"Junior Sister, you don't understand this. The Peng bird has always been known for its speed. Since it can fly fast, why crawl along like a snail... Junior Sister, don't tell me you're scared? If you are, just admit it!" Moyang called out without looking back.
After crossing several dense forests, Moyang finally slowed down his flying speed.
Xu Xin's face was pale with fright, and she glared fiercely at Moyang. She had lost count of how many times she had cursed him as a madman along the way. What left her completely speechless was that Su Fei'er had been trembling all over in terror, almost ripping Moyang's robes right off him, yet she was actually shouting about how exhilarating it was.
"Junior Sister, what are the cultivation levels of the strongest disciples in the other three sects?" Moyang asked.
Xu Xin took a deep breath, forcing down her rage, and after a moment of contemplation, she said, "At last year's Martial Arts Convention, Long Wu and Qian Wushuang from Longchi Pavilion had both already reached the Earth Mystic Realm. After another year of cultivation, the two of them have probably stepped into Stage 2 of the Earth Mystic Realm."
"Mu Qiu from the Yuqing Gate is also very strong. Last year, they took first place, and that was largely because of Mu Qiu!"
Moyang frowned and asked, "What is his cultivation level?"
"At the time, he was at Stage 2 of the Earth Mystic Realm. As for his current level, we will only know once we fight him!"
Moyang continued, "And what about the Xuan Sect?"
"The Xuan Sect's strength is about the same as our Lingxu Sect's. However, the cultivation technique Pang Long practices focuses on external training. Not only is his strength fierce, but his physique is also exceptionally formidable. In the same realm, he practically has no rivals. With his talent, he has probably reached the Earth Mystic Realm by now as well!"
Moyang pondered silently. The only cultivators he cared about were those in the Heaven Mystic Realm; as for anyone below it, he didn't need to pay them any attention at all. Ever since he began practicing the Star Emperor Scripture, he still had that much confidence in himself.
In Moyang's view, the one most likely to break through to the Heaven Mystic Realm was Mu Qiu of the Yuqing Gate, though the others had a chance as well. After all, he himself was the best example.
"I should just barely be able to handle them..." Moyang muttered softly.
Hearing this, Xu Xin couldn't help letting out a cold snort. "You're underestimating these people too much. This is your first time participating in a competition like this. If you fight someone in the same realm, you will undoubtedly lose. Your combat experience is far too lacking!"
"Although I don't know what method you used to raise your cultivation to Stage 3 of the Earth Mystic Realm, when facing those experienced Heavenly Prodigies, you might not even be able to handle an opponent at Stage 1 Peak of the Earth Mystic Realm!"
Moyang simply smiled and did not argue back. His goal was very simple: to make up for his master's regret, and nothing more.
Chapter 25: The Pretty Big Sister
After several hours of travel, Xuantian City finally came into view in the distance.
At that exact moment, Moyang's expression shifted slightly as he noticed a figure ahead walking right through the air, without relying on any external force.
This was the first time he had ever witnessed such a powerful expert, actually capable of traversing the void by virtue of their own strength.
"Above a Grandmaster... A powerhouse of this caliber has never appeared at past Martial Arts Conventions..." Xu Xin was also immensely shocked. Only by surpassing the Grandmaster realm and ascending to the Battle King Realm could a cultivator walk upon the void, treating empty space as if it were flat ground.
Moreover, that person was a woman, who looked to be barely in her twenties. She wore a long dress, and her long hair fell like a waterfall down to her waist. Her figure was graceful, and as she stepped through the air, she naturally exuded an air of refined elegance far above the ordinary world.
"Tsk tsk, she has an ethereal fairy-like aura. She must be a pretty big sister, and so powerful too. I wonder which family's young lady she is!" Moyang muttered as he looked her up and down. He had originally wanted to say he wondered which faction's disciple she was, but the words somehow felt wrong as soon as they left his mouth.
Upon hearing this, Xu Xin let out an immediate cold snort. Some traits were truly inborn; the moment he saw a pretty girl, he revealed this wretched demeanor.
Just as the few of them were staring in astonishment, the woman slightly turned her head, and two indifferent glances swept over them.
