Chapter 138: Immortal Origin Stones and Earthly Pill Masters
Han Li merely nodded in response and flew directly toward the gate that Mu Xue was gesturing toward.
A long line had already taken shape in front of the gate designated for foreign cultivators, and there were several black-robed cultivators stationed at the gate, accepting entrance fees from all those entering the city.
These people appeared to be no different from human cultivator, but in reality, they were all Dao Warriors.
There were several lines of large text engraved onto one side of the city gate, displaying the different fees that had to be submitted by visitors of different cultivation bases. However, the highest tier was only for Spatial Tempering cultivators, and no fees were specified for those at or above the Body Integration Stage.
"Why does it only go up to Spatial Tempering cultivators? Does this mean those at or above the Body Integration Stage don't need to pay an entrance fee?" Han Li asked.
"That is indeed the case, Senior. Cultivators at or above the Body Integration Stage are considered to be esteemed guest that don't need to pay," Mu Xue replied with a smile.
"I see," Han Li replied with a smile.
Before long, the two of them had already arrived at the city gate, and Han Li made his way into the city with his hands clasped behind his back without summoning any spirit stones.
Spiritual light flashed from the hands of the two Dao Warriors stationed at the gate, and the light flashed over Han Li's body before he was granted passage.
A hint of surprise appeared on Mu Xue's face upon seeing this. He handed one of the Dao Warriors a pair of low-grade spirit stones before hurriedly following along behind Han Li, and the awe and veneration in his eyes had only become more pronounced.
Beyond the city gate was a road that was around 70 to 80 feet wide, and it was paved with azure jade in a clean and orderly fashion.
The street was extremely lively and bustling, and cultivators were an extremely common sight, many of whom were quite advanced in their cultivation bases.
The street was lined with rows of well-organized shops that were all very clean and orderly, most of which old cultivation materials of a very high quality.
There were no strict flight restrictions in the city, so as long as one didn't fly too high, they would be allowed to do as they pleased.
Hence, Han Li rose up into the air to inspect his surroundings.
He wasn't able to see much from outside, but now that he had entered the city, he was greeted by the sight of one bustling street after another, stretching as far as his eyes could see. These streets were all teeming with pedestrians, as well as countless shops of all descriptions.
He couldn't help but be stunned by the sight of such a thriving city.
"Esteemed senior, have you come to Black Wind City to buy something, or is there something else on your agenda?" Mu Xue asked in a careful voice as he arrived beside Han Li.
"I heard that the teleportation array leading out of the Black Wind Sea is in this city, is that right?" Han Li asked.
"It is. The teleportation array is in the Heavenly Star Pagoda at the center of the city. Could it be that you wish to leave the Black Wind Sea, Senior?" Mu Xue asked.
Han Li merely nodded in response.
"I don't mean to be rude, Senior, but every year, there are many people who come to Black Wind City with the intention of leaving the Black Wind Sea, but almost all of them end up failing. It's a very difficult task to be granted access to that teleportation array," Mu Xue said with a wry smile.
Han Li's expression remained unchanged as he asked, "Oh? And why is that?"
"The teleportation array connected to the outside world is an ancient teleportation array controlled by the island master, and it's only activated once every century. There's only a set number of people teleported each time, and the island master decides who gets to fill those spots. Not only will you have to claim one of those spots, using the array incurs an extremely steep cost that even many immortals can afford," Mu Xue explained.
Han Li's brows furrowed slightly upon hearing this, and he asked, "Do you know when the array is set to be activated next?"
"It shouldn't be too far away. The array is always activated after the grand auction, which also takes place once every century. The grand auction is happening soon, and that's why the city is more lively than usual," Mu Xue replied.
Han Li was rather relieved to hear this, and he asked, "So how do I secure one of those spots from the island master?"
Mu Xue's expression stiffened slightly, and he scratched his head sheepishly as he replied, "Well... This is a rather confidential matter, and my cultivation base is too low, so I'm afraid I don't know..."
Han Li didn't blame Mu Xue for his lack of knowledge on this subject, and he asked, "You also just mentioned that the cost to use the array is very expensive. How many spirit stones will it require?"
"The island master asks for immortal origin stones rather than spirit stones, and five are required per person," Mu Xue replied.
"Immortal origin stones? What're those?" Han Li asked.
"From what I've heard, immortal origin stones are a type of special currency used by immortals, and their creation requires an immortal to inject their energy into a certain type of special crystal," Mu Xue replied.
This was the first time that Han Li had ever heard of immortal origin stones, and after a moment of contemplation, he asked, "How much are these stones worth? If they're a type of currency, then surely they can be exchanged for with spirit stones, right?"
"Immortal origin stones aren't just an ordinary type of currency. Apparently, they're extremely precious even to immortals, and generally speaking, no one would put them up for trade. I've already been in Black Wind City for many years, and I've only ever heard of one occasion several decades ago when a trading house managed to exchange for an immortal origin stone from an immortal.
“At the time, the trading house had to sell several of its shops on the island to gather enough spirit stones for the transaction," Mu Xue replied.
Han Li nodded in response with a contemplative expression, and he was rather intrigued by the concept of these stones.
