Zhou Tianci, who had been single-mindedly searching for a civilization to cultivate in, unexpectedly obtained the Chaotic, Indestructible Spiritual Light—condensed from the Three Thousand Laws of the Primordial World—and was transported to an unfamiliar world of martial arts. Post-Heaven, Pre-Heaven, and Divine Abilities. Zhou Tianci was awestruck by the immense power of the cultivators there; however, his goal was not to reach the pinnacle of cultivation, but to devour the martial arts world itself. “It’s a pity this world’s tier is too low; its world energy is barely sufficient to forge Immortal Artifacts. It seems that to give birth to the Sword of Slaying Immortals, I’ll have to devour an even more powerful cultivation world.”
Chapter 10: Wanhai Pavilion
The officers and soldiers of the City of Tears and Blood were no strangers to beast tides. The mountain ranges in the Wild Forest ran north to south, with the City of Tears and Blood marking the northernmost exit. South of the City of Tears and Blood lay the Southern Wasteland Forest, where the terrain was relatively flat and resources were abundant. Because of this, many people had settled there, forming countless villages. For the same reason, whenever there was unrest at the northern edge of the Southern Wasteland Forest, countless ferocious beasts would surge out from there, forming a terrifying beast tide. According to the records of the City of Tears and Blood, a beast tide occurs here once every ten to twenty years, though its scale varies. Typically, these waves consist only of common ferocious beasts—merely in greater numbers—causing limited damage. However, on occasion, even Innate Demon Beasts join the fray—not just one or two, but a whole pack—and their destructive power becomes truly staggering. In fact, aside from defending the Golden Wolf Empire, repelling beast tides is also a primary mission of the Northwest Legion. After all, since the City of Tears and Blood collects taxes from those wild frontier villages, it naturally has a duty to protect them. “I remember there was a beast horde just seven years ago. How come it’s back so soon?” Dong Qicheng exclaimed in surprise. Cao Ming shook his head. “I’m not entirely sure either. The news came from the General’s Mansion. General Liu has already sent men into the Wild Forest to investigate. Whether it’s true or not, we must prepare early.” “Yes, sir!” Dong Qicheng and the other four captains replied in unison. Among the five, there were certainly some who didn’t respect Cao Ming, but on this matter, they dared not show the slightest negligence. And so, Zhou Tianci trained with the new Blood Battle Legion for five days, a period that allowed him to recapture the feeling of being a soldier. During those five days, aside from training drills, Zhou Tianci devoted all his time to cultivating the *Blood Battle Art*. “This body has 365 bones, which differs from the structure of my body in my previous life, though you can’t tell just by looking at it. Following the Blood Battle Legion’s secret method of marrow refinement, I’ve now fully refined my limbs; next comes the main torso, and finally, the head.” Zhou Tianci recalled, “After completing the marrow refinement of my limbs, I clearly felt my body grow much stronger, and my strength increased by more than 1,000 jin. Once the marrow refinement of my torso and skull is complete, having reached the peak of the Post-Heaven realm, I’ll possess 10,000 jin of strength in a single arm, and my combat power will increase severalfold!” Zhou Tianci estimated that in another week, he would be able to complete the final two steps of the Marrow Refinement, thoroughly refining the bone marrow throughout his entire body until it was as pure as jade, thereby fully reaching the peak of the Post-Heaven realm and making a push toward the Pre-Heaven realm. By this calculation, it had taken Zhou Tianci less than half a month to advance from the late Post-Heaven realm to the peak of the Post-Heaven realm—a feat that would take an ordinary person at least two years! However, Zhou Tianci was still not satisfied; he couldn’t stop thinking about his devouring ability. “The reason I’ve made such progress—aside from my strong mind and spirit—is likely also related to devouring those short-tailed hyenas back then. If just thirty or forty short-tailed hyenas had such a