Chapter 194
Chapter 194
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 194
Chapter Title: Finally Arriving at Thousand Mountains Market City
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Leaving the Yunmeng Inn, he boarded a small boat and headed for the Hundred Treasures Pavilion on the central island.
Because the market city was built upon a great marsh, it was crisscrossed with rivers and waterways. Coupled with the city's no-fly rule, one could only travel by small boat.
Fortunately, these boats were free to ride.
Most of the cultivators poling the boats were in the middle stages of Qi Refining.
They didn't charge a fee because they received benefits in the form of spirit stones and resources from the market city.
This was equivalent to the guides in Qinghe Market City, a form of support the city provided for low-level cultivators.
However, Yunmeng Marsh Market City's support was even greater.
Qinghe Market City had no more than fifty guides, but Yunmeng Marsh Market City had over two hundred boatmen.
This was a significant expenditure of spirit stones.
After learning this, Chen Jianghe felt more at ease about Yunmeng Marsh Market City.
If a market city didn't exploit its low-level cultivators too harshly, it meant the city was progressive and, relatively speaking, a bit safer.
"Young friend, have any rogue or demonic cultivators ever caused trouble in Yunmeng Marsh Market City?" Chen Jianghe asked calmly from his seat on the boat.
The young man poling his boat was a fifth-level Qi Refining cultivator. In a small cultivation town below Qiyun Mountain, he would be considered a powerful cultivator.
"You jest, Senior. With a False Core Senior overseeing the city, what demonic cultivator would dare to come?"
The young man replied respectfully, his voice filled with pride.
"Ever since Daoist Yunmeng established this market city on the great marsh thirteen hundred years ago, no demonic cultivator has dared to cause trouble. Even bandits wouldn't dare come within two hundred miles of Yunmeng Marsh Market City."
Hearing this, Chen Jianghe nodded in satisfaction.
It seemed the family behind Yunmeng Marsh Market City took the rules very seriously and had a strong aversion to bandits and demonic cultivators.
Half an incense stick's time later.
Chen Jianghe arrived at the Hundred Treasures Pavilion and went straight to the magical artifact counter.
"What sizes do the storage treasure vases come in?" Chen Jianghe asked.
A female cultivator at the late stage of Qi Refining, who was working as a clerk, immediately came over when she saw Chen Jianghe approach the counter.
With a sweet smile, she greeted him respectfully, "Senior."
Anyone whose aura she couldn't sense was automatically addressed as 'Senior,' since mortals couldn't enter the central island.
"We currently have three models of treasure vases at the counter: two cubic meters, five cubic meters, and ten cubic meters."
"Which one does Senior require?"
"What are the prices for these three models?"
Chen Jianghe asked. He didn't have many spirit stones on him, only one thousand two hundred and two, along with twenty grains of spirit sand.
Storage treasure vases were different from storage bags.
Storage treasure vases could only hold liquids, so they were much cheaper than storage bags.
Even so, they were still quite valuable. It was better to ask the price first before deciding which one to choose.
"Like storage bags, storage treasure vases are priced by their space. It's fifty spirit stones per cubic meter, and there's no price jump for larger sizes."
Storage bags had price jumps.
For example, one cubic meter might be one hundred spirit stones, and five cubic meters should logically be five hundred, but the price would jump to one thousand.
Ten cubic meters would be four thousand spirit stones.
Storage treasure vases, however, didn't have price jumps. For every additional cubic meter of space, the price increased by fifty spirit stones.
"The five... no, the ten cubic meter one."
Chen Jianghe had initially wanted the five cubic meter one, but after some thought, he decided to go all in and get the ten cubic meter storage treasure vase directly.
He would be able to use it in the future.
He spent five hundred spirit stones to buy a ten cubic meter storage treasure vase.
Then, he went to the spirit pill counter and asked if they sold Spirit Gathering Pills. He was running low on them.
He only had three left.
Not enough to last him until April of the following year.
But he didn't buy many, just five Spirit Gathering Pills, which cost him six hundred spirit stones.
Afterward, he left the Hundred Treasures Pavilion.
He was left with one hundred and two spirit stones and twenty grains of spirit sand.
Poor again.
After returning to the Yunmeng Inn, he also began to seclude himself.
His daily routine consisted of cultivating the Myriad Waters True Scripture and collecting the morning dew from the Dragon Pattern Red Pine.
Then, he would draw second-rank talismans.
He first drew two Meteorite Lightning Strike Talismans, then began drawing Golden Light Body Protection Talismans.
With his experience in drawing the Meteorite Lightning Strike Talismans, he found it relatively easy to get the hang of drawing the Golden Light Body Protection Talismans.
