"What will I become in the end?" Meng Hao looked up at the wind and snow swirling outside the cave. He had no answer.
Time slowly passed. As dawn approached, the sky suddenly turned pitch black. Only the strong wind howled, only the biting frost flew. The fire in front of Meng Hao gradually died out, plunging the entire cave into darkness.
In this darkness, a sense of loneliness suddenly enveloped him, growing larger and larger until it covered his entire body.
"Father, Mother, where are you?" Meng Hao murmured, remembering his parents. He missed them terribly, so terribly.
"Little Fatty, what are you doing now?" After a long while, Meng Hao let out a soft sigh. In his mind, he suddenly saw the grinding, creaking movements of the Little Fatty sharpening his teeth.
"Senior Sister Xu, Senior Brother Chen, everyone in the Southern Domain is well…" Meng Hao looked at the night outside the cave, as if he could see all the way to the Southern Domain. A look of longing gradually appeared in his eyes.
"Read a hundred books, travel a thousand li… one day I will leave the State of Zhao and go to the Southern Domain." A determined look appeared in Meng Hao's eyes. However, he thought of the State of Zhao being on the border of the Southern Domain; to reach the heart of the Southern Domain was truly too far.
He still remembered seeing the entire Southern Shan region on a map. Between the State of Zhao and the heart of the Southern Domain was a vast, desolate wilderness, with several other states in between.
With Meng Hao's cultivation, occasionally having to rely on sliding, it would probably take him a very, very long time to travel.
"Unless I can become a Foundation Establishment cultivator!" A bright flame seemed to ignite in Meng Hao's eyes, containing a strong desire, a yearning to fly through the air, which made him crave Foundation Establishment even more intensely.
Only upon reaching Foundation Establishment cultivation could one be considered a true cultivator, with a lifespan that could reach one hundred and fifty years. Immortality, for Meng Hao at this moment, was too far-fetched. Only when one's lifespan was longer could one have more desires. For Meng Hao now, he only cared about how to survive.
Unless by voluntary choice, otherwise, to become an outstanding person, one must possess impressive cultivation and qualifications.
Meng Hao took a deep breath. As the sky outside brightened, Meng Hao took out Ding Xin's storage bag. After he opened it and glanced inside, a glimmer of hope suddenly appeared in his eyes.
"As expected of a disciple of a major sect, not yet at Foundation Establishment cultivation, yet so wealthy!" Meng Hao took out approximately seven or eight thousand spirit stones from the storage bag, in addition to a large black bow.
When Meng Hao took out the large bow, it felt cold in his hand. As he slightly drew it, he immediately felt the spiritual energy of heaven and earth from all directions, as if it had been absorbed.
At the same time, in the storage bag, Meng Hao also found nearly a hundred black arrows, each engraved with a symbol. He put away these items along with the bow and arrows. His gaze swept over the storage bag again. Inside, besides magical treasures and spirit stones, there was also a bottle of medicine and some miscellaneous items, as well as various command tokens.
The medicine bottle was mostly empty, with only one small bottle tightly sealed. Meng Hao heard the sound of pills inside the bottle. In an instant, he opened the bottle with one hand, and a strong medicinal scent immediately hit his nose. The cave was now filled with the smell of medicine.
This type of medicinal pill had already surpassed even the Heavenly Spirit Pill, and certainly surpassed Meng Hao's best medicine, the Embryo Nurturing Pill. It was difficult to even compare them. While likening it to the difference between moonlight and fireflies might be an exaggeration, it gave Meng Hao an intuitive feeling, like the difference between a seed and a towering tree.
Meng Hao's eyes flickered, and he took a deep breath. He placed the pill in his palm. It was about the size of a thumb, amber in color, and a warm golden glow emanated from its medicinal fragrance. The vast spiritual energy it diffused instantly revealed it to be an extraordinary pill.
Meng Hao stared intently at the pill, then suddenly slapped his storage bag. Immediately, he produced the ancient jade pill record he had bought at the Hundred Treasures Pavilion. The ancient jade had many cracks, but Meng Hao paid them no mind. He held the ancient jade to his glabella, and spiritual energy immediately surged out.
A moment later, the ancient jade suddenly shattered, dissipating into dust, and Meng Hao opened his eyes, which held intense excitement.
Foundation Establishment Pill! This was a Foundation Establishment Pill of unimaginable value!
