Chapter 533
During the eight years of seclusion, Fu Shaoping was fully immersed in consolidating his cultivation. He constantly tempered his spiritual power and thoroughly integrated the power of the fifth level of the Spiritualization. Every time he circulated his spiritual power and comprehended the laws, he became more and more proficient in controlling his own strength.
Finally, after eight years, Fu Shaoping slowly opened his eyes, a gleam of light flashed in his eyes. He stood up, stretched his body, felt the surging power in his body, and was filled with relief. He walked out of the retreat and looked for Nangong Wan.
Soon, he saw Nangong Wan. At this time, Nangong Wan was emitting a soft light, and her aura was steady and powerful. It was obvious that she had successfully broken through to the fourth level of the Spiritualization. Fu Shaoping walked forward, and Nangong Wan happened to turn around. The two smiled at each other, their eyes full of joy and tacit understanding.
"Wan'er, congratulations on your successful breakthrough." Fu Shaoping said with a smile.
Nangong Wan nodded gently, with joy in his eyes: "Shao Ping, you too, you must have gained a lot from consolidating your cultivation in the past eight years."
After a brief exchange, the two decided to leave Lingshan. When they walked out of Lingshan, they were shocked by the scene in front of them. This place was no longer the ancient battlefield and desert in their memory. Instead, it was a world full of spiritual charm. The extremely rich spiritual energy was everywhere, as if you could touch it with your hand. Spiritual flowers and magical herbs grew everywhere, exuding an alluring fragrance; spiritual birds and beasts shuttled through the mountains and forests, making crisp calls.
However, the joy did not last long. Fu Shaoping suddenly realized that the channel they had been teleported through had been closed. Where the channel had originally been, there was only an empty space left, without any trace.
"The passage is closed..." Fu Shaoping frowned, his face solemn.
Nangong Wan's expression also became serious: "It seems that we can't go back for the time being, but since we are here, we should make the best of it and figure out where this place is first."
Fu Shaoping nodded, and he expanded his divine sense to try to explore the surrounding environment. However, this area seemed to have some mysterious power, and his divine sense could only extend a short distance before being blocked.
"This place doesn't seem simple. My spiritual power is restricted." Fu Shaoping said.
Nangong Wan thought for a moment and said, "No matter what, let's find a populated place first and learn about the situation in this world."
So the two of them walked along a winding path. Along the way, they saw many strange sights. In some places, spiritual springs gushed out, and the surrounding stones were nourished by the spiritual energy and became as warm as jade; in some places, strange trees intertwined with each other, forming a natural barrier.
After walking for an unknown amount of time, they finally saw a magnificent city. The walls of the city were tall and thick, with mysterious runes carved all over them, emitting a faint glow. The city gates were wide open, and people were coming and going, making it very lively. At the gates of the city, several powerful men with the cultivation of gods stood majestically, obviously guarding the gates.
Fu Shaoping and Nangong Wan looked at each other, secretly surprised. In their original cognition, the Divine Transformation cultivators were already extremely powerful, but they did not expect that here, the Divine Transformation strongmen were just gatekeepers. This also made them more deeply aware that this world hides endless unknowns and powerful forces.
Fu Shaoping and Nangong Wan walked towards the city gate. As soon as they reached the gate, they were stopped by a guard who was in the state of incarnation. The guard looked them up and down with sharp eyes and asked, "Where are you two from? Do you have a pass?"
Fu Shaoping smiled slightly and said, "We are both from other places. We are new here and don't know about the pass token. I hope you can be accommodating."
The guard frowned slightly, but seeing that the two had an extraordinary temperament, he did not make things difficult for them: "Since you don't look like bad people, I will let you enter the city today. But after entering the city, you must abide by the rules of the city and must not cause trouble."
Fu Shaoping and Nangong Wan thanked him and walked into the city. The streets in the city were bustling, with shops lining the streets and selling all kinds of strange and bizarre items. Almost all the people coming and going were at the Nascent Soul stage or above, and the air was filled with powerful spiritual fluctuations and a unique aura. People were dressed in various styles of clothing, coming and going, and the sounds of conversation and hawking were heard one after another.