Moyang spoke up instinctively, "Tsk tsk, truly gorgeous!"
Xu Xin hurriedly warned, "Are you still looking? An expert like this definitely comes from some major faction, and she's certainly not someone you can afford to provoke. Be careful or she'll turn around and gouge your eyeballs out!"
Moyang curled his lip indifferently. "Junior Sister, you've got it wrong. If someone is born that pretty and people aren't even allowed to look, what kind of logic is that? It's just like the beautiful scenery in this world—only those who know how to appreciate it give that scenery meaning, right?"
"Besides, my nature is pure and kind; I am merely admiring her with a pure gaze!"
Xu Xin was left completely speechless. She had seen shameless people before, but she had never seen anyone this shameless. He had been staring at the girl so hard he was practically drooling, yet he could still say something so high-sounding.
Su Fei'er furrowed her brows in thought and muttered, "Big Brother Moyang actually makes a lot of sense!"
Xu Xin's face turned dark. Su Fei'er had changed so much recently that even she barely recognized her anymore. Now she was helping Moyang argue at every turn—how could Su Fei'er possibly call such a shameless excuse reasonable!
While they were talking, the woman ahead had already moved far away, and a few breaths later, she completely vanished from sight.
Only then did Moyang sigh softly, "To be able to walk through the void at such a young age... She seemed to be heading toward Xuantian City as well. Could she be here to watch the matches?"
Moyang's heart refused to settle. This just showed how terrifying the Heavenly Prodigies from those major factions truly were. At such an age, they already possessed the cultivation of a Battle King, or even beyond a Battle King—far surpassing him by leaps and bounds. Let alone him, even the elders of the Lingxu Sect fell short by several major realms compared to her.
Xu Xin was equally baffled. At past Martial Arts Conventions, she had never seen a powerhouse of this level. Furthermore, the other party was far too young; nine times out of ten, she was a Heavenly Prodigy from some major sect. Ordinarily, an event like the Four Sects Martial Arts Convention shouldn't have been able to spark her interest at all.
After the group arrived in Xuantian City, they were led to their designated area, and the inn had already been prepared for them.
"Get familiar with the surroundings here first. The people from all four sects have already arrived, so remember not to cause trouble when you go out!" Third Elder gave them a few instructions before heading off to attend to related matters.
Seeing the other disciples follow Qi Heng away, Moyang also stepped out of the inn. This city was extremely bustling, and since it was his first time here, he planned to go out and look around.
"Big Brother Moyang, let's go out for a walk together! I heard the place is only fun at night, with lots of good food and things to play with!" Su Fei'er seemed to have been waiting for Moyang all along.
Then, she ruthlessly dragged a very reluctant Xu Xin out with them as well.
Moyang gave a helpless nod. Before leaving, the Sect Master had told him to look after Su Fei'er, and now that Qi Heng and the others had left, it wouldn't do for him to refuse.
"When we entered the city earlier, I noticed an elixir shop. I plan to sell a few pills there first so I can buy a sword!" Moyang said.
He had been pondering this matter for a while. He had never possessed a decent weapon, and although the Fourth Elder had left him a sword, he had previously buried it inside the Fourth Elder's cenotaph.
Hearing this, Su Fei'er didn't think much of it at all and actually seemed quite excited. She also wanted to see if there were any other beauty-enhancing elixirs.
She had changed drastically from before. Ever since she took those elixirs last time, although it had nearly cost her life, the effects were truly astonishing. Her whole body seemed to radiate a spiritual aura, her skin was as delicate and fair as a newborn baby's, her figure grew increasingly slender and graceful, and she felt as though certain parts had grown quite a bit larger.
Xu Xin furrowed her brows slightly, feeling that Moyang's thoughts were very strange most of the time. Other people went to elixir shops to buy pills, but Moyang—good grief—was going there to sell them.
Bypassing a few streets, the three of them arrived in front of a shop that sold elixirs. As soon as they stepped inside, a young girl came forward with a smiling face. Because the prices of elixirs were exceptionally exorbitant, anyone who dared to walk in here was either wealthy or noble.
"How much are your Marrow Cleansing Pills?" Moyang asked directly.
