Hundred Treasures Pavilion.
The inside was filled with carved balustrades and marble steps. Everything seemed to be made of jade, and as soon as he stepped inside, Meng Hao instantly felt a dense spiritual force brush against his face. A dazzling assortment of displayed items met his eyes; medicinal pill bottles, flying swords, pearls, banners and other items could be seen everywhere.
There weren’t a lot of Cultivators present, so it was relatively quiet. They walked around separately in groups of four or five, each one accompanied by a young woman wearing a long, pink dress. The girls’ voices were light and airy, and they humbly answered all queries about the various items.
None of that was of very much interest to Meng Hao, though. What really captured his attention was some distance away on the second floor. Next to the stair case was an enormous Pill furnace. Wisps of smoke curled around it, and sitting next to it was a middle-aged man in a long black robe. He sat there cross-legged, back straight, expressionless, doing breathing exercises with his eyes closed.
He emanated a trace amount of power, but it was difficult to sense, as if he were keeping most of it hidden. If he didn’t, the entire pavilion would probably begin to collapse.
“A Foundation Establishment Cultivator…” Meng Hao’s pupils constricted. This middle-aged man emitted the same type of aura as Grand Elder Ouyang, making it immediately obvious to Meng Hao that his Cultivation base was at the Foundation Establishment stage, far above everyone else’s.
“I wonder if the day will ever come in which I have a chance to be a Foundation Establishment Cultivator.” After all the things he had experienced in the Reliance Sect, his heart was filled with the desire to become powerful. Right now, his head was lowered, but his eyes were filled with determination and stubbornness. His resolve was even stronger than ever.
“By using the Cultivation method of the Sublime Spirit Scripture, when reach Foundation Establishment, it will be a Flawless Foundation, much more powerful than Cracked or Fragmented. I will be strong even among Foundation Establishment stage Cultivators.” He took in a deep breath and raised his head. A young woman in a pink dress approached him. She was beautiful, and wore a relaxed smiled on her face. She greeted Meng Hao with a slight bow. As she did, the front of her dress dropped, revealing an abundance of milky tenderness.
“Daoist Brother, do you need any assistance?” she asked.
Meng Hao’s face immediately turned scarlet, and he murmured to himself that he shouldn’t look at inappropriate things. Despite his determination, he couldn’t help but glance down, and his heart began to race. Even though he had been in the Reliance Sect for three years, he hadn’t spent time with any female disciples other than Elder Sister Xu. As for what he was looking at now he hadn’t seen anything like it in his entire life. His face was a bit dark, but at the moment you couldn’t tell at all.
“Do you have any jade slips which describe medicinal pills?” he asked with a dry cough, trying to cover up his embarrassment.
The girl was young, but her demeanor suggested she was quite experienced. She could instantly sense Meng Hao’s awkwardness, and was quite amused. Throughout her years, she had seen many customers, but few like Meng Hao. Holding back a laugh, she smiled and leaned closer toward him so that he would catch a scent of her perfume.
When the fragrant scent reached his face, Meng Hao’s face grew even redder. His eyes, however, contained no lasciviousness. Instead they were wide and clear; he was fundamentally not given to lust. He was just inexperienced with women, thus his flushed face.
“Of course we have jade slips regarding medicinal pills,” she said with a wink. “Please follow me, Daoist Brother.” She found his increasing awkwardness to be very cute. She turned, her waist swaying, her curves entrancing. Meng Hao couldn’t help but look, and again his heart began to race. With a bitter smile, he gave a light cough and hurried to follow her.
She led him to a lattice shelf off to the side which was filled with various pieces of jade. Amongst them, on a white tray, were three slips of jade, inscribed with the characters Three Jade Slip. “These jade slips introduce most of the medicinal pills that can be found in the State of Zhao. However, this is a copy, so the contents are somewhat unclear.”
When she saw Meng Hao raising his hand to take them, she smiled. “You can’t look unless you buy. The Three Jade Slip costs one hundred spirit stones.” When she smiled, two beautiful dimples appeared. As she looked at Meng Hao, she thought that even though his face was a bit dark, it contained a scholarly and youthful charm.
As her perfume wafted around Meng Hao, he pulled his hand back and focused himself. He looked thoughtfully at the Three Jade Piece. It seemed just a bit too expensive, and he was hesitant to part with that many Spirit Stones.