Preparations

At night, Ling Yun donned a black robe and concealed his presence, slipping out of the Royal Mausoleum without anyone noticing.

Walking through the manor, Ling Yun was filled with emotion.

Quite a few buildings in the Spirit King's Manor had been destroyed in yesterday's battle. They had stood for a thousand years, and now that they had been damaged, they most likely could not be rebuilt with their former appearance and charm.

But he did not dare linger.

People were coming and going everywhere as the manor was rebuilt. Ling Yun went straight for the exit with Cloud Immortal Soaring Steps, his figure ghostly and almost impossible to track.

Fortunately, everyone was too busy to pay attention to anything else, and Ling Yun made it over the wall without trouble.

"Myriad Phenomena City!"

As soon as he emerged, Ling Yun was dazzled by the different kind of splendor before him.

As far as the eye could see, lamps were being lit, colorful lights shone brilliantly, tall buildings, shops, markets and commercial streets stretched out before him, and people and carriages passed in an endless stream.

It was like an ancient night market, but tinged with the splendor of another world. Many things were grander and more extravagant, opening Ling Yun's eyes.

"Sure enough, there are sights you have to see for yourself to know what they're like. Compared with the original owner's memories, this is a different experience altogether."

But Ling Yun had no time to admire it for long.

He had left the manor with a purpose.

The four great royal manors were all located along the four major thoroughfares of Myriad Phenomena City, which were also the busiest parts of the city.

Their prosperity was not just a matter of people coming and going; they were also a trading paradise for the Ling Kingdom's cultivators.

Ling Yun had come to sell the talismans he had made some time ago, buy himself a fine pill furnace, and get a pile of materials to practice Pill Dao!

Ling Yun had also considered using a system check-in to see if he could get a pill-refining gift pack like the talisman-making gift pack from last time.

But after some thought, he gave up on the idea.

Pill refining seemed to cost more than talisman making. The raw materials for a talisman did not cost much; it was the production that was expensive.

Pill refining, however, not only had high production costs, but even higher raw material costs!

A single medicinal ingredient might be expensive enough, and the combined cost of all the ingredients needed to refine a furnace of pills was extremely high!

Given how the system worked, the rewards from checking in at the same place decreased each time.

A Pill Dao gift pack was bound to be rarer than a talisman-making gift pack, and the system most likely could no longer provide one.

Besides, Ling Yun did not intend to use another weekly check-in. There was a strong chance the reward would be diminished, making it something of a loss.

So he planned to save up for a monthly check-in in one go!

"Training a high-level pill master really costs a fortune..." Ling Yun sighed.

The Spirit King's Manor had pill masters too, but they were all fourth-tier pill masters, incapable of refining fifth-tier pills.

In the entire Ling Kingdom, there was only one fifth-tier pill master capable of refining fifth-tier pills: an elder of the imperial family.

The emperor had sent that pill master to examine the Spirit King soon after he was struck by the strange poison. Unfortunately, even he could not find a single spirit pill capable of curing the sinister insect poison.

Thus, Ling Yun was under immense pressure.

The Spirit King's poison could be suppressed for a month at most. If Ling Yun could not refine a Cold Essence Pill within that time, there would truly be no way to turn the heavens around.

So he had to get everything ready as soon as possible and strive to improve his Pill Dao during that time, then refine the Cold Essence Pill in one decisive attempt!

Lost in thought, Ling Yun soon arrived at a place and stopped.

Before him stood an enormous building in the ancient style. Its structure was made of some kind of ancient wood, impervious to ordinary flames and as heavy as iron. It stood a hundred zhang tall, its projecting eaves and terraces designed on a grand and elegant scale.

"Heavenly Treasure Tower!"

Ling Yun raised his eyes, revealing a face hidden behind a mask.

"The Heavenly Treasure Tower has a powerful backer: a major power called the Heavenly Treasure Sect. Like the Moon-Gazing Sect and the Heaven and Earth Academy, it's one of the five great powers of the Eastern Desolation. This Heavenly Treasure Tower is one of the Heavenly Treasure Sect's branches in Myriad Phenomena City of the Ling Kingdom."

Everything Ling Yun knew about it came from the original owner's memories.

The Heavenly Treasure Sect was immensely powerful, second only to the Divine Desolation Sect among the five great powers. It had established over a thousand Heavenly Treasure Towers across the Eastern Desolation, amassing vast wealth through its trading network.

As a result, the Heavenly Treasure Sect had immense reserves, using its wealth to produce many formidable experts. It could be said that no one dared provoke it.

