Chapter 123: Escorting the Caravan to the Southern Frontier
After returning to Tianqing City, the first few days were quite fresh—sleeping until waking naturally, eating and drinking, meditating to regulate breath, and properly relaxing the nerves that had been taut on the battlefield.
But not long after, Fang Hao couldn’t sit still.
Why? He was bored, but more importantly, anxious.
He was now at the Great Perfection Foundation Establishment, feeling his Dantian’s Qi Sea bulging, his spiritual power so full it was about to overflow.
Yet, taking one more step forward meant the Golden Core Dao!
This wasn’t something that could be achieved just by accumulating spiritual power; he had to form a Golden Core!
What was needed to form a Golden Core? The first thing was a forming golden core!
This item was the key to breaking through to the Golden Core Stage; without it, no matter how abundant your spiritual power was, you could only spin in circles within the Foundation Establishment Stage, and you would never be able to form a core even if it killed you.
But was a forming golden core easy to obtain? On the market, it was a treasure that was priceless and unavailable!
Even the most ordinary Low Grade forming golden core could bankrupt a small Family, and you still needed luck to snatch one.
And that was only prepared for Geniuses with single or dual Spiritual Roots.
What about Fang Hao? He was a Seven Spiritual Roots user! His Dantian was like a hodgepodge, containing spiritual power of every attribute.
Taking one forming golden core would probably be like throwing a pebble into a large lake; at most, it would make a sound. Trying to rely on it to twist seven attributes of spiritual power into one strand and form a Golden Core? Keep dreaming!
He would need at least three or five! And they had to be of superior quality! Where was he supposed to get those? He couldn’t even afford them if he sold himself!
"Damn it, this lousy Spiritual Root is going to be the death of me!" Fang Hao sometimes couldn’t help but curse.
Others at the Perfection of Foundation Establishment worried about how to get one forming golden core. He, on the other hand, had to worry about how to get a whole pile! The difficulty had directly increased several times over!
Refine it himself? It wasn’t that he hadn’t considered this thought.
But the forming golden core was a top-tier Fourth Grade Spirit Pill, extremely difficult to refine, with a terrifying failure rate.
The Pill Formula was kept under tight wraps by major Sects and couldn’t be found on the market at all.
As a Guest Elder at the Foundation Establishment Stage, where was he supposed to get the Pill Formula?
Even if he got lucky and found one, with his current Alchemy level, he wouldn’t be able to refine it; it would just be a waste of Materials.
"Do I really have to go to the Tianyan Secret Realm to try my luck?" Fang Hao touched the warm "heavenly derivation secret key" in his bosom, his heart pounding.
It was said that the Secret Realm held countless Opportunities; perhaps there were ready-made forming golden cores there, or he could find the main ingredients to refine them.
But that place was too dangerous; it was practically a meat grinder for Geniuses. With his cultivation level, going in was practically serving himself up on a platter.
"How about... I wander towards the Southern Frontier while asking around for news about forming golden cores and Pill Formulas? The Secret Realm entrance is in the Southern Frontier anyway. I can go early, familiarize myself with the environment, and try my luck along the way," Fang Hao mused.
Tianqing City was in Qingzhou, belonging to the western part of the Empire, while the Southern Frontier was at the southernmost tip of the Empire, very far away.
If he set off now, stopping and going along the way to ask for information, it would take almost a year to arrive; the timing would be just right.
But the road wasn’t safe either. The scum from the Gongming Family were definitely still eyeing him.
Traveling alone made it easy to be targeted. It would be great if he could follow the Seventh Princes Mansion’s caravan or some mission to head south...
Just as Fang Hao was pulling his hair out in distress over the forming golden core, wandering through major shops and auction houses in the city every day to subtly pry for information, his Guest Elder token on his waist began to buzz again.
Fang Hao’s heart skipped a beat; he had a bad premonition. He took it out and looked, and sure enough:
Mission Call: Mysterious Rank B
Mission Content: Escort the Seventh Princes Mansion caravan to "Hundred Flowers City" in the Southern Frontier for medicinal herb trade.
Mission Route: Tianqing City -> Lancang River -> Southern Wasteland Ancient Path -> Hundred Flowers City.
Mission Requirements: Three Guest Elders proficient in Formations or possessing outstanding combat power are needed to guard the caravan’s safety along the way and deal with potential looting.
