The residence allocated to the Northern Territory participants remained considerably livelier than it had been when they first arrived. Although the journey had ended and the younger generation had finally been given time to rest, the atmosphere within the compound showed little sign of becoming quiet.
The Martial Intake Challenge had not yet begun, but Guan Capital itself had already given many of them enough to think about. Some had immediately returned to their rooms to cultivate, apparently unwilling to waste even a moment after seeing the strength of several geniuses from the other regions.
Others remained within the courtyard, discussing what they had witnessed since entering the Capital. The conversations were not loud enough to disturb anyone, yet Feng Li could still hear fragments of them as he stepped outside with Feng Xue.
"Are you sure we are allowed to leave?" Feng Xue asked as she looked toward him, curiosity clearly present in her eyes despite the calmness she attempted to maintain. "We have only just arrived."
Feng Li glanced toward the gates of the residence before answering, "The elder never told us to remain inside. Besides, you were the one who wanted to see the Capital." Feng Xue immediately looked away and replied, "I merely said it would be a waste to come all the way here and remain inside." A faint smile appeared on Feng Li's face as he looked at her. "Of course." She narrowed her eyes slightly at him, though the faint smile on her face showed that she was not truly offended. "Are we going or not?" Feng Li did not answer. He simply began walking toward the entrance of the compound, causing Feng Xue to follow immediately behind him.
The moment they left the residence and entered the streets of Guan Capital, the atmosphere around them changed once more. The area where the participants had been accommodated was relatively quiet compared to the rest of the Capital, but the further Feng Li and Feng Xue walked, the more the city seemed to reveal another side of itself.
Guan Capital was not simply a gathering place for powerful families and sects. It was alive in a way that Emerald City could never have been. Carriages moved through the wider streets while cultivators passed through the crowds in robes belonging to different sects and families. Merchants called out from their stalls, spirit beasts were led through designated paths, and occasionally a powerful aura would pass through the street, causing ordinary people to instinctively move aside.
Feng Xue looked around with unconcealed interest as her gaze travelled across the countless cultivators moving through the streets. "There are more cultivators here than ordinary people." Feng Li shook his head slightly. "Not really. It only feels that way because of where we are. The cultivation districts naturally attract cultivators. If we went deeper into the ordinary districts, the situation would probably be different."
The mysterious elder suddenly spoke from within the Nine Floor Divine Pagoda. "You have not even spent a day in the Capital, and you are already acting as though you understand the place." Feng Li smiled faintly at those words. "Senior, I only made an observation." The elder gave a dissatisfied snort. "An observation based on what?" Feng Li looked toward the enormous market gradually appearing ahead of them before calmly answering, "Common sense."
The elder snorted again. "Common sense is a dangerous thing. Most people believe they possess it until reality proves otherwise." Feng Xue noticed the faint change in Feng Li's expression and glanced toward him. She did not ask anything.
The market ahead of them soon swallowed their attention. It occupied several connected streets, with stalls extending in different directions beneath colourful canopies and wooden structures. However, unlike the markets of Emerald City, the things being sold here were enough to make Feng Xue slow her steps almost immediately. Bundles of medicinal herbs lay within carefully arranged containers, each one surrounded by faint spiritual energy. Beast cores of different colours were displayed behind protective formations. Spiritual weapons rested upon wooden racks, their surfaces carrying inscriptions and faint fluctuations of Qi. There were talismans, formation materials, cultivation manuals, strange ores, spiritual fruits, and countless other objects that Feng Xue could not immediately identify.
She eventually stopped before one stall where several swords had been displayed. "These are all spiritual weapons?" she asked. The owner of the stall, a middle-aged cultivator, looked toward her before replying, "Low-grade spiritual weapons. Nothing particularly rare." Feng Xue stared at him for a moment. Nothing particularly rare. Back in Emerald City, even a spiritual weapon could cause considerable attention.
Feng Li quietly examined the swords while the mysterious elder spoke again. "The inscriptions are uneven." Feng Li looked more carefully. "You noticed that?" The elder sounded almost offended. "Brat, I have watched people refine weapons for longer than your current world has existed in its present state. Of course I noticed it." Feng Li examined one of the swords again and nodded slightly. The inscriptions along its surface appeared complete, but several spiritual lines had been connected too closely together. The weapon would function, but the flow of Qi through it would not be as smooth as it should have been.
