The First Immortal of Destiny

Chapter 9: Chapter 9 New Destiny (Observe) _1

[Observe (Green): You have a keen eye that often gives you the chance to discover treasures hidden in the dust.]

Ob... Observe?

Shen Mo secretly complained about this Destiny’s description. It really is concise and to the point.

However, although the name sounded a bit unattractive, Shen Mo was quite satisfied with its effect.

A keen eye is one of the essential qualities for finding overlooked treasures in cultivation!

It’s just that this Special Destiny is only green-grade. Its effects probably aren’t as exceptionally keen as those of the protagonists in web novels.

After equipping it, Shen Mo looked around his room at his various belongings but felt no change.

Perhaps it only activates at critical moments, Shen Mo comforted himself.

A night has passed without me even realizing it.

He looked up and saw through the window that the sun was rising in the east, and the sky was beginning to lighten with the dawn.

Time to head out!

After a night of cultivation, he stretched his somewhat stiff and sore limbs from sitting for so long, gathered all his talismans, and confidently strode out of his room.

After leaving his residence, Shen Mo did not go straight to the Market.

Before leaving, he first needed to visit the Deacon Hall located in the Riverside Sect’s main square.

He was going to the Market today and couldn’t guard the sect gate, so he needed to request a leave of absence from a Deacon.

Moreover, today was the day the sect distributed the monthly stipends, so he could collect his at the same time!

Weaving through the crowd, Shen Mo headed straight for the Deacon Hall.

Despite the early hour, a queue of disciples had already formed at the Deacon Hall.

The Riverside Sect’s Deacon Hall was responsible for assigning tasks to Sect Disciples and distributing monthly stipends.

Since today was the day to receive stipends, the crowd was hardly surprising.

Shen Mo waited in line for about half an hour before it was his turn to enter the hall.

The Deacon Hall was quite spacious, capable of accommodating over a thousand disciples, and had six service windows.

At each window, a Deacon was responsible for handling disciple affairs.

Only a few disciples waited before the first five windows, but a long line had formed at the sixth.

This was because the sixth window was exclusively for outer disciples. The numerical disparity between inner disciples and outer disciples in the Riverside Sect was as vast as that between clouds and mud.

After queuing to enter the Deacon Hall, Shen Mo waited in another line for quite some time before it was finally his turn.

”Name? Sect assignment? What is your business here?” a middle-aged Deacon with salt-and-pepper hair asked from the window, without looking up.

”Outer disciple Shen Mo. My assignment is guarding the sect gate,” Shen Mo replied respectfully. ”I’ve come for two reasons: first, to collect my monthly sect stipend, and second, to request a day’s leave. I need to go to the Market to purchase some cultivation materials.”

”Shen Mo...” The Deacon located his name on the roster, nodded, and made a mark with his brush.

He then took out a low-grade Spirit Stone and one and a half kilograms of spiritual rice from his robes.

This was the monthly stipend for guarding the gate at the Riverside Sect.

”Thank you, Deacon.” Shen Mo accepted the Spirit Stone and spiritual rice, not feeling that it was too little.

After all, outer disciples were regarded by the Riverside Sect as cheap labor, so the reward for any sect task was never substantial.

Besides, he wasn’t losing out. He spent his days guarding the sect gate mostly slacking off by creating talismans, hardly exerting himself. No loss there!

Thinking this, he actually felt rather cheerful.

”Alright, I’ve recorded your leave. Remember to return on time tomorrow and resume your regular duties at the gate.” After making a note, the middle-aged Deacon waved his hand, indicating Shen Mo could leave.

Carrying the Spirit Stone and spiritual rice, Shen Mo left the bustling Deacon Hall.

After stashing the spiritual rice in his residence, Shen Mo took all his Spirit Stones with him and left his room once more.

Now, it’s time to go to the Market! Shen Mo thought as he walked across the sect’s main square.

The Riverside Sect disciples usually traded in two locations.

The first location, Dedao Lane, was within the sect itself, situated to the right of the main square.

The second was Jiyun Town, located at the foot of the mountain.

The main difference between the two Markets lay in their clientele. Transactions in Dedao Lane were exclusively among Riverside Sect disciples. Even if they didn’t know each other well, they could usually track people down, which helped prevent many instances of fraud and deception.

However, Dedao Lane had significantly less foot traffic than Jiyun Town, and the variety of cultivation materials sold there was far less extensive.

The Jiyun Town Market, however, attracted all sorts of cultivators from immortal sects within a radius of about fifty kilometers, including a motley assortment of rogue cultivators and even evil cultivators drawn by its reputation. It was much easier to sell items quickly there.

This time, Shen Mo planned to go to Jiyun Town.

He needed to sell all his talismans, and doing so in Dedao Lane might take an entire day and night.

After passing through the sect gate and presenting his identity jade pendant, Shen Mo descended the mountain without issue.

He applied a Lightness Talisman to his leg and quickly began to sprint along the mountain stream.

The distance from Linjiang Mountain to Jiyun Town was approximately twenty kilometers.

Normally, the journey would take two hours. However, with the aid of the Lightness Talisman, Shen Mo reached the small town populated by cultivators in about an hour.

”Entering the Market? Register first,” a burly man in a tight-fitting black outfit stopped Shen Mo upon his arrival in Jiyun Town.

Wherever there are people, there are intricate social dynamics, rivalries, and the potential for chaos.

Therefore, for a Market to attract willing traders, someone must maintain order and provide security as a public good.

Otherwise, frequent incidents of violence, robbery, and plunder would be rampant, naturally discouraging people from trading there.

The Jiyun Town Market was unique within a radius of about fifty kilometers precisely because a Golden Core Realm patriarch presided over it.

That patriarch had established a group of Keepers responsible for maintaining order in the Market.

The burly, fierce-looking man before Shen Mo was one of these Jiyun Town Market Keepers. He was responsible for registering individuals entering and exiting the Market, as well as collecting commission fees.

According to Jiyun Town’s rules, customers merely needed to register their information. However, those wishing to set up a stall and sell cultivation materials had to pay a certain commission, which was considered a fee for enjoying the protection and order provided.

”This is the deposit.” After briefly registering his identity, Shen Mo took out a low-grade Spirit Stone and handed it to the man.

According to the rules, cultivators selling goods would have their commission calculated and deducted based on the value of items sold before they left the Market.

However, to prevent cultivators from freeloading, a deposit was required upon entry as collateral. Once the commission was calculated, the deposit would be returned.

”Hmm, alright. You can go in.” The Keeper carefully examined the information Shen Mo had written, then put away the low-grade Spirit Stone and waved him through.

With permission granted, Shen Mo strode confidently into this cultivator gathering place, the largest trading hub within a radius of about fifty kilometers.