**Chapter 78: The Great Li Dynasty**  

In addition to the Fasting Pills, after some thought, He Song decided to sell all the low-grade talismans he had on him. Using the spirit stones he earned from selling them, he purchased two mid-grade Earth Talismans. 

The talismans He Song originally had, combined with those he had scavenged from Chen Zhou's storage bag, totaled eight in number. 

Each talisman sold for five spirit stones, so eight talismans fetched him forty spirit stones—just enough to buy two mid-grade Earth Talismans. 

Mid-grade Earth Talismans had extremely strong defensive capabilities. If something unexpected happened, having these talismans on hand could save his life. 

However, two mid-grade Earth Talismans clearly weren't enough. 

So He Song dug into his pockets again, spending another forty spirit stones to buy two more Earth Talismans. 

With four mid-grade Earth Talismans now in his possession, He Song still felt it wasn't sufficient. But with only sixty-odd spirit stones left in his storage bag, and those needed to craft formation bases, he had no choice but to make do. 

If it weren't for the fact that a year had passed and he had received his annual stipend of over a hundred spirit stones, He Song wouldn't even have been able to afford the materials for the formation bases. 

Now, with his funds running low, this was the best he could do. 

After glancing around the trading area, He Song sighed inwardly and turned to head back home. 

Since he had finished his shopping, it was time to leave the market and venture outside to find a suitable location for his spirit fields. 

Soon, after returning home, He Song activated the Earth Escape Technique and the Aura Concealment Art, silently slipping out of the market and heading toward the mountains beyond. 

The Earth Escape Technique, as its name suggested, allowed the user to burrow underground and travel beneath the surface. 

However, cultivators only developed spiritual sense after reaching the Foundation Establishment stage. At the Qi Refining stage, they could only rely on their spiritual energy to sense their surroundings. 

Therefore, when using the Earth Escape Technique, if one wanted to observe the surface, they had two options: 

Either poke their head above ground to visually inspect the area, or use the Object Control Technique to extend their spiritual energy and sense their surroundings. 

Visual observation had many advantages—it allowed for a wider field of view and, since it didn't involve spiritual energy fluctuations, was also more discreet. 

Using the Object Control Technique to sense the surroundings would create faint spiritual energy fluctuations, and the range of detection was limited to how far the spiritual energy could extend. 

As a result, when using the Earth Escape Technique at the Qi Refining stage, cultivators would typically poke their heads above ground periodically to observe their surroundings. 

Fortunately, the Earth Escape Technique allowed the user to pass through rocks and debris without issue, so there was no need to worry about crashing into something underground and getting injured. 

In the mortal world, this characteristic of the Earth Escape Technique was ignorantly referred to by mortals as the "Wall-Penetration Technique." 

And so, as He Song periodically surfaced to observe his surroundings and continued to burrow forward, he quickly moved away from the Bamboo Mountain Immortal Market, heading northwest at high speed. 

The northwest direction from the Bamboo Mountain Immortal Market was the area He Song had long decided on for establishing his spirit fields. 

This direction saw little traffic from cultivators, meaning the chances of other cultivators discovering his spirit fields were low. 

Naturally, this made it He Song's first choice. 

Traveling northwest, He Song continued to burrow underground, moving swiftly and unnoticed until he was far from the Bamboo Mountain Immortal Market. Eventually, he came across a mortal city in the secular world. 

The city was named Salty City. 

He Song's figure quietly emerged within the city, drawing no attention. 

However, he soon took out several silver ingots and a handful of gold beans from his storage bag. 

After casually tossing these items into his storage bag, He Song calmly stepped out from the shadows and began strolling through the unfamiliar city. 

As a transmigrator, He Song was naturally curious about the mortal cities of this world. 

As a cultivator, as long as he activated the Aura Concealment Art in the mortal world, there was no risk of his identity being discovered. At the same time, he had strong self-preservation abilities. 

There was no need to worry about dangers from the mortal world. 

Naturally, He Song wanted to take a good look at what the mortal world was like here. 

If possible, perhaps he could enjoy some leisure in the mortal world while cultivating. 

After all, he had plenty of time and didn't need to rush his cultivation like other cultivators. 

The silver and gold beans he had taken were scavenged from a wealthy household while he was burrowing beneath the city. 

For cultivators, mortal wealth like gold and silver was easily obtained. 

This was also why gold and silver couldn't circulate in the Immortal Market. 

If everyone acted like He Song, simply "taking" gold and silver from wealthy households to use as currency, the market's economy would collapse instantly. 

Salty City wasn't large. 

Although He Song wandered slowly, stopping frequently to observe the local customs and deepen his understanding of this world, he managed to explore the entire city within a few hours. 

Finally, He Song arrived at a bookstore and quickly flipped through the books there. 

After some time, he climbed to the top floor of the city's most luxurious restaurant, casually took a seat by the window, ordered a pot of tea, and began sipping it leisurely. 

He Song had no interest in drinking alcohol. 

What kind of cultivator drank alcohol? That was too vulgar. 

Tea was the proper beverage for cultivators. 

The reason he had come to the restaurant was that he remembered scenes in stories where the protagonist would overhear discussions about secret treasures, sect wars, or martial arts feuds as soon as they entered a tavern. 

So, with the hope that he might hear some useful information, He Song had come here. 

However, while eavesdropping, He Song also recalled the information he had gathered about the city he was in and the surrounding mortal kingdoms. 

Earlier, while browsing the bookstore, He Song had noted down this information, and now he took the time to organize it. 

This place was called Salty City, a city under the jurisdiction of the Great Li Dynasty. 

The Great Li Dynasty spanned thousands of miles, encompassing the Verdant Wall Immortal City and several surrounding Immortal Markets. 

Within this region, the Great Li Dynasty was the dominant power in the mortal world. 

The Verdant Wall Immortal City, on the other hand, was the colossal entity that held the life and death of the Great Li Dynasty in its hands. 

The territory controlled by the Verdant Wall Immortal City was the same as the territory of the Great Li Dynasty. 

In this world, there were no rules prohibiting cultivators from interacting with mortals. 

Within their sphere of influence, cultivation sects or cultivation clans would establish obedient dynasties to manage the mortal population. 

At the same time, this arrangement ensured that mortals would naturally aspire to become cultivators, who were seen as lofty and untouchable. 

If someone happened to stumble upon a cultivation opportunity, they would flock to the Immortal Markets or Immortal Cities, becoming fresh blood for the cultivation world. 

This was also why there was a constant influx of rogue cultivators into the Immortal Markets and Immortal Cities. 

The Great Li Dynasty, where He Song currently found himself, was less of a mortal dynasty and more of a puppet state under the control of the Verdant Wall Immortal City. 

Its purpose was to supply the cultivation world with enough rogue cultivators to replenish its ranks. 

(End of Chapter) 

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