Xuanyuan Yiqing prepared the best quiet room for Li Qiang Li Qiang rest, and then left in a hurry.
Li Qiang sat in the quiet room, his mind in turmoil.
Such a grand contest of Law Technique was against his own will. He did not reject the contest, but the timing was wrong. Right now, three immortals were searching for him. If he were discovered by the immortals, escaping would be extremely difficult. But the key issue now was the lack of Immortal Stone.
Thinking of the Immortal Stone, he remembered Spirit Marshal Xianmu, who was out prospecting for minerals, and hurriedly cast a spell.
Soon, wisps of black smoke rose from the floor of the quiet room, and Spirit Marshal Xianmu revealed his true form. He looked around and said in confusion, "My lord, this place is very strange. There are very few crystals, only some low-grade ones. Mid-grade and above are very rare. It seems that they have all been dug up, and they have been searched with Law Technique."
Li Qiang nodded. "There are indeed no crystals here; they've been dug up long ago. But that's alright, we can buy some here. You guys go back to the Illusory Devil Pearl to rest first; we'll call you out if we need anything."
He also had another worry in his heart: there were many powerful cultivators here, and if someone discovered these Spirit Sword Body and tried to forcibly take them, he would definitely not sit idly by and would have to fight back. In that case, it would be difficult to keep a low profile.
Spirit Marshal Xianmu issued a summons, and soon after, Spirit General Panshi led the Spirit Sword Body back, leaving a small pile of low-grade crystals on the ground.
Li Qiang said, "These crystals are of too poor quality, they're useless..."
Spirit General Panshi said, "If you don't need them, sir, could you please give these crystals to us?"
Resources are extremely scarce in the Spirit Ghost Realm; even low-grade crystals are hard to find.
Li Qiang laughed and said, "You can keep it. By the way, will the Mystic Ice Essence be of any use to you?"
Spirit Marshal Xianmu said, "My lord, Mystic Ice Essence, Mystic Qi, and Mystic Yin Water are the three great treasures of the Spirit Ghost Realm. Mystic Qi and Mystic Yin Water are plentiful in the Nether Pool; as long as one has enough Law Power, one can collect them. However, Mystic Ice Essence is very rare."
Li Qiang said, "I have some! Do you want them?" He felt that these Spirit Sword Body had worked very hard and helped him a lot. Seeing that they even wanted low-grade crystals, he knew that these Spirit Sword Body were lacking cultivation treasures. He was always generous when giving things away. Along the way, he had already regarded Xianmu and Panshi as his friends. He would never be stingy when giving treasures to his friends.
Spirit General Panshi and the other Spirit Sword Body crowded into the room. Fortunately, they were Spirit Body and the size of the space didn't matter to them. They were all extremely surprised when they heard Li Qiang's words.
Spirit Marshal Xianmu asked doubtfully, "My lord, there are hundreds of Spirit Sword Body here. You... you're not joking, are you?"
Li Qiang stopped explaining, took out a thermos containing the Mystic Ice Essence, and said, "One drop for everyone, and stay still."
He shook the bottle, and countless bright blue dots shot out. In the blink of an eye, half of the Mystic Ice Essence in the bottle was used up. The five hundred Spirit Sword Body received a drop of Mystic Ice Essence almost simultaneously, and Spirit General Panshi and Spirit Marshal Xianmu also received a drop.
Spirit Marshal Xianmu used his Yin energy to examine the Mystic Ice Essence closely. It was a lotus seed-shaped blue bead containing a drop of pure Mystic Ice Essence the size of a soybean. He couldn't help but exclaim, "This is a treasure! It will be of great help to these Spirit Sword Body. Thank you for your generous gift, sir." Spirit General Panshi also led his men to thank Li Qiang.
Hearing someone tiptoeing over in the distance, Li Qiang quickly made a hand seal to put Xianmu and the others into the Illusory Devil Pearl, and waited quietly.
The person standing outside the door seemed hesitant. Li Qiang said, "Please come in!" He waved his hand gently, and the door slowly opened.