Feng Xue noticed him studying the sword and asked, "Are you thinking of buying one?" Feng Li shook his head. "No." The stall owner immediately frowned slightly. "You do not like them?" Feng Li had no intention of offending the man, but after a brief hesitation, he replied honestly, "They are not bad, but the inscriptions could have been arranged better." The stall owner stared at him, while Feng Xue immediately turned toward Feng Li with an expression that suggested she could not believe he had actually said that.
For several moments, the middle-aged cultivator said nothing. Then he picked up one of the swords and carefully examined the inscriptions. Feng Li did not wait for his reaction and simply continued walking, causing Feng Xue to hurry after him. "You could have simply said you were not interested." Feng Li glanced at her. "I did." She looked at him helplessly. "You also told him his weapon was flawed." Feng Li calmly replied, "I said it could be improved." Feng Xue narrowed her eyes. "That is almost the same thing." Feng Li looked toward her. "Almost?"
Feng Xue opened her mouth before closing it again, while the mysterious elder laughed loudly within Feng Li's mind. "You are becoming troublesome." Feng Li smiled faintly. "Senior, you are the one who taught me to look properly." The elder suddenly became quiet before giving a satisfied hum. "That is true."
The market became increasingly crowded as they moved deeper inside. Feng Xue stopped several times to look at different things, though Feng Li noticed that she rarely touched anything. She was curious, but she was also cautious, and the prices displayed beside many of the cultivation resources gradually made that caution understandable. At one stall, Feng Xue looked at a small bottle containing several medicinal pills and asked, "How much?"
The elderly woman behind the stall looked at her. "Three Low Grade Yuan Stones." Feng Xue's expression changed slightly, and she instinctively looked toward Feng Li. He asked the woman, "What kind of pills are they?" "Qi Gathering Pills." Feng Li nodded slightly. They were ordinary cultivation pills, useful primarily for cultivators within the lower realms.
Feng Xue quietly asked, "Three Yuan Stones?" The woman looked at her strangely. "Naturally." Feng Li immediately understood what Feng Xue was thinking. Back in Emerald City, they would have discussed prices in gold. Here, however, no one had even mentioned gold. Feng Li looked toward the woman and asked, "Do you accept gold?" She stared at him for a moment before giving a short laugh. "Gold?"
Feng Xue's face immediately became slightly embarrassed, but the woman did not appear malicious. She simply found the question amusing. "Young man, you must not be from Guan Capital." Feng Li calmly answered, "The Northern Territory." Understanding immediately appeared in the woman's eyes. "That explains it."
She pointed toward the bottle of pills before continuing. "Gold still has value. Ordinary people use it, merchants use it, and even cultivators occasionally need it when dealing with ordinary matters. But within the cultivation world, Yuan Stones are the true currency. Yuan Stones are naturally formed within places where spiritual energy gathers. Spiritual veins, ancient mountains, and certain underground mines can produce them. They contain spiritual energy, which means they are not merely useful for buying things. Cultivators can also absorb the energy contained within them."
Feng Xue listened carefully as the woman continued. "There are different grades. Low Grade Yuan Stones are the most common. Above them are Middle Grade Yuan Stones, High Grade Yuan Stones, and Supreme Grade Yuan Stones. The higher the grade, the purer and denser the spiritual energy contained within them."
Feng Li nodded slowly. The explanation was simple, but it immediately clarified the difference between gold and Yuan Stones. Gold possessed value because people agreed that it possessed value, while a Yuan Stone possessed value because it could directly benefit a cultivator. The mysterious elder spoke quietly within his mind. "Now you understand why gold becomes increasingly useless the higher you climb."
Feng Li respectfully replied, "I understand the principle, Senior. I simply had not encountered this world's cultivation economy yet." The elder was silent for a moment before saying, "That is fair." Feng Li glanced at the countless stalls surrounding him, and for the first time, he began looking at the market differently. The gold he possessed from Emerald City had once seemed considerable. Within Guan Capital, however, it was no longer enough to make him wealthy. The wider world had its own standards.
Feng Xue quietly leaned closer to him. "So all that gold you have…" Feng Li looked at her. "Still exists." She frowned. "That was not what I meant." "I know." Feng Xue sighed, causing the woman behind the stall to laugh softly. Feng Li smiled politely before leading Feng Xue away.
As they continued walking, Feng Xue remained unusually thoughtful. "Then we need Yuan Stones." Feng Li calmly replied, "That would be useful." She immediately looked at him. "That is all you have to say?" Feng Li smiled faintly. "Did you expect me to suddenly discover a mountain filled with them?" Feng Xue considered the question before replying, "With you, I would not be surprised."
