Chapter 54

"Is this... somewhat like a storage bag, but it looks a bit better?" Meng Hao fiddled with it, his spiritual energy suddenly probing inside. In that instant, Meng Hao's body trembled violently as if struck by an invisible thunderbolt, his eyes widening in disbelief and shock. After a while, he looked down at the bag, dumbfounded.

"It's too big..." Meng Hao muttered. This was indeed a storage bag, but the vast space inside seemed like a small world. Although it looked misty, the overwhelming feeling immediately made Meng Hao's heart tremble.

It seemed that this bag could hold mountains and rivers. Despite being empty, the sheer vastness of the space was enough to make it a treasure.

Meng Hao's mouth was dry. First, the spirit stones delighted him, then the medicinal pills made his heart race, followed by the magical treasures, the power of the scroll, the spiritual might of the black net, and finally, the appearance of this bag, which immediately made Meng Hao's mind buzz. It took him a while to recover.

"I've struck it rich, this is what it means to strike it rich..." Meng Hao clutched the colorful bag tightly, muttering to himself. But soon his expression changed.

"If that place is really the trial ground of a major sect's disciple, it's fine that I intruded, but taking so many treasures, medicinal pills, and spirit stones, they won't let me off..." Meng Hao's heart sank, his expression showing struggle. He was determined not to give away these treasures no matter what.

After organizing all his gains, Meng Hao took a deep breath. It was already dusk outside, and he walked out of the cave, out of the mountains, and looked at the nearby city, deep in thought.

"Although there are many medicinal pills, I don't recognize almost any of them. I can't swallow them with peace of mind." Meng Hao's eyes flickered as he looked at the city, and he stepped towards it.

He moved quickly, approaching the city gate. He saw three characters written above the gate.

Dongxiu City.

These three characters were ancient, having existed for countless years. The somewhat faded characters gave a sense of沧桑 (cang桑, meaning "vicissitudes of life").

"Xiu, this place is to the east, the name of the city is simple and clear." As Meng Hao approached the city gate, two disciples who were chatting under the gate looked at him.

These two were wearing blue-green robes, both at the third stage of Qi Condensation.

"Brother Daoist, please pay the spirit stones to enter the city." One of them put away his smile, Meng Hao's cultivation making him feel pressure.

"Brother Daoist, you two look like disciples of a major sect. I come from a small sect and have just left the mountain for the first time. Please give me some guidance." Meng Hao, who had a scholarly air, spoke politely, making the two lower-stage cultivators feel good. The young man who spoke laughed.

"Of course, Brother Daoist's cultivation is impressive. Even if it's your first time leaving the sect, you will surely become famous in the future. This is Dongxiu City, jointly built by the three major sects of the Zhao Kingdom, one of the two major cultivation cities of the Zhao Kingdom. Depending on the duration of your stay, you need to pay a certain number of spirit stones to enter the city." The young man smiled, feeling more goodwill towards someone with deep cultivation who was so polite.

"Originally, you would need to pay three spirit stones, but one will do for you. Remember, no fighting inside the city, or you will be punished by the three sects' law enforcers. Keep that in mind." The young man reminded him, handing Meng Hao a wooden token.

Meng Hao thanked him, paid one spirit stone, and walked into the city gate.

As he stepped into the city gate, he felt a bit heartbroken about the spirit stone, even though it was just one. To Meng Hao, it was money. Although he had over eight thousand in the bag, he knew the copper mirror would consume spirit stones, and this amount wouldn't last long.

"Entering a city is so expensive. If it weren't necessary, I wouldn't pay that spirit stone." Meng Hao walked quickly through the city, looking around. Despite it being dusk, the city was bustling with people, and there were many shops on both sides of the road. These shops emitted a treasure-like glow, making them seem extraordinary at first glance.

All the people in the city were cultivators. Meng Hao walked along and didn't see a single mortal. Most of the cultivators were at the Qi Condensation stage. Even those at the same level as him, the seventh stage of Qi Condensation, were only a few. Most were below the sixth stage.

Walking down street after street, Meng Hao only entered shops that sold medicinal pills. He didn't buy any pills but asked detailed questions. Three days passed, and Meng Hao almost walked through the entire city, visiting no less than twenty medicinal pill shops.

Even so, he only found seven or eight of the dozens of medicinal pills in his storage bag. However, this still made Meng Hao excited. The pills he recognized were all very valuable, including one Spirit Foundation Pill, which was worth fifty spirit stones and could be used by cultivators at the eighth stage of Qi Condensation.

Meng Hao remembered that there were eight Spirit Foundation Pills in the bag.

"Unfortunately, there are still many medicinal pills I don't recognize." On the third day, Meng Hao hesitated for a moment and then stepped into a luxurious pavilion in the western part of the city.

This pavilion had three floors, emitting a treasure-like glow, visible from a distance. What made Meng Hao decide to enter was that most of the people entering and exiting were at the sixth stage of Qi Condensation, and he even saw cultivators at the eighth and ninth stages of Qi Condensation entering the pavilion.