significant effect, what if I were to devour even more and even more powerful beasts?” To test his hypothesis, that afternoon, during his break, Zhou Tianci left the military camp. “According to Zhou Shi’s memories, commerce in the City of Tears and Blood is highly developed, with four large markets in the northeast, southeast, northwest, and southwest of the city…” Zhou Tianci walked briskly toward the southern part of the city. In Zhou Shi’s memories, the South City Market served as the primary trading hub between the Wild Forest and the Great State of Yu; there was a massive beast slaughterhouse there, filled with many beasts captured from the Wild Forest. The South Market was more than 20 kilometers from the barracks, and it took Zhou Tianci half an hour to reach it. The main street in the City of Tears and Blood was exceptionally wide—a full 200 meters—lined on both sides with shops and restaurants. Pedestrians thronged the street, sweating profusely, and soldiers on patrol passed by from time to time, a clear sign of the City of Tears and Blood’s commercial prosperity. “Sir, would you like to come in and take a look? We carry top-quality weapons forged from hundred-times-refined steel—excellent quality at affordable prices. We’re the only shop in the City of Tears and Blood that offers this!” “Sir, this is the Wood Spirit Powder forged by Master Feng of our Thousand Gold Hall. It’s remarkably effective for treating external injuries…” “Dengyun Tower’s new Heaven-grade dishes are now available—come and try them!” With merchants all vying to attract customers, Zhou Tianci learned a great deal of interesting information. However, it wasn’t until he arrived at the South City Market that Zhou Tianci realized what he had seen earlier was nothing compared to this. “Is this the South City Market?” Zhou Tianci stared in awe at the cluster of buildings ahead. Ranging from tens of meters to two or three hundred meters in height, they covered an area of likely several hundred mu—a scale so vast it exceeded his wildest imagination. Buildings hundreds of meters tall weren’t uncommon to Zhou Tianci, but what surprised him was that such structures actually existed in this world. “Move out of the way!” Without realizing it, Zhou Tianci had walked right up to the entrance of a skyscraper over 200 meters tall when someone shoved him hard, causing him to stumble and nearly fall. Zhou Tianci turned around and saw a young aristocrat dressed in white being escorted through the main gate by a crowd of attendants. “What an arrogant guy,” Zhou Tianci thought, a flash of anger crossing his mind. This building, called Wanhai Pavilion, was massive, and its entrance was naturally no small affair—a full 10 zhang wide. With a doorway that wide, Zhou Tianci certainly wouldn’t have been blocking anyone’s path. “Young man, just bear with it for now,” said a man with a goatee who had approached from the side. “That’s the young master of the Zhang family. He’s powerful and influential—not someone like us should cross.” Zhou Tianci memorized the men’s appearances, then smiled at the man with the goatee. “Thanks for the heads-up, buddy.” He lived by the principle of reciprocity: if others treated him kindly, he would return the favor; if they treated him badly, he would certainly repay them in kind. Being shoved aside was a minor matter, but that disregard and arrogance were enough to make Zhou Tianci hold a grudge. “Young man, judging by your appearance, you don’t seem to be here on business,” said the man with the goatee, his eyes sharp and observant. “You have a keen eye, old friend. I’m just here to broaden my horizons. I heard there are many specialties from the Wild Forest here, and my curiosity got the better of me, so I came to take a look. My surname is Zhou. May I ask your name?” Zhou Tianci said. The man with the goatee was very pleased with his attitude and smiled. “So you’re Brother Zhou—it’s a pleasure to meet you. My surname is Hu; everyone here calls me Hu San.” “So you’re Brother Hu. From what you’ve said, it sounds like you know this place quite well?” “Haha, I’ve lived for forty years, and I’ve spent thirty of them here—wouldn’t you say I know the place well?” Hu San laughed with a touch of pride. “I see. Then I must apologize for my earlier lack of respect,” Zhou Tianci said. From Hu San’s words, Zhou Tianci surmised that