"Trust, how could I not trust."

Han Yu replied with a tone of certainty, his face full of sincerity.

Glass finally recovered, asking with dejection.

"I'm just naive, not stupid, do you believe that?"

It seems that the damage Ping caused to the Artifact Spirit was indeed significant, leaving Glass questioning its own wit.

"Then do you believe this is a city?"

Han Yu also looked up at the city wall with 'Qingzhou City' inscribed on it and posed the question.

"This should be... considered as such, I suppose!"

In the Sea of Consciousness, Glass spoke with hesitation.

It's no wonder Han Yu and the Artifact Spirit had such conflicted expressions as Han Yu stood alone beneath Qingzhou City.

To his left and right were paths overgrown with weeds, and looking up, he saw dilapidated city walls covered in green moss. The grand gates were missing, and even during broad daylight, there wasn't a Palace Guard in sight.

Everything looked desolate no matter how you viewed it.

Is this Self-Improvement Sect's stronghold?

How did they even decide to come here?

"An outsider? First time here?"

While Han Yu was staring blankly at the city gate, a voice suddenly emerged from behind him.

When he turned around, there was a young man of about twenty-five or twenty-six, with a mop of messy hair and dressed in coarse cloth, with a square face and thick brows. His mannerisms were bold and unrestrained.

Most eye-catching was the wide broadsword as wide as half a door panel strapped to his back and a large red gourd tied at his waist.

He looked like he'd traveled a long distance, his entire person flecked with bits of mud and dirt.

"This young chick's cultivation is pretty good for his age!"

Glass suddenly exclaimed in the Sea of Consciousness.

Young chick? Is giving an appraisal of cultivation realms so vague now?

Since I haven't studied the cultivator system, I couldn't sense the opponent's True Essence to determine his level.

"What level is the young chick you speak of?"

Han Yu had no choice but to ask humbly.

"Other than Divine Gaze Realm, what other level could be called a young chick?"

Glass smacked its lips, clicking its tongue.

The words sounded absurd. In a small sect, the Divine Gaze Realm is of the Sect Leader level; in a major sect, even if not an Elder, they would still be a person of high rank.

Yet, in Glass's eyes, they were all little chicks.

It seems... only after I started being able to kill Divine Gaze Realm cultivators did this entity begin to regard Divine Gaze so lightly.

Han Yu's face turned black at once; clearly, the standard was being measured against himself.

A large hand suddenly waved in front of Han Yu's face; this young man's expression was peculiar, seeing Han Yu standing there dazed, his face constantly changing; he was quite uneasy.

This man isn't sick, is he?

——

"These people are absolutely insane!"

The old madman Luo Yuqi watched helplessly as a specially made large iron pot was placed over his head, and then a cold water stream continually poured over the pot.

The shape of the iron pot was extremely bizarre; beneath the water-holding layer, there was another layer.

These old fellows now directed Spirit Fire to blow onto the bottom layer, and in just a moment, the water reaching his head began to boil, bubbles rolling before his eyes, yet he felt nothing.

This bunch of lunatics truly intends to eat me, not joking!

For a moment, even someone as mad as Luo Yuqi was scared out of his wits. Having lived for so many years, he had seen countless stormy waves, but never something so maniacal.

My life is over!

Half an hour later, Luo Yuqi was stunned, his eyes fixedly on the green oil-slicked soup with floating bits of skin.

He hadn't died? Not only was he not dead, but he was also unscathed.

The surrounding Transcendence Realm elders seemed accustomed to this; for half a month, the Ginseng King had been stewed in this special iron pot numerous times.

Not to mention stewing, they'd even refined its ginseng oil, controlling the Spirit Fire around the Ginseng King for continuous baking. Before long, droplets of the Ginseng King's essence seeped from its body surface, but since the Life Source it contained was still too low, they planned to roast the Ginseng King daily.

The Great Elder skillfully brought out a bowl and chopsticks, scooped a bowl of soup, drank a sip, and his old face immediately wrinkled, sighing in disappointment.

"The Ginseng King's head isn't much different from the other parts, seems all efforts are wasted."

The others each took a bowl, sipped a little, and had the same conflicted expressions.

"This won't do; if this drags on, I reckon we'll need to prepare caskets."

A certain expert sighed heavily.

"I've never encountered such stubborn medicinal material; damn it, not even a drop of potency can be extracted."

One of the experts, exasperated, set down his bowl and chopsticks and slapped Luo Yuqi's elderly face several times in frustration.

It's infuriating!

The rich and terrifying Life Source is right in front of them, yet they have no way to grasp it.

It's merely a Spirit Medicine! Even if it were a creature of the same realm, subjected to such treatment, not even ashes would remain.

"Perhaps the treasures of heaven and earth have their own natural protection; our method is wrong, surely we've got the direction wrong."

Another expert, with his thoughts stirred, said confidently.

"We've got the direction wrong? I have a new direction."

The Great Elder of Unparalleled Tower, who had been listening to everyone's debate, suddenly spoke up.

Everyone assumed he was about to propose refining the entire Ginseng King and was ready to interrupt.

"No, no alchemy this time; let's use the strength of all eight and try skinning the Ginseng King."

Luo Yuqi's eyes, unable to blink, were fixedly staring at the Great Elder, a chill rising from the bottom of his heart.

Skinning!

They're done cooking my head, and now they want to skin me!

——

When Han Yu came to his senses, he found that the "young chick" the Artifact Spirit had mentioned was already nowhere to be seen.

At the broad city gate, he stood alone.

After entering the city, there were faint traces of scattered pedestrians; the buildings around were old, most residences overgrown with vines, and several wooden doors creaked in the wind.

After some walking, he encountered a group of people, all dressed in different garb, each equipped with a blade and sword, briskly heading out of the city.

"Cultivators!"

Glass succinctly remarked.

Even the ones seen earlier were too.

This was indeed strange; not a single common folk was seen, but cultivators were everywhere.

Could it be another Smoke Wave City?

But it didn't seem like it; this place exuded a kind of desolation from inside out. No cultivator would willingly choose to haunt such a place without good reason.

With lingering doubts, he traced the main road. Everywhere he looked was abandoned buildings and weed-filled narrow alleys.

There was no Guardian Mansion here!

No government office meant no guardians, either.

Even Smoke Wave Prefecture, with its rampant chaos, had a reluctant Guardian; why was this place an exception?

Walking a bit further, he unexpectedly found a place with signs of life.

A dilapidated inn stood there; two wooden pillars had been mostly eaten away by pests, the door ajar, with a faint aroma of meat wafting out.

Raising his brows in curiosity, Han Yu walked in.

"Waiter!"

Han Yu called loudly, and a figure slowly emerged.

Their eyes met, and both were astonished.

The one carrying wine and meat out was none other than the young man he had previously encountered!

The young man's face was peculiar; wasn't this the person who had been daydreaming just now?

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