252: Chapter 250 Chengen Street

Five or six thousand draws transformed into a galaxy, pouring down.

Countless meteors streaked from the depths of the star sea; some were bright, some dim, some trailed a long flame, while others merely flashed and vanished.

Spirit Stones, Medicinal Pills, Magical Artifacts, Materials—various specks of light swept past him, landing in the distance and piling up into small hills.

Yun Ming did not count them, nor did he pick them up.

He stood there, hands behind his back, watching the fireflies filling the sky with a calm gaze.

A golden light lit up from the depths of the star sea.

The radiance was not dazzling but very gentle, like the first ray of morning sunlight piercing through the mist to shine upon the earth.

It flew very slowly; unlike a meteor, it was more like a leaf drifting in the wind, floating and swaying, until it landed in Yun Ming's palm.

It was a sword.

The sword body was made entirely of white jade, clear as dew, without a single impurity.

On the spine of the sword, there were faint patterns of seedlings, as fine as strands of hair, winding like vines.

At the hilt, two small ancient Seal characters were engraved— "Qinghe".

The sword had no edge, no blade, and no tip; it was less of a sword and more of an exquisite jade ruler.

The hilt was wrapped in pale cyan silk thread, with a faint spiritual light flowing across it. Holding it in his hand, it felt warm and moist like jade, as if he were holding a piece of green bamboo just harvested from a mountain stream.

A Fifth-Grade High Grade Dao Artifact. The Qinghe Sword.

Yun Ming held the sword in his palm and probed it with his Divine Sense.

A consciousness lay dormant within the sword, very weak, like a newly sprouted seed, curled up deep within the sword body, breathing quietly.

It was sleeping, and one did not know when it would wake—perhaps in ten years, perhaps a hundred, perhaps never.

Information about the sword flooded into his Sea of Consciousness: white jade sword body, clear as dew, possessing the innate Qi of grain and wood growth.

It had no edge and no baleful aura; when the sword was swung, the sword light nourished Spiritual Plants, reviving withered seedlings and encouraging tender branches to grow.

If the sword body were immersed in water, one could obtain holy water that nourished spirits, which could stimulate the growth of Spirit Medicine and purify Spiritual Veins.

Yun Ming thought for a moment and then stored the sword into the map of mountains and rivers.

He had planted quite a few Spirit Medicines in his map of mountains and rivers; their grades were not very high, but they had the advantage of being comprehensive.

The enlightenment tea tree, the mystic pattern jade seed sunflower, a few Third-Grade and Fourth-Grade Spiritual Plants, and those unknown Spiritual Plants brought out from the Wanfa Daojun Blessed Land.

Although this sword had no practical combat value, keeping it in the map might prove useful.

He continued to look. The meteors in the star sea gradually thinned out; no more golden light appeared, and certainly no colorful light.

Five or six thousand draws had only produced one streak of golden light.

Yun Ming's expression remained as usual; he felt no disappointment, nor did he sigh.

It was fate and destiny; he took it in stride.

Over these years, accompanied by the System, he had long grown accustomed to such ups and downs.

Whether it was golden light, colorful light, or Spirit Stones, it was all fate.

He withdrew from the star sea and opened his eyes.

The Quiet Room was very quiet; the soundproofing formation was still running, the curtains were tightly closed, and the spiritual lamp had automatically dimmed.

Outside the window, the sky was still dark, and the moon hung directly overhead.

He felt no sleepiness and did not want to sleep.

He sat cross-legged on the meditation cushion, closed his eyes, and circulated his Dao scripture.

The five Golden Cores were rotating slowly in his Dantian, already nearing Perfection.

Golden Core Perfection was only a step away.

He was not anxious, nor did he deliberately pursue it.

What should come would come, and what should not come was useless to wait for.

Spiritual Qi permeated his body from heaven and earth, flowing along the Meridians into his Dantian, where it was absorbed by the five Golden Cores.

The golden light brightened, then dimmed, then brightened again, and dimmed again.

His breathing became long and steady, his heartbeat slowed down, and he seemed to merge into heaven and earth, breathing in unison with all things.

The night passed without incident.

The sky brightened.

