50: Chapter 50 Strolling Through Flowing Clouds, Purchasing Jade Slips, Hearing of the Fallen Dragon

Life in Liuyun City was completely different from the Black Water Swamp.

Ye Qing finished meditating in his Immortal Cave, feeling refreshed and full of energy. He changed into a clean green Daoist robe and concealed his cultivation at the Foundation Establishment Early Stage. With a calm Aura, he looked just like a cautious, low-key, ordinary Loose Cultivator who had just arrived.

He picked up the city Jade Slip map that marked the location of his Immortal Cave, submerged his Divine Sense into it, and studied it carefully.

Liuyun City had a square layout, roughly divided into the Outer City, Inner City, and Core Area. The Outer City was an area where ordinary Cultivators and Mortals lived together, filled with shops and a mix of people. The Inner City was mostly home to Immortal Caves of Cultivators above Foundation Establishment, some medium-sized merchant guilds, pill pavilions, and artifact workshops; it was strictly managed and had denser Spiritual Qi. The Core Area was where the City Lord's Mansion, the headquarters of several major forces, the most high-end auction houses, and super shops with Golden Core backgrounds were located; ordinary Cultivators could hardly enter.

"First, I will go to the 'Wen Dao Pavilion' and 'Contribution Hall' in the Inner City to take a look, understand the rules here, and gather some information along the way."

Ye Qing set his goal, walked out of the Immortal Cave, activated the defensive Formation, and strolled into the flow of people on the streets of the Outer City.

The streets were wide and paved with bluestone, with antique buildings on both sides. The Medicinal Pill shops emitted a refreshing medicinal fragrance, the Magical Artifact pavilions had glittering spiritual light in their display windows, and the Talisman shops had wooden signs hanging at their entrances saying, "New arrival: Speed Talisman, 20% off." Shouts, haggling, and greetings between Cultivators wove together into a symphony of bustling city life.

Ye Qing walked with ease, his gaze sweeping calmly, but his ears were pricked up.

"Have you heard? The grand finale of this 'Wanbao Tower' auction is a fragment of a damaged Magic Treasure, rumored to have flowed out from the outskirts of 'Dragonfall Abyss', attracting the attention of several Golden Core Seniors!"

"Dragonfall Abyss? You dare to go to that haunted place? Do you want to die?"

"Wealth is sought in danger. But I heard that the Yao Race is causing trouble at the border, and the City Lord's Mansion has already issued an order prohibiting Cultivators below Foundation Establishment from accepting missions heading towards 'Dragonfall Abyss' in the near future."

"More than that! The 'Tiangong Workshop' in the Inner City is purchasing 'star sand' and 'Void Realm' stones at a high price, saying they need to refine a batch of special Formation Flags, which also seems to be related to border defense."

"Among the new faces entering the city recently, it seems quite a few spies have mixed in. Just yesterday, the City Guard Army caught several in the Inner City and threw them directly into the Black Prison without even interrogating them. Everyone should keep a low profile recently."

The information was fragmented, but keywords like "Dragonfall Abyss," "Magic Treasure fragment," "star sand," "Void Realm stone," "border defense," and "spies" were all keenly captured by Ye Qing. It seemed that Liuyun City was indeed involved in the area around Dragonfall Abyss, and controls had been tightened recently due to border tensions.

He remained composed and continued walking.

After passing through several bustling streets, a magnificent five-story tower appeared in front of him. The tower was made of white jade, with faint spiritual light, and the three archaic characters "Wen Dao Pavilion" hung on the lintel. Most of those entering and leaving had strong Auras, mainly Foundation Establishment Cultivators, occasionally with Foundation Establishment Late Stage attendants.

Ye Qing stepped inside. The first-floor lobby was extremely spacious and bright, with a faint scent of books and the cool Aura unique to Jade Slips in the air. The four walls were huge jade shelves reaching the top, displaying countless Jade Slips, books, bone pieces, and animal skin scrolls classified by category. A rough glance revealed dozens of major categories such as "Cultivation Technique Area," "Spell Area," "Miscellaneous Learning Area," "Geography Records," "Chronicles of Observations," and "Introduction to Hundred Arts."

