The Southern Mountain Cluster

To earn three hundred million coins within three months – in truth, Ning Xiaochuan was in no way confident he could do that. 

However, since he had made a promise, naturally, he had to work hard to fulfill it.

Ning Xiaochuan had already checked Begonia Manor's storeroom. Most of the money within had been moved out by the Marquis' Residence, and there were only one million and three hundred thousand copper coins left.

Now that the fall harvest had just passed, he had to wait another year to receive the next annual remittance.

This meant that, currently, Ning Xiaochuan could only rely on himself to raise three hundred million copper coins.

"Based on my current speed of refining Mystical Medicine, in one day I can refine twenty stalks of Heart-nourishing Herb at most. Each stalk of Heart-nourishing Herb can produce four drops of Heart-nourishing Liquid, and each drop of Heart-nourishing Liquid can be sold for ten thousand copper coins. So, in one day, I can earn eight hundred thousand copper coins. In three months, that's seventy-two million copper coins. No… That won't do… Even if I refine Heart-nourishing Herbs excessively each day, I can't possibly make three hundred million copper coins in three months."

Ning Xiaochuan frowned deeply, then said, "It looks like there's only one way. If I become a Mid-level Heart-nourishing Master, then I can refine mid-grade Pills. One mid-grade Pill can be sold for a million copper coins at least. Only by becoming a Mid-level Heart-nourishing Master will I be able to earn three hundred million copper coins or more within three months."

Ning Xiaochuan could refine one stalk of Heart-nourishing Herb into four drops of Heart-nourishing Liquid. He had reached the standard of a Mid-level Heart-nourishing Master. All he had to do now was to advance his Cultivation into the Divine Body Realm!

Only a Cultivation in the Divine Body Realm could support a Heart-nourishing Master's refinement of mid-grade Pills.

Even if other Heart-nourishing Masters had cultivated the Divine Body Realm, they still might not become a Mid-level Heart-nourishing Master.

It was many times more difficult to become a Mid-level Heart-nourishing Master than for a martial artist to attain the Divine Body Realm. There were other factors involved, such as the Heart-nourishing Master's control over Mystical Medicine, their own aptitude, their techniques in refinement, and whether their Combat Atrium was strong enough.

One could only become a Mid-level Heart-nourishing Master after these elements had reached an extremely high level.

Thus, to many people, reaching the Divine Body Realm was only the first step in becoming a Mid-level Heart-nourishing Master.

However, to Ning Xiaochuan, if he could attain the Divine Body Realm, he could immediately become a Mid-level Heart-nourishing Master.

"I must advance to the Divine Body Realm within three months!"

Ning Xiaochuan took out the gold-grained rosewood box from his bundle. He pressed both hands upon the box that was covered in golden grain, and a massive burst of Earthly Martial Qi flowed from his palms into his body.

"Boom!"

The blood within Ning Xiaochuan's body flowed more swiftly until there was a "splashing" sound. Initially, he could reach three cycles of blood in one minute.

At the moment, under the stimulation of the Earthly Martial Qi, he could reach four cycles of blood in one minute.

It was as if a Martial Supreme was filling him up. His Cultivation rapidly improved.

For ten consecutive days, Ning Xiaochuan shut himself off and cultivated.

He did not interact much with the servants or those who managed matters in Begonia Manor. His meals were brought to his room by Yu Yan. 

Amongst the servants of Begonia Manor, there were sure to be spies put in place by Ning Qianwu. Ning Xiaochuan did not want anyone to know that he was able to cultivate Combat Qi.

Within these ten days of isolated cultivation, Ning Xiaochuan's Qi grew swiftly. Countless crimson currents encircled his body, forming into a sphere that was two meters in diameter which enclosed his body.

"Condense!"

The Combat Qi gathered across his palm, transforming into a crimson Qi Sword that was over three feet long. It was sparkling and translucent, like a sword made from ruby.

Although this Qi Sword was not as terrifying as the Devil Sword within Ning Xiaochuan's body, it was still extremely sharp and contained an immense amount of energy.

"Bang!"

