"Nangufang City is backed by Wolong Mountain in the east, faces Fulong River in the west, Qingyun Ridge in the Jiuchong Mountains in the north, and Feifeng Forest, an ancient battlefield in the south."
In the twelfth lunar month of winter, paper cranes soared into the sky, squeaking.
Jiang Yuebai rubbed his hands and sat next to Tao Fengnian, listening to his 'pointing out the country'.
She knew that Qingyun Ridge in the Jiuchong Mountains was the gate of Tianyan Sect, and she also knew that Wolong Mountain to the east was the border of Yun Kingdom.
"Grandpa, do you think Cang Kingdom did this on purpose? The mountain in Yun Kingdom is called Wolong Mountain, and they named the big river Fulong River."
Tao Fengnian smiled and said, "As the two most powerful mortal countries among the three continents and nine regions of the Central Plains, Cangyun and Cangyun have been fighting endlessly since ancient times. I am also a Yun countryman. Heroic souls are hidden under Wolong Mountain, and loyal bones are buried in Feifeng Forest. If it were not an accident, Entering the world of cultivation, I have already joined the army and gone to the battlefield to fight."
Along the way, the paper cranes flew slowly and low, surrounded by mountains and trees. Jiang Yuebai got tired of seeing them and took out the glass bottle containing the Ice Beetle King.
Last night, I fed it plant essence beads, and now it no longer pretended to be dead. It was now radiating cold air towards the wall of the bottle, intending to escape.
Tao Fengnian glanced at it and said, "Your consciousness is weak, so proceed step by step. You will be able to succeed in three to five days."
Jiang Yuebai nodded. Tao Fengnian helped her see it last night. Although the insect king is weird, it is harmless and can be trained.
After success, all it takes is a flick of the spiritual consciousness to instantly deploy ice armor defense around the body or freeze the enemy, which is faster than casting a spell.
After completing today's sacrificial practice, Jiang Yuebai put away the glass bottle.
"Grandpa, have you ever used water aura to perform the Grass and Tree Technique?"
Tao Fengnian was stunned for a moment, "Why do you ask this?"
Jiang Yuebai explained the strangeness of that day, and Tao Fengnian frowned and thought. The girl he once knew nothing about had become unable to give him guidance in just a short period of time.
"You still need to ask Li Jiuchuan for advice on how to transform the Five Elements. Grandpa is not very knowledgeable and doesn't know the secret."
"Okay, what about the Grass and Tree Jue? I was thinking about it last night. Since the Grass and Tree Jue can rob the vitality of plants and trees, can it also rob people of their vitality?"
As soon as he finished speaking, Tao Fengnian stared at Jiang Yuebai fiercely, his eyes were extremely serious, making Jiang Yuebai's scalp tighten.
"This is an evil way. Just talk about it. Never practice it in front of others, otherwise the sect will not be able to spare you!"
"I'm just curious~"
"The essence of the Grass and Tree Art is to plunder. The anger of vegetation, the anger of monsters and animals, and the anger of human beings can all be robbed. If a person is robbed of his anger, his longevity will be lost. If the Grass and Tree Art is not cultivated to the top of the fifth floor, it will not cause death. Only then did the sect pass down this magic.
"After robbing people of their longevity, can they give it back to others?" Jiang Yuebai asked again.
Tao Fengnian shook his head, "Of course you can't. The vitality plundered by the Grass and Tree Art can only be fed back to the grass and trees. We are almost there. Sit tight."
The paper crane suddenly rushed down, Jiang Yuebai grabbed Tao Fengnian's sleeve and looked up.
The mountains and rivers are magnificent, the mist is vast, the forest is vast, and the trees are towering.
The paper crane fell outside the Feifeng Forest. Tao Fengnian and Jiang Yuebai were hiking there. The shadows of the trees were mottled, tigers roared and insects chirped. Everywhere they looked were vines and trees. Where was the market?
Ever since Jiang Yuebai stepped into the forest, he always had the thought that this place was extremely dangerous and he had to return immediately.
After twisting and turning, towering ancient trees blocked the way, Tao Fengnian stopped.
"Press your hand on the tree and inject spiritual energy to try."
Jiang Yuebai was dubious, and stepped forward to press his hand. The spiritual energy was injected, and half of his arm penetrated the tree.
