15: Chapter 015 Tianbao Pavilion

"Ahhh!!~~"

Sunlight filtered through the carved windows as Chen An's eyelashes fluttered slightly before he woke up, yawning with a lazy expression.

After the exhaustion of last night, and finishing his bath, he had casually spent two hundred yuan crystals to exchange for two hundred years of time to train his "Flying Star Chasing Shadow Steps" to Perfection, so he hadn't continued to push himself, choosing instead to crawl into bed for a good night's sleep.

Although with his current cultivation in the Innate Realm, it wouldn't have affected him to go without sleep for ten days and nights, let alone one, the habits from his previous life were hard to break.

Moreover, in his view, having profound cultivation was one thing, but living life as one pleased was another; there was no need to force himself to endure things just because of his cultivation.

Rising from the bed, Chen An first slowly tidied up the room that had been tossed about by the powerful energy from his Breakthrough last night, putting the crooked chairs back in place and sweeping away the dust, leaving everything neat and tidy.

Afterward, he went to the courtyard to wash his face, washing away the night's laziness and shedding his sleepiness. He changed into a clean, simple cyan student robe, straightened his collar, and operated the "Black Tortoise Breath-Concealing Technique" to suppress his cultivation to Condensing Qi Stage 2, then lifted his hand to push open the courtyard gate and walked out slowly.

The morning light on the street was warm, and the morning mist was faintly dissipating.

Shops along the street opened one after another, cooking smoke curled upward, and the sound of people gradually rose. Passersby hurrying along, peddlers carrying poles, and carriages moving slowly—the atmosphere of daily life washed over him.

The grass and trees on both sides of the street were stained with morning dew, and a light breeze blew, bringing a faint, fresh scent of vegetation—a scene of peaceful and stable morning life.

Although he had fused with the original body's memories and was already familiar with the streets and scenery of this city, seeing this antique market street with his own eyes still stirred a sense of strangeness and novelty in his heart, as if he were in a foreign land.

Carrying this faint curiosity, Chen An mingled among the passersby, his gait calm and unhurried.

In his ears were the overlapping cries of peddlers along the street, the shouts of porters, the bells of carriages, and the chatter of neighbors, all woven together in a warm, bustling atmosphere.

Beneath his feet, the patterns on the bluestone slabs were mottled; on both sides, black-tiled roofs and white walls were scattered in arrangement, morning dew dripped from the eaves, and a breeze carried the aroma of breakfast toward him.

"Gurgle!!!~~"

He hadn't walked far when a sudden sound of hunger erupted from his stomach.

Chen An raised an eyebrow, but he didn't continue wandering; in this vast world, eating was the most important thing.

He looked left and right, then walked toward a small breakfast stall nearby.

White mist steamed from the stall, with layers of bamboo steamers stacked high. The rich aroma of wheat, meat, and the sweet fragrance of hot porridge hit him, full of the scent of daily life.

Chen An walked to the steaming breakfast stall, which was set up under an old locust tree, with a few simple wooden tables and benches neatly arranged.

White mist continuously rose from the stacked steamers, and the aroma of meat buns and scallion pancakes mixed with the warm scent of white porridge, making one's mouth water.

The owners were a middle-aged couple, working with nimble hands and feet, busy greeting customers.

"Boss, give me ten meat buns, five scallion pancakes, and three bowls of lean meat porridge!"

"Coming right up, please take a seat, it'll be ready in a moment!"

The proprietress responded, lifting the steaming lid, the heat rushing toward her as she moved with great efficiency.

Before long, the piping hot breakfast was served on the table.

The thin-skinned, meat-filled buns were overflowing with savory oil, the crispy golden scallion pancakes were fragrant, and the warm, stomach-nourishing lean meat porridge was steaming gently.

Chen An didn't stand on ceremony, sitting down calmly and eating at a leisurely pace.

The martial arts world was like this; Houtian Martial Artists had strong physical bodies and vigorous blood energy. The stronger the cultivation, the greater the physical consumption, and the appetite increased accordingly. Ordinary Houtian Martial Artists could no longer sustain their physical needs with three simple meals a day; some could even eat a several-hundred-jin Second-Grade Vicious Beast in one sitting to replenish their lost blood energy.

But stepping into the Innate Realm was an entirely different level.

Although Xiantian Martial Artists had strength far exceeding those of the Acquired Realm, they no longer needed to rely solely on meat and grains to replenish their consumption.

