The Gate Of Good Fortune

Neither Sichen Qiutian nor Ning Cheng participated in the subsequent Dao Debates. The Grand Essence Realm needed only one extra spot, and this entry spot had already been given to Ning Cheng by Kong Lianbo. Therefore, there was no need to participate again. However, Ning Cheng also gained a lot from watching others in the Dao Debate from the side. After all, the alchemic experience of any Union Masters here was not something he could hope to reach in a short while.

A few days later, the Alchemy Debate finally ended. But by this time, more people came forward to befriend Ning Cheng and Sichen Qiutian, contrary to the previous instance where barely anyone wanted to speak to them. However, Ning Cheng understood that this wasn’t because of the recent increase in his popularity but because his strength was too low, which made others see him as a person with potential.

Moreover, those who pursued the Dao of Alchemy were all very realistic with their thoughts and approaches. As such, because Sichen Qiutian’s dao heart had cracks, most were naturally unwilling to discuss the Dao of Alchemy with him. After all, once the discussions deepen, the cracks in Sichen Qiutian’s heart might also affect others’ dao hearts. But now that Ning Cheng had shown such strong talent while helping Sichen Qiutian’s dao heart heal, coupled with Kong Lianbo and Lu Dongze befriending Ning Cheng, the others didn’t want to remain behind due to blindness and wanted to invite him for further discussions.

However, Ning Cheng refused all invitations and returned to the inn; he wanted to study the Compendium of Celestial Flora. This book was very important to him, especially as the Five Grand Realms’ Alchemy Competition was just around the corner. He believed that if he thoroughly studied the Compendium of Celestial Flora, he would at least not be inferior to others in terms of insight, if not stronger.

With Ning Cheng’s place in the competition secured, a stone in Sichen Qiutian’s heart had been put down. Therefore, he accepted Lu Dongze’s invitation to discuss alchemy with him.

Thus, after returning to the inn, Ning Cheng activated the restrictions and took out the Compendium of Celestial Flora.

But as soon as he turned the first page, he understood why Lu Dongze didn’t want to part with this book. This wasn’t a book at all; rather, it was a top-notch treasure.

There was no writing on the book’s pages except for mottled patterns. However, when Ning Cheng’s spiritual consciousness poured in, he saw a large verdant garden of spirit herbs and other vegetation that had no spiritual nature. Looking at the variety before him, Ning Cheng couldn’t put a number on it.

Moreover, above each plant were rows of suspended words. These words were an introduction to the effects of the plant, its growing environment, and the conditions required for its survival. These introductions were as good as they could be. Therefore, Ning Cheng didn’t need to waste time and quickly understood its nature and imprinted it into his mind.

Ning Cheng had seen several jade slips introducing spiritual herbs, but he had never seen such perfect introductions. Moreover, these herbs and vegetation existed in real life and before him. He could dig them up and even refine them into pills. There wasn’t just one of each; some even formed small patches. If all the pages of this book were like this, then the value of this book was simply immeasurable.

Ning Cheng secretly signed at Lu Dongze’s generosity. Replaced by a different person; if they had lost this book to someone else, they would have dug out all the spiritual items from it. Even if they didn’t dig out all of them, they would at least take away a large portion. At least, that’s what he would have done if put in that situation. Yet, when Ning Cheng looked at the first page, the spiritual herb garden inside was intact, without a missing plant.

Looks like this Union Master Lu had a decent personality. He wouldn't have stood out if he were like those scheming old fogies because he felt discontented with his remark. After all, Lu Dongze wasn’t the only one who felt unhappy with his remark. But in the end, only Lu Dongze was the one to stand out.

Ning Cheng soon immersed himself in the tome, and as he turned one page after another, Ning Cheng found that the divine herb gardens on the other pages had also not been touched. Some of these gardens even contained law-infused divine herbs, dao fruits, and other spiritual treasures, which had likewise yet to be dug up by Lu Dongze. Only a very few precious dao fruits were not physically present, only a picture and an introduction suspended in their place.

Ning Cheng was clear that even if Lu Dongze had dug these out, they had not been dug out recently.