"Twenty thousand silver taels per pill. How many does the young master need? If you buy in large quantities, we can offer a suitable discount!" The young girl beamed with smiles, gesturing for Moyang and the others to walk in a certain direction while she spoke.
"May we speak in private? I am not here to buy elixirs, but rather have some Marrow Cleansing Pills I wish to sell to you!" Moyang lowered his voice.
The shop girl was slightly stunned upon hearing this, looking at Moyang with a surprised expression before sizing him up a few more times.
"What, you don't take them?" Moyang asked, frowning.
"This is my first time encountering this situation. Young master, please wait a moment. I cannot make the decision on this; I must go report it to the manager!" The girl stammered before quickly turning away.
After the girl left in a rush, a middle-aged man walked out shortly afterward, following behind her.
"Manager, it's this young master!" the girl said.
The middle-aged man walked up and scrutinized Moyang for a moment, his gaze then sweeping over Xu Xin and Su Fei'er before asking, "You want to sell Marrow Cleansing Pills?"
Moyang's expression remained calm as he nodded. "Your shop sells Marrow Cleansing Pills for twenty thousand silver taels each. I only want fifteen thousand taels. I wonder if the manager is interested?"
Behind him, Xu Xin and Su Fei'er felt secretly shocked. Moyang really dared to ask for that price; previously in the sect, the cost of the medicinal herbs needed to exchange for those pills was only a few dozen taels of silver, yet now he was directly multiplying it several hundred times.
The manager narrowed his eyes, silently sizing Moyang up, and said, "We only sell elixirs!"
Moyang remained very calm. "Ten thousand taels, how about that?"
At this, a faint, ambiguous smile crept onto the corner of the manager's mouth. He gazed silently at Moyang, pondered for a moment, and asked, "How many do you have?"
"I have two hundred here!" Upon hearing this, a trace of hard-to-detect astonishment flashed across the depths of the manager's eyes.
Moyang's attire looked very ordinary. Although he couldn't detect his cultivation level, both Su Fei'er and Xu Xin had weak cultivation bases, making them look nothing like Heavenly Prodigies from major factions.
Could this person be a member of the Pill Sect?
Otherwise, where would he get so many Marrow Cleansing Pills!
You must know that even their entire elixir shop didn't have this many in stock.
After a brief hesitation, the middle-aged man put on a different expression, a smile blooming on his face as he said, "I didn't expect the young friend to have such leisurely elegance to visit Xuantian City. Quick, please come upstairs!"
With that, he took the lead and guided them forward, his attitude becoming noticeably respectful.
Moyang's expression remained calm as he nodded and followed along. However, in his mind, he was also pondering the reason for the manager's sudden change of face, immediately associating it with the Pill Sect.
Xu Xin and Su Fei'er exchanged glances, both of them somewhat startled in their hearts, completely unable to make sense of the situation.
Su Fei'er had a simple mindset and didn't think much of it at all. But Xu Xin was different; she couldn't help but gaze deeply at Moyang several times. The more she interacted with him, the more mysterious Moyang felt to her, giving her an indescribable sensation.
Chapter 26: Pill Sect Disciple
The three of them were led into a private room, and the manager personally brought in three cups of fine tea.
"Young friend, do you have any other elixirs on you?" the manager asked with a smiling face.
Moyang sat down quietly, picked up his teacup, and took a sip. He knew the manager was testing him on purpose, because if he truly came from the Pill Sect, he certainly wouldn't only carry one kind of elixir.
"Elixirs naturally exist, and they can be sold as well, but it depends on what price the manager is willing to offer!" Moyang put down his teacup, a faint smile curving at the corner of his mouth.
Hearing this, the expression in the manager's eyes shifted slightly; in his heart, he was now certain that this had to be someone from the Pill Sect. Immediately wearing a full smile, he said, "The price varies for each type of elixir. I wonder what kind of elixirs the young friend has?"
Moyang smiled and retrieved three bottles of elixirs from his bosom: the Marrow Cleansing Pill, the Youth-Preserving Pill, and the Spirit Origin Pill.