Many Cultivators were standing or sitting, immersed in Jade Slips. There were also attendants in uniform green Daoist robes shuttling between them, answering questions for guests and taking or replacing Jade Slips.

A Foundation Establishment Late Stage attendant in green saw Ye Qing enter and immediately stepped forward, bowing and saluting: "Is this Senior's first time visiting our Wen Dao Pavilion? Our pavilion houses hundreds of thousands of volumes of Cultivation Technique, Spell, and miscellaneous Jade Slips, available for reading, copying, and purchasing. I wonder which category Senior needs?"

Ye Qing nodded slightly: "I am new here and would like to first understand the general situation of Liuyun City and the surrounding areas, and then find some basic books on Pill Dao and Formation Dao to read."

"Senior, please follow me." The attendant led Ye Qing to a jade shelf at the intersection of "Geography Records" and "Miscellaneous Learning Area," "Here are the detailed maps, introductions to forces, and local customs of Liuyun City and the southeastern region of the Cangyun Mountain Range. Next to it are basic introductions and common classics of the Hundred Arts such as Pill Dao, Formation Dao, Talisman Dao, and Artifact Refining Dao. Senior can browse on your own; if you need to copy or purchase, just call me. The reading fee is ten Low-Grade Spirit Stones per day, and the copying fee depends on the content of the Jade Slip."

Ye Qing paid the ten-day reading fee, and the attendant handed over a temporary token before stepping back.

He first came to the Geography Records area and scanned the labels of the Jade Slips with his Divine Sense.

"Liuyun City Records," "Brief Introduction to Sect Forces in Southeast Cangyun," "Illustrated Guide to Yao Beasts in the Southern Wilderness (Cangyun Chapter)," "Survey Summary of Dragonfall Abyss Outskirts (Damaged)," "Detailed Examination of Trade Routes between Ancient Sword City and Liuyun City"...

He took down the "Survey Summary of Dragonfall Abyss Outskirts (Damaged)" and pressed it to his forehead.

The information in the Jade Slip was incomplete, but it was much more detailed than the previous notebook. It described in detail the terrain, dangerous areas, common Yao Beasts, and the locations of several suspected ancient ruins in the hundreds of miles around the outskirts of Dragonfall Abyss. One place named "Starfall Valley" was specially marked, rumored to often have star power and spatial turbulence overflowing, suspected to be related to the ancient "Xingluo Sect," but it was extremely dangerous, and Cultivators often disappeared inexplicably after breaking in.

"Starfall Valley... star power, spatial turbulence... related to the Xingluo Sect..." Ye Qing noted this location. It seemed that if he wanted to explore the ancient teleportation array, this "Starfall Valley" was an unavoidable dangerous place.

He also browsed several Jade Slips introducing the forces of Liuyun City. He learned that Liuyun City was jointly maintained by several major forces including the City Lord's Mansion, Wanbao Tower, Tiangong Workshop, the branch of Danxia Sect, and the branch of Bailian Sect. The City Lord was a Golden Core Middle Stage Cultivator, rumored to have a deep background. Wanbao Tower was a merchant guild spanning several states with strong financial resources. Tiangong Workshop was good at Artifact Refining and Formations. Danxia Sect and Bailian Sect were branches of nearby major Sects.

After understanding the geography and forces, he turned to the Miscellaneous Learning Area.

"Complete Collection of Basic Pill Formulas (First Grade)," "Advanced Detailed Explanation of Formation Principles," "Essentials of Low-Grade Talisman Drawing," "Illustrated Guide to Common Artifact Refining Materials," "Introduction to Spiritual Plant Cultivation"...

Most of these were common goods, but they were systematic and comprehensive, which happened to supplement the scattered knowledge from his previous self-study. He selected several Jade Slips about Pill Formula compatibility principles, Formation node optimization, Talisman rune variants, and Spiritual Plant grafting and cultivation, and went to the service desk.

After counting, the attendant quoted the price: "Senior, these seven Jade Slips can all be copied. The total is eight hundred Low-Grade Spirit Stones."

