Chapter 12

Not far away, Meng Hao saw the person who was shouting for help. Before he could even get off the flat-topped mountain, he was directly pierced through the neck by a flying sword wielded by the large man behind him. Blood spurted out as he fell to the ground, twitching a few times before dying. The large man then searched the body, taking the storage bag, and turned to step into the public area.

This bloody scene made Meng Hao’s eyes narrow. He carefully looked at the flat-topped mountain, where the sounds of slaughter could be heard. The wind carried the scent of blood into Meng Hao’s nostrils.

"This place, though it can make one rich, is extremely dangerous. For cultivation, for elixirs and spirit stones, people are even willing to risk their lives... It’s not worth it." Meng Hao frowned. Although his cultivation was just a step away from the peak of the third stage of Qi Condensation, the current chaos meant that he could easily get injured if he wasn’t careful. Moreover, the act of plundering was not a long-term solution.

However, Meng Hao pondered the lack of spirit stones in his pocket. If he had to wait for the sect to distribute them, it would take many years. As he was deep in thought, he saw the cultivators on the mountain top, who were all injured from their mutual struggles and killings. This made Meng Hao’s heart stir, and a thought instantly flashed through his mind.

This thought became clearer and clearer. After a moment, Meng Hao’s eyes lit up, and he quickly turned and hurriedly left. He did not return to his cave abode on South Peak but went directly down the mountain to the outer sect’s gate. After circling around the square, he soon appeared outside a pavilion.

The pavilion looked ancient and elegant, with the scent of elixirs wafting through the air. A sign above the door read “Elixir Cultivation Shop.”

This was not the first time Meng Hao had come here. In fact, during the first half month after he became an outer sect disciple, he had visited this place once. He saw that there were many miscellaneous elixirs for sale, including the Spirit Suppressing Pill, which could prevent hunger for several days, available for purchase here.

However, this place only accepted spirit stones and Spirit Condensation Pills, and no other items. The exchange rate was also unfair, with one Spirit Condensation Pill only able to exchange for ten Spirit Suppressing Pills. As a result, few people were willing to come here, making it a place that was often deserted.

Upon arriving, Meng Hao did not hesitate and stepped into the Elixir Cultivation Shop. Inside, the space was not large, and a sickly-looking middle-aged man was sitting cross-legged. Around him were wooden shelves, on which various gourds were placed, each labeled with the name of a different elixir.

There were Blood Stopping Pills for treating external injuries, Bone Loosening Pills for relieving fatigue, and Spirit Enhancing Pills for temporarily boosting one’s mental state. There were also Spirit Suppressing Pills, Food Suppressing Pills, and Bone Nourishing Pills for treating broken bones.

Although there were many elixirs, their prices were not cheap. Most of them could be exchanged for three to ten Spirit Condensation Pills, which, for outer sect disciples, were valuable enough to cause fights. Naturally, they were unwilling to exchange them at a low price.

Meng Hao walked around the Elixir Cultivation Shop, his eyes becoming increasingly bright. After a moment of thought, he endured the pain and directly took out five Spirit Condensation Pills, exchanging them for a variety of miscellaneous elixirs.

The sickly-looking middle-aged man, perhaps not having encountered such a big customer in a long time, immediately perked up and generously gave Meng Hao several gourds for storing the elixirs.

Putting the gourds into his storage bag, Meng Hao left the Elixir Cultivation Shop. He cautiously circled through the forest several times and returned to his cave abode late at night.

Sitting cross-legged in his cave abode, Meng Hao looked at the four gourds in his hand.

"The sages have said that without effort, there can be no gain. This time, I have put in so much effort, I must gain even more." Meng Hao muttered to himself, trying to comfort himself. Then, he remembered something and hurriedly left his cave abode. When he returned, he was holding a long, thick branch and a large amount of leaves.

Putting the branch aside, Meng Hao took out a green inner shirt from Zhao Wugang’s storage bag, tore it open, and spread it out. After looking at it, he found it too small and fetched another one to connect it, ensuring it was the right size before being satisfied.

Using his finger as a pen, Meng Hao dipped it in the juice from crushed leaves and pondered what to write. After a moment, his eyes lit up, and he wrote a line of characters on the shirt without hesitation.

The more he looked at it, the more satisfied he became. With a sense of anticipation, Meng Hao closed his eyes and sat in meditation, practicing breathing exercises.

The night passed without incident. The next morning, Meng Hao took the branch and hurriedly left his cave abode, heading straight for the low-level public area at the foot of West Peak.

It didn’t take long to reach the base of the flat-topped mountain. Even in the early morning, there were some disciples already fighting each other, with a clear intent to harm. Meng Hao walked past the stone stele and climbed up the flat-topped mountain. He ignored the cultivators who were fighting each other and scanned the area, noticing a large rock that protruded outward at the edge of the flat top.

He immediately walked over and sat cross-legged on the rock, looking harmless and scholarly. Occasionally, a few people would look at him with ill intent, but Meng Hao released a bit of his cultivation, intimidating them, and then waited for more people to gather.

As time passed, more and more outer sect disciples gathered in the low-level public area. Soon, there were over twenty people. During this time, some tried to attack Meng Hao, who looked harmless and weak, but after Meng Hao released his cultivation, they were intimidated and retreated.

Seeing that there were enough people, Meng Hao reached into his storage bag, took out the shirt, tied it to the branch, and stuck it into the soil beside the rock. The mountain wind blew the shirt open, making it look like a banner, which immediately caught the attention of many people. They saw the large characters written on the banner.

