Chapter 57: New Moon City, Black Moon Merchant Guild
New Moon City, located in the central-eastern part of the Cang Feng Empire, was fully ten times larger than Liu Yun City in scale. Within and outside the city, various large and small sects stood in abundance. The Cangfeng Imperial Clan had also established an imperial profound palace here, and even the Xiao Sect and Fen Tian Gate had branches here. As a result, countless young profound practitioners flocked from all directions, hoping to be fortunate enough to join a powerful sect and pursue the path of profound cultivation.
On this day, at the eastern gate of New Moon City, a black-clothed youth walked slowly. He appeared to be only sixteen or seventeen years old, with a still-immature face, yet his eyes were solid and deep, and his expression bore a maturity and calmness beyond his years. His pace was slow, and each step he took on the hard ground left a shallow indentation and a trail of startlingly conspicuous sweat droplets.
The distance from Qinglin Town to New Moon City was seven hundred kilometers, and Yun Che had walked for over a month. It wasn't that he didn't want to go faster; it was simply that he couldn't.
On the day he set out from Qinglin Town, Mo Li had told him to find a heavy object weighing over four hundred jin... And Yun Che was ruthless with himself. He spent all the remaining Yellow Profound Coins on his person and directly bought a piece of raw iron weighing a full six hundred and sixty jin from a small blacksmith shop in Qinglin Town. Then, after preparing food, Yun Che set out from Qinglin Town, not buying a Profound Horse but traveling on foot... carrying that six hundred and sixty jin piece of raw iron on his back.
For a True Xuan Realm profound practitioner, this weight was nothing, but for an Initial Xuan Realm practitioner, it was by no means an insignificant burden.
On the first day of carrying the raw iron, every step Yun Che took consumed a massive amount of profound force, and his shoulders ached unbearably, his cervical spine feeling as if it might snap at any moment. After taking four hundred steps, his profound force was completely exhausted, and the raw iron pressed him to the ground, unable to stand for a long time. But after a brief rest, he showed no resistance to the raw iron, lifted it again, and continued step by step toward the road ahead.
Carrying this raw iron, Yun Che walked a full seven hundred kilometers. His food consisted of nothing but plain dry rations and the low-grade Rejuvenation Profound Pills he had refined himself, while his drink was waterfall water he had prepared in the Crimson Dragon Mountain Range.
The sweat droplets he left along the way would have been enough to form a not-insignificant stream.
Yun Che's terrifying perseverance once again astonished Mo Li. Because throughout this entire journey, Yun Che never once set down the raw iron on his back. Even when his entire body was exhausted and his back was bleeding, he never showed the slightest trace of reluctance, nor did he utter any sound of pain. Instead, he remained incredibly calm the whole time.
Seven hundred kilometers—from the initial difficulty of taking each step to the gradual adaptation later on—the profound force in Yun Che's profound veins, after being depleted and restored thousands of times, became increasingly thick and dense. As early as half a month ago, there had been signs of another breakthrough, but Yun Che forcefully suppressed the profound force, refusing to let it break through. His profound force had grown too violently before; he needed to make it stable enough and allow his body to fully adapt and control this power.
On this day, the city gates of New Moon City finally came into view.
"Finally here." Yun Che walked forward slowly, a smile forming at the corners of his mouth.
"At your current level, even if you fought a profound beast of the same rank, you would win without any suspense. But low-level profound beasts are, after all, of low intelligence and have monotonous attack methods. If you want to become a true expert, you need to fight against people more... So, let's start from this New Moon City." Mo Li said with an air of old wisdom.
"Alright!" Yun Che nodded, his gaze fearless, with a hint of hidden excitement and anticipation.
"Now, take off the profound iron on your body. Your body has now fully adapted to the surging profound force... No, I reckon that even if it surged by several more levels, your body would be able to withstand it."
Yun Che released the profound iron and dropped it to the ground, which sank deeply into the earth. At that moment, Yun Che felt his body become so light it was as if it didn't exist. He lightly gathered his breath, pressed his foot down, and with that single leap, he jumped a full five zhang into the air before landing steadily. He waved his right hand, and a cluster of crimson flame blazed up fiercely in his palm, then quickly extinguished, only to reignite and extinguish again... He controlled it effortlessly, without any hindrance.
"I'll tell you some good news. Your current body can barely withstand the first realm of the Evil God's Seven Realms! That means, when you encounter an opponent you cannot defeat, you can try opening the first realm gate!"
"I can open the first realm gate now?" Yun Che asked, his expression full of surprise.
"Only barely. In dire circumstances, you can give it a try. With your current profound force and physique, it probably won't be life-threatening. But whether it will cause some degree of permanent damage, this princess cannot say for sure. Before you reach the seventh level of Initial Xuan Realm, you'd best not use it recklessly." Mo Li warned.
Yun Che had initially wanted to try the feeling of opening the first realm gate, and even more so to see how powerful the profound skill accompanying the opening would be. But after hearing Mo Li's words, he obediently set aside that thought. If he were to suffer irreparable damage because his body couldn't bear it, the loss would be too great.
