After five days, Du Xinghe once again boarded a Flying Ship, arriving at the central region of Pingyun Continent—
Yanjing County in Jingzhou, the northernmost territory of the Great Xuan Dynasty.
Before possessing strength sufficient to rival her former sect, Du Xinghe had no desire to encounter old acquaintances. This place was far from the Nine Yang Sect, with most cultivators being either rogue practitioners, disciples from the nearby Li Zong Sect, or members of the Xuan Dynasty.
As the sole immortal dynasty on Pingyun Continent, the imperial city was a place where cultivators and mortals coexisted, both subject to government regulations. At the very least, they had to follow the rules publicly, with no random duels or injuries permitted. In the Xuan Dynasty, besides passing imperial examinations, officials needed to be at least Foundation Establishment cultivators to enter government service. There were no sects here; instead, they were replaced by cultivation families with centuries-old legacies.
As soon as the Flying Ship docked, personnel in blue official robes holding jade registers came forward to record the cultivators entering the city.
There weren’t many cultivators disembarking this time. Du Xinghe was third in line. After she reported her name and cultivation level, the official asked, “Might I ask your purpose for visiting Yanjing County?”
It sounded like going through customs.
“Just came out from a Luminous-grade Secret Realm. I have some Spirit Herbs I want to sell, and I plan to resupply in Yanjing County.”
Du Xinghe answered truthfully.
The official asked a few more routine questions before having her wait nearby.
Other cultivators received the same treatment regardless of their cultivation level.
In what seemed like no time, ten carriages descended from a small Flying Ship landing nearby, led by Xuan Dynasty officials in red robes into the city. As Du Xinghe looked over, a delicate pale hand lifted the curtain from the third last carriage to peer outside, meeting her gaze directly.
Those beautiful eyes stared blankly at the people outside.
When the girl saw Du Xinghe, a trace of envy and longing rose in her eyes.
But the next second, the curtain was pulled back into place by someone, blocking everyone’s view.
After the carriage procession entered the city, the blue-robed officials invited Du Xinghe and the others inside.
“Such grand airs. Who are these important figures?”
A late Foundation Establishment cultivator asked curiously.
A companion laughed: “This must be your first time in the Great Xuan Dynasty! Today marks the quinquennial imperial selection. Look at the Xuan imperial clan emblem on that Flying Ship—those carriages likely carry girls being presented to the Emperor. They’re just resting here for two days. Rumor has it one of them is a promising talent with a Water Spiritual Root. What a pity.”
“Combining Water Spiritual Root with Single Spiritual Root has a high chance of producing genius offspring. Why wouldn’t any family keep such a girl to attract a live-in son-in-law? Sending her to the palace is such waste. Those cultivation families guard their resources and talents more preciously than their own eyeballs. Would they really be willing to send her to the palace?Water Spiritual Root made for perfect Cauldron quality, regardless of gender—a mixed blessing.
Female Water Spiritual Root cultivators born into cultivation families had it better, often kept to attract sons-in-law and strengthen family lines. Male Water Spiritual Root cultivators couldn’t bear children, and many had mysteriously vanished across Pingyun Continent, widely assumed to have been captured and drained dry by more powerful beings.
“Who knows? Maybe the Xuan Dynasty issued an order… After all, where are the powerful families near Yanjing County? Probably some minor household discovered their daughter had Water Spiritual Root. After weighing their options, they decided they couldn’t protect her and chose to offer her to the palace to gain merit and generous rewards.”
After listening to other cultivators’ gossip, Du Xinghe finally retrieved relevant memories from the original host.
An immortal dynasty!
The imperial clan of the Xuan Dynasty is the most powerful cultivation family, nurtured by the entire nation’s resources.
The System popped up: 【This is the perfect opportunity for the host to enter the palace through the selection process and get the strategy back on track!】
“What kind of proper path is it to have a Water Spiritual Root capable of cultivation enter the palace as a concubine?”
Du Xinghe paid no heed.
As soon as she stepped into the county, someone eagerly approached her:
“Esteemed cultivator, is this your first time in Yanjing County? Do you need a guide?”
She looked closely and saw a young girl who barely reached her waist, along with six other children of similar age approaching other cultivators, hoping for some reward. She said, “I’m here to sell things and don’t have extra spirit stones—just one Low-Grade Spirit Stone.”
In truth, after purchasing the Flying Ship ticket, Du Xinghe still had sixty Low-Grade Spirit Stones left.
But this is how street transactions begin.
The girl readily agreed to the deal: “It’s my honor to guide you, esteemed cultivator. Where would you like to go?”
“I need to go somewhere that buys and sells medicinal herbs.”
After a moment’s thought, the girl led Du Xinghe to Miaoshou House.
According to the girl, this was the only medicinal hall in the county. The shopkeeper’s face lit up at the sight of the Mind-Calming Grass, and he told Du Xinghe: “Many types of elixir pills require Mind-Calming Grass, and I’m always short of it. If you have more in the future, you can bring them here. I’ll buy all the Mind-Calming Grass you have.”
