Step by Step Ascend to Immortality

Chapter 66: Chapter 56 Fangshi

For wanderers away from home, noon in June has always been a painful memory. The scorching sun, like a ball of fire, mercilessly lashes these poor wanderers with its dazzling rays. On the scorched road, there is only gray dust. Although the roadside shade and green grass provide a little psychological coolness, they also make the journey even hotter. "It's so hot..." Liu Suiyun waved his sleeve and fanned his cheek. But the oncoming breeze was filled with the smell of fire, making him wish he could hide in the shade of greenery. However, he soon dismissed this thought. He picked up the map given by Gu Shanhe again. "I should be on the right track. The market town will be here soon..." He quickened his pace again and also felt a tinge of regret for not buying one or two good horses in Jiazhou. Now if he could ride on a horse, he wouldn't be soaked with sweat all over his back as if he had just been caught in a heavy rain. But soon he emerged from his regret. He still maintained his tradition and saved every copper. Perhaps one day the money he saved could be used to support his entire family. At the thought of the word "home", Liu Suiyun's pace unconsciously quickened. He thought of Gu Yinghua and the two little cuties who called him "daddy". Although up to now, Liu Suiyun still didn't know who they exactly were, this warm concept filled him with motivation. He even remembered those days when he went to Yuanzhou hand in hand with Gu Yinghua, thought of the joys brought by Gu Yinghua, and remembered those absurd experiences. This made Liu Suiyun feel a different kind of scorching heat than usual. His footsteps became faster and faster, and then he saw the target he was looking for. Although a simple mist array was set up, with his cultivation at the fourth level of Qi Refining, Liu Suiyun saw through at a glance the truth hidden behind the white mist and a large array of flags - it was a cultivation market town. Said to be a market town, it is actually no different from a prosperous town. Only different from ordinary towns, this market town serves those extremely powerful cultivators, warriors, pharmacists, and forgers. The most ordinary transaction is often enough for the lifetime expenses of an ordinary family. Liu Suiyun followed the instructions on the array flags and walked along a white slate. After walking about a hundred feet, it suddenly became cool. The Jiazhou market town had arrived! A cultivator in the middle stage of Qi Refining led several warriors and guarded at the entrance of the market town. The leading cultivator took a look at Liu Suiyun and announced in an overbearing tone, "Travel permit, travel permit. Show your travel permit!" This was different from many cultivation market towns Liu Suiyun had visited. Those guarding at the intersection of the market towns were not fierce warriors full of killing intent but extremely enthusiastic and eloquent greeters. Sometimes, a group of delicate girls would be sent to solicit customers. However, such a stance made Liu Suiyun feel relieved. As in the legend, this was a market town with the dual official backgrounds of the Shenxiao Sect and the Great Han Kingdom. It was precisely because of this official background that such a market town never considered the feelings of visitors. Gu Shanhe had prepared everything. He took out the travel permit casually. "This is my travel permit. I plan to stay in the market town for some time. At that time, I will have to rely on everyone's care." The leading yellow-robed cultivator glanced at the travel permit and injected a wisp of spiritual power. A portrait of Liu Suiyun had reappeared in the air. After taking a look and confirming it was correct, he was about to let him pass. "Sure, sure. At that time, we will also rely on Brother Xing." Liu Suiyun also talked with this yellow-robed cultivator for a few words. After promising some benefits, he then walked into the market town. Like several small market towns Liu Suiyun had once traveled to, the Jiazhou market town was in fact no different from a prosperous town. Along the street, there were all kinds of shops and peddlers everywhere. Some sold magic tools, some sold raw materials, some were looking to buy medicinal herbs, and some were hawking ancestral secrets. If it weren't for the towering buildings that could be seen from time to time, outsiders might not even imagine that this was an official market town that commanded several prefectures. But in fact, it was very different from those market towns Liu Suiyun had visited before. Not only were there more shops here, but the quality of goods was also incomparable to those market towns privately established by local tycoons. Liu Suiyun had only walked a few steps when he found that two shops actually had spiritual tools for sale. Even the peddlers along the street were hawking top-quality magic tools. This is the advantage of an official market town. Although it is said that there is only one Shenxiao Sect disciple in the late stage of Qi Refining stationed in this Jiazhou market town, behind him are the entire Shenxiao Sect and the entire Great Han Kingdom. It is said that as long as this Shenxiao Sect disciple gives an order, he can summon the powerful people in three prefectures. Even those local tycoons who have established their foundation or the prefects on the official side have to come obediently and listen to his decree. No one can afford to provoke such an official market town. Once, a group of bandits from Black Tiger Ridge rushed into an official market town and injured several people. The next day, a Golden Core cultivator led several Foundation Establishment cultivators and wiped out the entire bandit stronghold. In a sense, this market town also symbolizes the