Sunflame Mystic Stone

The two chatted for a while longer. Red Cloud compared Qing Xuanzi's words with what the native knew, gaining a deeper understanding of Sunfire Lake.

Heavenly Treasure City was the largest independent cultivator city in the northwestern region of Sunfire Lake. Its lord was an independent cultivator at Golden Immortal Perfection, known as the Heavenly Treasure Old Man.

It was said that not only was the Heavenly Treasure Old Man highly cultivated, but he also had the backing of some major power. That was how he had managed to establish a foothold in the chaotic land of Sunfire Lake.

Besides Heavenly Treasure City, Sunfire Lake had nearly a thousand cities of various sizes. Some were affiliated with the four clans of the Sunfire Moth, Flame Crow, Nine-Headed Golden Serpent, and Sunflame Gryphon of the Land of Eternal Day, while others were governed independently by rogue cultivators.

Qing Xuanzi advised, "The Spirit-Gathering Array in Heavenly Treasure City is quite effective and greatly benefits cultivation."

"Fellow Daoist, if you intend to settle down in Sunfire Lake for the long term, it would be best to buy an annual pass for Heavenly Treasure City."

"Without an annual pass, you can stay in Heavenly Treasure City for no more than seven days. Otherwise, you will be expelled."

"Annual passes are very cheap. Three Flame Yang Stones will buy you one year, twenty will buy you ten years, and one hundred and fifty will buy you a hundred years."

"The longer the term you buy, the cheaper it gets."

Red Cloud nodded and thanked him. "Thank you for the reminder."

Afterward, the two drank several more cups. Qing Xuanzi then took his leave. Red Cloud watched him depart, silently considering his next steps.

He had to obtain the Sunlight Divine Water, but now was not the time. He first needed to learn the lay of the land in Sunfire Lake, and also investigate Qing Xuanzi's identity.

Sunfire Lake was even more chaotic than Red Cloud had imagined.

Someone of unknown identity showing him kindness surely had an ulterior motive. No one was kind for no reason. Qing Xuanzi had likely seen through his cultivation level.

At that thought, Red Cloud frowned slightly. I need to improve my method of concealing my aura.

The aura-concealing technique Red Cloud currently cultivated was Sun Concealment, one of the Seventy-Two Earthly Fiendish Divine Powers.

Sun Concealment: an art for concealing heavenly secrets.

If the Sun-Covering Divine Ability were cultivated to great perfection, then theoretically, even a Taiyi Golden Immortal would be unable to see through Red Cloud's cultivation.

However, Red Cloud had only comprehended it to the minor success stage, so Sun Concealment was nowhere near as effective as he had imagined. Otherwise, Qing Xuanzi could not have seen through him.

Early the next morning, Red Cloud left the inn and headed for Heavenly Treasure City's most renowned shop—Heavenly Treasure Pavilion.

Heavenly Treasure Pavilion was the property of Heavenly Treasure City's lord. It boasted, "If you can think of it, we can sell it." The slogan was loud enough, though whether it was true remained to be seen.

Heavenly Treasure Pavilion was a three-story building with carved beams and painted rafters. Two lifelike stone lions stood before its entrance, and faint fluctuations of formations could be sensed around them. With a single sweep of his gaze, Red Cloud saw that there were at least twenty-seven formations guarding the place in plain sight alone.

The moment Red Cloud stepped through the doors, a pretty female cultivator at the Heavenly Immortal realm came forward to greet him.

"Senior, welcome to Heavenly Treasure Pavilion."

"May I ask what you require? Pills, magical treasures, cultivation techniques, spirit materials—we have everything at Heavenly Treasure Pavilion."

"I'll just take a look around first."

Red Cloud casually replied after glancing at the female cultivator.

The female cultivator did not press him. She obediently stepped aside, but her gaze remained on Red Cloud at all times, ready to assist him or report anything unusual.

After making a round of the first floor, Red Cloud found that most of the goods were fairly ordinary. They were useful to Heavenly Immortals and Mysterious Immortals, but little more than scraps to Golden Immortals.

"Does the second floor have anything for Golden Immortals?"

Red Cloud beckoned to the female cultivator and asked.

"Yes, Senior."

The female cultivator's eyes lit up. "The second floor is our premium section. An entrance fee of ten Flame Yang Stones is required."

Red Cloud casually tossed out ten Flame Yang Stones.

The female cultivator accepted the stones, then took out a jade token and handed it to Red Cloud. "Senior, this is your access token for the second floor. Please keep it safe."

