Chapter 134 — Qingyun City

CHAPTER 134

Qingyun City

“Candidates to the left,” Pan Zhi called.

Shi Feng guided his horse out of the line of loaded carts. Qingyun City's eastern gate rose above three broad roads, each crowded with arrivals. Beyond it, roofs climbed toward a high stone ridge beneath banners bearing the marks of the three Great Sects.

He'd spent several more days on the road. Dust covered his boots, and the blue cloak lay folded across the horse's back.

A guard named Pan Zhi checked the plate in his hand. The man's early Foundation Establishment cultivation was enough to command respect at an ordinary kingdom gate. Here, two dozen equally strong young cultivators waited for him to finish reading.

“Great Liang, third qualifying place,” Pan Zhi said. “Reporting hall at the end of the western avenue. Don't sell the plate or lend it to a friend.”

“I haven't found a buyer,” Shi Feng replied.

Pan Zhi looked up sharply, then noticed his calm expression.

“Don't look for one,” Pan Zhi said.

He returned the plate and waved him through.

Inside, Shi Feng stopped beside a horse trough and looked along the avenue. A Golden Core cultivator crossed above the roofs on a flying refined artifact. Nobody knelt or shouted his name. Most people didn't even stop bargaining.

In Great Liang, an early Golden Core expert could make a whole street fall quiet.

The difference was clear enough.

Shi Feng thought, Good. There's more to see here than another royal banner. He watered the horse and continued toward the reporting hall.

A Bone Refinement clerk named Kang Shu checked his name against Great Liang's list. The process took less time than the ride from the gate.

“Age?” Kang Shu asked.

“Nineteen,” Shi Feng replied.

The clerk checked the birth entry and nodded. Shi Feng's birthday passed during the journey without a feast or an announcement. He'd remembered the date while buying feed and gone on with his day.

“Early Foundation Establishment,” Kang Shu said after a brief verification. “Report here again on the opening morning. Your lodging is your own affair.”

“Any area I should avoid?” Shi Feng asked.

“The ones with signs saying they're full,” Kang Shu replied.

Shi Feng smiled slightly. The clerk already reached for the next candidate's plate.

There was no royal greeting, no speech about being Great Liang's hope. Here, his qualification made him one entry among many.

That suited him.

Outside, an inn runner hurried toward the horse before Shi Feng mounted.

“An excellent room, Young Master!” Fu Shen said. “Close to everything!”

“How close?” Shi Feng asked.

“A short walk,” Fu Shen replied.

“To the arena?” Shi Feng asked.

“To the road that leads there,” Fu Shen said.

Shi Feng looked at him. The runner's Qi Condensation aura was weak, but his smile survived the inspection.

“The room's clean,” Fu Shen added.

“Show me,” Shi Feng said.

The inn wasn't close to the arena. It wasn't especially far either. A quiet side street led to its gate, and the stable had water, feed, and enough room for his horse.

The owner, Kang Liu, was at Bone Refinement. He showed Shi Feng a plain upstairs room with a bed and one table.

“The window overlooks our courtyard,” Kang Liu said proudly.

Shi Feng opened it. Below, a servant was washing a large cabbage in a basin.

“A fine cabbage,” Shi Feng said.

Kang Liu coughed.

“The room has good light,” Kang Liu said.

Shi Feng checked the lock, bedding, and roof. Nothing leaked. There was no smell of old damp beneath the clean cover.

He asked the total price, including the horse. Kang Liu named it and waited hopefully.

“And the courtyard view?” Shi Feng asked.

“Included,” Kang Liu said.

“Keep it included,” Shi Feng replied.

They settled the fee without another description of the cabbage. Fu Shen received his introduction payment from the owner and left pleased.

Shi Feng unpacked only what he needed. His sword stayed within reach. The travel medicines remained in his ring, with the thicker quilt folded beside his clothing.

He didn't stand staring at the empty chair this time.

He had work to do outside.

