Chapter 165: Chapter 164: Zengguang Immortal City

"Brother Jin, you’re quite the rare guest. I’m surprised you could find the time to get away from the Market and visit me here at Feiyue Lake."

Bai Zichen had been thinking of hiding out at Feiyue Lake for a few quiet days to relax before heading to the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion to purchase some Spirit Pills.

He hadn’t expected an uninvited guest to show up on only the second day.

"Haha, it seems Junior Brother Bai hasn’t heard the news. Last month, I stepped down from my position as the Market’s Elder and returned to the main mountain to become an Elder of the Alchemy Hall."

Jin Lu patted his round, rolling belly, laughing like a Maitreya Buddha.

"I just came from Brother Tan’s funeral and rushed right over... We’ve been assigned a temporary mission that requires the two of us to complete."

"A Sect mission?"

Bai Zichen was still processing the news of Jin Lu’s change in position. He frowned. "I don’t think I’ve reached the stage of official appointment yet. I shouldn’t be assigned any missions."

Newly promoted Elders were always given ten years to acclimate.

During this period, they wouldn’t be assigned any duties or Sect missions.

This had always been the custom in the Qingfeng Sect.

"Junior Brother Bai, take a look at this directive first. It was jointly issued by the Deputy Sect Leader and two Hall Masters..."

Jin Lu took out a directive and handed it over, then turned his head to admire the decor of the White Jade Tower with great interest.

’He gave up a perfectly good position as the Market Elder to suddenly become an Alchemy Hall Elder... But I’ve never heard that this Brother Jin is skilled in Alchemy. It would make more sense if he returned to the main mountain to oversee the Spirit Beast Hall.’

In the Sect today, the Market held an extremely special status.

Its annual Spirit Stone revenue surpassed that of any of the Five Halls and Eight Chambers, yet it held no official rank and could only be considered a temporary institution established by the Sect Leader.

But the position of the Market’s supervising Elder was highly coveted. The Spirit Stones presented as tribute each year were several times the official salary.

Moreover, Jin Lu himself had been a key member in pushing for the Market to be established as an official hall. There was no reason for him to abandon the huge benefits of the Market to transfer back to the Alchemy Hall as an ordinary Elder.

Unless the latter could bring him even greater benefits.

’The vacant Hall Master position!’

A flash of insight struck Bai Zichen, and he felt he had grasped the key point.

Tan Changkong had passed away, leaving the position of Alchemy Hall Master vacant. Someone needed to fill the spot.

And unlike the Sect Leader, the Five Halls Masters had strict requirements for their Realm; one had to be a Late-Stage Foundation Establishment Great Cultivator.

Currently, the only Late-Stage Foundation Establishment Cultivator in the Sect who wasn’t already a Hall Master was Zhou Suqing.

However, she had joined the Transmission Hall long ago and probably had no intention of transferring to the Alchemy Hall.

As for Mid-Stage Foundation Establishment Elders, there were quite a few.

Originally, the one with the highest prestige to succeed as the Alchemy Hall Master was naturally Han Qing, a Tier Two Top-Grade Alchemist. He had also been Tan Changkong’s preferred candidate before his death.

Seeing Jin Lu’s maneuvers, there was probably more to the story.

But both of them were at the Mid-Stage Foundation Establishment. Even if one of them won the competition, they could only serve as the acting Hall Master.

Only when their Cultivation was high enough could they formally assume the position and be bestowed the Hall Master’s treasured seal.

The content of the letter was simple, just a few short lines. It was indeed issued by Gu Xisheng, followed by the seals of Liang Yu and Yingg Zhong.

"Travel to Zengguang Immortal City and win the bid for the Thousand-Year-Old Golden Crown Lingzhi at the auction... This assignment is indeed very important. In previous years, it was always handled by a senior brother from the Alchemy Hall. Why has it fallen to Brother Jin and me this time? Please enlighten me, Brother."

The Thousand-Year-Old Golden Crown Lingzhi was the most important primary ingredient for refining the Foundation Establishment Pill. Aside from searching for it in the depths of Black Mountain, which was like finding a needle in a haystack, the Qingfeng Sect’s most stable source was Zengguang Immortal City.

As an immortal city that connected four nations and whose influence radiated across dozens of kingdoms, Zengguang Immortal City possessed its own Medicine Garden Secret Realm.

