Chapter 49: Market City

In the 8643rd year of the Hundred Nations Alliance calendar, Market City!

Overnight it rose from the ground in the Western Droop Three Kingdoms.

For this city, Treasure Hoard Pavilion dispatched a Nascent Soul True Lord, who seized a third-grade spirit vein from the heartland of the Hundred Nations Alliance and placed it in the city; additionally, eight spirit veins were placed in the eight directions around the city to nourish the newly relocated third-grade spirit vein.

When the news of the third-grade spirit vein in Market City spread, the major Foundation Establishment powers practically went mad and rushed toward Market City.

Moreover, large numbers of unaffiliated loose cultivators flooded into the city.

Within the area covered by the third-grade spirit vein, even the most ordinary place has a spiritual energy density equivalent to a ding-rank cave dwelling with a first-grade spirit vein.

This is extremely enticing for early and mid-stage Qi Refining cultivators.

From the completion of Market City's construction to one month before the auction began, a full six months passed.

Each of the eight gates on the city walls sees cultivators rushing in from all directions every day.

Most are Qi Refining stage cultivators, but Foundation Establishment cultivators are also numerous.

Soon the city became overcrowded; the three thousand shops planned for Market City almost sold out completely.

Left with no choice, Market City established various regulations; for the hundred cultivation arts, anyone possessing any one of them could pass Market City's examination and reside permanently.

Naturally, the four major professions of formations, elixirs, artifacts, and talismans are the most welcomed by Market City.

Moreover, once these four professions pass Market City's examination, even if they do not wish to reside in the city, Treasure Hoard Pavilion will issue a special token exempting them from the city entry fee.

Furthermore, the city has specially planned a place called the Hundred Arts Garden, where all practitioners of the hundred cultivation arts will reside.

Any cultivator of the four major professions who passes the examination and enters the city can then reside there for free.

What drives people crazy is that the Hundred Arts Garden is built upon one of the city's eight major spirit veins.

Its location is among the finest spots for spirit power density of a second-grade spirit vein, not inferior to a top-grade cave dwelling.

When this news spread, all cultivators in the Western Droop region who possessed any of the hundred cultivation arts went mad.

Almost all unaffiliated hundred-arts cultivators entered Market City.

But ultimately, fewer than one in a thousand managed to stay.

When Wang Ping arrived at the gate of Market City, the cultivators queuing to enter were still discussing this matter.

"Alas! I never expected Treasure Hoard Pavilion's trial to be so difficult; thirty thousand cultivators took the examination, yet only thirty-two remained!"

"Who says it isn't! It is said that Treasure Hoard Pavilion's examination does not follow the standards of our Western Droop region, but rather the standards set by the Hundred Nations Alliance outside Western Droop."

A scholar‑dressed cultivator holding a folding fan shook his head and said, "Alas! It's too hard; I have already taken the examination three times, paying nine spirit stones for the entry fee, and this is my fourth attempt!"

Upon hearing this, the surrounding cultivators turned their attention, and some cultivators asked:

"May I ask which art you practice and what is being tested? It is surprisingly difficult."

That cultivator fell silent for a moment, then sighed and said:

"I am devoted to the Way of Painting; I have immersed myself in it for many years and have modest achievements, so I came full of confidence to Market City for the test. The examiner directly ordered me to paint a picture of what I had in mind; I boldly splashed ink on the spot and finished within a quarter hour, but then,"

Saying this, the scholar cultivator shook his head sadly and refused to continue.

However, seeing the unfriendly looks of the cultivators around him, he had no choice but to continue:

"The examiner looked at it and said my painting is a rare masterpiece in the mortal world, and he is willing to buy it for ten thousand taels of gold!"

What does that mean?

Many cultivators were momentarily unable to react; it seemed the examiner actually thought highly of that painting.

Wang Ping also blinked in surprise, then understood; he curled the corner of his mouth—the examiner is quite interesting, even able to speak indirectly that someone's painting is not good.