He didn't ask any further questions, nor had he expected leaving the Black Wind Sea to be a simple matter.
In any case, he was very curious about Black Wind City, so there was no hurry for him to pursue this matter.
With that in mind, he made his way deeper into the city, while Mu Xue trailed along behind him, providing him with tidbits of information on the city.
The two of them explored the city for close to half a day, and it was a very eye-opening experience for Han Li.
What was particularly of interest to him was the central area of the city, which boasted countless pill shops, material shops, and treasure shops of all descriptions, presenting an almost dizzying sight to behold.
However, according to Mu Xue, they had only explored less than 10% of the city, and upon hearing that, Han Li was thoroughly convinced that this was indeed the largest city in the entire Black Wind Sea.
All of a sudden, he drew to a halt and turned his gaze to a large shop on the side of the street.
This was a five-story shop with a wide entrance, and the decor was lavish, but not excessively so. Instead, it gave off quite a grand and majestic aura, and it was a huge pill shop.
"This Thousand Medicine House is arguably the best pill shop in all of Black Wind City, and it's said that the shop even has some ties with the island master. They sell all types of precious pills at fair prices, and they've always maintained a spotless reputation," Mu Xue introduced.
Han Li nodded in response, then made his way into the shop.
He didn't have many energy recovery pills left, and he was in even shorter supply of other restorative pills. He was going to have to leave the Black Wind Sea and travel eastward in search of his Azure Bamboo Cloudswarm Swords, among other things, so he had to prepare a good stash of pills in case of emergencies.
Mu Xue followed him into the shop.
The shop was filled with wide counters, of which there were dozens in total. The counters were laden with all types of pills, as well as a whole host of pill refinement ingredients.
At this moment, there were quite a few customers browsing through the wares sold in the shop.
Han Li and Mu Xue were immediately welcomed by a yellow-robed attendant upon entering the shop. "Welcome to our Thousand Medicine House. May I ask what type of pills you need?"
Han Li took a glance at the counters around him, following which his brows furrowed slightly.
The pills on these counters were all quite good, but they weren't of a sufficient standard to be of use to him.
"Are these all the pills that you have here? Do you have any better pills?" Han Li asked.
The attendant took a closer look at Han Li upon seeing this, seemingly trying to gauge Han Li's status, then replied, "Our shop is the best pill shop in all of Black Wind City, so we naturally have better pills than this, but the price will also..."
All of a sudden, a yellow-robed elderly man hurriedly approached them, and he yelled, "Shut your mouth, you insolent cur! I'll attend to this senior!"
It was clear from his attire that he was also working at the shop, seemingly in a managerial position.
The attendant immediately realized that he had made a mistake, and he extended an apologetic bow toward Han Li before backing away with his head lowered.
"He has no clue what he's talking about, please don't take offense, Senior," the yellow-robed elderly man said as he cupped his fist in an apologetic salute.
Han Li was completely unbothered, and he replied, "It's alright. Where are your best pills? Take me to them."
"Please come with me," the yellow-robed elderly man said as he made an inviting hand gesture, also treating Mu Xue with a great deal of respect by extension.
Mu Xue hurriedly returned the salute.
"I am the manager here at the Thousand Medicine House, and my name is Lu Ping. May I ask your name, Senior?" the yellow-robed elderly man asked.
"Liu Shi."
"Welcome, Senior Liu. The pills sold on the first few floors of our Thousand Medicine House are all ordinary pills refined by Temporal Pill Masters, so it's no surprise that they haven't managed to catch your eye. If you visit our shop again, please head straight to the top floor. All of the pills there are refined by Master Hao, and I'm sure they'll be of use to you, Senior Liu," Manager Lu explained in a warm and hospitable voice.
In order to keep a low profile, Han Li had restricted his own cultivation base to the Grand Ascension Stage. Lu Ping was an early-Body Integration cultivator, so he was already able to get a rough sense of Han Li's aura.
"Master Hao is one of the Black Wind Sea's top three pill refinement masters, and it's said that his skills are already on par with those of a B-grade Earthly Pill Master," Mu Xue explained to Han Li in a quiet voice.
As he was speaking, the three of them had already arrived on the fifth floor.
There were only counters here, only intricately crafted wooden shelves. There were only three such shelves with several attendants standing next to each shelf, but there wasn't a single customer on the level aside from Han Li.
"Our Thousand Medicine House has very close ties with Master Hao, and most of the pills refined by him are sold in our shop. This shelf contains pills to enhance one's cultivation base, all of these restorative pills, and over here are the pills that have regenerative, antidotal, and other effects," Manager Lu introduced.
Han Li's eyes lit up slightly at the sight of these pills.
As expected of the best pill shop in Black Wind City, all of the pills here appeared to be of quite a high quality, not inferior in the slightest to the ones that he had exchanged from the Transient Guild. In fact, there were even a few that were clearly of a higher quality.
Judging from the prior conversation, it seemed that only those capable of refining pills useful to immortals or those close to ascending to become immortals could be referred to as Earthly Pill Masters. In contrast, those who refined pills for ordinary cultivators were Temporal Pill Masters. At the very least, that was the assumption that Han Li was making.
As for whether this was actually the case, he would have to find a chance to clarify the matter.
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