Chapter 152: Arriving at Gengxin City

152. Chapter 152 Arriving at Gengxin City

Since Li Xuan had already confirmed his location, he nodded, waved at the inn server, and signaled that the server could go back.

"Thank you, young master, enjoy your meal," the server said enthusiastically to Li Xuan, then turned and left; a Silver Soul Coin tip was already a decent amount.

Li Xuan looked at the steaming dishes before him, his appetite stirred, and began tasting the food.

The restaurant's flavor was decent, Li Xuan ate his fill, and then left the inn.

Next, Li Xuan booked a room in a city inn, intending to rest there for a night and go purchase supplies early tomorrow.

Li Xuan freshened up briefly, lay on the bed, and fell asleep after a short while.

……

At dawn the next day, as the sun just rose, Li Xuan opened his eyes.

"Today I'll restock supplies here, then set out for Gengxin City," Li Xuan rubbed his head and got up to wash.

After packing, Li Xuan took out a map, confirmed his own location, and then confirmed Gengxin City's location.

"No way, I have to cross the entire Tian Dou Empire and then go deep into the Star Luo Empire to reach Gengxin City. Why is Gengxin City so far away?" Li Xuan said helplessly, covering his forehead.

Gengxin City lies within the Star Luo Empire, east of the Tian Dou Empire, while Li Xuan is at the far western border of the Tian Dou Empire.

Therefore, to reach Gengxin City, one must traverse the entire Tian Dou Empire and then penetrate the Star Luo Empire.

That journey will likely take a long time; Li Xuan conservatively estimated at least three months.

Thinking of a three‑month trek made Li Xuan uneasy; he sighed, left the inn, and prepared to go purchase supplies for the upcoming long journey.

First he needed to restock food. Li Xuan had bought a lot of provisions in Tian Dou City before, but during his time in the City of Slaughter he had hardly eaten the food provided there, so his supplies were nearly exhausted and needed replenishment.

Li Xuan selected a few larger restaurants in the city, ordered enough food for three years, since his status made frequent visits to other cities unsuitable and he could easily be spotted by Seven Treasures Glazed Sect's eyes, so he stocked up generously.

The space inside a Kongming Crystal remains constant, so there is no spoilage; whatever is placed inside comes out unchanged.

After buying enough food, Li Xuan went to the largest carriage shop in Black Armor City, purchasing one spacious carriage and two ordinary ones.

This time Li Xuan estimated he would need at least three months to reach Gengxin City, and on the bumpy road he would still need someone to look after him.

Thus Li Xuan bought four slaves—three men and two women—at the slave market in Black Armor City.

The three strong young men were to drive the carriages, and the two young girls were to attend to Li Xuan's daily needs.

Next, Li Xuan restocked some materials needed for his Qi cultivation in Black Armor City, then prepared to leave.

Li Xuan climbed onto the largest, most spacious carriage, sat in the soft, comfortable compartment, and said something to the outside.

"Da Tou, set off; Er Tou, San Tou, follow!" Li Xuan said to the three carriage drivers.

"Yes, master," the carriage slaves replied.

Li Xuan had no great talent for naming, so he called the three men Da Tou, Er Tou, and San Tou, and the two girls Da Ya and Er Ya.

With Da Tou driving, the carriage slowly left Black Armor City.

……

As the sunset fell, the carriage had been more than thirty kilometers from the city, with no towns or villages nearby, so they could only set up a tent on the spot and barely spend the night there.

"Da Tou, Er Tou, you two set up the tent; San Tou, tie down the carriage; Da Ya, Er Ya, prepare the food; I'm going to cultivate for a while, call me when dinner is ready," Li Xuan instructed the slaves. "Yes, master!" the five slaves replied in unison and went about their tasks.

Li Xuan found a large stone, sat on it, and gradually entered cultivation mode.

I have to say the soul power here is extremely barren; even without the Heaven‑Palm Vessel, it can't match the City of Slaughter.

As Li Xuan entered cultivation, he suddenly felt he had reached the bottleneck of breaking through to level 30.

Originally Li Xuan planned to break the 30th level in the City of Slaughter, but no one expected the Slaughter King to send him to the Killing Treasure Vault.

In the Killing Treasure Vault one cannot cultivate soul power, so Li Xuan's soul power level remained stalled.

As for Li Xuan's soul power level reaching the 30‑level bottleneck, he thought it might be because daily hot‑spring soaking in the Killing Treasure Vault slowly raised his cultivation.

Anyway, the increase in soul power level is good; to achieve a better breakthrough, Li Xuan entered the space of the Heaven‑Palm Vessel.

Sitting cross‑legged beside the hot spring, Li Xuan quickly entered cultivation, slowly absorbing the surrounding soul power.

The 30‑level bottleneck is not that hard to break.

Half an hour later, soul power began to seep out of Li Xuan's body.

"Puff!"

Li Xuan's 30‑level bottleneck broke with a sound, and his soul power level reached 30.

Li Xuan steadied his cultivation beside the hot spring, then after a while got up from the ground.

"Finally broke through to level 30; the soul rings have been ready for a long time," Li Xuan stretched his limbs, then stood and went to the place where the Cockscomb Phoenix Sunflower is cultivated.

Within the Bing Huo Liang Yi Yan there are two fire‑type heavenly treasures: the radiant Cockscomb Phoenix Sunflower and the exceptionally domineering Fiery Apricot Thorn.

Li Xuan hesitated, but finally decided to absorb the Cockscomb Phoenix Sunflower as his third soul ring; although the Fiery Apricot Thorn's flames are fierce, they lack distinctive qualities and would not greatly enhance him.

Now Li Xuan has become extravagant, even daring to disdain Immortal‑grade spirit plants.

Looking at the luscious Cockscomb Phoenix Sunflower before him, Li Xuan's eyes were full of affection, but this particular plant was unsuitable for absorption.

Its cultivation spans tens of thousands of years, containing massive energy; if Li Xuan absorbed it, he could be easily injured, so he needs to cultivate a new Cockscomb Phoenix Sunflower as his third soul ring.

Li Xuan made an estimate based on his physical strength, soul power, and the abundance of his soul power.

His third soul ring can at least absorb a soul ring of eight to ten thousand years.

So Li Xuan carefully removed the soil beneath the Cockscomb Phoenix Sunflower, uncovering its roots.

He took out the Jade Knife, carefully cut a segment of root, transferred it into the hot spring soak, planted it in soil, and dripped Green Spirit Liquid onto the soil.

The Cockscomb Phoenix Sunflower itself cannot bear fruit; to cultivate it one must propagate by cutting.

After the roots absorbed the Green Spirit Liquid, they actually sprouted two fingernail‑sized leaves, breaking through the soil.

"It will still need a few days to be absorbed," Li Xuan said, nodding at the newly emerged Cockscomb Phoenix Sunflower.

Just a few more days and I can absorb the third soul ring! (End of chapter)