Some cultivators also caught on and laughed loudly:

"Hahaha! Ten thousand taels of silver? For us cultivators, what use is anything fine in the mortal world? That examiner clearly said your painting is merely at the level of technique and has not yet entered the Way!"

Wang Ping nodded as he listened; the hundred cultivation arts, some obscure techniques, are not weak—it is that the qualifications required of practitioners are too high, so it is often hard for anyone to achieve anything.

Especially among Qi Refining and Foundation Establishment cultivators, they are even rarer.

But once these techniques are mastered, they often become existences capable of shocking heaven and moving earth.

Take the Way of Painting as an example: to this day the cultivation world still transmits the tale of a grand master of painting from five thousand years ago, Mo Yan, who, in anger, splashed ink, using the spiritual energy of heaven and earth as his ink and a hundred li of mountains and rivers as his paper, painting the Brocade Rivers and Mountains Map, leaving behind a terrifying battle record of slaying three True Lords in one engagement and shattering a spirit treasure.

For a time, he shook an era.

It is said that the area where Mo Yan splashed ink eventually became a secret realm, containing countless heavenly materials and earthly treasures.

Another example is the author of the Spirit Insect Cultivation Notes, the Spirit Insect True Person, who in the late Nascent Soul stage possessed thirty-six kinds of heavenly and earthly strange insects, and with them nearly exterminated a Transformation Spirit cultivator.

The practitioners of these obscure arts have extremely high qualification demands, even reaching a harsh level.

Often getting started is easy, but wanting to reap any reward is immensely difficult.

The scholar cultivator's story is merely a topic of casual chat; after entering the city gate, everyone disperses, and they will probably soon forget this incident.

Upon passing through the city gate and entering the city, Wang Ping felt as if he had returned to the Azure Moon Sect.

That feeling of spiritual energy filling everywhere can only be sensed when one is standing on a spirit vein.

Looking ahead, rows upon rows of stores stretch out of sight.

In the city center stands a towering nine‑story building; though it is merely a building, it gives the illusion of gazing at a mountain peak.

The nine‑story Treasure Hoard Pavilion sells goods at different prices on each level.

The first level sells medicinal pills, materials, magical implements, and talismans priced at no more than one thousand spirit stones.

The second level's items range from one thousand to three thousand spirit stones.

The third level's price bracket is between three thousand and five thousand spirit stones.

On the fourth level, the price jumps directly from five thousand to ten thousand spirit stones.

All the way up to the eighth level, it is said that any item there costs at least one hundred thousand spirit stones; such terrifying prices can only be borne by Golden Core True Persons.

As for the ninth level, it is the residence of the Golden Core True Persons of Treasure Hoard Pavilion.

Wang Ping withdrew his gaze and silently praised, "Indeed worthy of Treasure Hoard Pavilion—dividing by financial strength truly reflects a cultivator's ability."

With clear pricing, whatever financial strength you have determines which level you may enter.

The Gathering Treasure Pavilion didn't have this rule before.

The merged Gathering Treasure Pavilion was apparently also built following the rules outside the Western Drooping Land.

Wang Ping had a minor formation given by Tie Lanshan in his hand; as long as he infused spiritual power, the opposite side could sense it.

They weren't in a hurry to look for them, instead they started browsing the various shops on the street.

The market city had gathered almost eighty percent of the materials from the Western Drooping Land, and even materials from outside were available.

After visiting only three shops, Wang Ping purchased two kinds of spiritual herbs used for hatching the Heaven-Flying Soul-Devouring Butterfly: a hundred-year supply of Soul-Collecting Herb, and a Nine Nether Flower with five petals opened.

These two spiritual herbs are two of the auxiliary medicinal ingredients for refining Spirit Worm Liquid.

They share a common point: their living environments are mostly in places with extremely heavy Yin energy.

Soul-Collecting Herb has the effect of gathering and securing souls; Nine Nether Herb nourishes the worm souls of the Soul-Devouring Butterfly larvae still in their eggs.

But for cultivators, it is actually a poisonous herb.