The mysterious elder immediately laughed. Feng Li shook his head, but the words did leave him thinking. Resources were important. No matter how powerful one's talent was, cultivation still required resources. Feng Li possessed advantages that ordinary cultivators could never imagine, but that did not mean resources would become unnecessary. The road ahead would only become more demanding.
"Do not look so serious," the mysterious elder suddenly said. Feng Li's expression softened slightly. "I was thinking." The elder asked, "About becoming rich?" Feng Li calmly answered, "About cultivation." The elder immediately replied, "That is another way of saying the same thing." Feng Li laughed quietly.
Before he could respond, a familiar voice suddenly echoed from another stall. "I am telling you, I saw it first!" Feng Li and Feng Xue turned toward the sound and discovered that a crowd had gathered nearby. At its centre stood Fatty Chen.
Feng Xue blinked, while Feng Li's expression became slightly strange. Fatty Chen stood before a stall with one hand holding a large piece of roasted meat while his other hand pointed toward an object resting on the merchant's table. The merchant looked increasingly irritated. "You saw it first," the merchant said, "but you did not buy it." Fatty Chen immediately replied, "I was eating!" The merchant's expression darkened. "That is not my problem." Fatty Chen looked genuinely offended. "It should be."
Feng Xue covered her mouth to prevent herself from laughing. Fatty Chen noticed them at that moment, and his eyes immediately brightened. "It is you!" He pointed toward Feng Li. "The Northern Territory boy!" Feng Li walked closer and calmly replied, "I have a name."
Fatty Chen nodded seriously. "Yes." Feng Li waited, but Fatty Chen continued staring at him. Feng Xue finally asked, "Do you know his name?" Fatty Chen's expression immediately changed. Feng Li could not help smiling. "I knew you were going to ask that." Feng Li looked at him. "You did not." Fatty Chen immediately protested, "I did." Feng Li calmly replied, "You forgot it."
Fatty Chen stared at Feng Li for several moments before suddenly saying, "Feng Li!" He immediately looked proud of himself. "See? I have heard of you a little bit" Feng Xue finally laughed, while the merchant looked increasingly impatient. "Are you buying the item or not?"
Feng Li's attention moved toward the object resting on the stall. It was an ordinary-looking piece of dark metal, or at least that was what it appeared to be. Its surface was covered in dirt and corrosion, and no spiritual energy could immediately be sensed from it. Fatty Chen pointed toward the metal. "I found it." The merchant frowned. "You saw it." Fatty Chen immediately replied, "I found it with my eyes." The merchant stared at him. "That does not mean anything."
Feng Li stepped closer to the stall, and at that moment, the mysterious elder immediately became quiet. That alone caused Feng Li's attention to sharpen. "Senior?" The elder did not answer immediately. Feng Li's gaze remained fixed on the dark piece of metal before the elder finally spoke. "Interesting."
Feng Li's eyes narrowed slightly. Fatty Chen immediately noticed the change in his expression and asked, "You think it is valuable too?" Feng Li shook his head slightly. "I do not know yet." The merchant crossed his arms. "If you want it, then pay for it. Otherwise, stop gathering around my stall."
Feng Li did not touch the object immediately. Instead, he carefully examined its surface. The corrosion was genuine, and so was the dirt, but beneath the outer layer, there was something else. Something the ordinary eye would not immediately notice. "Senior?" Feng Li asked again.
The mysterious elder finally spoke. "Do not ask me to tell you everything. Look properly." Feng Li smiled faintly. "Of course." He extended a strand of his spiritual sense toward the object, and the moment it touched the dark metal, Feng Li's expression changed almost imperceptibly. There was resistance. It was not powerful resistance, but it was unnatural. His spiritual sense could not easily penetrate the object.
Fatty Chen watched him carefully. "What is it?" Feng Li looked toward him. "Why do you want it?" Fatty Chen pointed toward the metal. "Because I felt something strange when I touched it." The merchant immediately interrupted, "You never picked it up." Fatty Chen looked toward him. "I touched it." The merchant replied, "That is different." Fatty Chen immediately argued, "It is almost the same thing."
Feng Li glanced toward Feng Xue, who immediately looked away as though she had no intention of becoming involved. Fatty Chen continued, "When I touched it, I felt something cold." Feng Li's attention returned to the metal as the mysterious elder spoke again, this time with clear amusement in his voice. "Perhaps the fat child is not as simple as he appears."
