Chapter 73

Regarding his knowledge of the cultivation world, apart from Taiheng Sect and Lan Du Pavilion, Gu Xuyao truly knew nothing. The senior in the tomb left behind the inner pearl of the Heavenly Evil Pearl, as well as a complete set of the Eternal Word Technique, but did not leave a map.

"Hey, little brother, what's your name? Looking at your tattered clothes, you must be an independent cultivator, right?"

At this moment, Gu Xuyao was sitting on a flying boat, heading to a place he had never heard of called Meteor City. From the conversations of other cultivators, he learned that cities of cultivators also varied in size. Qingqi City, where Lan Du Pavilion was located, was a large city that could accommodate up to 100,000 cultivators. The destination, Meteor City, although also under the jurisdiction of Lan Du Pavilion, was only a small city with a maximum capacity of 30,000 people.

"I am Gu Xuyao, indeed an independent cultivator. I was recently robbed, which is why I am in such a sorry state."

After the battle at Taiheng Sect, there was not a single piece of intact fabric left on Gu Xuyao's body. Now, he looked more like a beggar.

After wandering aimlessly for a few days, Gu Xuyao noticed that there were often corpses of cultivators on the ground. His hunter's instincts warned him that this world was not safe. So, he carefully observed and found that solitary cultivators were often killed by others, who would take everything they had and leave their bodies in the wilderness.

Given that the destruction of Taiheng Sect had surely spread throughout the region, Gu Xuyao, for his own safety, pretended to be a poor independent cultivator who had narrowly escaped a robbery.

This way, he managed to trick his way onto a flying boat heading to Meteor City.

Meteor City was actually a city built around Feihuo Sect, and the flying boat also belonged to Feihuo Sect. From others, he learned that these sects with their own cities were the core of a higher organization and did not participate in competitions but had to follow the orders of Lan Du Pavilion. Therefore, Gu Xuyao could not reveal his identity; he knew that he could no longer wear his former white robe.

"Ah, little brother, you're lucky. A few days ago, one of my fellow cultivators was robbed by three cultivators of the same level. It was a terrible scene..."

When the topic turned to robbery, the people on the flying boat had endless things to say. Gu Xuyao listened with great interest, not caring whether it was true or not. Every bit of information was valuable, and now he had to rely on himself to get familiar with the cultivation world.

After leaving his sect and acting on his own, Gu Xuyao realized that the cultivation world was not just about formal sects. There were many organizations of various sizes, and cultivators were divided into three types: independent cultivators, sect cultivators, and organization cultivators. The first two types were self-explanatory, but organization cultivators mostly engaged in activities that sect cultivators looked down upon, such as robbing sect cultivators.

It must be said that Gu Xuyao's luck was indeed good. The flying boat he was on was returning from a mission for Feihuo Sect. The cultivator piloting the boat was named Chu Mo, who was quiet and never participated in discussions. However, all the cultivators on the boat, except for two other Feihuo Sect disciples, had been rescued by Chu Mo's orders.

While chatting, Gu Xuyao would occasionally steal glances at Chu Mo, who always sat at the bow of the boat, looking into the distance, lost in thought.

As the days passed, on the seventh sunset since Gu Xuyao boarded the boat, everyone's conversation came to an end. The horizon finally revealed the uneven outline of Meteor City, the home of Feihuo Sect.

When it was completely dark, they finally arrived at Meteor City, a place completely different from the north of Taiheng Sect.

"You can rest for the night in the temporary lodgings prepared by Feihuo Sect. Tomorrow, you must leave and find your own way in the city. We can only help you this far."

With a simple sentence, the cultivator pointed to a place filled with dilapidated huts and pushed Gu Xuyao and the others off the boat.

Gu Xuyao was the last to board the boat and the last to disembark. As he passed Chu Mo, he bowed and thanked him sincerely.

This gesture surprised Chu Mo, who took a while to react and softly replied, "Mm."

The house arranged by Feihuo Sect had a strong musty smell, but this was not a big deal for cultivators. Gu Xuyao found a hut and entered, sitting cross-legged to meditate.

Since obtaining the Eternal Word Technique and cultivation insights from the tomb, Gu Xuyao had memorized the content thoroughly and then destroyed the paper book. The inner pearl of the Heavenly Evil Pearl was always kept at his waist. Although the gourd was convenient, who would believe he had been robbed if he carried it?

