Chapter 453 - 449: And Just What Are You?

In the Land of the Far West, legend said that if you followed a desolate, ancient road ever westward, you would eventually come upon a city of immense scale. This city was Tongtian City!

Beyond Tongtian City lay countless famous mountains and great rivers, dotted with an incalculable number of families and Sects. It was here that the glory of the Primordial Era shone at its brightest and most dazzling!

Half a month later, a handsome but travel-worn young man appeared outside Tongtian City. It was Qin Li, who had been arduously journeying for a long time.

Gazing up at the colossal city walls, which were several thousand meters high, Qin Li was filled with emotion. ’I remember the first time I heard about Tongtian City, I couldn’t quite believe it. Could its walls really be that high? Could it truly be teeming with experts?’

Now, his own strength was on a completely different level than it was back then. And Tongtian City, once a place of myth and legend to him, was right before his eyes!

Though Qin Li hadn’t encountered any real danger during this period, he had certainly endured his share of hardship. Unlike the disciples of the Sects and families from the Land of the Far West, he didn’t have precise coordinates to perform Void Crossings with Spirit Stones. Instead, Qin Li had relied entirely on his own formidable strength, repeatedly crossing the void and searching until he finally found this place.

It was fair to say he had gone through great trials just to reach the edge of the Land of the Far West.

As for the exact locations of Lengqiu Palace and the Moon Shaking Immortal Palace, Qin Li would have to slowly gather clues within Tongtian City.

In any case, Qin Li had now officially entered the Land of the Far West.

The landscape of the Land of the Far West was indeed vastly different from that of the East. Every mountain, deep valley, and river here exuded an ancient, desolate aura, as if the place had been this way since the dawn of time. Though ages passed and seas turned into mulberry fields, this land seemed to have never changed at all.

Even a simple stone by the roadside seemed to carry an aura from Ancient Times, silently telling tales of a glorious past.

The Spiritual Qi in this place was countless times richer than in the East. Qin Li now finally understood why the Ancient Map didn’t mark any specific Mysterious Land within the Land of the Far West.

There was simply no need!

Right where Qin Li stood, still several miles from Tongtian City, the concentration of Spiritual Qi was already two or three times higher than on Profound Island!

Two or three times... what did that even mean? It wasn’t as simple as a Martial Artist from Profound Island cultivating for three months to equal one month for a Martial Artist from the Land of the Far West. Especially during the early foundational stages, the abundance or scarcity of Spiritual Qi almost single-handedly determined a person’s lifelong achievements!

It was like the people in the Mortal Realm—were there truly no geniuses among them? Was every single one of them inferior to the Martial Artists of the Mysterious Lands?

It was precisely because the Spiritual Qi was not as abundant that for the vast majority of even genius-level Martial Artists from the Mortal Realm, the highest achievement they could reach in their entire lives was the Celestial Level.

The few who could cultivate to the Celestial Shattering Realm were as rare as a phoenix’s feather!

Qin Li sighed with emotion and headed toward Tongtian City. As he reached the gate, he noticed it was actually guarded!

’Tongtian City is said to be a loose alliance formed by many families and Sects, with the strongest being the Li Family, the line of the City Lord. If it’s a loose alliance, why are there guards at the gate? Is that really necessary in a place like this?’

However, after Qin Li entered the gate, he saw that the guards didn’t even give him a second glance. He understood then. ’The guards at the gate probably aren’t here to keep people out. More accurately, they’re likely responsible for opening and closing the gates... so that if an external enemy invades, they can seal the city immediately and drop the heavy portcullis.’

The buildings inside Tongtian City were mostly ancient and full of charm, possessing a deeper sense of history than those in the East. The architectural style was quite similar, with carved beams, painted rafters, pavilions, and waterside gazebos.

Ancient trees lined the roads, and a fresh scent filled the air. Walking down these streets made one want to linger forever.

Qin Li found a seemingly mid-range inn and checked in. Tongtian City was one of the most prosperous cities in the Land of the Far West, and thus, a great deal of business was conducted here.

Qin Li was surprised and intrigued to see a shop on the street specializing in Spiritual Artifacts. After settling into his room at the inn, he strolled out and headed to the Spiritual Artifact shop, which wasn’t far away.

The shop had an antique charm. The counters inside clearly had a long history; many spots were polished smooth and shiny from countless hands. The transparent, crystal-ground countertops gave off a feeling of opulent wealth, yet it was surprisingly comfortable.

Inside the shop was a group of four people, two men and two women. They all looked young, around twenty-five or twenty-six, and from their attire, it was clear they came from distinguished backgrounds.

When Qin Li entered, the four of them merely gave him a passing glance before returning their full attention to haggling with the shop clerk.

"This Spiritual Weapon Gunhead of yours is only made from the shoulder blade of a Shattered Void Realm Spirit Beast. Even if it was personally refined by Master Jin, it’s not worth a thousand Spirit Stones!"

