Guo Xingyue was the first to arrive at the Gathering Treasure Pavilion, where she exchanged two high-quality flying swords for a few pieces of good-quality Fire Crystal Diamonds and traded a mid-quality flying sword for some Sea Gold Sand. (Sea Gold Sand is a basic material for refining immortal weapons, but the Three Flames of a cultivator can't melt it. Therefore, although it is rare, it has little actual value in the cultivation world. However, Guo Xingyue can quickly melt Sea Gold Sand with the energy of lightning.) Aside from these, there was nothing else in the Gathering Treasure Pavilion that Guo Xingyue found appealing.
After leaving the Gathering Treasure Pavilion, Guo Xingyue noticed that the cultivation market was bustling with people. Since it was still early, she strolled through the crowd, casually looking for items worth trading. Occasionally, she stopped to chat with the cultivators at their stalls, making the outing quite enjoyable. Just then, a commotion caught her attention. Although she had been to this cultivation market many times, it was her first encounter with a quarrel. (In the cultivation market, cultivators usually specify the items they wish to trade, and interested parties simply offer what the stall owner needs in exchange. Aside from the occasional haggling, major disputes are rare, and even if prices can't be agreed upon, there is typically no animosity.)
Guo Xingyue approached the crowd and listened with interest to the argument. One party consisted of a single person: a tall, sturdy man with a simple face, at the mid-stage of the Nascent Soul realm, speaking with a strong local accent. The other party had four people, one in the late stage of the Nascent Soul realm and three in the early stage, who seemed to be the stall owners. The late-stage cultivator guarded a stall displaying mediocre-quality ores and some ordinary medicinal herbs, with only the Dragon Beard Grass (a kind of herb used to refine Returning Yuan Pills) being relatively valuable. The three early-stage cultivators surrounded the tall man, continuously berating him.
After listening for a while, Guo Xingyue realized the dispute was over the Dragon Beard Grass. It appeared the tall man believed the Dragon Beard Grass was worthless, which angered the stall owners, leading to the argument. Outnumbered, the stall owners hurled insults at him, calling him a country bumpkin who didn't recognize valuable items. The tall man, with a heavy accent and poor eloquence, could only respond after they had spoken ten times, clearly at a disadvantage. Finally, feeling provoked, he shouted, "This Dragon Beard Grass grows everywhere in my hometown; I could grab a handful anytime. Even the Tatar Beast wouldn't bother eating it!" The stall owners retorted in unison, "Country bumpkin, no knowledge! Which planet did you crawl out from? You're talking nonsense!" The tall man blushed and replied, "I'm from Gathering Fate Star, and we have this Dragon Beard Grass everywhere. No one cares about it at all."
Upon hearing that the tall man was from Gathering Fate Star, Guo Xingyue's heart stirred. Gathering Fate Star? Isn't that Haotian's hometown? Could this man be a disciple of Yixin Sect? She squeezed into the crowd and waved her hand to stop the argument. Gathering her spiritual consciousness, she revealed her mid-stage Divine Transformation realm cultivation. Seeing a powerful senior intervene, both parties quickly ceased their quarrel and bowed respectfully, saying, "We meet the senior. Please help us settle this matter." Guo Xingyue smiled and said, "You don't need to be overly polite, my friends. I will take these Dragon Beard Grass, but I currently don't have many crystals on me. This high-quality flying sword is decent; I wonder if it's worth the trade?" With a flick of her hand, she took out a fire-element high-quality flying sword from her storage bracelet. Upon seeing this high-quality flying sword, the four cultivators' eyes widened. This was indeed a high-quality flying sword! Even the sect leader would only have one high-quality magical treasure; this was incredibly valuable! The four of them hurriedly nodded and said, "No problem! We'll exchange!" Fearing that Guo Xingyue might change her mind, they quickly took the sword and left without bothering to pack up their remaining items.
Guo Xingyue smiled as she used a hand gesture to collect the Dragon Beard Grass into her storage ring. Turning back to the tall, simple man, she asked, "Little brother, you are from Gathering Fate Star, right? Do you know the situation of the Yixin Sect?" The man's eyes widened in surprise, "Senior, you know about my Yixin Sect? I am indeed a disciple of Yixin Sect." Guo Xingyue couldn't help but smile, realizing that she originally planned to finish her business with Baifan and the others before visiting Gathering Fate Star, and now this simple fellow had presented himself. She laughed, "I have a connection with the seniors of your sect, so come with me." Oh, by the way, how should I address you, little brother?"
The man scratched his head awkwardly and replied, "The younger brother is Gao Jue. My Yixin Sect only has three elders: besides my master and Ning, there are only my two uncles, He Yi and He Ming. I don't know which elder you have a connection with. Ah, I forgot to ask for your name, senior." Guo Xingyue was amused by the man's simplicity, laughing heartily. The man also felt embarrassed, scratching his head and chuckling.
Guo Xingyue liked this big simpleton's earnestness and said with a smile, "My name is Guo Xingyue; just call me Uncle Guo. I don't know your three elders, but I have a connection with the predecessors of your sect and have received their favor. I was planning to visit your sect in a few days. If you have no other business, come with me." Gao Jue scratched his head again and said, "I've been out for a while and was planning to go back. I just don't know when Uncle Guo plans to leave." Guo Xingyue replied, "I have some matters to attend to at the Yangming Sect. If you have no other business, would you like to come with me as a guest?" Gao Jue nodded, "Sure, I'll listen to Uncle Guo."
After scanning Gao Jue's spiritual consciousness, Guo Xingyue discovered he was a soil-attributed cultivator, so she took out a soil-element shield from her storage ring and said, "This shield is a relic left by your sect's ancestor. You should refine it." Although Gao Jue was simple, he still had the insight of a cultivator. Recognizing that it was a treasure-level shield, he quickly said, "This gift from Uncle Guo is too much; I can't accept it."
Guo Xingyue smiled slightly and then took out a high-quality soil-element flying sword from her storage ring. "The shield is your ancestor's relic; this flying sword is the gift I'm giving you. If you don't accept it, it will seem like you're not giving me face." Gao Jue stared in a daze for a while, then accepted the two magical treasures, feeling as if he was dreaming, unable to believe he had received such high-quality items. Even his master only used mid-quality treasures. Guo Xingyue smiled and said, "Stop dawdling and refine them. I'll take you to meet the current master of the Yangming Sect." Gao Jue replied with an "Okay" and hurriedly refined the two magical treasures in his dantian.
Once Gao Jue had finished refining the two magical treasures, Guo Xingyue led him as they flew on the sword toward the Yangming Sect.