Chapter 56: The Nameless Silver Stone Gate

On the fourth floor of Treasure Gathering Pavilion, Tian Min stood at the window, silently watching Wang Ping disappear down the end of the street, without uttering a sound.

"Steward! A Qi Refining cultivator actually has this many spirit stones—truly rare!"

The appraiser who had just helped Wang Ping appraise the treasure smiled and said.

He was called Zhang Tian, over sixty years old, still in the late Qi Refining stage, and in this life he basically had no chance to reach Foundation Establishment.

Seeing that cultivator today, who clearly is at the same level as him yet able to spend so many spirit stones, he couldn't help but have some different thoughts.

Tian Min didn't turn his head, merely saying lightly:

"How? You have ideas about him? Considering our years as colleagues, I advise you: don't harbor thoughts you shouldn't. In the cultivation world, strength and wealth go hand in hand. Have you seen those storage bags? Each represents at least the life of a middle Qi Refining cultivator lost at his hands. Even some Great Perfection Qi Refining cultivators!"

Zhang Tian startled, "Great Perfection Qi Refining? How is that possible?"

Turning around, Tian Min glanced at Zhang Tian, seeing his face full of disbelief, he no longer explained. These cultivators have never left Western Drooping Land in their whole lives—who knows how arrogant the heaven's pride outside is!

"Striking the strong with the weak, reversing to slay immortals—such feats have never been cut off in any era."

Zhang Tian returned home with an expression of disbelief, until he saw his grandson, when the shock in his eyes faded, replaced by a look of determination.

He had no hope of reaching Foundation Establishment; his son was an ordinary mortal, but his grandson possessed a top‑grade metal spiritual root, noticed by Treasure Gathering Pavilion, which prepared to nurture him carefully.

But Treasure Gathering Pavilion is huge, with tangled interests; the resources allocated each year to his son have actually been siphoned off.

He knew this, but dared not speak, for in the Treasure Gathering Pavilion of Western Drooping Land this had already become customary.

Originally he thought the newly arrived Golden Core True Person would straighten out Treasure Gathering Pavilion, but who knew that person spends all day cultivating on the ninth floor and pays no attention to affairs!

Zhang Tian's eyes kept flickering as he weighed the gains and losses, making a choice between Treasure Gathering Pavilion's rules and his grandson's future.

One of Treasure Gathering Pavilion's three ironclad rules: no leaking of customer information.

If discovered, it would mean death and the disappearance of his Dao; he didn't care for himself, but feared it would affect his grandson!

"No problem! As long as it's done discreetly, who would know? Besides, I'm not doing it myself—even if that person's worth is only a tenth, it's enough!"

Zhang Tian kept convincing himself; that sum of spirit stones was simply too tempting. Working at Treasure Gathering Pavilion, he earns only three hundred spirit stones a year—he would need a hundred years to save thirty thousand.

"Just be careful! Who made you have so many spirit stones?!"

In the end, Zhang Tian's greed overcame his reason; after another affectionate glance at his grandson, he turned and headed into the darkness.

………

Hundred Arts Garden!

When Wang Ping returned, it was already dark; he refused the servant's attendance, activated the formation in the attic, and directly entered the underground cultivation chamber.

Such underground cultivation chambers exist only two in Heavenly Gang Garden: one is Tie Lanshan's, the other is the attic where Wang Ping resides.

After entering the underground cultivation chamber, Wang Ping set up the Mysterious Light Infinite Formation and the Formless Formation.

Only then did he sit cross-legged on the bed, at ease.

Then he slapped his storage bag with his right hand, and fragments of the silver light gate appeared in his hand.

At the same time, the silver energy bar in his mind began to jump violently.

As if it wanted to leap out of his mind.

When Wang Ping's thought moved, a silver beam suddenly shot from his brow, shining onto the fragment in his hand.

Next, an energy bar about a chi long floated slowly into the underground chamber.

Now the energy bar is longer than before by roughly the length of five hairs.

Accordingly, the time he spends in the Spirit Realm has increased by about one quarter of a day's Spirit Realm time.

Wang Ping estimates that, if he breaks through to Foundation Establishment, he could likely stay in the Spirit Realm for two days.

He did not know what changes the silver great gate would undergo after merging the fragments.

He looked forward to it greatly.

The fusion speed was extremely fast—within ten breaths it was already complete.

Whoosh!

After merging, the energy bar returned once more to Wang Ping's mind, hovering there silently.

Wang Ping observed carefully; there seemed to be no major change. Unable to resist, he gently released his mental power to take a peek.

Before, he had also probed the energy bar with his mental power, but found nothing.

Now that it has just merged, perhaps there will be a faint sign.

Wang Ping condensed his mental power into a mental thread, which slowly made contact with the energy bar.

The advantage of this is that, if something goes wrong, the fragile mental thread will break under the pressure.

The mental thread had already touched the surface of the energy bar; Wang Ping secretly wondered why there was not even the slightest movement.

Before he could continue exploring, his mind suddenly gave a loud 'hum' and shook violently, the jolt so great it left Wang Ping dizzy and blurred.

Then a wave of dizziness spun him around, leaving his consciousness clear for less than a breath before falling into a haze.

Soon he fell directly into unconsciousness.

After an hour, Wang Ping slowly woke up, his head still a bit dazed; given his current physique and formidable mental strength, this basically shouldn't happen.

This shows how tremendous the earlier mental shock was.

After a full tea's worth of time, Wang Ping finally came to, as if realizing something, he hastily closed his eyes.

In his mind, the original energy bar had vanished, replaced by a small stone gate emitting silver light, standing silently there.

At this point it should no longer be called a silver light gate, but a silver stone gate.

Because the light gate that once appeared in the vortex has now become stone‑like; though it still emits light, it is no longer dazzling.

The moment he saw the silver stone gate, he suddenly recalled that in his unconsciousness he seemed to have seen a heaven‑penetrating, earth‑spanning silver stone gate shatter in the cosmic starry sky, turning into countless fragments scattering in all directions.

Besides that, he had no other memories.

"Ding!"

Fusing door fragments, the host can choose to now traverse the spirit realm, or three months later, perform a spirit realm traversal, can designate a location to traverse once.

"After entering the Spirit Realm, the duration temporarily doubles!"

That voice rang out again in his mind.

Wang Ping's face showed delight; fusing a fragment could actually bring about such a change.

Originally, it would take nearly two years to be able to cross over again, but who would have thought that now one could immediately enter the Spirit Realm!

If you don't enter now, you can still enter after two months, and you also get a one-time designated-location crossing; this time you don't have to rely on luck.

Regarding the two options, Wang Ping thought, no need to think, he directly chose the second one; besides the reward of a designated crossing, he also had to consider what would happen after the auction.

At that time, if he really encounters danger, he only needs to spend two Spirit Realm days in the Spirit Realm, and at least two months will have passed in the Lower Realm.

With this time difference, perhaps he could actually avoid a life-or-death crisis.

After making his decision, Wang Ping suddenly realized that he had not heard the specific name of the silver stone gate either time; he could be certain that the voice in his mind had indeed spoken the name of the Silver Gate, yet he strangely could not hear it.

Wang Ping had only heard fragments of this kind of situation in some legends.

Could it be because it is an immortal treasure?

Wang Ping thought of a possibility; perhaps there is another possibility: his strength is too low, he doesn't even have the qualification to hear the stone gate's name.