Going Shopping

However, Lin Xiao noticed that most of the people coming and going through the city gates were Qi Refining and Foundation Establishment cultivators. He did not see a single Core Formation cultivator. In fact, throughout the entire journey, he had not sensed one anywhere within the range of his divine sense.

Perhaps the spiritual energy here was not concentrated enough to attract cultivators of higher realms. Although the wood spiritual energy in this area was exceptionally docile and abundant, that abundance was only relative. Compared with the proper spiritual-energy gathering sites built atop spirit veins, it still fell short by quite a bit.

Lin Xiao felt that if Zhenyang City—which could sort out mixed spiritual energy and convert it into wood spiritual energy—managed to acquire a spirit vein, the city might become famous throughout the Xuanji Domain. It might even appear on the crude map of the Northern and Southern Spiritual Regions that circulated among cultivators.

Still, any sect capable of establishing itself in the cultivation world should, even without possessing an entire spirit vein, at least have usage rights to several nodes connected to one. He wondered whether the Zhenyang Sect simply did not have any, or whether it had chosen not to make them available to Zhenyang City.

The entrance fee here was much higher than in Yuanling City: twenty spirit stones per person.

No wonder so many low-level cultivators were unwilling to enter the city, preferring to loiter outside and take advantage of whatever they could. After paying the entrance fee, they would probably have little of their meager earnings left.

Putting on an expression of deep reluctance, Lin Xiao took out twenty spirit stones. The barrier at the city gate then allowed him through.

Once inside, he discovered that the city was considerably livelier than the area outside.

The cultivators who refused to pay the entrance fee were, after all, only a minority.

People streamed back and forth along the streets. However, because the branches and leaves overlapped overhead, sunlight could only filter through wherever it found a gap, leaving the entire interior somewhat dim.

Small, individual rooms could be seen everywhere along the streets.

The streets here were unlike those in ordinary cities. Perhaps because they had been formed from branches and leaves, they were all rather narrow.

There were hardly any spacious shops. Most establishments occupied only a few square meters, and many of the little houses had their doors firmly shut, making them look nothing like places of business.

Yet every one of them had a shop sign hanging outside, bearing names that sounded like proper storefronts, such as “Spirit Pill Workshop” and “Spirit Medicine Pavilion.” Though the shops themselves were tiny, their names made them sound grand enough.

Lin Xiao noticed that many of the small houses with closed doors had boards hanging outside, covered with numerous slips of paper. When he leaned closer to look, he found that most of them were orders for low-grade pills.

Each order had a lowest-grade voice transmission talisman attached to it. These talismans were extremely cheap, but their transmission range was very limited, and the recording could only be preserved for a short time. Usually, they held no more than one or two sentences before running out of space.

Some houses had especially conspicuous purchase notices hanging outside, listing the owner’s needs. If the owner’s door was closed, many of the notices requesting various herbs and spirit plants would also have slips of paper attached. These slips stated how much the person who posted the notice wanted, the price they were offering, and a voice transmission talisman. In other words, anyone interested could contact them, and the price was open to negotiation.

It seemed that alchemists ruled Zhenyang City.

This method of trade appeared to be quite different from that of other cities.

In most cities, the bulk of purchasing was monopolized by large shops, with only a small portion of goods circulating through minor markets.

For convenience, cultivators looking to sell their goods quickly and obtain spirit stones would generally go to the large shops. Although those shops pressed sellers on price, they usually did not go too far. There was an industry-wide baseline, and they had mature methods for inspecting goods. The spirit stones they offered were reliable as well.

After all, everyone thought the same way: such a large shop—many of them even part of a chain—would hardly bother cheating a minor cultivator over a few items.

Yet Zhenyang City was entirely different.

Along the way, Lin Xiao had barely seen any large shops.

It was also possible that he was currently in the area at the base of the tree. Perhaps things would be different farther up.

The streets inside the city were intricate and winding, but they generally spiraled upward. The lower levels were essentially a gathering place for low-level cultivators.

Lin Xiao discovered that wood-spiritual-root cultivators were not the only ones common here. There also seemed to be quite a few fire-spiritual-root cultivators, since many alchemists possessed fire spiritual roots.

There were particularly many low-level alchemists in the city.

Through the open doors of the houses, one could see an alchemy furnace placed inside nearly every one. Herbs were piled everywhere, and whether the room was neat or chaotic depended entirely on the owner’s personal habits.

Just imagining so many people lighting fires and refining pills atop a single tree made Lin Xiao feel that the scene was somewhat bizarre.

He strolled along, looking this way and that while listening carefully in all directions, keeping an ear out for any news that might interest him.

After walking for a while, he unexpectedly found himself on a—well… a snack street?

There were houses on both sides of this street as well, but each one had a small stall set up outside. An echo stone hung from every stall, repeatedly calling out to passing customers.

“Come take a look! The Spirit Herb Hall’s newest specialty, Hui Herb Juice Milk Tea! Made from freshly harvested hui herbs, specially extracted by an alchemist and blended with fresh spirit-cow milk. Rich in flavor, it nourishes the spirit and replenishes the qi, making it highly beneficial for cultivation!”

“Don’t miss it as you pass by! The San family’s signature drink, Watermoon Flower Honey Milk Tea, is on special today! Originally nine spirit stones, now only three! Come and give it a try!”

“Rui’s Dessert Cottage presents today’s featured delicacy: Fresh Milk Cake with Spirit Tangerine and Floral Dew—the essential choice for any immortal maiden seeking beauty and youthful radiance!”

…

Lin Xiao walked along, looking at the stalls as he went. The vendors on this street had truly found endless ways to make use of low-grade spirit plants and herbs. They could turn even the most worthless ingredients into something that inspired a powerful desire to taste it. Their talent was genuinely admirable.

Even someone who had eaten all kinds of delicious spirit food in his own sect’s dining hall could not resist the temptation. Lin Xiao spent some spirit stones on a cup of honey milk tea and a serving of fresh milk cake with spirit tangerine and floral dew.

It was not that he cared about beautifying his appearance or preserving his youth. The two items simply looked so attractive that they made his appetite surge.

The Watermoon Flower honey milk tea was a blend of pale green and white, resembling a specially crafted cocktail. It contained quite a lot of ice, with a delicate white Watermoon Flower stuck into the top.

The fresh milk cake with spirit tangerine and floral dew was even more appealing. The cake itself was white, and its cross-section revealed juicy tangerine segments wrapped inside. Threads of floral dew seeped from the gaps between the layers.

Although these things had very little practical use for cultivators—the spiritual power a drink and a pastry could replenish, or the boost they could provide to cultivation, was pitifully small—their appearance alone made them difficult to resist.

Lin Xiao was not worried that spending these spirit stones would attract attention, because practically no one who passed through this street managed to leave empty-handed.

Regardless of cultivation level, every cultivator who walked past this street ended up taking a few spirit stones from their purse and leaving them behind.