"Although Long Aotian himself was only at Qi Refining level two, besides True Lord Changle, he also had another mysterious expert guiding him from behind the scenes. That expert's cultivation was no weaker than the Late Core Formation stage. Thus, while Long Aotian's strength was still lacking, he possessed many miscellaneous life-preserving methods, and he even had a Small teleportation array in his possession."
"To a senior, Long Aotian's strength was nothing to fear. But if you wished to keep him here, that Small teleportation array would be the most troublesome thing."
In just a few sentences, Bai Lan had laid bare every trump card Long Aotian currently possessed.
Even the system fell silent.
It lit another candle for Long Aotian. No, three candles this time.
Cross the host, and she would hunt for every opportunity to risk her life digging pits for you.
The Black-robed cultivator was likewise startled by the information Bai Lan had revealed and sank into thought.
Long Aotian's cultivation was nothing special, but he had a Late Core Formation stage master behind him, and it was said that another expert no weaker than the Core Formation stage was secretly guiding him.
It seemed he could not underestimate his opponent this time. He had to use some proper methods.
The black-robed man's gaze sharpened.
Having dug a pit for Long Aotian without leaving her name, Bai Lan did not linger where she was. She turned and slipped away.
"The host is so naughty," the system clicked its tongue.
Bai Lan spread her hands. "What did I do? I did nothing at all. I merely told the person chasing Long Aotian all of his trump cards."
This was called doing nothing?
The system shook its head with repeated clicks of its tongue.
With Long Aotian's luck, he would surely escape alive in the end.
But once the late Qi Refining stage black-robed assassin became serious, and with full knowledge of Long Aotian's trump cards, fought with all he had—
Even if Long Aotian, at Qi Refining level two, was protected by the heavens and could neither be killed nor prevented from fleeing, he would still have to lose a layer of skin.
As they spoke, the two had arrived outside Cangyuan City's gates.
Built against the mountains and valleys, it was a vast city. One glance revealed towering pavilions and a spectacular scene of streets packed with countless people.
Cangyuan City was divided into an inner and outer city. The outer city housed low-level cultivators such as those in the Qi Refining stage, while the inner city was where the powerful and influential cultivators above the Foundation Establishment stage, even those in the Core Formation and Nascent Soul stages, resided.
After all, at the very rear of Cangyuan City, the conspicuous place wreathed in clouds and mist, where several layers of formation light overlapped, was especially eye-catching. Those living inside were most likely important figures.
Beyond that, a golden barrier could be seen hanging over Cangyuan City and enveloping the entire city. This was likely the city's City protection formation, and it also prohibited flight.
This was because most Foundation Establishment stage cultivators flying on swords would put away their flying swords and enter the city on foot upon reaching Cangyuan City.
Of course, this rule did not apply to Core Formation stage cultivators.
Core Formation stage cultivators still had to put on a full display of status. After all, in the cultivation world, strength was everything, and strength was the rule.
After Bai Lan showed her Identity Jade Token, she entered the city without undergoing much inspection.
Bai Lan, entering Cangyuan City for the first time, wandered around for half an hour. Only after feasting her eyes did she helplessly accept the fact that she was lost.
Cangyuan City was indeed magnificent, but it was also truly enormous.
"Fairy, is this your first time in Cangyuan City?"
Just as the saying went, speak of Cao Cao and Cao Cao arrives. The very second Bai Lan showed a troubled expression, a sharp-eyed person appeared.
Here he came, here he came—the indispensable figure in cultivation novels: the guide.
Whenever the protagonist of a cultivation novel arrived somewhere new, they would surely encounter someone to guide them, and the required payment was no more than a single Spirit Stone.
Thanks again to Long Aotian. If she had not robbed his bag of Spirit Stones, Bai Lan would not even have a Spirit Stone to offer.
If you can't find it by searching the book title, try searching for the author instead! Perhaps it was only renamed!
Bai Lan nodded with a smile. "Yes. And you are...?"
"Greetings, Fellow Daoist. I've lived in Qingyuan City for decades, an old hand around here. I usually earn Spirit Stones by taking odd cultivation jobs to support my Household, haha." The old man stroked his beard with a smile. "For just one Spirit Stone, a map of Qingyuan City will be yours, Fairy."
Bai Lan pondered.
By common sense, shouldn't she haggle a little?
But low-grade Spirit Stones were the most basic currency in the cultivation world. She could hardly pay him half a Spirit Stone.
Just as Bai Lan was about to pay the full amount, the old man across from her seemed to sense her hesitation and hurriedly added, "If Fairy feels this price is too high, this old man can also add one piece of information worth one Spirit Stone."
Bai Lan's eyes lit up.
Sure enough, one could not be too quick when paying Spirit Stones. Wait a little! There might be a surprise!
"Please tell me." She did not feel the slightest heartache spending the Spirit Stones she had robbed from Long Aotian, and Bai Lan readily took out one Spirit Stone from her Storage Bag.
At the sight of the Spirit Stone, the old man's eyes brightened. He hurriedly nodded. "Does Fellow Daoist know that, apart from the Marketplace, Cangyuan City has another place known as the Black Market?"
Bai Lan's expression flickered.
Of course she knew about the Black Market.
Apart from the Marketplace, the Black Market also held many of the opportunities destined for Long Aotian and Bai Ling.
But the Black Market lay in the gray lands of the cultivation world, a place none of the major powers governed. Anyone with low cultivation and no ability to protect themselves would be walking straight into death if they went there.
"This bamboo slip records the Black Market's location. But this old man must still warn Fairy: if you lack the ability to protect yourself, you must never set foot in the Black Market. Otherwise..." The old man smiled and shook his head, then turned and left with the Spirit Stone.
Bai Lan stared at the line of words on the bamboo slip and fell into thought.
How could an ordinary old man at Qi Refining level one know such secret information as the Black Market?
Could he be another big shot hiding his identity?
No, no. She could not start seeing big shots in every blade of grass and tree.
Picking up bargains came first. She had to buy that Spatial Black Stone before Bai Ling obtained it.
The map the old man gave Bai Lan was very clear. Following it, she turned this way and that, winding around several corners before finally finding Cangyuan City's Marketplace.
Marketplaces varied by scale. The large ones were backed by sects and located in the centers of cities, basically equivalent to the large commercial districts of the world she had originally lived in.
"Qi Nourishing Pills, top-quality Qi Nourishing Pills—"
"Fresh Beast Blood, a must-have for drawing talismans! First Tier and Second Tier, all available! The more you buy, the bigger the discount—"
"Rare treasures from ancient cultivators, guaranteed genuine!"
"Come on over, take a look! One Spirit Stone per gamble! Winners may randomly obtain an item from a Storage Bag—High-grade Spirit Artifacts, Blood Recovery Pills, Monster Bone Material, we have everything!"
Within the Marketplace were taciturn stall owners who merely watched over their stalls, as well as hawkers doing their utmost to shout their wares.
The one that attracted Bai Lan the most was the little gambling stall.
For one Spirit Stone, one gambled on whether the dice would roll high or low.
High meant victory; low meant defeat.
The winner could freely choose one Storage Bag from among the stall owner's several dozen Storage Bags and claim the item inside. Naturally, the Storage Bag itself was not included.
Wasn't this the classic combination of gambling and blind boxes?
An ordinary person would most likely lose everything after playing once, but...
Before you continue