19: Head to Tianxingzong Market!

PS: A fellow reader pointed out an error in the previous chapter regarding a mixed-up timeline. I have changed the golden light brick talisman treasure to the Golden Spear Talisman Treasure and have updated the subsequent drafts as well. Thank you for pointing it out.

Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion couldn't possibly have only that one talisman treasure, and it's reasonable for them to have some heavenly thunder seeds in stock... Main text:

The next morning.

Lu Qiu opened his eyes and sank his consciousness into his mind.

The familiar information panel expanded before his eyes.

[white information: Qi Refinement Stage Cultivator Wang Lin suffered a Qi Deviation during cultivation yesterday...]

[white information: ...]

[white information: ...]

Once again, it was three pieces of uniform white information.

Lu Qiu slowly exhaled a mouthful of turbid air and casually swiped them away.

Utterly worthless.

It seemed that the opportunities within the range of the Yellow Maple Valley Sect had truly been almost entirely squeezed dry by him.

If he continued to stay here, the advantages brought by the daily information System would only grow smaller and smaller.

There were still several months left before the Blood Colored Trial.

Lu Qiu did not intend to waste this time.

Thoughts whirled in his mind, and a plan quickly took shape.

It was time to change locations.

To go to a broader, new environment with more opportunities, and maximize the value of his Golden Finger.

But where to go?

A map of the State of Yue's thirteen prefectures surfaced in Lu Qiu's mind.

A moment later, his target locked onto a country neighboring the State of Yue.

Yuanwu Kingdom.

The Righteous and Demonic Paths coexisted there, the situation was complex, and the struggles between Cultivators were far more intense than in the State of Yue.

The more such places were, the more high-level Cultivators fell, and the more opportunities were left behind.

His mind made up, Lu Qiu no longer hesitated.

He rose abruptly, packed up simply, and completely shut down the Formations in his Immortal Cave.

A streak of light shot into the sky from Xuan Kun Mountain, flying straight toward the mountain gate of Yellow Maple Valley.

Just as he was about to fly out of the range covered by the Sect's grand Formation, a familiar figure riding a flying Magical Artifact quickly caught up from the side and rear.

“Senior Brother Lu, please wait.”

The newcomer was actually Han Li.

Lu Qiu stopped his flying Magical Artifact and turned to look.

This fellow should also be preparing to enter the Blood-Colored Forbidden Land right now.

Han Li stopped steadily in front of him, cupped his hands, and had a smile on his face that was just right.

“Is Senior Brother Lu heading out?”

Lu Qiu nodded impassively.

“I'm planning to leave the Sect for a while to handle some matters. It looks like Junior Brother Han is as well?”

Hearing this, Han Li showed a bitter smile and said frankly, “To be honest with Senior Brother, I have signed up for the Blood Colored Trial. It's just that I lack some protective treasures and feel quite uncertain. I'm planning to check the market to see if I can buy some high-grade Talismans or such to save my life.”

“I see.”

Lu Qiu's reaction was flat, but in his heart, he marveled at Han Li's caution.

Even with the golden light brick talisman treasure and the heavenly thunder seeds, it wasn't enough; he still thought about adding more trump cards.

In this regard, he was quite similar to himself.

He shifted the topic.

“I have also signed up for the Blood Colored Trial.”

Han Li was visibly stunned for a moment, appearing somewhat surprised.

He quickly reacted, and the smile on his face became a bit more sincere.

“So Senior Brother is also participating! That's wonderful!”

He leaned in closer and lowered his voice slightly.

“The Blood-Colored Forbidden Land is full of dangers; fighting alone is simply too risky. If we meet during the trial, I hope Senior Brother can look after me a bit. I will certainly show my deep gratitude!”

This Old Devil Han seemed much more smooth and perceptive than in the original story.

Was it because his own appearance had caused him to change?

Or was this his nature all along, but he just never had the chance to show it in the original story?

Lu Qiu pondered in his heart, but on the surface, he just nodded.

“It's easy to say. If we really do meet, we are fellow Disciples, so it's only right to look out for each other.”

He didn't make a definitive promise, nor did he directly refuse.