As more precious dao fruits appeared, Ning Cheng became even more impressed with Lu Dongze. If he were in his shoes, he would not be able to be as selfless as Lu Dongze. At the very least, he would have never given these dao fruits to his opponent, even if he lost.

No wonder Lu Dongze could cultivate to the level of a Dao Fusion Holy Emperor, and his Dao of Alchemy had also reached the level of a Dao Fusion Pill Sage. Such generosity was something that not many people could manage.

While Ning Cheng hungered and thirsted to absorb the knowledge in the Herb and Plants of the Universe in the inn, news about him began to spread throughout the Five Grand Realms’ Void Market.

An alchemist from the Grand Essence Realm had defeated Lu Dongze with his strength in a place where many Union Masters were discussing the dao. Moreover, he had won Lu Dongze’s precious treasure, the Compendium of Celestial Flora. No one would keep this kind of thing out of the hands of others.

In a short while, many alchemists participating in the Alchemy Competition started treating Ning Cheng as their rival. It wasn’t unusual for an alchemist participating in the Five Grand Realms’ Alchemy Competition to defeat a Union Master; what was rare was that Ning Cheng had defeated the Grand Origination Realm’s Union Master. One should know that the most powerful alchemy experts in the five grand realms, apart from the Grand Change Realm, were the ones from the Grand Origination Realm. As such, it was naturally no small matter that Ning Cheng was able to defeat the Grand Origination Realm’s Union Master.

Because of this, many alchemists made it a point to visit Ning Cheng, only to learn that Ning Cheng had gone into seclusion.

Three months passed quickly, but Ning Cheng could only read one-third of the book. Even with such a powerful Sea of Consciousness, Ning Cheng could only read one-third of the book in three months. From this, it was clear how much information the book contained within its pages.

When he was turning through another page, Ning Cheng received a message from Sichen Qiutian that the alchemists participating in the Five Grand Realms’ Alchemy Competition would be teleported to the Grand Change Realm in three days. Ning Cheng could only put away the Compendium of Celestial Flora and come out. Taking advantage of these few days, he wanted to ask Lu Dongze a few questions.

That’s because Ning Cheng discovered that the later pages in the Compendium of Celestial Flora had a few plants without any introduction. He didn’t know if it was because the markings were lost or for another reason.

……

Those who could walk around the Five Grand Realms’ Void Market year-round were mostly cultivators who wandered the void, apart from the strongest people from the several major realms. But regardless of who they were, these people were strong and decisive in killing.

Ning Cheng didn’t have to walk long in the streets of the Five Grand Realms’ Void Market before he felt the murderous killing aura common among the travellers of the void.

Even though his cultivation had reached the Dao Raising Realm, Ning Cheng knew his strength was still far from those truly powerful people. In any case, there was nothing he wanted to buy here, so he didn’t intend to wander around the streets. Instead, he just wanted to find Lu Dongze quickly.

Lu Dongze stayed at the Grand Origination Inn, and apart from the Grand Essence and Grand Pinnacle Realms, who didn’t have inns in the Five Grand Realms’ Void Market, Grand Change, Grand Origination and Grand Beginning all had their own rest inns.

“Leave!” A scolding voice followed by a human-like figure flew out. As a powerful force pressed down on Ning Cheng’s surroundings, he immediately stepped aside.

“Boom!” With a loud crash, a human-like figure shot out of a door, hit a tree on the opposite side of the street, and slid down to the ground. Only then could Ning Cheng make out that it was a thin, yellow-haired woman. Apart from a pair of eyes that seemed slightly large for a head, this woman looked quite ordinary. At the very least, she wouldn’t be considered ugly.

She climbed up from the ground and wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth but didn’t make any overly aggressive moves. Looking at the situation, Ning Cheng understood that it should not be the first time she had been kicked out like this.

Although she had a Dao Sculpting cultivation, her aura wasn’t strong; it made it look like she had not cultivated for a long time and that her confidence in her dao had been destroyed. Ning Cheng’s gaze then moved to the store that had kicked the woman out. The building had no signage, but the person who kicked that yellow-robed woman out was only at the Dao Sculpting level. From the looks of it, this woman did not dare to resist and deliberately let the other party kick her out; otherwise, she wouldn’t have been in such a mess.