At its auction every few years, it would put up hundreds of Thousand-Year-Old Spirit Grasses as auction items, attracting Cultivators from all over.

The Golden Crown Reishi was one of them.

Without the Thousand-Year-Old Golden Crown Lingzhi, there would be no Foundation Establishment Pills, which directly affected the number of new Foundation Establishment Cultivators in the Sect.

Therefore, the seemingly ordinary task of bidding at the Zengguang Immortal City auction was of great importance.

In the past, Tan Changkong had always handled it personally, only passing the responsibility to Han Qing in recent years.

"I have a letter here that Senior Brother Liang asked me to give you. Junior Brother Bai, you can take a look."

Bai Zichen took another letter from Jin Lu’s hand. It was indeed a personal letter from Senior Brother Liang Yu.

Handwriting could be forged, but the Magical Power seal was difficult for others to imitate. It was something that couldn’t be done unless a Cultivator was a whole Great Realm higher.

"When does Brother Jin plan to depart?"

Bai Zichen read much more slowly this time. After finishing, he rubbed the letter between his fingers, burning it to ash.

"Naturally, the sooner the better... According to the schedule, the next Zengguang Immortal City auction is in a few months. I’m afraid we’ll miss it if we leave too late!"

Jin Lu sat up, his words urgent.

"In three days. I still have some things to prepare..."

Bai Zichen thought for a moment before giving his answer.

"Alright, then I’ll come find you in three days, Junior Brother Bai."

Jin Lu patted his belly and left the White Jade Tower with a hearty laugh.

"To think that after all this, I still have to go to Zengguang Immortal City... It’s just that what was once for personal reasons has now become official business."

As Bai Zichen watched Jin Lu’s departing figure, he thought about what Senior Brother Liang Yu had said in his letter and felt that this trip would indeed serve both public and private interests well.

Liang Yu’s plan was to grant Bai Zichen the position of Inspector in two years, and then transfer him to the position of Supervisor Elder within five.

In the Law Enforcement Hall, the Supervisor Elder was considered the third-in-command, ranked only below the Hall Master and the High Merit Elder, with the responsibility of upholding the charter and overseeing regulations.

Liang Yu was worried that such a rapid promotion would cause the other Elders to form opinions, which could affect Junior Brother Bai’s reputation in the future.

Even if he were to be forcefully pushed into the position, he would face even greater resistance when it came time to succeed as Hall Master.

That’s why he had arranged this mission to escort the Golden Crown Reishi, so that Bai Zichen could add a meritorious achievement to his name before joining the Law Enforcement Hall, silencing any potential critics.

In any case, the route to Zengguang Immortal City primarily passed through the Righteous Alliance’s territory, which was in the opposite direction of the Demon Path Sects, so it wasn’t very dangerous.

The Qingfeng Sect had participated in dozens of auctions in Zengguang Immortal City without ever having a mishap.

The letter also explicitly warned Junior Brother Bai to be wary of Jin Lu, as the man had the support of several Elders.

Transferring to the Alchemy Hall at this sensitive time, and even going through Gu Xisheng to secure the Zengguang Immortal City assignment—his intentions were obvious to anyone.

This was to prevent him from getting too involved and being dragged into the quagmire of the Alchemy Hall’s internal power struggles.

"I had originally planned to head to Zengguang Immortal City once I cultivated the Glazed Body and had the power to protect myself. But after obtaining the all-important Flying Sword, it became less urgent... I’ll take this opportunity to witness the splendor of the so-called number one Immortal City in the world."

Bai Zichen had been worrying about how to spend all his Spirit Stones, so a trip to Zengguang Immortal City to find a couple of Spiritual Artifacts to his liking was perfect.

"But before I leave, there are two more things to do."

Bai Zichen rode his Sword Light, and with a flash of silver, flew straight to the Market, where he spent an hour in the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion.

He then returned to the Mountain Gate and made a trip to the Miscellaneous Affairs Hall and the Law Enforcement Hall.

By the time he returned to the White Jade Tower, his storage bag was much fuller.

For Cultivation Elixirs, he had exchanged all of his for Earth Flame Spirit Pills this time. For a Cultivator with a Fire Element Technique, they were indeed a cut above Spirit Enhancement Pills.

