Chapter 7: Dragon Tale City

As the sun crested the eastern ridges, casting molten gold upon the road, the caravan finally reached the gates of Dragon Tale City.

Jian Tian leaned forward on the carriage bench, eyes widening in awe. Towering blackstone walls loomed ahead, adorned with countless banners fluttering in the morning breeze. Each bore insignias of merchant guilds, local sect branches, and the city's ruling clan: a golden dragon coiling around an obsidian mountain.

"So this is Dragon Tale City…" he whispered.

The horse helmsman chuckled. "First time here, young hero? Dragon Tale City is the last pioneer city before the Ancient Dragon Corpse Burial Ground. Everything flows through here – spirit materials, beast corpses, secret maps, even black market relics."

As the carriages entered the colossal arched gate, a wave of scents and sounds engulfed Jian Tian: sizzling grilled meat, sharp herbal fragrance, clinking spirit stones, peddlers shouting prices with infused qi to carry their voices.

Ren Moxi, stepping down from the rear carriage, yawned lazily and brushed off his robes. His dark eyes flickered with faint amusement as he observed the bustling crowds.

"Master, where shall we go first?" Jian Tian asked eagerly.

Ren Moxi raised a slender finger towards the city's inner market district.

"Sell your gathered materials first. Accumulate spirit stones. Your current cultivation requires medicinal enhancement to advance efficiently."

Market of Thousand Trades

They walked through flagstone streets lined with hundreds of shops and open stalls. Bright banners proclaimed wares:

"Tier 2 Beast Cores, freshly harvested!""Spirit Weaving Talisman Papers, imported from White Brilliance Pavilion!""Low-grade Spirit Weapons, half price today only!""Refining pills for Qi Refining and Foundation Establishment – guaranteed purity!"

Cultivators in varied robes haggled fiercely, while merchant apprentices darted between shops, delivering sealed chests and jade slips. The air hummed with spiritual qi as formation arrays filtered dust and suppressed conflict. Only powerful sect-backed shops dared operate here, each guarded by fierce bodyguards with surging cultivation.

Jian Tian's eyes shone. "So many treasures… all of them could help me grow stronger…"

"Desire is natural," Ren Moxi said quietly, "but attachment breeds vulnerability. Choose what you need, not what you want."

They approached a colossal three-storey blackstone building. Its front facade was carved with intricate silver moon patterns swirling around a lone obsidian star.

Above the vast entrance gate, glowing formation script read:

[Black Starmoon Commercial Division Hall]

Inside, countless jade counters stretched into a grand hall lit by floating spirit lanterns. Shelves lined every wall, displaying glass bottles filled with refined pills, spirit beast cores, herb bundles tied in silver thread, crystalline ores, and weapon racks glittering under defensive arrays.

A single massive trade hall for all – buying, selling, refining commissions, and alchemy supplies. The famed Black Starmoon Commercial Division Hall monopolised Dragon Tale City's core trade. No other merchant group dared challenge their authority here.

At the central counter sat a slender middle-aged woman in pale blue robes, her cultivation aura steady at Core Formation realm. She looked up with polite indifference as Jian Tian approached.

"Welcome to Black Starmoon Commercial. Buying or selling?"

Jian Tian bowed respectfully.

"Selling, Senior. Tier 2 beast materials, cores, and pelts."

He emptied his small spatial pouch onto the counter. Silver Fang Wolf pelts, claws, and glimmering beast cores spilled out in a neat pile. Nearby cultivators glanced over with mild interest, noticing the clean cuts and well-preserved cores.

The woman's gaze sharpened as she picked up a core, inspecting its qi swirl.

"Excellent condition. Who harvested these?"

"I did."

She raised an eyebrow slightly before nodding.

"You show diligence. For these thirty-two cores, seventeen pelts, and four sets of claws and fangs, we will pay you sixty low-grade spirit stones and two mid-grade spirit stones. Agreed?"

Jian Tian blinked, overwhelmed. He had never held so much wealth in his life. He glanced at Ren Moxi, who gave a faint nod.

"Agreed, Senior."

With swift flicks of her fingers, the woman swept the materials into jade boxes, sealed them with formation talismans, and pushed a small pouch of spirit stones towards him.

"Return when you harvest more. We buy regularly. Would you like to browse our alchemy division supplies?"

Jian Tian looked to Ren Moxi, who nodded once.

Black Starmoon Alchemy Division

Within the same hall, rows of shelves were dedicated solely to alchemy equipment and herb supplies. The scents of bitter herbs, sweet lotus roots, and musky mineral powders mingled heavily in the air.

