Chapter 97 - 93: Departure

Chapter 97: Chapter 93: Departure

Many Cultivators coming to Jingyue Marketplace wore disguises and covered their faces. Blending into the crowd, Chen Jianghe did not stand out. Following the flow of people into the marketplace, he first headed to Jingyue Treasure Pavilion to sell the Spirit Talismans he had accumulated over the past two and a half years. He had exactly 104 Five Elements Escape Talismans. Along with the three he had saved previously, he planned to sell them all.

As a Late-Stage Qi Refining Cultivator now, the Lower-Grade Water Escape Talismans were of little use to him. Even if he wanted to keep some as a backup plan, he needed to buy High-Grade Spirit Talismans instead.

"One hundred and seven Lower-Grade Escape Talismans total 273 Spirit Stones. Please keep them safe," Yun Suxin said after counting the talismans. She placed them into the cabinet and handed over the Spirit Stones.

Instead of taking the Spirit Stones, Chen Jianghe lowered his voice and said, "Three High-Grade Thunder Summoning Talismans, two High-Grade Protection Talismans, and ten Five Elements Escape Talismans."

Hearing this, Yun Suxin cast a surprised glance at him, but the black cloth hanging from his bamboo hat completely obscured his features.

"Certainly. Please wait a moment." She turned around and fetched the Spirit Talismans from the cabinet behind her.

"High-Grade Thunder Summoning Talismans are ten Spirit Stones each, so three will be thirty.

"High-Grade Protection Talismans are twelve Spirit Stones each, making two twenty-four.

"High-Grade Five Elements Escape Talismans are fifteen Spirit Stones each, so ten will cost one hundred and fifty.

"The total comes to 204 Spirit Stones. Here are your remaining 69 Spirit Stones. We look forward to your next visit."

Chen Jianghe picked up his High-Grade Spirit Talismans, put away the 69 Spirit Stones, and left the Spirit Talisman Counter.

High-Grade Spirit Talismans were quite expensive. If he had bought them from Talisman Master Chu Lang, he could have saved twenty Spirit Stones, but there was no need to cause unnecessary complications. After their previous transaction, Talisman Master Chu Lang probably knew his background inside out by now. He definitely knew his true age.

After leaving Jingyue Treasure Pavilion, he entered the Hundred Treasures Tower and headed straight for the Spirit Pill counter.

"Five Qi Recovery Pills."

"One Qi Recovery Pill is six Spirit Stones, so that will be thirty Spirit Stones in total. Thank you."

Chen Jianghe handed over thirty Spirit Stones, received a Jade Bottle containing five Qi Recovery Pills, and stored it in his Storage Pouch. Qi Recovery Pills were Middle-Grade Spirit Pills used to restore Magical Power. Taking one could restore 70% of a Mid-Stage Qi Refining Cultivator’s Magical Power within ten breaths, or 40% for a Late-Stage Qi Refining Cultivator.

Scanning the Spirit Stones in his Storage Pouch with his Divine Sense, he noted he had 86 left. Immediately after, he went to the Hundred Treasures Tower’s Spirit Talisman Counter and purchased three more High-Grade Protection Talismans and two High-Grade Cold Ice Talismans. This cost him another 56 Spirit Stones, leaving him with thirty.

"Thirty Spirit Stones is enough to serve as development funds at my next stopping point," Chen Jianghe thought to himself as he walked out of the Hundred Treasures Tower.

Initially, he had considered buying a High-Grade Flying Sword so he could defend himself if he encountered danger. However, after careful consideration, he realized a problem. A High-Grade Flying Sword could fend off enemies, but what if the opponent also had one? His Sword Flight might be fast, but if the enemy had a High-Grade Flying Sword too, what could he do? When the time came, he wouldn’t even be able to escape.

As for buying a set of High-Grade Spiritual Artifacts, he certainly had the desire, but he simply didn’t have enough Spirit Stones. A High-Grade Flying Sword combined with a High-Grade Defensive Spiritual Artifact required five hundred Spirit Stones. Moreover, with Little Black acting as a meat shield, Chen Jianghe didn’t really need a High-Grade Defensive Spiritual Artifact anyway. Therefore, the cost-effectiveness of buying a High-Grade Flying Sword couldn’t compare to buying Spirit Talismans.

High-Grade Offensive Spirit Talismans contained Magic Attacks comparable to a single strike from a Ninth-Layer Qi Refining Cultivator. Having three High-Grade Thunder Summoning Talismans meant possessing three Magic Attacks equivalent to a Ninth-Layer Qi Refining Great Cultivator. Although the High-Grade Cold Ice Talisman lacked strong offensive capabilities, it could drastically slow down an enemy’s speed, buying him precious time to escape.

A High-Grade Protection Talisman contained a strand of Ninth-Layer Qi Refining Protective Gang Qi, capable of blocking a single attack from a Ninth-Layer Qi Refining Great Cultivator who lacked a High-Grade Flying Sword. Five talismans were a bit few, but his current Spirit Stones were only enough to buy this many.