"Elixir Cultivation Shop Branch."

These green characters instantly changed the expressions of the outer sect disciples. Some were surprised, some were confused, some were mocking, and many frowned.

"Elixir Cultivation Shop? Branch? What is this?"

"Is this person a disciple sent by the sect’s Elixir Cultivation Shop?"

"This person looks familiar..."

On the flat-topped mountain, after Meng Hao put up the banner, a wave of discussion immediately arose. However, it didn’t last long, and the area soon returned to the chaos of fighting and plundering, with blood splattering and screams of pain echoing.

Meng Hao’s eyes were sharp as he stared at the people in the public area. He saw two cultivators at the second stage of Qi Condensation fighting each other, with one of them having his shoulder torn open by the other’s flying sword, blood gushing out, and the situation becoming critical.

"Brother, over here." Meng Hao’s eyes lit up, and he quickly called out.

"Brother, the sages have said that fighting with injuries is unwise. Look at your shoulder, bleeding so much. This is not good for fighting. I have high-quality Blood Stopping Pills from the Elixir Cultivation Shop, which can treat all kinds of blade wounds and stop the bleeding in three breaths." Meng Hao tried to persuade them, but the two cultivators, who were in the middle of a fight, had no time to pay attention to him, especially the injured one, whose eyes were red with anger. However, his right shoulder was severely injured, and more blood flowed, causing a wound on his chest from the other’s flying sword.

"Look, you got another cut. Come buy a Blood Stopping Pill. This might help you win the fight. Just one spirit stone for one pill, it’s a good deal." Meng Hao tried to convince the first customer he had chosen.

"Shut up! The Elixir Cultivation Shop in the city is too expensive, one spirit stone for five Blood Stopping Pills. Your place is even worse!" The injured cultivator took a few steps back and shouted without turning around.

"Ah, don’t think it’s expensive. Compared to spirit stones, life is the most precious. If you die, the spirit stones will belong to others. Buy my elixir, and you’ll have a better chance of winning and plundering others’ storage bags. Is this deal expensive?

You’re not buying spirit stones; you’re buying your life." Meng Hao stood up from the rock, and perhaps his words touched the injured cultivator, who hesitated as he tried to retreat.

"Damn it, if you keep disrupting, I’ll kill you after I finish this one." The cultivator fighting the injured man, with his flying sword in hand, shouted at Meng Hao as he charged towards the injured man.

"I’ll buy it!" The injured man, hearing this, gritted his teeth and slapped his storage bag, sending a spirit stone flying towards Meng Hao. Meng Hao caught it and quickly threw a Blood Stopping Pill, which landed directly on the injured man’s shoulder, instantly melting and stopping the bleeding.

A cool sensation spread through the injured man’s body, invigorating him. In the heat of the moment, whether due to the effect of the elixir or not, he managed to force his opponent to retreat, even opening a wound on his chest, causing blood to flow.

"Brother, I’m talking to you. Your opponent bought my elixir and is now much stronger. If you don’t buy it, you’ll be in danger today."

"I still have Blood Stopping Pills and Bone Loosening Pills to relieve fatigue. Two spirit stones for both, and I guarantee you’ll feel better and win the fight." Meng Hao quickly changed his target and tried to persuade the other man.

"You... you..." The man who had bought the elixir earlier was speechless, feeling both grateful and angry. He was already in a dire situation, and just when he saw a glimmer of hope, it was snatched away. In his anger, his attacks became even more fierce, but to his opponent, it seemed like he was trying to avoid buying the elixir.

"Winning means using others’ spirit stones to buy elixirs. What a good deal." Meng Hao, holding the elixirs, tried to persuade him even more.

"I’ll buy it!" The man who had bought the elixir earlier immediately decided.

"Damn it, give me one." The cultivator who had been in a favorable position but was now at a disadvantage, despite hating Meng Hao, was forced to grit his teeth and speak.

"I’ll pay three spirit stones!"

"Brother, he offered three. If you don’t match his price, the elixir goes to him. Be careful."

"I’ll pay four!"

"Brother, he offered four, four spirit stones."

"Five!"

"Six!"

"Damn it, I won’t fight anymore. I’ll kill you!" The cultivator who had been in a favorable position but was now at a disadvantage, was filled with rage. The fight had been simple, but with Meng Hao’s involvement, it had turned around. He turned and charged at Meng Hao, his hatred surpassing his desire to kill his original opponent.

As he approached, Meng Hao, who had been looking harmless and scholarly, suddenly changed. His expression turned dark and fierce. As the cultivator approached, Meng Hao moved first, raising his right hand and slapping the approaching man, releasing his third-stage Qi Condensation cultivation. The cultivator let out a scream as his legs were crushed by Meng Hao’s cultivation, and he was knocked unconscious.

Meng Hao quickly grabbed the cultivator’s storage bag, his dark and fierce expression flashing before he returned to his harmless and scholarly appearance, looking at the other man who was completely stunned.

"Brother, you offered six spirit stones." Meng Hao said shyly, as if he was embarrassed.

The cultivator’s face had lost all color, and his body was trembling. He looked at Meng Hao with horror and fear, unable to believe how the situation had turned around. The contrast between Meng Hao’s fierce attack and his current harmless appearance made him feel like it was all an illusion.

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Everyone can participate in the free lottery, but don’t give rewards just for the lottery. That would go against the original intention. Collecting the novel allows for one free lottery draw.

Dear reader, don’t forget to give a recommendation to Meng Hao...

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