, no matter what kind of life-changing opportunity it was.

After all... even when he was poorest, he never thought of robbing a bank.

Chen Li shook his head and picked up his sword to continue practicing; his swordsmanship was about to advance.

...

The next day, Chen Li got up early.

The door next door was still tightly closed. He glanced at it and then walked towards the marketplace.

He planned to see the current situation in the marketplace and incidentally sell the 'Evil-Repelling Talismans' he had been accumulating.

The corpses on the road were already gone, only the dark bloodstains remained.

It was only when he arrived at the marketplace that Chen Li realized the slaughter in the slums was merely considered a 'public security incident'; this was the real battlefield.

Everywhere there were traces of war.

Destroyed buildings, bloodstains could be seen everywhere, and occasionally even pieces of blackened flesh.

However, this did not affect the bustle of the marketplace at all.

The number of cultivators who came today was more than double the usual. In just one night, everyone seemed to return to their previous state, as if last night's war and killing had never happened.

Empty stalls?

There were no empty stalls at all.

A large number of goods looted last night were being sold at a low price; the entire marketplace was a hubbub of noise, with vendors' cries everywhere, as if it were a festival.

```

Chen Li was somewhat relieved that he had brought that mid-grade Spirit Stone with him,

Such an opportunity might be hard to come by in the future.

...

"This sword isn't even a Magic Artifact, and it actually costs a mid-grade Spirit Stone? That's highway robbery!" Chen Li was bargaining at a stall.

"Although this sword isn't a Magic Artifact, it is a Magic Artifact embryo. Just the Xuan iron material weighing over twenty catties would cost more than a mid-grade Spirit Stone at the regular price," the stall owner said.

"You know that's the regular price, but who's selling at the regular price today? Besides, your sword isn't easy to sell. Which Loose Cultivator would spend so much on a Magic Artifact embryo when they can't even refine it?

Unless you sell it to the Artefact Sect, since that sect specializes in Artifact Refining. But at this price, I'm afraid it's only worth about fifty low-grade Spirit Stones," Chen Li replied.

"Then name your price."

"A firm price, sixty low-grade Spirit Stones. I believe no one except me would buy a Magic Artifact embryo."

"Too low. Let's both take a step back, eighty!"

"Then forget it, I can't afford it!" Chen Li turned and pretended to walk away.

One step, two steps, three steps...

"Come back, come back... But this price is really too low, add a bit more," the stall owner said reluctantly.

"Sixty, and that's final."

"Fine, sixty it is," the stall owner conceded.

Chen Li, with some reluctance, handed over the mid-grade Spirit Stone, "Can you make change? One mid-grade Spirit Stone for one hundred and two low-grade Spirit Stones should be fine, right?"

"Sigh, rest assured, I'm really taking a loss today."

Chen Li stuffed the returned Spirit Stones into his money pouch and carefully placed them close to his chest.

He tried the sword in his hand and liked it more and more.

It weighed more than twenty catties, and even though it felt a tad heavy, it was still manageable.

Besides, he was growing stronger, and he estimated that it wouldn't be long before he could perfectly adapt to this weight.

At present, he was only using an ordinary and unimpressive mortal sword, which was not only light but also somewhat soft in blade, not suitable for the powerful and fast swordsmanship that Chen Li practiced.

Every time he practiced, he felt that the sword was too flimsy. When he thrust with full force, the entire blade would shake violently, greatly affecting accuracy.

He hadn't expected that after looking around today, he would find such a solid sword, and what's more, it was a Magic Artifact embryo.

It was an absolute bargain.

After that, Chen Li continued to wander around the market for a while.

Today, nearly everything at the stalls was on discount or clearance, some even at huge markdowns. Seeing some great bargains, Chen Li was tempted to buy, but after hesitating for a while, he thought better of it if it wasn't necessary or mandatory and managed to hold back.

He really didn't want to spend more of the limited Spirit Stones he had left.

After buying the sword, Chen Li was left with only 45 Spirit Stones, and with his increasing appetite, he estimated that he would soon have more expenses than income. He might even have to dip into his savings to get by.

...

When Chen Li returned from the market, he hesitated but decided to knock on his neighbor's door.

He was somewhat worried about her mental state from the night before.

It took quite a while before the door finally opened.

Zhou Hong appeared in thin clothes, unkempt and dirty, with eyes as swollen as peaches, looking completely unkempt.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"What could possibly happen to me?" She sighed, her eyes reddened as she muttered, "That damned fool, I told him not to go, told him not to go, but he just had to. He never listened to a thing I said, always running off to the most dangerous places. He lost his life over a Foundation Establishment Elixir, don't you think he deserved it?"

"Maybe that was just Gao's fate," Chen Li said.

What could Chen Li, an outsider, possibly say?

Respect the dead.

"Yes, he was destined for a bad end, not today then someday. Now that he's gone, someone can at least take care of his last rites, it's like he struck it lucky eight generations back!" she said.

Chen Li: ...

That's not what I meant.