Futu Hermit scrutinized Li Mo, the more he looked, the more he felt he had a leakless body.
Among Taoist bodies, the leakless body is categorized as a supportive cultivation type, capable of suppressing death diseases—it is already considered a mid to upper-rank Dao body.
In the ancient cultivation world, the importance of spirit roots actually slightly overshadowed Dao bodies.
At that time, cultivators needed spirit roots to communicate with the world’s spiritual energy. Even if they possessed an innate Dao body, without exceptional spirit root talent, it was still difficult to achieve Foundation Establishment.
Nowadays, however, things are entirely different. Corpse spirit roots can begin forming during childhood, leading to the infinite amplification of the importance of Dao bodies.
With Li Mo’s leakless body, he was undoubtedly destined to become a Foundation Establishment seed.
Han Cai suddenly realized, "No wonder Li Mo’s death disease is so mild; it must be due to his leakless body."
Futu Hermit cast a glance at Han Cai. His disciple didn’t even know whether he had a Dao body—clearly, the diagnostic skills honed as a doctor were wasted.
With a peculiar expression, he explained, "The leakless body is indeed difficult to detect and only reveals its signs after commencing cultivation."
"I suspect Li Mo’s physique is far beyond a mere leakless body."
Futu Hermit had never seen any cultivator still in childhood who could manipulate spiritual power so effortlessly, their body seemingly naturally attuned to mist fog spiritual power.
"Could it be something more than just a leakless body?"
Han Cai hesitated, saying, if there were a chance encounter—a transformation induced by consuming heavenly treasures—it indeed might make a difference.
Little did they know, Li Mo had already grasped three-tenths of the Primordial Postnatal Dao Body, with his flesh, bones, and marrow imbued with spiritual power—a characteristic far beyond any ordinary Dao body.
Hu Wen covered her mouth with a laugh, "Li Mo’s intelligence is extraordinary; he might even have a chance to visit the Inner City District in the future."
Han Cai and Futu Hermit exchanged a glance, tacitly choosing to remain silent.
Li Mo didn’t hear the conversation within the room.
Standing beside the Red Fox, he let the beast exhibit its near-materialized aura. Its twin tails lashed repeatedly, creating crackling sounds in the air.
The Red Fox bared its teeth and scanned the surrounding cultivators as if patrolling its territory.
Li Mo knew the intimidation was sufficient, and the Red Fox transformed into a shadow that merged into his left arm.
Apart from the loose cultivators, Li Mo had drawn the attention of many shopkeepers and managers in Rong Town, ensuring his name would spread widely after the auction concluded.
After turning around and climbing back through the window, the loose cultivators finally began to whisper among themselves.
Some recognized Li Mo as the Golden Sand Taoist, who’d had ongoing grievances with the Viper Gang at the black market some time ago.
They felt a chill down their spines.
The Viper Gang had mysteriously perished in the Iron Cauldron Secret Realm, reportedly in brutally tragic ways. Rumor had it that the mine was littered with marks left by wild beasts.
Han Cai noticed Li Mo heading back to the brothel and stroked his chin, commenting, "Li Mo, you might even qualify for a place in the Sky Room within the Calligraphy and Painting Hall’s inner chambers."
"How many Sky Rooms are there?"
Li Mo nodded. Having already reached childhood’s fourth layer, he was beginning to show his potential, preparing for promotion to the Weak Crown stage.
In the ancient cultivation world, only cultivators with heavenly spirit roots could achieve Foundation Establishment without external resources—ordinary cultivators had to rely on Foundation Establishment Pills.
Li Mo suspected the process wouldn’t be much different in later generations, as Foundation Establishment would need the support of sect-provided resources.
Settling into his seat, he suddenly thought of something and couldn’t help but ask, "Might you three seniors know of any low-grade Magic Artifact Catalogs for water manipulation?"
"Why do you need a water manipulation artifact?"