Speaking of the Eternal Word Technique, it must be said that the previous senior had thought far ahead. Why not leave the complete technique to future generations but take it to the grave? After reading the technique, Gu Xuyao understood that this was a strategy of concealment. The complete Eternal Word Technique was very powerful and included complete techniques of other Dao methods, such as the sixth roar of the Thunder Roar Five and deeper cultivation methods of the Heavenly Fire Essence Technique.

All of this was to prevent Taiheng Sect from becoming too powerful. The incident of seizing the Heavenly Evil Pearl was too shocking, and only by keeping a low profile could the sect survive. The senior wanted to ensure that as long as the sect remained, everything would be fine. Therefore, he had passed on a mutilated version of the technique to future generations.

Thinking of the senior's painstaking efforts, Gu Xuyao trained even harder, hoping to rebuild Taiheng Sect in the future. According to the cultivation insights, at the first level of the Root Birth Realm, there were no shortcuts except for consuming large amounts of cultivation pills to strengthen the immortal root, preparing for the challenges of the Source Transformation Realm. The theme of this realm was continuously refining the immortal root.

This process was very simple, just continuously controlling essence energy to hone the immortal root. To Gu Xuyao, it felt like a tickle, but it was a process of accumulating strength for the immortal root.

The night passed unnoticed in cultivation, and a new day arrived. Gu Xuyao opened his eyes and felt the sun already high in the sky.

Stepping out of the hut, no one came to drive them away. Cultivators from other huts also emerged, stretching and silently heading into the city.

The layout of Meteor City was similar to Qingqi City, just smaller. These huts were located at the corner of the inner wall of Meteor City.

Compared to the bustling Qingqi City, Meteor City felt more simple. Walking down the street, there were all kinds of shops on both sides, but they lacked the luxury of Qingqi City.

"Hey, young man, looking at your tattered clothes, come in quickly. We have all kinds of beautiful clothes here."

As he walked, a middle-aged woman called out to Gu Xuyao. He glanced at her; she was at the first level of the Root Birth Realm. Looking at his own attire, it was indeed quite tattered.

Following her into the shop, it was indeed as she said, with various styles and colors of clothes.

"Young man, this is the latest black robe made by our Miss Su. Would you like to try it on? Let me tell you, Miss Su is the best talisman master in Meteor City. This robe is enchanted with a toughness talisman, guaranteed to withstand the attack of a first-grade treasure!"

The middle-aged woman introduced while pointing to a black robe.

Black, once Gu Xuyao had hated that black outfit, but today, wearing it would be fine.

However, it was a pity that in the Red Clay District, Gu Xuyao knew that everything required essence stones. Previously, they used "grains," but now, with such a powerful robe, it would likely cost "blocks."

Gu Xuyao waved his hand.

"Sorry, I am just a poor independent cultivator who has just been robbed. I can't afford such things. Could you tell me where I can earn essence stones in Meteor City?"

The middle-aged woman's smile immediately froze, and she even cursed a few times.

"Go away, you beggar. Get out, you're bad luck."

Gu Xuyao said nothing, nodded, and turned to leave.

But just as Gu Xuyao stepped out of the door, three burly cultivators suddenly burst in.

"Su Yun, Su Yun, where are you? Come out quickly!" The small shop had flimsy wooden doors, and the three men were forcefully knocking on them.

A quick scan revealed that all three were at the first level of the Root Birth Realm. In Meteor City, even thugs had the same cultivation level as Gu Xuyao.

"Big brothers, didn't I give each of you a set of clothes yesterday? Why today..."

The middle-aged woman immediately put on a smile when she saw these three men.

The leader glanced at the middle-aged woman.

"Shut up. I told you to call Su Yun out. Can't you hear me? Do you think a few clothes can get rid of us? If Su Yun doesn't agree to go drinking with me at the Drunken Hall today, we'll stay here all day!" Saying this, the thug leader threw the three sets of clothes on the ground.

Seeing this, Gu Xuyao knew there would be a show. Not knowing where to go, he stood by the shop to watch.

"Big brothers, our Miss Su only makes clothes and never goes to such places. Please leave. If you want to find a partner, you can go to the Heavenly Maiden Tower..."

The middle-aged woman, lacking cultivation, and the three men, not being easy to deal with, had no choice but to compromise.

The leader was about to explode when the sound of footsteps coming down the stairs was heard.

"Forget it, Aunt Xu, don't waste your breath on these people. With their cultivation and talent, how could they be chosen at the Heavenly Maiden Tower?"

As the voice reached Gu Xuyao's ears, a figure in white slowly descended the stairs.