Bamboo Mound

Upon hearing this, Ning Chang fell silent.

He didn’t know the size of Pingguo, but he estimated that with his current abilities, it would take him several months to cross the territory of Qingyun Sect!

Not to mention the Chu Kingdom, which is twice the size of the Ping Kingdom, which has two sects with an area roughly the same as the Qingyun Sect.

By the time he gets back, it will probably take years.

"Go back...?"

After much deliberation, he finally made his decision.

"Forget it, there's no need to go back."

After all, upon closer examination, the highest level the Qingyun Sect can reach is only the Fetal Heart Realm; once one cultivates to the Spirit Platform Realm, resources become insufficient.

Even if he goes back, it will only be to provide guidance on cultivation levels, and then he will advance to the Spirit Platform realm before leaving the sect.

"Just consider it leaving the sect early. Besides, the sect has nothing else to teach me except cultivation levels."

"However, we still need to find another sect. Although we can obtain spirit stones ourselves, some cultivation issues are better handled within a sect."

Having made his decision, Ning Chang stopped thinking and looked up again: "Do you know which region has any sects?"

"Oh?" Upon hearing this, the boss glared at Ning Chang again.

"You want to join a sect?"

Ning Chang nodded.

"Hmph, you ignorant brat, I advise you to give up that idea as soon as possible~" the boss said sarcastically.

"Hmm? What do you mean by that?" Ning Chang frowned slightly upon hearing this.

"It's meaningless. There is only one Tiancang Gate in the Chu Kingdom, located in the very center of the Chu Kingdom. Even if you have a hundred taels of gold, you may not be able to walk from this stone city to the center of the Chu Kingdom."

Even if you're lucky, once you get there, you might not even be able to pass the first level of the Heavenly Azure Gate's three-tiered test!

"Triple Trials? What are those? Are they the sect entry assessment?"

"Hehe, that's the fifth question..."

The boss rubbed his hands together and laughed again.

Ning Chang clicked his tongue and then took out another piece of silver and threw it out.

The shopkeeper was quick-witted and caught the silver coin before it even hit the counter.

"I don't know," she said casually as she took the money.

But after saying that, seeing that Ning Chang was about to lash out, he quickly waved his hand.

"Hey, I've never participated before, so I won't consider this a problem for you."

Ning Chang finally let out a long sigh and began to consider what kind of assessment items might be required.

However, he quickly realized that it was better not to stay in the State of Chu.

After all, the sacrifices made by the Han and Chu states were so grand that it's unlikely that the two countries will be at peace in the future, and those who stay here will probably be affected!

"Besides the territory of Chu, in which other direction are there sects?"

"This... is probably it. I'm just an ordinary citizen, and I haven't paid much attention to the affairs of those cultivation sects."

"There might be some in South Korea as well. Apart from that, I don't remember how many years ago I heard by chance that there were signs of sects in the north, but I haven't heard anything else."

"At the same time, there is a country in the north, but it is very far away and I don't know its name."

After saying that, he waved his hand and shrugged, and that was the end of it.

"The North... I still have 425 spirit stones, which is definitely enough to cultivate to the Spirit Platform stage, and maybe even the Fetal Heart stage!"

"Once I reach the Spirit Platform, my speed should increase further, and my spiritual energy should be strong enough to support me as I move through the air, while also reducing the resistance from the terrain."

"From this perspective, getting to that country or sect isn't so difficult. It's just a pity that only by obtaining a fetal heartbeat can one avoid eating... Sigh~"

"Then it's settled. We'll go buy some dry rations later, then head into the forest outside the city to advance to the Spirit Platform level first, and then keep heading north... We'll see what we encounter along the way."

With this thought in mind, Ning Chang raised his head again and asked, "Where in the city can I buy some dry rations?"

Upon hearing this, the shopkeeper's expression froze for a moment. "Could it be that you want to go north? With your build, you'd probably be eaten by some wild beast before you even get two miles. If you want to go to Tiancang Sect, you might still have a thought!"

"Just answer my questions."

Seeing Ning Chang's stubbornness, the shopkeeper stopped trying to dissuade him. After all, they were not related, and he was just trying to earn a few taels of silver by kindly reminding him.

“There’s a restaurant called Fugui Restaurant next door, and another one called Xiangmanlou in the city, which is also a restaurant.”

Upon receiving the news, Ning Chang turned around and left the general store.

He didn't want to see that face again.

Only after Ning Chang's figure disappeared outside the door did the shopkeeper retract his outstretched neck and reveal a joyful expression.

"Hehe, I wasn't planning on doing business after eating, but it turns out this guy is a fool with too much money. He asked for ten times the price and still kept asking..."

"Now we can enjoy drinking for a few more months!"

Thinking about it, she lay back comfortably on the recliner and closed her eyes.

Ning Chang went out the door and stepped into the Fugui Restaurant next door in a few steps.

Although it was noon, there weren't many customers in the restaurant; most of them were people with disabilities.

The interior furnishings are also very simple. Apart from the main beams, there are only tables and chairs, square tables, round tables, armchairs and benches, each not matching a set.

The counter is on the left wall as you enter, and an old man behind it is copying an account book. Although he has half a head of white hair, he still looks very energetic.

As Ning Chang was observing, a servant dressed as a waiter stood up from the small table in front of the counter, bowed slightly, and walked up to Ning Chang.

"What would you like to eat, sir?"

"Do you have any portable dry food here?" Ning Chang asked bluntly.

Before he could finish speaking, the waiter nodded and replied, "Yes, yes, yes! Would you like vegetarian food or meat, sir?"

"Vegetarian grains?" Ning Chang asked, puzzled. He knew what meat-based grains were, probably something like dried meat, which was what he planned to buy. As for water, he figured he could find a stream or something similar along the way.

"It's just whole grain cakes and some dried vegetables, which are cheaper than meat; as for meat, it's dried chicken, pork, beef and mutton."

While answering, the servant still bowed slightly, and after speaking, he waited for Ning Chang to continue.

Upon hearing the servant's introduction, Ning Chang immediately sensed something was amiss.

"Beef? Can you slaughter cattle here?"

"Hmm? Oh! Sir, you must be from out of town. You may not know this, but it is true that oxen used for plowing the fields cannot be killed. However, our Chu Kingdom raises beef cattle specifically for consumption, although the taste is slightly inferior to that of the oxen used for plowing."

"I see. But where did you get so much fodder for the cattle?"

"Basically, every city in the Chu Kingdom has a magical array set up for crop growth. Once the seeds are planted, they will mature in less than two days, and the weeds for feeding cattle will mature even faster."

"Moreover, a large portion of the immortal array in Stone City is planted with fodder, which is enough to supply the consumption of the beef cattle raised in Stone City."

As he spoke, a proud expression unconsciously appeared on his face.

"If so much grass is used to grow grass, how will the city meet its food needs?"

"There's no need to worry about that; there's farmland outside the city."