Chapter 138: Immortal Origin Stones and an Earth-Grade Alchemist

Han Li said nothing more upon hearing Mu Xue’s words, and directly led her flying toward the gate.

A long line had already formed at this city gate for incoming cultivators. Several cultivators in black robes guarded the gate, collecting an entry fee from each person entering.

Although these individuals looked exactly like cultivators, they were not human, but rather seemed to be Dao soldiers of the Earth Immortals.

Several lines of large characters were engraved on one side of the city gate, listing the entry fees required for cultivators of different cultivation levels. However, the fees only went up to the Void Refinement stage; how many spirit stones those at the Combined stage or above needed to pay was not written.

"Why does it only list up to Void Refinement? Don’t those at the Combined stage or above need to pay an entry fee?" Han Li’s gaze swept over the characters as he asked casually.

"You are correct, Senior. Cultivators at the Combined stage or above are of noble status and naturally do not need to pay any entry fee," Mu Xue replied with a smile.

"I see." Han Li smiled.

Before long, the two were near the city gate.

Without taking out any spirit stones, Han Li simply walked toward the city gate with his hands clasped behind his back.

A flash of spiritual light flickered from the hands of the two Dao soldiers at the gate, sweeping over Han Li’s body before they stood motionless.

A hint of surprise appeared on Mu Xue’s face, but she quickly took out two low-grade spirit stones, handed them to a Dao soldier, and hurriedly followed, her expression growing even more respectful.

Behind the city gate was a wide street, seven or eight zhang in width, paved with green jade, clean and tidy.

The street was bustling with traffic and pedestrians. Cultivators with magical power were everywhere, and even high-level cultivators were not uncommon.

On both sides of the street were rows of spacious and bright shops, without any trace of dirt or disorder. Most of them dealt in various immortal cultivation materials, all of excellent quality.

There were no strict flight prohibitions within the city; as long as one did not fly too high, no one would interfere.

Han Li flew up into the air and looked around.

From outside, it hadn’t seemed like much, but now that he was inside the city, what met his eyes were bustling streets stretching one after another to the horizon, lined with shops, where immortals and mortals mingled, voices clamorous and lively.

Such a prosperous scene truly astonished him.

"May I ask, Senior, what business brings you to Black Wind City? Are you looking to purchase something or handle some other matter?" Mu Xue came to Han Li’s side and asked cautiously.

"I heard that the teleportation array leading out of the Black Wind Sea is within this city?" Han Li turned to look at Mu Xue and asked seemingly casually.

"Yes. That teleportation array is at the Starry Sky Tower in the center of the city. Senior... could it be that you wish to leave the Black Wind Sea?" Mu Xue hesitated for a moment before asking.

Han Li said nothing, merely nodding slightly.

"This... Senior, it’s not that I’m trying to dampen your spirits, but every year many people come to Black Wind City wanting to leave the Black Wind Sea, yet basically no one succeeds. Riding that teleportation array to the outside is, in fact... very difficult." Mu Xue gave a bitter smile, speaking as if hesitating.

"Oh, how so?" Han Li’s expression remained unchanged as he asked.

"The great teleportation array connecting to the outside is an ancient teleportation array, controlled by the Island Lord himself. It opens once every hundred years, and each time the number of spots is limited, so they must be designated by the Island Lord. In other words, to get out, you first need to obtain a spot, and you also need to bear a fee. This fee is extremely expensive; even among those immortals, few can afford it." Mu Xue spoke fluently.

"Do you know when the next opening will be?" Han Li’s brow furrowed slightly upon hearing this.

"It shouldn’t be long now. Each time the array opens, it’s after the same centennial grand auction. Since the auction is approaching, the city is busier than usual." Mu Xue replied.

"Oh, then how can one obtain a spot from the Island Lord?" Han Li felt a slight relief and asked further.

"This... this matter is quite secret, and with my low cultivation, I’m not too clear..." Mu Xue’s face stiffened, and he scratched his head before speaking.

"You just mentioned an expensive fee—how many spirit stones are needed?" Han Li did not rebuke Mu Xue but asked another question.

"What the Island Lord demands is not spirit stones, but Immortal Origin Stones, and as many as five of them." Mu Xue shook his head.

"Immortal Origin Stones? What are those?" Han Li’s heart stirred as he asked.

"Immortal Origin Stones are said to be a special currency used among immortals, formed by immortals infusing their internal energy into certain special crystals." Mu Xue thought for a moment before replying.

"Are these stones very precious? Since they are a currency, as long as one has enough spirit stones, they should still be exchangeable, right?" Han Li continued after a brief deliberation. He had heard the term 'Immortal Origin Stone' for the first time.

"Immortal Origin Stones are no ordinary currency. It is said that even to immortals, they are extremely precious, and they basically do not trade them with others. There is no circulation in the market. I have been in Black Wind City for many years, and I’ve only heard that decades ago, the Fuyuan Chamber of Commerce in Black Wind City managed to exchange for one Immortal Origin Stone from an immortal. At that time, the chamber sold several shops on the island just to scrape together enough spirit stones." Mu Xue said with some emotion.