Meng Hao's heart pounded. He clutched the Foundation Establishment Pill in one hand, his heart racing, and it was a long time before it returned to normal.
Ding Xin's unwillingness before his death was also due to this Foundation Establishment Pill. This was a pill his master had personally refined for him. Because he was already at the ninth level of Qi Condensation while traveling outside, he might very well reach the Foundation Establishment realm with a bit of good fortune, so he always kept it with him, to use at a critical moment.
Even for the great sects of the Southern Domain, Foundation Establishment Pills were extremely rare, and even scarcer if they wanted to distribute them to every disciple. The demand for this type of pill was enormous; no matter how many there were, it was never enough. After all, not many people could achieve Foundation Establishment. At least three pills were needed, and if one's aptitude was ordinary but favored by a sect elder, regardless of the cost, it might take five or six pills.
Furthermore, the preciousness of the Foundation Establishment Pill was also related to the three great perilous lands. Refining this pill required two types of herbs that could only grow in the three great perilous lands.
Ding Xin had a good master in the Violet Fate Sect, which gave him a somewhat special status. The reason he reached the ninth level of Qi Condensation was because this esteemed master personally gave him a Foundation Establishment Pill. Even if he failed, when he returned to the sect, his master would certainly spare no expense to ensure his success.
Meng Hao relaxed his hand and held the Foundation Establishment Pill, observing it carefully. Soon, he focused his eyes and saw a strange mark on the Foundation Establishment Pill.
This mark resembled a miniature ghost face, its expression unchanging, full of solemnity, giving people a peculiar feeling as if they were being stared back at by the ghost face. Meng Hao observed it carefully for a long time before determining that it was nothing too mysterious, simply carved into the pill, like a symbol.
Holding the Foundation Establishment Pill, Meng Hao hesitated. After a long while, he gritted his teeth and put it away. Outside, the snow had lessened. He raised his head and began to walk, the biting cold wind enveloping him.
To break through the eighth level of Qi Condensation and reach the ninth level of Qi Condensation requires a lot of spirit stones. These spirit stones must all be earned by myself, and it's difficult to accomplish in a short time. The only way is to sell some items to get enough spirit stones.
Meng Hao's eyes flickered. He immediately took out a jade slip and placed it on his glabella, examining it carefully.
This jade slip belonged to a disciple of the Feng Han Sect. Inside, it contained information about several cities and towns in the cultivation world of the Zhao State. Meng Hao looked inside and saw Dong Xiu City. However, he didn't want to go to that city. After a moment, he chose a place not far from there, but not within the control of the three major sects. It was a chaotic place where many cultivators gathered.
"Tian He Square," Meng Hao whispered. When he looked up, his eyes suddenly lit up. He instinctively borrowed the wind and moved very quickly.
Zhao State was close to the Tian He Sea. The entire area was restricted by a formation, making it impossible for ordinary people to see that a city existed within this region.
The entire city was black. Several black-robed cultivators stood coldly on the city walls, their gazes sweeping across the ground, watching the people entering and exiting.
Tian He Square did not exist three hundred years ago. But in the last three hundred years, an old eccentric appeared. This person had a Core Formation cultivation, and his divine abilities and magical treasures were astonishing. He founded this city in Zhao State, and then went into seclusion within it. Three hundred years have passed, and no one knows whether this old eccentric is alive or dead. If he is dead, then there's nothing to say. But if he is still alive, then unless he had elixirs to extend his lifespan, he must have already formed a Nascent Soul.
Currently, the person in charge of this city is someone who calls himself the Tian He Old Ancestor. He and the three major sects of Zhao State do not interfere with each other. Because of this, there are no overly strict regulations, which has made this place increasingly lively. All kinds of people can come here.
A few days later, outside Tian He Square, a person appeared. This person wore a black robe and a bamboo hat on his head, his face completely covered, making it impossible for others to discern his appearance. His figure looked slightly plump at first glance.
Although this attire was peculiar, it was still normal in Tian He Square. This place was chaotic, with all kinds of people. For example, if one had something they didn't want anyone to know or recognize, they could use similar attire. This happened quite often.
He was Meng Hao.
Meng Hao had made up his mind to sell magical treasures and elixirs. This made him think for a long time before he disguised himself and slowly walked into the city. Meng Hao looked around, but now, he could no longer determine his direction. He lowered his head, feigned a casual demeanor, and walked into a shop nearby.