[In the 247th year, after three months of smooth travel, you finally arrived at Tianhua City. At the grand gates, after paying a hefty entrance fee, you passed through without issue and officially stepped into the so-called Immortal City.]
[It did not take long for you to realize why this place carried such a name. As you walked through its wide stone avenues, you discovered that nearly every person here was an Immortal cultivator. Mortals were rare, and those few you saw served only as slaves, attendants, or the concubines of cultivators.]
[After making this observation, you decided to quietly investigate the powers ruling this city.]
[Within several days, you gathered information about the balance of power in Tianhua City. Three major forces hold sway here: the City Lord's Mansion, the Baihua Chamber of Commerce, and the Envoy of the Holy-Sword Sect.]
[Of these, the Baihua Chamber of Commerce is the strongest, its operations overseen by a Nascent Soul cultivator. Their influence spreads across countless cities, dealing in spirit weapons, elixirs, cultivation resources, and techniques. Every fifty years, they host a grand auction that attracts cultivators from far and wide. According to the records, the next auction will be held in ten years.]
[The City Lord of Tianhua City himself is a cultivator at the peak of the Golden Elixir Realm. Once a disciple of a first-rate sect, he was sent down to govern Tianhua City after failing to break through by the sect's deadline. Though his strength is not to be underestimated, his ambition is bound by duty.]
[As for the Envoy of the Holy-Sword Sect, he appears in the city only rarely. You easily guessed the reason—disciples of such Holy Lands are peerless geniuses. To linger here, in a land where spiritual energy is thin compared to the Holy Land, would mean falling behind their rivals.]
[From this, you confirmed that within Tianhua City itself, the Baihua Chamber of Commerce is the most dominant force. But the City Lord and the Envoy also carried a deterrence of their own—one backed by first-rate sects and holy lands.]
[Interestingly, you also heard rumors circulating in the city. Many whispered that the recovery of spiritual energy had begun, and that the Golden Age of cultivation was near. Observing the dense aura filling the streets and strengthening each day, you silently agreed.]
[Once your investigations were complete, you visited the Baihua Chamber of Commerce in search of new techniques and spells. The moment you entered, a dazzling array of treasures greeted you—elixirs that radiated medicinal fragrance, jade slips holding cultivation arts, and weapons that pulsed with spirit light.]
[However, upon closer examination, you found that most of their techniques were of Xuan-grade at best. They paled in comparison to the superior methods you cultivated.]
(Grade of Techniques: Yellow, Xuan, Earth, Heaven, and higher.)
[Yet despite this, you purchased all of them. For you, every additional technique was another blade hidden in the dark. The more techniques you mastered, the more terrifying your combat power would become.]
[Your reckless spending quickly drew attention. The Nascent Soul cultivator overseeing the Baihua Chamber personally approached you. Rather than acting against you, he extended an invitation: to become a VIP participant in the upcoming auction. You agreed without hesitation.]
[He further inquired about your plans in the city, and you told him you would remain until the auction began.]
[When you asked about the remaining ingredients needed to refine the Root-Strengthening Pill, he regretfully informed you that none were available at present, but hinted that some might appear at the next auction.]
[Before leaving, you also browsed their armory. One by one, you selected magic weapons suited to your various techniques, finally equipping yourself with proper tools. Until now, you had relied mostly on mortal-grade or inferior weapons. Such a flaw could no longer be tolerated.]
(Grade of Weapons: Magic Weapon, Spirit Weapon, Spirit Treasure, and higher.)
[As for concerns of showing such wealth and attracting the greed of others, you held no fear. Even if the Nascent Soul in-charge wished to kill you, he would be the one to fall. Your Supreme Foundation was no mere name. You had confidence that even against the peak of Nascent Soul Realm, you could battle—and kill.]
[With your affairs concluded, you purchased a spacious residence within Tianhua City. There, behind its protective arrays, you quietly settled down, studying the new techniques you had acquired and preparing for the auction to come.]