Chapter 579: The Complete Map of Tianhuo

"Younger brother, this is a Heartbond Talisman!"

"Take it!"

Liu Prince Haoran handed He He Pingsheng a Heartbond Talisman: "I'll go see Master Master Tianji first. If he won't help me, I'll come back to you!"

"Alright!" He He Pingsheng agreed at once.

Although right now he had no idea how to refine the Grade Six 【Holy Essence Pill】.

We'll see later—if it truly can't be done, I can always walk away; after all, I never promised Liu Prince Haoran I'd definitely refine it.

Let's wait and see!

That's the situation.

Don't let an opportunity slip, but don't force it either.

"Goodbye!"

"Goodbye!" He He Pingsheng and Liu Prince Haoran parted ways.

Not long after, he bid farewell to Prince Tianyu: "Brother Prince Tianyu, thank you for bringing me to the Imperial City. Your kindness cannot be repaid in words—may our paths cross again when the green mountains remain unchanged!"

He He Pingsheng led Hao Cang into the Tianpeng Imperial City!

Originally, Hao Cang had a disciple named Jin Shu.

That fellow was driven away by Hao Cang.

He was sent back to the Jin Shu clan with some 【Rootless Grass】 and the jade slip for cultivating it, to properly nurture his clan members.

So now only Hao Cang accompanied He He Pingsheng.

"Elder, shall we take a carriage?"

"I know this Imperial City inside and out—I can take you anywhere!"

"Elder, just twenty spirit stones will do!"

As soon as they entered the gate, a crowd of various beast-human vendors rushed forward to sell their wares.

Of course, these people had low cultivation—only Foundation Establishment.

Some were even merely Qi Refining.

These Qi Refining and Foundation Establishment disciples had limited ways to acquire resources and found it hard to earn money, but here, running errands could net them dozens of spirit stones a day—more than enough to satisfy them.

After all, when He He Pingsheng was an inner disciple of the Grand Void Gate, his monthly stipend was only a dozen or so spirit stones.

"Take me to the largest merchant association in the city!" He He Pingsheng boarded a large carriage.

"Got it… Elder, rest assured—all merchant associations in the Imperial City are on the same street, seven in total, easy to find!"

"And all seven are huge!"

He He Pingsheng nodded.

After about two hours, the carriage finally brought He He Pingsheng to the so-called Merchant Street.

Indeed, every establishment here was a merchant association.

Not only merchant associations, but also countless small shops.

In the Imperial City, merchant associations had no rankings—all seven were large.

Moreover, it was said these seven associations were all owned and operated by the disciples and descendants of the Tianpeng Beast Emperor.

He He Pingsheng casually picked one and walked in.

The Imperial City's merchant associations were different—upon entering, a small array stood at the entrance.

Any cultivator passing through this array revealed their cultivation level.

Seeing He He Pingsheng was Nascent Soul Level 12 and Hao Cang an astonishing Soul Transformation Level 8, the low-level sales disciples in the shop quickly stepped back; the shopkeeper behind the first-floor counter stepped forward, smiling broadly: "Two elders, please come in!"

"I'm the first-floor shopkeeper. I know whatever you need won't be on the first floor, so please wait—I'll call the second-floor Elder!"

He He Pingsheng nodded: "Thank you."

After a while, He He Pingsheng followed an Elder of Soul Transformation to the second floor.

"Please, come in!"

The Soul Transformation Elder treated Hao Cang with great courtesy.

Yet Hao Cang bowed deeply toward He He Pingsheng: "Young Master, please enter."

The merchant association Elder's eyes narrowed slightly—he immediately regarded He He Pingsheng with new respect.

A Nascent Soul cultivator with a Soul Transformation subordinate?

Not ordinary at all!

Either his family was extraordinary, or his own strength was formidable.

"Please, please, please…" The Elder grew even more respectful.

The three entered a private chamber!

As his cultivation advanced, He He Pingsheng no longer needed to personally inspect the shop's inventory—he simply stated his needs, and the Elder would tell him whether the item was available.

The three sat down, host and guests in order.

The Elder asked: "Honored guest, what are you seeking?"

He He Pingsheng said: "First, I need a map—a detailed map of the entire Tianhuo Continent."

"I'm sorry, honored guest… we don't have that," the Elder smiled. "Not just us—none of the other major associations in the Imperial City possess a detailed map of the entire Tianhuo Continent."

"Perhaps such a thing doesn't even exist."

"If you want a simplified map, we do have those for sale."

Maps came in two types: detailed and simplified.

A simplified map was simple—it only roughly outlined a region's contours and divisions, showing you the directional relationship between one Imperial Domain and another.

A detailed map was different—it marked precisely what resources existed at each location.

Rare herbs, mineral deposits, sects, races—all were annotated in detail.

Unfortunately, the association didn't have such a thing.

"Alright," He He Pingsheng said. "Then give me a simplified map… how many spirit stones?"

"Hehe…" the Elder chuckled. "If you're buying only the map, it's one hundred thousand mid-grade spirit stones—or ten high-grade spirit stones."

"Hehe…" the Elder chuckled, "If you're buying just one map, it's ten thousand mid-grade spirit stones—or you can give me ten high-grade spirit stones!"

One hundred thousand mid-grade spirit stones?

Not worth much?

Of course, this was the Spirit Realm—perhaps it truly wasn't.

"If you plan to purchase other items… and if the total value is high, I'll give you this map as a gift!"

"Good," He He Pingsheng said. "I also wish to purchase a material called 【Six Bath Clear Dew】. Do you have it?"

For the Ten Combination Pill, He He Pingsheng still needed 【Six Bath Clear Dew】 and Huang Quan Qi.

"This… 【Six Bath Clear Dew】?" The Elder frowned.

He He Pingsheng felt a bad premonition. "You don't have it?"

"No no no… please wait. This item is extremely rare—I recall we do have some, but I need to check; no one has bought it in decades!"

"No no no… Brother Daoist, wait a moment. This item is extremely rare—I recall I do have some, but I need to check; it's been decades since anyone came to buy this!"

The Elder stood and left the private chamber.

After half a stick of incense, the Elder returned. "Honored guest, I apologize… here is your map."

After sitting down, the Elder pulled out a small porcelain vial. "This contains the 【Six Bath Clear Dew】."

He He Pingsheng's heart leapt—he finally had it!

"Honored guest, do you know what 【Six Bath Clear Dew】 is?"

He He Pingsheng shook his head. "I've never looked into it."

The merchant Elder said: "【Six Bath Clear Dew】 is a spiritual liquid."

"Legend says that in certain special spots on snowy mountains, a seven-colored snow lotus grows. In the freezing cold, it condenses a tiny amount of dew."

"The dew is useless—wipe it away."

"Do this for six consecutive days. If on the sixth day dew still condenses, that dew can be used to refine special pills—this is the origin of 【Six Bath Clear Dew】."

"Because of its cold nature, its primary use is to lock in the yin energy within pills."

"Hehe… now you understand, right?"

The Elder looked at He He Pingsheng.

He He Pingsheng nodded. "Thank you for the explanation. How much for this vial of 【Six Bath Clear Dew】?"

He He Pingsheng nodded: "Thank you, Elder, for clarifying—how do you intend to trade this bottle of Six Bath Clear Dew?"