Chapter 26: Careful Sailing Ensures a Long Voyage

After realizing the man was an old demon, the innkeeper no longer dared to insist on grinding the black cloak in person. After placing it down, he left the elegant room.

Ding Hao then untied the black cloak and, seeing the eight bowls of spirit rice in front of him, his eyes lit up!

"City Lord Ling scolds me for not cultivating, but how could he know that my Star Absorption Technique is far different from ordinary cultivation methods! As long as there are enough resources, my cultivation speed is simply insane!"

"Prince Xiaowang, Ding Juncai, you bunch of dirt and straw, do you think you can compete with me?"

"Star Absorption Technique, Absorb!"

As Ding Hao crazily absorbed the spirit rice bowl by bowl, in the kitchen downstairs of the inn:

"Boss, that black-cloaked man is really rich, just casually grabbing a handful of spirit stones." The waiter, who had been respectful upstairs, now had a sinister look in his eyes.

How many of the shops outside the border village were not black shops?

Even if they were not originally black shops, they learned to rob and kill from others!

As they put it, how could they make money without running a black shop?

However, the boss hesitated this time, "Although his voice is young, his actions are decisive; he speaks little, but always hits the point, and he calls himself an old man..."

The waiter said, "But if he were really a powerful figure, why would he wear a black cloak? The old demons I've seen are all afraid that others won't know."

The boss sneered, "You know nothing. Many old demons are very strange, and besides, I once saw disciples from the Nine Provinces Academy practicing and slaying demons, and they sometimes wear black cloaks too!"

Hearing this, the waiter dared not act rashly and gritted his teeth, "I can guarantee that this man has at least a hundred spirit stones on him!"

The boss said, "What can we do? Careful sailing ensures a long voyage! We are different from professional robbers; we still have a shop. Only those who are definitely rich can be targeted! Besides, the patrol soldiers are upstairs, how can we make a move?"

"Ah, forget it!"

...

"The first layer has dissolved!"

Ding Hao noticed that it took about three bowls of spirit rice to dissolve the first layer, successfully entering the Second Stage of Innate!

"Unbelievable, there's no difficulty in advancing, let's continue!"

After another hour, Ding Hao absorbed six more bowls of spirit rice, and the second layer was completely dissolved! Imagine how Ding Juncai, who practiced every day, had not yet fully dissolved the second layer, while Ding Hao only spent an afternoon to reach the Third Stage of Innate!

After reaching the Third Stage of Innate, a small pool of water formed below the original dan in his dantian.

Although the amount of spirit energy water was not much, it was all the spirit energy that Ding Hao had refined!

Before, he could only use the residual spirit energy in his meridians, and once he punched, it was gone. But now, with this pool of spirit energy, he felt a continuous and inexhaustible flow!

"Too powerful, at the Third Stage of Innate, with this spirit energy, I can cultivate the Nine-Fold Fire Palm!" Ding Hao's eyes shone with surprise.

At this moment, a voice came from the next room.

"Drunk enough, can't drink anymore."

"Enough, enough, full and satisfied..."

Ding Hao thought to himself, "Not good, these soldiers are full and satisfied, they're about to leave."

He was bold enough to ask for eight more bowls after the first two because he was relying on the presence of the soldiers. If these soldiers left, the innkeeper and the waiter might have some ideas. There was no protection from the Will of Heaven here, and if someone was killed in the shop, who would know?

Thinking of this, Ding Hao quickly stood up, poured the remaining small bowl of spirit rice into his storage bag, put on the black cloak, and rushed out the door.

"Waiter, next time, prepare more spirit rice for me!"

Before leaving, Ding Hao left a thought for this place, though he actually thought he would never come back!

The innkeeper saw him go downstairs and hurriedly came forward, "Certainly, certainly, within seven days."

"I'll come back in seven days."

"Alright, how much do you want to reserve?"

"The more, the better!" Ding Hao laughed to himself, since no deposit was required, he could say more.

The more generous he appeared, the more the innkeeper and the waiter feared him, and they might even have a侥幸心理, "Maybe next time we can make a move..."

Just then, Zhou Genwei and the patrol soldiers came down from behind. The innkeeper went to attend to Zhou Genwei, and Ding Hao took the opportunity to slip out the door.

After leaving, Ding Hao headed straight for the inner area. Before entering, he hesitated for a moment, fearing that the Will of Heaven would sound the alarm.

However, that small bowl of spirit rice did not reach the quantity that would trigger the Will of Heaven, so there was no alarm.

Entering the Will of Heaven system, he felt relieved, "Safe now."

With the protection of the blessing from the fairy, he felt completely safe.

The First Stage of Innate was almost powerless, yet he had managed to travel in the dangerous outer area without any unexpected losses, and even exchanged for spirit stones, bought spirit rice, and advanced his cultivation to the Third Stage of Innate. This was nothing short of a miracle.

Although Ding Hao's actions were risky, he was also cautious, otherwise, he would have been devoured to the bone long ago.