The Five Elements Escape Talisman was an absolute necessity for Cultivators traveling abroad. Even if one’s Magical Power was exhausted, they could still rely on it to flee for their life. For instance, a High-Grade Water Escape Talisman could allow the user to escape ten miles within fifty breaths. It was undeniably a great item. If it weren’t for his lack of Spirit Stones, he would have loved to buy twenty or thirty of them just in case of emergencies. If he used them all sequentially, he could directly flee two or three hundred miles. In that scenario, perhaps even a Foundation Establishment Ancestor wouldn’t be able to catch up.

Arriving at the port, he glanced toward the direction of the East Island Yun Family Territory and paused slightly before flying away using Qi Manipulation.

He knew they would meet again in a few years, so there was no need to rush things now. Flying over the lake’s surface, he passed the lake channel in front of the Zone A No.6 Water Area. Looking at the familiar fishing boats, he didn’t stop and simply flew right over.

Nowadays, very few Cultivators flew using Qi Manipulation over Jingyue Lake. After all, passenger routes were available at a cheap price, making it completely unnecessary to waste Magical Power on flying. However, since Chen Jianghe needed to make a stop at the outer 512 Waters, he couldn’t take the large passenger ship. On the other hand, there were quite a few Cultivators traveling via Sword Flight. Of course, those who still flew using Qi Manipulation were generally assumed to be bottom-tier Cultivators who couldn’t afford a flying sword and were notoriously stingy. Right now, he would undoubtedly be lumped into that category.

Upon arriving at the 512 Waters, he saw a Basic-Level Fisherman and Farmer feeding the fish. It was a fifteen- or sixteen-year-old boy, much like himself when he first came to the Yun Family. He glanced around, found the right opportunity, and dove into the lake. Squeezing through the lake grass wall from amidst the gravel on the lakebed, he arrived at the bottom of the 512 Waters.

Then, he let Little Black out.

"Time is tight, so be quick. Otherwise, if you’re discovered, you’ll be stewed into soup," Chen Jianghe instructed.

Sniffing its father’s scent, Little Black swiftly swam off in a specific direction. Chen Jianghe didn’t follow, giving Little Black ample space. In less than twenty breaths, he saw Little Black quickly swimming back.

"That fast?" Chen Jianghe marveled.

He stored Little Black into the Spirit Beast Space, squeezed back into the lake channel, and floated up to the surface. Spotting the right moment, he leaped into the air.

Afterward, he flew toward the direction of Port No.1.

Two years ago, he had already planned his first stopping point: Qinghe Marketplace. It wasn’t that he intended to settle there permanently, but rather, Qinghe Marketplace was the largest Cultivation Marketplace within a Fang Yuan of three thousand miles. Having been established for over five hundred years, it boasted Flying Ships that traveled to various major marketplaces across the Celestial South Domain. He wanted to check out the situation at Qinghe Marketplace first. If it was suitable, he would settle down there. If not, he could still travel anywhere else via the Flying Ships available there. This approach was relatively safer.

The reason he was heading to Port No.1 now was that Jingyue Marketplace and Qinghe Marketplace hadn’t yet established a Flying Ship route. He had heard Yu Daniu mention that disagreements over the profit distribution of the Flying Ship routes were the reason Jingyue Marketplace still lacked Flying Ship connections with any other marketplace. The Yun Family already had two Foundation Establishment Cultivators and a Tier Two Spirit Beast, qualifying them as an Upper Class Foundation Establishment Immortal Race in the Eastern Territory. Yet those Grand Marketplaces treated the Yun Family’s Jingyue Marketplace the same as Qiyun Marketplace, demanding a seventy percent cut of the Flying Ship route profits. Furthermore, the Yun Family would be expected to provide the Flying Ships themselves. Naturally, the Yun Family refused.

Port No.1 had large ships heading to Qinghe Marketplace, and there was a broker gang specializing in this business. Given the option to travel in a group to Qinghe Marketplace, practically no Cultivator was willing to go alone. Even Late-Stage Qi Refining Cultivators mostly chose to travel with companions. Jingyue Lake was two thousand miles away from Qinghe Marketplace. The journey was plagued by numerous entrenched Tribulation Cultivators, including several Late-Stage Qi Refining Great Tribulation Cultivators. Therefore, Cultivators generally didn’t choose Sword Flight for the journey, as it was far less safe than traveling by water.

He finally arrived at Port No.1.

Compared to when he first saw it, the place had undergone a massive transformation. Due to the prosperity of Jingyue Marketplace, this end of the passenger route had effectively evolved into a Cultivation Town. Of course, mortals still existed here, but the number of Cultivators now surpassed them, and the locations for street vendors had been properly standardized. The original single market street had expanded into four or five, and even the Workshop Association had grown significantly. It had directly turned into an entire street filled exclusively with shops selling various Cultivation Resources.

