Chapter 65: The Hundred Treasures Pavilion
This novel is translated and hosted on BCatranslation.
Yu Zhao and Zhou Jin Yue shared the same thought.
Her cultivation had reached a stable point, and she needed a challenge to make a breakthrough. Additionally, she needed to forge a suitable natal artifact before the Great Competition began.
Her plan was to train and search for all the necessary materials for crafting along the way, with her training ending at the Green Wood Sect. The day she left the Green Wood Sect would be the day she returned to the Five Elements Sect.
Zhou Jin Yue, ever concerned, meticulously explained the important things to note during her journey and gave her all the talismans he had for protection. It was a kind gesture that Yu Zhao accepted without hesitation.
After thanking Zhou Jin Yue, Yu Zhao went to the Treasure Library to inform Elder Gu of her impending departure. Elder Gu didn’t say much, only reminding her to return in time for the Great Competition. While the competition had both sect and individual categories, it was well known that the sect competition was much less challenging. By participating as a sect disciple, Yu Zhao would have a better chance of securing a spot.
Acknowledging his advice, Yu Zhao left the Treasure Library. Besides Elder Gu and Zhou Jin Yue, there was no one else in the sect she felt close to. Without returning to the inner courtyard, she headed straight for the mountain gate.
After leaving the Five Elements Sect, Yu Zhao traveled swiftly, setting her first stop at Lantern City, where they had stayed during a previous training.
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Lantern City was as bustling as ever. Yu Zhao paid the entry fee at the city gate and chose an inn to stay in. She stayed indoors, only venturing out after nightfall when the streets were lit only by lanterns and deserted of people. She jumped out of her room’s window and walked along the street, her eyes quickly scanning her surroundings. Soon, she spotted a glowing yellow mark on a wall in a narrow alley.
With a slight smile, she knocked lightly on the marked brick in a pattern of three long and two short taps. Moments later, the wall shifted, revealing a hidden door. Yu Zhao stepped inside without hesitation.
Inside, the atmosphere was entirely different, a spacious and brightly lit hall, illuminated like daylight. At the entrance stood two young cultivators, one on either side. On the left was a voluptuous, alluring female cultivator, while on the right stood a handsome, graceful male cultivator.
The male cultivator quickly approached Yu Zhao, bowing slightly. “Greetings, honored guest.”
His voice wasn’t as soft as a woman’s, yet it carried a certain charm, almost flirtatious. Yu Zhao’s expression remained neutral as she calmly said, “I’m here to see the Seeker.”
The Hundred Treasures Pavilion was the largest merchant organization in the cultivation world. Publicly, they sold magical items and pills, but secretly, they dealt in information, known as the Dark Pavilion. The Dark Pavilion had three departments: Inquiry, Search, and Request.
Inquiry was for buying or selling exclusive information, Search was for finding people or items, and Request was for delegating specific tasks to the Dark Pavilion’s agents. By asking for the Seeker, Yu Zhao indicated she was there for a search.
The male cultivator, understanding that she was not a novice, shed his coquettish demeanor and spoke clearly, “Please follow me.”
He led Yu Zhao to a private room. In the center was a partition with a small window at shoulder height. “Please wait here; the Seeker will be with you shortly,” he said before leaving.
After a moment, the window opened, and a small wooden plaque floated into the room. Yu Zhao caught it, seeing the word “Search” engraved on one side and the other side blank. Using her spiritual power, she wrote “True Water” and “Celestial Orchid,” the two rare materials she needed, on the blank side.
She pushed the plaque back through the window, which closed immediately. After a while, the window opened again, and a wooden tray floated out, carrying a slip of paper. The paper read “Five mid-grade spirit stones,” indicating the price for the search.
Yu Zhao sighed in relief upon reading it. The Hundred Treasures Pavilion only accepted tasks they could complete. If they lacked a reliable source or deemed the task unfeasible, they would not charge and might even compensate the customer. Of course, the compensation was symbolic.
With her current wealth, Yu Zhao had no shortage of money; what she needed was a life-bound artifact. She promptly placed five mid-grade spirit stones on the tray and pushed it back. The window opened again, and Yu Zhao finally received the information she sought.
The Hundred Treasures Pavilion, true to its reputation, provided five leads: three for True Water and two for Celestial Orchid. After reviewing them, Yu Zhao decided to first go to Blackwater City in the Southern Region, as they were holding an auction in three months featuring True Water as one of the items.
Confident she could win the True Water at the auction, she planned to then head to the Marshlands in the Western Region to search for the Celestial Orchid.
The next day, Yu Zhao set out for the Southern Region. At her flying speed, she would reach Blackwater City in less than a month. However, she felt that spending all her time traveling and searching for materials would be uninteresting and wouldn’t aid her cultivation. So, she decided to keep an eye out for any traveling merchant caravans along the way. If she found one, she would try to join them for part of the journey. Otherwise, she would stop in towns or monster-infested forests to experience local customs and practices.
This novel is translated and hosted on BCatranslation.
This leisurely approach led to a month passing quickly. One day, Yu Zhao arrived at a small town purely by chance. The town had no cultivators, only ordinary people who worked from sunrise to sunset.
Feeling a connection to the place, Yu Zhao transformed her appearance into that of a simple traveler and entered the town. The streets were filled with the sounds of vendors calling out their wares:
“Fresh flowers! Beautiful flowers for sale!”
“Miss, how about a hot, delicious bun?”
“Sweet candied fruits! Get your sweet candied fruits!”
As she strolled through the lively streets, a long-buried memory surfaced in her mind.