She opened her eyes wide in surprise, maintained her spiritual energy output, stepped straight into the tree, and her eyes suddenly opened up.
The breeze is gentle, the fog and rain are flying, there are many pedestrians, and it is bustling and noisy.
The flags of shops along the road are fluttering, the vendors' hawkings are piercing the sky, the spirit beasts in front of the blacksmith shop are shaking their heads and spitting fire, the children are laughing and applauding, and the blacksmith apprentices are waving their sledgehammers, making jingling sounds.
The strong atmosphere of the market came to my face.
"How come there is such a big market behind the tree?"
Jiang Yuebai turned around, and there was still an ancient tree behind him, growing randomly by the roadside.
Tao Fengnian walked to his side and said, "There are mortals around, so naturally some means of covering up are needed. The same is true in other places. Let's go this way and buy you some new clothes first."
"Although Fang City is safe, there are still some gangsters who prey on sect disciples who are wealthy and ignorant of worldly affairs. We need to be careful not to expose our wealth and avoid being targeted."
"I know, Grandpa."
Jiang Yuebai pulled Tao Fengnian's sleeves, raised his head and looked around. Everything he saw was new, and even one pair of eyes was not enough.
Here there is the fireworks atmosphere of a mortal town, and there is also the fairy atmosphere of the land of cultivators.
For example, the small yellow talisman sword that passes through to convey messages, the two-headed bird pulling a cart above its head, or the talisman with its flaming tail flying in the hands of a street vendor.
"Take a look and have a look ~ Qiankunfang's various magical instruments are on clearance at the end of the year, and they are definitely more expensive and high-quality than Shanhailou."
"New magic jade slips have arrived in Shushanfang, as well as the cultivation experience of True Lord Yuanying. The quantity is limited, first come first served."
"Today's elixir gambling in Xiancao Tower is about to begin..."
"All kinds of spiritual beast cubs are available at a cheap price. Fellow Taoist, buy one for your children to play with. Look at how cute this Flame Tiger cat is. It's not a loss if you buy it."
"You two, do you want to stay in the hotel?"
A third-level male Qi practitioner blocked the way, and Jiang Yuebai looked up.
"Our Qiyun Pavilion guest room is of high quality and low price. It is equipped with a spirit gathering array and is safe. It only costs two low-grade spirit stones per night. Do you want to stay for one night?"
Tao Fengnian waved his hand and pushed Jiang Yuebai into the tailor shop.
When he came out, Jiang Yuebai changed out of the Tianyan Sect disciple's clothes and wore a small emerald green skirt. The dark and light colors were intertwined like wheat seedlings, full of vitality.
Tao Fengnian also changed into an ordinary gown, with a cigarette stick stuck around his waist. He held Jiang Yuebai's hand like a casual cultivator taking his granddaughter to play.
“There are so many people and it’s so lively.”
"The end of the year is relatively leisurely. Tianyan Sect disciples have to prepare talismans for the year-end exam, and sects from all over the country are also free to recruit new ones, so there are more people active in the city."
The Tianyan Sect's year-end quiz is mainly for the outer sect and inner sect disciples. If they don't pass the examination, they will be demoted. The inner sect will be demoted to the outer sect, and the outer sect will be demoted to the handyman.
After the small exam, there will be an assessment for the Qi Qi Qi Qi level 7 and above to become a handyman entering the outer sect. She is not qualified yet, so there is no need to care.
Passing by the center of Nangufang, flags and flags were fluttering under the towering ancient trees and there was a buzz of people.
"Linghe Sect, Yuling Sect, Baiyang Sect, Chixiao Sect, Jingangtai...are these all sects of cultivating immortals?"
"Yes, in addition to Tianyan Sect, there are twenty-four large and small sects in the Central Plains. Every few years, casual cultivators are recruited into the sect from various cities in the Central Plains. This year, it is Nangufang City's turn."
Jiang Yuebai's eyes widened, "I thought there was only one immortal sect in the world, Tianyan Sect, but I didn't expect there were so many, and it was only in the Central Plains."
"Not only the sects, there are many cultivating families in the Central Plains, too many to count."
Jiang Yuebai craned his neck to look, and found that the casual cultivators were collecting their tokens in front of various sect stalls and leaving.
"What are they doing with the token?"