Qingyun City's medicine street began beneath the shadow of the Sky Pavilion tower. Its lower halls were larger than the tower Shi Feng used in Great Liang, and the certification staircase held a steady line of cultivators. Two men argued beside the entrance about whether a visiting alchemist would sit for a second Mark.

Shi Feng listened for a moment before walking past. Pills for Nascent Soul cultivators belonged far beyond his present hands, no matter how much Mo Tianheng's expertise remained in his mind.

He wanted to see local ingredients first.

At a materials shop, Wang Tong examined the turtle shell he brought from the river. The Qi Condensation merchant tapped its edge and announced that the colour was poor.

“Then don't buy it,” Shi Feng said.

Wang Tong immediately stopped tapping.

“It still has uses,” Wang Tong said.

“So does my time,” Shi Feng replied.

The merchant named a better price. Shi Feng compared it with a similar shell displayed behind the counter and accepted after a short bargain.

He didn't need to sell everything he owned for a few spirit stones. He had no immediate use for the shell, and the fair payment could buy ingredients suited to his current practice. Wang Tong noticed the representative's plate while wrapping the purchase.

“Which sect are you hoping for?” Wang Tong asked.

“Whichever one still looks worth choosing after the bracket,” Shi Feng replied.

The merchant chuckled.

“Most young swordsmen name Martial Palace before they even find an inn,” Wang Tong said. “Though Artificer Hall's elders have been buying up every crate of good metal and broken mechanisms along this street since yesterday.”

“To repair?” Shi Feng asked.

“To learn from,” Wang Tong replied. “Cheap mistakes, they say. A shopkeeper's best customers.”

Shi Feng smiled. Xu Changhe's notes contained enough ordinary repairs that he could believe it.

“The Great Sects' senior experts really are Nascent Soul?” Shi Feng asked.

Wang Tong lowered his voice despite the noisy street outside.

“Late Nascent Soul at their highest,” Wang Tong said. “Not people who come here to bargain over a turtle shell. Today's Golden Core visitors already make the city officials careful.”

Shi Feng nodded. The kingdom was one step, and the Great Sects were another. He didn't mistake a qualifying plate for the strength to stand at their summit.

He bought two small packets before leaving. There were rarer things on the shelves, but he wasn't going to fill his ring with herbs he couldn't yet use properly.

Outside, a group of candidates passed in matching dark robes. Their Foundation Establishment auras drew attention without emptying the street. One wore a kingdom plate bearing an unfamiliar crest.

Shi Feng watched them head toward the arena district.

The surrounding kingdoms were arriving.

At the inn, Kang Liu offered a table near the front so other guests could see his sword and plate. Shi Feng chose the back corner instead.

Dinner arrived at the stated price. That improved his opinion of the owner considerably.

He ate, checked the opening notice, and returned upstairs before the hall grew louder. The window let in sounds from three different streets, none familiar. For a moment, he remembered Ling Qingzhu asking whether the room on their route had a roof.

This one did.

He wondered which room she'd choose when she arrived, then closed the shutters before the thought carried him farther. On the table, his qualifying plate lay beside the new ingredient packets.

Shi Feng sat down to cultivate. The city was larger, the opponents were stronger, and the tournament was nearly here.

The opening was still several days away. He would use them properly instead of sitting beside the window waiting for familiar footsteps.

Over the next two days, Shi Feng cultivated with the pills retained from his commissions. He had been strengthening his foundation since the breakthrough, through medicine, hunting and steady practice. Now the accumulated qi filled the remaining gap.

On the second night, his qi grew denser and flowed through his foundation with renewed force. He steadied it until the change settled.

Mid Foundation Establishment.

Shi Feng opened his eyes and clenched his hand. His strength had increased again. No pill resistance slowed him, and no medicinal impurities needed clearing. The gain belonged to the work he had already done.

He put away the empty medicine wrapping and heated his small practice furnace. The simple Golden Core formula he had tried in Great Liang still demanded care. This time, the joined medicinal streams held together through the difficult turn. He lost the pill during cooling, but he knew exactly where his hands had failed. Tomorrow, he would confirm his registration. Tonight, he recorded the correction.