Everything looked much more formalized now. The only thing that remained unchanged was the presence of Cultivation deadbeats like Wang Kui, who still wandered about trying to borrow Spiritual Sand from Basic-Level Fisherman and Farmers they knew.

Arriving at the market, he sought out the local broker gang.

"When does the large ship heading to Qinghe Marketplace depart?" Chen Jianghe asked, his raspy voice carrying a hint of hostility.

This caused the lazy mortal broker in front of him to shudder in his Heart and Mind. The man quickly gathered his Spirit and respectfully replied, "Is the Immortal Master heading to Qinghe Marketplace?

"You’ll need to wait another three to five days. Our large ship requires a certain number of passengers before it can depart.

"As you know, there are too many Tribulation Cultivators along the way. If we don’t have enough people, it simply isn’t safe." The lowly broker explained with a respectful, apologetic smile.

Three to five days was acceptable. Chen Jianghe then nodded.

"Alright, this humble one will register you. May I ask what the Immortal Master’s Cultivation is?" the broker asked cautiously.

Chen Jianghe’s expression shifted, and a wave of oppressive aura enveloped the broker, instantly causing cold sweat to pour down the man’s face. Asking someone about their Cultivation was a huge taboo in the Cultivation Realm.

"Please quell your anger, Immortal Master! This is a rule for boarding the large ship, and ticket prices are determined based on one’s Cultivation.

"After all, passengers with high Cultivation serve as a deterrent to the Tribulation Cultivators along the journey," the broker hastily blurted out.

Hearing this, Chen Jianghe retracted his aura. It was quite reasonable. If all the passengers were Late-Stage Qi Refining Cultivators, then likely not a single Tribulation Cultivator along the route would dare to strike. However, if they were all Early-Stage Qi Refining Cultivators, how would they be any different from a ship full of piglets? Therefore, to some extent, this large ship bound for Qinghe Marketplace was borrowing the prestige of Late-Stage Qi Refining Cultivators to sail safely.

Looking at it this way, someone from the Yun Family definitely stood behind the local broker gang. Otherwise, how could such massive profits be allowed to flow to outsiders?

"Late-Stage Qi Refining," Chen Jianghe stated in his raspy voice.

"Umm, well... dare I ask if the Immortal Master is at the Seventh-Layer Qi Refining, Eighth-Layer Qi Refining, or perhaps the Ninth-Layer Qi Refining?

"It’s not that this humble one talks too much, but the price differs for every Realm among Late-Stage Qi Refining Immortal Masters.

"If you are a Ninth-Layer Qi Refining Great Cultivator, we will even give you fifty Spirit Stones to hold the line if we encounter Tribulation Cultivators."

Chen Jianghe was taken aback. He hadn’t expected such a policy.

"Seventh-Layer Qi Refining."

"To travel to Qinghe Marketplace, Early-Stage Qi Refining Immortal Masters need to pay eight Spirit Stones, and Mid-Stage Qi Refining Immortal Masters pay five. Since your Cultivation is at the Seventh-Layer Qi Refining, you only need to pay one Spirit Stone."

"And the Eighth-Layer Qi Refining?"

"Also one Spirit Stone."

Chen Jianghe was speechless. It seemed that only Ninth-Layer Qi Refining Great Cultivators could actually earn Spirit Stones from the trip. But it was true; Ninth-Layer Qi Refining Great Cultivators were intimidating enough to deter Tribulation Cultivators. Furthermore, the situations of Ninth-Layer Qi Refining Cultivators were complex. If they were under sixty years old, they would be hoarding Foundation Establishment resources. Moreover, those who reached the Ninth-Layer Qi Refining before sixty were mostly clan descendants. They carried High-Grade Spiritual Artifacts and sometimes even High-Grade Defensive Spiritual Artifacts.

If they were Ninth-Layer Qi Refining Cultivators past sixty, with no hope of Foundation Establishment, they would choose to buy High-Grade Spiritual Artifacts to bolster their combat strength. Therefore, no matter the situation, a Ninth-Layer Qi Refining Great Cultivator possessed massive deterrent power against Tribulation Cultivators.

"You could have just directly asked if I was a Ninth-Layer Qi Refining Great Cultivator and been done with it. Hmph!" Chen Jianghe took out a Spirit Stone and tossed it to the broker.

"Yes, yes, yes. You’re absolutely right," the broker smiled apologetically. Although his higher-ups required him to ask for the exact Cultivation Realm of every passenger, he was just a mortal underling who barely made any silver a year. How could he dare to argue with a Cultivator? "Please head to Yuelai Inn and stay for a few days. When the ship is ready to set sail, someone will notify you."

Chen Jianghe flicked his sleeves and left the broker gang’s outpost. Without lingering in the market, he went straight to Yuelai Inn. For the next few days, he stayed completely inside his room, never stepping out. With over half a pot of Fasting Pills left on hand, he didn’t need to worry about food or drink.

On the sixth day.

Someone from the broker gang arrived to notify him that he could board the ship to Qinghe Marketplace.