Nine Transformations of the True Spirit

The wilderness is covered with thick white snow, undulating like a magnificent white ocean.

The cold wind was as sharp as a knife, biting to the bone, and rolled up countless snowflakes, dancing wildly in the open fields. The light gray clouds in the sky seemed to have solidified, and it was so oppressive that it made people mad.

An isolated city stands in the distance, like a giant beast lying on the ground, looming in the wind and snow.

The gray-white city wall is about ten feet high, covered with a layer of transparent ice, tall and thick.

On the city tower, there were strong soldiers wearing thick cotton clothes and slightly bloated figures. They held torches in one hand and swords in the other, patrolling back and forth. From time to time, they turned their heads to look at the apocalyptic wilderness outside the city, with deep vigilance in their eyes.

A blizzard was raging outside the city, but it was much more peaceful inside the city. The cold wind had subsided and there was only heavy snowfall.

The streets are bustling with people coming and going, and the lights of thousands of houses are twinkling like stars in the sky.

To the south of the city is a large field, which occupies half of the city. It is green and full of crops similar to wheat, and it still stands tall in the heavy snow.

The heavy ears of wheat weighed down the branches slightly, indicating that it was obviously time to harvest.

A ray of light flew from the sky and stopped over the lonely city, revealing the figure of a young monk.

This man has a long body, eyes like bright stars, and an extraordinary temperament. He is none other than Chen Yuan, who has traveled thousands of miles from Renzhou.

He glanced around and landed on the top of the city gate, where the word "Shuo Feng" was engraved.

The map of Hanzhou given to him by layman Qingliu appeared in Chen Yuan's mind, he nodded slightly and cast his light.

Jiuxianzhou is vast and boundless. Among the thirteen states, the larger one is like Xizhou in the far west, with a radius of more than 600,000 miles, and the smaller one is like Jingzhou in the center, with a radius of more than 200,000 miles.

Hanzhou is located in the upper reaches, with a radius of more than 400,000 miles. However, the north is a permanently frozen ice field, and the south is a desolate wilderness. It is as cold as winter all year round, with little sunshine, and is not suitable for human survival.

But in such a vast area, no matter how barren and desolate it is, there are still many spiritual veins distributed, and it also contains many cultivation resources such as spiritual stone veins and spiritual material veins.

In the past, some sect families had offended the main sects of the state and were forced to move north, or there were scattered cultivators who traveled in Hanzhou, discovered the spiritual veins and minerals, and established a sect.

Gradually, Hanzhou, like the other eleven states except Nanzhou, has many sects and families everywhere.

But unlike other states, the environment in Hanzhou is too harsh, natural disasters occur frequently, and monsters appear in the wasteland. Mortals cannot even cultivate crops and cannot survive at all.

Although immortals and mortals have different paths, those who cultivate immortals come from ordinary people.

The fewer the number of mortals, the fewer people with spiritual roots. It is impossible to recruit new disciples, and no matter how powerful the sect is, it will perish.

In order for the sect family to have successors and the inheritance to be immortal, the Hanzhou monks cannot sit back and let the mortals fend for themselves. , built strong cities one after another, set up formations, adjusted the climate, resisted monsters, protected and ruled the mortals, and thrived.

This Shuofeng City was built by Guanlan Sect, a medium-sized sect in Hanzhou, relying on a medium-sized spiritual vein.

…

As soon as Chen Yuan left the escape light, a figure rose from the tower and said loudly: "Fellow Taoist, please stay!"

Chen Yuan stopped, and a big man with a beard came to Chen Yuan. His energy was released, and he had the cultivation level of the early stage of foundation building.

He was wearing a thick fur coat and looked at Chen Yuan up and down with vigilance in his eyes.

Seeing Chen Yuan wearing a thin white gown, the big man couldn't help but shrink his pupils.

At this moment, the wind and snow are raging, and the sky is freezing. If it is an ordinary wind and snow, it will be fine, but the wind and snow in Hanzhou contains the power of thin ice.

If a mortal leaves the city, he will freeze to death within a moment.

Even monks walking through the wind and snow will feel chilly and unbearable.

This person is wearing a long robe, with a ruddy complexion, and is not afraid of the wind and snow at all. Either he has a high level of cultivation, or his robes are of high quality and can keep out the cold.

The guard on the big man's face disappeared, and he bowed his hands and said, "Nie Rutie, the deacon of Guanlan Sect, are you going to enter Shuofengfang City?"

Chen Yuan nodded: "Not bad."

The big man's heart relaxed: "Please show me your cultivation, fellow Taoist."

With a thought in Chen Yuan's mind, the Qi of the monks in the early stage of pill formation dispersed.

The big man's face paled slightly, and his expression immediately became respectful. He cupped his fists and bowed: "It turns out to be Master Jiedan. I'm sorry, I'm so rude."

As he spoke, he flicked the storage bag on his waist, took out a jade sign, and offered it with both hands: "Master Jie Dan enters the city. This sect does not accept any spiritual stones. This is a pass token. Those who hold this sign can enter and exit freely." Shuofeng City Formation."

