Taihao Market

Three days later, Xiao Yu arrived before an enormous formation.

"This should be Taihao Market!" Xiao Yu muttered to himself, then took out a Sound Transmission Talisman. Forming a spell seal with his hand, he murmured a few words and tossed the talisman toward the formation before him!

The talisman transformed into a streak of fire in midair and pierced through the barrier. Xiao Yu then waited quietly.

Xiao Yu was now within Fengdu Kingdom, a major nation on the Southern Heaven continent jointly controlled by righteous sects such as the Taizhen Sect, Haoran Pavilion, Tianji Sect, and Qinlian Sect.

Among them, the Taizhen Sect was the strongest, with a great late Nascent Soul cultivator named Perfected Zhiyang presiding over it. Haoran Pavilion ranked second, while the remaining sects were roughly equal in strength.

The Taihao Market before him was a large market jointly managed by the Taizhen Sect and Haoran Pavilion.

After completing his switch to a new cultivation art, Xiao Yu felt he had gained some ability to protect himself. He had flown west for nearly two days to enter Fengdu Kingdom, then asked around to learn the market's location and spent another day reaching it.

After the time it took to drink a cup of tea, a ripple through the formation's barrier interrupted Xiao Yu's thoughts. Soon, an opening slightly taller than a person appeared in it.

Seeing this, Xiao Yu stepped inside!

When the guards inside the barrier saw that Xiao Yu was a Foundation Establishment Stage cultivator, they hurriedly bowed to him. Xiao Yu merely nodded and headed into the market!

Once inside, Xiao Yu began wandering around. The architecture and local customs differed greatly from those of Yue Kingdom, and he found them quite novel.

As he wandered, Xiao Yu grew somewhat astonished, for this market was far larger than any he had visited before! It truly lived up to its reputation as a large market. Compared to it, the Giant Sword Sect's market was like a minor witch standing before a great sorcerer.

Though called a market, it actually looked more like a city in the mortal world.

Two main streets, each several dozen feet wide, intersected in a cross. Buildings stood along both sides in tightly packed rows, layer upon layer. Beyond these, over a dozen smaller streets threaded between them, forming a bustling network of roads.

Xiao Yu had seen a fair amount of the world, but here, there was almost too much for his eyes to take in. This place could no longer be described as merely a market; it had grown into a place that offered cultivators all manner of services.

Aside from shops selling cultivation supplies, the market also had an auction house. It was said that everything sold there was a rarity, and rumors even claimed that, provided one could afford the Spirit Stones, one could buy magic treasures.

There was also the Immortal Gathering Tower, another distinctive feature of this place.

The Immortal Gathering Tower was rather like a mortal restaurant, but everything it sold came from the cultivation world. Its dishes used ingredients taken from demon beasts or rare flowers and exotic herbs. Carefully prepared, these ingredients became truly heavenly delicacies!

Though demon beasts were powerful and savage, their flesh was far more delicious than that of ordinary wild beasts. Spiritual energy had improved cultivators' constitutions, and those at Foundation Establishment or above could even live without food, but they were still human, with appetites to satisfy. Here, those desires could be indulged to the fullest.

Rumor also had it that regularly eating such dishes could strengthen one's constitution. Whether true or not, it sent cultivators flocking there like ducks to water. Of course, the prices were steep, and ordinary cultivators could only afford an occasional meal.

Similarly, there were teahouses serving secret blends brewed from various spiritual herbs. Though they could not advance one's cultivation, they tasted exquisite and often possessed special effects.

Like mortals, cultivators enjoyed chatting about everything under the sun while drinking tea, exchanging idle talk and gossip. As a result, one could hear a good deal of information about the cultivation world here, making such places popular with cultivators unfamiliar with the area.

Xiao Yu knew nothing about this place. Just as he was wondering where to ask for information, he happened to pass a teahouse called the Spirit Immortal Abode. An idea stirred in his mind, and he stopped, considering it for a moment,

then walked into the teahouse. "Senior, please take a seat."

