The Profound Celestial Sect, the top Immortal Sect in Da Hong State, recruits disciples on the ninth day of the ninth month every year.
Only geniuses are accepted, and they must pass three great trials set by the Immortal Sect to qualify for entry.
Changyufeng, an elder of the Corpse-Driving Sect, ventured deep into a forbidden land and never returned.
The Sect Leader personally led a group of experts to search for him, but they vanished without a trace.
The trial in Black Cloud Valley, held once every sixty years, will begin on a certain day of a certain month of a certain year.
Disciples from all major Immortal Sects will gather, and a brutal slaughter is sure to unfold.
This was a book of strange tales.
It not only detailed major events that had occurred in various Immortal Sects and the feuds and romances between the great sects, but it also contained brief introductions to legendary, extremely dangerous lands.
It was a colorful and varied collection, and Huang Yulang read it with great relish.
“Heh heh, since you enjoy reading it so much, young friend, why not rent it and take it back to a quiet place to read at your leisure?” an old woman leaning on a cane, her face full of wrinkles but her eyes kind, walked up to Huang Yulang and reminded him with a smile.
Huang Yulang snapped back to reality and looked at the old woman but couldn’t discern anything special about her.
However, she was clearly the manager of this shop, so Huang Yulang wouldn’t treat her as an ordinary old lady.
He gave her an apologetic bow.
“Thank you for the advice, madam.
May I ask how I can rent the books here?” The old woman gave a faint smile and held up one finger.
“A deposit of one hundred taels.
You can take any books here.
The rental fee is one tael of silver per day.
When you’re finished reading and bring them back, the deposit will be fully refunded.”
A deposit of one hundred taels was an absolutely exorbitant price in the secular world, and a rental fee of one tael of silver per day was also ridiculously expensive.
However, much of the content in these Ancient Texts couldn’t be compared to the fragmented legends and records found in the mortal realm.
Besides, he wasn’t short on silver.
Huang Yulang was decisive, directly taking out a hundred-tael silver note and handing it to the old woman.
“In that case, I will pay the deposit first.
How about we settle the full bill when I’m done reading?” The old woman nonchalantly tucked the silver into her sleeve and nodded amiably.
“Very well.” Huang Yulang didn’t hold back.
He gathered a large stack of books and then chuckled.
“No need to see me out, madam.
I’ll be taking my leave now.”
The woman smiled and nodded.
Huang Yulang then strode out of the shop, just in time to see Master Hu and Lin Mangfu walking out, shaking their heads and sighing.
They were a bit stunned to see Huang Yulang carrying such a pile of books and hurried over to help.
“Goodness, Fellow Daoist Huang, why are you carrying so many books?” Huang Yulang just smiled without explaining.
Seeing their downcast expressions, he asked in confusion,
“It’s nothing.
Weren’t you two off to trade for Elixirs?
Did something go wrong?” The two of them immediately put on long faces and said dejectedly,
“Sigh, nothing went wrong, exactly.
It’s just that the Spirit Medicines we gathered weren’t potent enough, so we couldn’t trade for many Elixirs.
We’re just a bit frustrated.” Huang Yulang smiled.
“I see.
You probably lack experience in appraising the age of the herbs.
Why not buy a book about various Spirit Medicines and study it carefully?
Then you’ll have a better idea in the future.” Master Hu nodded.
“Fellow Daoist Huang is absolutely right.
We really should study up.
In the future, we can’t just collect any Spirit Medicine we find.
It’s not only a hassle, but also a waste of time.” Lin Mangfu also nodded seriously.
Huang Yulang spotted a restaurant ahead and said with a smile,
“Come on, let me treat you two to a drink.
Consider it a thank you for bringing me here.” The two men naturally wouldn’t refuse and followed Huang Yulang into the restaurant.
A clerk immediately came forward to greet them with a cheerful smile.
“This way, valued guests.” Huang Yulang looked at him and said,
“Does this restaurant have guest rooms?”
“Yes, we do!
You three wish to lodge here as well?
Not a problem!
