Target Overseas

Ever since Wang Ding bought the medicinal pills, he took them and practiced every day without pause. However, because Qi-Boosting Pills and Foundation-Cultivating Pills were refined from medicinal herbs, he could only take three a day; any more and he would not be able to absorb them. In legend, the Pure Sovereign Pill taken by great experts of the Spirit Transformation realm was refined from the light and numinous qi of the Nine Heavens, with no side effects or resistance whatsoever. Each pill could increase one's true essence by a full year of bitter cultivation.

After a month of bitter cultivation, Wang Ding had nearly consumed all the pills, yet he had only accumulated fifty drops of essence. This was because the further he went, the harder essence was to accumulate, and his resistance to the pills grew heavier and heavier. In the last few days, taking three pills a day could produce only a single drop of essence.

"Now these pills are basically useless. They can only be eaten like meals. I can't return to Yong City either. It's time to go overseas and fight for my chance. This Central Continent is surrounded by sea on three sides, and Ten Thousand Seas Pavilion, one of the ten great sects under heaven, is located in the North Sea. They must have managed that place like an iron barrel by now. I'm afraid there won't be much room to develop there. I should go to the West Sea. It's far from the North Sea and isn't under Ten Thousand Seas Pavilion's influence. There will definitely be an opportunity for me."

The next day, Wang Ding packed his luggage, bringing only his talisman-making tools, the remaining pills, spirit grain, and completed talismans, then set off toward the West Sea a million li away.

However, Wang Ding was not going to walk there directly. Instead, he went to Heavenly Treasure City, the largest commercial city in Central Province. Heavenly Treasure City had been built jointly by Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion, Heavenly Mystery Altar, Cinnabar Cauldron Pavilion, and countless small merchant associations. There was one in every great province, only with different names, and all had teleportation arrays built so they could teleport between one another. Teleportation was an extremely profitable trade; each teleportation charged one hundred low-grade spirit stones.

Five days later, Wang Ding arrived at Heavenly Treasure City a thousand li away. After entering the city, he wandered around and looked about. The entire city was lined with shops, and countless cultivators walked along the streets. Most of them were Qi Training Realm cultivators, though Spirit Transformation cultivators could occasionally be seen as well. Every time Wang Ding sensed that kind of powerful aura, he consciously hid to the side until the aura disappeared. Wang Ding was only a minor cultivator who had not yet entered the Innate realm; he did not dare come face-to-face with those powerful cultivators. If he ran into a cultivator in a foul mood, that would be a tragedy.

Seeing that there were high-level cultivators all along the way, Wang Ding did not want to invite needless trouble, so he carefully observed his surroundings. When he saw a cultivator whose cultivation was about the same as his own, he walked straight over.

"Please wait a moment, fellow Daoist."

The man looked to be around forty, his complexion sallow, the vicissitudes of life written plainly across his face. Seeing Wang Ding call out to him, he turned around and looked at Wang Ding warily. "What do you want?"

"No need to be nervous, fellow Daoist. I only wanted to ask you something. Where is Heavenly Treasure City's teleportation array?"

When the middle-aged man heard Wang Ding say this, he lowered his guard and said, "You can see it over by the south gate entrance."

"Many thanks, fellow Daoist."

After speaking, Wang Ding headed toward the south of the city. When he arrived at the south gate, he saw a scene of mountains and seas of people. Everywhere within sight were human figures, and only after much difficulty did Wang Ding squeeze his way to the number-token transaction counter for the teleportation array.

"I'm going to West Province. Please give me a number token." After Wang Ding handed over one hundred low-grade spirit stones, he received the number token. On it was written: West Province 1255.

West Province was the great province bordering the West Sea, so Wang Ding planned to go to West Province first, then on to the West Sea.

During the period before teleportation, Wang Ding observed and discovered that Ten Thousand Treasures City was extremely orderly, with its own set of rules. In the present age, when everything was completely controlled by sects and aristocratic families, this was very rare. From the way the teleportation array business worked, Wang Ding felt it was just like buying train tickets back on Earth; there was even a dedicated ticket office.

"Those going to West Province, come here," a voice rang out. Wang Ding looked up and saw a young disciple stepping on a blue flying sword, hovering in the air as he called out. Judging by his clothing, he was from Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion.