"Ah, excuse me, I've disturbed you. I heard there's a powerful cultivator from another realm, so I couldn't resist coming to pay my respects. I apologize for any intrusion."
A thin, small man walked in through the door. His expression was strange; he seemed a little nervous, a little shy, and a little expectant. He had a dark, gaunt face with barely visible eyebrows, and a pair of bright, small eyes that blinked constantly. He wore a very ordinary fur coat, with a black soft leather pouch hanging from the left side of his wide belt and a thin, long, silver triangular dagger stuck in the right. A black band was tied around his forehead, binding his messy, white hair behind his head. He wore brown, hard leather arm guards, and his hands were long, thin, and strong.
He flashed a set of sharp, yellowed teeth and said with a forced smile, "I am Bai Canglao, greetings to Brother Muzi." He immediately recognized Li Qiang's alias.
Li Qiang said with a grin, "Please sit down." He was still unsure of Bai Canglao's purpose in coming.
Bai Canglao said humbly, "Brother, please sit down, I'll stand."
Li Qiang asked, "Brother Bai, is there something you need?"
Bai Canglao's smile deepened. He walked to Li Qiang's side, looking mysterious. "Hehe, I heard that Brother Muzi is from outer space... This... I have some treasures. Could I exchange them for a flying sword with Brother Muzi?" He reached down and took out the black leather pouch from his waist.
Li Qiang hadn't expected him to be a small-time vendor, and couldn't help but laugh, saying, "Oh, let me take a look."
Bai Canglao took out a foot-long dagger and said mysteriously, "This is a specialty of Snow Dragon City — the Ice Crystal Blade. It is extremely cold. Feel it; it's bone-chilling and chilling. It's an extraordinary treasure. Brother Muzi, do you like it? Can you show me what treasures you have?" His small eyes were fixed on Li Qiang, gleaming with anticipation.
Li Qiang casually picked up the Ice Crystal Blade, examined it briefly, and couldn't help but laugh, "This is made of cold iron, using the most ordinary methods. It has no value to cultivators." He chuckled and returned it to Bai Canglao.
Bai Canglao's face immediately darkened, and he hurriedly said, "I still have... I still have treasures."
A voice came from outside the door. " Chanlao, you're trying to scam people again."
Xuanyuan Yiqing strode into the quiet room, looking displeased.
Bai Canglao hurriedly took a step back and awkwardly laughed, "It's Brother Xuan Yuan, hehe, hehe, I was just showing our local specialties to our distinguished guest, I didn't mean anything by it, hehe." He seemed to be very afraid of Xuanyuan Yiqing.
Li Qiang invited Xuanyuan Yiqing to sit down, then said to Bai Canglao, "Brother Bai, is there anything else you want to show me?"
Xuanyuan Yiqing said disdainfully, "Brother Muzi, he won't have anything good. He specializes in using some random local trinkets to swindle people out of their things, and he even talks about exchanging them..."
Before he could finish speaking, Bai Canglao's dark face turned a deep purple. He said with a wry smile, "Brother Xuanyuan, don't say that. I also have treasures."
Xuanyuan Yiqing said, "Alright, show it to us."
Li Qiang watched with great interest but remained silent. Bai Canglao, unable to do anything after being talked to by Xuanyuan Yiqing, could only keep taking out an item from his small black leather bag, looking at it, putting it back, then taking out another item and putting it back again, as if he were looking for something good.
Xuanyuan Yiqing laughed and said, "Forget it, everyone knows what you have. Don't try to show off. Brother Muzi is a true master cultivator; he won't be interested in your stuff."
Bai Canglao's face darkened even more. Finally, he found something and shouted, "How about this?"
It was a black cube, only the size of a palm and about two fingers thick. Bai Canglao looked smug Xuanyuan Yiqing took it and examined it carefully, afraid of being laughed at for misjudging it. However, the black cube was really inconspicuous, and he couldn't see anything special about it. He figured that Bai Canglao couldn't possibly have any good treasures, so he tossed it back.
Li Qiang reached out, and the black cube flying in the air suddenly turned and was sucked into his palm.
