Creation of the Universe

Before sunset, Shen Zhan arrived at Cangmang Town, located at the western foot of Cangmang Mountain.

He found out that in order to enter Longling Pavilion, one must carry two thousand spirit stones as proof to prove that he has the ability to participate in the auction, thus preventing some outsiders from entering.

But the problem is that Shen Zhan only has two hundred spirit stones on him. He has been unwelcome in the palace for so many years. Other princes and princesses can mostly get rewards from the prince during festivals, but he has not received a penny.

The daily expenses for food and clothing are also very tight. It is not easy to save these two hundred spirit stones thanks to my sister Shen Yunli's thrifty housekeeping.

Touching the spirit stone in his arms, Shen Zhan couldn't help but sigh. He was once a powerful warrior at the peak of the Martial God Divine Glory Realm and the head of the seven great princes of the Tiande Dynasty. When had he ever worried about a mere two thousand spirit stones?

Helplessly, the situation was stronger than him, so he could only face reality and find a way to raise spirit stones first, so that he could go to Longling Pavilion tomorrow to buy the medicinal materials for refining Xuanling Pill.

Fortunately, the market in Cangmang Town gathers all kinds of monks, businessmen and people who seek the truth. Their presence has created a market for spiritual herbs, elixirs, talismans and other items.

Shen Zhan decided to try his luck. He had some herbs and two foundation-building pills left over from alchemy. If he could sell them successfully, he would be able to raise enough spirit stones.

He walked into a tea shop along the street, ordered a pot of tea, and began to look for a suitable buyer.

Not long after I sat down, I heard a few people chatting at the next table. One of them said, "Look, isn't that Jia Zhong, the silly young master of the Jia family?"

"Wow, it's really him. Longling Pavilion opens four times a month, and he never misses a single one, eager to give people money."

"Who made the Jia family rich and powerful? But someone like Jia Zhong, who achieved the first level of Dao principle ten years ago, is still just a fool at the beginner level of martial arts apprentice Xumiao. No matter how much money he spends, he can't improve his cultivation."

The three of them started chuckling as they spoke.

Shen Zhan followed their gaze and saw that there was indeed a short and fat young man from a rich family, surrounded by a group of followers, who kept scanning the stalls selling various elixirs and magical herbs.

He was like a fat dog that looked fat but was actually very hungry. From time to time, he would pick up some spiritual herbs and smell them, or squat down to examine a spiritual weapon carefully.

"Master Jia, you're here just in time. I brought some goodies today, and I guarantee you'll enjoy them endlessly!"

A vendor rubbed his hands together and introduced his good goods to Jia Zhong with an attentive look on his face.

"Look here, this is calendula. After taking it, it can cleanse your marrow and strengthen your bones, strengthen your body and replenish your essence, and help you break through the shackles and make great progress in your cultivation!"

The vendor held two magical herbs in his hands and swung them back and forth in front of Jia Zhong, as if he was walking a cat or playing with a dog.

Jia Zhong had been tricked countless times, but this time he finally became more careful.

He glanced at the vendor and said unhappily, "This young master has bought many things from you before, such as Heaven and Earth Spirit Crystal, Thousand-Year Ice Soul, and Ten-Thousand-Year Snow Ginseng, but none of them worked. Do you still want to cheat me this time?"

The vendor shook his head vigorously and replied righteously, "Look at what you said. How could I lie to you? I know your cultivation hasn't improved, and I'm worried about it!"

"Every time I get something good, the first thing I think about is that you can break through your cultivation level as soon as possible!"

Upon hearing this, Jia Zhong's tone quickly softened, "Really?"

"It's absolutely true."

"If your marigold is really effective, I'll buy some and try it."

The merchant smiled happily, "Don't worry, I won't cheat you. This marigold is a rare spiritual herb. One plant only costs 500 spirit stones. No one else can offer such a cheap price."

Jia Zhong was very happy. Just as he was about to ask someone to pay, he saw a figure coming up, picking up the two marigolds and throwing them into the chicken coop of the vendor next door.

The chicks in the cage scrambled for the food and pecked it all away in a short while.

The merchant was furious, "You destroyed my spiritual herbs, pay me back now!"

"Spiritual herbs? Others don't know it, so why should I not know it?"

Shen Zhan raised his voice and questioned, "This so-called marigold is actually just an ordinary weed. I guess you picked it from far away and saw that there is no such grass in the nearby Cangmang Mountains. So you want to call a horse a zebra and take advantage of this opportunity. Am I wrong?"

The merchant's heart trembled, knowing that he had met an expert, so he became less imposing.

But he was unwilling to let the cooked duck fly away, so he evaded the main issue and told Jia Zhong: "Master Jia, don't pay any attention to this madman. How can I deceive you?

I also have the herb of immortality here, which can improve your cultivation by five years after taking it!

This is the Moon Spirit Root. After taking it, your cultivation level will increase by ten years. This is a spiritual item from heaven and earth that is hard to find even with a lantern!"

The merchant was talking with saliva flying everywhere, and Jia Zhong was really moved.

Shen Zhan on the side thought to himself that this idiot hadn't improved his cultivation in ten years, so he wasn't surprised at all now.

He took a half step forward and decisively exposed the truth, "Things like Wangxian Grass and Yueling Root are nothing but water plants and tree roots. If you expect them to improve your cultivation, you might as well just run into a wall and die."

"Who on earth are you doing? How dare you talk nonsense here? I think you're deliberately trying to hinder Master Jia's cultivation. You deserve to be killed!"

Shen Zhan ignored the noisy vendor and turned to Jia Zhong, saying, "Master Jia, I see that you are truly devoted to cultivation, and I can't bear to see you being deceived by a villain, so I stood up and exposed the truth. If you believe me, go to the shop next door and buy a basic body refining manual. Combined with this foundation-building pill of mine, you will be able to elevate your cultivation to a higher level."

The vendor said sarcastically, "What foundation-building pill? I think you're a charlatan. Who knows if you'll be poisoned to death if you take this pill?"

Jia Zhong was also very suspicious of what the stranger Shen Zhan said, and coupled with the vendor's malicious speculation, he didn't dare to reach out to take it.

Shen Zhan smiled and said, "Don't worry, Master Jia. This is the foundation-building pill I personally refined. This is the first time we meet. We have no grudges in the past or in the present. What good would it be for me to poison you?

Just take it back and consume it. The results will be clear in just one night. If it doesn't work, I won't pay you a cent. But if it does, you can find me at Longling Pavilion tomorrow."

Jia Zhong nodded. "Alright, I'll take this gamble. I'm determined to improve my cultivation no matter what. I can't let others laugh at me anymore!"

After sending the Foundation Establishment Pill out, Shen Zhan planned to find a place to stay temporarily in the town. However, behind him, several sneaky figures followed him all the way from the east end of the town to the west end.

Shen Zhan finally stopped and said with his back to the shadows, "How long do you plan to follow me?"