Fu Shaoping stopped an old man passing by and asked politely, "Old man, do you know where this place is? We are new here and know nothing about this place."
The old man looked them up and down and said with a smile: "Young people, this is the Spiritual Continent. You don't even know this. It seems that you really come from a very far place. This Spiritual Continent is vast and boundless, and there are many powerful people. You are here for the first time, so you must be careful."
Fu Shaoping's heart was moved. He didn't expect that they had come to a completely new continent. He then asked, "Father, I wonder if there are any powerful forces on this continent?"
The old man introduced enthusiastically: "There are three top forces in this Linghuan Continent, namely Tianxuan Sect, Wan Yao Valley and Xingchen Chamber of Commerce. Tianxuan Sect is a holy place for cultivators, with many masters; Wan Yao Valley is a gathering place for many demon cultivators, and its strength should not be underestimated; Xingchen Chamber of Commerce controls the economic lifeline of the continent, and its influence is spread all over the place. In addition, there are many small sects and families, and disputes are constant."
After listening to this, Fu Shaoping and Nangong Wan had a preliminary understanding of this world.
So they decided to rent a cave first.
The two asked around in the city for information about cave leasing, and soon learned about a place that was specifically responsible for this matter - Lingju Pavilion. Lingju Pavilion was located in a prosperous area of the city. A magnificent pavilion stood there, and people came and went in front of the door, which was very lively. Above the gate of the pavilion, a huge plaque was engraved with three golden characters "Lingju Pavilion", shining in the sun.
When they walked into the Lingju Pavilion, it was spacious and bright, with elegant decorations. There were rows of neat counters in the hall, and on each counter were some jade slips introducing the caves. Many people gathered in front of the counters, talking to the staff in charge, asking about the various caves.
Fu Shaoping and Nangong Wan came to a counter, and a friendly clerk immediately came up to them and asked with a smile: "My two guests, do you want to rent a cave? We have a wide variety of caves in Lingju Pavilion, and there must be one that can meet your needs." Fu Shaoping nodded: "Yes, we want to know the specific situation of the cave and the rental price."
The waiter introduced enthusiastically, "The caves here are divided into different levels, from low to high, they are ordinary, spiritual, and immortal. Ordinary caves are suitable for cultivators from the Nascent Soul stage to the early stage of the Spiritualization Stage, while spiritual caves are more suitable for cultivators in the middle stage of the Spiritualization Stage and above. As for immortal caves, they are extremely rare and are generally reserved for the top masters on the continent. The rent is also determined by the level and location of the cave, and the lease period starts at 100 years."
As he spoke, the waiter took out a few jade slips and handed them to them: "These jade slips record the detailed information of caves of different levels, including the location of the caves, internal facilities, spiritual energy concentration, etc. The two guests can take a look."
Fu Shaoping and Nangong Wan took the jade slip and probed their mind into it. After a moment, their faces became a little solemn. Just as the waiter said, the rent of the caves here is incredibly expensive. The rent of ordinary caves is relatively low, but for them, it is also a considerable expense; the rent of spiritual caves is even more staggering; as for immortal caves, the price is simply astronomical, and they dare not even think about it.
Fu Shaoping frowned and said to the waiter, "Our budget is limited. Can we see if there are any caves with relatively cheaper prices?"
The waiter still kept smiling: "If the price is cheaper, then it is the caves in more remote locations. However, the concentration of spiritual energy in these caves may be relatively thin. If you two guests don't mind, I can give you a detailed introduction."
Fu Shaoping and Nangong Wan looked at each other and nodded. The waiter then took out a few more jade slips and said, "These caves are all in remote areas on the edge of the city. Although the location is not very good, the price is affordable."
The two looked at the jade slip again and carefully selected from the many remote caves. After weighing the pros and cons, they finally chose a cave deep in the mountains. From the introduction in the jade slip, although this cave is remote and the spiritual energy is slightly thinner than other high-quality caves, the internal facilities are quite complete, with several cushions for cultivation and some basic storage facilities. In addition, the environment around the cave is quiet and suitable for cultivation.
Fu Shaoping said to the waiter, "Let's choose this cave house. What is the specific rental process?"
