Stepping onto that flowing light rainbow bridge, Tang Xiaoqi and Zhao Tiezhu only felt their bodies wrapped in a gentle power, the scenery before them rapidly flowing past, as if traveling through a space-time passage. In just a moment, their feet were firmly planted again, having arrived at one of Tian Shu City's core areas.
The scene before them once again refreshed their understanding of the word "prosperity."
If South View Square was vast and empty, then here was the ultimate in density and flourishing. Beneath their feet was still an incomparably wide street, enough for dozens of carriages to travel side by side, but on both sides of the street were no longer empty spaces, but rows upon rows of buildings with various styles, reaching straight into that eternal starry sky canopy.
Some of these buildings were like immortal palace jade towers, glazed tiles flashing seven-colored light under the starlight; some were black heavy stone fortresses, emanating ancient barbaric auras; some were entirely constructed of crystal, translucent, with silhouettes of people visible inside; some were completely grown naturally from emerald green vines and giant flowers, full of life vitality; there were even some buildings with peculiar shapes, like rotating stars, suspended bagua, or even overturned giant cauldrons, displaying the unique aesthetics and traditions of the forces behind them.
Above the street, there were not only rainbow bridges. Countless cultivators controlling various flying artifacts shuttled back and forth, there were common flying swords, gourds, lotus platforms, and also rare flying boats, tower ships, and even artifacts completely composed of energy in the form of spiritual birds and beasts, trailing long tails of light, flexibly weaving between suspended buildings, forming flowing rivers of light. Occasionally one could also see some cultivators with powerful auras directly flying through the air with their physical bodies, fast as lightning, clearly with profound cultivation.
The air was permeated with various complex scents. There was the rich medicinal fragrance wafting from pill shops, invigorating the spirit upon smelling; the special aura of metal smelting and rune imprinting coming from artifact workshops; the cries and unique animal odors of various rare spiritual beasts from spiritual beast shops; the mellow fragrance of spiritual wine and enticing smells of delicacies from restaurants; and from some special shops, there were strange fragrances that either cleared the heart and calmed the spirit, or confused people's minds. All kinds of scents mixed together, but did not cause aversion, instead forming a vibrant, prosperous atmosphere unique to this place.
"My heavens..." Zhao Tiezhu felt his eyes were not enough, feeling like a mouse fallen into a rice jar, everything he saw was novel, everything he saw was shocking. In his shabby storage bag, those few low-grade spirit stones probably could not even buy a cup of water here.
Though Tang Xiaoqi did not lose his composure, his heart was also filled with amazement. The degree of cultivation civilization prosperity in this Tian Shu City indeed far exceeded his imagination; compared to it, Qingxu Temple was like a village in the countryside.
He walked at a leisurely pace on the wide street, his gaze sweeping over the dazzling shops on both sides.
"Ten Thousand Pills Pavilion" - under the huge signboard, two Golden Core guards with thick auras stood at the entrance, inside the window displayed various pills flowing with colorful light, from the lowest grade Fasting Pill to the "Nine Revolutions Soul-Return Pill" that emanated majestic vitality and was said to bring the dead back to life, all had clearly marked prices, the trailing zeros making Zhao Tiezhu dizzy.
"Divine Arms Tower" - before even getting close, one could feel a sharp martial aura, at the entrance floated several spiritual artifacts as displays, swords, spears, halberds, bells, tripods, seals, numerous in variety, the lowest quality was also upper-grade spiritual artifacts.
"Talisman World" - inside the shop, talisman lights flashed, the walls hung with talismans of various functions, attack, defense, auxiliary, escape techniques... there were even some combination talisman arrays for sale.
"Myriad Worlds Book Sea" - this was a tower nine stories high, those entering and leaving were mostly scholarly cultivators with profound auras, clearly a place for selling or borrowing cultivation method texts.
"Rare Treasures Pavilion" - the sign at the entrance read "Buying and Selling Rare Objects from the World," inside jewels and treasures abounded, no telling how many good things were hidden within.
These were just the most common types of shops. What really opened Tang Xiaoqi's eyes were those specialty shops.
"Spirit Beast Garden" - through the transparent barrier, one could see various rare spiritual beast cubs being raised inside, there were snow-white celestial horses with a single horn on their foreheads, parrots with gorgeous plumage that could speak human language, adorable stone apes that could devour metal and stone... there was even an area specially selling various spiritual insects and gu creatures.
"Hundred Herbs Hall" - not simply selling medicine, but specially selling various living spiritual herbs, spiritual plants, spiritual roots, and even providing spiritual field rental and cultivation services.
"Martial Arena" - that was an area covered by a huge light barrier, inside faintly came the sounds of spell explosions and weapon clashes, outside was a huge light screen real-time displaying the battle situation on the arena and gambling odds, surrounding cultivators packed in three layers deep, shouting cheers that shook the sky.
"Dao Discussion Pavilion" - an elegant octagonal pavilion, at the entrance was a couplet "Discussing the profound and the Dao seeking true understanding, tasting tea and playing chess meeting noble friends," those entering and leaving all had peaceful auras and measured conduct, clearly a refined place for exchanging insights and colliding ideas.
"Heavenly Secrets Teahouse" - at the entrance hung a sign "Foretelling good and bad fortune, divining luck," emanating mysterious atmosphere.
"Fairy Music Pavilion" - sounds of silk and bamboo wind instruments were melodious and pleasing to the ear, graceful female cultivators on the terrace sang and danced, attracting many cultivators to stop and appreciate.
There were even "Puppet Workshop,""Formation Master Association,""Cross-Boundary Trading Company" and other specialized places unheard of before.
The street was packed with people, shoulder to shoulder. Besides human cultivators, there were also more various alien races seen than outside the city. There were giant tribes with bodies two zhang tall and skin like ancient bronze carrying huge cargo, the ground slightly trembling as they passed; there were elf tribes with transparent wings on their backs and exquisite features picking exotic flowers and herbs in front of flower shops; there were shadow tribes completely wrapped in black robes, only revealing a pair of deep blue eyes, silently shuttling through shadows; there were also "mechanical cultivators" wearing technological-feeling clothes with precision constructs embedded in their bodies, haggling with shopkeepers.
The rabbit spirit poked its head out from Xiaoqi's shoulder, its ruby eyes wide and round, its little nose constantly twitching, completely captivated by this never-before-seen prosperous scene. It was especially interested in those sparkling gems, spiritual fruits emanating enticing fragrances, and those fluffy spiritual beast cubs. If not for Xiaoqi using his qi to restrain it, it would have long ago turned into a white light and rushed out.
"Senior... here... this is too..." Zhao Tiezhu had a limited vocabulary, unable to find the right words to describe the shock in his heart.
Tang Xiaoqi took a deep breath, feeling that spiritual energy so dense it could not melt, and the flourishing popularity, slowly said: "Here, this is the true cultivation world."
He saw opportunities, and he also saw challenges. Here, as long as one had enough spirit stones or strength, one could buy almost any resources needed for cultivation. But equally, competition was fierce to the extreme. To establish oneself here and stand out was by no means easy.
"Let's go, first find a place to settle down, then go to Star Oracle Hall to report," Xiaoqi said, the immediate priority was to first familiarize with the environment.
He led Zhao Tiezhu, who was still in a state of shock, merging into that rolling human current, walking toward the depths of the street, beginning to truly integrate into this Tian Shu City that represented the peak of cultivation civilization.