Suotuo City

A cold thought slowly rose from the depths of his heart like a venomous snake.

Bibi Dong, they said a gentleman could wait ten years for revenge.

But I, Jiang Bai, had never been a gentleman.

If I couldn't kill you now, then—I'd let the people you cared about taste suffering first.

Didn't you deeply love Yu Xiaogang? Then your old lover would have to suffer a little first—

Yu Xiaogang, were you ready?

About an hour later, they had left the core region and reached the relatively safe outskirts of the Star Dou Forest.

Beside a clear stream, Wind Dragon slowly descended.

Jiang Bai jumped down from its back. Though his steps were still somewhat unsteady, he could now move freely.

After looking around and confirming that it was safe, he said to the three dragons,

"Catch a few soul beasts. We need to replenish our strength. Avoid powerful or unusual clans if possible; ordinary ones will do."

"Yes, Master!"

The three dragons accepted their orders and quickly scattered.

After shrinking themselves, they moved more stealthily. In less than fifteen minutes, they had brought back over a dozen unconscious Soft Bone Rabbits.

They were all low-level soul beasts with only a few decades of cultivation, as common as weeds in the outskirts of the Star Dou Forest.

Jiang Bai skillfully handled the rabbit meat beside the stream with a dagger, skinning, gutting, and washing it.

He then set up a simple grill and placed the skewered rabbit meat over the fire, while Fire Dragon controlled a gentle flame to roast it evenly.

Grease dripped into the fire with sizzling sounds, and a rich aroma of meat spread through the air.

The shrunken Fire Dragon, Earth Dragon, and Wind Dragon sat around the campfire, staring eagerly at the gradually golden meat as their throats bobbed unconsciously.

Jiang Bai turned the roasting meat, but his thoughts drifted far away.

He couldn't return to Spirit Hall for the time being.

At least, not until he possessed enough strength to take revenge.

Where should he go next—

He should return to Niuma Village first.

He had been gone for six years. The remote village that had raised him, and his mother's grave, were still there.

Though there were no relatives there worth missing, it was still his "root" in this world.

Then he could disgust Yu Xiaogang some more.

After that—he would travel the continent and seek opportunities to grow stronger.

He needed to find a chance to consume that "mandarin duck pot," the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well!

With so many immortal herbs there, the Aromatic Silk Beauty could not only help his Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda evolve into a Nine Treasures Glazed Pagoda, but the rest could also rapidly increase the dragons' cultivation!

One immortal herb might not raise their cultivation by eighty or ninety thousand years at once, but forty or fifty thousand years should be possible, right?

(That's right, I'm asking you in front of the screen! How many years of cultivation do you think one immortal herb should add?)

(Too much isn't good, but too little isn't either. Give me some suggestions, please!)

But—there was no rush.

He first needed to recover and formulate a thorough plan.

"Master, the meat is ready!" Fire Dragon's voice pulled him back to reality.

Jiang Bai came back to his senses and took several perfectly roasted rabbits from the fire, distributing them to the three dragons first.

They did not even care that the meat was hot. Opening their mouths, they swallowed entire rabbits in one bite and squinted contentedly.

Jiang Bai took one for himself as well, blew on it, and carefully took a bite.

Crisp on the outside and tender within, it had no seasoning, yet the meat's natural freshness mixed with the smoky flavor made it exceptionally delicious.

He chewed slowly, feeling the warmth brought by the food spread through his body and replenish his depleted strength.

After eating and drinking his fill and resting briefly, Jiang Bai once again leaped onto Wind Dragon's back.

"To the southern border of the Heaven Dou Empire, the Balak Kingdom, Niuma Village."

Wind Dragon let out a long cry, spread its wings, and soared into the sky with him, flying in the direction Jiang Bai pointed.

Fire Dragon and Earth Dragon returned to the space within the pagoda to rest and cultivate.

Ten days later.

Jiang Bai finally arrived within the Balak Kingdom.