Wang Ding hurriedly squeezed over and followed the crowd into the teleportation array. He carefully observed the teleportation array under his feet. It was a formation like the Eight Trigrams, about the size of a sports field on Earth. Countless runes covered the Eight Trigrams, arranged and combined into strange patterns. At every node of the Eight Trigrams diagram was a low-grade spirit stone, and the spirit stones used in each area were all of different attributes: wind, thunder, rain, lightning, yin and yang, the five elements—everything was quite complete.

Suddenly, the teleportation array lit up. A burst of strange, multicolored light shot into the sky, and a spatial rift appeared above the teleportation array out of the void. Wang Ding then felt himself sucked in by a tremendous force. As soon as he entered the rift, a terrifying pressure came grinding down toward him. If not for the halo of light protecting him outside his body, Wang Ding would long since have been crushed into powder.

After an unknown amount of time, Wang Ding suddenly felt his whole body lighten, and his eyes brightened. The teleportation was complete; he had come out of the rift in space-time. Before he could recover his wits, a clear voice rang in his ears. "You have arrived in West Province. Hurry and come out of the teleportation array."

Wang Ding was still coming back to himself when he felt a powerful force pushing him toward the outside of the array. It was the flood of other cultivators leaving the teleportation array that carried him out. "Why do I feel more and more like this is squeezing onto a bus back then?"

According to legend, West Province had been an extremely prosperous place in the ancient era, with countless cultivators of great divine abilities cultivating here. But for some unknown reason, a great battle broke out and turned the entire West Province into a vast desert. Violent vital energy raged here without ever ceasing. From then on, West Province became a desolate land, and no major sects appeared here again. However, West Province had many ruins and cave abodes, as well as rare heavenly treasures produced only here, attracting countless cultivators to come in search of treasure. Naturally, several cities were built here. One of them was called Sand City, and of course a teleportation array was also established there to make it convenient for treasure seekers to come and go.

Wang Ding was currently in Sand City. He came to a teahouse called Gathering Source Pavilion, chose a corner, ordered a cup of spirit tea, and secretly observed his surroundings, listening in on the gossip around the teahouse.

However, after listening for quite a while, Wang Ding did not hear any useful information. Just as Wang Ding was growing impatient and planning to leave, a figure suddenly appeared before him. "Greetings, brother. I am Song Daokun. Brother, are you still at the Meridian Opening Stage?"

Wang Ding looked up and saw a man with a small mustache, a pair of shifty rat eyes, and a belly as large as a dou measure, looking at him with an eager expression. Judging by his cultivation, he was about the same as Wang Ding.

Wang Ding's expression did not change. "Whether I am or not, what of it?"

"Of course it matters. If you are, then I have a benefit to share with you. If not, then I can only look for someone else."

Wang Ding looked at the fatty before him, thought for a moment, and said, "If there's some benefit, why not keep it for yourself instead of sharing it with me?"

As soon as Song Daokun heard this, he knew there was a chance. He sat down opposite Wang Ding and said quietly, "I discovered a ruin. It may be an ancient cave abode, but I'm alone and weak, and I can't break the restrictions on the cave abode by myself. I also don't dare seek out local cultivators, so I've been here searching for outside Rogue Cultivators to explore the treasure with. What does Your Excellency think?"

Wang Ding pondered inwardly, From the way he speaks, it seems to be true. But even if he's lying to me, it doesn't matter. If he has evil intentions, I'm not someone to be trifled with either. When the time comes, I'll make sure he can't eat it and has to carry it away.

Wang Ding pretended to consider for a moment, then said, "All right. When do we go treasure hunting?"

Seeing that Wang Ding had agreed, the fatty said in a low voice, "At dusk three days from now, gather at Sand City's east gate. There will be three other fellow Daoists then. May I know your honored surname?"

"My surname is Huang, given name Zhong." Wang Ding did not give his real name, because in the novels and television dramas he had watched before, there were too many spells that cursed people to death. Not to mention that this was a mythic world, so he dared even less to casually reveal his true name. He simply used an alias at random.

"So it's Fellow Daoist Huang. Then we'll meet again in three days." After saying this, he hurried away.

Watching him leave, Wang Ding pondered inwardly, Three days' time. I should prepare some methods too. My plan to go to the West Sea will also have to be put off for now.

As Wang Ding calculated, he left the teahouse.