Chapter 10

Quietly watching the person in front of her,

the girl appeared to be around fourteen or fifteen years old, with a petite and delicate figure. Her eyebrows were gracefully curved like a crescent moon, and her plump little face was rosy and fair, making her look exceptionally cute.

The girl's face was beaming with a broad smile, her eyes squinting into slits.

Behind her stood two male disciples in red robes, their faces expressionless as they warily sized up Zhu Yu.

Zhu Yu's palms were sweating. He did not feel the slightest bit relaxed because the girl was wearing a purple robe.

The purple robe indicated that she was an elite disciple of the academy.

Out of the tens of thousands of disciples in the academy, there were only 108 elite disciples. These disciples were rarely seen, like the head of a dragon that is visible but the tail is not.

The two core disciples' residences, the Tiger Mountain Dormitory for male disciples and the Purple Star Dormitory for female disciples, were extremely mysterious and revered as holy places in the hearts of the academy's many disciples.

In this place, under these circumstances, the appearance of a core disciple who initiated a conversation with him made Zhu Yu very nervous.

After a long silence, Zhu Yu steadied himself and said, "Senior Sister, may I ask what you need?"

The girl laughed, her voice as clear as the sound of pearls falling on a jade plate. "You don't recognize me? You... take off your hood first..."

Zhu Yu was slightly taken aback, hesitating. The two red-robed male disciples behind the girl instantly turned cold, and Zhu Yu took a deep breath, removing his hood.

The girl stared at Zhu Yu with wide eyes. After a moment, she suddenly clapped her hands and said, "Oh, it's really you! You're Zhu Yu! I recognize you!"

Zhu Yu remained calm. Recently, the Xingu Platform had been heavily hyped, and he had gained a reputation. He was not surprised that the girl claimed to recognize him.

"Thank you, Senior Sister, I am flattered!" Zhu Yu said.

The girl's face was still smiling, but her eyes revealed a mischievous glint. "I'm Tian Xiaodan. Remember my name, or it would be embarrassing if I recognize you but you don't recognize me!"

Zhu Yu was taken aback and smiled slightly. He certainly knew Tian Xiaodan.

The Spirit Talisman Hall had a total of eight elite disciples, among whom Yun Feng and Tian Xiaodan were both direct disciples of Elder Xing, Master Ou Shengmei, and were very famous.

Yun Feng, of course, was known as one of the four fairy-like figures of the South Sea Cultivation Academy, with a reputation that was well-known throughout the academy.

Tian Xiaodan, on the other hand, was a renowned genius, with the best innate talent in the entire academy. It was said that many masters had vied to take her as a disciple, but in the end, the highly respected Master Ou Shengmei had won.

Each elite disciple had a legendary story. Elite disciples were all strong, and they were the brightest stars of the South Sea Cultivation Academy.

Tian Xiaodan's smile was very cute, but suddenly it vanished, and she loudly demanded, "Zhu Yu, why are you here? Tell me the truth! Are you selling illusion talismans privately?"

Her expression changed rapidly as she slowly approached Zhu Yu, her face close to his, her breath like a breeze, but her expression was extremely cold. She said almost word by word, "I know, you're Red Fish! No matter how cunning a fish is, it can't escape a good fisherman. I've caught you today!"

Zhu Yu's heart skipped a beat but quickly suppressed it. He feigned confusion and said, "Senior Sister Tian, who are you talking about? Who is Red Fish? I... I just visited Senior Brother Zhang at the Red Dust Dormitory and was on my way back when I passed by here!"

Tian Xiaodan wrinkled her nose and said, "Are you lying? Why did you run to the 'Many Talismans Shop' just now?"

Her eyes were fixed on Zhu Yu's face, as if trying to exert psychological pressure on him.

Zhu Yu inwardly sneered. The little girl was still too young to bluff.

Without hesitation, he said, "I went to buy talismans. I saw on the Xingu Platform that the Many Talismans Shop had a type of illusion talisman that was very effective for learning basic talisman runes and was also very cheap. I wanted to buy a few to study."

"Is that so? What's the name of the Senior Brother Zhang at the Red Dust Dormitory?"

"Zhang Xirao!"

"What did you go to see him for?"

"To borrow crystals!"

"Did you borrow any?"

"Not a single one!"

"Ha ha!" The coldness on Tian Xiaodan's face instantly vanished. "Not a single one? What kind of brother is that? To refuse to lend you anything?"

She turned to look at one of the red-robed disciples behind her. "Hey, do we have such a person in our hall?"

The disciple respectfully replied, "Senior Sister, Zhang Xirao is a disciple of the Zhang family. He is... somewhat stingy..."

Zhu Yu's heart stirred, and he suddenly said, "Senior Sister Tian, you are an elite disciple. I've heard that elite disciples have generous allowances and are very wealthy. Could you... lend me some crystals... I... I need them urgently..."

Tian Xiaodan was taken aback, looking at Zhu Yu with surprise, her face slightly flushed. "You... you want to borrow crystals from me? We... we... aren't that close..."

Zhu Yu coughed awkwardly and said, "I've long heard of Senior Sister Tian's reputation for being generous and righteous. If it's inconvenient for you, it's fine!"

Tian Xiaodan frowned, puffed out her chest, and said, "Who said it's inconvenient for me? How much do you want to borrow?"

Zhu Yu's mind raced, and he blurted out, "Two thousand low-grade crystals."