Futu Hermit didn’t hesitate, tossing a bone scroll to Li Mo.
Li Mo smiled as he absorbed the scroll’s contents, then responded, "Since it’s an auction, isn’t earning Spirit Stones the obvious move?"
Futu Hermit’s eyes revealed admiration, while Han Cai couldn’t help but burst into eerie laughter.
They deliberately refrained from informing Li Mo about his Dao body, primarily to avoid disrupting his mental realm and hindering his future promotion.
Li Mo’s intentions were clear: with the auction underway, he fully intended to refine water manipulation artifacts and sell them at high prices to loose cultivators.
Hu Wen reminded him, "Li Mo, the major cultivators participating in the auction will start arriving in two days; make haste with your refining."
Li Mo adeptly pulled out beast skin and began grinding spiritual materials.
The artifact, named "One Page Earth Boat," was a low-grade soil-attributed artifact in the Calligraphy and Painting category—proof that Futu Hermit was indeed looking out for him.
Under the influence of spiritual power, the beast skin transformed into an artifact embryo within moments.
Li Mo meticulously etched patterns onto the artifact embryo, and the fusion of spiritual materials caused dense smoke to pour from the window.
Cultivators clandestinely monitoring the Qinghong Flower Tower immediately noticed Li Mo’s actions.
Their expressions turned incredulous; after all, Li Mo’s talent at the four-layered childhood stage was undeniable, yet artifact refining skills relied on years of accumulated experience.
For Li Mo to demonstrate such proficiency, he must have devoted extensive time to refining.
Could such a thing as a true universal genius exist?
In merely a day and night, the Qinghong Flower Tower had One Refinement water manipulation artifacts for sale, sparking loose cultivators to scramble to spend their Spirit Stones.
Even though the prices exceeded those of ordinary One Refinement low-grade artifacts by over fivefold, loose cultivators had no better options and were forced to purchase.
Li Mo’s storage bag gained several hundred mid-grade Spirit Stones, filling him with delight.
The spiritual materials obtained from the Iron Cauldron Secret Realm had, unbeknownst to him, already been partially expended due to artifact refinement efforts.
As he inventoried his earnings, the torrential rain covering the black market abruptly stopped, though ominous clouds continued to shroud the skies.
Futu Hermit’s body instinctively leaned forward, Han Cai’s eight arms subtly withdrew, while Manager Hu remained reclined, quietly nourishing his spirit.
Li Mo’s heartbeat quickened.
He instinctively gazed out the window toward the black market lake and saw four figures encircling it.
The figures, each over a hundred meters tall, radiated terrifying, bone-chilling energy. While their exact forms remained obscured, it was evident they were non-human.
One figure had bloodroot-like tendrils extending from its neck, adorned with countless severed heads.
Another’s skull seemed about ten times the normal size, resembling a massive boulder threatening to snap its neck at any moment.
What caught Li Mo’s attention most was the figure in the northwest corner—it had no limbs.
Li Mo’s eyes widened in shock; he originally thought the Sub-Device Sect wouldn’t take interest in the Heart Beast Black Market. To his surprise, there was indeed a great cultivator from the Sub-Device Sect attending the auction.
Li Mo felt an overwhelming sense of absurdity.
Surveying his surroundings, he realized that, to these giants, the lake formed by rainwater was likely no more than a small pond.
Li Mo’s thoughts turned chaotic as he recognized that even though the Heart Beast Sect was merely a dumping ground for larger sects, it still seemed to hold some remaining value.
The giant figures moved, scattering skulls from the sky, which floated on the water’s surface.
The skulls retained remnants of flesh and were shrouded in faint black mist. Their jaws were open, and tongues extended with rows of blurry inscriptions detailing auction items.
"Seems like the first round is elixirs."
Han Cai chuckled eerily, his body emitting the sound of colliding bones. "Be cautious. The moment you pick up a skull, it means you’re placing a bid."
"But the bank doesn’t necessarily want Spirit Stones."