The corners of Ye Qing's mouth twitched slightly. Knowledge was indeed expensive. Fortunately, he had gained a lot from killing the Black Wind Three Tyrants, so he readily paid the Spirit Stones. The attendant copied the content of the original slips into seven blank Jade Slips and handed them to Ye Qing.

"Senior, the Jade Slips you purchased contain content on Pill Dao and Formation Dao. Our pavilion has 'Pill Rooms' and 'Formation Rooms' on the third floor, available for rent for practice, with prices calculated separately. If you have any questions, you can also make an appointment with our pavilion's Guest Elder for clarification, with fees negotiable." The attendant introduced enthusiastically.

"Thank you, not needed for now." Ye Qing put away the Jade Slips and left the Wen Dao Pavilion.

Next, he walked towards the "Contribution Hall" not far away.

The Contribution Hall was a black stone hall with a rough style. Most of the Cultivators entering and leaving were in a hurry and carried Evil Qi. Dozens of huge jade walls were hung in the hall, displaying various mission information with rolling spiritual light.

"Hunt the second-grade Early Stage 'Earth Fire Lizard', take its Yao Core and heart blood, reward: 500 Contribution Points, 3,000 Low-Grade Spirit Stones."

"Collect at least three 'three-hundred-year-old Red Essence Ganoderma', reward: 800 Contribution Points, 50 Medium-Grade Spirit Stones."

"Escort the 'Baicao Hall' merchant caravan to Ancient Sword City, estimated round trip: one month, requires two Cultivators at Foundation Establishment Middle Stage or above, reward negotiable."

"Investigate the anomaly in 'Mist Forest', three hundred miles east of the city, identify the cause and report, reward depends on the value of the information."

"Long-term purchase of 'Void Realm stone', 'star sand', 'ten-thousand-year ironwood', prices are favorable."

The missions were varied, and rewards were mostly settled in Contribution Points and Spirit Stones. Contribution Points could be used to redeem Cultivation Techniques, Medicinal Pills, Magical Artifacts, and even qualifications to enter certain Secret Realms in the hall. There was a special redemption list nearby. Ye Qing glanced at it; there were many good things, but the required Contribution Points were astronomical.

He had no intention of accepting missions, just observing the mission categories and rewards to indirectly understand the needs of Liuyun City and the surrounding situation. Sure enough, the missions for purchasing "Void Realm stone" and "star sand" were ranked high, with generous rewards, confirming the rumors he had heard earlier.

"It seems that the high-level officials of Liuyun City are indeed preparing for a war with the Yao Race, or strengthening the layout of some important Formation." Ye Qing thought to himself. Void Realm stone and star sand were precious Materials involving space and star power, often used for setting up large-scale teleportation arrays, defensive Formations, or refining special Magic Treasures.

In the corner of the Contribution Hall, there were several consultation windows. Ye Qing walked to a window marked "Geographic Intelligence," where an old Cultivator was dozing off behind the window.

"Inquiring about information, what's the price?" Ye Qing asked directly.

The old Cultivator raised his eyelids: "Depends on what you ask. Trivial matters within Liuyun City: ten Spirit Stones. Within a hundred miles: fifty. Involving dangerous places, Secret Realms, and secrets of major forces: starting from five hundred, no upper limit. Pay first, then speak; I guarantee it is true, but I cannot guarantee it is the newest."

Ye Qing took out five hundred Low-Grade Spirit Stones and placed them on the table: "Dragonfall Abyss, Starfall Valley, is there any new news or anomaly recently?"

Seeing the Spirit Stones, the old Cultivator's spirit lifted slightly. He waved his hand to put them away and lowered his voice: "Starfall Valley, three months ago, there was a violent star tide, accompanied by a small-scale spatial tremor that lasted for three days. At that time, there were several exploration teams inside, but only two escaped, and both went crazy, babbling about 'Star Palace opening' and 'ancient teleportation array flashing.' Afterward, the City Lord's Mansion sent people to seal the valley entrance and strictly prohibited anyone from approaching. It's hard to get in now."

Star Palace opening? ancient teleportation array flashing?

Ye Qing's heart stirred. It seemed that Starfall Valley was indeed related to the ancient teleportation array, and there had been changes recently.