Tian Xiaodan's eyes widened in surprise. "You want that much?"

Zhu Yu's face turned red, and he stammered, "If... if you can't, it's fine. I... I'll find other ways!"

Zhu Yu slowly turned around, putting on a dejected act, but inwardly he was very pleased.

He had taken control of the situation, shifted the topic, and quickly extricated himself.

The path to making money through illusion talismans was cut off, so he needed to find another way.

This world was truly dark, with junior disciples being suppressed everywhere, making it hard to get by!

Zhu Yu slowly left, thinking about ways to make money, but he heard Tian Xiaodan shout loudly behind him, "Stop!"

Zhu Yu turned around in surprise. Tian Xiaodan strode over and said, "Zhu Yu, don't underestimate me. Two thousand crystals is nothing. If you want to borrow, I'll lend them to you!"

She patted her storage bag, and a stream of crystals flew out.

Zhu Yu quickly used his spiritual power to store all the crystals in his storage bag.

There were twenty medium-grade crystals, no more and no less, equivalent to two thousand low-grade crystals.

Zhu Yu was very surprised. This was a pleasant surprise. He hurriedly thanked her, expressing his gratitude in a myriad of ways, making the little girl blush.

She said with a slight blush, "Zhu Yu, you must pay me back on time. I need to buy a small spirit cat. Since I can't buy it this month anyway, I might as well lend it to you!"

"Thank you, thank you, Senior Sister Tian. You are indeed generous and righteous. Thank you!"

Zhu Yu expressed his gratitude profusely and disappeared in a flash.

Tian Xiaodan watched Zhu Yu's back, smiled slightly, and blinked, muttering, "This guy is interesting, very cunning. Do you think I would believe you?"

...

This was Zhu Yu's first visit to the South Sea City.

The city was bustling, with crowded streets, vendors shouting, and the magical light and illusions of advertisements from various stores, making it a dazzling sight.

The cultivation civilization of the Huaxia world was highly developed, making Zhu Yu feel as if he were walking on a street filled with technological civilization on Earth.

The Immortal Edges Market in the South Sea City was a gathering place for cultivators.

Chen Jing's destination was the Immortal Edges Market.

As soon as he entered the market, it was bustling with people, all wearing robes, mostly cultivators of the Later Heaven stage, many of whom were beyond the fourth level. There were also many cultivators of the Innate stage, and each time one appeared, their presence was overwhelming, causing the surrounding people to automatically disperse. These innate cultivators would walk forward with pride, receiving envious and reverent gazes from the crowd.

"Hey, buddy, where are you going? Need a ride on a deer-horse?"

A simple-looking man approached Zhu Yu to strike up a conversation.

Behind him was a very strong-looking spirit beast, part horse and part deer, snorting and occasionally nudging his back, showing a close relationship.

"To the Xingu Pavilion, how much?" Zhu Yu asked, very interested. The street was crowded, and he was getting dizzy. Having a guide would certainly improve efficiency.

"Two low-grade crystals, guaranteed delivery!" the simple man grinned.

"Alright, deal, let's go now!" Zhu Yu said decisively.

Mounting the deer-horse, it was his first time riding one. Initially, he was nervous, but once he sat down, it felt like walking on flat ground, very comfortable, and his mood relaxed.

The simple man was very talkative, constantly engaging Zhu Yu in conversation. He was also a cultivator, at the second level of Body Cultivation, having practiced for thirty years to reach this level.

Seeing no hope of advancing on the path of cultivation, he decided to make a living by renting out deer-horses. He could earn over a hundred crystals a day, enough to support his family and raise his children.

There were many cultivators like him, all over the streets.

Cultivation was like this: defying the heavens, only those with extraordinary talent and will could do it.

If one generation failed, they would pin their hopes on the next, hoping their children would surpass them. The simple man spent the entire journey boasting about his son's talent and promising future, who had already entered the South Sea Cultivation Class.

If he could pass the annual trial, he would become a formal disciple of the academy next year and would have a brighter future than his father.

Zhu Yu listened with a mix of admiration and amusement. The desire for one's children to succeed was a universal human trait, whether on Earth or in the Huaxia world.

Zhu Yu wanted to say that entering the South Sea Cultivation Academy was not a paradise. Junior disciples still lived in darkness, with a bleak future. Unless one had extraordinary talent or extraordinary luck to be taken under a master's wing, the path of cultivation was just a dream.

The conversation was mostly one-sided, with the simple man doing most of the talking, and Zhu Yu listening with a smile.

He also heard many rumors about the cultivation world, such as conflicts between major sects, the fall of certain Void Realm experts, and the number of innate cultivators who had fallen from certain sects.

As they chatted, the crowd around them suddenly became noisy.

Someone shouted in surprise, and everyone looked up at the sky.

Zhu Yu was taken aback and looked up. He saw a huge flower boat slowly descending from the clouds.

The flower boat was covered in a myriad of colorful flowers and plants, with magical light shimmering and flowing, casting a dazzling glow that illuminated the entire street.

Zhu Yu's mouth dropped open. This was the first time he had seen such a grand scene. This flower boat was a massive flying talisman treasure. Who could be so grand?

"The Ten Thousand Flower Fairy! The Thousand Faith Sect's Ten Thousand Flower Fairy has arrived in the South Sea. The Thousand Faith Sect is making a big move in the South Sea!" the simple man muttered, his eyes fixed on the sky, filled with extreme admiration and reverence.

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