"Senior only needs to leave a trace of spiritual imprint in the token, which can last for one year."

Chen Yuan nodded slightly, raised his hand and took the jade token into his hand, leaving a trace of his spiritual mark.

The big man raised his hand and said, "Senior, please follow me."

Chen Yuan held the jade sign and followed behind the big man. After passing through a layer of formation that blocked the strong wind, he came to the west of the city and lowered the escape light.

Shuofeng City has a radius of hundreds of miles and has a huge area, with hills, rivers, fields and jungles.

The mountain gate of Guanlan Sect is located in the north of the city, the east of the city is where mortals live, the south of the city is a vast field, and the west of the city is where the city is.

Hanzhou is barren and the world of immortal cultivation is weak. There is only one large sect, the Ice Spirit Sect, and only six medium-sized sects, including the Guanlan Sect.

Shuofeng City is so majestic that it ranks among the top seven in Hanzhou. Among several majestic cities, it is the most northerly.

Renzhou and Hanzhou are separated by Yuezhou and Weizhou. Chen Yuan flew hundreds of thousands of miles without stopping, and it took him nearly a month to reach Hanzhou.

Due to the refining of Kunpeng's true blood, his escape speed increased at least twice as much as before, surpassing that of ordinary Yuan Ying early stage monks, and his true energy consumption was minimal.

After he entered Hanzhou, he still didn't stop. He spent a few more days arriving at Shuofeng City, and then stopped for a short rest. He also wanted to find out about the situation of the demon clan in Hanzhou.

The two of them dropped their flying light at the entrance of Fangshi. The big man clasped his fists and bowed again: "Senior, it is forbidden to escape in Shuofeng City. I also ask senior not to leave the west of the city. If there is any misunderstanding, it will be bad."

Chen Yuan nodded, and then the big man took up the escape light and flew back to the city tower.

He withdrew his gaze and walked into the market. The Qi Refining monks on duty saluted respectfully when they saw the jade plaque in his hand.

Before Chen Yuan left, layman Qingliu gave him several jade slips, which recorded the map of Hanzhou and the situation of the world of immortality.

The mortals in the fortified city are the foundation of each sect and family in Hanzhou. In the past, monks sneaked into the cities built by hostile sects and massacred the mortals, turning them into water without a source and trees without roots, and they perished.

However, monks must always communicate with each other, and each city has established a market. Foreign monks can only be prohibited from leaving the market, let alone entering areas where mortals live.

Further north of Shuofengfang City is the ice field, which is close to the territory of the demon clan. Many monks enter the ice field to hunt monsters and then return to Shuofeng City to sell demon pills and monster materials.

All major sects in Hanzhou have opened shops here, and there are even sects from other states who come here to purchase demon pills and demon beast materials.

This resulted in a large number of foreign monks in Shuofengfang City. Among the major cities in Hanzhou, it was second only to Bingling City and had the strictest control.

Not far away from each other on the street, there were Qi Refining monks patrolling, scanning the monks coming and going with vigilance in their eyes.

There are even foundation-building monks passing through the sky from time to time, patrolling around to guard against anyone making trouble.

Under the painstaking management of the Guanlan Sect, Shuofengfang City has become increasingly prosperous, with rows of buildings on the streets, all made of fine wood, either exquisite and elegant, or majestic.

In the barren Hanzhou, only monks can be so luxurious.

The houses that mortals live in are all made of stones quarried from the wasteland. They are crude and ugly.

Monks were constantly coming and going on the street, and bright lanterns were hung on the street, illuminating the dim road.

In addition to shops on the street, there are also monks setting up stalls, selling the monster materials in their hands. The Qi Refining monks are shouting loudly to attract customers, just like a mortal market.

As Chen Yuan walked on the street, a sense of familiarity arose in his heart. If it weren't for the heavy snowfall, he would have thought he had returned to Blood Island.

Before he had gone far, several monks wearing thick fur coats came over. They were both men and women. They all saluted respectfully and asked Chen Yuan if he needed a guide.

Chen Yuan looked around and saw that these monks were all extremely young, and most of them were in the early stage of Qi Refining. Only one of them was at the fourth level of Qi Refining. They were both male and female, and they all had ordinary looks.

Chen Yuan randomly selected a young monk. The others were a little frustrated and scattered around, looking for other monks who entered the city.

There was a blizzard falling from the sky, and not many monks came from outside Shuofeng City. Only a few Foundation-Building monks, accompanied by the Guanlan Sect monks, fell from the sky. They were the targets of these young people.

The other monks walked in through the city gate, and their cultivation levels were below the foundation level.

Many of them still had iron tags tied around their waists. It was obvious that they had been to Shuofengfang City earlier and it was impossible to hire a guide.

The young monk is only sixteen or seventeen years old, just a teenager.

Perhaps because he hasn't seen the sun all year round, his skin looks a little pale and his appearance is childish, but he always has a smile on his face and looks extremely enthusiastic, which makes people feel good about him.

