A Mortal's Journey to Immortality

Zhou Ping took the storage bag handed to him by Manager Wu, closed his eyes and sensed it. Inside the storage bag were twenty exquisite jade bottles, each containing ten round, dark red, delicate pills that were emitting a faint spiritual energy.

Zhou Ping withdrew his divine sense from it, casually took out a pill, smelled it, frowned, and asked Manager Wu with some confusion,

"The quantity of pills is correct, but... why do these pills have a faint smell of blood?"

Upon hearing Zhou Ping's words, Manager Wu's face stiffened. Then, as if he had thought of something, he tentatively asked in return,

"Is this your first time encountering the Blood Coagulation Pill, fellow Daoist?"

"Indeed, this is my first time encountering such a pill. Judging from its medicinal properties, it should be a precious cultivation medicine that can enhance one's cultivation level. I, Zhou, consider myself to have read quite a few alchemy manuals circulating among rogue cultivators, so why haven't I seen any description of this pill in those alchemy classics?"

Zhou Ping voiced his doubts. Given his thirst for and understanding of various pills that could enhance cultivation, he was quite surprised to have never heard of such a pill before.

"That's right!"

Manager Wu slapped his thigh, quietly moved closer to Zhou Ping, and continued to whisper in his ear,

"Fellow Daoist Zhou, you may not know this, but the Blood Coagulation Pill is different from ordinary pills. I only heard about it by chance from my master. This pill is made primarily from the essence blood of a certain kind of demonic beast. However, this pill is only circulated among major sects and large cultivation families. Ordinary rogue cultivators can forget about obtaining it. Its refining and acquisition methods are tightly controlled by the higher-ups. Ordinary cultivators have never even heard of it."

Seeing the mysterious look on Manager Wu's face, Zhou Ping's brow twitched, and he nodded thoughtfully before asking,

"So, does that mean the Blood Coagulation Pill from Guidanfang won't be sold to the public anymore?"

"Selling? How could we possibly sell it to the public! Fellow Daoist, you can't speak so carelessly. This kind of forbidden medicine is only supplied by my Danling Workshop to top sects like yours. Even some large cultivation families have to rely on luck to order it; sometimes they have to wait for several years!"

Shopkeeper Wu was startled by Zhou Ping's words, a hint of doubt flashing in his eyes, and he hurriedly explained.

At the same time, he secretly complained to himself, "Why did Qinglian Xuanzong send such a greenhorn to pick up the goods this time? If something goes wrong, even the owner of Danlingfang will be in deep trouble."

If he hadn't already confirmed the spirit seal on the other party's document and the disciple's token, he would have really doubted Zhou Ping's identity.

"I see... I was being presumptuous. I was just too curious about this elixir."

Seeing that Manager Wu's expression changed immediately, Zhou Ping hurriedly raised his hand and bowed.

"It's alright, it's alright. Since your sect's senior instructed Fellow Daoist Zhou to come here to pick up the goods, he must trust you. My Danlingfang is just a transit channel, and we know very little about the specifics."

Manager Wu clasped his hands in a fist salute, seemingly unwilling to dwell on the matter any further, and then changed the subject to other trivial matters.

Not long after, Zhou Ping put away the pills, got up and bid farewell to Manager Wu. With the latter's respectful farewell, he left Danlingfang. However, after leaving the store, he frowned slightly, looking preoccupied.

......

Several days later, outside the Ling Mountain boundary.

Qin Changqing glanced at Zhou Ping, who was standing quietly to the side, again, then turned and headed towards the outer city.

"I wish Senior Brother Qin a safe journey."

Zhou Ping cupped his hands in a gesture of respect to the departing handsome young man and offered his heartfelt blessings.

Now, the two can be said to have completed their mission in Jiyun City. All that remains for Qin Changqing is to safely bring the collected resources back to the Qinglian Xuanzong Sect.

Because a task involving fox and crow spirit blood was inserted in the middle, the task content of the two changed. Under the arrangement of Uncle Yun, they were no longer asked to go to various markets to purchase various spiritual materials. Therefore, the complicated task became much simpler.

But Zhou Ping knew in his heart that this was because of Qin Changqing's presence. If it were any other fellow disciples, not to mention the level two fox crow, even just the two late-stage Qi Refining cultivators from the Crimson Robe Society would not be easy to provoke.

After getting to know him for a while, Zhou Ping discovered that his senior brother Qin Changqing was a person who was cold on the outside but warm on the inside. Although he always seemed aloof and distant, he was actually very kind-hearted.

Just now, the other party even asked if he wanted to return to the Azure Lotus Sect with him. After all, given his previous experience with the Three Flowers Gang, it would be quite dangerous for Zhou Ping to be alone outside now.

Zhou Ping gratefully declined Qin Changqing's invitation, as the sect's mission was already completed, and he would not be assigned any other missions by the sect for some time, giving him more freedom in terms of time.

He wanted to stay in Jiyun City a little longer. After all, he hadn't had a chance to properly appreciate the city's scenery since arriving, and leaving so hastily would inevitably leave him with some regret.

Of course, there is one more crucial point he didn't mention: thanks to the Three Flowers Gang, his foundation has been damaged. Besides working hard to find a way to break the curse, there is another crucial matter that must be resolved as soon as possible.

After the previous battle with the fox crows and witnessing Qin Changqing's ruthless killing, Zhou Ping's hatred was completely ignited. He had to do something, and this pent-up feeling of needing to vent had become increasingly pronounced in recent days.

Ignoring the envious glances cast at him by the numerous rogue cultivators sparring and fighting not far away, Zhou Ping walked towards the inner city with a slightly gloomy expression.

......

Guiyuan Pavilion

Zhou Ping arrived in front of a huge building in the inner city, looked up at the colossal structure that was tens of meters high, and sighed inwardly.

Although Guiyuan Pavilion, as an outside force, has not settled in the Spirit Mountain Realm, its stronghold in the city can be said to be unique. Its area is so vast that it is probably three or four times larger than that of Tianyan Town.

After a slight hesitation, Zhou Ping entered the room with practiced ease and checked in. Unlike the Guiyuan Pavilion in Tianyan Town, cultivators needed to pay a certain amount of spirit stones to stay here, similar to the inns outside, but much more expensive.

After all, when Guiyuan Pavilion chose this location, although it did not touch the three spiritual mountains, it did select the best location in the inner city. This place is the center where several low-grade spiritual veins converge, and the concentration of spiritual energy is second only to the spiritual mountain realm, so it is normal for the cost to be higher.

The Guiyuan Pavilion in Tianyan Town dares to open to cultivators for free because there are relatively few cultivators coming and going in the area, so it can be considered a way to attract more visitors.

Jiyun City is different. As a holy city for rogue cultivators in the Great Liang cultivation world, it has countless cultivators. If Guiyuan Pavilion dares to provide free accommodation, its gates will probably be overwhelmed by numerous cultivators.