The waiter smiled and said, "You two gentlemen have good taste. If you are sure you want to rent this cave, you need to pay a hundred years' rent first, and then sign a lease contract. Once the contract is signed, this cave will belong to you two for use within a hundred years."
Fu Shaoping nodded, and followed the clerk with Nangong Wan to the place where the leasing procedures were handled. Here, they paid the money obtained from selling the treasures in exchange for a leasing contract emitting mysterious runes.
When Fu Shaoping signed his name on the contract, and Nangong Wan followed suit, they finally breathed a sigh of relief. From this moment on, this cave in a remote corner became their temporary residence in this strange world.
After leaving Lingju Pavilion, Fu Shaoping looked at the contract in his hand and said to Nangong Wan, "Wan'er, although this cave is a bit remote, we should settle down here first and practice hard. When we have enough strength and wealth in the future, we can move to a better place."
Nangong Wan smiled and nodded: "Well, as long as we are together, we can overcome any difficult environment."
Fu Shaoping and Nangong Wan entered the newly rented cave. Although the location was remote, at least they had a place to stay. After a short rest, the two decided to decorate the cave to make it more suitable for cultivation and living.
First, they cleaned and tidied the interior of the cave. They cleared out the messy items and put some simple furniture purchased from the city in order. Fu Shaoping placed a few brand new cushions in the training area in the center of the cave, while Nangong Wan placed some storage boxes on one side of the cave and stored their few belongings in categories.
Then, the two turned their attention to the original magic formation in the cave. Although this magic formation was a bit old, the foundation was still there. After a simple repair, it could barely maintain the basic protection function of the cave. However, for safety reasons, they decided to set up a Tianyin formation based on the original magic formation.
The Tianyin Array is an extremely sophisticated magic array that can not only conceal the aura within the cave and prevent it from being easily detected by the outside world, but also has a certain early warning function. Once an uninvited guest approaches, it will emit a special sound wave warning.
Fu Shaoping took out the materials needed to set up the Tianyin formation from his storage ring, including a spiritual crystal emitting soft light, a jade talisman engraved with runes, and several herbs containing special spiritual power. Nangong Wan carefully compared the formation diagram recorded on the ancient jade slip and carefully planned every step.
The two had a clear division of labor. Fu Shaoping was responsible for embedding the spirit crystals into the pre-set grooves around the cave according to the instructions of the atlas. Each spirit crystal was placed precisely to ensure that it could perfectly integrate with the magic array and provide a continuous supply of spiritual power support for the array. Nangong Wan focused on arranging the jade talismans. She carefully hung the jade talismans on the wall of the cave in a specific direction and order, chanting something to activate the runes on the jade talismans.
As the arrangement progressed, a mysterious atmosphere gradually filled the cave. The spirit crystal flickered, and the runes on the jade talisman began to flow, and there seemed to be some kind of mysterious connection between them. However, just as the formation was about to be completed, a small episode occurred.
When Nangong Wan was about to put the last key jade talisman in place, suddenly an unstable spiritual power wave came out of the jade talisman. The jade talisman trembled slightly, and it seemed that it might explode out of control at any time. Seeing this, Fu Shaoping immediately put down his work and quickly came to Nangong Wan's side.
He looked solemnly, carefully observing the situation of the jade talisman, while circulating his spiritual power, trying to stabilize the chaotic spiritual power in the jade talisman. Nangong Wan did not dare to be careless, she concentrated her mind and adjusted the flow of spiritual power around her according to the method recorded on the jade slip to provide assistance to Fu Shaoping.
With the joint efforts of the two, after some intense operations, the spiritual power in the jade talisman finally gradually stabilized. Fu Shaoping gently placed the jade talisman in the correct position, echoing with the other jade talismans.
As the last jade talisman returned to its place, the entire cave glowed brightly. The spiritual power released by the spiritual crystals, jade talismans, and herbs intertwined with each other, forming a huge, glimmering spiritual power network. The Tianyin formation was successfully arranged!
Fu Shaoping and Nangong Wan smiled at each other, their eyes full of relief after exhaustion. They felt the mysterious power in the cave, knowing that from now on, this remote cave would become their safe haven. In this new and unknown world, it would provide a solid guarantee for their practice and exploration. (End of this chapter)