Xuanyuan Yiqing said, " Chanlao, who let you in? This is a private room for VIPs; unauthorized personnel are not allowed in."
Li Qiang suddenly looked up and said, "Brother Xuanyuan, don't blame him, I sent him."
Bai Canglao was surprised by Li Qiang Qiang's words and immediately became righteous, even straightening his back.
Li Qiang asked, "Where did you get this? What is it?"
Bai Canglao stammered, "This... that, I got it from a stranger, it's... it's..." Actually, he didn't know what it was, but he knew that the stranger was in a hurry to exchange it for a crystal, and he had only given it to him under duress, so he was convinced that it must be a good thing.
Li Qiang probed the cube with his Divine Sense and discovered that it was a restricted box containing a very rare piece of Dust-Tethering Wood. He had never seen this kind of Dust-Tethering Wood before, making it a truly rare treasure.
He chuckled, "Hmm, what do you want to exchange it for?" His tone was extremely arrogant, as if he could produce anything Bai Canglao could name.
Bai Canglao was also very shrewd. He immediately realized that this was a genuine treasure, and his face lit up with excitement. "This... Brother Muzi, please also bring out some good stuff to take a look, preferably a flying sword."
Xuanyuan Yiqing was also curious; he wanted to see what treasures Li Qiang had.
Li Qiang took out a flying sword and said, "This flying sword is made by Heavenly Gold Essence with Wind Origin Stone. Its nature is metal, making it suitable for the Nascent Soul Realm stage cultivators." He had many flying swords, so he just picked one up at random.
Xuanyuan Yiqing snatched it first, stroking it with obvious delight, and couldn't help but exclaim, "What a fine flying sword! It's truly a fine flying sword, without a single impurity. It's far superior to my flying sword. Chanlao, you've struck it rich! This flying sword is worth at least five thousand Coiled Dragon Coin. Hey, sell it to me, I'll give you five thousand five hundred Coiled Dragon Coin, how about it?"
Bai Canglao said with a bitter face, "Do you have any fire-attribute flying swords? I want to exchange for fire-attribute ones, I don't want Coiled Dragon Coin."
Xuanyuan Yiqing's face immediately fell, looking displeased.
Li Qiang laughed and said, "A fire-type flying sword? Alright, here you go." He took out another flying sword, which was a foot long and two fingers wide. The sword body seemed to be a transparent crystal, with layers of flames surging inside. It was very beautiful.
Li Qiang said, "This flying sword is called 'Layered Flames,' and it's of pretty good quality; it's made from Fire Flame Crystal."
Bai Canglao was so excited his hands trembled. He held the book and the Layered Flames Sword like precious treasures, saying, "Brother Muzi, I'll trade for it, I'll trade for it!"
Li Qiang asked curiously, "You don't have a fire-type constitution, so it's very difficult for you to cultivate this flying sword."
Bai Canglao replied, "It's my son who wants it. I've suffered so much to get a good flying sword. Now it's great, my son doesn't have to be at the mercy of others anymore. Haha, I... I'm so happy!"
Xuanyuan Yiqing said with a bitter face, "Brother Muzi, can you sell me this flying sword? I'll offer 10,000 Coiled Dragon Coin, is that alright?"
Li Qiang smiled slightly, "Brother Xuanyuan, consider this flying sword a small gift to you."
Xuanyuan Yiqing was startled and could hardly believe it. "You said... give it to me? I... did I hear that right? Give it to me?" This was the first time he had ever met someone so generous.
A good flying sword is hard to come by. Not only do you need to gather many rare and precious materials, but it also needs to be forged by a master. Every cultivator cherishes their flying sword as if it were their life. They would never give a flying sword away unless they were master, disciple or close friend. Xuanyuan Yiqing was really dumbfounded. He had only met him for the first time, and he actually gave him a flying sword.
Li Qiang said, "That's right, it's for you."
Bai Canglao said warmly, "Brother Muzi, would you please come to my humble abode for a while?" He looked at Li Qiang with hopeful eyes.