However, when drawing the runes, defensive talismans were much more difficult than offensive ones. He had to concentrate his mind completely, or all his previous efforts would be wasted.
Fortunately, the talisman brush in Chen Jianghe's hand was a Peachwood Mind-Clearing Talisman Brush, which helped him clear distracting thoughts and calm his mind.
Unconsciously.
Eight months passed.
Chen Jianghe now had two more Meteorite Lightning Strike Talismans, three Golden Light Body Protection Talismans, and one half-finished Golden Light Body Protection Talisman.
It would be successfully completed once he finished infusing it with spiritual energy and applied the final sealing stroke.
"Cultivating with the help of Spirit Gathering Pills is too slow. When will I ever cultivate the ninth drop of spiritual power and reach the second level of Foundation Establishment?"
He had been at the Foundation Establishment stage for over three years, yet he only had a pitiful two drops of spiritual power in his dantian. He was still a long way from nine drops.
After reaching the Foundation Establishment stage, the supplementary effect of spirit pills was no longer significant for rapidly increasing one's cultivation.
They were far inferior to natural spiritual treasures.
Take Chen Jianghe, for example. If he could obtain one or two absorbable mid-to-high-grade second-rank water-element spiritual items, he could cultivate his third and fourth drops of spiritual power in a short time.
If he relied solely on Spirit Gathering Pills, it would take him ten years at the fastest, or twenty years at the slowest, to reach the second level of Foundation Establishment.
This was also why the Foundation Establishment Ancestors in cultivation clans, despite having no shortage of Spirit Gathering Pills, found it difficult to advance their cultivation.
They lacked spiritual items that matched their cultivation techniques to absorb.
Want to buy such spiritual items?
They rarely even appeared at auctions. Once an absorbable and refinable second-rank spiritual item showed up, it would be madly fought over by Foundation Establishment cultivators.
"From this perspective, sects are better. As long as you have contribution points, you can exchange them for various spiritual items for cultivation."
"Luo Xiyue said Peiyao could reach the late stage of Foundation Establishment soon. It seems she has a large number of spiritual items to aid her cultivation."
"My own foundation is still shallow. If I could draw high-grade second-rank talismans or refine high-grade second-rank spirit pills, I might be able to exchange them with Peiyao for spiritual resources I can use for cultivation."
If he didn't have to enter the mystic realm with Gao Peiyao, he wouldn't be in a hurry. His lifespan was long, so he could cultivate slowly and would eventually reach the late stage of Foundation Establishment.
Chen Jianghe reined in his thoughts and stopped dwelling on these matters.
He put away the half-finished Golden Light Body Protection Talisman, and his gaze fell upon the alchemy room... er, it should be the artifact-refining room.
A month ago.
Luo Xiyue came out of seclusion and then entered it to begin refining an artifact.
A whole month had passed, and Luo Xiyue still hadn't emerged from the artifact-refining room. This instantly soured Chen Jianghe's opinion of artifact refinement.
If it took one or two months to refine a single magical artifact, it would be too much of a delay to one's cultivation.
Of course, if one had abundant cultivation resources, there was no need to worry too much.
But Chen Jianghe was not in that position.
Even when he was drawing talismans, he did it in sync with his cultivation, circulating the Myriad Waters True Scripture for three minor cycles every day.
Earning spirit stones and cultivating at the same time, without neglecting either, was the correct way to cultivate.
"Senior."
Zhuang Xinyan walked out of her room. Seeing that Chen Jianghe wasn't drawing talismans, she came over and greeted him respectfully.
"Xinyan, your spiritual cultivation is about to reach completion, isn't it?"
Chen Jianghe could feel the aura emanating from Zhuang Xinyan; she was nearing the critical point for breaking through to Foundation Establishment.
"I have already reached the peak of Spirit Refining. Once we arrive at Thousand Mountains Market City, I can refine a natural spiritual treasure to enhance my spiritual cultivation and achieve spiritual completion."
Zhuang Xinyan nodded lightly, took a step closer to Chen Jianghe, her red lips trembling slightly, and made no effort to hide her cultivation status.
A faint orchid fragrance wafted over, refreshing the mind and spirit.
"Mm, what are you preparing to do?" Chen Jianghe asked in a gentle tone.
"My junior sister and I traded for two second-rank spirit pill recipes on the treasure ship. I'm going to help her buy the ingredients for alchemy."
After Alchemist Zhuang passed away.
Zhuang Xinyan seemed to have grown up. Although still a bit naive, she was no longer as timid as before, shrinking away from anything new.