As he approached New Moon City, a majestic and thick city wall appeared before Yun Che, exuding an intensely oppressive aura. Beneath the towering city gate, a constant stream of people flowed in and out, creating a bustling scene almost never seen in Liu Yun City.
Entering New Moon City and walking along the streets, Yun Che looked around. All kinds of buildings and shops stretched as far as the eye could see, with crowds of people surging and noise like a tide—extremely lively and prosperous. Moreover, regardless of age or gender, almost everyone carried a trace of profound force, whether strong or weak.
"As expected of a big city. Compared to it, Liu Yun City is like a slightly larger town." Yun Che sighed.
"Excuse me, uncle. Could you tell me where the Black Moon Merchant Guild is located?" Yun Che stopped a middle-aged man who looked relatively kind and asked politely.
"Black Moon Merchant Guild?" The man gave Yun Che a once-over. His ordinary attire and overly youthful age made the man a bit suspicious, but he still pointed: "Go straight west from here, cross about seven streets, then turn right and keep walking. You'll get there. But young man, a place like the Black Moon Merchant Guild—whether buying or selling—requires considerable capital, you know."
Yun Che nodded, thanked him, and walked in the direction he had indicated. After crossing seven very long streets and turning right, he continued for another half an hour. All of a sudden, the flow of people thinned, and even the atmosphere became noticeably different.
A huge plaque inlaid with a pitch-black waning moon came into Yun Che's view. The four characters "Black Moon Merchant Guild" were inscribed horizontally beneath the black moon. Though they were just characters, they carried an inexplicable sense of deterrence. Unlike the lively and bustling streets, the people passing through here were not only few in number but mostly walked quickly with their mouths tightly shut. There was no noise, not even anyone speaking loudly, as if they feared disturbing something.
"This Black Moon Merchant Guild is just as Grandfather said." Yun Che muttered to himself.
The Black Moon Merchant Guild, headquartered in the Shenhuang Empire—the largest of the seven nations on the Tian Xuan Continent—had branches spread across every country and major city. It was the first and largest chain merchant guild in the Tian Xuan Continent, renowned throughout the world. It had been passed down for nearly a thousand years and, far from declining, had grown stronger day by day, gradually becoming a colossal power capable of stirring the winds and clouds of the entire world.
The Black Moon Merchant Guild was, of course, not merely a merchant guild. The fact that the Black Moon Merchant Guild could dominate the entire Tian Xuan Continent indicated the enormous influence behind it. When Xiao Lie had told Yun Che about the Black Moon Merchant Guild, he had earnestly mentioned that even the Four Great Sects of the Cang Feng Empire never dared to cause trouble within it.
The rules of the Black Moon Merchant Guild were extremely strict and rigorous, and in transactions, they could achieve near-absolute fairness and impartiality, never favoring either party. However, the Black Moon Merchant Guild only handled sufficiently high-grade goods, and it looked down on low-quality items. Consequently, the things sold by the Black Moon Merchant Guild were by no means affordable for ordinary households. For those large sects and powers, many of their resources also came from the Black Moon Merchant Guild. The Black Moon Merchant Guild's monthly auctions were always packed to capacity.
After confirming the location of the Black Moon Merchant Guild, Yun Che went to a secluded corner and took out a small bottle of medicinal powder he had refined in advance from the Heavenly Poison Pearl, quickly applying it to his face.
"What are you doing?" Mo Li asked curiously.
Yun Che did not answer. When he raised his face, his originally youthful features were gone, replaced by a resolute and hardened middle-aged face, and even his eyes were filled with vicissitudes. He applied a small amount of the powder to his hands, making them look somewhat withered. Then he took out a slightly worn cloak, replaced his black clothes, put on a bamboo hat, and pulled it down to cover half his face.
"You even know disguise arts?" Mo Li exclaimed in surprise.
"For a divine doctor, what's disguise?" Yun Che said with a smug smile. Then his face hardened and grew cold, and even his voice became hoarse: "Wherever the Black Moon Merchant Guild appears, it becomes a merchant giant, unmatched by anyone. As long as the grade is sufficient, the Black Moon Merchant Guild will accept anything and sell anything... Maybe even pretty girls' clothes. Let's go in and have a look."
When he mentioned "pretty girls' clothes," Yun Che distinctly heard Mo Li let out a soft "hmm" sound.
Ordinary people held a deep awe for the Black Moon Merchant Guild, so when passing by, they hurried along, careful not to do anything that might offend it. Yun Che's strange outfit drew the attention of many, but when they saw him walk steadily into the Black Moon Merchant Guild, the looks they gave him carried a touch of respect... Those with the capital to trade at the Black Moon Merchant Guild were undoubtedly important figures.
The interior of the Black Moon Merchant Guild was vast, with a quietness that carried an elusive sense of oppression. An ordinary person entering would feel suffocated by the atmosphere. On the massive shelves, a dazzling array of goods was laid out—medicinal herbs, pills, weapons, armor, gems, profound pills of low-level profound beasts, and even low-level profound skills... everything imaginable. But without a doubt, nothing sold here was cheap. Some items might be something an ordinary family could not afford in a lifetime.