New Peace City

Returning to the cave dwelling area, Qin Huaian had just been about to enter when the door of the neighboring cave dwelling opened as well. Lin Qingxuan came out and, upon seeing Qin Huaian, delight flashed in her eyes. She called out, "Senior Brother Qin!"

Qin Huaian stopped too, suddenly recalling that Lin Qingxuan had mentioned her family had an alchemist. Her family was likely a cultivation clan, and probably quite wealthy.

Qin Huaian smiled and asked, "Junior Sister Qingxuan, are you heading out?"

Hearing Qin Huaian call her Junior Sister Qingxuan, Lin Qingxuan secretly rejoiced. "No, Senior Brother Qin. I heard footsteps and came out to greet you. I saw that you'd been in seclusion for over two months."

"Is that so? Junior Sister Qingxuan, would you like to come sit in my cave dwelling?"

"This... wouldn't be appropriate, would it?" Lin Qingxuan looked around, then slipped into Qin Huaian's little courtyard.

Qin Huaian froze slightly. Before he could even say, "What's inappropriate about it? It's not like I'm going to eat you," the little girl had already gone in herself.

Smiling, Qin Huaian shook his head and closed the courtyard gate.

"Come, sit here." Qin Huaian led Lin Qingxuan to the stone table in the pavilion.

"Wait a moment, Junior Sister Qingxuan. I'll go brew some tea for you." The moment the words left his mouth, Qin Huaian regretted them. What tea did he have? Ever since coming to the Cultivation World, he had become an ascetic cultivator. Apart from Grain-Repelling Pills, he had barely eaten anything else, much less indulged in the refined pleasure of drinking tea.

Seeing Qin Huaian rise, prepare to turn away, then stop, Lin Qingxuan immediately said, "There's no need to trouble yourself, Senior Brother Qin. Why not try my tea instead?"

As she spoke, she took a tea set and a box of tea leaves from her storage bag.

She used a spell to boil a kettle of water, took out several tea leaves, and placed them into the teapot. Lin Qingxuan's movements were practiced and fluid, completed in one smooth motion.

Before long, a delicate fragrance of tea wafted from the pot.

"Senior Brother Qin, this is Spirit Vein Jade Tea grown by my family. It tastes wonderful. Give it a try."

She poured two cups, pushed one toward Qin Huaian, and lifted the other to take a gentle sip.

Qin Huaian picked up his cup as well and tasted it lightly. It tasted countless times better than the tea he had drunk in his previous life, and a faint trace of spiritual energy entered his body along with the tea. Of course, that tiny amount of spiritual energy was negligible to Qin Huaian now.

"Excellent tea!" Qin Huaian exclaimed.

"These are the tenderest tea leaves, specially kept aside. This is what my family uses to entertain guests. Do you like it, Senior Brother Qin? This box was just opened, so I'll give it to you."

"No need. I don't drink tea very often."

"Junior Sister Qingxuan, I invited you over because I wanted to ask you something."

"Please speak, Senior Brother."

"You know I'm a First-Rank Alchemist. I refined a batch of Qi Recovery Pills. Do you know of any way to sell them for spirit stones?"

Qin Huaian had originally invited Lin Qingxuan over intending to sell the Qi Recovery Pills directly to her, but seeing how guileless she was, he felt a little embarrassed to do so.

"That's simple. Give them to me. My family has a shop in New Peace City, and I can help you put them in the shop to sell."

"My cousin has been helping out at our family's shop lately."

Qin Huaian knew of New Peace City. It was the largest cultivation city within the Yellow Mountain Sword Sect's sphere of influence, roughly a thousand li from the Yellow Mountain Sword Sect. For cultivators, that was already quite close.

"Alright, Junior Sister Qingxuan. Can you come with me to New Peace City?" Qin Huaian had also been considering going to New Peace City in the future to earn spirit stones. Having an acquaintance there would make things even easier.

"Sure, Senior Brother Qin. When do you plan to go?"

