Universe Pouch

The two maidservants behind Steward Hua were whispering among themselves, staring unblinkingly at Ning Xiaochuan. One of them, with delicate fair skin, said softly, "Refining five Nourishing Heart Grass plants in two hours can only be done by an Intermediate Heart Nourisher. Can he really do it?"

"Even an outstanding Elementary Heart Nourisher needs an hour to refine one Nourishing Heart Grass plant. Refining five in two hours is simply impossible."

Less than half an hour later, Ning Xiaochuan took the second Nourishing Heart Grass into his hand, crushed it into vapor, drew it into the Heart Nourishing Cauldron, and began refining it.

The two maidservants both fell silent, finding it inconceivable.

Before long, Ning Xiaochuan took the third Nourishing Heart Grass into his hand.

This time, even Steward Hua was moved. His fingers gradually clenched, and astonishment filled his face.

When Ning Xiaochuan picked up the fourth Nourishing Heart Grass, Steward Hua abruptly rose to his feet, holding his breath as though his eyes were about to fall from their sockets.

When Ning Xiaochuan reached for the fifth Nourishing Heart Grass, Steward Hua and the two maidservants had gone completely numb. Only shock could describe their feelings at that moment.

These were not merely five Nourishing Heart Grass plants. They signified the birth of a peerless prodigy. Though he was unknown now, he would surely astonish the world in the future.

"Done. The five Nourishing Heart Grass plants have been refined. Miss in blue, please bring me a jade bottle to collect the Heart Nourishing Elixir." Ning Xiaochuan opened his eyes. There was not a trace of fatigue in them; instead, they shone with vitality, wisps of Martial Dao Profound Qi flowing through his pupils.

Others would feel exhausted and weary after refining Nourishing Heart Grass, yet he seemed to have become even more energized.

Steward Hua clicked his tongue in wonder. Fortunately, he had seen the world and could restrain the excitement in his heart. Had a younger steward been here, he would likely have been so stunned that he fell beneath the table.

Ning Xiaochuan washed his hands clean in clear water. They were fair and spotless. As he circulated the blood within his body, a layer of pale red Profound Qi emerged over his palms, and drops of green Heart Nourishing Elixir fell from his fingertips, carrying a sweet, fragrant scent.

Drip! Drip!

When the sixteenth drop fell from Ning Xiaochuan's fingertips, Steward Hua's eyelids twitched again.

The information in his possession stated that Ning Xiaochuan could refine one Nourishing Heart Grass plant into three drops of Heart Nourishing Elixir, making him highly gifted. Yet now, after refining five plants, sixteen drops of Heart Nourishing Elixir had already fallen.

But what happened next gave Steward Hua another great shock. The astonishing things he had encountered today were more numerous than all those from the past several decades combined.

The seventeenth drop.

The eighteenth drop.

The nineteenth drop.

The twentieth drop.

A full twenty drops—Steward Hua had witnessed it with his own eyes.

"Heavens! An average of four drops of Heart Nourishing Elixir from each Nourishing Heart Grass plant—this is a level only an Intermediate Heart Nourisher can attain!" Steward Hua stared intently at Ning Xiaochuan, flames nearly bursting from his eyes.

He was absolutely a genius, a treasure! A great treasure! He would surely become an Intermediate Heart Nourisher someday. What a find! Ha ha!

Ning Xiaochuan's heart skipped a beat as he looked at Steward Hua's gaze. He isn't going to pounce on me, is he?

Ning Xiaochuan hurriedly stepped back two paces. He intended to leave after selling the Heart Nourishing Elixir; he did not want to be pounced on and pinned to the ground by a man. "There are fifty-seven drops of Heart Nourishing Elixir in total. Steward Hua, name your price."

The fifty-seven drops of Heart Nourishing Elixir were naturally sold at a premium, bringing in five hundred and seventy thousand Small Coin, exchanged for five large silver ingots and seven hundred Silver Coin.

One large silver ingot equaled one thousand Silver Coin.

In Yulan Empire, Azure Gold was the gold of nobles and extremely scarce, so Silver Coin had become the principal currency.

Ning Xiaochuan made a rough calculation. One large silver ingot weighed roughly five catties. Five ingots made twenty-five catties, and with another seven hundred Silver Coin, the total weight came to fifty catties!

The bundle in his hands was heavy! Ning Xiaochuan was a Profound Qi Sixth Level martial artist; a single punch of his carried roughly four thousand catties of force. Carrying fifty catties was naturally effortless for him. But for an ordinary person, carrying such a heavy load of money home would guarantee getting robbed halfway there.

Because it was far too obvious. Anyone could tell at a glance that you were carrying a great deal of money! If they did not rob you, whom would they rob?

Ning Xiaochuan said, "Steward, doesn't Golden Roc Heart Nourishing Hall have something like silver notes?"

Steward Hua froze for a moment. "Silver... notes...?"

"Forget I said anything."