Tao Fengnian explained, "For a boy like you to get started, you only need to test your aptitude and character. It is different for casual cultivators. In addition to aptitude, ability is more important."
"So to receive different tasks, most of them go to the depths of Feifeng Forest to hunt monsters or search for heavenly materials and treasures. This is also a means for sects in various places to suppress the number of monsters and collect resources."
Walking through the center of Fangfang, the streets are packed with people and extremely prosperous.
"Come on, come on, the freshly hunted black-horned rhinoceros. The horns are intact and can be used to refine eighth-grade magic weapons. The rhinoceros skin is slightly flawed and can be used to refine ninth-grade leather armor. Do you want it?"
A bronze-skinned one-horned rhinoceros hung upside down on a huge wooden frame beside the road. A strong monk was holding a bone-cutting knife and shouting. A group of people gathered around and competed to bid.
"It's like killing pigs at the end of the year in our village. What are you doing?"
Jiang Yuebai pointed with his hand. On the opposite pavilion, a male foundation-building cultivator was sitting in front of the alchemy furnace, without any distractions and concentrating on it.
The crowd gathered downstairs in twos and twos, whispering.
"His last blast of pills caused me to lose miserably. This time I will bet on him not getting one."
"He didn't blow up the elixir because you were shouting too loudly down there, disturbing people's minds."
"It's normal for him to make alchemy a few times. I think he's stable this time. According to his average level, he has a chance of making an elixir 50% of the time."
Tao Fengnian looked at it for a moment and said, "The Immortal Cao Tower bets on elixirs and allows the alchemist to make elixirs in public. Everyone can bet on his success rate. If the bet is successful, the Immortal Cao Tower will give you a gift. This is a way to attract business, and people all over the country are doing it. Follow suit.”
"In addition to gambling on elixirs, there are also fun things such as fighting talismans, dismantling formations, etc. that correspond to the six arts of cultivation. And refining elixirs in public most tests the concentration of the alchemist, which is very beneficial to the alchemist. Grandpa is going to the Xiancao Tower to find an old friend. There's a bookstore opposite, you can go check it out first, don't run around, you know?"
"Yeah, grandpa, go ahead, I'll take a look around here."
Tao Fengnian gave Jiang Yuebai a message crane and pushed through the crowd to enter the Xiancao Tower.
Jiang Yuebai looked at the gambling pill for a while, but he listened to those people talking nonsense and didn't see the monks upstairs opening the pill furnace. He felt bored and looked around again.
"My magical lock cannot be unlocked by just a few more years of practice. If you are stupid, don't embarrass yourself. Get out of here."
At the entrance of the alley opposite, a group of children and a few adults gathered around a small stall, each holding wooden utensils and frowning.
The stall owner is a rugged female nun, sitting on a complex and exquisite wooden chair, with gears and mechanisms everywhere. She has a leather blanket on her knees, as if she has no legs, and she is grinding wooden strips with a file, and she is covered in sawdust.
Jiang Yuebai walked over curiously and saw that the stall was full of machine puppets and a wooden sign was erected next to it.
[Unlock the Nine Divine Machine Locks and get a seventh-grade flying nuclear boat, limited to children under ten years old]
"What is a flying nuclear boat?" Jiang Yuebai asked.
The female cultivator didn't even raise her head, "Leiyin walnut is carved into a boat. Its escape speed is as fast as lightning. It is a seventh-grade flying magic weapon."
Jiang Yuebai's eyes lit up, "As long as the nine divine machine locks are unlocked, are you serious about giving it away?"
The female cultivator blew away the sawdust and looked up, looking at Jiang Yuebai carefully.
"She looks smart. I've been here for half a month and no one has ever succeeded in challenging it. Three low-grade spiritual stones can be challenged once, and it can't take more than a quarter of an hour. Have you thought clearly?"
Before Jiang Yuebai could speak, the seven or eight-year-old boy next to him suddenly howled.
"I can't untie it——"
When he cried, the other children who had been made to cry also started to cry.
"It's too difficult, I won't play anymore."
"Cry, cry, cry, I'll just waste three low-grade spiritual stones on you, you bastard!"
The man took off his shoes, chased and beat his child, and disappeared into the alley.
The female cultivator chuckled and raised her eyebrows, "Child, do you still want to challenge?"
