The following days brought a constant flow of new rivals.
With each dawn, more flying ships, floating platforms, and flocks of winged beasts appeared on the horizon, cutting through the sky tinted green by the spiritual mist of the Ancient Forest. The city, already grand, seed to grow even more with the arrival of new domains. Colorful banners fluttered on secondary trees, and the air grew increasingly dense with the presence of powerful cultivators.
Kyrian observed everything from the balcony of his room in the Green Sword Tree. On the third day after arrival, he saw the imposing ship of the Scarlet Sun Sect descend majestically, with golden flas engraved on the hull. On the fifth day, it was the Six Venoms Sect, whose disciples wore dark purple robes and emanated a cold and toxic aura that made even the spiritual birds keep their distance. Other smaller domains arrived daily, so with pomp, others discreetly.
The atmosphere in the city changed rapidly. The veiled rivalry between the domains beca palpable. Gazes crossed the floating bridges, subtle provocations were exchanged in public squares, and the Central Plateau received increasingly grand preparations.
Kyrian felt it was ti to act.
On the morning of the sixth day, he left the Green Sword Tree alone. He wore a simple black robe, without drawing unnecessary attention. Mo Tianhai and the others were still sleeping or cultivating. He preferred to leave like that..
His first destination was the Pavilion of a Thousand Herbs, one of the largest trade guilds in the city, located on a central floating platform. The pavilion was enormous, with five floors of spiritual wood and luminous crystals. Disciples and rchants from various domains constantly entered and exited.
Kyrian entered the third floor, intended for high-value items. An elder with a long beard and an aura at the Core Formation Realm received him behind a jade counter.
"How can I help, young friend?"
Kyrian did not waste ti. He placed several large flasks and a small box on the counter.
"Rank 4 pills. This batch of fifty units contains Burning Heart pills, Core Stabilization, and Rapid Qi Recovery. All with purity above ninety percent. In addition, ten complete rank 4 barrier formation plates."
The elder raised an eyebrow, clearly interested. He examined a pill against the light, then tested the Qi of one of the formation plates. His eyes widened slightly.
"Excellent purity... and the formations are stable. Did you refine and create all of this yourself?"
Kyrian simply nodded.
The elder smiled, already calculating the profit.
"For the full batch of pills... one hundred thousand dium-grade spirit stones. For the ten formation plates... one hundred and twenty thousand. A total of two hundred and twenty thousand. It is a fair price for the quality."
Kyrian thought for a second and replied calmly.
"Two hundred and fifty thousand."
The elder laughed, but ended up accepting after a brief negotiation. The deal was closed at two hundred and fifty thousand dium-grade spirit stones. Kyrian stored the crystals in his spatial ring and left the pavilion without an expression of satisfaction or regret. It was just a transaction.
With the resources secured, he walked back to the Green Sword Tree.
In the central hall, he found the group gathered. Mo Tianhai was sharpening his sword, Long Xue was ditating, Mo Xia was reading a scroll, and the others were resting.
Kyrian stopped at the entrance and spoke directly.
"I’m going to a restaurant in the city. Does anyone want to go?"
Mo Tianhai was the first to stand up, with a wide smile.
"Finally! I’m in. I was already tired of eating travel rations."
Mo Xia closed the scroll.
" too."
Long Xue opened her eyes and nodded shyly. Shen Yu and Wu Jian joined without hesitation. Even i Ran, who was coming down the stairs at that mont, decided to go along.
Feng Yuan only smiled from the top of the staircase.
"Go. Have fun."
The group of seven left the tree and followed Kyrian across a wide bridge to the busiest comrcial sector. They chose the Hall of Nine Essences, a restaurant famous for its rare spices and dishes prepared with spiritual ingredients from the Ancient Forest.
The interior was luxurious, with tables of fragrant wood and windows that offered a view of the floating city. An attendant guided them to a large table on the second floor.
The dishes began to arrive, grilled winged beast at with golden herbs, soup of crystalline spiritual roots, sautéed luminous fruits, spiritual rice seasoned with Qi flowers, and a light wine made from ancient tree nectar.
Mo Tianhai attacked the food with enthusiasm.
"This is incredible! Much better than anything from our sect!"
Mo Xia tasted a piece of at and nodded, surprised.
"The Qi contained in the seasonings is really pure. It even helps with circulation."
Long Xue ate slowly, her eyes shining with each new bite. Shen Yu and Wu Jian ate in silence but clearly enjoyed it. i Ran smiled lightly, watching the young ones.
Kyrian ate calmly, savoring the subtle flavors. It was different from the simple als he had in the courtyard or the pills that replaced food. There was sothing... human about it. It was a pleasant pause.
As they ate, they talked about the sects that had arrived. Mo Tianhai ntioned having seen disciples of the Flaming Sword training aggressively earlier. i Ran warned again about avoiding unnecessary conflicts before the official ceremony.
Kyrian listened, but his mind was entirely focused on feeling the taste of the food.
When they finished the al, the sun was already setting again, painting the city in orange tones. The group walked back slowly across the main bridge, the gentle wind swaying the spiritual lanterns along the path.
Mo Tianhai gave a friendly slap on Kyrian’s back.
"It was a good idea. We needed this."
Kyrian simply nodded.
Back at the Green Sword Tree, each one withdrew to their room. Kyrian sat once again on the balcony, looking at the city that now shone like a sea of floating stars.
He had sold his pills and formations well. He had eaten well with the group. Now, all that remained was to wait.
User Comments
0 comments from readers