After some time—
It had already been three hours since he had started traveling.
Suddenly, Bao said, "You were right. They have sent some people to follow you."
"See, I was right. If they had let you travel alone, it would be too suspicious, as in their eyes, George doesn't have any cultivation."
"We have to do something, As Under their supervision, I can't cultivate freely."
"Yes, we have to do something," Bao replied. "They are quite far away from you. It's a noticeable distance. They must be using something to track you."
"So what could it be? I don't have anything… just this storage ring filled with spirit stones."
"Hold it in your hand."
After a brief pause, Bao spoke again.
"Yes, I was right. They are tracking you through this storage ring. They have engraved some kind of tracking mantra on it."
"So what should we do?"
"We should first head to the nearest city and buy a new storage ring. After that, losing them will be a piece of cake."
They traveled and traveled, taking breaks from time to time during the journey. Since the city George had left was located at the edge of the continent, the next city was far away, with only a few villages in between.
It was already night.
George stopped at a village to spend the night.
He stayed at an inn; the room was actually just a small hut.
At midnight, Bao said, "I can sense they are staying in a cave outside this village."
Next morning—
George started traveling again. After two hours, he reached the next city, Ming City.
After arriving, he first decided to rent a house, as he planned to stay in this city for some time—at least until he could lose those guards. He decided to take a short bath before figuring out his next move.
After the bath, he didn't leave the house that day. He simply rested in his room, studying the Dual Edge Cultivation Technique so he could use it more flexibly.
Next day—
He left the house and headed to a restaurant. He ordered a full table of food and started eating like a monster.
For some unknown reason, since he started cultivating, his appetite had become enormous.
While eating, he was eavesdropping on nearby tables. Soon, something piqued his interest. Most of the people in the restaurant were talking about an auction that would take place in one week in this city. Everyone seemed excited, saying that something extremely precious would be auctioned this time.
He became interested as well. In his previous life, he had never had the chance to attend an auction or anything like this, so he decided he would attend it.
After finishing his meal, he decided to explore the market. While wandering around, he found the same shop from which he had bought the mystic seed pod of the Resurrection Lily before. This immediately caught his interest, He decuded to pay a visit there as like last time he may get something more precious this time?
He entered the shop. The shop in the Ven der Meer city was actually quite small in comparison; this shop was much bigger.
There were many people inside, and he also saw several workers here, while the shop in Ven der Meer had only a single shopkeeper.
Seeing his luxurious attire, a worker approached him and said, "How may we serve you, Your Excellency?"
"I want to see your Ancient Orbs."
Last time, he had only bought a mystic seed pod, but this time he wanted to see what these Ancient Orbs could provide. They also sold another item called a Soul Orb, but George had no interest in those, as they only provided techniques—and he was ninety-nine percent sure that no one in this world could give him better techniques than Bao.
The worker brought him to the area where the Ancient Orbs were displayed.
The worker then started explaining, "We have five levels of orbs. The first level costs one spirit stone, the second level costs ten, the third level costs fifty, the fourth level costs seventy, and the fifth level costs one hundred spirit stones."
For George, one hundred spirit stones was something to sneer at, but this amount was a lifetime's savings for an ordinary cultivator. He decided to buy the fifth-level orb, as it was the highest.
When he said he wanted to buy a fifth-level orb, the worker looked at him with widened eyes. He wondered whether this person was truly rich or just pretending. Though George's attire was luxurious, But the worker believed in the saying: don't judge a book by its cover.
The people around George also started sneering after hearing his words.
The worker said, "If you wish to buy something from level three or higher, you must go to another area. Also a higher-ranked worker will attend you ."
Soon, another worker arrived. He was well dressed, and his manners were refined. They quickly reached the place where the fifth-level Ancient Orbs were stored.
George said in his mind, "Bao, are you ready? We're going to make a killing this time."
The worker then gave him some space, saying, "You may check the items as you wish. If you need anything, just call me. Also, if you want, you can hire a professional orb appraiser who can help you identify precious orbs."
He added, "These appraisers are highly skilled, with countless years of experience, so you will definitely profit."
George replied that he was fine on his own. Inside his mind, he was laughing, thinking that in this world, Who could be a better appraiser than Bao.
He then started checking the orbs.
But just as he began, he heard a voice nearby.
"I am two hundred percent sure there is a precious stone inside this Ancient Orb."
"Grandmaster, are you sure? I have already wasted more than five hundred spirit stones.
If I don't make up for the money from this one, my father will kill me," said a young boy, sweat covering his forehead, his voice trembling.