Xuanyuan Yiqing was overjoyed to have obtained a fine flying sword because of Bai Canglao, and couldn't help but say on his behalf, "Brother Muzi, Chanlao's son is very hardworking. Why don't you go and visit him, and also enjoy the scenery of Wondrous Dragon City?"
Li Qiang was also very curious about Wondrous Dragon City, so he said, "Okay, let's go for a walk." He stood up.
Bai Canglao excitedly said, "I'll lead the way! I'll lead the way!"
Xuanyuan Yiqing sheathed his flying sword, his face beaming with smiles, and said, "Brother Muzi, you go ahead. I'm going to fetch some things and will be right back." He then said to Bai Canglao, " Chanlao, you take Brother Muzi to the Thousand Treasures Pavilion first, and then we'll go to your house." With that, he turned and hurriedly left.
Li Qiang asked, "What kind of place is Thousand Treasures Pavilion?"
Bai Canglao said, "It's a place frequently visited by cultivators from Wondrous Dragon City. They sell magical Law Treasure crafted by various sects, as well as many other items used for cultivation. Only cultivators are allowed inside, but everything there is very expensive, and ordinary cultivators can't afford it."
The two chatted and laughed as they walked out of Broad Pivot Court and onto the main street.
The narrow streets were dirty and messy, the road surface paved with large stones was full of potholes and looked very unsightly. Ordinary civilians on the street were easy to distinguish; they were almost all wearing dark, worn-out clothes, and they immediately moved aside to make way for Li Qiang and Bai Canglao when they saw them.
Bai Canglao sighed, "Mortals here have no status; only cultivation is the way out. Look at them, very few of them are wealthy. Anyone here with a little money chooses cultivation as their first option."
This was the first time Li Qiang had ever heard of cultivation being a profession to choose here. He asked doubtfully, "What kind of cultivation is this?" He found it hard to understand. If one cultivated for a living, one's level of cultivation was obviously very low; it was impossible to reach a high realm. He no longer believed the claim that Linming Planet was a holy land for cultivators.
Bai Canglao didn't possess Li Qiang's level of cultivation. He laughed and said, "That's how it is here. People will do anything for cultivation. If there's a cultivator in the family, the whole family's life changes drastically."
He blinked his small eyes and said proudly, "My son is learning cultivation, hehe, he's already reached the Fusion Realm. This kid is very hardworking, hehe." His tone was full of satisfaction.
Li Qiang asked, "How long did he study?"
Bai Canglao's dark face glowed red. "He's only cultivated for twenty-seven Jialong years, that's quite fast."
Li Qiang wasn't sure how the Jialong year was calculated, but judging from Bai Canglao's appearance, it seemed that his cultivation progress was already quite fast. He couldn't help but smile; all parents in the world are the same, placing boundless hopes on their children.
Suddenly, two sword lights whistled down from above. To Li Qiang's surprise, the people on the street simply crouched down, covered their heads tightly, and huddled against the walls to avoid the attack.
Two sword lights, one blue and one white, flew along the street for a while before suddenly soaring into the air and disappearing into the distance.
Li Qiang asked in surprise, "How can the cultivators here be so reckless? What if they hurt someone? Isn't anyone going to do anything about it?"
Bai Canglao laughed, "Cultivators are not allowed to harm mortals; that's absolutely forbidden. Cultivators can only fight with other cultivators. If someone kills a mortal without cause, they will be hunted down by the Cultivation Union. Although these mortals don't have much ability, they are the foundation of the Cultivation Realm. Without the foundation, the Cultivation Realm will cease to exist. Of course, if a mortal provokes a cultivator, that's a different story, but very few people are that foolish."
Li Qiang nodded and said, "I see. Cultivators in our area rarely reveal their strength to mortals unless absolutely necessary."
The two walked through several streets and arrived at the central square.
On the east side of the square stands a peculiar building with many large and small pillars shimmering with rainbow colors. Surrounding the pillars are twelve pointed-roof houses, which are somewhat shaped like yurts and are shrouded in a protective blue light.
Bai Canglao said, "That house to the east is Thousand Treasures Pavilion. I... I'll wait for you outside." A hint of embarrassment appeared on his face.
