Chapter 1184: Forgery on the Spot
Ye Mo arrived at Ling Island, realizing his preparations were insufficient. He hadn't anticipated the persistence of powerful factions in the Heartless Sea months after its supposed clearing. His plan was to scout for the Immortal Curl Flower and acquire a detailed map of the area, ideally one pinpointing the locations of spirit beast power factions to avoid.
Ye Mo underestimated Ling Island's size. A spirit sense barrier concealed its true extent. Even compared to the sizable South Peace City, Ling Island was immense – far exceeding Ye Mo's expectations. Its level nine peak defense formation was particularly astounding; even Ji Ling might struggle to replicate it.
Upon entering, Ye Mo felt a powerful spirit sense scan him, but the scan continued without interruption, and he was not questioned. The island teemed with human cultivators, but Ye Mo saw no beast cultivators. The island's prosperity rivaled any great city on the mainland, with bustling markets and shops overflowing with goods. Most materials were sea-related. A level five beast core cost only a few thousand top-grade spirit stones—remarkably cheap. Ye Mo was only interested in level eight or higher cores.
At the Sea Treasure Place, a large shop, Ye Mo intended to buy a map. However, upon entering, his power was instantly suppressed to below the Golden Core stage. Initially startled, Ye Mo quickly realized this restriction affected all entrants.
The incident left him shaken but more cautious. The shop's power-limiting formation was terrifying, a feat unseen even in the South Peace State. Ye Mo, though tempted to study it, knew the risk of detection was too high. Unlike in the South Peace State, customers were left to browse and inquire independently.
While searching for sea maps, Ye Mo noticed a wide array of forgery materials, piquing his interest. As a level six forgery grandmaster, he envisioned himself becoming a cultivation artifact grandmaster upon his return to North Far State if he practiced with these materials. He also observed that spirit artifacts were exorbitantly priced, while materials were considerably cheaper than in the South Peace State.
Overhearing a nascent soul cultivator lament the need to hunt beasts for materials, Ye Mo had an epiphany: a new way to acquire materials. He approached the Sea Treasure Place counter, inquiring about a sea map. The Golden Core cultivator readily presented several jade slips depicting maps within a few million-radius of Ling Island.
However, Ye Mo desired a map of the entire Heartless Sea. This request drew stares; it was clearly an excessive demand. The shopkeeper explained that such a map was exceedingly rare and had last been auctioned ten years ago for a hundred million spirit stones.
Disheartened, Ye Mo abandoned the search and, foregoing further inquiries about the Immortal Curl Flower, left the shop. His power returned upon exiting. The shop's formation, though intimidating, proved useful, inspiring him to implement a similar system in his Mo Yue City shop.
Instead of other shops, Ye Mo sought a market stall, posting a sign: 'Forgery on the Spot.' He calculated his pricing, setting it at double the material cost, a significantly fairer price compared to the five-fold markup in the shops.
Despite the reasonable pricing, Ye Mo received no customers for a whole day. He attributed this not to price, but to his roadside stall location. Yet, many cultivators glanced at his sign before moving on.
Just as he was preparing to leave, a couple, both primary-stage Golden Core cultivators, approached timidly. The woman, with slightly yellow hair and a thin frame, asked about his pricing. Overjoyed, Ye Mo offered his services for free, eager for his first customer and a successful start.