Mission Reward: 300 contribution points, plus a share of the caravan’s profits.
Mission Issuer: Seventh Princes Mansion External Affairs Hall.
Fang Hao stared at this mission information, his eyes wide! Hundred Flowers City? The Southern Frontier? This... wasn’t this like someone handing him a pillow just as he was getting sleepy?!
He was just worrying about how to get to the Southern Frontier, and this mission had been delivered right to his doorstep! Plus, it was escorting a caravan, which was relatively safe, and he could earn contribution points and a profit share!
Was this too coincidental? It was so coincidental that he felt a bit suspicious. Could there be some trick?
He carefully examined the mission details. The route started from Tianqing City, first taking a waterway south along the Lancang River, then switching to land, taking the Southern Wasteland Ancient Path, and finally arriving at Hundred Flowers City in the Southern Frontier.
Hundred Flowers City was a famous distribution center for medicinal herbs in the Southern Frontier; it was reasonable for the Seventh Princes Mansion caravan to go there for trade.
The need for Formation experts as guards also made sense; the Southern Wasteland Ancient Path was not peaceful, with many bandits and Demon Beasts.
"Whatever! I’ll take it first!" Fang Hao steeled his heart.
Such a good Opportunity—he would be struck by lightning if he missed it! Even if there was some risk, it was worth taking! It was better than blindly venturing out on his own.
He immediately accepted the mission through the token. Soon, the External Affairs Hall sent a confirmation message, telling him to gather at the West City Wharf at the Hour of the Dragon tomorrow.
Early the next morning, Fang Hao packed up, brought enough Medicinal Pills and Talismans, and arrived at the West City Wharf.
A sizable fleet was docked at the wharf—five medium-sized cargo ships flying the flags of the Seventh Princes Mansion, fully loaded with goods.
More than twenty people had already gathered beside the fleet, including the caravan manager, workers, and two other Guest Elders.
Fang Hao sized up the two fellow travelers.
One was a tall, thin man with a cold expression, carrying a long saber on his back, his aura sharp; he was at the Great Perfection Foundation Establishment, looking like a combat cultivator skilled in fighting.
The other was a slightly chubby old man wearing colorful robes, holding a compass and looking around; his cultivation was at the Late Foundation Establishment Stage, likely a Formation Master or a Pulse Seeker.
"Are you Guest Official Ning, Fang Hao?" A middle-aged chubby man wearing satin clothes, who looked like the leader of the caravan, came up and greeted him with a smile and a bow.
"That is me," Fang Hao returned the greeting.
"My surname is Qian; I am the Steward for this caravan. This is Guest Elder Tu Gang, and this is Guest Elder Hou Tong," Steward Qian introduced them enthusiastically.
The cold-faced man, Tu Gang, just nodded faintly, while the chubby old man, Hou Tong, came over with a smile: "Oh, is this Guest Official Ning? So young, yet with such extraordinary accomplishments in Formations; I have heard of you long ago. A pleasure, a pleasure!"
Fang Hao politely responded with a few words. He thought to himself that this team configuration—one capable fighter, one who understood Formations, plus himself who was decent in both—was quite reasonable.
"Three Guest Elders, this journey south is long and there are many unsafe places; I will rely entirely on you all!" Steward Qian said politely, but his eyes held a hint of a merchant’s shrewdness, "As long as the goods arrive safely at Hundred Flowers City, the Seventh Princes Mansion’s contribution points and the caravan’s share of profits will definitely not be lacking for you three!"
After getting to know each other, everyone boarded the largest passenger ship. With a shout from the ship’s captain, the fleet slowly pulled away from the wharf, moving south along the Lancang River.
Fang Hao stood at the bow, watching the green mountains and clear waters on both banks gradually recede, the river breeze brushing his face, his mood somewhat complex.
He hadn’t expected that the journey to the Southern Frontier would begin just like this.
The forming golden core was still nowhere in sight, and the future of the Tianyan Secret Realm was even more uncertain. But regardless, the path had to be walked one step at a time.
He looked back at the silhouette of Tianqing City as it gradually faded into the distance, then turned and walked into the cabin.
The new journey had begun. What awaited him ahead—the unknown Southern Frontier, precious Opportunities, or even more dangerous challenges? Perhaps, it was a combination of all of them.