A petite, cute-looking girl said, speaking quickly.

The clerk frowned, a pained expression on his face. "Valued customers, refining Spiritual Artifacts doesn’t have a one hundred percent success rate. Even for an Artifact Refining Master like Master Jin, a success rate of twenty to thirty percent is considered high. You only see the finished product and think it isn’t worth that much, but if you factor in the losses from failed attempts... a thousand Spirit Stones really isn’t expensive!"

PFFT!

The handsome young man in a sapphire-blue robe standing beside the petite girl couldn’t help but let out a cold snort. He looked at the clerk and said coolly, "By your logic, does that mean this flute, a Spiritual Artifact made from the rib of a Pill Nascent Soul Transformation Realm Spirit Beast, should sell for ten thousand Spirit Stones?"

As he spoke, the young man gently tossed the lustrous, white-jade-like flute in his hand. "Five hundred Spirit Stones. If that works, we’ll take this Spiritual Artifact right now. If not, we’ll just go buy one from another shop! Why waste our breath?"

The young man in a black cape next to the one in the sapphire-blue robe frowned slightly and said softly, "I think five hundred is a bit steep! It’s just a Spiritual Artifact. Brother Peng, doesn’t your sect also have people who specialize in Artifact Refining? Just have them make one!"

The young man in the sapphire-blue robe sighed. "Brother Wen, you don’t understand. My junior sister is just... alas, she’s just too mischievous. No matter how good the Spiritual Artifact, it’s guaranteed to become scrap metal in her hands within a month! My sect’s success rate for refining Spiritual Artifacts is considered good if it’s even one in twenty. Sigh, all the disciples are competing for them. Even though my junior sister is the Sect Leader’s daughter, my Master never spoils her."

The young man in the black cape had a moment of realization. "Oh, I see. In that case, Brother Peng, it’s your call. Five hundred Spirit Stones... it’s a bit expensive, but Master Jin is a renowned Artifact Refining Master, after all..."

"Heh."

A soft chuckle suddenly echoed through the shop, cutting off the young man in the black cape.

Everyone in the room turned to look at the person who had laughed—it was the same travel-worn young man who had just entered the shop.

Before the group of four could say anything, the shop clerk exploded. The man had laughed at such a critical moment; he was clearly mocking Master Jin!

Who was Master Jin? In the entire Land of the Far West, there was almost no one who didn’t know of him! Master Jin was a Grandmaster of Artifact Refining!

He himself was at the Pill Nascent Soul Transformation realm and had successfully refined Treasure Artifacts! Although he had only ever created two Treasure Artifacts in his entire life, in this world, Master Jin was already considered to have reached the pinnacle of Artifact Refining!

His status and reputation throughout the Land of the Far West were extremely high. Even the City Lord of Tongtian City and the Palace Master of the Moon Shaking Immortal Palace had to treat Master Jin with the utmost respect. And now, he was being mocked by some upstart brat.

Where was the justice in this world?

"What are you laughing at?" The shop clerk, who surprisingly seemed to possess considerable strength, unleashed his aura and glared coldly at Qin Li.

For some reason, he had taken an instant dislike to Qin Li. The man’s aura was like that of a country bumpkin. ’Look at how travel-worn he is. He’s probably just another one of those commoners from the mortal nations of the East who come here on a pilgrimage!’

Seeing the clerk’s attitude, Qin Li frowned slightly and replied coolly, "What, is laughing forbidden in your shop?"

"Hehehe." The group of four—two men and two women—couldn’t help but laugh. They found this travel-worn fellow rather interesting.

"Of course not. But my customers were speaking of Master Jin. What right do you have to laugh with such disdain? Who do you think you are? Is Master Jin someone you can mock? What gives you the right to laugh at him!"

The clerk was clearly a fanatical admirer of Master Jin. His words were a rapid-fire assault aimed at Qin Li, and his expression made it seem like he wanted nothing more than to grab Qin Li by the throat and interrogate him.

But no matter how strong he was, he was just a clerk. Of course he wouldn’t dare to do such a thing. Qin Li, however, would.

BANG!

One of Qin Li’s hands shot out and grabbed the clerk by the neck. No one saw how he moved; all they saw was a blur, and the next moment, the clerk was lifted off the ground, dangling from Qin Li’s grip.

"And who the hell do you think you are?"

A cold sneer touched Qin Li’s lips as he looked at the struggling, red-faced clerk in his grasp. "You’re just a clerk in this shop. Your strength is only at the pathetic Celestial Embracing Realm! Are you tired of living? Don’t you understand the principle that a visitor is a guest? What gives you the right to speak to me like that? Is this Master Jin so incredible? Looking at this piece of junk he refined, I really don’t see how he’s worthy of the title ’Master.’ Or is his surname Jin and his given name happens to be ’Master’?"