Glass cabinets displayed small brass alchemy furnaces, Earthfire jade bowls, golden stirring rods, and refined spirit plant bundles arranged meticulously in trays.

A thin old man with cloud-white hair and a Foundation Establishment aura sat behind the alchemy counter. He peered up with cloudy eyes that gleamed with business sharpness.

"Looking for herbs or tools?"

Ren Moxi pointed to a row of small brass alchemy furnaces displayed on polished stone pedestals.

"One Earthfire Copper Furnace. And these spirit plants…"

He swept his finger across the herb shelf: Jade Ganoderma, Violet Lotus Root, Spirit Condensing Grass, and Qi Mending Flowers. Jian Tian's eyes widened as he saw Ren Moxi effortlessly choose the exact plants required for pill concoction.

The old man's lips curled. "An alchemist buyer. Total will be forty low-grade spirit stones and one mid-grade stone. The furnace alone is worth thirty low-grade stones."

Jian Tian's throat tightened. That was nearly all his earnings. Yet Ren Moxi spoke without hesitation.

"Pay."

Gritting his teeth, Jian Tian placed the required stones on the counter. His heart ached as his precious wealth vanished in seconds, replaced by a heavy brass furnace and a bundle of herbs tied with silver spirit thread.

An Inn to Rest

Leaving Black Starmoon Commercial Division Hall, they walked to a nearby inn. Its lacquered gates bore the name:

[Cloud Bamboo Resthouse]

The fragrance of steamed rice and fried spirit beast meat wafted from the kitchen, making Jian Tian's stomach rumble. A red-robed attendant greeted them with a bright smile.

"Two rooms or shared?"

"One room," Ren Moxi said calmly.

The attendant nodded. "Five low-grade spirit stones per night with two meals included."

Jian Tian handed over five spirit stones, feeling his remaining wealth dwindle to just fifteen low-grade pieces and one mid-grade stone.

They were guided to a quiet room on the second floor. Its window opened towards the bustling street, letting in fresh evening breezes.

Ren Moxi sat cross-legged upon the bamboo mat, setting the brass furnace before him. His slender fingers arranged the herbs meticulously as Jian Tian knelt beside him, eyes shining with curiosity.

The Ancient Art of Alchemy

"Alchemy is the art of transformation," Ren Moxi spoke softly, his voice like a tranquil stream. "Herbs hold scattered qi. Fire fuses their essences into pills. Pills then merge with your cultivation, stabilising advancement and removing impurities."

With a flick of his sleeve, Ren Moxi conjured a pale blue flame upon his fingertip. Jian Tian gasped as he channelled the flame into the Earthfire Copper Furnace's base array. The brass furnace glowed with runic sigils as heat spread evenly within.

He placed the Violet Lotus Root and Jade Ganoderma slices into the furnace, closed its lid, and adjusted the flame output with micro-precise finger seals.

"Focus. Observe."

Jian Tian watched the swirling spirit qi mist rising from the furnace vent, infusing the room with a refreshing herbal aroma. His master's face remained serene, only his eyes reflecting flickers of azure flame as he manipulated the alchemy process effortlessly.

After an hour of quiet concentration, Ren Moxi opened the lid, revealing three marble-sized pale green pills lying upon the inner jade tray. Their surfaces glimmered with faint golden runes.

"Qi Mending Pills. Consume one before dawn cultivation each day. They will stabilise your meridians and hasten your advance to peak Qi Refining."

Jian Tian bowed low, tears welling up in his eyes.

"Thank you… Master…"

The Night before The Journey

As moonlight poured through the wooden lattice window, Ren Moxi gazed out at the sprawling Dragon Tale City below. Glowing lanterns lined the streets, illuminating merchants closing shops, cultivators drinking in roadside taverns, and wandering daoists chanting sutras for coin.

Far beyond the city's eastern gate, dark mountain ridges loomed against the night sky. Within those mountains lay their true destination: the Ancient Dragon Corpse Burial Ground, where secrets of forgotten eons and immeasurable power slumbered beneath sealed tombs and molten caverns.

Jian Tian lay curled upon the bamboo mat, fast asleep, clutching his sword and pill bottle protectively.

Ren Moxi's lips curved faintly. Memories flickered through his mind: roaring dragons crashing from the heavens, primordial seas boiling with divine qi, and his own body impaled upon countless golden spears under a black sun during the final battle of the Primordial War.

He closed his eyes, feeling the sleeping power within his blood stir faintly.

"Old Heaven… you thought you buried me forever. But even the mightiest heavens cannot erase my will."

Outside, the city slept under moonlit clouds. Merchants dreamed of wealth, sect disciples dreamed of breakthroughs, while hidden assassins prowled along rooflines.