he was a man who valued face, so he deliberately paid him a compliment. Of course, Hu San wasn’t going to let Zhou Tianci’s flattery go to his head; as a seasoned merchant, he was very savvy when it came to social graces. However, this didn’t stop Hu San from developing a bit more goodwill toward Zhou Tianci. “I happen to have some free time right now, so I’ll be your guide,” Hu San said generously. “Thank you so much, Brother Hu,” Zhou Tianci replied, only too happy to accept. As one of the four major markets in the City of Tears and Blood, the South City Market was incredibly vast. To name just one example, the main tower of Wanhai Pavilion stood over 270 meters tall with 81 floors. Inside, the merchandise was countless, and the array of rare and exotic goods was dazzling—enough to leave one spellbound. “Brother, let’s start with the Wanhai Pavilion. Speaking of the Wanhai Pavilion, it’s truly something else—it’s one of the largest merchant guilds in the entire Great State of Yu, with trade routes spanning all twelve provinces of the State of Yu and daily profits of at least hundreds of thousands of gold!” Hu San led Zhou Tianci into the Wanhai Pavilion, explaining as they walked. Zhou Tianci wasn’t particularly impressed; his mind was already completely consumed by his cultivation, and he didn’t place much value on money. However, to go along with Hu San’s chatty nature, he still feigned surprise. Hu San continued, “Take the Wanhai Pavilion in the City of Tears and Blood, for example. It has a full 81 stories, each covering 10 mu. Can you imagine how many goods there are? Let me put it this way: anything you can think of, you can buy here!” This time, Zhou Tianci was genuinely surprised. For the Wanhai Pavilion to be on such a scale, it was no longer just a matter of money—it must also possess formidable power. “Brother, with the Wanhai Pavilion being this massive, the power behind it must be considerable, right?” Zhou Tianci asked. Hu San glanced around, then whispered, “Of course. The Wanhai Pavilion trades across the Twelve States. Wherever they go, even the most ruthless bandits and robbers dare not provoke them—their power is truly Tongtian. Legend has it that the Wanhai Pavilion even has warriors who have transcended the Innate Realm! Of course, that’s just a legend; whether it’s true or not is something we small-time folk can’t possibly know…” “A martial artist who has transcended the Innate Realm?” Zhou Tianci was stunned by this news. Hu San wasn’t at all surprised by Zhou Tianci’s reaction. In this world, everyone respected and idolized the strong—especially young people. Who wouldn’t want to one day reach the pinnacle of the martial arts and become a peerless master standing above millions? “Come on, I’ll take you to see something amazing.” Hu San grabbed Zhou Tianci’s arm and led him upstairs. There were many things about Wanhai Pavilion that astonished Zhou Tianci. Take this building alone: in Zhou Tianci’s estimation, it was constructed from Bi Xia stone—a material exceptionally hard, even harder than steel. Not only was it rare, but it was also extremely difficult to mine. The amount of Bi Xia stone required for a structure like this was simply unimaginable, not to mention the manpower and wealth invested. This alone offered a glimpse of just the tip of the iceberg regarding Wanhai Pavilion’s true strength. Hu San led Zhou Tianci all the way to the tenth floor. Unlike floors one through nine, the tenth floor was much livelier. “Didn’t you want to see specialties from the Wildlands? From here on up, for a full 72 floors, every shop sells Wildlands specialties,” Hu San said, pointing to the shops ahead. “Floors one through nine handle bulk transactions, so there aren’t many ordinary people there, but it’s different here. Look at all the people coming and going—it’s so lively.” Zhou Tianci nodded silently. “…It’s a mixed bag here—all sorts of people from every walk of life. You have to be even more careful than usual. Although the Wanhai Pavilion has people maintaining order, if you get scammed or robbed, no one will stand up for you,” Hu San cautioned. No sooner had Hu San finished speaking than Zhou Tianci was bumped by someone. His guard went up immediately, and he grabbed the person. The other person was thin and small; once Zhou Tianci had a hold of him, he was instantly immobilized.