With a wave from Ning Xiaochuan's arm, the Sword Qi split a nearby, two-meter-tall copper cauldron into two. The dust within the copper cauldron flew out as the two halves fell to the ground, smashing the stone slabs of the floor.

One slice could split open a copper cauldron!

This was the might of the Qi Sword, making Ning Xiaochuan unrivaled in his own realm. He would even dare to face an expert with Stage Eight Qi.

"I've used the Earthly Martial Qi to cultivate for ten days, but my Cultivation has only reached the peak of Stage Seven. My cultivation speed is still too slow."

To others, a cultivation speed like this was already rather frightening.

Nonetheless, Ning Xiaochuan was quite unsatisfied.

When Yu Yan heard the crash, she came in a hurry. At once, she noticed the disorderly state of the room as well as the copper cauldron that had been split into two in the center of the room. She was so shocked that her mouth fell open and she blinked twice. "Master Ning, you… You've broken through to the next realm?"

Ning Xiaochuan shook his head. "Not yet. Yu Yan, do you know of any place nearby that sells Mystical Medicine?"

"Naturally, there's the bazaar at the Southern Mountain Cluster. Master, what do you need Mystical Medicine for? Only the honorable Heart-nourishing Masters can fully utilize the medicinal properties of Mystical Medicine." Yu Yan thought that Ning Xiaochuan wanted to consume Mystical Medicine to improve his Cultivation and thus gave him this reminder.

After all, if martial artists were to consume Mystical Medicine directly, they would only get one-tenth of the Mystical Medicine's properties. It was extremely wasteful.

She did not know that Ning Xiaochuan was a Heart-nourishing Master.

…

The Southern Mountain Cluster was a part of the border beyond the Imperial City.

Although it was merely one part of the border, there were still towering city walls, which were outfitted with fire beacons, archer towers, and catapults.

The entire Southern Mountain Cluster was actually a flourishing little city. Any martial artist coming from Tiannan District, Jiangnu District, or Moling District who was heading to the Imperial City would have to pass by this place. As a result, the Southern Mountain Cluster was the most diverse, crowded part of the border beyond the Imperial City.

Something worth mentioning was that the Yulan Empire encompassed a vast territory, which was divided into regions for governance. In total, there were sixty-three regions.

These "regions" were further divided into "territories", "prefectures", "provinces", "counties", and "towns".

In the Southern Mountain Cluster, there was an old street known for the sale of Mystical Medicine. One could see all kinds of people there, as an assortment of colorful characters would gather.

The old street was lined with beautifully decorated stores on both sides. People would unroll straw mats and lay out various Mystical Medicine on the mats before they began to peddle their wares. 

"Ah, mister, I'm sure you're here to buy Mystical Medicine!"

An old man picked up a puce root from the mat. This root was as thick as an arm and was marked by lines that looked like blood vessels. "This is the Ancestor-blood Root I just dug up from Southpearl Mountain. It's definitely three hundred years old. The old shopkeeper at Xuanye Emporium offered me fifteen thousand copper coins for it but I refused. This is worth at least twenty thousand copper coins."

Ning Xiaochuan glanced briefly at the Ancestor-blood Root in the old man's hand, then smiled and shook his head, continuing forwards.

That old man chased after him, saying, "Otherwise, eighteen thousand copper coins or sixteen thousand copper coins would do. Even if you don't buy this Ancestor-blood Root, I have other Mystical Medicine here. Gastrodia Gall, Phantom-comb Grain…"

Ning Xiaochuan did not look back and continued walking forwards.

Yu Yan asked curiously, "Master, the Mystical Medicine of these mountain villagers are all dug up from Southpearl Mountain. Because they don't want the Heart-nourishing Halls to acquire these goods at a low price, they set up their own stalls to sell Mystical Medicine. Although I don't know much about Mystical Medicine, I know that spending sixteen thousand copper coins for a stalk of Grade Three Mystical Medicine is considered a good deal."