unlimited power of the Shenxiao Sect and the Great Han Kingdom in Jiazhou. Therefore, Liu Suiyun saw too many different things. Not only could he not see street prostitutes, nor could he see enthusiastic clerks soliciting customers everywhere. But there were also fewer unseemly people from all walks of life. Although the travel permit and the warriors at the market town entrance might not really be able to keep these riffraff out, at least it could give people an implied sense of security. Of course, the prices also followed the market. Compared with the market towns Liu Suiyun had visited, many goods were at least 20 to 30 percent more expensive. Moreover, the shopkeepers seemed to have an expression of "take it or leave it" and there was no room for bargaining at all. The entire market town had such an official tone. Liu Suiyun couldn't tell whether this official tone was good or bad. But at least with the background of the Shenxiao Sect and the Great Han Kingdom, the business here was generally very good. Everywhere one could see wealthy customers carrying bundles of gold, silver, and jewels coming in and out. Of course, carrying bundles of gold, silver, and jewels with them didn't mean they were truly rich. In a sense, it represented their poverty. They not only couldn't afford to buy the legendary storage bag but also didn't have the most common standard currency in the cultivation world, spirit stones. They could only carry as much gold and silver as possible to participate in transactions. Compared to them, Liu Suiyun could be said to be wealthy. Not only did he have hundreds of gold leaves given by Gu Yinghua when they parted, but also in the soft sword at his waist, there were a full thirty spirit stones hidden! Ten of them were the travel expenses and deposit for gathering his old subordinates given to him by Gu Shanhe for his trip to Tianma Plain. Gu Shanhe had already agreed on the general details with him. This time, when he returned to Tianji Prefecture, Gu Shanhe would not interfere specifically. Liu Suiyun had all the freedom of action. Gu Shanhe was only responsible for providing logistical support. After he brought his old subordinates back from Tianma Plain to the Great Han Kingdom, Gu Shanhe would officially provide comprehensive support. Although he didn't know the amount of this expenditure, it should at least be in the amount of hundreds of spirit stones. And the other twenty spirit stones were left to him by Gu Yinghua. Gu Yinghua's reason was that after she returned to Lingjing Mountain, she wouldn't need spirit stones. Even if she needed them, she wouldn't look at these mere twenty spirit stones. And for Liu Suiyun, the fastest way to advance in cultivation was to burn spirit stones. This is an undoubted truth. If one wants to advance quickly in cultivation, it depends on who burns spirit stones faster. But up to now, Liu Suiyun hasn't used any spirit stone. It's really because this wealth is too astonishing for someone like him. He could also be considered someone who had seen the world. When he was at the Gu family in Tianji Valley, he even saved up hundreds of thousands of copper coins as his wife's dowry at one time. This amount of money was enough to buy a decent house and several hundred acres of fertile land. But if these thirty spirit stones were converted into copper coins, there would be at least four to five million. This was truly an astonishing wealth. Even at the lowest price, one spirit stone could be exchanged for six or seven catties of gold. At the highest price, it could even be exchanged for fifteen or sixteen catties of gold. This was also the reason why cultivators and powerful people all liked spirit stones. For them, the value of many things had reached the point where they had to use spirit stones for transactions. The most ordinary spiritual tool, if converted into gold, would cost at least three to five hundred catties of gold. At that time, the cultivators making the transaction would constantly be entangled with the fineness, weight, and other details of the gold and would have nightmares for several days in a row. If transactions were made with silver or copper coins, it would be a nightmare within a nightmare. Liu Suiyun knew an example. After a Foundation Establishment cultivator had a conflict with a spiritual pharmacy, the very unhappy cultivator simply transported several carts of copper coins to buy medicine. As a result, in order to count exactly how many strings of copper coins were transported, this pharmacy didn't close its eyes for three consecutive days. However, for most cultivators at the Qi Refining stage, except in extreme cases, they would not waste a single spirit stone on unnecessary places. Liu Suiyun was naturally no exception. But this time when he came to the Jiazhou market town, he was prepared to spend at least ten spirit stones, or a hundred taels of gold. For someone of his humble background, this was really a shameful waste. But it was also a waste that had to be made - he came here to break through to the fifth level of Qi Refining and advance to the middle stage of Qi Refining. Thanks to the magical rain threads of the black-haired loli, Liu Suiyun had successfully consolidated his cultivation at the fourth level of Qi Refining. He even had enough accumulation and precipitation to break through to the fifth level of Qi Refining - but such a breakthrough required time, and now what Liu Suiyun needed most was time. Moreover, Liu Suiyun's goal was not limited to just the fifth level of Qi Refining. In his heyday in the past, he was at the seventh level of Qi Refining. Coupled with the Tear of the Stars Falling Sword in his hand, it was enough for him to施展道术 at the ninth level of Qi Refining. This was also the goal Liu Suiyun wanted to achieve in the short term.