Back on Qiyun Mountain, she had gone to Mirror Moon Market City alone several times to buy medicinal herbs and other things.
Chen Jianghe had seen Zhuang Xinyan's changes and felt a little sorry for the girl.
But there was nothing he could do.
With Alchemist Zhuang gone, he couldn't possibly care for her in the same way. She had to grow up quickly to face everything independently in the future.
"Mm, go on."
Chen Jianghe nodded.
Zhuang Xinyan had already reached the peak of Spirit Refining. Until they reached Thousand Mountains Market City, she wouldn't have time for a deep seclusion to elevate her spiritual cultivation to completion.
Jiang Ruxu, on the other hand, was pressed for time.
She not only had to cultivate but also refine spirit pills, improve her alchemy skills, and deepen her understanding of the Dao of Alchemy.
Therefore, Zhuang Xinyan often let Jiang Ruxu cultivate while she went to buy the medicinal ingredients for the pills.
He just didn't know if the two girls had pooled their finances.
Watching Zhuang Xinyan leave.
Chen Jianghe didn't remain idle either. He began to quietly contemplate pharmacology, analyzing and memorizing the ingredients and effects of each pill, as well as the reactions and effects produced when they were combined.
He possessed Alchemist Zhuang's legacy of the Dao of Alchemy.
After arriving at Thousand Mountains Market City, he would definitely try his hand at alchemy. As long as he had even a little talent for it, he would grind his way to becoming a second-rank Alchemist, even if it took a long time.
In the future, he might even become a third-rank Alchemist.
So, whenever he had time, he would deduce the various complexities of alchemy, such as pharmacology, to prepare for his future attempts at refining pills.
Unconsciously.
Another twenty-odd days passed.
The half-finished Golden Light Body Protection Talisman in Chen Jianghe's hand was finally completed successfully.
At this point, he now had four Golden Light Body Protection Talismans and two Meteorite Lightning Strike Talismans.
He even had a certain understanding of elementary pharmacology in the Dao of Alchemy. He thought it wouldn't be difficult to refine a batch of Fasting Pills.
As for low-grade first-rank Spirit Nurturing Pills, he didn't dare to think about them yet.
*Clang~*
Suddenly, at this moment, a piercing sword cry rang out from the artifact-refining room.
Half an hour later.
Luo Xiyue walked out of the artifact-refining room, her pretty face like melting ice and snow, revealing a hint of joy. She had successfully refined a top-tier magical artifact of the Spirit Nurturing grade.
But the moment she stepped out of the artifact-refining room and saw Chen Jianghe, her expression instantly turned cold again.
She glanced at Chen Jianghe, a bone-chilling coldness in her eyes.
This made Chen Jianghe purse his lips.
Her expression changed way too fast.
But he still walked up to her with a smile and asked, "Fellow Daoist Luo, do you know how to sell second-rank talismans?"
He now only had one hundred and two spirit stones and twenty grains of spirit sand on him.
They were about to go to Thousand Mountains Market City, and he needed to turn his second-rank talismans into cash. Otherwise, he wouldn't even have the spirit stones to rent a mountain peak.
And the spirit stones to buy Spirit Gathering Pills.
Although the effects of Spirit Gathering Pills weren't great, it was better than nothing. Without them, even cultivating in a market city with a high-grade second-rank spirit vein, it would take over thirty years to cultivate nine drops of spiritual power.
Not to mention cultivating on a mid-to-low-grade second-rank spirit vein.
"We'll talk about it when we get to Thousand Mountains Market City."
Luo Xiyue said calmly, "My master told me that Thousand Mountains Market City has barter fairs."
Barter fairs?
Chen Jianghe was very interested in barter fairs. Many treasures that couldn't be found at auctions could be seen at barter fairs.
Although the conditions for bartering were difficult, at least there was a chance to obtain the treasures one desired.
As for second-rank talismans, they would likely be a hot commodity at a barter fair.
In fact, Chen Jianghe could just take his Meteorite Lightning Strike Talismans and shout that they were for sale on the streets of Yunmeng Marsh Market City.
Numerous cultivators would come to buy them.
But that would be too conspicuous.
It was better to be low-key.
Since Thousand Mountains Market City had barter fairs, he could wait until they arrived to cash in.
Another two days passed.
Jiang Ruxu also came out of seclusion.
Calculating the time, there were still five days until the flying vessel departed for Thousand Mountains Market City.
Jiang Ruxu had already arranged for the tickets and everything. They just had to wait for the time to come and then head to Thousand Mountains Market City.
Whether it was Chen Jianghe, Jiang Ruxu, or Zhuang Xinyan, they were all full of curiosity about this market city, which was ranked second in the Tiannan Region.
