Longevity Martial Arts: Grinding Experience in the Chaotic World

Chapter 299: Chapter 170 Holy Pill City_2

”””

”What if the enemy sends out practitioners in the Golden Bone Realm? Wouldn’t that just be a slaughter?”

Lin Miaomiao couldn’t help but laugh and said, ”They wouldn’t dare! For small skirmishes like this, the higher-ups will always keep things within a controllable scope. If they don’t play by the rules, that would truly tear all pretenses apart, potentially leading to an all-out war. In the current state of affairs, no faction would be foolish enough to do something so pointless and self-destructive.”

Gu Sheng thought briefly and came to the same conclusion.

The Golden Bone Realm is the final stage of the Bone Refining Realm; practitioners in this realm are essentially reserves for entering the Marrow Refining Realm!

Once someone advances into the Marrow Refining Realm, even at the first level, they’re already among the most elite in the Red Cloud Prefecture. The Golden Bone Realm acts as a watershed for the region’s major powers: conflicts below this level are mere skirmishes, but beyond it, they’re life-or-death struggles!

Within the Red Cloud Prefecture, the two sects, three gates, and the Governor Mansion form six major powers. Though their strength varies, none of them hold a significant advantage over the others. If any one faction were truly to lose their sanity and initiate a full-scale war, it would undoubtedly be a path to their own destruction!

Aside from these six forces, there are numerous powerful clans like the Mu Clan within the Red Cloud Prefecture. These clans secretly hope for conflict between the six major factions, as such disputes would provide them with more opportunities to seize power and rise upward!

”Junior Brother Gu, your cultivation level has already reached the Copper Bone Realm. If you kill just two Copper Bone disciples from the Thousand Poison Sect, you can smoothly advance to become an outer disciple! However, the Thousand Poison Sect will surely issue similar killing orders. Venturing into the Red Cloud Mountain Range alone might not be safe, so I’m considering forming a team for greater security. Are you interested?”

Lin Miaomiao was the first Holy Pill Sect disciple Gu Sheng had gotten to know. Having interacted with her a few times, Gu Sheng found her quite likable. Furthermore, Lin Miaomiao was in the Silver Bone Realm, so teaming up with her meant he wouldn’t be disadvantaged. Gu Sheng nodded in agreement.

”I’m fine with it! Let me know when to head into the mountains.”

Lin Miaomiao had already heard from Mo Buwen about Gu Sheng’s impressive abilities, especially his exceptional archery skills, which she greatly admired.

In the treacherous environment of the Red Cloud Mountains, if a real fight broke out, having someone like Gu Sheng, a sharpshooter, on their side would significantly reduce the pressure of frontal combat!

”Mo Buwen still needs two more days to recover from his injuries. Let’s plan to set out in three days!”

Gu Sheng had no objections to this. If not for waiting on Mo Buwen, he would have been willing to set out immediately.

After Lin Miaomiao left, Gu Sheng retrieved the spines of the Illusionary Wild Boar. In three days, their target in the Red Cloud Mountain Range wasn’t ordinary beast-blooded monsters but disciples of the Thousand Poison Sect.

Hunting humans posed far more variables than hunting beast-blooded monsters, which meant Gu Sheng had to make additional preparations. He planned to take some spines to Holy Pill City and find a blacksmith shop to forge a batch of specialized arrows.

Gu Sheng still had 132 spines from the Illusionary Wild Boar. He bundled them together and headed toward the direction Liu Yiming had pointed out.

A mile or two was merely a fifteen-minute walk with Gu Sheng’s current stamina.

”Whoa! What a grand city!”

Standing atop a small dirt hill, Gu Sheng gazed at the imposing Holy Pill City with visible excitement.

Holy Pill City was far larger than Canghe County’s city. Even with just a glance, Gu Sheng estimated it to be at least ten times bigger!

Because the city was backed by the Holy Pill Sect, its walls were neither tall nor thick, serving more as decoration and boundary markers. Near the walls stood two teams maintaining order, wearing Holy Pill Sect uniforms instead of armor.

At the city gates, Gu Sheng was stopped and asked to pay 10 taels as a toll.

To keep such a massive city running smoothly, the Holy Pill Sect presumably required substantial manpower; charging an entry fee seemed reasonable.

After paying the fee, Gu Sheng stepped into the city.

Holy Pill City’s streets were spacious, paved with neatly arranged bluestone tiles of high flatness, rivaling the asphalt roads from his previous life.