Having opened the Bridge of Heaven and Man, they could constantly inhale and exhale the Origin Qi of heaven and earth, using it to nourish their flesh and blood and warm their Innate True Qi, becoming self-sufficient and greatly reducing their cravings for food.

However, because he had broken through overnight, his mind had been tense, his blood energy had circulated violently, and combined with having fasted for a long time, the instinctive hunger was difficult to suppress.

Therefore, such an appetite far exceeding that of an ordinary person today was not considered strange for the current Chen An.

In a short while, the full table of food was completely eaten, the hunger in his stomach was swept away, and a warmth spread through his limbs and bones, while the Innate True Qi circulating in his Dantian became increasingly warm and stable.

Rising to pay the bill, Chen An patted the crumbs from his clothes before lifting his feet to leave the breakfast stall, continuing to walk slowly along the bustling long street.

"Tianbao Pavilion!"

Before long, an imposing pavilion came into view. Chen An's steps paused, his gaze lifting, and his expression faltered slightly.

The pavilion had blue bricks and black tiles, vermilion lacquer doors, and a plaque with gilded edges and vigorous calligraphy, making it stand out on the entire long street.

Tianbao Pavilion was said to be one of the top-scale super trading firms in the Great Luo Dynasty, with forces spread across all prefectures of the dynasty, possessing deep foundations and unfathomable resources.

The goods in the pavilion were dazzling and all-encompassing, containing everything a Martial Artist needed for cultivation: Sharp Weapons, protective soft armor, healing Medicinal Pills, Body Tempering Spirit Medicine, Cultivation Techniques, Martial Skills, and Materials for Artifact Refining and Alchemy, as well as rare resources like Vicious Beast essence blood and monster bone beast cores—everything one could want.

This place was not only the first choice for Martial Artists in Wurong County to purchase cultivation resources, but also a core place for Cultivators to exchange treasures, pawn collections, and exchange yuan crystals.

There were even rumors that the foundation of Tianbao Pavilion was far from as simple as it appeared on the surface, and that among its various branches, there were even Earth Rank, or even Heaven-Grade Cultivation Techniques, Martial Skills, and divine weapons for sale.

Such treasures were worth a fortune, and only major clans, top Prodigies, or veteran powerhouses were qualified to see the full picture and bid for them with heavy gold.

Chen An stopped in front of the pavilion, looking up at the gilded plaque of Tianbao Pavilion, his eyes flickering slightly.

Previously, he was merely at Condensing Qi Stage 2 and naturally dared not set foot in such a place of extravagant spending.

But today is different from the past; now, with his cultivation at the Middle Stage of the Innate Realm, he naturally had more courage.

He needed stronger Cultivation Techniques and Martial Skills!

The highest Cultivation Technique he currently knew was only of the Profound Rank, which only corresponded to the Peak of the Acquired Realm and could not match the cultivation level of the Innate Realm at all.

Without a superior Cultivation Technique suitable for the Innate Realm to fall back on, even if he held the System and could infinitely exchange for time, his cultivation would only yield half the result with twice the effort, and his progress would be incomparably slow.

Last night's bitter training was the best proof.

Initially, relying on his original foundation, it only took nearly three hundred years of time to easily break through the barrier of heaven and man and step into the Early Stage of the Innate Realm.

But subsequent cultivation suddenly became stagnant, and it took a full two hundred years to barely move steadily from the Early Stage of the Innate Realm into the Middle Stage.

Aside from the shortcoming of his original mediocre physical Aptitude, the core problem was the lack of an orthodox Xiantian-level Cultivation Technique.

Profound Rank Cultivation Techniques had too small a framework, could not circulate Innate True Qi, could not draw upon the Origin Qi of heaven and earth to temper his Meridians and Dantian, and could not maximize the long cultivation years bestowed by the System.

If this continued, the higher his Realm, the thicker the cultivation barrier would become. Even if he held the Heaven-Defying System and could infinitely exchange cultivation time, he would only waste massive amounts of time in vain, yielding half the results with twice the effort, wasting his potential, and squandering his unique advantages.

Martial Skills were the same principle.

Unmatched Martial Skills would ultimately struggle to exert the strength of the Innate Realm.

If he only encountered Martial Artists weaker than himself, it would be fine, but if he faced enemies of the same rank, or even those with a higher Realm than his own, he would be in danger.

His eyes flickered once, and Chen An stepped into the gate of Tianbao Pavilion...