Immortality Cultivation

Fang Hao stood on Mu Fenghua’s incredibly flashy Vermilion Bird flying boat, staring at the massive city growing larger beneath his feet, his eyes barely able to take it all in.

"Wow! I can hardly believe my eyes! Is this really the legendary Heavenly Capital? It’s so magnificent! It is, after all, the capital of the dignified Mingling Empire! This city is simply enormous!"

Gazing into the distance, the towering city walls seemed to pierce the firmament, stabbing straight into the clouds.

From afar, the walls resembled a giant black Dragon coiled upon the earth, winding and twisting, with no end in sight.

Looking into the city, densely packed houses were dotted like stars, arranged in an orderly fashion despite their varied heights and ages, crowded yet well-organized.

The streets were teeming with people, countless figures moving slowly like an ant colony, with an endless stream of vehicles and pedestrians, and the cacophony of noise rose and fell, clearly audible even from a great distance.

Even more astonishing were the colorful streaks of light that occasionally streaked through the air—these were undoubtedly the Divine Abilities displayed by powerful Cultivators!

In comparison, the small West Province we stayed in before was practically a remote, backward little village!

The popularity and the density of Spiritual Qi here are more than a hundred times stronger than there!

"How about it, Fellow Daoist Ning? Is my Heavenly Capital pleasing to the eye?" Mu Fenghua stood at the bow of the boat, a faint smile on her lips, looking a bit smug.

"More than just pleasing! It is... breathtaking!" Fang Hao exclaimed sincerely; he wasn’t just buttering her up, he was genuinely stunned.

He used to think Hundred Flowers City was prosperous enough, but compared to this, it was just a small dirt stockade!

The flying boat slowed down as it approached the city walls.

Fang Hao felt several powerful Divine Senses sweep over the flying boat, but as soon as they touched the imperial mark on the vessel, they retreated respectfully.

The city guards even straightened their backs and bowed from a distance.

"See that? That’s status!" Fang Hao muttered to himself, realizing that clinging to the Ninth Princess’s thigh really made things easier!

The flying boat soared directly over the outer city and headed towards the inner city.

The inner city was even more incredible; the streets were wider, the pavilions more imposing, and the Spiritual Qi was much denser, clearly housing only the rich, noble, or Cultivators.

Finally, the flying boat landed on the edge of the imperial city area—an expansive, heavily guarded zone filled with palaces—in front of a secluded courtyard filled with abundant Spiritual Qi.

"Fellow Daoist Ning, this is one of my private courtyards outside the palace, the ’Listening to Rain Pavilion’. It is quite peaceful; you may stay here to recover from your injuries. If you need anything, just let the Steward know," Mu Fenghua said to Fang Hao, making thoughtful arrangements.

"Thank you, Your Highness!" Fang Hao quickly expressed his gratitude.

This place was clearly a high-level VIP treatment, far better than sleeping in the open.

Mu Fenghua gave the Steward a few instructions before returning to the palace with her guards.

Her status was special, so she could not stay with Fang Hao all the time.

Under the guidance of the Steward, Fang Hao entered the courtyard.

The courtyard was spacious, featuring rockeries, ponds, pavilions, a cultivation chamber, an Alchemy room, and an equipment room, all fully equipped, with two maids at the Qi Refinement Stage to attend to him.

The Steward was a middle-aged man at the Late Foundation Establishment Stage named Wang; he looked quite shrewd and capable, and was very respectful to Fang Hao.

Fang Hao dismissed the servants, closed the doors, set up several warning and defensive Formations, and then dove into the cultivation chamber to begin healing.

He had been severely injured while being hunted by that old dog from the Sun Family; his Meridians and internal organs were damaged, so he needed to recuperate properly.

He swallowed a Medicinal Pill, circulated the Chaos Derivation Art and the Hundred Refinements Golden Body Art, and with the help of the dense Spiritual Qi in the courtyard, it took him three days to fully recover from his injuries and return to his Peak state.

Once healed, Fang Hao did not rush to go out and roam.

He needed to first gauge how deep the waters were in the Heavenly Capital.

He summoned Steward Wang and began to fish for information.

Steward Wang was a sensible man; knowing that this was an honored guest of the Ninth Princess, he dared not neglect him and answered everything he knew.

From Steward Wang, Fang Hao gained a rough understanding of the cultivation world in the Heavenly Capital.

The Heavenly Capital was indeed full of hidden Dragons and crouching Tigers!

On the surface, the highest cultivation base belonged to the current Emperor, Mu Tianlong, who was at the Great Perfection of the Nascent Soul Stage; it was said that he had one foot already in the Soul Transformation Stage, serving as the Empire’s pillar of stability.

There were only about a dozen old monsters at the Nascent Soul Stage in the entire Empire, each of whom could shake the world with a stomp of their foot, and they were usually elusive.

Golden Core Cultivators were considered the backbone force, but their numbers were not too high, mainly concentrated among the Eight Great Families, the branch stations of major Sects, and under the imperial banner.

Cultivators at the Foundation Establishment Stage were relatively common, and those at the Qi Refinement Stage were everywhere.

Overall, high-end combat power was scarce, while the number of low-to-mid-level Cultivators was massive.

With a cultivation base at the Middle Golden Core Stage like Fang Hao, he would be a master in a local region, and in the Heavenly Capital, he could be considered a figure of some standing, but he was far from being able to walk sideways; there were still some experts at the Late Golden Core Stage or even the Great Perfection of the Golden Core Stage within the Eight Great Families and the imperial court who could deal with him.

"Must be low-key, absolutely low-key!" Fang Hao reminded himself.

He had only just arrived and was almost wiped out by the Sun Family; this showed how murky the waters were in this place.

The most urgent priority right now was to improve his strength!

His Middle Golden Core Stage cultivation was stable, but to quickly advance to the Late Stage or even break through to the Great Perfection of the Golden Core Stage, relying solely on meditation to absorb Spiritual Qi was too slow; he needed the assistance of Medicinal Pills!

The Chaos Derivation Art he primarily cultivated was not picky about Medicinal Pills and could refine any attribute, but the most effective ones were generic Medicinal Pills that could improve Golden Core Stage cultivation, such as the golden spirit pill.

This golden spirit pill was a Grade 4 Medicinal Pill; its medicinal properties were mild, and its potency was pure, making it most suitable for Golden Core Cultivators to take over a long period to stabilize their cultivation and improve their Spiritual Qi.

Unfortunately, the main ingredients for refining the golden spirit pill, such as the "golden sap fruit," "jade marrow ganoderma," and "thousand-year stalactite milk," were quite rare, and he did not have them on hand.

"I must find a way to get some medicinal ingredients for Alchemy, or just buy the finished Medicinal Pills," Fang Hao pondered.

Buying finished Medicinal Pills was exorbitantly expensive, and the quality was inconsistent; it was more cost-effective to refine them himself, as the quality would be guaranteed.

He was, after all, a Grade 4 Alchemist; refining a golden spirit pill should not be a big problem.

Having made up his mind, Fang Hao decided to go out for a stroll to familiarize himself with the environment, and while he was at it, visit the markets in the Heavenly Capital to inquire about medicinal ingredients.

He told Steward Wang, changed into a plain green robe, disguised himself as an ordinary-looking middle-aged man, and then strolled out of the Listening to Rain Pavilion, merging into the bustling crowds of the Heavenly Capital.