We have plenty of rooms and guarantee your satisfaction.” Master Hu, however, looked at Huang Yulang in confusion.
“Do you plan to stay in Fang Market for a few days, Fellow Daoist?” Huang Yulang nodded, patted the Ancient Texts in his hands, and said with a smile,
“My business isn’t urgent.
I plan to stay for a few more days and do some reading to relax.” The two nodded and smiled.
“I see.
Well, we won’t be staying.
We’ll just have a few drinks with you, Fellow Daoist, and then we must be on our way.” Huang Yulang nodded.
“Alright.
Then let this be a farewell drink for you two.” The three of them laughed and sat down.
The waiter quickly called for the kitchen to serve the dishes and personally carried the large stack of books upstairs.
As the three of them were drinking and talking, a middle-aged couple with worried expressions walked into the restaurant.
They found a random table and sat down.
The clerk enthusiastically went over to serve them.
Lin Mangfu seemed to recognize the couple and shot Huang Yulang a meaningful look.
Huang Yulang glanced at the couple and asked in a hushed voice,
“Fellow Daoist Lin, is there something unusual about them?” Master Hu also looked puzzled.
Lin Mangfu gave an awkward laugh and muttered in a low voice,
“You two may not know this, but that husband and wife are known as the Mandarin Duck Swords.
They’re incredibly formidable.
I once happened upon a battle between them and an expert from the Spirit Puppet Sect.
That Spirit Puppet Sect expert’s cultivation was clearly far higher than theirs, yet they joined forces and killed him.”
“Heh heh, the story caused quite a stir back then.
A Foundation Establishment elder from the Spirit Puppet Sect personally hunted them down for revenge.
And guess what happened?”
Hearing how formidable the couple was, Huang Yulang couldn’t help but steal another glance at them.
‘I wonder how they managed to escape the pursuit of a Foundation Establishment elder.’
“What happened?” Master Hu was shocked and couldn’t help but ask.
However, his voice was a little too loud, and the couple overheard him.
“Hmph.
The three of you are acting all sneaky.
You don’t look like good people.
What are you talking about?” The woman clearly had a bad temper.
Seeing the three of them muttering, she stood up and berated them.
Master Hu and Lin Mangfu were startled and immediately shut their mouths, not daring to say another word.
Huang Yulang also gave an awkward laugh and looked down, sipping his drink.
“Alright, Yu Mei, don’t cause any more trouble.”
The middle-aged man placed a hand on the woman’s shoulder and shook his head.
This place was under the protection of the “Three Friends,” and the man knew his limits.
He didn’t want to stir up any unnecessary incidents.
“Hmph.” The woman let out a hostile snort before sitting back down.
Having been caught gossiping about them, Lin Mangfu felt a little guilty.
After two more drinks, he made to leave.
Master Hu also gave an awkward laugh and left with him.
Huang Yulang shook his head.
‘Magical Combat is forbidden in Fang Market anyway, and I’m not planning to leave just yet, so there’s nothing to worry about.’ He went back to eating and drinking by himself.
“Tian, Elder Ling doesn’t want our things.
If we can’t get the Spirit Awakening Pill, I’m afraid our child will be doomed to live as a mortal.
What are we going to do?” The woman’s face was etched with anxiety.
The man could only sigh helplessly.
“Yu Mei, don’t worry.
Let me think of another way.
Tomorrow, we’ll go see Elder Ling again and find out what it would take for him to agree to a trade.” The woman could only nod lightly.
The two of them said no more and ate their meal in silence.
The couple didn’t deliberately lower their voices, which made Huang Yulang very curious.
‘What kind of incredible elixir is this Spirit Awakening Pill?
Could it really grant a mortal a Spiritual Root, allowing them to cultivate?’
Huang Yulang didn’t dwell on it.
After a hearty meal, he went upstairs to his room.
Although the current Huang Yulang possessed many of Yun Ji’s memories, he was still a complete rookie when it came to cultivation.
He was filled with a desperate thirst for knowledge about everything, from the bizarre and fantastical affairs of the cultivation world to this strange new world itself.