Ning Xiaochuan frowned. He knew this world probably did not have paper currency like silver notes, then added, "I'm curious about something. If I had ninety million... I mean, if—if I had ninety million Small Coin, that would become nine hundred large silver ingots. Together, they would weigh four thousand five hundred catties. How would I carry that money home without worrying about being robbed?"

Stroking his beard, Steward Hua smiled. "Golden Roc Heart Nourishing Hall naturally has guards who can escort all a customer's Silver Coin back to his residence. Young Master Ning may rest assured of that. In the entire Imperial City, indeed in all of Yulan Empire, there are likely few who would dare touch the wealth of Golden Roc Heart Nourishing Hall."

Clearly, Steward Hua had not truly understood Ning Xiaochuan's meaning. Ning Xiaochuan patiently explained, "What I mean is, is there a lighter method? For example, one that would let me carry tens of millions in wealth while traveling, without anyone discovering it."

At last, Steward Hua understood. "There is indeed such a treasure, but... heh heh, Young Master Ning, come with me!"

Steward Hua kept him in suspense as he led Ning Xiaochuan into a resplendent hall within Golden Roc Heart Nourishing Hall. This hall stood deep in the heart of the establishment. Few customers ever came here, and it was rather deserted.

Eight Martial Dao experts clad in Iron Scale Armor stood guard outside the hall.

Many rare treasures were displayed within the hall, each with a price marked beside it.

"Second Grade Profound Weapon, Heavenly Execution Sword. Price—five hundred taels of Azure Gold."

"Fourth Grade Profound Weapon, Ancient Lizard Pattern Armor. Price—eight thousand taels of Azure Gold."

The treasures here were all priced in Azure Gold, showing just how precious they were.

Steward Hua smiled. "Golden Roc Heart Nourishing Hall primarily trades in mysterious medicine, but naturally we also deal in industries related to Profound Weapons. This is the Profound Artifact Hall. There is a type of Profound Weapon in this world called the Universe Pouch. It is incredibly wondrous; a tiny pouch can hold as much as an entire house."

No matter how beautiful, sharp, or exquisitely crafted an ordinary vessel might be, it could only be called a Common Weapon.

Only vessels that transcended the ordinary and possessed special abilities could be called Profound Weapons.

Every Profound Weapon was worth a city, yet could be encountered only by chance. Only in a place like Golden Roc Heart Nourishing Hall could one see so many Profound Weapons.

"Universe Pouch!"

Ning Xiaochuan had never heard of something so miraculous. There were seven Universe Pouches in this Profound Artifact Hall, yet even the cheapest and most worn-out one cost seven thousand taels of Azure Gold!

That was equivalent to seventy million Small Coin.

To Ning Xiaochuan, it was an astronomical figure! No wonder Steward Hua had hesitated earlier. The Universe Pouch was actually so expensive that even the descendants of kings and marquises likely had few who could afford one. Only Martial Dao Venerables and true marquises could wear such a miraculous Profound Weapon.

A Profound Weapon like the Universe Pouch was a rare treasure of the ages, not something Ning Xiaochuan could afford now. Though his eyes lingered on it, he could only leave the Profound Artifact Hall reluctantly.

In truth, with Ning Xiaochuan's current wealth, forget buying a Universe Pouch—even any other First-Grade Profound Weapon was beyond what he could afford.

A First-Grade Profound Weapon started at no less than one million Small Coin.

Of course, Ning Xiaochuan's primary purpose in coming to Golden Roc Heart Nourishing Hall had never been the Universe Pouch. He had come to buy Profound Stones and discover why his cultivation had suddenly risen to the Profound Qi Sixth Level. Finding a method to rapidly improve his cultivation was the real priority.

In this world, strength was king. If he was not strong enough, those people in Sword Pavilion Marquis's Mansion eyeing the marquis's inheritance might well swallow him alive, skin and bones alike.

Under Steward Hua's guidance, Ning Xiaochuan spent one hundred thousand Small Coin to purchase a Low-Grade Profound Stone of extremely high purity, roughly the size of a fist.

The broken Low-Grade Profound Stone Ning Xiaochuan had bought for twenty thousand Small Coin last time was only the size of a spade. This Low-Grade Profound Stone, however, was whole, and the Heaven and Earth Profound Qi within it was six or seven times greater than that of the previous one.

After considering it, Ning Xiaochuan spent another two hundred thousand Small Coin to buy two more Low-Grade Profound Stones, making three in total.

Profound Stones were necessities that Heart Nourishers carried with them. Keeping more on hand would save him from having to run to Golden Roc Heart Nourishing Hall every day.

Afterward, Ning Xiaochuan bought ten Second Grade Blood Accumulation Grass plants. Since refining one First Grade Blood Accumulation Grass plant had stimulated the Seven Aperture God Demon Heart and allowed him to break through to the Profound Qi Sixth Level—

Then the effects of refining Second Grade Blood Accumulation Grass should be even better!

Naturally, he also bought ten Second Grade Nourishing Heart Grass plants. Second Grade Heart Nourishing Elixir was quite valuable, several times more expensive than First Grade Heart Nourishing Elixir.