Feng Li replied in his mind, "Senior, he is standing right here." The elder sounded unconcerned. "He cannot hear me." Feng Li calmly answered, "That does not make it polite." The elder laughed.
Feng Li finally reached toward the object. The moment his fingers touched the metal, a faint coldness travelled through his hand. His expression remained calm, but he was now certain that the object was unusual. Unfortunately, he still could not determine exactly what it was. "Senior?" he asked again.
The elder remained silent. Feng Li understood immediately. The old man wanted him to figure it out himself. He withdrew his hand and looked toward Fatty Chen, who was watching him expectantly. "Well?" Fatty Chen asked.
Feng Li replied, "I think you were right about one thing." Fatty Chen immediately straightened. Feng Li continued, "It is strange." The merchant's expression darkened. "Are you two going to buy it?" Feng Li looked toward him. "How much?"
The merchant looked between Feng Li and Fatty Chen before saying, "Ten Low Grade Yuan Stones." Feng Xue's expression immediately changed, while Fatty Chen shouted, "You told me five!" The merchant looked at him without shame. "That was before." Fatty Chen frowned. "Before what?" The merchant calmly answered, "Before another person became interested."
Fatty Chen stared at him, while Feng Li could not help finding the situation slightly amusing. The merchant was obviously increasing the price because he had noticed their interest. Fatty Chen turned toward Feng Li and said, "He is cheating us." The merchant immediately became angry. "Watch your words." Fatty Chen pointed toward him. "You are!"
Feng Li placed a hand on Fatty Chen's shoulder before the situation could escalate. "Let it go." Fatty Chen looked toward him. "But…" Feng Li calmly continued, "It is not worth ten Yuan Stones." The merchant's expression became ugly as Feng Li added, "Perhaps it is unusual, but unusual does not automatically mean valuable. You have no idea what it is, and neither do we."
The merchant remained silent. Feng Li turned away, and Fatty Chen stared at the dark metal for several moments before reluctantly following him. Feng Xue walked beside them while Fatty Chen continued looking unhappy. "I wanted that." Feng Li glanced toward him. "You can buy it if you truly believe it is worth ten Yuan Stones."
Fatty Chen immediately shook his head. "I am not stupid." Feng Li looked at him, causing Fatty Chen to frown. "What?" Feng Li smiled faintly. "Nothing."
They had only taken several steps when Feng Li suddenly heard the mysterious elder laugh. His expression remained unchanged as he asked in his mind, "What?" The elder immediately replied, "Turn around."
Feng Li paused, causing Fatty Chen and Feng Xue to look toward him curiously. He turned back and saw that the merchant was already putting the dark metal away. "Senior?" Feng Li asked.
"Look carefully at the stall beside him."
Feng Li's gaze shifted, and his eyes immediately narrowed. The dark metal had not been the only object there. Among several ordinary pieces of broken weapon fragments lay another smaller piece of similar material. A faint smile appeared on Feng Li's face. The merchant had hidden one and forgotten the other.
Feng Li walked back toward the stall, and Fatty Chen immediately followed him. The merchant looked unhappy when he saw them return. "What now?" Feng Li pointed toward one of the broken fragments. "How much for that?"
The merchant glanced at it before casually replying, "One Low Grade Yuan Stone." Feng Li looked toward Feng Xue, and she looked back at him. Neither of them possessed a Yuan Stone.
Fatty Chen suddenly grinned. "I have one."
Feng Li turned toward him as Fatty Chen proudly reached into his storage bag and removed a faintly glowing stone. Feng Xue stared at it, while Fatty Chen looked extremely pleased with himself. "I am not poor." Feng Li smiled faintly. "I never said you were."
Fatty Chen placed the Yuan Stone on the table, and the merchant handed over the fragment. The moment Feng Li held it, the mysterious elder's voice became serious. "There it is." Feng Li's eyes narrowed. "What is it?"
"A fragment of something much older than this city."
Feng Li's expression did not change, but his fingers tightened slightly around the broken piece of metal. Fatty Chen immediately noticed. "So it is valuable?" Feng Li looked toward him. "I do not know yet." This time, that was the truth.
The mysterious elder continued within his mind. "Do not become excited. A fragment is still only a fragment. You do not even know what it originally belonged to." Feng Li respectfully replied, "Then we will find out eventually."
The elder became quiet for a moment before saying, "That is a better answer."
Feng Li placed the fragment inside his storage space. Fatty Chen watched him with narrowed eyes. "You know something." Feng Li calmly replied, "I know that it is unusual." Fatty Chen frowned. "That is not the same thing."