"Where are the two who escaped?"

"One is in the dungeon of the City Lord's Mansion, and the other is in the secret courtyard of Wanbao Tower. Both are under strict surveillance, and outsiders cannot contact them." The old Cultivator shook his head, "If Fellow Daoist is interested in Starfall Valley, you should give up this idea for the time being. The City Lord's Mansion and several major forces are watching it closely. It is said that Golden Core Seniors may have gone in to investigate personally, but the results are kept secret."

Ye Qing nodded, asked no more, and turned to leave the Contribution Hall.

This trip was fruitful, clarifying the importance of Starfall Valley and knowing the recent changes. It seemed that the clues to the ancient teleportation array were difficult to delve into for the time being and needed long-term planning.

Seeing that it was still early, he strolled around the Inner City, familiarizing himself with various shops, observing prices, and feeling the atmosphere of Liuyun City.

When passing by a small shop called "Curio Pavilion," his footsteps paused slightly. The shop's facade was inconspicuous, and the display window was filled with strange odds and ends: rusty broken swords, Ores with strange colors, dried unknown animal claws, incomplete jade carvings...

He walked in casually. The shop was dimly lit, and the shelves were piled with sundries. A chubby middle-aged shopkeeper was dozing on the counter, with cultivation no more than Foundation Establishment Perfection.

Ye Qing's gaze swept over the shelves; most were equivocal "antiques" with weak Spiritual Qi, hard to distinguish true from false. Just as he was about to leave, his peripheral vision caught a glimpse of a broken bamboo basket in the corner, containing a few pitch-black, irregularly shaped metal lumps that looked like waste slag from Artifact Refining.

One of them was about the size of a fist, covered with honeycomb-like holes on the surface, dark gray in color, and completely inconspicuous.

However, the "Void Dao Seed" deep in Ye Qing's Divine Soul sent a extremely faint throbbing with the meaning of "stars" and "magnetic evil."

He remained calm, walked over, picked up the metal lump, and it felt quite heavy.

"Shopkeeper, how much for this scrap iron?" Ye Qing asked casually.

The fat shopkeeper was awakened, rubbed his eyes, took a look, and muttered: "Ten Low-Grade Spirit Stones for the pile. They were all picked up from abandoned mines, no use. If Fellow Daoist buys something else, I'll give you this basket as a bonus."

Ye Qing weighed the metal lump, picked up two other equally inconspicuous broken stones from the basket, and said: "Just this one, ten Spirit Stones."

After paying the money and putting the metal lump into his Storage Pouch, Ye Qing walked out of the Curio Pavilion.

In his inner space, the desire for the metal lump came clearly. Although faint, it was real.

"Looks like some kind of Ore waste containing special star magnetic evil power, maybe useful for space."

He was in a good mood. This trip out yielded information, knowledge, and unexpected small gains.

Returning to the rented Immortal Cave, he activated the Formation.

Ye Qing first took out the metal lump, held it in his hand, and communicated with the space with his mind.

The space sent out a suction force, and strands of extremely faint energy with star magnetic Evil Qi were extracted and integrated into the space. The metal lump quickly lost its last bit of characteristics and turned into ordinary iron.

The space did not expand significantly, but Ye Qing felt that the gray mist at the edge of the space seemed to have solidified a tiny bit, and his affinity for star power had also vaguely improved.

"Accumulate small amounts into a large one, gather sand into a tower." He was not disappointed and threw away the scrap iron.

Then, he took out the newly purchased Jade Slips and began to study the systematic knowledge of Pill Dao and Formation Dao. With the blessing of the space's Comprehension Ability, many previously vague points were suddenly clear, and his understanding of the Hundred Arts reached a higher level.

Night fell, lights began to rise in Liuyun City, and the Formation light screen circulated, reflecting the night sky.

Inside the Immortal Cave, Ye Qing was immersed in the ocean of knowledge, looking focused.

Inside his body, in the 150-zhang cave heaven, moonlight and starlight flowed quietly. On the Floating Landmass, the transplanted moonlight flower shone even brighter with silver light.

The chapter of the steadily developing Liuyun City slowly unfolded amidst acquisition and digestion.