Li Qiang found it strange and asked, "Why? Wouldn't it be better to go in together?"
A flash of sword light appeared, Xuanyuan Yiqing landed on the ground. He said cheerfully, "Brother Muzi, please come with me." After taking a few steps, he noticed that Li Qiang was still standing still, so he asked, "Brother Muzi, what's wrong?"
Bai Canglao was at a loss for what to do with his hands and feet. He smiled wryly and said, "I can't get in... Brother Muzi, you don't know the rules here."
Li Qiang had long realized that Bai Canglao was just an ordinary person who had barely reached the Revolving Illumination Stage. He could only be said to be slightly stronger than ordinary mortals and could not be considered a cultivator. He had guessed that this might be the reason why Bai Canglao could not enter the Thousand Treasures Pavilion.
Xuanyuan Yiqing frowned slightly and said, " Chanlao, I can't take you in, but he can. Brother Muzi has Crystal Dragon Plaque."
Bai Canglao trembled with fear. He knew, of course, what possessing the Crystal Dragon Plaque meant. He had heard from others that a cultivator from another realm had arrived and was resting in the quiet room of Broad Pivot Court, so he had secretly come to try and exchange something. He never expected that Li Qiang would have Crystal Dragon Plaque, a token that only experts at the Spirit Severing Realm or above could obtain. He had been so ignorant and presumptuous as to joke with him for so long. He was terrified and broke out in a cold sweat.
Li Qiang laughed, "Oh, so having Crystal Dragon Plaque means I can bring people in? Hehe, okay, let's go."
Bai Canglao was extremely surprised. He found Li Qiang to be so easygoing, without the arrogance and disdain often seen in local cultivators. He was deeply impressed and felt that cultivators from other regions like Li Qiang were the true cultivators.
The main entrance to the Thousand Treasures Pavilion was in the very center of the roof, and could only be entered from the air. Li Qiang grabbed Bai Canglao's arm and followed Xuanyuan Yiqing as they slowly descended.
Inside was a circular protective shield. The three of them landed inside the shield. Li Qiang immediately recognized it as a small formation that combined defense and offense. He stood there silently. After a while, the red light of the shield dissipated, revealing four cultivators holding Law Treasure. They seemed to be very familiar with Xuanyuan Yiqing. Upon seeing him, they all smiled and put away their Law Treasure.
One of the cultivators chuckled, "Brother Xuanyuan, which guest are you accompanying this time?"
A cultivator nearby suddenly said, "Hey, isn't this Chanlao? How dare you come in?"
Bai Canglao lowered his head, not daring to reply.
Li Qiang said calmly, "I brought him in."
Xuanyuan Yiqing, as expected of a cultivator specializing in entertaining guests, immediately sensed Li Qiang's dissatisfaction and quickly interjected, "This is Senior Muzi from another realm. Elder Heng of Heavenly Cultivation Garrison bestowed upon him the Crystal Dragon Plaque of Wondrous Dragon City, so Senior Muzi is allowed to bring people in."
The four cultivators were filled with awe upon hearing this. The Crystal Dragon Plaque issued by Heavenly Cultivation Garrison allowed unrestricted movement within Wondrous Dragon City; it was the mark of a cultivator of the highest level. Their attitude immediately became respectful.
The cultivator who asked the question said, " Chanlao, I'm sorry, I didn't know you were Senior Muzi's guest. Please!"
Bai Canglao was filled with emotion. In Wondrous Dragon City, there was no way out without cultivating immortality. He became even more determined to train his son to become a master cultivator.
The Thousand Treasures Pavilion has twelve halls in total, filled with all kinds of Law Treasure and raw materials. This is the first time that Bai Canglao and Li Qiang have seen such things. There are three halls that sell flying swords alone. However, Li Qiang is not impressed with the quality of the flying swords here. He is a master weapon refiner, and in some aspects, even Fu Shan cannot compare to him.
Xuanyuan Yiqing asked, "Brother Muzi, has something you like? Hehe, it's my treat." He felt embarrassed to have received a flying sword from Li Qiang for no reason, so he went back to retrieve Coiled Dragon Coin to repay Li Qiang for this huge favor.