Feng Li smiled faintly. "No."
Fatty Chen stared at him for several moments before suddenly grinning. "Good." Feng Li looked toward him as Fatty Chen took another bite of his roasted meat. "I like strange things."
Feng Xue shook her head, and the three of them continued walking through the market. Their conversation gradually became more natural as they moved between the different stalls. Fatty Chen spoke openly, without the caution most people displayed when meeting powerful geniuses for the first time. He did not seem particularly interested in Feng Li's Myriad Dao Sect insignia, nor did he appear intimidated by Feng Xue's talent. Instead, he asked questions. Too many questions.
"You are really eleven?" Fatty Chen asked. Feng Li calmly replied, "Yes." Fatty Chen looked at him suspiciously. "Are you sure?" Feng Li simply looked at him. Fatty Chen immediately nodded. "Alright. Stupid question."
Feng Xue laughed, while Fatty Chen continued eating as though nothing unusual had happened. Feng Li gradually discovered that the boy's reputation from their first encounter had not been misleading. Fatty Chen was childish, honest, and occasionally ridiculous, but beneath that behaviour was a confidence that did not come from ignorance. He had reached the ninth rank of the Soul Transformation Realm at thirteen years old. Someone like that could not truly be simple.
As they passed another stall, Feng Li suddenly stopped. Several medicinal herbs had been arranged behind a transparent spiritual barrier. Feng Xue noticed him stopping and asked, "What is it?" Feng Li's gaze remained on one particular herb.
The mysterious elder spoke quietly. "That one."
Feng Li nodded. "I saw it."
The elder sounded pleased.
The herb was not especially beautiful. Its leaves were thin and dark, and its spiritual fluctuations were faint compared to the more impressive herbs surrounding it. Fatty Chen looked at the herb before turning toward Feng Li. "That?" Feng Li asked, "You know it?" Fatty Chen shook his head. "No, but it looks like grass."
Feng Xue looked toward the herb. "It does."
The mysterious elder immediately laughed.
Feng Li carefully examined the herb. "It is not ordinary grass."
Fatty Chen nodded solemnly. "I believe you."
Feng Li looked at him. "You do?"
Fatty Chen immediately shook his head. "No."
Feng Xue laughed again, while Feng Li could only shake his head.
For the first time since arriving in Guan Capital, the vastness of the Capital no longer felt distant. The city was still enormous, still filled with powers and people whose strength exceeded what Feng Li had encountered in Emerald City, but it was beginning to become something more than an intimidating symbol of the wider world. It was becoming a place filled with possibilities.
The mysterious elder suddenly spoke in a quieter tone. "You are enjoying yourself."
Feng Li remained silent for a moment before a faint smile appeared on his face. "I suppose I am."
The elder was quiet.
Feng Li continued walking beside Feng Xue and Fatty Chen as the market stretched ahead of them. After everything that had happened since his awakening, there had rarely been moments when Feng Li could simply walk through a city without immediately facing danger, schemes or battles. Emerald City had been his home, but it had also become a place filled with conflicts that eventually forced him to leave.
Here, everything was unfamiliar, and strangely, that was what made it interesting.
"Senior," Feng Li suddenly said within his mind.
"What?"
"I think you were right."
The elder immediately became suspicious. "About what?"
Feng Li smiled faintly. "The world is finally becoming interesting."
For several moments, the mysterious elder did not respond. Then his voice carried a trace of satisfaction. "Of course I was right."
Feng Li smiled, but Fatty Chen suddenly looked toward him. "Who are you talking to?"
Feng Li glanced toward him. "No one."
Fatty Chen nodded seriously. "You are strange."
Feng Xue immediately replied, "You are the one carrying roasted meat through a cultivation market." Fatty Chen looked down at the food in his hand. "That is normal."
Feng Xue stared at him.
Fatty Chen nodded seriously. "It is very normal."
The three continued walking through the crowded streets as the sounds of Guan Capital surrounded them. Far beyond the market, powerful auras occasionally moved through the city. Young geniuses from the five regions continued arriving, sects watched the gathering generation with interest, and the Martial Intake Challenge drew closer with every passing day.
Yet for the moment, Feng Li simply walked forward beside Feng Xue and Fatty Chen. The wider world had finally opened before him, revealing things he had never encountered, people he had yet to understand and opportunities that could not exist within the confines of Emerald City.
And this time, Feng Li intended to see what it had to offer.