Yun Ming changed into a clean moon-white robe and walked out of the Quiet Room.

Ah Yuan was already up and was crouching at the door of the washroom, washing the fox.

The fox was crouching, head tilted up, eyes narrowed, with its nine tails spread out on the ground.

Ah Yuan gently wiped its face with a wet towel; with every wipe, the fox's ears twitched, and with every subsequent wipe, its tail lifted.

Yun Ming walked over, crouched down, and rubbed the fox's head.

The fox huffed, as if saying "Stop it".

Ah Yuan looked up and smiled.

The three of them finished getting ready and left Xianke Residence.

The morning in Tianyuan City was even livelier than the evening in Qingyao City.

The streets were already crowded with people; some were rushing to the market, some to restaurants, and some to work.

flying boats shuttled through the sky, Spirit Beasts neighed, and Cultivators rode Flying Swords overhead.

There were sounds everywhere, and people everywhere.

Yun Ming stood at the entrance of Xianke Residence, watching the endless stream of people on the street, when he suddenly realized a problem.

Tianyuan City was very large; if one were to walk from Xianke Residence to Chengen Street, it would take more than a day and a night.

Moreover, flying was prohibited in the city; people without money or influence could not fly in the sky.

Cultivators without power or influence could not fly in the sky; only those with backgrounds, official government tokens, or Nascent Soul cultivation dared to fly in the sky.

Yun Ming did not want to cause trouble, nor did he want to be stopped and questioned by the patrolling soldiers.

He decided to take the city's transportation.

Transportation in Tianyuan City was very well-developed.

For cheap options, there were cranes, Spirit Turtles, and Spirit Deer; riding them only cost a few Low-Grade Spirit Stones, but they were slow and bumpy.

Expensive options included Spirit Boats and flying shuttles; they were fast and smooth, but cost dozens of Low-Grade Spirit Stones each time.

The most expensive was the Teleportation Array.

Taking the Teleportation Array once cost one High-Grade Spirit Stone.

But the speed of the Teleportation Array was truly fast; in the blink of an eye, it could send you to any corner of the city.

Yun Ming decided to take the Teleportation Array.

He did not lack this one High-Grade Spirit Stone.

The Teleportation Array in the city was located at the intersection of several main streets and was managed by the government.

The formation platform was circular, three zhang in diameter, with the surface engraved with dense formation patterns; the formation patterns were silver and glittered in the sunlight.

There was a railing around the formation platform, and two guards stood at the entrance of the railing.

The guards were at the Foundation Establishment Stage, wearing bright armor, holding long spears, and wearing expressionless faces.

Yun Ming walked over and asked the guard: "How do I get to Chengen Street?"

The guard pointed to the formation platform. "Get on. Wait. We leave when the group is full."

Yun Ming stepped onto the formation platform, and Ah Yuan followed behind him.

Eight people were already standing on the formation platform, including men, women, old, and young, with a mix of Cultivators and Mortals.

Some were chatting, some were closing their eyes to rest, and some were looking at flyers in their hands.

Yun Ming and Ah Yuan walked to the center of the formation platform and stood still.

The fox lay in her arms, its nine tails hanging down, swaying back and forth.

After waiting for less than the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, the tenth person arrived.

It was an old man carrying a medicine basket, with a full head of white hair and wrinkles on his face like knife carvings, possessing Foundation Establishment Stage cultivation.

He stepped onto the formation platform and cupped his hands at the crowd. "Apologies, apologies, I have kept you all waiting."

The guard confirmed that the number of people was complete, took out a token from his bosom, and pressed it into a groove on the edge of the formation platform.

The formation patterns lit up, and silver light spread from the center of the formation platform to the surroundings, enveloping the entire platform in a silver-white halo.

Yun Ming felt his body lighten, his vision blurred, and his feet left the ground, as if someone had given him a push from behind.

Then, everything was over.

The light dissipated, and he was already standing on another formation platform.

The surrounding buildings had changed, the crowd had changed, and even the smell of the air had changed.

Chengen Street had arrived.

Tianyuan City had many streets.

Heavenly Street was the facade, Tianbao Market was the marketplace, and Paradise was a place of indulgence.

Chengen Street was different.