All the attendants in this teahouse were cultivators. The waiter before him was at the fourth level of Qi Refinement.

Xiao Yu nodded without betraying any emotion, took a seat by a window, and ordered a cup of Pure Spirit Immortal Tea, which he slowly savored.

This tea was said to settle one's energy and calm the mind. After a few sips, Xiao Yu indeed felt considerably more at peace. He then extended his spiritual sense, carefully listening in on the conversations of the surrounding cultivators.

Naturally, Xiao Yu had not come here merely to drink tea.

A little under half the cultivators who came here had the same purpose. Exchanging information could be quite beneficial to their cultivation, so his behavior was perfectly ordinary, and no one would pay it any mind.

After all, no fool would discuss a genuine secret in public.

The teahouse's main hall was rather noisy, but after filtering the sounds with his spiritual sense, Xiao Yu easily found a conversation worth listening to.

"I hear the annual auction for Foundation Establishment cultivators will begin in three days. According to someone well informed, a major treasure will be auctioned this time. Supposedly, it's something related to Core Formation."

A rough, booming voice reached his ears, and Xiao Yu immediately paid attention. Five or six dozen feet away sat several cultivators dressed in different styles. Judging by their attire, they were undoubtedly unaffiliated cultivators.

"Oh? Do you know exactly what it is, brother?"

"Well, I, Yuan, don't have those kinds of connections. Isn't that why I came to seek advice from you fellow Daoists?"

"I have heard something about it. Apparently, it's a pill that helps increase the chances of Core Formation," another voice said.

"Hss..." The others all sucked in a breath of cold air. Any treasure that increased the chances of Core Formation was priceless to Foundation Establishment cultivators like them, something one could encounter but never seek out at will. What Foundation Establishment cultivator did not dream of one day stepping onto the great path of the Golden Core? A pill that increased their chances of Core Formation was precisely what they craved most.

Xiao Yu's heart stirred at these words as well, but he had only just reached Foundation Establishment and had no pressing need for such a treasure. He still had plenty of time to gather such things in the future. The news that the auction would soon begin interested him more.

"Brother Ouyang, you've been at late Foundation Establishment for many years and aren't far from its peak. Are you interested in this treasure?"

"Alas, how can unaffiliated cultivators like us compete with disciples of clans and sects in wealth?" The speaker this time was a handsome middle-aged man.

"If necessary, the rest of us could lend you some Spirit Stones first. Don't you all agree?" A beautiful young married woman gazed affectionately at the middle-aged man.

She appeared to be twenty-seven or twenty-eight and was quite attractive, with a full, high bosom. Every frown and smile brimmed with allure, and her gaze made her feelings for the middle-aged man plain.

"Third Madam is right. If Brother Ouyang can achieve Core Formation, life will become much easier for the rest of us. I can still scrape together a thousand or so Spirit Stones," a rugged man said.

"Exactly, exactly!" The others immediately voiced their agreement, then began talking over one another about other matters.

"In that case, let me thank all of you in advance. When the time comes, I'll make a bid for that Core Formation treasure!" the handsome middle-aged man declared, his words ringing with conviction.

A little later, the cultivator surnamed Yuan took a sip of spiritual tea and said, "Speaking of which, the Nascent Soul formation ceremony the Taizhen Sect held for Perfected Qingyang was quite the lively affair..."

Xiao Yu spent the entire afternoon in the teahouse. Through the conversations of its varied patrons, he finally gained some understanding of Fengdu Kingdom's cultivation world. At least he no longer needed to worry that a casual remark would expose him as a visitor from another country.

In the Southern Heaven Cultivation World, cultivators had a strong sense of national allegiance. Their activities generally remained within their own country's sphere of influence, and once they crossed its borders, they could easily become targets.

High-level cultivators had little to worry about. They could come and go freely, and ordinary people truly could not stop them. For low- and mid-level cultivators, however, matters were far less certain. Thus, Xiao Yu had been exceedingly cautious since coming here, doing his best not to reveal any telltale flaws.

When night fell, Xiao Yu paid for his tea and left the teahouse.