Wooden storefronts lined the wide streets, all planned and coordinated well. Each was three stories tall, with a consistent façade design that looked remarkably orderly!

The city contained all manner of establishments—taverns, trading houses, brothels, gambling dens... Everything one could imagine—with brothels and gambling dens drawing the largest crowds.

Especially the brothels, which were exceptionally lively. Women clad in semi-transparent thin robes stood at the entrances soliciting customers, their snow-white bosoms plainly visible. Even Gu Sheng, who considered himself seasoned, couldn’t help but blush at the scene. The women would call out to him in sultry voices: ”Come in and play, handsome young man!”

What normal man could resist such temptation? No wonder their business thrived! Fortunately, Gu Sheng had strong self-control, chanting in his mind, ”They’ve got syphilis! They’ve got syphilis!” as he darted quickly past the brothels.

Gu Sheng first found a bustling restaurant, grabbed a seat, and ordered several signature dishes along with a pot of rice wine.

Though he felt a sense of urgency, Gu Sheng understood the importance of balancing tension and relaxation. Taking advantage of this trip to the city, he decided to unwind with a good meal and some wine.

After eating his fill, he began wandering the streets in search of a blacksmith shop.

However, even after extensive searching that brought him through nearly the entire city, he had yet to find a single blacksmith shop.

”Damn it, could it be there’s no blacksmith shop in Holy Pill City?”

Seeing the time was nearing noon, Gu Sheng stopped a passerby to ask, ”Excuse me, do you know where I can find a blacksmith shop?”

The passerby glanced at Gu Sheng’s attire and laughed, ”A blacksmith shop? Who buys equipment at blacksmith shops these days? Just go to a trading house; it’s cheaper and the quality is guaranteed!”

”Uh... Well, I need custom weapons, not off-the-shelf products,” Gu Sheng explained patiently.

”Trading houses offer custom orders too! As long as you’ve got the money, they can even craft you a treasure-grade weapon right on the spot! The blacksmith shops in this city have long been put out of business by them! See, that over there is the biggest Mu Clan Trading House in the city. You might as well head there.”

”Mu Clan Trading House, huh?”

Looking at the expansive building in the distance, Gu Sheng couldn’t help but grin, recalling the images of Mu Qingyuan, Mu Qingwen, and Mu Qinghe in his mind.

”I wonder when I’ll run into those three brothers. If I do, I certainly won’t miss a chance to bleed them dry!”

The Mu Clan Trading House certainly lived up to its reputation as the top commercial establishment in the Red Cloud Prefecture. The grand décor radiated opulence, every corner dripping with the essence of wealth!

The Mu Clan Trading House within Holy Pill City covered more than 2,000 square meters—a massive space—packed with bustling patrons and offering impeccable service. Upon entering, Gu Sheng was immediately greeted by a young woman in a white gown, gracefully walking toward him.

”Hello, I’m Qingqing, a guide from the Mu Clan Trading House. Is there anything I can assist you with today?”

The young maiden appeared to be around Gu Sheng’s age, a sweet smile on her face that made her exceptionally approachable. She showed no signs of disdain for Gu Sheng’s modest attire.

”I’d like to forge some specialized arrows. Can your forging rooms be rented out?”

Gu Sheng’s mastery of the Helian Weapon Casting Skill was already at Small Success, making ordinary blacksmiths inferior to him. Additionally, he intended to refine the skill further, which led to his insistence on finding a blacksmith shop.

Upon hearing his request, Qingqing’s eyes flashed with surprise: ”You know forging?”

Gu Sheng looked quite young. Although Qingqing’s cultivation was modest—merely in the Stone Skin Martial Artist stage—her profession demanded sharp instincts. She could sense the oppressive aura emanating from Gu Sheng, leading her to conclude he was at least at the peak of the Blood Refining Realm!

A cultivator of such high level, at this young age, and skilled in forging? Truly terrifying!

Qingqing’s excellent professionalism quickly suppressed her astonishment, and she replied with a friendly smile, ”Indeed, we do have forging facilities available, along with dedicated forging masters to assist you. Please follow me.”

Gu Sheng followed her through the bustling main hall to the area beyond. She unlocked a heavy door and stepped into a new section.

Gu Sheng entered and discovered a vast area segmented into numerous compartments, differing from the open design of the main hall. The central walkway was a narrow two-meter-wide aisle.

Qingqing guided Gu Sheng to a room marked ”Forging 35,” opened the door, and was immediately greeted by a wave of heat.

”””