Chengen Street was the underground artery of this Immortal Dynasty capital.

It was not on the ground, nor was it underground.

It existed between reality and illusion, on the boundary line between legal and illegal.

The government did not manage it, nor could it manage it.

Because the very existence of Chengen Street was tacitly approved by the Zifu Immortal Dynasty.

Chengen Street was not a single street, but an entire area.

It was woven from dozens of alleys of varying sizes, widths, and lengths; in some places, carriages could pass side by side, while in others, one could only pass sideways.

On both sides of the alleys were dense rows of shops, stalls, sheds, and street vendors, as well as storefronts that did not even have signs, only a lantern hanging at the entrance or a wooden board with a single character written on it— "Pawn", "Gamble", "Medicine", "Artifact", "Slave", "Beast", "Life"...

Each character represented a trade, and behind each trade was a complete industrial chain.

The purpose of Chengen Street was only one—trade.

Not the ordinary kind of trade, but the kind where one dared to sell anything and buy anything.

The shops at the entrance of the street were still somewhat normal.

Selling Medicinal Pills, selling Magical Artifacts, selling Materials—although their grades were not high, they were at least legitimate businesses.

Walking further inside, the style changed.

The first shop had a wooden board hanging at the entrance, with the two characters "Spiritual Vein" written on it.

Yun Ming walked in and took a look.

The shop was not big; the four walls were empty, with only a table placed in the middle, and on the table sat a transparent glass box.

Inside the box was sealed a small Dragon, the length of a chopstick, crystalline throughout, curled up into a ball, swimming slowly within the box.

The second shop sold "Secret Realm entrances".

Not the Secret Realm itself, but the entrance.

Some people in Chengen Street specialized in this business, sealing Secret Realm entrances into Formation Plates and selling them as a package.

Buyers would buy them back, find a place to set up the formation, and they could open a door leading to the Secret Realm.

The grade, resources, and danger level of that Secret Realm were all written on the sign at the entrance, with clearly marked prices, honest and fair to all.

The third shop was a "Life Shop".

A wooden board with a black background and white characters hung in front of the door, with the four characters "Buy Life, Sell Life" written on it.

In Chengen Street, you could spend money to buy someone else's life, or sell your own life for money.

Those selling their lives would leave their essence blood and Divine Sense imprint in Chengen Street; after the buyer paid, the people of Chengen Street would do the deed for you.

The price was determined based on the target's cultivation, status, and background.

It was said that the life of a Nascent Soul True Lord was clearly priced at ten million High-Grade Spirit Stones.

Honest and fair, never failing.

Walking further in, it was the "Beast Market".

Not ordinary Spirit Beasts, but Yao Beasts, Vicious Beasts, exotic beasts, and even transformed great Yao.

Iron cages were lined up in rows, containing all kinds of bizarre creatures.

There were fire Qilin cubs with flames all over their bodies, ice Phoenix chicks that were ice-blue throughout, poisonous pythons with three heads, and transformed Yao Cultivators whose cultivation had been sealed.

Some of them were captured, some were sold by their clansmen, and some were exiled by the government for committing crimes.

They sat, lay, crouched, or stood in the cages, their eyes empty and their expressions numb.

When Yun Ming passed by, a transformed Yao Cultivator suddenly raised its head, took a look at him, and the corners of its mouth moved, as if it wanted to say something but swallowed it back.

Yun Ming did not stop and continued walking forward.

The "Slave Market" was in the deepest part of Chengen Street.

The cages here did not contain Yao Beasts, but people.

Mortals, Cultivators, men, women, old, young.

Some of them were prisoners of war, some were bankrupt Loose Cultivators, some were sold by their families, and some were sold by the government for committing crimes.

Everyone had a collar around their neck, with runes engraved on the collar, sealing their cultivation and sealing their will.

They kept their heads down, kneeling in the cages, waiting for buyers.

Someone nearby was shouting: "Early Golden Core Stage, Water Spiritual Root, one hundred and twenty years old, Foundation undamaged. Only five hundred High-Grade Spirit Stones! Five hundred! Within three years, definitely capable of breaking through to the Golden Core Middle Stage! Buying is earning!"

Yun Ming glanced at it and did not stop.