He did not choose to fly directly back to Niuma Village, instead stopping briefly in Suotuo City along the way.

This city, located in the southeastern part of the Balak Kingdom, was exceptionally prosperous due to its position at a major transportation hub between the two great empires.

In a forest several miles outside the city, Jiang Bai had Wind Dragon descend before returning it to the pagoda's space to recuperate.

He straightened his clothes. He was still dressed in a simple blue-and-white fitted outfit, lightly dust-covered from days of travel but otherwise fairly neat.

He then followed the official road toward the city gate.

After paying the entrance fee, Jiang Bai entered Suotuo City.

Rather than immediately going shopping, he first found a restaurant that looked clean and affordable. He had eaten roasted meat and wild fruit in the forest for ten days.

Now, sitting in the bustling restaurant and listening to the surrounding diners laugh and chat, he felt as though a lifetime had passed.

After eating and drinking his fill, Jiang Bai began taking care of business.

He first visited several construction-material shops, purchasing a batch of tools along with some stone and white lime.

Next, he went to the market in the western part of the city.

He bought a few gifts, intending to give them to several people in the village with whom he was close.

After finishing his purchases, Jiang Bai walked down the street, considering whether he had missed anything.

As he pondered, his gaze casually swept over an inconspicuous shop at the street corner.

The shopfront was small, and its sign bore the image of a sword, a hammer, and a ferocious dragon design.

Jiang Bai stopped in his tracks.

That emblem—Flender's curio shop?

Jiang Bai's heart stirred.

Judging by the time, Tang San should still be studying under Yu Xiaogang at Nuoding City Junior Spirit Master Academy.

After hesitating for a moment, he still walked toward the shop.

The door was half-open. When he pushed it open and entered, the interior was dimly lit.

The shop was not large, and all three walls were covered with various items. They all appeared battered and worn, completely unlike valuable goods.

There was only a wooden reclining chair in the center of the room. A man who looked to be around fifty lay on it, rocking back and forth as the chair creaked under the strain.

His eyes were closed as though he were taking a nap, utterly unconcerned by someone entering.

Jiang Bai slowly paced through the shop, his gaze passing over the "junk" on the walls.

The appraisal ability inherent to the Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda gave him a vague sense of these objects.

Most of them truly were merely ordinary old items, but several faintly emitted weak energy fluctuations.

His gaze finally settled on a dark-yellow crystal the size of a human head.

The crystal's surface was covered in fine golden patterns. They were almost impossible to see in the dim light, but the Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda sent him a clear tremor—this was good stuff!

Crystal Board Hair Gold, or rather, the raw material for Dragon Whisker Needles.

Jiang Bai was not skilled in forging or hidden weapons, but he remembered that the Dragon Whisker Needles Tang San had made from this material in the original work possessed extremely strong armor-piercing power, specifically breaking protective aura and Soul Power defenses.

For him now, it was indeed a good item.

Besides, wasn't there a saying? He might not need it, but he couldn't be without it.

He reached out and took down the Crystal Board. It felt heavy in his hand.

"Boss, how much for this?" Jiang Bai turned and asked.

Flender did not even open his eyes. His hoarse voice sounded lazy. "One hundred Gold Soul Coins."

"Deal."

Jiang Bai took a small cloth pouch from his Storage Bracelet and casually tossed it over.

After saying that, he spoke no further and turned toward the shop entrance.

The pouch drew an arc through the air and landed precisely in Flender's arms.

Flender raised a hand to catch it, weighed it, and rubbed the Gold Soul Coins through the cloth pouch with his fingers, confirming that the amount was correct.

Only then did he slightly open one eye and inspect this generous young man through his crystal lens.

Blue-and-white clothing, delicate features, clear eyes carrying a steadiness beyond his age.

His aura was restrained, but with Flender's cultivation as a Soul Saint, he could vaguely sense the surging Soul Power within the other man's body.

A twelve- or thirteen-year-old Soul Elder?