"Leave now?" Qin Huaian was not one to dawdle. He had to seize every moment.

"Th-then... alright." Lin Qingxuan had not expected Qin Huaian to be in such a hurry when they had only just sat down to have tea together.

"Wait for me, Senior Brother. I'll go back and pack up."

"Alright. Junior Sister Qingxuan, change into the sect's standard attire." Looking at Lin Qingxuan's pleated skirt, Qin Huaian felt it was somewhat unsuitable for traveling. Never mind whether it was convenient or not—why dress so prettily? He had no desire to encounter some scene on the road where a rogue molested a young girl, and then he stepped forward to save her.

Besides, wearing the Yellow Mountain Sword Sect's attire should deter some loose cultivators harboring ill intent, shouldn't it?

Half a quarter-hour later, Lin Qingxuan emerged wearing the attire of an East Dawn Peak outer disciple.

Much better. It would be even better if she dirtied her face a little, Qin Huaian thought to himself.

"Senior Brother, let's go."

"Alright. Junior Sister Qingxuan, do you need a Divine Movement Talisman?" Qin Huaian took out two Divine Movement Talismans, intending to give one to Lin Qingxuan.

"There's no need, Senior Brother Qin. These boots on my feet are Wind-Riding Boots, a high-grade Dharma Artifact. I can run very fast in them."

Alright, I was shallow. While I was still using first-rank spirit talismans to travel, she was already wearing a high-grade Dharma Artifact. Qin Huaian silently put away the other Divine Movement Talisman.

"Let's go, Junior Sister Lin!" He slapped a Divine Movement Talisman onto himself, activated Skystride Hundred Transformations, and sprinted swiftly down the mountain.

"Wait for me, Senior Brother!" Lin Qingxuan circulated her spiritual power and soon caught up with Qin Huaian. Why did Senior Brother suddenly seem a little less enthusiastic? Did I do something wrong? Lin Qingxuan quietly wondered as she ran.

Before long, they reached the mountain gate of the Yellow Mountain Sword Sect. The sect did not restrict its disciples from entering or leaving; as long as their identities were verified, they could come and go freely.

After their Identity Tokens were checked, the two sped toward New Peace City.

Qin Huaian was now at the sixth level of Qi Refining. With abundant spiritual energy within him, further boosted by Skystride Hundred Transformations and a Divine Movement Talisman, he moved at astonishing speed. Lin Qingxuan was not slow either, keeping tightly on his heels.

Good equipment really did make a difference!

Several hours later, they arrived before the gates of New Peace City. The sun was already slanting westward.

New Peace City's walls stood twenty zhang high. Looking out from the city gate in either direction, one could not see their end. It was an immensely magnificent immortal city!

It was said that hundreds of thousands of cultivators lived in New Peace City year-round.

"Senior Brother Qin, we're here. Come on, let's go in. I'll take you to my family's shop."

The guards at the entrance wore the ordinary outer disciple uniforms of the Yellow Mountain Sword Sect. Those ordinary uniforms differed from the outer disciple uniforms of East Dawn Peak, which were rather distinctive.

Seeing what Qin Huaian and Lin Qingxuan wore, the guards smiled and nodded to them. Qin Huaian returned the greeting.

After entering New Peace City, Qin Huaian found it countless times more prosperous than Cloudfield Market. If Cloudfield Market was a small western county town, then New Peace City was a first-tier metropolis.

Not only were there numerous shops and dense crowds, but the cultivators here were also far stronger on average than those in Cloudfield Market. In Cloudfield Market, mid-stage Qi Refining cultivators counted as above-average experts, but in New Peace City, they were everywhere, while Late Qi Refinement Realm cultivators made up a considerable proportion as well.

"Senior Brother Qin, this is the southern district. The southern and western districts have more low-level cultivators, mainly Qi Refining Stage cultivators. There are many Foundation Establishment Realm cultivators in the northern and eastern districts, and there may even be Golden Core Realm cultivators. My family's shop is here in the southern district."