12dz Chapter 37 Trip to Qingxuan City
Chapter 37 Trip to Qingxuan City
The next morning, before dawn.
Zhang Lin got up from the prayer mat, took stock of the goods in the shop, and put all the valuables into his storage bag.
He changed into a light blue long gown, covered with a black brocade robe, and wore a jade belt around his waist.
Looking in the mirror, the person appeared to be in his early twenties, with sharp eyebrows and bright eyes, exuding a calm and composed demeanor, clearly displaying the bearing of a disciple of a major sect.
Today we are going to Qingxuan City.
Although Qingyun Town is located on the edge of the Southern Wilderness Continent, it has a teleportation array that leads directly to Qingxuan City. It is said that it was built decades ago by several major families in Qingxuan City to facilitate the trade between border cultivators.
Zhang Lin pushed open the courtyard gate. The morning light was faint, and there were no pedestrians in the market yet.
With everything ready, he left the shop and headed west along the main street of the market.
The teleportation array in Qingyun Town is located in the west of the town. It is a white jade platform about ten feet in diameter, covered with intricate array patterns. There is a stone pillar at each of the four corners, and the top of each pillar is inlaid with a fist-sized spirit stone that emits a faint spiritual light.
Beside the stone platform sat an old man in a gray robe, with a late-stage Qi Refining cultivation level. His beard and hair were all white, and he was resting with his eyes closed.
"Go to Qingxuan City." Zhang Lin stepped forward and handed over fifty spirit stones.
The old man opened his eyes, took the spirit stones, counted them, and nodded: "Go up to the platform."
Zhang Lin did as instructed and walked onto the stone platform, standing in the center.
The old man stood up, made hand seals, and muttered incantations.
The spirit stones on the four pillars suddenly lit up, array patterns flowed, and a powerful spatial force enveloped Zhang Lin.
A flash of white light appeared before my eyes, and the wind howled in my ears.
In the blink of an eye, the white light dissipated, and Zhang Lin was standing on a larger stone platform.
Looking up, a magnificent city comes into view.
Qingxuan City.
The city wall is over ten zhang high and is built of bluestone. Spiritual patterns are embedded in the cracks between the stones, making the entire city wall a huge defensive formation.
The city gates were wide open, and pedestrians thronged the streets. Some ordinary people carried loads in and out, while others were cultivators riding spirit beasts.
Zhang Lin followed the crowd into the city, and as he looked around, he secretly admired what he saw.
Compared to it, Qingyun Town is just a small village.
The streets in the city are wide enough for four horse-drawn carriages to travel side by side.
The streets were lined with shops, one after another, each with a different signboard: medicine shops, magic tool shops, talisman shops, and flag and banner shops—you name it.
The lettering on the signboard, whether in gold or silver, gleamed in the morning light.
More than half of the pedestrians were monks.
In the early and middle stages of Qi Refining, there are the most, and in the later stages, there are also quite a few. Occasionally, one or two people with a profound aura and a restrained spiritual light can be seen.
That is a Foundation Establishment cultivator.
Zhang Lin suppressed his amazement and strolled along the main street, his eyes scanning the signs of the various shops.
Not far along, he saw a magnificent three-story pavilion with the four characters "Danxia Branch Altar" written on the plaque. The characters were elegant and seemed to have a faint spiritual light flowing through them.
Two cultivators in blue robes, both at the late stage of Qi Refining, stood in front of the building, their tokens hanging from their waists, their expressions solemn.
Zhang Lin already knew that the Danxia Sect had a branch altar in Qingxuan City.
Seeing it with my own eyes now, I realized how grand this branch altar was. The entire building was made of bluestone, with upturned eaves and carved beams and painted rafters. The two stone lions in front of the door were lifelike, each holding a spirit stone in its mouth, with a faint spiritual light.
Looking further ahead, branches of Biluo Palace and Zifu Immortal Sect also came into view.
