Chapter 465: The Levels of the Huafan Realm

A sea of white clouds, beasts soared through the sky.

On the back of a giant spirit beast, Zhang Xuan stood by the window, gazing into the distance. This was a Transcendent Mortal 3-dan spirit beast, the mount of "Young Master" Zhao Feiwu.

After learning about Soul Oracles and Honghai City, Zhang Xuan didn't linger. He took Zhao Ya and the others and departed immediately. Mo Yu, now the King of Xuanyuan Kingdom with countless important matters to handle, naturally couldn't accompany him on his long journey. She remained in the royal city and was entrusted to Luo Qianhong's care.

He had originally intended to ride the Iron-toothed Howling Sky Beast, but upon learning that Honghai City was over a million li away, he immediately abandoned the idea. For such a long distance, the Howling Sky Beast, being only at the Zhizun realm, would take a month or more even if it traveled day and night without rest, which was far too time-consuming. Zhao Feiwu's mount, on the other hand, had already reached Transcendent Mortal 3-dan, and its back was spacious, allowing everyone to sit comfortably without feeling crowded. Moreover, since Zhao Feiwu insisted on accompanying him, Zhang Xuan no longer refused.

They had been traveling for five days straight.

"Teacher, aren't you a poison master? How did you become a subordinate of the special envoy...?" Having finally reunited with his teacher, Gu Mu followed closely, looking at Jin Conghai, who was not far away, with a puzzled expression. Poison masters were feared by all and typically stayed far from the imperial court, receiving no attention. How had his own teacher, of all people, become a loyal retainer and guest of this "Young Master"?

"When I left the Poison Hall back then, it was to seek revenge," Jin Conghai explained. "But I was ambushed by my opponent. Although I killed him, I was gravely injured. It was the Young Master's father who saved me... Over the years, to prevent others from knowing my identity as a poison master, I've rarely used poison!"

Just as Gu Mu thought, poison masters rarely pledged loyalty to others. It wasn't due to unwillingness on their part, but rather that anyone who accepted such a person would be viewed with suspicion and isolated. Just imagine, who would dare to accept them? After being saved by the Young Master's father, Jin Conghai had followed him ever since. To prevent his identity from being exposed, he hadn't used poison for many years. In others' eyes, he was merely a diligent servant, completely unaware that he was also a formidable 4-star poison master.

"Teacher!" Ignoring the conversation between the master and disciple, Yuan Tao and the others walked over. At this moment, with the aid of spirit beast blood, Yuan Tao's Dragon-Rhino bloodline had been reactivated, and his strength had significantly increased. He had already reached the peak of the Grandmaster realm, in no way weaker than Zhao Ya. As for Zheng Yang, Wang Ying, Liu Yang, and Sun Qiang, Zhang Xuan bestowed a lotus seed upon each of them. This time, he only imparted the simplified version of the Heaven's Path cultivation technique and did not perform initiation.

Even so, with a heaven-defying treasure like the Scarlet Flame Lotus Seed and the simplified Heaven's Path cultivation technique, their progress was remarkably swift. In just five days, they continuously broke through several levels, all now reaching the early Grandmaster realm. Although slightly less powerful than Zhao Ya, their strength was incredibly solid, without any hint of instability. More importantly, the lotus seeds hadn't even consumed one percent of their energy yet. It was foreseeable that if they truly absorbed all the energy within, even if they couldn't reach the peak of the Zhizun realm, they wouldn't be far off.

Witnessing such precious Scarlet Flame Lotus Seeds being given away so casually, allowing his students and subordinates to rapidly break through, Zhao Feiwu and the others felt their minds crumble. However, with the increasing frequency of such 'collapses,' they gradually grew accustomed to it. To them, the Zhang Xuan before their eyes was no longer someone who could be measured by common sense. Rather than tiring themselves out with endless contemplation, it was better to simply accept it.

"That's Honghai City ahead!" The spirit beast continued forward, and soon a massive city appeared in everyone's sight. Clinging tightly to the ground, countless buildings looked like tiny particles embedded in the earth, reflecting the sun's rays. Even though Xuanyuan Royal City was quite large, it paled in comparison to Honghai City, resembling a remote rural village. It truly was one of the largest cities in the Alliance of Ten Thousand Kingdoms. Setting aside everything else, its sheer size and architectural style alone were incomparable to those of a Conferred Kingdom or a First-tier Kingdom.

"Honghai City attracts merchants from all directions," Zhao Feiwu explained. "Not only Xuanyuan Kingdom but also numerous Conferred Kingdoms like Chih River Kingdom and Liusu Kingdom conduct trade here, earning astonishing profits from price differences. It can be said to be the most prosperous commercial hub in the entire Kingdom Alliance!"

Zhang Xuan nodded. Books in the Tianwu Kingdom's library mentioned Honghai City, known as the City of Commerce. Trade and communication between the Alliance of Ten Thousand Kingdoms and its many subordinate kingdoms primarily took place here. In terms of prosperity, it even surpassed the capital, Myriad Kingdom City.

"The Alliance of Ten Thousand Kingdoms is not a small place like Xuanyuan Kingdom," Zhao Feiwu said with a serious expression. "While your strength, reaching Half-Transcendent Mortal, is not weak among your peers, you still need to be cautious here. The Master Teacher Pavilion in Honghai City has a 4-star master teacher presiding. Although they are only at the mid-stage of 4-star, their true strength has already reached the Transcendent Mortal 3-dan Yin-Yang Realm, making them unfathomable!"