The yellow-haired woman looked at the building with some loss, lowered her head and slowly turned around. Ning Cheng even saw a tear sliding down her eye.

A Dao Sculpting Holy Emperor would be the “Lord of a Realm” if placed in a lower-level interface. So why would they willingly let themselves get bullied in the Five Grand Realms’ Void Market?

Ning Cheng frowned slightly as he felt some compassion towards this woman but didn’t go forward to ask. A Dao Sculpting Holy Emperor, even if they couldn’t afford to buy anything here, they wouldn’t be this depressed or down on their luck. This made Ning Cheng’s heart a little suspicious.

“I’m sorry, I almost bumped into you.” The yellow-haired woman carefully spoke to Ning Cheng, and after bowing again, she tried to walk around Ning Cheng and leave. During this exchange, she didn’t even raise her head. To be honest, Ning Cheng had never seen a Dao Sculpting Holy Emperor humble themselves to such an extent. Even if a Dao Sculpting Holy Emperor were considered a bottom-tier existence in the Five Grand Realms’ Void Market, they wouldn’t be like this, would they?

“Why did they kick you out?” Seeing how polite this yellow-haired woman was, Ning Cheng sighed, gave in, and asked. When those insects invaded Earth, didn’t Ruolan also get bullied like this?

The yellow-haired woman raised her head in confusion. She never thought Ning Cheng would even greet her, let alone speak to her. She quickly reacted and hurriedly bowed, “It’s nothing big, just a matter of not having enough crystals.”

Ning Cheng smiled, “If it's not a lot, then I can help you.”

“Ahh……” The yellow-haired woman’s eyes immediately flashed with surprise. However, this surprise quickly faded as she replied in a blue tone, “I wanted to use the teleportation array, but I didn’t have enough crystals, so they threw me out.”

Ning Cheng looked at the building without any signage and asked, “I don’t think they have a teleportation array inside, or do they? If I recall correctly, the teleportation formations are over there.”

Ning Cheng pointed to the location where he had come by the teleportation array.

The yellow-haired woman shook her head, “No, I know the teleportation array is not here; this is……”

Halfway through the sentence, the yellow-haired woman snapped out of it and confusedly looked at Ning Cheng, “Brother, aren’t you from the Five Grand Realms’ Void Market? How come you don’t know what this place is for?”

Ning Cheng replied, “No, I came here to participate in the Five Grand Realms’ Alchemy Competition. I have no idea about this place.”

“No wonder you don’t know…. Right, I heard that there is a senior called Ning Cheng from the Grand Essence Realm. He even won against Union Master Lu in an alchemy debate. Do you know this Senior Ning?” The yellow-haired woman suddenly asked an irrelevant question.

Ning Cheng replied with some embarrassment, “Know him; why are you asking about him? Do you know him?”

The yellow-haired woman spoke dejectedly, “I don’t know Senior Ning. But I’ve heard that Senior Ning is generous despite his powerful Dao of Alchemy. When he won against Union Master Lu, he only asked to borrow his Compendium of Celestial Flora instead of keeping them for himself. So, I wanted to ask for his help. Unfortunately, I’ve been there several times, but Senior Ning remains in seclusion.”

“You want to borrow divine crystals from him?” Ning Cheng felt a little speechless. When did he become Mr. Nice Guy? And since when was there a line of people he didn’t know who wanted to borrow divine crystals from him?

The yellow-haired woman made a ‘hmm’ sound, “I want to go back to the Grand Change Realm to look for something, but I don’t have enough divine crystals. The place I visited specialises in helping people get a spot to teleport to the Grand Change Realm. It’s just that it requires too many divine crystals, and I don’t have them.”

Ning Cheng asked in amazement, “Don’t they say that the Grand Change Realm was difficult to enter? Do they have such an ability?”

No one would have asked him for a spot if the Grand Change Realm could be entered by just paying enough divine crystals. Which force in the Grand Essence Realm didn’t have piles of divine crystals?