For the better part of a month, Huang Yulang didn’t leave his room.
Whenever he finished one batch of books, he would have the restaurant’s clerk go to the shop and exchange them for another.
Finally, he had read every book in the shop, though he still felt he hadn’t had his fill.
Through the books, Huang Yulang learned a great deal about this world.
The continent he was on was called the Three Thousand Dao States.
As for why it was called that, the books offered no explanation.
The Three Thousand Dao States were so vast that Huang Yulang couldn’t help but be astonished.
The region he was currently in, Da Hong State, was just one of them.
The land area of Da Hong State alone was probably no smaller than the Earth he had transmigrated from.
The name “Three Thousand Dao States” implied there were roughly three thousand regions like Da Hong State.
How could Huang Yulang not be profoundly shaken?
Across the Three Thousand Dao States were countless kingdoms of all sizes, but the true rulers were the Nine Great Dynasties.
The books only mentioned the Daqian Dynasty, of which the vast Da Hong State was merely a small corner.
The Nine Great Dynasties managed the various kingdoms and common people within their respective territories in the Three Thousand Dao States.
In addition, there were also the Ten Great Sacred Lands.
These were holy sites in the eyes of Cultivators.
Within the borders of the Daqian Dynasty, there was only one such ancient Holy Land, known as the Celestial Pool Sacred Land.
The Ten Great Sacred Lands were the Guardians of the Three Thousand Dao States.
Their origins were lost to time, and they commanded all the Cultivators in the world, none daring to disobey.
Mortals were the foundation of the Human Race.
To prevent some Cultivators from practicing Evil Skills, persecuting the common people at will, or engaging in Magical Combat indiscriminately and harming bystanders, the Ten Great Sacred Lands had also established the Inspection Department to oversee all Cultivators, with its agents spread throughout the Three Thousand Dao States.
Huang Yulang finally had a clear understanding of this so-called Inspection Department.
He secretly felt fortunate that he had never indiscriminately killed the innocent; otherwise, he would have been targeted by the experts of the Inspection Department sooner or later.
Furthermore, the Three Thousand Dao States were home to countless Immortal Sects and cultivator families of all sizes.
Da Hong State was located on the periphery, where the Spiritual Qi was thin.
The closer one got to the Nine Great Dynasties, the denser the Spiritual Qi became, and the more numerous and powerful the Cultivators were.
These Ancient Texts also recorded various great ominous lands and perilous places from Ancient Times scattered throughout the Three Thousand Dao States.
Even Da Hong State, where he was, had several such dangerous locations.
The previously mentioned Black Wind Valley was one of them.
There was also the Death Swamp, located about twenty to thirty thousand li from here, and Tongyou Valley, which suppressed Magical Power.
There were also many accounts of various Demon Fiends and monsters.
Rumor had it that there were other continents in this world besides the Three Thousand Dao States, but there were no clear records of them.
Huang Yulang’s horizons had been truly broadened by these Ancient Texts.
His resolve to seek immortality grew even firmer.
‘In such a splendid and varied world, wouldn’t it be a complete waste of my status as a Transmigrator if I didn’t see it all with my own eyes?’
Huang Yulang returned to the shop and settled his bill of silver taels with the old woman.
He hesitated for a moment before asking,
“I have a question about my cultivation, and I was hoping you could offer some guidance, Elder.” The old woman had a rather favorable impression of Huang Yulang and nodded slightly.
“To be honest with you, Elder, my talent is extremely poor.
My Wood Spiritual Root is unable to break through any further for the time being.
I want to supplement my training with another Spiritual Root, but I can’t seem to absorb any Spiritual Qi for it, no matter what I try.
Do you know of any way to solve this?”
The old woman gave Huang Yulang a surprised look, then smiled faintly.
“Your situation is quite common, young friend.
You can have someone else forcibly seal your Spiritual Energy Vortex.
You could also cultivate a corresponding Spiritual Energy Vortex Sealing Technique.
There are also Secret Techniques that use Heavenly and Earthly Treasures to open a second Dantian.
Each path depends on one’s own destiny.”