"The Yin-Yang Realm?" Zhang Xuan looked over. He already knew that above the nine levels of martial arts was the Transcendent Mortal realm, which also had nine levels, but he wasn't aware of the specific subdivisions.

"There are nine levels in Transcendent Mortal," Zhao Feiwu explained: "1-dan Longevity, 2-dan Primordial Qi, 3-dan Yin-Yang, 4-dan Turbid-Clear, 5-dan Spirit Convergence, 6-dan Heaven Bridging, 7-dan Unity, 8-dan Void Tread, and 9-dan Cocoon Seal!" Knowing what he meant, Zhao Feiwu explained, "You should already be familiar with the Longevity realm. Upon reaching this level, while your strength remains at 100,000 and doesn't increase, your lifespan will exceed one hundred years. Every minor breakthrough adds 50 years to your lifespan, so at its peak, one can live up to 350 years."

"As for the 2-dan Primordial Qi realm," he continued, "it involves refining the true qi within your body further, transforming it into primordial qi that can manipulate the natural world. Just as with the renewal of all things after a new beginning... primordial qi is completely different from true qi; the former represents power and life potential, while the latter can merge with nature and be drawn from it, already capable of revealing countless mysteries! For instance, an ordinary piece of paper, infused with primordial qi, could very likely gain sentience, float on its own, and fly around. Therefore, the Primordial Qi realm is what we often refer to as the Spell Power realm; primordial qi is spell power."

"As for the 3-dan Yin-Yang Realm," he continued, "yin and yang generate each other, and their forces complement each other, making one's strength even greater. Upon reaching this cultivation level, your strength can no longer be limited by mere raw power; you already possess the ability to destroy heaven and earth! Even a distant mountain peak can be shattered with a single blow."

Zhao Feiwu, who knew a great deal about cultivation levels, explained them in detail.

"Even a mountain peak can be shattered with a single blow?" Zheng Yang and the others gasped. Having reached the Grandmaster realm, they already felt incredibly powerful. They could easily throw rocks weighing thousands of kilograms, and a single punch could twist steel. But no matter how strong this was, it was still merely the limit of the physical body. Destroying a mountain with a single punch was still far beyond their capability; such a feat was already akin to a deity. No wonder the Transcendent Mortal realm was also called the Spirit Realm; such abilities were indeed something martial artists couldn't contend with. Even a Half-Transcendent Mortal was far from enough.

"As for the 4-dan Turbid-Clear Realm," Zhao Feiwu continued, "primordial qi distinguishes between clear and turbid, and the soul distinguishes between light and heavy. With diligent cultivation, one can completely improve the quality of their primordial qi. In other words, this is an opportunity for cultivators to advance the quality of their primordial qi (true qi). If one can ascend from the lower three ranks to the middle three ranks, needless to say, the immense effect is unimaginable!" Zhao Feiwu chuckled, then continued, "Hall Master Kang, the 4-star peak master teacher of Myriad Kingdom City, is at this level. Reaching this cultivation level allows one to move unhindered within the Alliance of Ten Thousand Kingdoms, and no one dares to offend them. As for the 5-dan Spirit Convergence Realm, I've only heard about it; it's beyond the scope of the Alliance of Ten Thousand Kingdoms, and I'm not entirely clear on the specifics."

"So that's how it is!" Zhang Xuan nodded. The nine levels of Transcendent Mortal, just like the nine levels of martial arts, each represent a distinct stage, requiring relentless effort and perseverance to cultivate. Of course, for him, it still required finding countless secret manuals to form the Heaven's Path cultivation technique.

"We're here, let's go down!" As they spoke, Honghai City was already before them. The beast's wings flapped, and it descended straight down. Like other royal cities, entering the city required a fee. However, Zhang Xuan presented his master teacher emblem, and the expense was waived.

Walking into Honghai City's wide streets, they found the surroundings bustling with activity, with various goods being sold everywhere. The Ghost-tier peak weapons, once the most valuable in the Lin family, could be purchased at any random shop here.

"In Honghai City, gold coins are basically useless," Zhao Feiwu explained. "The most common forms of currency for transactions are lesson jade tokens and spirit stones. Master teachers' lesson jade tokens are categorized by rank: a single 4-star lesson can be exchanged for one hundred 3-star lessons, a 3-star lesson can be exchanged for one hundred 2-star lessons, and so on. As for spirit stones, about ten can purchase one 3-star lesson jade token!"

"Using lesson jade tokens as currency?" Zhang Xuan's eyes lit up. No wonder master teachers held such esteemed and respected positions; their lesson hours were equivalent to currency. Even those who didn't wish to cultivate wouldn't mind acquiring such a valuable form of wealth. However, a moment of thought revealed the reason. Master teachers' lesson hours allowed cultivators to resolve countless cultivation problems and obstacles. Not to mention an hour, even a few minutes often played a decisive role in breakthroughs. Using this as currency for transactions was indeed the fairest and most selfless method.

"I heard that a Soulless Golden Man was unearthed here," Zhang Xuan asked. "If I want to purchase it, where should I go?"

"A treasure like the Soulless Golden Man is incredibly valuable," Zhao Feiwu mused. "It's usually auctioned by the Treasure Appraising Pavilion. If my guess is correct, it should be there!"

"The Treasure Appraising Pavilion?" Zhang Xuan looked over. "Is that where appraisers gather?" Back when he was in Tianxuan Kingdom, he had encountered a "Master Appraiser"—Mo Yang. That fellow was merely an apprentice, yet he acted mysteriously and used various tricks to swindle money. However, quite a few people actually believed him. Although appraisers were only a middle-to-lower-tier profession, they were highly sought after due to their ability to determine the value of treasures.