Upon reaching the third sword hall, Li Qiang remained impassive. He strolled leisurely with his hands behind his back, his gaze quickly sweeping over the flying swords sealed on the wall. It seemed that nothing could capture his attention, which Xuanyuan Yiqing.
At this moment, seven or eight cultivators came from another hall. Xuanyuan Yiqing was slightly taken aback, then stepped forward and bowed, saying, " Yi Qing greets Young Sect Master Qi Xianyu."
Bai Canglao secretly told Li Qiang that Qi Xianyu was the most arrogant cultivator in Wondrous Dragon City. His master was one of the twelve sect leaders of the Wondrous Dragon City Cultivation Union, and he himself was the young sect leader of the Azure Extremity Sect, the largest sect in Wondrous Dragon City.
Before Bai Canglao could finish speaking, Qi Xianyu's sharp gaze swept over him, and he was so frightened that he quickly lowered his head and shrank behind Li Qiang.
Li Qiang glanced over nonchalantly. His current cultivation level was at the Ordinary Heart Realm of the Second Desire Heaven. From his appearance, one could not tell how high his cultivation level was. He was not accumulating power, so no one with a cultivation level above the Spirit Severing Realm could detect anything unusual about him.
Qi Xianyu snorted and said, "Enough, Yi Qing, no need for formalities." A hint of disdain flashed across his handsome face.
Xuanyuan Yiqing said with a smile, "Didn't Young Sect Master Qi already have the treasured Immortal Wind Sword? Why are you also here to choose a flying sword? Hehe, is there something good that has caught your eye, Young Sect Master?" He seemed very eager to get closer to Qi Xianyu.
Qi Xianyu curled his lip and said, "It's just that these junior brothers and sisters kept pestering us to come and play, and also to see if there's anything good there. Ha, actually, what doesn't our Azure Extremity Sect have? It's just for fun."
The male and female cultivators around him chattered amongst themselves: "Senior Brother is the most generous!", "He wouldn't even look at these things here!", "That's right, he bought them for us to play with!"
Xuanyuan Yiqing said enviously, "As expected of the young sect master of the Azure Extremity Sect, this is truly a grand gesture. Hehe, Yi Qing is really envious."
Qi Xianyu laughed heartily upon hearing this, and patted Xuanyuan Yiqing on the shoulder. "Everyone says Xuanyuan Yiqing is shrewd and eloquent, not bad, indeed not bad." As he spoke, several cultivators emerged from the inner room, seemingly the owners of the place.
Li Qiang didn't step forward to speak, not wanting to attract too much attention. Unfortunately, Xuanyuan Yiqing didn't think so. He said enthusiastically, "Young Sect Master, let me introduce you. This is Senior Muzi from another realm. Elder Heng of Heavenly Cultivation Garrison awarded him the Crystal Dragon Plaque, and he came to the Thousand Treasures Pavilion specifically to visit."
The reputation of the Crystal Dragon Plaque was indeed well-known in Wondrous Dragon City. Qi Xianyu's expression changed slightly, and he said arrogantly, "You're Muzi? I heard about you today. Hmm, you're a cultivator from Sealed Fate Planet? Our flying swords here are quite impressive, aren't they? May I see yours?"
Li Qiang had met many people, and he wouldn't get angry at someone like this. He smiled slightly, "The young sect leader's flying sword must be quite remarkable. Why don't you let Muzi see it? Hehe, I come from a small place, and I've always admired prestigious sects." His words were firm and unyielding.
Xuanyuan Yiqing sensed something was wrong. He realized that Li Qiang didn't care about Qi Xianyu at all, and he also understood that Qi Xianyu had been rude from the beginning. He quickly smoothed things over, saying, "Hehe, the young sect leader's flying sword is very famous in Wondrous Dragon City. It's a top-grade flying sword of the treasure level."
Qi Xianyu couldn't discern Li Qiang's cultivation level at all. He couldn't help but unleash his flying sword, saying smugly, "Alright, let me show you my Immortal Wind Sword."