Black Wind City

"What are you so smug about?! If I were your age, I could blow you apart with one slap!"

Meng Jing bared her little canine teeth and shouted in the direction Zhang Lingmin had left.

She was extremely unhappy. She had been robbed of a Foundation Establishment Pill—that was ten thousand Spirit Stones!

Jiang Ping An asked, "Compared to the other geniuses, what rank would that woman hold?"

Meng Jing let out a long breath, sheathed her blade, and replied:

"She ranked third in the last competition, but that was because her realm was relatively low."

"If her strength reached Foundation Establishment Late Stage, she would definitely be first."

"However, many true geniuses did not need to participate in that competition at all. Princess Sister had already selected the most talented group for separate training."

"In other words, even with her strength, it would not be easy for her to secure one of the final slots for the Genius Competition."

Hearing Meng Jing's introduction, Jiang Ping An suddenly clenched his fists.

There were actually many geniuses even stronger than that woman!

For some reason, Jiang Ping An's body suddenly began to tremble upon hearing those words.

It was not fear or terror, but... excitement.

Yes, excitement!

The reason he had chosen to participate in this competition was to obtain Great Xia's Supreme Secret Art and gain a chance to approach immortality.

As his horizons broadened and he encountered so many geniuses, his blood began to race, and a surge of hot blood rushed into his heart.

Right now, he especially wanted to fight those geniuses.

Of course, he definitely could not beat them, but that did not stop him from following in their footsteps.

Seeing Jiang Ping An trembling, Meng Jing patted him on the shoulder.

"Relax. We're just going there to make up the numbers and fight for some cultivation resources. The final slots definitely won't be ours."

Meng Jing took it all in stride.

Jiang Ping An would not relax. He would only work harder. He had to obtain Great Xia Supreme Secret Art.

Arriving beside Xu Tao, Jiang Ping An skillfully searched the corpse.

This was what he liked most. He never knew what good things he might find.

The result disappointed him.

Aside from the black pendant Protective Amulet around Xu Tao's neck and that great saber, there was nothing good—only two bottles of Blood Qi Pills.

Even if he sold all of it, it might only be worth one Foundation Establishment Pill.

"Tch, and you called yourself a Martial Master. What a poor ghost!"

Meng Jing was greatly disappointed and kicked Xu Tao's corpse aside.

"Woodhead, be careful. Although you dealt with Xu Tao, you have offended Spirit Terrace Kingdom. They will definitely put out a bounty targeting you."

"Princess Sister said that every year, large numbers of geniuses die to assassinations. Some are assassinated by enemy kingdoms, while others are killed by hostile factions."

Meng Jing warned him seriously.

Jiang Ping An nodded and called toward the distance, "Little White."

At his call, a white figure swiftly appeared.

Meng Jing pouted unhappily. "When we ran into danger just now, this demon beast was the first to run away."

"I told it to. It was the final trump card."

Jiang Ping An mounted up and stroked Little White's smooth fur. "If all my trump cards had been exhausted and I still could not deal with Xu Tao, it would have charged out at full speed and kicked Xu Tao."

"Though it might not have killed him, it could still have sent him flying. Then it could have carried us away while we took the chance to escape. Its speed has already surpassed that of ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivators."

Meng Jing's eyes widened. She had not expected Jiang Ping An to have another move in reserve!

Perhaps apart from the array flags, this man still had other trump cards.

Good heavens, other people only had one or two trump cards, but this fellow had a whole pile. Could those still be called trump cards?

"Hyah!"

Jiang Ping An took Meng Jing toward Black Wind County's largest capital city, Black Wind City, also the most prosperous city in Black Wind County.

This time, Little White moved at full speed, racing through the snow. In less than half a day, they reached Black Wind City.

The towering city walls rose several hundred meters high, built from a special material that glittered with starlight and emitted a mysterious radiance.

The carvings on the walls were exquisitely detailed, depicting all kinds of mysterious runes and images.

The moat twisted and wound along, its clear water gleaming with silver light beneath the sun, like a ribbon encircling the entire city.

Standing beneath the city walls and looking up at the city, Jiang Ping An was deeply shaken.

It was too magnificent.

Countless merchant caravans and cultivators streamed in and out. All kinds of exotic beasts could be seen everywhere, while cultivators flew back and forth through the air.

Jiang Ping An activated the power in his right eye and swept his gaze across the streets. His heart began pounding fiercely again.

Almost everyone had cultivation. Foundation Establishment Realm cultivators were everywhere, and he could even see Golden Core Realm experts!

The Golden Cores within their bodies were like suns, making Jiang Ping An dare not look directly at them.

Suddenly, Jiang Ping An spotted a strange man. There was actually something resembling a tiny infant within the man's Dantian.

Then, the infant suddenly opened its eyes.

Jiang Ping An was so startled that he hurriedly withdrew his gaze.

That cultivator swiftly looked toward Jiang Ping An, then withdrew his own gaze.

"How strange. He is only a little fellow, yet it felt as though some expert was watching me."

The cultivator muttered as he left.

Jiang Ping An broke out in a cold sweat.

Could this be the Nascent Soul expert Old Li had spoken of?

The other party had not used any technique at all. Just one glance had left his body unable to move.

Many shops shone with spiritual treasure light in dazzling colors. Any weapon at random was a magic treasure.

Many shops were built atop lofty pavilions. Cultivators who could not fly were simply unqualified to enter.

Jiang Ping An was stunned. Was this the Cultivation World?

Even though Meng Jing had been to Black Wind City once before, she was still deeply shaken upon coming a second time.

Any random prosperous courtyard here was larger and grander than the buildings in Continuous Mountain County.

Jiang Ping An found a shop and sold off the useless items he carried.

For example, the green Protective Amulets copied using the Treasure Accumulation Basin were no longer useful. They could only block a full-force strike from a Ninth Level of Qi Refinement cultivator.

Later, he would copy some of Xu Tao's Protective Amulet. That one was of a higher grade.

"Twenty-one?!"

When Meng Jing saw Jiang Ping An take out twenty-one identical Protective Amulets to sell, she was completely dumbfounded.

She had already suspected that this man had other moves in reserve when fighting Xu Tao. Seeing this scene only made her even more certain.

Where had this man gotten so many Protective Amulets?

"The path of cultivation is fraught with danger. Having a few backup plans is normal." Jiang Ping An explained calmly.

Meng Jing rolled her eyes at him. This counted as "a few" backup plans?

But then again, following this man really did make her feel safe.

Jiang Ping An also sold one Realm Breaking Pill and one Foundation Establishment Pill, exchanging them for Spirit Gathering Pills and Blood Spirit Pills.

These two kinds of medicine were used for cultivation by Foundation Establishment Realm cultivators and Martial Master-level cultivators. Exchanging for some would make future cultivation more convenient.

He exchanged for one hundred Blood Spirit Pills and gave half to Meng Jing.

Meng Jing wanted to refuse, but she truly could not bear to give up so many pills. Turning her head aside, she said softly:

"Th-these will count as me borrowing them from you. I'll repay you later."

"Mm."

Jiang Ping An replied casually. He had no intention of making her repay him.

Her father had saved him and had even given him a mysterious technique called the Earth Accumulation Art.

Not to mention giving her fifty Blood Spirit Pills—even if he gave her five hundred Foundation Establishment Pills, Jiang Ping An would still be the one profiting.