Of course, Wu Dingqiu wouldn’t let him have his way so simply. He stroked his beard as he looked at Eccentric Song’s unsightly expression. Laughing, he very slowly picked up a Go piece and then purposefully put a very thoughtful expression onto his face. After a very, very long time, he slowly put the piece onto the board, his face solemn, as if he intended to make this game last for months.
“Leave the mountain,” said Wu Dingqiu, transmitting his voice to all of his white-robed disciples. “After I finish this game of Go, I will accompany you back to the Sect. In the meantime, the next stage of your trial by fire is to find the man you just saw on the mountain peak. I’ve taken a fancy to that treasured spear he has. Bring that spear back to me, and you will be promoted to the Inner Sect!” Each and every one of the disciples perked up at hearing this.
“Is the dignified Violet Fate Sect of the Southern Domain really going to kill people to take treasures?” said Eccentric Song. He was incredibly depressed, stuck in place because of his own words. But even though he hated Meng Hao, he couldn’t pass up an opportunity to cause trouble for Wu Dingqiu.
Glaring at Eccentric Song, Wu Dingqiu said, “Listen well. You must not cause problems for that person. You must trade with him, not rob him. Anyone who violates this command will be expelled from the Sect!” His next move in the Go game was even slower than the previous.
The Violet Fate Sect disciples scattered in all directions. Some of them circled around the treasure mountain in pursuit of Meng Hao; others went as fast as possible in different directions, hoping to intercept him.
Their trial by fire had been an utter defeat, something they were not reconciled to. However, they didn’t hold any ill will against Meng Hao, but rather admired him. After all, they had all witnessed the blood-soaked events of moments ago.
All of them were determined to get the iron spear from Meng Hao. They would trade anything to get it, and if he was unwilling to trade, would have to think of some tricks to get it.
In any case, they all had clearly heard Elder Wu’s words; they were to trade for the item, not rob it. Although… he had never said they couldn’t use force.
As the white-robed disciples scattered, Meng Hao raced down the treasure mountain, collecting more Spirit Stones and medicinal pills as he went. Even though he never saw Eccentric Song and Wu Dingqiu, he had guessed that this place was most likely a trial by fire region set up by some Sect.
Even though Shangguan Xiu was no longer chasing him, he knew that whosever’s trial by fire he had charged into might not be too happy about his interference. So, he maintained top speed, his heart pounding and his face filled with eagerness.
His bags of holding were all full; he had acquired more this time than on any other occasion since entering the Cultivation world, with the exception of the cave of the Flying Rain-Dragon. He casually packed away the Spirit Stones and medicinal pills.
Of course, the more things he picked up, the faster he tried to move. Gritting his teeth and continuously consuming Demonic Cores, he moved as fast as possible for three days, until he finally emerged from the mountain range. He looked both exhausted and energetic; in the past several days, he hadn’t had a chance to organize his treasures, and now all he wanted to do was find a place where he could safely examine everything. As he moved forward, he noticed that far in the distance was what appeared to be a walled city.
He was in the east of the State of Zhao, and this city appeared to be magnificent and beyond ordinary. It was surrounded by a gentle glowing light, a shield which mortals wouldn’t be able to see, and only Cultivators could sense.
“This place… it doesn’t seem like a city of mortals. Could it be a city of Cultivators?” He stared in surprise, recalling a map of the State of Zhao he had seen. The map had not shown any city in this place. At yet there at the gate of the city, people were coming in and out, almost all of them Cultivators of the Qi Condensation stage. His assumption had been correct.
He decided not to enter the city. Instead, he found a cave in the nearby mountains. Concealing himself inside, he took a deep breath and then began to take everything out of his bags of holding and sort them.
“What medicinal pill is this? It’s incredibly fragrant, even stronger than a Dry Spirit Pill… And this bottle, it has three pills inside, each one as transparent as crystal. They are definitely treasured pills.” Licking his lips, he emptied the contents of two bags of holding, and after counting everything, he found that he had seventy-eight pills. There were many different types, each one seemingly stronger than a Dry Spirit Pill. Meng Hao’s hands shook.
It took a long time for him to collect himself. Stifling his excitement, he pulled out ten more bags of holding.
“There were so many Spirit Stones on that treasure mountain. I