The manager carefully took them, then opened the corks to inspect them one by one. The sharp glint rising in his eyes grew increasingly intense. Having dealt with elixirs for many years, even though he couldn't refine them himself, he could still distinguish the good from the bad. These elixirs were top-tier in both color and inherent quality, far surpassing whatever was sold in their own shop.
In his view, Moyang was likely not just an ordinary disciple of the Pill Sect, but a genius-level disciple; otherwise, his alchemy attainments couldn't possibly reach this level.
"It's rare for the young friend to visit our Xuantian City, and meeting you is a matter of fate. Today, consider me making friends with the young friend—how about we price all three types of elixirs at the fifteen thousand taels the young friend mentioned earlier?" In the middle-aged man's eyes, building a connection with a core disciple of the Pill Sect would make doing business in this trade much smoother in the future.
Xu Xin and Su Fei'er only focused on drinking their tea quietly. They didn't understand alchemy and didn't dare to say much at the moment, but their hearts were filled with astonishment, growing more and more bewildered.
"Then let's do as the manager says!" Moyang sneered inwardly. Truly, merchants were never anything but ruthless; although the other party would make an absolute killing by taking these, he himself would never lose out.
Afterward, Moyang took out all three kinds of elixirs from his Spatial Ring, two hundred of each kind.
Looking at the white jade bottles continually appearing on the table, the smile on the manager's face became impossible to conceal, grinning so broadly his face looked like a blooming chrysanthemum.
He then specifically sent someone to fetch silver banknotes. A total of nine million taels of silver banknotes—even in large denominations—formed a thick stack.
Moyang didn't linger. He swept the banknotes into his Spatial Ring, stood up, and bid farewell.
"May I boldly ask the young brother's name? I will definitely pay you a visit another day!"
The manager was beaming, changing his address from "young friend" straight to "young brother," and was practically ready to drag Moyang off to swear a brotherhood oath.
"Mo Fei!" Moyang said.
"Mo Fei... Mo ran shi shi fei (Ink dyed right and wrong), truly a good name with a wonderful meaning!" The manager had no idea how he came up with that interpretation.
Right up until they left the elixir shop, Xu Xin and Su Fei'er still hadn't recovered their wits. The way they looked at Moyang was rather strange; probably the entire Lingxu Sect combined wasn't as wealthy as Moyang, and moreover, the manager of an elixir shop had actually gone out of his way to befriend him.
Who would have thought that a fellow who looked so unassuming could instantly turn into a genuine, mega-wealthy tycoon?
"Why was he so respectful to you?" Xu Xin asked, completely baffled, until she finally couldn't hold back and questioned Moyang.
Moyang spread his hands. "I casually pulled out so many elixirs. If it were you, what identity would you guess I have?"
"A Pill Sect disciple?" Xu Xin furrowed her brows.
Moyang smiled. "It seems Junior Sister isn't foolish at all!"
Xu Xin let out a cold snort, then said, "To run an elixir business in Xuantian City, he must have formidable backing behind him. By impersonating a Pill Sect disciple like this, aren't you afraid of being exposed and having him come after you for trouble?"
Moyang curled his lip with utter nonchalance. "He got his elixirs, and I got my silver taels; neither of us lost out. Besides, once we leave this place, nobody knows anybody—what's there to be afraid of?"
Walking into a sparsely populated street corner, Moyang retrieved two hundred thousand taels in silver banknotes from his Spatial Ring and handed them to Su Fei'er and Xu Xin respectively.
Su Fei'er wasn't polite in the slightest. As she looked at Moyang, her eyes were filled with little stars; she increasingly found that Big Brother Moyang was simply wonderful, good in every possible way.
Xu Xin also wore a look of astonishment. She had completely failed to anticipate this kind of move. One million taels—and Moyang had handed it over to her without even blinking an eye.
"Money isn't everything, but without money, life is impossible. Cultivators also need massive amounts of resources to sustain themselves; there will be plenty of places where silver taels are needed in the future!" Moyang said calmly, then regardless of whatever Xu Xin might say, he directly shoved the banknotes into her hands and walked forward on his own.
Xu Xin stood frozen for a moment, suddenly realizing that Moyang didn't seem quite so bad after all. Although he was sometimes unseemly, most of the time he actually seemed pretty decent.
