Chapter 159

"If you use acquired blood energy and strength to forcibly open the innate meridians, although you can step into the path of immortality, the two types of power will merge together, like mixing clear and turbid water; not only is there absolutely no possibility of Foundation Establishment, but the power of spells cast with true qi and magic power mixed with blood energy and strength will also be greatly reduced," Lu Jinglong replied.

"Hiss!" Xia Daoming couldn't help but gasp upon hearing this.

It was fortunate that he asked this question; otherwise, if he had truly relied on his powerful strength and rashly opened the innate meridians, he would have regretted it too late.

"So, if you truly want to walk the path of immortality, Young Master, and want to go far, you can definitely only take the path of taking Enlightenment Pills. Using acquired power to open innate meridians is a method that does more harm than good," Lu Jinglong continued.

"It seems that's the only way," Xia Daoming nodded, and then his heart stirred slightly, and he asked: "By the way, have you heard of the middle dantian, the Crimson Palace?"

Lu Jinglong didn't answer immediately upon hearing this, but fell into deep thought.

After a long time, Lu Jinglong shook his head and said: "I have heard of it; it is rumored that the middle dantian is related to the heart, and there are even legends that in the ancient era, great beings cultivated the middle dantian. But what I know is only these few rumors, and I don't know the specifics.

Rumors and secrets involving the ancient era like this are probably only recorded by the three major sects with long-standing inheritances."

"It seems that even if it's not for the path of immortality, in order to continue walking the path of Martial Dao, I must find a way to join the three major sects in the future," Xia Daoming stroked his chin and pondered secretly in his heart.

Seeing Xia Daoming stroking his chin with a thoughtful look, Lu Jinglong hesitated and reminded him: "However, the conditions for the three major sects to accept disciples are very harsh; it is very difficult to join the three major sects, and those qualified to read such secret records must probably be inner-sect disciples.

A method like yours, Young Master, of first cultivating introductory techniques and then visiting the sect, is not a bad way to join the three major sects. However, for people like this who have techniques first and then visit the sect, it is easy to enter the outer sect, but it is much harder to enter the inner sect than for outer-sect disciples who were recruited into the sect from a young age.

The vast majority of people stop at the outer sect and it is almost impossible to enter the inner sect, unless they can make contributions to be taught Foundation Establishment techniques and then succeed in Foundation Establishment, only then will they be recorded in the inner sect, so you must think twice about choosing techniques if you really want to cultivate immortality again, Young Master."

"Sure enough, the three major sects are the three major sects; this threshold is really different!" Xia Daoming sighed upon hearing this, but he wasn't too surprised.

This is just like the top higher education institutions in his previous life; where is it that anyone can attend!

Lu Jinglong looked at Xia Daoming's sighing appearance and shook his head silently in his heart.

Forget it, it seems it was said in vain; the Young Master is determined to walk one path to the end!

"Let's talk about this later; I have to wait until I find introductory techniques and Enlightenment Pills to make plans. Now let's talk about exchanging for the Foundation Establishment Pill; where is it most appropriate for me to exchange this Dark Nether Ice Stone Marrow?" Soon, Xia Daoming asked.

Upon hearing this, Lu Jinglong was greatly encouraged and said: "South of Muzhou is Qingzhou; there are many spirit veins within Qingzhou, and cultivation forces are numerous, among which is the Qingyuan Sect.

Therefore, many cultivation markets have been built within Qingzhou, and in markets of a certain scale, the Qingyuan Sect generally opens firms. The closest one to us that is of a considerable scale is the Flame Sun Ridge Market located in Red Cloud City.

I have been to the Flame Sun Ridge Market a few times; it is much larger than the markets here, and the items inside are complete, and the Qingyuan Sect has also opened a Spirit Treasure Pavilion branch there.

By the way, because the Qingyuan Sect's sect gate is in Qingzhou, the Qingyuan Sect's introductory techniques are relatively the most widely circulated in Qingzhou, so it should be easier to find and buy them in the black markets of Qingzhou."

"Then let's go to the Flame Sun Ridge Market! However, there is no rush to go now; you should recuperate your injuries a bit more, and then I will set off," Xia Daoming decided after thinking about it.

