Chapter 46: Chapter 46 Map_l
Translator: 549690339
In the Immortal Sect, it’s generally not appropriate to openly probe someone’s cultivation level.
However, Chen Mobai had experienced his father’s spiritual power at the ninth level of Qi cultivation. He felt that even Chen Xinglan didn’t exert as much pressure on him as this young boy did.
Could it be that he’s a Foundation Establishment cultivator?
When Chen Mobai returned home, he kept thinking about the young boy at the bus station asking him for directions.
The more he thought about it, the more something seemed off.
The boy was incredibly polite, even somewhat old-fashioned, which greatly resembled the demeanor of Foundation Establishment cultivators who were over a hundred years old.
If he truly was a Foundation Establishment cultivator, then asking for directions was very strange.
Out of the three hundred million cultivators in the Immortal Sect, those who have attained the Foundation Establishment have truly stepped onto the path of immortal cultivation. You could say that most cultivators are in service to those in the Foundation Establishment stage.
Even though Red Sandstone City is a remote blessed land, it still has over a million permanent residents. Among these million Qi practitioners, there are less than fifty Foundation Establishment cultivators. These individuals control the city’s economy, power, and resources – you could say that all the cultivators in the city are serving them, creating value for them.
For instance, the owner of the magic artifact factory where Chen Mobai’s father worked was a Foundation Establishment cultivator and a Rank-2 Artifact refiner.
The owner of the talisman factory where Chen Mobai’s mother worked was also a Foundation Establishment cultivator and a Rank-2 talisman maker.
While the Immortal Sect advocates equality among all beings, in reality, those who have reached the Foundation Establishment stage have an increased lifespan, divine senses fully developed for accelerated learning, and if they are willing to work hard, they can basically master most of the wealth.
Qi practitioners simply cannot compete with Foundation Establishment cultivators. Even on a fair and just basis, they cannot match them solely based on time, not to mention that after Foundation Establishment, they typically master one of the Hundred Arts of Cultivation Immortal.
The same talisman, if made by a Qi practitioner and a Foundation Establishment cultivator, even if the latter’s is slightly more expensive, most cultivators would buy the one made by the Foundation Establishment practitioner.
This is even more true for elixirs and magic artifacts.
It can be said that Foundation Establishment cultivators collectively own half of Red Sandstone City. Except for Qing Nu’s master who is said to be eccentric and reclusive and maintains a single pharmacy store to keep up his hand skills, the rest are essentially among the upper echelons. Having a car when going out is the most basic.
Why would a Foundation Establishment cultivator need to take the bus and ask for directions?
Unless he is… from outside.
As Chen Mobai thought about this, his mind began to wander. He wondered if this boy was a friend of Qing Nu’s master? They being Foundation Establishment cultivators after all, the boy might have just been visiting an old friend.
But then he quickly shook the idea off, laid in bed and started practicing the Calming Incantation.
Under the workings of the Stepping Moon Tune, his divine sense became more active, leading to numerous thoughts, which consequently disturbed his tranquility.
However, he didn’t practice the “Nourishing Thought Forge God Technique”.
Because he had decided to fully utilize the cultivation room’s time at school and moreover, he wanted to go to Southstream Market again that night.
A silvery light flickered.
Once again, he returned to the Water Mansion. As he looked around, his feelings became turbulent.
He was sitting in the side hall.
That is to say, the teleportation could only send him back to the place where he last departed, not to the main hall of the Water Mansion.
However, the best course of action would be to test this outside the Water Mansion once more.
Chen Mobai changed into his ancient costume, put on a wig to ensure no modern aura was present, activated the Azure Water Formation, and went ashore.
Although Lake Azure Cloud was a short distance from Southstream Market, even if he used the Propulsion Technique at full force, it would still take him an hour to get there.
It would have been great if he had a car.
While thinking this, Chen Mobai arrived at the entrance of the market.
That day he spent his time getting acquainted with the place without rushing to sell anything. When time was almost up, he left.
This time, instead of returning to the Water Mansion, he found a desolate cave and activated the return function.