Afterward, Moyang selected a longsword forged from refined steel at a weapon shop, which directly cost him twenty thousand taels.
As for Su Fei'er, who was now pocketing a massive sum of silver banknotes, she completely reverted to her old self. Seeing anything she liked in Xuantian City, she immediately bought it, filling an entire Spatial Ring with all sorts of bizarre trinkets.
Later on, Su Fei'er forcibly dragged Moyang into a luxurious restaurant. "Big Brother Moyang, Senior Sister Xu says this restaurant is the most luxurious one in Xuantian City! Since we've finally made the trip here, we mustn't miss out!"
Walking up the stairs of the restaurant, Moyang paused in his tracks. He caught sight of that mysterious woman once more, sitting quietly by the window, wearing an icy expression that radiated a keep-away-from-me vibe.
Xu Xin and Su Fei'er naturally saw her too. Su Fei'er instantly became well-behaved; she had witnessed with her own eyes that this mysterious woman was capable of traversing the void through her own strength.
Xu Xin glanced at the mysterious woman, then looked toward a nearby table and spoke in a low voice, "Those people are from the Xuan Sect. The one sitting on the very edge is Pang Long. This guy has an arrogant temperament; if he tries to provoke us, just ignore him!"
Moyang didn't say anything, casting a silent glance before walking onward. As it happened, only the table in front of the mysterious woman was empty, leaving the group with no choice but to head in that direction.
"Yo, if it isn't Junior Sister Xu from the Lingxu Sect! It's been a year, and Younger Sister is looking more delicate and charming than ever!" The moment they walked past, Pang Long clearly spotted Xu Xin and immediately spoke up with a smile.
As he spoke, he directly picked up his wine cup, stood up, and moved over to the empty table. His gaze swept over Moyang before landing on Su Fei'er, and he smiled, "And this must be the junior sister participating in the convention this time, too? Tsk tsk, although the Lingxu Sect is pathetic, it sure is a place that produces beauties!"
Su Fei'er's face instantly showed anger, and she quietly shifted closer to Moyang's side. At first glance, Pang Long did not look like someone easy to mess with.
Xu Xin's complexion didn't look good either. She merely gave a slight nod and said nothing. At the Martial Arts Convention in previous years, she had fought against Pang Long and knew his character all too well—especially last year, when he had deliberately slashed open her robes, almost making her humiliate herself in public.
"Junior Sister Xu, I actually thought you wouldn't dare to come this year. Thinking back to our arena battle against each other last year, it truly leaves me with endless aftertastes—it's just a pity I didn't get to fully admire Junior Sister's spring scenery. Junior Sister better be careful this year!" Pang Long said as he glanced toward the other Xuan Sect disciples, and both sides burst into loud laughter.
Moyang sat down unceremoniously, only then casting his gaze toward Pang Long, and said calmly, "Get lost."
Chapter 27: Meeting the Mysterious Woman Again
Moyang spat out those two calm words, and the atmosphere in the place shifted instantly.
The laughter of the Xuan Sect disciples cut off abruptly, replaced by several cold, sharp gazes falling upon Moyang.
Pang Long's face turned cold on the spot. The hand holding his wine cup trembled slightly, showing just how violently his emotions were fluctuating. He shouted harshly, "Kid, what did you say?"
Moyang's expression remained tranquil, a smile gradually curving at the corner of his mouth as he looked at Pang Long and said, "What, didn't you hear clearly? Very well, I'll say it again: I told you to get lost."
"Splendid, this is getting interesting!" Two chillingly cold gleams flashed in Pang Long's eyes as the wine cup in his hand was crushed to pieces, splashing wine all over the floor.
Xu Xin's expression changed immediately, and she hurriedly spoke up, "Pang Long, you were the one provoking us first. Don't tell me you actually want to resort to violence!"
Pang Long's gaze turned fierce. After coldly sweeping his eyes over Moyang, he looked toward Xu Xin and sneered, "So you've broken through to the Earth Mystic Realm. But that only makes it more interesting!"
He stood up, cast a sideways glance at Moyang, and sneered, "Kid, you better pray for your own luck. If I run into you in the arena, you might have come here alive, but you won't leave alive!"