There was another reason why he didn't set off immediately, which Xia Daoming didn't mention.

That is, he also wanted to take advantage of this time to not only push his realm to the eleventh rank but also to strengthen his meridians as much as possible at the eleventh-rank realm.

In this way, Xia Daoming conservatively estimated that with his strength, as long as he didn't encounter Foundation Establishment mid-stage cultivators or particularly perverted Foundation Establishment early-stage cultivators, he should be able to handle it easily, and even if the other party dared to underestimate him and be careless, a surprise attack shouldn't be a problem.

Xia Daoming didn't mention this reason, so Lu Jinglong naturally had no way of knowing; he thought Xia Daoming was considering the Lu Clan wholeheartedly and was very moved, hurriedly cupping his hands to thank him.

——

In the following days, Xia Daoming spent his days taking pills, strengthening meridians, and deducing changes in strength, seemingly becoming idle again.

Ten days later, Xia Daoming completed the ninth level of meridian strengthening and stepped into the eleventh rank with unstoppable force.

After stepping into the eleventh rank, the pills Xia Daoming had hoarded earlier had been consumed by seven or eight out of ten, so he asked for the locations of the markets to the east and south of the Ten Thousand Snail Xianshan and specially made a trip to the markets in the east and south.

The conditions in the south of the Ten Thousand Snail Xianshan were slightly worse, mainly consisting of rogue cultivators, and the flow of people was chaotic.

The market there was very chaotic, belonging to a semi-black and semi-regular category, and many people would take items of unknown origin to the southern market to dispose of stolen goods.

Xia Daoming did manage to find some potent medicine in the south, but because of this, he was targeted by a few Qi Refinement mid-stage rogue cultivators.

The result was self-evident; those rogue cultivators paid for his potent medicine.

The conditions in the east were the best, with several powerful Foundation Establishment forces, and the markets there were of a higher standard than the Stone Pillar Forest and Tianqing Market, with many potent medicines suitable for twelfth-rank Grandmasters for sale; of course, the price was also very high.

However, no matter how high, it couldn't withstand Xia Daoming's current wealth.

Of course, Xia Daoming tried to keep a low profile whenever possible.

After all, there were many Foundation Establishment forces in the east, and if he happened to attract Foundation Establishment cultivators, it would be somewhat troublesome.

After returning from the southern and eastern markets, Xia Daoming basically stayed at home.

It's just that his eleventh-rank Martial Dao was much more powerful than others' twelfth-rank; relying solely on the potent medicine found in the markets around the Ten Thousand Snail Xianshan, he definitely couldn't support his completion of the ninth-level meridian strengthening of the eleventh-rank realm, and he ultimately still needed to go to the Flame Sun Ridge Great Market in Qingzhou.

There must be higher-level potent medicine there.

In the blink of an eye, another twenty days passed.

On this day, Xia Daoming's meridians had been strengthened to sixty percent of the fifth level, and the potent medicine on hand was not much left.

And Lu Jinglong's injuries had also recovered quite a bit.

With him sitting in and guarding, plus the defensive array, there wouldn't be any problems unless Foundation Establishment cultivators personally brought people to attack.

Xia Daoming finally decided to set off.

However, before setting off for Flame Sun Ridge, Xia Daoming was homesick and wanted to return to Li Cheng first to gather with his family, report that he was safe, and then go to Qingzhou.

Speaking of which, in the blink of an eye, it had been two or three months since he left home.

And the journey to Qingzhou was long and the situation was complex, so this round trip would probably take at least a month or two.

If he really waited until he went to Qingzhou and then returned to Li Cheng, the interval would be too long, and it would be inevitable for his family to worry and miss him.

——

This time, Xia Daoming was in a hurry and didn't ride the Black Cloud Treading Snow.

Traveling day and night without stopping, with his terrifying foot speed, he arrived at a hill outside Li Cheng in just three days, dusty and tired.

Standing on the hill, looking at the familiar city in the distance, Xia Daoming inexplicably had an excited feeling of a wanderer returning home.