Thousand Mountains Market City was ranked higher than both Immortal Gate Market City and Beast Taming Market City, so one could imagine its prosperity.
In fact, even Luo Xiyue was full of anticipation for Thousand Mountains Market City.
She had never been to Thousand Mountains Market City either, nor had she ever been north of the Sky-Reaching River.
After she reached the perfection of the ninth level of Qi Refining, her master arranged for her to gain experience in Qinghe Market City.
Her range of activity was limited to the south of the Sky-Reaching River, specifically the few market cities surrounding Qinghe Market City.
Her knowledge of the lands north of the Sky-Reaching River all came from her master.
In the blink of an eye, five days passed.
Led by Jiang Ruxu, they boarded the flying vessel bound for Thousand Mountains Market City.
Rather than a flying vessel, it was more like a giant storied ship.
It was even larger than the treasure ship they had taken before, nearly three hundred zhang long and one hundred zhang wide, with seven decks.
The first to fourth decks were guest rooms for Foundation Establishment and Qi Refining cultivators, while the fifth deck was for False Core Adepts or Core Formation Sages.
The sixth deck was for dining.
The seventh deck was for sightseeing.
It could be said that the flying vessel to Thousand Mountains Market City was extremely luxurious and also very safe.
On this particular trip, there were nearly a hundred Foundation Establishment cultivators alone, and over five hundred cultivators below that stage.
The most important were the False Core Adepts.
This time, there were actually three False Core Adepts on board the flying vessel.
However, False Core Adepts didn't need to pay for tickets to ride the flying vessel; in fact, the vessel would symbolically gift them one thousand spirit stones.
Although False Core Adepts wouldn't care much for this small amount of spirit stones, the gesture of respect was still made.
This was just like the large ship from Mirror Moon Market City to Qinghe Market City, where ninth-level Qi Refining cultivators didn't have to pay the fare and would even receive spirit stones.
Because for those bandits, ninth-level Qi Refining cultivators themselves served as a deterrent.
They could ensure the ship's safe voyage.
The flying vessels traveling between market cities were the same. The higher the cultivation level of the cultivators on board, the safer the journey.
Three False Core Adepts, plus the one overseeing the flying vessel, made for four False Core Adepts in total.
And nearly a hundred Foundation Establishment cultivators. With such a lineup, it was unlikely any bandits would dare to intercept them.
Unless it was a demonic cultivator at the Core Formation realm.
The flying vessel was safe, but its flying speed was too slow, completely incomparable to Luo Xiyue's spirit vessel.
The distance between Yunmeng Marsh Market City and Thousand Mountains Market City was less than fifty thousand miles.
Yet this flying vessel had to travel for two days to reach Thousand Mountains Market City. It had to be said, this was a snail's pace.
No wonder the flying vessel had guest rooms. For a two-day journey, not having them would be unacceptable.
Perhaps Thousand Mountains Market City operated this flying vessel service with the scenery along the route in mind, which was why the vessel's speed was so slow.
North of the Sky-Reaching River, there were many mountains, rivers, and great marshes, with beautiful scenery that was beyond description.
The journey from Yunmeng Marsh Market City to Thousand Mountains Market City required passing over the territories of more than a dozen powers, the largest of which were the Puppet Immortal Lu Clan, the State of Yue, and the State of Yu.
Once they entered the State of Yu, it meant they were close to reaching Thousand Mountains Market City.
The territory of the State of Yu was long from east to west and narrow from north to south, effectively encircling Thousand Mountains Market City along with the Arctic Snow Forest.
This time, the four of them were once again in a single guest room.
On the final leg of the journey to Thousand Mountains Market City, it was better to stay together. The closer they got to the end, the more cautious they needed to be.
"Fellow Daoist Luo, do you have any friends in Thousand Mountains Market City?" Chen Jianghe asked.
The cultivation environment north of the Sky-Reaching River was harsh. If they could stay together, it would naturally be for the best.
As for private space?
According to the records in the "Chronicles of Tiannan," the mountain peaks in Thousand Mountains Market City were all equipped with various kinds of formations.
After renting a mountain peak, one would receive a formation disk, allowing them to alter the formations on the peak at will.
The mountain peak could be divided into two private areas, or even five.
In other words, if five cultivators rented a spirit vein mountain peak in Thousand Mountains Market City together, they wouldn't have to worry about privacy at all.
With the formations providing separation, each would have their own area of activity.
Just as Chen Jianghe asked this question.
Both Jiang Ruxu and Zhuang Xinyan sighed in their hearts. They guessed Chen Jianghe's meaning, but there was nothing they could do.
