The old man seemed to be the last obstacle they had to cross before they entered the central plains. Shi Lang did not make any movements until he was told to. He was happy with his comprehension.
Unlike the people, he did not rely much on opportunities. If Shi Lang had learned anything in the lower realms, it was the fact that humans did not need to rely on the so-called spur of inspiration. In the cultivation field, if a person is motivated, they can create the opportunity needed to excel.
Many experts have relied on their efforts to reach the peak and ascend. Shi Lang had been comprehending his sword skills. His accumulated understanding of the Dao of the sword throughout his life aided him in analyzing the skills, and the new thinking and scientific knowledge from the lower realm helped him modify the skills into a more efficient version of them.
Suddenly, the terran sensed the vessel slowing down. He stopped practicing his sword and placed it back inside the space ring. After a few minutes, the vessel stopped, and Xia Jianxue’s voice sounded, “Come out, everyone, we have reached.”
The terran pushed the door and found Yun Xue and Bo Qingtan coming out of their doors, and he nodded slightly before they headed out to the deck. Xia Jianxue was standing before the bow with her hands behind her back. She waited until the passengers arrived and said, “Everyone, the journey has ended, and I wish you all the best for your future endeavors.”
This was an eviction notice under the cover of a wish of luck. This lady had mastered the art of diplomacy. The people bowed to her, and they got off the vessel. Shi Lang was queuing to get down, too, when he asked, “Young Master Xia, is it possible for me to get a map of the central plains?”
The young man was surprised, but then he nodded and said, “Yes, you can find it in the pavilion.”
Shi Lang nodded and asked, “May I ask where we are right now?”
Xia Yuan replied calmly, “The easternmost city of the Central Plains, Black Iron Fort City.”
Shi Lang was surprised, but he nodded and stepped into the elevator, taking everyone down. He nodded to Xia Yuan once before, and a crew member controlled the elevator. At this moment, Shi Lang realized why this place was called Black Iron Fort City.
The walls around the city were a hundred feet high and all as black as night. Shi Lang could not understand this material and asked, “I wonder what those walls are built from.”
The crew member replied, “It is a metal called Black Adamantite. It is one of the strongest metals in the immortal realm. Legends say that it was a god-level forger who came up with the design of these walls. However, that senior passed away while trying to carve arrays on these walls.”
Surprised, Shi Lang asked, “Why is that?”
The crew member replied, “Brother, this metal repels all sort of spell or spirit energy trying to channel through it. The death of that senior discovered this, and the future generations began using this metal to form cuffs and shackles to hold criminals or demonic cultivators.”
Shi Lang nodded and said, “So why black iron fort city and not black adamantite fort city?”
The crew member chuckled and said, “Black iron is easy to write. That is what I heard.”
This reason dumbfounded Shi Lang. The elevation platform reached the ground, and the terran asked for the direction to the Tianxu Pavilion in this place. Bo Qingtan and Yun Xue would have to wait until the spirit liquid could be auctioned off before joining him. In the meantime, Shi Lang will fish out the information he needs to travel and make a name for himself.
The young man came to the Tianxu Pavilion and found the place filled with cultivators coming in and going out. Then he looked around the pavilion and found this was the one-of-a-kind shop on this street. The rest of the places dealt with other things. Tianxu Pavilion dealt with exotic things. If someone wished to buy basic or low-level stuff, they could go to the normal shops.
Shi Lang wanted the map to be as detailed as possible. This could only be accomplished at the Tianxu Pavilion. He climbed the steps and quickly came to the reception counter. A pretty girl asked, “How may I help you, Sir?”
Shi Lang asked, “Is it possible for me to find a detailed map of the central plains here?”
The lady nodded and said, “We have three types of map, sir. One is a paper parchment one, another is a jade slip, and the third is a jade slip with an array which can help you keep track of your location.”
Shi Lang nodded and asked, “Can you tell me how detailed these maps are?”
The lady thought for a bit and said, “The paper parchment can tell you about the names of the provinces and other key locations of the central plains. The jade slip will tell you about the main forces in different provinces and the specialty of the different regions. The array jade slip can tell you about your position along with the other things the jade slip can do.
Shi Lang nodded and said, “I want to buy three parchment maps and one normal jade slip map.”
The lady nodded and said, “That would cost you three gold coins, one medium-grade spirit stone, or a hundred low-grade spirit stones.”
The terran did not think much and took out one medium-grade spirit stone with a pained expression and three gold coins from his space ring. He put a pained expression on his face because this place lingered with those who wanted to take advantage of the rich and the ignorant.
The lady took the payment and brought out three paper parchments and one jade slip for Shi Lang. The terran took the maps and left the Tianxu Pavilion, he wanted to gather information, and it was not wise for him to do it all in one place. This was his anti-tracking tactic.
Just like he was gathering the information, the other party could also gather information about him from his questions. There was a chance that he might be misled. Shi Lang did not wish to fall into traps this soon on his journey.
However, for the sake of possibility, he had sneakily dropped some nanobots on Xia Yuan’s body when they were on the vessel earlier. Although debauched, the young man was the young master of the Xia Family. Who better than him to find out the details?
Initially, he wanted to track Xia Jianxue, but then, thinking that the lady was a sword maiden and an Immortal King-level cultivator, he picked Xia Yuan. He had a strong hunch that this lady was not as simple as she looked on the surface.
Shi Lang came to a small diner and ordered some common spirit beast meat steak and wine. He then began to eat slowly and listen to the chatter around him. He was listening to the chatter when he found that Bo Qingtan and Yun Xue had also made their way to the diner and were sitting at the same table as him.
He asked, “Relieved so soon?”
Yun Xue replied, “The old lady gave us a card with a thousand spirit stones and said that the annual auction will be held in the Godly Haven city three months later. The starting value will be a thousand, so that is the minimum. She said we can go to Tianxu pavilions and receive the rest of the sum.”
She was smart enough to reply to Shi Lang with spirit consciousness. The terran nodded and took out three parchments, and placed them on the table. He took out a jade slip and placed it before his forehead. The next moment, the information from the jade slip was transmitted to his mind. Shi Lang took out a spirit pen and began to inscribe the details of the main forces on the maps.
It did not take long for him to do it and he passed the two pieces to his friends and said, “So, this is the Central Plain power structure.”
Bo Qingtan asked, “What do we do now?” 𝗈𝗏𝓵xt.𝐂𝞸𝕞
Shi Lang replied, “The Tianxu pavilion will obviously keep tabs on you since you are their creditors. And even if they don’t, then in case a situation flares up the enemy might find out about you and look for trouble in the east.”
The two people nodded to him. Shi Lang continued, “I will send a part of me with you both, if you don’t mind. It will not be as strong as me and use it as an errand boy. This is way better than trusting anyone else.”
Yun Xue nodded and said, “That is fine, but can you tell me what do you intend to do from here?”
Shi Lang smiled and said, “I am still thinking about that. Traveling aimlessly is a waste of time, if possible, I would like to learn some skills and at the same time make a name for myself.”
“Oh, brother you have some ambition.”
Suddenly, a loud voice sounded behind Shi Lang. The terran turned around and found it to be a young man with bulging muscles and a lion tattoo on his right shoulder.