Among the nine great sects, not many have established branches outside of the Divine Continent. However, the Danxia Sect, Biluo Palace, and Zifu Immortal Sect have branches in major cities across various continents due to their expertise in alchemy, medicine, and talisman formations.
Zhang Lin was admiring the imposing facade of the Danxia branch when he suddenly heard light footsteps behind him.
"Junior sister, slow down. Qingxuan City isn't some dragon's den or tiger's lair."
A clear male voice rang out, tinged with a hint of helpless laughter.
Zhang Lin stepped aside and looked in the direction of the sound.
A group of five people, three women and two men, all looked to be in their early twenties, were walking towards them.
Although the five people were not dressed in uniform, their robes were of exquisite quality, and the jade pendants and belts hanging from their waists had a faint spiritual light flowing around them, clearly indicating that they were not ordinary items.
The leader was a young man, tall and slender with a handsome face, wearing a moon-white robe.
With his late-stage Qi Refining cultivation, his aura was calm and steady, and he walked with a composed gait, displaying the demeanor of a disciple from a prestigious sect.
Beside him was a girl, about sixteen or seventeen years old, with an oval face, bright eyes and lively features. She wore a double-bun hairstyle, a pale yellow short jacket, and a green silk sash around her waist.
Both were at the late stage of Qi Refining, but their auras were slightly weaker than the young man's.
The girl was tugging at the sleeve of a woman in white, chattering away.
The woman in white was in her early twenties, with a beautiful face, exquisite features, and a cool and aloof demeanor.
She wore a moon-white Taoist robe and had a white jade token hanging from her waist, engraved with the words "Azure Sky".
With his cultivation at its peak, his body radiated a restrained spiritual light, exuding an extraordinary aura.
Behind the woman in white were a man and a woman.
The man was dressed in a blue robe, had a handsome face, and wore a purple-gold talisman at his waist.
With his late-stage Qi Refining cultivation, a faint smile played on his lips as he glanced at the shops along the street, exuding a nonchalant air.
The woman was dressed in a long emerald green dress, with a beautiful face and smiling eyes.
With a cultivation level of mid-stage Qi Refining, his aura was lively, clearly indicating that he was a novice.
"Senior brother, look at that Danxia branch altar, it's far inferior to our sect's!" The girl in yellow pointed to the three-story pavilion of the Danxia branch altar, her tone tinged with disdain.
The young man in the lead shook his head and smiled, "Junior sister, when you're out and about, keep your mouth shut. This is their territory, give them some face."
"I didn't say anything wrong." The girl in yellow pouted. "The Danxia Palace in Yunmeng Continent is a nine-story building with flying eaves and brackets, resplendent in gold and jade. What is this mere three-story building compared to that?"
The woman in white spoke softly, her voice like a clear spring striking a stone: "Junior Sister Zhou, for cultivators, the focus is on cultivating the mind, not on showing off."
The girl in yellow stuck out her tongue and said no more.
The man in the blue robe laughed and said, "Senior Sister Shen is right, but then again, the Danxia branch altar in Qingxuan City is indeed a bit shabby."
"When I was in the Purple Mansion Immortal Sect, even the outer disciples' residences were more impressive than this."
The leading youth glanced at him, a half-smile on his face: "Senior Brother Chu, everyone knows how wealthy your Purple Mansion Immortal Sect is. Of the five great sects in the Divine Continent, you are the richest."
The man in the blue robe, Senior Brother Chu, laughed heartily: "You're mistaken. When it comes to wealth, your Danxia Sect is number one. Eighty percent of the high-grade pills in the world come from your hands. You make spirit stones like water flowing in."
"Alright, alright, you two stop flattering each other." The woman in the emerald green dress waved her hand, her gaze falling on the stone lions in front of the Danxia branch altar.
"Hey, look at those stone lions, the spirit stones they're holding in their mouths are low-grade, but the stone lions at our gate are holding high-grade spirit stones."
The girl in yellow couldn't help but exclaim again, "Exactly, the difference is too big!"