He cupped his fists and bowed, and said respectfully: "This junior grew up in Shuofeng City and is very familiar with Fang City. Where do you want to go, senior?"

Chen Yuan said calmly: "Don't worry, you can take me for a walk around the market first."

"Yes." The enthusiastic young man raised his hand and said, "Senior, please come with me."

He led the way and said: "Senior, you should have come to Hanzhou to hunt monsters, right? Senior, you are really right. Shuofeng City is the closest to the ice field. Every year, many monks come to Shuofeng City from all over Hanzhou. , there are also many monks from other places who come to the ice plains to hunt monsters, and then return to the city to sell monster pills and monster materials..."

Chen Yuanqi asked: "How can you tell that I am a monk from another state?"

The enthusiastic young man turned to look at Chen Yuan and said respectfully: "Hanzhou monks like to wear fur coats. Even if they have advanced cultivation and are not afraid of the cold, they often will not change this habit. The senior wears a thin shirt, so naturally he wears fur coats. Coming from out of state.”

Chen Yuan suddenly understood. He glanced around and saw that the monks coming and going looked at him with different eyes. His outfit was indeed very conspicuous.

He looked at the enthusiastic young man and asked, "Is there any shop selling cassocks in the market?"

The enthusiastic young man smiled and said: "Of course, senior, please go this way."

Chen Yuan followed the enthusiastic young man to a shop with an extremely elegant appearance, which sold various robes.

Chen Yuan bought several sets of spiritual-level robes, all made of the furs of third-level monsters.

After he put it on, he was no different from the local monks. They covered his whole body and the collar was covered with thick and smooth velvet. He looked elegant and luxurious, like a rich man traveling in winter.

These robes were not expensive, adding up to only two high-grade spiritual stones, but in the eyes of the enthusiastic young man, his attitude became more respectful.

The person who can buy several spiritual weapons and robes at will is either a real person who builds the pill or a foundation-building monk with a very deep background.

After walking out of the store, the enthusiastic young man smiled and said, "Senior, where should we go next?"

"Wander around the market and introduce all the well-known shops."

"Okay, this Weapon Spirit Hall was opened by Han Lian Sect. It specializes in selling magic weapons and spiritual weapons. It is said that there are also magic weapons for sale. Han Lian Sect controls a cold flame fire vein and is best at refining ice attribute spiritual weapons. Seniors, if you have If you need anything, you can go take a look..."

The two of them walked around the market, and the enthusiastic young man introduced every shop they passed along the way.

He was very knowledgeable about the origins of all the shops and introduced them in great detail. He could even tell the general origins of many monks who set up stalls on the street.

Under his introduction, Chen Yuan's understanding of Shuofengfang City quickly deepened, and he became more and more curious about the enthusiastic boy.

The two of them moved very slowly, and it took them an hour to cover only half of the city.

After the enthusiastic young man introduced another shop, Chen Yuan asked: "Before I came to Hanzhou, I had read many classics, and I know a lot about Hanzhou."

"I heard that the Hanzhou Sect will regularly inspect the mortals in the city. As long as they have spiritual roots, they will be admitted into the sect. Since you grew up in Shuofeng City, why are you a casual cultivator?"

The enthusiastic young man's face darkened, and the smile that had always been on his face also faded: "My parents are both casual cultivators who came to Shuofeng City to hunt monsters. Five years ago, they went into the ice field to hunt monsters and never came back. "

"At that time, the junior was already twelve years old. He had exceeded the age limit for joining the Guanlan Sect, and his cultivation was low. He did not dare to go hunting monsters in the ice fields, so he had to act as a guide in Shuofengfang City to earn some spiritual stones to provide for Practice.”

Chen Yuan frowned: "Are those young guides the same as you?"

The enthusiastic young man nodded and smiled bitterly: "The children of casual cultivators in Shuofeng City, those with outstanding talents, have long been admitted to the Guanlan Sect, and those without spiritual roots can also become rich."

"The remaining pseudo-spiritual monks, instead of joining the Guanlan Sect and working hard, it is better to practice on their own. When their cultivation level improves, they can hunt monsters with their parents."

"But the ice field is very dangerous. Monks die every day. If your parents don't come back, you have to fend for yourself."

"Those with outstanding looks can be accepted by various shops to receive customers, while those of us with average looks and mediocre qualifications can only serve as guides and earn some hard money."

His tone was very lonely, Chen Yuan sighed softly and stopped asking further questions.

The enthusiastic boy put on his smile again and continued to introduce the shops along the street.

The two of them walked through the entire city in the falling snow.

In a remote corner with no one around, Chen Yuan found a middle-grade spiritual stone from the corner of the mustard seed ring, handed it to the enthusiastic young man, and said warmly: "Practice diligently, and you may be able to achieve something in the future."

The enthusiastic young man showed gratitude on his face and bowed deeply: "Thank you, senior, for your great kindness!" (End of this chapter)