Du Xinghe asked curiously: “I only know that Mind-Calming Grass has calming and soothing effects. Does it have other uses?”
“No matter what kind of pill you’re refining, adding one stalk of Mind-Calming Grass during the process makes the medicinal properties more gentle and stable.”
The shopkeeper explained with a smile while counting out the price for the Mind-Calming Grass:
“Total comes to six hundred seventy-one Low-Grade Spirit Stones. I can’t exchange for medium-grade ones here—you can go to the Merchant Guild for that. By the way, weren’t you asking earlier where to sell other materials? The Merchant Guild buys anything valuable at fair prices, though they charge some service fees.”
“The Merchant Guild has an outpost in Yanjing County too?”
Du Xinghe was familiar with the Merchant Guild.
The Flying Ships capable of traveling between different continental plates were established along the Guild’s routes. It was an alliance formed by various wealthy families and financial groups. The fact that the Xuan Dynasty and major sects could only coexist peacefully with them wasn’t just due to wealth—it was because of the powerful guardians backing the Guild.
Moreover, even if cultivators focus entirely on cultivation, someone still needs to handle mundane affairs.
The Merchant Guild emerged to meet the needs of both cultivators and mortals, growing into a colossal entity that couldn’t be easily shaken.
She just hadn’t expected this small border county near the Xuan Dynasty to have a Guild outpost.
“Our location is rather remote and poor, but there’s a Candle-Ranked Secret Realm just five hundred li away. Many cultivators choose to rest and prepare here in our county.”
After receiving the spirit stones, Du Xinghe followed the girl’s directions to the Merchant Guild outpost.
“That most magnificent mansion is the Guild outpost. Mortals can’t enter without a token, so I can only take you this far. If you need anything else, esteemed cultivator, I’ll be waiting outside.”
The girl nervously clutched her clothes.
The price of a single Low-Grade Spirit Stone truly wasn’t high, but street children were like ants in the eyes of cultivators. The girl didn’t even dare urge Du Xinghe to release her so she could hurry to wait for the next customer. Seeing the girl’s diligence, Du Xinghe fished three spirit stones from her low-grade storage bag and placed them in the girl’s hand: “Go back now. The extra is for you to buy some meat.”
“Many thanks, Immortal!”
The girl’s face lit up with joy. She accepted the spirit stones and performed an awkward farewell bow before leaving.
Afterward, Du Xinghe stepped into the merchant guild’s estate.
Two stone Qilin statues flanked the entrance. As she passed between them, she could feel herself crossing an invisible barrier that kept ordinary mortals out. Many cultivators, believing in the distinction between immortals and mortals, preferred not to share spaces with common folk. She entered an enormous reception hall, lavishly decorated in a manner unbefitting a remote small town.
The floor wasn’t made of jade but of crystal-clear water glass.
Beneath it flowed a babbling stream, where plump crimson-gold koi swam among lush, picturesque lotus and algae. Green bamboo-bead curtains hung by the doors and windows, beautiful as a crystal palace.
As Du Xinghe approached the counter, the female cultivator receptionist greeted her with a warm smile: “What can I assist you with, Fellow Daoist?”
“I’ve just returned from a Luminous-grade Secret Realm and wish to sell some items.”
The receptionist, at the late Foundation Establishment stage, could tell this customer had only recently achieved Foundation Establishment, her aura still weak. She likely had nothing valuable to offer. Nonetheless, out of professional courtesy, the receptionist maintained a uniformly friendly smile: “Please present your items. If we encounter rare materials we cannot identify, I’ll request a superior for a secondary inspection. Also, any materials valued over ten mid-grade spirit stones will require a brief wait.”
Du Xinghe placed her backpack on the counter, along with a low-grade storage bag.
She emptied the backpack’s contents. The most valuable item was two-thirds of a shadow wolf carcass—Ning Lin had sampled it, found it unappealing, and left her with a half-eaten corpse. As the wolf pelt was spread out, the residual ferocity of the Core Formation-stage beast made the receptionist instinctively step back.
The receptionist couldn’t fathom how the wounds on the shadow wolf—resembling savage bite marks—could have been inflicted by Du Xinghe’s sword.
“A shadow wolf of this size… you must have struggled greatly to slay it, Fellow Daoist?”
The receptionist exclaimed in awe.
Shadow wolves were immortal beasts in Luminous-grade Secret Realms, notorious as “newbie killers.” They could lurk within shadows, adept at concealing their presence, often tripping up novice cultivators whose combat instincts were still rooted in turn-based, face-to-face confrontations. After all, beasts didn’t adhere to martial virtue or fairness!
Those who could easily handle them typically exceeded the Core Formation stage and couldn’t enter Luminous-grade Secret Realms.
Yet, avoiding them was simple—a single Illumination Art sufficed.
Du Xinghe: “Indeed, the scene was quite bloody.”