With its unparalleled reserves and excellent reputation, the Heavenly Treasure Tower had grown ever more prosperous.

That was also why Ling Yun had come here to trade.

"I've heard that the master of this Heavenly Treasure Tower in Myriad Phenomena City is also a Primordial Spirit Realm expert. With someone like that holding the fort, nobody dares pull any tricks in the Heavenly Treasure Tower."

Ling Yun withdrew his gaze, put the matter out of his mind, and stepped inside.

Business was booming at the Heavenly Treasure Tower, with a constant stream of visitors. As soon as Ling Yun entered, he was startled by the bustling scene.

The first-floor hall was extraordinarily spacious, yet with so many people passing through, it still felt somewhat crowded.

"Sir, may I ask how I can help you? Are you buying or selling?"

Before Ling Yun could marvel for long, a delicate-looking maid approached and respectfully asked him the question.

"I'd like to sell a batch of talismans. Sorry for the trouble, but could you make the arrangements?" Ling Yun replied calmly, pleased with the Heavenly Treasure Tower's service.

"Certainly, sir. Please follow me."

The maid maintained a proper smile and bowed as she invited him along.

Ling Yun nodded and followed her.

"Why does he get a maid to receive him? I've been waiting at the counter for ages and still haven't got a trading appointment."

Just then, someone nearby muttered in dissatisfaction.

The person beside him heard him, rolled his eyes, and said disdainfully, "Can't you sense that man's presence? He's definitely a Core Formation Realm expert, and his presence is even stronger than that of many Core Formation Realm experts I've seen before. That means he must be a senior with profound cultivation!"

"Hiss-fine, I'm the clown here. I'm just a little Qi Refining Realm cultivator. I really don't deserve to have a maid personally show me in, boo-hoo."

Ling Yun had exceptional hearing and naturally caught every word, but his expression did not change.

He had deliberately revealed his cultivation. In Myriad Phenomena City, as long as no Primordial Spirit Realm expert appeared, a Core Formation Realm cultivator was an important figure wherever he went.

After all, the four great royal manors had the most Core Formation Realm experts in all of Myriad Phenomena City. The Spirit King's Manor, for example, had more than thirty, while there were far fewer among the general populace.

"Experts really do get better treatment."

Ling Yun's understanding of this deepened.

But he did not consider himself an expert. Too much had happened recently, and he knew full well that compared with the mighty Dao Palace Realm figures plotting grand schemes behind the scenes, his cultivation made him nothing more than a slightly bigger ant, still liable to die under a single stomp.

At most, his death would make a slightly bigger splash.

The maid led Ling Yun upstairs.

By the time they reached the second floor, there were far fewer people, though it was still lively.

"Sir, the second floor is for ordinary treasure transactions, while the third floor is for selling ordinary treasures. Please follow me to the fifth floor, where an attendant will receive you and handle your transaction."

The maid patiently explained as she walked ahead. Ling Yun did not reply, merely giving a small nod, and soon followed her to the fifth floor.

Here, it could already be described as practically empty, with only a handful of people moving about. Evidently, they were all Core Formation Realm cultivators.

The maid gave a slight curtsy and slowly took her leave.

"Sir, are you looking to sell talismans?"

Soon, a tall, thin man with a clear, refreshed appearance approached and asked Ling Yun with a smile.

Ling Yun nodded, and the man led him to a quiet spot screened off by a folding screen.

"My name is Zhang Yu. You need not disclose any information about yourself, sir, but whatever the transaction, I will do my utmost to see that you are satisfied."

The man gave his assurance.

Ling Yun made no comment and got straight to the point. "Twenty fourth-tier supreme-grade Fire Cloud Talismans, twenty fourth-tier supreme-grade Earth Shield Talismans, twenty fourth-tier supreme-grade Ice Soul Spells..."

"Thirty fourth-tier high-grade Water Arrow Talismans, thirty fourth-tier high-grade..."

"One hundred fourth-tier low-grade..."

"Third-tier..."

After a long while, Ling Yun stopped speaking. Across from him, Zhang Yu's expression had gone blank, his mouth hanging wide open.

Ling Yun frowned, immediately finding it odd.

"Is there a problem?"

He had no choice but to ask.

"Ah... well... n-no problem..."

Zhang Yu came back to his senses and replied as though his tongue were tied.

"Please forgive me, sir... I'm afraid I've been rather ignorant. May I venture to ask whether everything you said is true?"

With no other choice, Ling Yun nodded.