The next day, when he clicked on the teleportation after school, a pop-up appeared on his screen.
[Found an unfamiliar location (Unnamed), continue teleportation?]
Huh?
A new screen appeared on the Turtle Treasure software, and Chen Mobai clicked on [Yes],
The shimmering silver light faded, and Chen Mobai opened his eyes, only to find that he was not in the Water Mansion but in the desolate mountain where he returned yesterday.
Now he could confirm.
The location he was teleported to was the same place he left last time.
However, Chen Mobai noticed another difference. This time, when he activated the teleportation function in the Turtle Treasure software, a map-like interface appeared. It was quite plain for now, with only a water droplet-like icon, which most likely signified the Water Mansion, and a newly-appeared earthy-yellow triangle, which should represent his current location.
Upon clicking the icons on the map on his phone, he found that he could rename them.
So, he renamed the blue droplet as “Water Mansion,” and the earthy-yellow triangle as “Desolate Mountain.”
[Once I have explored the entire Tianhe Realm, this blank map should be filled, right?]
That was what Chen Mobai was thinking.
After exploring the newly discovered feature for a while, he headed to the South Creek Market. Since it was close by, it only took him twenty minutes.
Aside from the regular stalls, he also visited several large shops.
They didn’t accept gold there, instead, the transactions started with Spirit Stones.
However, both the quality and grade of the items for sale in these shops far surpassed those of the street stalls.
At a pharmacy in the Hundred Herb Pavilion, he saw a familiar bottle, which was exactly the same as the one he had obtained from the old man. Upon asking the shop assistant, he found out that it was a “Gathering Yuan Pill” used by Qi Practitioners in the middle stage to enhance their spiritual power. Each bottle contained twelve pills and costs one Spirit Stone per bottle.
He also tried to find the one the disciple from the Flying Needle Sect had, but he failed to find it. He suspected that it might be something unique to their sect.
“Senior, do you want to buy some Gathering Yuan Pills? All the pills sold in our Hundred Herb Pavilion are personally refined by the Alchemy Master from Back to Sky Valley, whose reputation resonates across the Eastern Wilderness.”
The shop assistant was a cultivator at the third level of Qi Cultivation. Seeing Chen Mobai’s attire, he thought that he was a potential customer and was passionate in his sales pitch.
The Gathering Yuan Pills are of no use to me.
“Then we also have Juling Pills, which are used by practitioners in the late stage of Qi Cultivation to elevate their realm. The price is not expensive either, only eight Spirit Stones per bottle.”
“I have just recently taken a pill to break through my realm and am now stabilizing my cultivation level…”
Unable to pretend any longer, Chen Mobai had no choice but to come up with an excuse and leave.
He continued to wander around in other Magic Artifact Shops and Array Flag Shops for a while.
At a bookstore, he picked up a book named “Introduction to the Major Sects of the Eastern Wilderness” to gain some general knowledge about the area. He stayed there until the shop assistant couldn’t stand it anymore and was about to drive him away, only then did he leave the South Creek Market.
Since he’d be spending most of his time in the future exploring this place, he did not return to the Water Mansion this time, but went back to the Nameless Desolate Mountain and activated the teleportation ability to return to the city.
The sky had turned dark when he got back.
After finishing dinner, he went out for a stroll and made his way to the Evergreen Pharmacy.
As he walked into the store and waited for a while, Qing Nu came out from the back door. Seeing him, she looked puzzled.
“Why are you dressed like this? I barely recognized you!”
“I am a fan of ancient styles.”
When Chen Mobai returned, he was too lazy to change and went out in the same ancient-style outfit. After all, there were many who dressed like this in the world of cultivation.
“By the way, I have a few bottles of elixirs that I bought from the Blind Box Market. Since you’re the expert, can you help me check them out?”
When Chen Mobai left the house, he brought along the four bottles of elixirs that he had stored at the bottom of his drawer. Even though he knew that three of them were Gathering Yuan Pills, he still wanted a professional to confirm it.
“These pills are poisonous!”
The conclusion drawn by Qing Nu startled Chen Mobai, which was apparent in his facial expression..