Chapter 6289: The First Floor

Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

The place was rumored to be magical, but it was just a marketplace bustling with ordinary people, exchanging goods from various places—a paradise for merchants.

Jian Wushuang was quite disappointed.

Just as he was about to leave, a maid blocked his way.

“Young master, my boss invites you to the third floor for tea!”

“Oh?” Jian Wushuang stopped in his tracks, and it was then that he dared to relax his mental focus.

Because his identity had already been exposed.

Otherwise, the maid wouldn’t have stopped him.

He simply released his mental power and sensed multiple auras on the second and third floors above him.

All of them were cultivators.

Even the maid in front of him was an innate expert.

Feigning calm, Jian Wushuang said, “Lead the way!”

He hadn’t expected his cover to be blown so quickly.

Moreover, he was already in the Golden Core stage, even if only at the initial stage, which made him akin to an immortal in the mortal world. He didn’t expect to be recognized so easily in this first-floor establishment.

Fortunately, since it was a place of business, they wouldn’t inquire about his identity.

However, Jian Wushuang faced another awkward issue: he was penniless.

He didn’t have the spiritual stones required in the cultivation world.

But since he had been invited, he had no choice but to follow along.

As he passed the second floor, he noticed it was also bustling, though most were innate cultivators, with some postnatal practitioners as well.

There were only one or two in the Golden Core stage.

On the third floor, almost everyone was a Golden Core expert.

Their attire was indistinguishable from that of ordinary people.

Walking on the street, commoners wouldn’t be able to tell the difference; at most, they might notice something unusual about their demeanor.

In reality, the gap between those in the Golden Core stage and ordinary people wasn’t vast. It was simply a matter of having condensed a force within their bodies, without altering their mortal form.

“Senior, please feel free!” the maid slightly bowed, escorting Jian Wushuang to the third floor before descending.

Jian Wushuang nodded and stepped onto the third floor.

The ceiling rose about seven or eight feet, with various rare fruits and hefty tomes displayed above.

At the counter, many were discussing rare treasures with the shopkeeper.

Jian Wushuang perked up his ears to listen.

But when he heard about spiritual stones, his expression turned somber.

He was utterly broke at the moment, so how could he afford anything?

As a result, he didn’t dare inquire about the purpose of certain treasures, only glancing at them briefly and paying no attention to the shopkeeper’s quotes, merely nodding frequently.

A young shopkeeper, very polite, said, “Senior, is this your first time in the Great Tang?”

“Hmm, I just arrived in Tai’an City. I’ve long heard that this is the world’s first establishment for collecting various treasures, so I came to have a look!” Jian Wushuang spoke modestly.

The young shopkeeper, smiling, replied, “Senior, you give our establishment too much credit. We merely trade in some ordinary treasures. I suspect many of them wouldn’t even catch your eye!”

After exchanging some pleasantries, Jian Wushuang naturally engaged in casual conversation with the other party. Like other cultivators, he didn’t really care about buying anything; his main purpose was to exchange information.

For example, discussing some insights into cultivation, though these were mainly used to elicit more information.

Jian Wushuang could see through the essence of these mundane cultivation methods at a glance, and his remarks left the other party quite astonished.

The young shopkeeper, after hearing his insights, was thoroughly impressed and had an epiphany in his cultivation.

“I am Zhu Quan, grateful for the senior’s guidance!” The young shopkeeper, Zhu Quan, bowed deeply. Although his strength was similar to Jian Wushuang’s, both being in the early Golden Core stage, the insights Jian Wushuang shared warranted such respect.

Jian Wushuang quickly raised his hand to stop him and said calmly, “It’s just some insights. No need for such courtesy, my friend.”

“No, senior, your talent is exceptional. Although our strengths are similar, my understanding lags far behind. I should show my respect!” Zhu Quan continued, “Such a talent as yours, senior, must have come to this First Pavilion for the emperor’s edict issued by the Tang Emperor, right?”

“Emperor’s edict?” Jian Wushuang frowned.

He hadn’t heard of this before, but since the other party mentioned it, it was clearly significant. He followed the lead and said, “I’ve only heard a little about it. I came to learn more.”

“Then you have found the right person, senior. The emperor’s edict is still here in the First Pavilion. I’ll fetch it for you to see!” Zhu Quan said, then slightly lifted off the ground to retrieve a decree from the highest shelf.

Jian Wushuang slightly raised his head, searching his mind for information about the emperor’s edict.

He hadn’t heard of any edict issued by the Tang Emperor on his way.

However, considering the mortals harmed by the demonic cult he encountered on the road, he thought it might be related.

As he let his mind wander, Zhu Quan opened the emperor’s edict.

Jian Wushuang, wanting to show respect, adopted a more solemn expression.

“Actually, there’s nothing much to see in this edict; it’s just a handwritten decree by His Majesty, containing some daoist artistic conception that ordinary people cannot perceive. Please have a look, senior!” Zhu Quan said as he pushed the edict toward him.

Jian Wushuang obliged and commented, “The handwriting contains sword intent and an eternal quality that cannot wither. The writer must have surpassed the Golden Core stage!”

This statement wasn’t flattery; the writer truly had this ability.

The handwriting carried sword intent, which Jian Wushuang recognized at a glance. As for the daoist principles Zhu Quan mentioned, that was pure nonsense. For daoist principles to be embedded in handwriting, one would need at least the strength of the Ancestor Realm.

Only a Dao Ancestor could manipulate daoist principles at will.

A mere mortal dared to dabble in daoist principles—that would be absurd.

However, this emperor was indeed much stronger than them, having surpassed the Golden Core stage.

In the mortal cultivation world, he could be considered a top expert.

At least, he was a cultivator at the Nascent Soul stage.

In Jian Wushuang’s view, this mundane world was very peculiar because spiritual energy was absorbed by spiritual objects, and pure cultivation could only lead to consummate innate stage at best; further progress required the aid of rare materials.

Breaking through to the Golden Core stage was already difficult.

Reaching the Nascent Soul stage was practically as hard as ascending to the heavens.

As for the Tang Emperor, according to what he knew, he was still very young, and his cultivation time probably didn’t exceed twenty years, yet he had already become a Nascent Soul stage cultivator.

This also indicated that the Tang royal family had ample resources, and the Tang Emperor had a unique aptitude.

Cultivators emerging from such harsh environments would be considered geniuses in the outside world, though they couldn’t be compared to the descendants of those with powerful bloodlines.

However, Jian Wushuang didn’t expect that his casual remark about the Tang Emperor’s strength would draw a peculiar look from Zhu Quan.

Jian Wushuang didn’t know if he had misspoken and thought perhaps he had inadvertently revealed a hidden strength of the Tang Emperor.

“Senior is indeed extraordinary. Just from the handwriting, you could deduce that the Tang Emperor surpassed the Golden Core stage. I am truly impressed. However, this is no secret. His Majesty surpassed the Golden Core stage three years ago; otherwise, the Tang Dynasty might have changed hands long ago!” Zhu Quan said, seemingly reminiscing.

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