Ning Lin had bitten straight into the shadow wolf’s major artery, splattering blood all over her face.
Also emptied out were remains of deep-layer immortal beasts from the Luminous-grade Secret Realm, each one not easily handled by an early Foundation Establishment cultivator…
The receptionist grew increasingly astonished.
It seemed this female cultivator had slaughtered her way through the entire Luminous-grade Secret Realm!
She no longer dared to underestimate Du Xinghe, her eyes gleaming as she stared at the immortal beast carcasses. She took out a magic artifact from the drawer and released a red beam to scan them: “What a pity. If they were preserved intact, they would fetch a higher price.”
Du Xinghe couldn’t help it either.
After all, her little ones had two heads—Ye Qi ate first, and Ning Lin had to taste it too. With just a couple of bites, they’d gnawed them crippled.
The front desk clerk asked, “Anything else?”
Du Xinghe emptied everything from her low-grade storage bag.
In the blink of an eye, a small mountain of materials piled up in front of the counter.
“This…”
The clerk was dumbfounded.
For Du Xinghe, who had [Glimpse the Emperor’s Shadow] acting as her guide in the cave, heavenly treasures were scattered all over the place for her to take as she pleased. But for ordinary cultivators, it was a completely different story! One could say they treaded cautiously, trembling with fear at every step.
Seeing this scene, the other cultivators in the hall were also startled.
The clerk couldn’t help but wonder…
Did you go to the secret realm just to stock up on goods???
“It looks like a lot because I’m a rogue cultivator. I don’t have to share with anyone, so everything I get is mine,” Du Xinghe reassured.
“You’re a rogue cultivator?”
The clerk was even more astonished.
In the eyes of cultivators, rogue cultivators without sect backing were pitiful souls with insufficient talent.
And what kind of fool would let go of a genius who could slaughter her way through a secret realm before even turning twenty?
A cultivator conducting a transaction nearby couldn’t hold back. He squeezed over and said, “Fellow Daoist, I’m from the Li Zong Sect. Why haven’t you joined a sect? With your talent, you’d at least be treated as an inner disciple.”
“It’s a long story,” Du Xinghe smiled.
Seeing this, he nodded understandingly, “In that case, I won’t pry further! However, six days from now is our sect’s outer disciple recruitment day. If you’re interested, Fellow Daoist, you can visit Nine Candle Mountain. It’s not far—just 300 li southwest after leaving the county.”
“Then I thank you, Fellow Daoist,” Du Xinghe cupped her hands in gratitude.
The clerk took considerable effort to tally all the items she wanted to sell.
In the end, he offered a high price of seventy mid-grade spirit stones and sixty low-grade spirit stones, with the odd amount deducted as a handling fee. The fee wasn’t low, but most cultivators didn’t have time to sell to each merchant individually. What they saved was precious cultivation time: “Fellow Daoist, would you like to exchange fifteen low-grade spirit stones for a Spirit Crystal Card? Then you won’t have to carry spirit stones around—you can use the card for transactions.”
The clerk promoted.
Du Xinghe instantly understood—wasn’t this just a bank card?!
But her savings were so meager it really wasn’t necessary, so she declined the merchant guild clerk’s offer: “Are there any cave dwellings available for rent nearby?”
The most convenient option would undoubtedly be a mustard seed cave dwelling—just place it anywhere and you can enter to cultivate.
The only drawback is the cost.
Du Xinghe couldn’t afford one, and she couldn’t enter those belonging to sects, so she could only see if any were available for rent.
Cultivating in a mortal inn was far too dangerous.
“Fellow Daoist, you’ve asked at the perfect time. The merchant guild has cave dwellings available for rent,” the clerk’s mind stirred, and a water screen materialized between them, displaying the guild’s nearby cave dwellings. However, at a glance, even the cheapest cost a hundred mid-grade spirit stones per year.
The materials from the Luminous-grade Secret Realm were still a bit short of supporting her independence.
Du Xinghe asked, “Are there any cheaper ones?”
“Cheaper ones…”
The clerk looked troubled as he scrolled down.
The image in the water screen showed that the cheapest cave dwelling was indeed just a mountain cave.
Du Xinghe asked, “How is this any different from me randomly finding a mountain to cultivate in?”
“The cave dwellings under the Chamber’s name all come with guaranteed spiritual energy. Additionally, they provide safety barriers that Golden Core cultivators and below cannot break through, helping cultivators avoid disturbances. If anyone above Golden Core forcefully enters, it will trigger an alarm, and our Chamber will dispatch cultivators…”
“To rescue me?”
“We offer very comprehensive funeral services.”
“…”
After all, the price was right there—they couldn’t afford to hire experts above Golden Core to avenge tenants.
After weighing the options, Du Xinghe felt the services provided by the Chamber weren’t cost-effective at all.
For security during closed-door cultivation, she had the Qilin to handle it.
And if she gave more bananas to the macaques on the mountain, they could also collect her body.
Two chapters combined into one!