Under the morning light, a winding official road extended to the outside of the city, carrying a trace of the night and morning dew that had not yet faded.

On the official road, carriages shuttled back and forth, and pedestrians were endless.

By the side of the road, in the vast fertile fields, farmers were sweating and busy farming.

Not far away, several villages were scattered in the lush greenery, with cooking smoke rising in spirals.

Children were chasing and playing on the small paths of the villages.

Inside the city.

The morning sun shone on the streets paved with stone slabs, and the golden brilliance reflected the buildings arranged in good order.

Peddlers, scholars, and foreign merchants, people shuttled through the bustling crowd, which was surprisingly lively.

Li Cheng, with several Grandmasters sitting in and guarding, and they were Grandmasters with kindness and justice in their hearts.

In just over a year, it seemed that the traces of the catastrophe from more than a year ago could no longer be found in Li Cheng, which had ushered in a prosperous age rarely seen in a hundred years.

Every day, Li Cheng was undergoing changes.

Even though Xia Daoming had only been away for two or three months, Li Cheng seemed to have changed a lot again.

Coming down from the hill, Xia Daoming was no longer in a hurry to travel.

He walked unhurriedly on the official road outside the city, passed through the city gate, and walked in the bustling crowd of the streets, feeling the stability and prosperity of Li Cheng, and an indescribable sense of pride and satisfaction rose in his heart.

When poor, one should improve oneself; when successful, one should improve the world.

Inadvertently, he, Xia Daoming, had actually achieved the latter.

As he walked, Xia Daoming suddenly stopped.

Not far ahead, two beautiful women were standing side by side in front of an Osmanthus cake shop.

Suddenly, the two beautiful women seemed to have a mutual feeling at the same time and slowly turned their heads.

Their gazes passed through the bustling crowd and fell on Xia Daoming all at once.

"Master!"

"Big Brother!"

Liu Qiaolian and Ji Wenyue's eyes immediately turned red and moist, and just as they were about to greet him with surprise, a blur appeared before their eyes; Xia Daoming had already passed through the crowd at lightning speed and stood before them.

"Let's go home!" Xia Daoming took the Osmanthus cake from Liu Qiaolian's hand and carried his two beautiful wives back to the Tenglong Mansion.

During the day, Xia Daoming gathered with Liang Jingtang and others and roughly talked about Lu Ye's affairs, which made Liang Jingtang feel gratified.

During this period, Xia Daoming distributed a lot of potent medicine suitable for Grandmasters that he had found and bought from the market, which excited Ji Yuanzhen and others to no end.

That night, Xia Daoming practiced card skills with his two beautiful wives until late at night.

Waking up early the next morning, Xia Daoming suddenly remembered that the three of them had been separated for a long time and were like newlyweds last night, and in their hurry to play cards, he had forgotten to give them gifts.

So Xia Daoming hurriedly took out some formation books for Liu Qiaolian and some alchemy books for Ji Wenyue.

The two received their favorite gifts and, moved, repaid him with their bodies.

As a result, the three of them didn't get up until the sun was high.

After staying happily in Li Cheng for three days, Xia Daoming was ultimately worried about the Lu Clan, who were in the midst of wolves and tigers, and set off for Qingzhou.

——

Qingzhou, Red Cloud City.

The city is as its name suggests.

To its west, every evening at the edge of the sky, flames soar into the sky, reflecting the clouds and sunset.

And that place is exactly where Flame Sun Ridge is located.

The mountainside of Flame Sun Ridge is surrounded by inextinguishable flames; it is rumored to be the place where immortal cultivators live, and mortals are not allowed to approach, or they will be burned by the flames upon approaching.

On this day, Xia Daoming arrived at Flame Sun Ridge wearing a black cloak that could cover his whole body.

"Sure enough, the markets in major immortal cultivation states are different!" Xia Daoming stood in front of a faint flame on the mountainside, feeling the bursts of scorching heat emitted by the flames, and couldn't help but secretly praise, then his strength quietly circulated.

A strength barrier covered his whole body.

Xia Daoming stepped through the flames.

(End of chapter)