Ning Xiaochuan shook his head and laughed. "Do you really think they're a bunch of honest villagers? For example, take the Ancestor-blood Root that the old man whipped out. It's three hundred years old for sure, but it's not an 'Ancestor-blood Root. It's a Blood-tree Root that contains no trace of Qi."

The Ancestor-blood Root was a Miracle Root nurtured by the earth and was considered a Mystical Medicine of remarkable value. 

The Blood-tree Root was merely a rhizome of the Blood-tree. If Ning Xiaochuan had wanted that, he could purchase a giant basket of them anytime he liked.

After Yu Yan heard what Ning Xiaochuan said, she immediately felt cheated. She turned around, ready to expose the true face of the old liar.

Ning Xiaochuan stopped her and chuckled. "Look at their shabby clothes, their hands that are covered in calluses, and their rough skin. This shows that they're impoverished people who work day and night for their livelihood. Many of them deceive customers because they have no other choice. If you expose them, I'm afraid their wives and children will go hungry for a few days. Just let it go this one time!"

Although there were many fake Mystical Medicine being sold at the stalls along both sides of the old street, there was still a significant number of genuine goods. If one was sharp enough, one could differentiate between the fake and the genuine.

Ning Xiaochuan had come to the border to purchase Blood-increasing Herb and Blood-toad Wood. Only by using Blood-increasing Liquid and Blood-toad Liquid could he activate the Devil Sword in his blood orifice and rapidly improve his Cultivation.

Of course, Ning Xiaochuan could also use the power of the Devil Sword to consume human blood. If he did that, his Cultivation would improve even faster.

Nonetheless, this method was too wicked. He would only resort to this when he had no other options. If he frequently consumed human blood to improve his Cultivation, he was sure to fall into the Devilish Path.

Ning Xiaochuan narrowed his eyes slightly as if he had spotted something good. He walked to a stall that had its wares spread out on the ground, then knelt down and picked up a blood-red leaf, twirling it.

"Don't touch it. This leaf is the most precious treasure I have here. You can look at it but don't touch it." The owner of the stall was rather flustered and upset as if Ning Xiaochuan had touched his wife.

Ning Xiaochuan looked up and saw that the stall owner was a youth that was around his age. The youth was skinny, with disheveled hair, and he held a book that was falling apart. Currently, he was glaring at Ning Xiaochuan in anger.

The words 'Heaven and Earth Qi' were printed on the cover of the tattered book.

It turned out that this youth was cultivating his Combat Qi while managing his stall.

With his family background, all he could afford was a low-level cultivation manual like the Heaven and Earth Qi.

Ning Xiaochuan placed the blood-red leaf back on the straw mat and smiled. "Stall owner, I really want to know: where did you get this leaf?"

The youth set the book down on the stone bench, then started speaking in delight and excitement. "Mister, you really know your stuff. The origin of this leaf is not ordinary, and it has extremely high medicinal value. Initially, I couldn't even bear to sell it. However, since you're a man of culture as well, how about I sell it to you for fifty thousand copper coins?"

He changed expressions quickly. Just now, he was irrepressibly angry, but now he was all smiles.

"Fifty thousand copper coins? Why don't you just become a robber? I think that this torn leaf isn't a Mystical Medicine at all. He must be another liar." Yu Yan's pretty face revealed her annoyance, and she looked cute and charming. She disliked those who tried to cheat her master most of all.

Fifty thousand copper coins for a single leaf – it would be more acceptable if this leaf was from the gold-grained rosewood or the Ten-millennium Divine Morus!

Naturally, this youth knew that the true value of this leaf would not even amount to five hundred copper coins. However, the youth had noticed Ning Xiaochuan's expensive, exquisite clothes and saw how Ning Xiaochuan had picked up the leaf himself. Thus, the youth assumed that Ning Xiaochuan was some rich fool who knew nothing about Mystical Medicine.

Therefore, he had the sudden idea to swindle Ning Xiaochuan.

However, it seemed that his target was not some ignoramus. The youth immediately changed his tune and was about to speak, but Ning Xiaochuan spoke first.

"Fifty thousand copper coins!"

After a pause, Ning Xiaochuan nodded. "That's a reasonable price indeed!"