Red Cloud accepted the token. The three gilded characters for Heavenly Treasure Pavilion were inscribed upon it. He then went up the stairs to the second floor.

The second floor was far more elegant than the first.

There were also far fewer goods on display, but every item concealed its treasure light and was clearly no ordinary item.

A middle-aged man approached him. Red Cloud glanced at him and saw that he was a Mysterious Immortal with a composed temperament.

The middle-aged man said, "I am Zhang Yuan, the manager of Heavenly Treasure Pavilion's second floor. Greetings, Senior. Whatever you need, I can introduce it to you."

"Do you have any Golden Immortal-level cultivation techniques here?"

Red Cloud's gaze swept over the display shelves on the second floor.

Zhang Yuan revealed an awkward expression before saying, "Senior, Golden Immortal-level cultivation techniques are extraordinarily precious. Our Heavenly Treasure Pavilion only has three cultivation methods, and all of them are incomplete."

"Incomplete?" Red Cloud frowned.

Zhang Yuan explained, "Yes, Senior. Complete Golden Immortal-level cultivation techniques are generally the clan-preserving methods of the various races and are almost never allowed to circulate outside."

"If independent cultivators wish to obtain a complete technique, they must either join a major clan or take a mighty expert as their master."

Red Cloud nodded faintly. In this era where clans were the foundation of the Dao, cultivation technique inheritances were monopolized by the great clans.

"What about pills? Do you have Seven-Turn Golden Pills?"

"Seven-Turn Golden Pills..."

Zhang Yuan gave a bitter smile. "Senior, you must be joking. A Seven-Turn Golden Pill can allow a Heavenly Immortal to attain the Golden Immortal realm."

"For such a heaven-defying divine pill, not only does our Heavenly Treasure Pavilion lack one, even the four clans might not be able to produce it."

Hearing that, Red Cloud's heart stirred. It seemed that the Seven-Turn Golden Pills he refined were scarce goods in Sunfire Lake.

"What is the best pill you have here?"

"It is the Six-Turn Golden Core, the Barrier-Breaking Pill. It offers a sliver of assistance to a Mysterious Immortal breaking through to the Golden Immortal realm."

As he spoke, Zhang Yuan took out a jade bottle. "There are three pills per bottle, priced at ten thousand Flame Yang Stones."

Red Cloud shook his head. "Too expensive."

Flame Yang Stones could potentially drop from Water Beasts below the Golden Immortal level. The higher their cultivation, the better the quality of the stones they dropped.

However, the drop rate was not high. An ordinary person could kill ten Water Beasts without necessarily obtaining even one Flame Yang Stone, so Flame Yang Stones possessed considerable purchasing power.

Ten thousand Flame Yang Stones was an astronomical price even for a Mysterious Immortal rogue cultivator. They might have to fight and kill for over ten thousand years to gather that amount.

"Senior, you may not know this, but the pill formula for the Barrier-Breaking Pill has already been lost. Our Heavenly Treasure Pavilion obtained these from an ancient ruin. Every pill sold means one less remains."

Zhang Yuan tactfully explained to Red Cloud.

Upon hearing Zhang Yuan's words, Red Cloud was astonished. He could write down the formula for the Six-Turn Golden Core at a moment's notice, but there was no need to reveal that. After all, under the layers of blockade imposed by the upper great clans, this item truly was extremely expensive.

"Do you have any Golden Immortal-level Sunflame Mystic Stones?"

Zhang Yuan's eyes brightened, and he quickly said, "Senior, your luck is good. What a coincidence—our Heavenly Treasure Pavilion happens to have a Golden Immortal-level Sunflame Mystic Stone. A Taiyi Golden Immortal senior placed it on consignment three months ago."

As he spoke, Zhang Yuan took a jade box from beneath the second-floor counter and carefully opened it.

Inside the jade box lay a fist-sized mystic stone. It was deep golden in color, with something like liquid flowing within it, emitting dense Blazing Sun Power and fluctuations of the Sun Law.

Red Cloud sent his Primordial Spirit into it to assess the stone's quality, then frowned. "This mystic stone is of poor quality. It should have come from a Water Beast that had only just broken through to the Golden Immortal level. There are too many impurities inside, making it time-consuming and laborious to refine."

Zhang Yuan was inwardly startled. This senior had sharp eyes. This mystic stone indeed contained many impurities, which was why that Taiyi Golden Immortal had not used it and instead placed it on consignment.