He bought twenty bottles in one go, enough to last for some time.

There was also a Jade Box in his storage bag, containing three hundred Mid-Grade Spirit Stones that he had exchanged for a full thirty thousand Contribution Points at the Miscellaneous Affairs Hall.

Sect Disciples generally estimated that one Contribution Point was worth one and a half Spirit Stones, an valuation based on the vast majority of items available for exchange.

But when the Sect bought them back, the exchange rate was one hundred Contribution Points for one Mid-Grade Spirit Stone.

Bai Zichen was worried there would be too many good things in Zengguang Immortal City and he wouldn’t have enough Spirit Stones on him, so he simply exchanged a portion of his points.

He also used Senior Brother Liang Yu’s connections to exchange for a Tier Three Talisman as a life-saving measure.

It was a Taiyin Star Escape Talisman. It drew upon Taiyin Star Power, allowing one to tread upon the stars, their form scattering and reforming, capable of covering a hundred li in an instant.

This single-use Talisman alone had cost him a full three thousand Contribution Points.

And it was only by giving face to Senior Brother Liang Yu that the Talisman Hall had been willing to take this one from their treasured collection of Tier Three Talismans for him to exchange.

But of course, you get what you pay for. In a moment of crisis, this Star Escape Talisman could save his life.

As long as he wasn’t marked by a Divine Sense, not even a Core Formation True Man could catch him.

No matter how safe things looked on paper, Bai Zichen only believed in the language of strength. It was never wrong to prepare for the worst.

"After the war between the righteous and demonic paths, relations between the Righteous Alliance and the Qingfeng Sect have warmed up; we’re practically semi-allies... It’s unlikely we’ll run into danger on their turf. Plus, Zengguang Immortal City is overseen by a Nascent Soul True Monarch. What petty villain would dare to act so recklessly?"

Bai Zichen chuckled self-deprecatingly. He really was being too cautious.

But having a Tier Three Talisman like the Taiyin Star Escape Talisman on him was an extra ace up his sleeve, especially one as rare as an Escape Talisman.

If not for Senior Brother Liang Yu’s face, the Talisman Hall would never have parted with it.

...

Jin Lu’s Flying Spiritual Artifact was a Profound Black Banner. It unfurled in the wind to a size of several zhang wide, then drifted away unsteadily.

"Junior Brother Bai, you’ve never been to Zengguang Immortal City, have you..."

Jin Lu cradled his belly as a section of the Profound Black Banner automatically bulged up, allowing him to lie down comfortably.

"Since my Foundation Establishment, I’ve been there twice, and it was truly impressive! An Immortal City with walls that stretch for who knows how many li, with no end in sight. As long as you can think of it, you can buy it in the Immortal City... Treasures, Cultivation Techniques, Elixirs, Spirit Beasts, exotic wonders from overseas, and even Demon Path Magical Treasures, dual cultivation Furnace Cauldrons, and more can all be seen at the auction."

"I’ve heard about it many times. This time, I’ll finally get to see it for myself."

The journey was long and to an unfamiliar place, so Bai Zichen had left Genggeng at home.

The flight speed of this Profound Black Banner was comparable to his Colorful Cloud Robe, meaning it would take at least a month on the road to reach Zengguang Immortal City.

"I’ve heard that Zengguang Immortal City isn’t controlled by a Sect, but was founded by a Cultivation Family. Does Brother Jin know anything about this?"

Zengguang Immortal City was built on a Tier Four Spirit Vein. Add to that the terrifying amount of Spirit Stones that flowed through it daily and its hundreds of thousands of Cultivators, it was a foundation that any Nascent Soul Major Sect would covet.

Bai Zichen had read a brief introduction in a travelogue that the power behind the world’s number one Immortal City was actually a Cultivation Family.

"The Zengguang Du Family... only five feet from heaven..."

Jin Lu muttered, his voice tinged with longing.

"Ever since the Du Family established the foundation of Zengguang Immortal City, their Clan has had an unending line of Nascent Soul True Monarchs. They’ve already produced three in a row!"

"The Cultivators of the world now see the Zengguang Du Family as the darlings of heaven and earth. Otherwise, how could it be possible for Nascent Soul True Monarchs to be born into their family one after another... ’Only five feet from heaven’—to be born into the Du Family really is to be closer to the celestial court."