Inside the Will of Heaven system, Ding Hao became bolder. He walked to a shady spot and was about to take off his black cloak.

At that moment, unexpectedly, a yellow figure flashed by, and a large yellow dog suddenly rushed out.

Although this large yellow dog was not a valuable breed, it was tall and had a bright, golden coat. Its eyes were lively, almost like human eyes.

Ding Hao exclaimed in surprise, "Big Yellow, how did you follow me?"

When he left Wuzhou City, he left quietly and took a carriage. The carriage took a whole day to reach the border village, and he didn't expect Big Yellow to follow him here based on the residual scent along the way!

"Good boy, Big Yellow." Ding Hao patted Big Yellow's head and put the black cloak into the storage bag.

Having Big Yellow around was certainly beneficial. Big Yellow, who had long been in perfect stillness, had extremely strong mental and olfactory abilities, surpassing many spirit beasts. With Big Yellow, he could anticipate danger in advance. Moreover, Big Yellow also had some combat capabilities and could achieve great feats when needed.

However, having Big Yellow follow him also had its drawbacks. If Ding Hao wore the black cloak and Big Yellow always followed him, wouldn't it be the same whether he wore the black cloak or not?

"Looks like I need to get a larger storage bag."

There were also shops in the Will of Heaven system, and they were much more regulated compared to the black shops outside the border.

Ding Hao walked into a shop and said directly, "Give me a medium-grade storage bag."

Storage bags were essential items in the Nine Provinces world. When traveling, who wouldn't need to carry things? The quality of a storage bag depended on the size of its internal space. Storage bags were made by cultivators of spatial-type immortal roots, which were very rare, so the price was not cheap.

Moreover, the black cloak Ding Hao had previously worn was also made by a cultivator of spatial-type immortal roots.

The waiter said, "Please wait a moment," and then took out a storage bag, "Young master, a medium-grade storage bag, one spirit stone."

Ding Hao was surprised, "So expensive, how much does a low-grade storage bag cost?"

The waiter said, "A low-grade storage bag is worth a hundred to a thousand silver taels, and it doesn't even cost a thousand."

Ding Hao asked curiously, "Why is a medium-grade storage bag so much more expensive?"

The waiter said, "There are many people who can make low-grade storage bags, but those who can make medium-grade storage bags are all experts in spatial-type immortal roots. These people are strong, and if their storage bags can't sell for one spirit stone, they won't make them."

"Ah, I see, the situation with storage bags is similar to that of medium-grade elixirs."

The waiter smiled, "Young master, you're right. High-grade mortal elixirs and high-grade storage bags are rare and hard to come by. Only when you become an Immortal Master, and your divine sense can extend outward, can you use a spirit treasure bag, which is both cheap and useful."

In this world, everyone admired strength, and the waiter's eyes were filled with hope when he mentioned the Immortal Master.

Ding Hao threw a spirit stone and took the medium-grade storage bag. He reached in and felt that the space was indeed much larger.

"The original storage bag was about one cubic meter, and this one is three cubic meters, which should be enough."

Thinking of this, Ding Hao called out, and Big Yellow jumped into the storage bag, disappearing from sight.

Storage bags could not be stacked, and Ding Hao did not want to transfer items in public, so he left the shop with two storage bags hanging from his waist.

When he came out, the sky was already starting to darken. Ding Hao had unknowingly spent a whole day in the border village.

Ding Hao looked into the distance, the sky was turning gray, and the Will of Heaven system seemed like a beautiful layer of gauze.

"This day passed so quickly."

By evening, finding a place to stay was necessary.

By the time Ding Hao realized this, it was already difficult to find an inn.

Many people in the border village did business, but they all feared encountering black shops, so they would book a place to stay in the inner area early. No one dared to stay in the inns outside the border.

Ding Hao did not know this, and when he wanted to find an inn, he could not find one.

"Our inn provides 24-hour service, with a minimum consumption of a thousand silver taels."

There were also some inns where you could order some dishes, sit and drink, and spend the night, which was a safe and economical method.

"Although the inn is cheap, I want to practice the Nine-Fold Fire Palm. How can I practice in an inn?"

Thinking of this, Ding Hao continued to wander around the village. Suddenly, a young man called out, "Young master, are you looking for a place to stay?"

Ding Hao stopped and his expression changed. The young man had a dark complexion, looking like a farmer, but his voice was clear and pleasant.

"What's the matter, brother?" Ding Hao asked cautiously.

The dark-skinned young man smiled, "It's like this, I rented a small courtyard from a villager, originally to share with a few companions. Unfortunately, they were delayed and couldn't come tonight. The rent for this small courtyard is too expensive, so I'm looking for one or two friends to share the cost."

Although Ding Hao needed a place to stay, he did not dare to be careless and asked, "There are many people passing by, why did you call me?"

The dark-skinned young man smiled, "Young master, you looked at the signs in front of several inns, so you must be looking for a place to stay. But you didn't go in, so I guess the inns are not what you want. And you have two storage bags hanging from your waist, so you must have some capital, which is why I called you."