"No."
Luo Xiyue glanced at Chen Jianghe, seemingly guessing his thoughts, and said coldly, "I'm going to rent a mountain peak with a high-grade second-rank spirit vein."
A mountain peak with a high-grade second-rank spirit vein?
Chen Jianghe felt that was a bit too extravagant.
With their cultivation levels, renting a mountain peak with a mid-grade second-rank spirit vein would be sufficient. There was no need to spend that extra money.
"Senior, let's also rent a mountain peak with a high-grade second-rank spirit vein."
Jiang Ruxu said.
Zhuang Xinyan glanced at Jiang Ruxu, then looked at Chen Jianghe and nodded in deep agreement.
"..."
Chen Jianghe's mouth twitched. He only had one hundred and two spirit stones on him. What was he going to use to rent a mountain peak with a high-grade second-rank spirit vein?
"Let's talk about it after we arrive at Thousand Mountains Market City!"
Although he didn't know what the two girls were thinking, he felt that it would be quite good if he could rent a place with Luo Xiyue.
He just didn't know what the rental prices for these mountain peaks were.
The letters Ruan Tieniu had written to him were all nonsense; they didn't even mention the rental price of the mountain peaks.
In the blink of an eye.
More than a day passed.
The flying vessel had reached the border between the State of Yue and the State of Yu. Looking down from the vessel, they could actually see that a war had broken out between the two states.
But on the battlefield, most were ordinary mortals, along with generals who cultivated martial arts.
As for cultivators?
There were some.
But not many.
Moreover, most of them were at the middle or late stages of Qi Refining. He didn't sense a single spiritual power fluctuation belonging to a Foundation Establishment cultivator.
This was completely different from the lands south of the Sky-Reaching River.
South of the Sky-Reaching River, there were no immortal states, only Foundation Establishment immortal clans, each controlling a territory of a thousand miles.
Below the Foundation Establishment immortal clans were cultivation families.
These cultivation families or immortal clans would not exploit the mortals within their territories.
They would even provide assistance, helping them make it rain during droughts.
When floods occurred, they would help them resolve the water disaster.
Furthermore, mortal villages and towns near cultivation towns or market cities would receive support, providing them with high-paying jobs.
It was just a bit dangerous, but the income was high!
And there was also a chance to come into contact with cultivation.
Take Chen Jianghe's predecessor, for example. He was a mortal wandering boy who was led into the path of immortality by the Yun Clan.
It could be said that the lives of mortals south of the Sky-Reaching River were relatively happy, free from the scourge of war.
Even if there were wars, they were wars between cultivators.
Most importantly, when cultivators fought, they would consciously or unconsciously avoid mortal villages and towns to prevent harming the innocent.
But in the lands north of the Sky-Reaching River, judging from the wars between immortal states, it seemed that the lives of mortals were not so pleasant.
This was a world of cultivation, yet they still had to suffer the hardships of war.
Not only did they not help the mortals have favorable weather, but they also made mortals fight and die on the battlefield for them, the high and mighty cultivators.
At this moment, Chen Jianghe felt a little fortunate.
Fortunately, he had transmigrated to the south of the Sky-Reaching River. If it had been to the north, trying to lie low and develop would have been basically impossible.
As long as there was war, there would definitely be forced conscription.
As a wandering youth, he would most likely have been dragged onto the battlefield, then died in combat, accumulating military merits for his superiors.
Another eight hours passed.
The flying vessel had begun to enter a mountainous region. Looking down from above the clouds, there were countless hills and peaks.
There were also many immortal mountains soaring into the clouds.
The peaks stood like a forest, covered in ice and snow.
The deeper they went into the mountain range, the more they could feel the icy chill assaulting them, forcing them to use their spiritual power to resist.
Looking down from the flying vessel, they could no longer see any mortal mountain villages.
They had entered the territory of Thousand Mountains Market City, which meant they had arrived at the northernmost part of the Tiannan Region.
Beyond Thousand Mountains Market City was the coldest Arctic Snow Forest, where basically no mortals lived.
Even within the territory of Thousand Mountains Market City, very few mortals lived.
It was too cold here.
"Senior, is that Thousand Mountains Market City?"
Jiang Ruxu pointed to a faintly visible cluster of buildings in the distance, turned her head to look at Chen Jianghe, and said in astonishment.
Standing on the flying vessel and looking north, they could see a market city built upon a cluster of towering peaks.
Nearly a hundred mountain peaks were closely connected, each with at least five or six buildings on it. From a distance, they formed a majestic and spectacular architectural complex.
(End of this chapter)