Additionally, the name of the pavilion reinforced Meng Hao's decision.

Bai Zhen Pavilion.

Inside, the pavilion was intricately carved and mostly made of jade. As soon as he stepped in, Meng Hao immediately felt a wave of spiritual might. The pavilion was filled with various items, each in its own compartment, including medicine bottles, flying swords, treasure beads, and banners.

There were few cultivators inside, making it relatively quiet. Only a few people were scattered around, each accompanied by a young woman in a pink robe, whose voices were soft and gentle, answering all their questions.

What made Meng Hao's heart race the most was a large pill furnace near the stairs leading to the second floor. The furnace was surrounded by smoke, and a middle-aged man in a blue-green robe sat cross-legged in the smoke, his face expressionless, eyes closed, as if meditating.

However, an indescribable pressure emanated from him, though it was mostly contained. Otherwise, it would have suppressed the entire first floor of the pavilion.

"Foundation Establishment cultivator..." Meng Hao's eyes narrowed. He felt a similar aura to that of Elder Ouyang, immediately determining the man's cultivation to be the lofty Foundation Establishment stage.

"I wonder if I will ever become a Foundation Establishment cultivator in my lifetime." Meng Hao had experienced many things in the Rely-on-the-Mountain Sect, and a desire to become strong had long been in his heart. Now, he lowered his head, but the determination and perseverance in his eyes were even stronger.

"I cultivate the Qi Condensation section of the Great Spirit Scripture. Once I reach Foundation Establishment, I will become a Flawless Foundation Establishment, stronger than those with flaws or those at the Shattered Rock stage. I will be a powerful cultivator at the Foundation Establishment stage." Meng Hao took a deep breath and looked up. A woman in a pink robe approached him, her clothes loosely draped, smiling before speaking. She was very beautiful, and as she bowed to Meng Hao, her robe naturally fell, revealing her smooth, white skin.

"Brother Daoist, is there anything you need help with?"

Meng Hao's face immediately turned red. He reminded himself not to look, but he couldn't help glancing, his heart pounding. Although he had been in the Rely-on-the-Mountain Sect for three years, he had only interacted with Senior Sister Xu and had never seen such a scene. Fortunately, his face was already a bit dark, so it wasn't too noticeable.

"Is there a jade slip that introduces medicinal pills?" Meng Hao coughed to cover his embarrassment and quickly asked.

The woman, though young, was experienced. She immediately saw Meng Hao's embarrassment and found it amusing. She had seen many guests over the years, and Meng Hao was quite rare. She covered her mouth and laughed, her body swaying, exuding charm. She deliberately moved closer to Meng Hao, her fragrance wafting into his nose.

The fragrance made Meng Hao's face even redder, but his eyes did not show any lust, remaining clear. He was not a lecher, but he had never interacted with such a woman, which made him blush.

"Of course, there is a jade slip that introduces medicinal pills. Brother Daoist, please follow me." The woman blinked, finding Meng Hao's increasingly embarrassed look very cute. She turned and led the way, her waist swaying, her curves beautiful, making Meng Hao's heart race again. He smiled bitterly and coughed a few times, quickly following her.

"These are the three jade slips of the Pill Catalog. They introduce most of the medicinal pills in the Zhao Kingdom, but they are only imprinted jade slips, and the imprints are somewhat blurry." The woman led Meng Hao to a shelf, her delicate fingers pointing to a compartment. Inside was a white tray with three jade slips arranged in a triangular pattern.

The woman saw Meng Hao about to reach out and immediately smiled.

"You can't look. You can only view them after buying them. These three jade slips cost one hundred spirit stones." Her smile was beautiful, creating two dimples on her cheeks. The more she looked at Meng Hao, the more she found this slightly dark-faced, scholarly-looking young man cute.

Meng Hao, surrounded by her fragrance, retracted his hand, calmed his mind, and looked at the three jade slips, feeling that the place was very expensive and somewhat reluctant to spend the spirit stones.

"Is there a more detailed one?" After a while, Meng Hao asked. His purpose in coming here was to buy such a jade slip. He gritted his teeth.

"Of course, follow me." The woman blinked, her eyes sparkling, leading Meng Hao to a corner and pointing to a jade slip with some cracks.

"This is not an imprinted jade slip but an ancient one. It records many medicinal pills from the entire Southern Domain, including poison pills and their corresponding antidotes. It also has imprinted images, making the pills look vivid. However, it has cracks and will break if imprinted. You can only view it about three to five times before it breaks."

Meng Hao listened to her words and immediately felt a surge of interest. He didn't need to own it long-term; he just needed to solve his current problem.

"Brother Daoist, if you don't mind, you can buy it for two hundred spirit stones. If it weren't for the cracks, this ancient jade slip would be worth over a thousand spirit stones." The woman smiled, moving closer to Meng Hao and speaking softly.

"If you really like this, I can help you apply for a discount. How will you thank me?"

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Cough, I realize I tend to write scenes where the protagonist is tempted by girls... It's not about my nature, but perhaps Meng Hao's character is more suitable for such scenes... Yes, it must be that!

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