Han Li nodded thoughtfully, developing an interest in these so-called Immortal Origin Stones.

He did not ask any more questions after that.

He had not expected to leave the Black Wind Sea so easily; he would deal with this matter slowly later. For now, he was very curious about Black Wind City itself.

With this thought, Han Li headed into the city.

Mu Xue followed closely behind, introducing various aspects of Black Wind City.

The two wandered for nearly half a day before Han Li stopped, still not fully satisfied.

What he had seen and heard in this half day had already broadened his horizons immensely.

Especially in the central area of Black Wind City, there were countless shops selling pills, materials, and magical treasures, dazzling Han Li.

However, according to Mu Xue, they had only visited less than a tenth of Black Wind City.

Han Li couldn’t help but sigh inwardly. Black Wind City truly lived up to its reputation as the largest city in the Black Wind Sea, incomparable to any other place.

He suddenly stopped and looked at a tall shop by the roadside.

It was a five-story building with a wide entrance, decorated luxuriously yet not vulgarly, instead exuding an air of ancient simplicity—a very large pill shop.

"Senior, this Thousand Herb Hall can be considered the best pill shop in Black Wind City. It is said to have some connection with the Black Wind Island Lord. They have a great variety of precious pills, and the prices are quite fair. I’ve never heard of any bad dealings." Mu Xue quickly introduced.

Han Li nodded slightly and stepped inside.

He was running low on recovery pills, and even more so on healing pills, antidotes, and the like. Since he would soon leave the Black Wind Sea to head east in search of the Azure Bamboo Cloudswarm Swords and other items, it was better to stock up on various emergency pills in advance.

Mu Xue followed.

Inside the shop, wide counters lined up one after another, dozens in total, covered with various pills. Some counters also sold various spiritual materials for alchemy.

There were quite a few customers browsing at the counters.

"Welcome to our Thousand Herb Hall, esteemed guests. What pills do you need?" Seeing Han Li and the other enter, a yellow-robed attendant immediately came forward.

Han Li glanced around and frowned slightly.

Although the pills on these counters were not bad, they did not meet his standards.

"Are these the only pills you have here? Do you have any better ones?" Han Li asked.

Upon hearing this, the yellow-robed attendant looked Han Li up and down, as if assessing his wealth, and said, "This shop is the best pill shop in Black Wind City. Naturally, we have better pills, but the price..."

"How dare you! Step back. I will attend to this senior." An old man with white eyebrows and a yellow robe, with a gaunt face, walked over quickly and said sternly.

Judging by his attire, he seemed to be a manager of the shop.

The yellow-robed attendant shuddered inwardly, bowed timidly to Han Li, and retreated.

"The staff are inexperienced; please forgive them, Senior." The yellow-robed old man clasped his hands in salute to Han Li, his face full of apology.

"It’s fine. Where are your better pills? Take me to have a look." Han Li said, unconcerned.

"Yes, we have them. Senior and this young friend, please come upstairs." The yellow-robed old man extended a hand, also treating Mu Xue with considerable courtesy.

Mu Xue quickly returned the salute.

"I am Lu Ping, a manager of Thousand Herb Hall. May I ask your esteemed name, Senior?" During the ascent, the yellow-robed old man asked.

"Liu Shi."

"So it’s Senior Liu. The first few floors of our Thousand Herb Hall sell ordinary pills made by human-grade alchemists, which naturally wouldn’t catch your eye. If you come again, Senior, please go directly to the top floor. The pills there are all crafted by Master Hao and should be useful to you." Manager Lu said warmly.

To avoid drawing attention, Han Li had concealed his cultivation to the Great Vehicle stage. The other party, as a Combined stage initial cultivator, could roughly sense Han Li’s aura.

"Senior, Master Hao is one of the three great alchemists of the Black Wind Sea. It is said that his alchemy skill has reached Earth-grade, Class B." Mu Xue leaned close to Han Li’s ear and explained in a low voice.

As they spoke, the three had already reached the fifth floor.

There were no counters here, only a few exquisitely carved wooden racks, three in number, with several attendants standing beside them. There were no customers, making it very quiet.

"Our Thousand Herb Hall has a close relationship with Master Hao. Most of the pills he refines are here. There are many types. This rack has pills for improving cultivation, this one has recovery pills, and over here are pills for healing, detoxification, and other purposes." Manager Lu gave a general introduction to the pills on the three wooden racks.

Han Li’s eyes lit up as he looked at these pills.

Truly worthy of being a top-tier pill shop in Black Wind City. The quality of these pills before him was excellent, no less than the pills he had obtained through the Wuchang Alliance, and a few were even slightly better.

From the previous conversation, it seemed that only those who could refine pills useful for advancing to True Immortal or for True Immortals themselves could be called Earth-grade alchemists, while alchemists who refined pills for ordinary cultivators were probably Human-grade alchemists. Perhaps this was the classification of alchemists in the Immortal Realm.

As for whether this was true, he would naturally find an opportunity to learn more later.