“What’s there to envy? It’s just hard labor. I’m only at the fifth level of Qi Refining, so there aren’t many jobs I can take. Once I reach the Foundation Establishment stage, there’ll be more work available. These days, life isn’t easy!” the burly man sighed with emotion.

“That’s true! Life isn’t easy!” Brian Carter felt the same way. Suddenly, he remembered the Thousand-Feather Fortune Ship he’d seen on the road and couldn’t help but ask, “Hey, what’s the story with that Thousand-Feather Fortune Ship we saw earlier? I’ve never seen it before.”

“That’s John Adams’s traveling palace. You’d better be careful and not provoke him,” the burly man kindly warned. “If you see those women in white with veils, you must keep your distance. They’re all John Adams’s beautiful concubines, and they’re extremely arrogant. Plenty of people have crossed them and met a miserable end!”

The burly man was incredibly strong, carrying a three-hundred-pound pack in one hand and Brian Carter in the other, speaking without the slightest sign of strain.

“That’s right, for small fries like us, crossing them is just asking for death,” Brian Carter agreed.

The burly man’s strides were long, and he was much faster than Little Yellow. He actually finished climbing the winding mountain steps in just half an hour.

Brian Carter cheerfully paid two first-grade spirit stones. The burly man took the stones and hurriedly ran down the mountain.

“Life isn’t easy!” Brian Carter watched the burly man’s back, his face expressionless as he let out a heartfelt sigh.

Brian Carter was very familiar with Dongfu. Hoisting his pack, he made a few turns and quickly found the place he was looking for.

It was a shop specializing in purchasing spirit grain, a small storefront with a little flag hanging outside. On the flag were two characters: 灵谷 (spirit grain). The array on the flag ensured the words could be seen from far away even at night.

Over three hundred pounds of second-grade spirit grain was just a small transaction for such a shop. The shopkeeper didn’t even bother to come out, just sent a clerk.

“Thirty second-grade spirit stones.”

The clerk had no intention of bargaining, and Brian Carter knew he had no room to haggle, so he nodded straightforwardly.

The price was a bit low, but it would be the same at any other shop—unless he could provide over ten thousand pounds of spirit grain directly, only then would he have bargaining power. After deducting the quota he had to hand over to his sect, three hundred pounds of spirit grain was the result of a whole year’s hard work.

Thirty second-grade spirit stones was a huge sum for him.

With the thirty second-grade spirit stones in his pocket, walking down the street, Brian Carter felt as if all the passersby around him had the eyes of thieves.

The streets of Dongfu were wide, and in the sky floated many colorful, oddly shaped houses—those were shops too. But that was the high-end commercial district; without a high-level mount or the ability to fly on a sword, cultivators couldn’t even get in. Some high-end shops were like floating islands in the sky, filled with fragrant flowers and melodious celestial music.

Those were places Brian Carter wouldn’t even dream of. He always just focused on the meat in his own bowl.

Section Two: Jade Slip

Misty and dreamlike, radiant with shifting light, Dongfu at night was as bright as day.

Lanterns on both sides of the street emitted a bright, gentle glow. From time to time, the cries of various spirit beasts echoed from the sky, and the light trails of flying magical treasures were even more dazzling than a meteor shower. The cool night didn’t reduce the crowds; instead, it made things even livelier. All the shops were going all out—every shop assistant wore a neat, matching uniform, standing on either side of the entrance, one holding a bronze bell, the other an eight-trigram silver mirror.

The assistant with the bronze bell formed a hand seal and gently shook the bell. Instantly, a melodious, clear sound spread in all directions: “Our shop sells magical treasures, a complete range, excellent quality and fair prices. Whether you’re a Qi Refining apprentice or a Golden Core expert, we can meet your needs…”

The bronze bell was engraved with a Clear Sound Incantation; the sound was calm and balanced, never harsh, and even after listening for a long time, it wouldn’t make people irritable.

The assistant with the eight-trigram silver mirror worked in perfect sync, forming a hand seal as well. The silver mirror flashed with light, and above his head, all kinds of magical treasure illusions appeared, vivid and lifelike. As the sound of the bell changed, the illusions above his head shifted like a revolving lantern. This was the Sea Mirage Technique, creating illusions so real they could fool the eye.

If two shops were facing each other, you’d often see the assistants glaring at each other, shaking their bronze bells furiously, the silver mirrors flashing rapidly.

Both sides of the street were filled with similar scenes.

“Fifth-grade blessed cave estate, with a spiritual spring, five hundred pings in area, rich in spiritual energy! Whether you’re raising spirit beasts or planting spirit grain and herbs, you’re guaranteed a bountiful harvest! Rock-bottom price: two million five hundred spirit stones, a tearful clearance sale—don’t miss this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!”

“Our shop sells all kinds of high-grade spiritual medicine, a thousand-year-old establishment, quality guaranteed! All our medicines are certified by the Tianxin Spiritual Medicine Institute’s advanced pharmacology program! Buy with confidence!”

“Want to get into the One-Character Wisdom Sword Sect? Our training center enrolls year-round, teaching all kinds of beginner mental techniques. Senior sword cultivators from the One-Character Wisdom Sword Sect teach in person—guaranteed to learn and pass the exam! Still hesitating? Sign up now for a 15% discount!”

……

This is the city that never sleeps, the bustling Dongfu!

Brian Carter was no stranger to the prosperous town, but he still wasn’t quite used to it—he hadn’t come here often. If he hadn’t bought the Wind-Paper Crane, it wouldn’t have been easy to make the trip to Dongfu.

No matter how splendid the streets, there would always be intersections. Brian Carter looked around blankly—he was lost.