Having received this ambiguous answer, Han Li seemed satisfied. After a few more pleasantries, he took his leave and flew toward the Yellow Maple Valley Market.

Lu Qiu watched his departing figure for a moment before urging his Magical Artifact once more, turning into a streak of green light that vanished into the horizon... Jian Prefecture is located in the northern part of the State of Yue, and its area ranks in the top three among the thirteen prefectures.

Its territory consists mostly of mountains and hills, is sparsely populated, and happens to border the neighboring Yuanwu Kingdom.

The Yellow Maple Valley Sect is in the northern part of Jian Prefecture, not far from the border between the two countries.

With Lu Qiu's cultivation at the Perfection of the Qi Refining Stage, and pushing his flying Magical Artifact to the limit, his speed was startlingly fast.

Just one day later, he successfully crossed the continuous mountain ranges and entered the territory of the Yuanwu Kingdom.

Yuanwu Kingdom, like the State of Yue, was a medium-sized country in the surrounding region, and the overall strength of their cultivation worlds was comparable.

However, unlike the situation in the State of Yue, which was dominated by the Seven Great Sects, the cultivation world of Yuanwu Kingdom was a confrontation between the Righteous and Demonic Paths, with equal strength, in a state of perpetual stalemate and friction.

Lu Qiu's destination for this trip, the Tianxing Sect, was one of the core pillars of the Righteous Path Sects in the Yuanwu Kingdom, with its Sect strength not at all inferior to Yellow Maple Valley.

After entering the Yuanwu Kingdom, Lu Qiu was in no hurry to travel.

He found a Mortal town to land in, found a restaurant, and sat quietly for the entire afternoon.

Through the idle chatter of Cultivators at neighboring tables and his own initiative to converse with several Loose Cultivators, he quickly found out the specific location of the Tianxing Sect Market Town.

Setting off again, half a day later.

A magnificent market town built within a massive valley appeared at the edge of his vision.

The style of the Tianxing Sect Market Town was very peculiar, completely different from the scattered distribution of the Yellow Maple Valley's.

The entire market town was centered around a huge pavilion in the middle of the valley that was twenty to thirty zhang tall, with other shops and houses, only a tenth as high as the pavilion, densely distributed around it.

Looking down from high above, the entire market town presented a radial circular layout, orderly and magnificent.

The plaque at the top of that central pavilion was truly massive; from a great distance, Lu Qiu could clearly see the three huge silver characters written in a flamboyant style.

Star Dust Pavilion.

This Star Dust Pavilion was an industry run by the Tianxing Sect itself and was also the core of the entire market town.

Lu Qiu stowed his flying Magical Artifact and landed at the market entrance.

He didn't rush to browse those shops but instead familiarly found the place responsible for general administrative management within the market.

This place was also guarded by Cultivators from the Tianxing Sect.

“What business do you have, Fellow Daoist?” A Tianxing Sect Disciple at the Qi Refining Perfection stage asked politely upon seeing him enter.

“I would like to rent a quiet courtyard here to stay for a period of time,” Lu Qiu spoke calmly.

The manager sized him up, and when he sensed the faint Aura of Qi Refining Perfection on Lu Qiu, his attitude immediately became a bit more respectful.

“Please follow me, Fellow Daoist. This market town has three grades of Immortal Cave courtyards—high, middle, and low—available for rent. The Spiritual Qi concentration and prices vary, and they will surely satisfy you, Senior.”

Lu Qiu followed him to look at several courtyards and eventually chose a small courtyard that was relatively secluded but came with its own isolation Formation and reasonably abundant Spiritual Qi.

After paying a sum of Spirit Stones, he received the control token for the courtyard.

The Tianxing Sect's strength was no weaker than Yellow Maple Valley's, with more Cultivators and more complex movements.

In such a place, the opportunities born would surely be far beyond what the Yellow Maple Valley Market could compare to.

Standing in his newly rented small courtyard, Lu Qiu's heart was filled with anticipation.

He closed the courtyard door and activated the Restriction, isolating all the clamor of the outside world.

The night grew deeper.

Lu Qiu sat cross-legged on the prayer mat in the quiet room and slowly closed his eyes.