"Buying three Low-Grade Profound Stones, ten Second Grade Blood Accumulation Grass plants, and ten Second Grade Nourishing Heart Grass plants cost four hundred thousand Small Coin in total. I only have one hundred and seventy thousand Small Coin left. Money flows away like water!" Ning Xiaochuan's face turned miserable again.

Why was money never enough?

In the distance, two youths wearing scarlet brocade robes approached.

One of the youths was around sixteen or seventeen years old. The other was much taller and more robust, about two years older, and rather handsome, causing the maidservants of Golden Roc Heart Nourishing Hall to repeatedly glance his way.

The younger youth was named Wang Yunchong, a spoiled young master from Celestial Elephant Marquis's Mansion. "Third Brother, you are a young expert at the Profound Qi Ninth Level. With your cultivation, passing the examination and entering Heavenly Emperor Academy should be as easy as turning over one's hand. Why are you buying Intermediate Pills to strike at the Divine Body Realm?"

"What do you know? Heavenly Emperor Academy is the foremost academy in all Yulan Imperial City. It is known as the Son of Heaven Academy and the Imperial Martial Palace, the culmination of literary governance and martial achievement. Only truly peerless geniuses can enter Heavenly Emperor Academy to cultivate. If one wishes to be enfeoffed as Marquis, bring glory to one's ancestors, and shake the world with one's might, one must first become a disciple of Heavenly Emperor Academy!"

The youth Wang Yunchong called Third Brother was named Wang Shi. He was eighteen this year and one of the most outstanding members of the younger generation in Celestial Elephant Marquis's Mansion.

Wang Shi clenched his fist. Faint green Profound Qi flowed within his sharp eyes. "Do you know who the Youngest Martial Venerable in Yulan Empire is today?"

Wang Yunchong's eyes filled with admiration. "Yue Wuyang. He reached the Earth Venerable Realm at twenty-six and was enfeoffed as Cloud Marquis at thirty-two. Since the founding of Yulan Empire, he is the youngest marquis among those whose title was not inherited."

"Exactly! Yue Wuyang was a disciple of Heavenly Emperor Academy. While still in the academy, he crossed seventeen levels of the Heaven Reaching Bridge, shaking the entire Heavenly Emperor Academy. Countless talented women were captivated by his heroic bearing. Later, he won glorious military achievements and was enfeoffed as Marquis, establishing his career. How many people envy him!"

"That is why I must enter Heavenly Emperor Academy this time. Only by reaching the Divine Body Realm can I be completely certain. Otherwise, even with Profound Qi Ninth Level cultivation, I could still be eliminated by other geniuses. The Heavenly Emperor Academy examination is far too competitive!" Wang Shi said.

Wang Yunchong sighed. "It seems I have no chance. One must at least reach the Profound Qi Seventh Level to qualify for Heavenly Emperor Academy's entrance examination. I am only at the Profound Qi Fourth Level now. I will probably need to cultivate until I am thirty before reaching the Profound Qi Seventh Level, and by then I will have long passed the academy's admission age."

The realm above the Profound Qi Realm was the Divine Body Realm.

Breaking through the Profound Qi Ninth Level allowed one to cultivate a Divine Martial Body and become an expert of the Divine Body Realm.

In Yulan Empire, martial artists were chosen one from a hundred, but because the population was immense, their numbers were not small.

Yet the vast majority remained at the Profound Qi Ninth Heaven. Poor martial artists without advanced cultivation techniques or mysterious medicine would find it difficult to reach even the Profound Qi Fourth Level in an entire lifetime.

Even descendants of kings and marquises, with cultivation techniques, mysterious medicine, and martial instructors, had only an exceedingly small number of exceptional individuals who could reach the Profound Qi Seventh Level before eighteen. Such people were called geniuses! Thus, a youth like Wang Shi, who had reached the Profound Qi Ninth Level at only eighteen, could certainly be called astonishingly gifted. Yet he still had only a seventy percent chance of entering Heavenly Emperor Academy, not absolute certainty.

Only by reaching the Divine Body Realm could one gain admission to Heavenly Emperor Academy with complete certainty.

Martial artists who reached the Divine Body Realm were truly formidable experts capable of standing on their own. All manner of wondrous divine abilities would be nurtured within their bodies—some could raise dozens of enormous, savage Profound Beasts in their bloodline; some could transform their bodies into divine swords; some could pluck out a hair and condense it into a duplicate; some could even summon a divine dragon to fight for them.

The stronger one's constitution, the stronger the divine abilities born within one's body! That was why every martial artist wished to reach the Divine Body Realm.

Wang Yunchong looked ahead. "Eh! Isn't that Ning Xiaochuan from Sword Pavilion Marquis's Mansion? What is that sickly fellow doing at Golden Roc Heart Nourishing Hall? Sickly Ning! Sickly Ning!"

Accompanied by Steward Hua, Ning Xiaochuan was preparing to leave Golden Roc Heart Nourishing Hall when two youths in scarlet brocade robes approached him head-on and blocked his path.