Chapter 72 Three people from Xizhou sat in a row and took a bath together.
Xizhou, the City of Blazing Fire.
In the city's teleportation plaza, a beam of light shot into the sky, and many blurry figures within the teleportation array gradually solidified.
As the light faded, figures emerged from the light screen. Bai followed the crowd out of the teleportation array, and as soon as he stepped out, a wave of scorching heat hit him.
The air was filled with raging fire elemental energy, mixed with tiny, scalding sand particles that entered the nasal cavity with each breath and burned all the way down the trachea to the lungs.
Bai coughed lightly. Many other newly arrived cultivators around her coughed with flushed faces, just like her. Some had also set up a spiritual energy shield around themselves in advance to block the omnipresent heat wave.
"Hey, stranger, first time in Blazing City?" A clear and pleasant voice came from beside me.
Bai turned his head and saw a girl who looked to be about eighteen or nineteen years old. She had a healthy wheat-colored complexion and was wearing only a red short jacket, which revealed her slender waist and firm arms.
She wore a pair of thin gauze pants, barefoot in straw sandals, and had glittering gold chains on her wrists and ankles.
She grinned, revealing two dimples on her cheeks, and her bright black eyes looked particularly lively. "Everyone's like this when they first arrive, you'll get used to it in a couple of days! Judging from your appearance, you probably haven't found a place to stay yet, right? Do you want me to show you the way?"
Bai didn't respond, his gaze sweeping past her across the entire teleportation plaza. He noticed many other business people soliciting customers, just like the girl; it seemed to be a characteristic of Blazing Fire City.
"Do you have a map?" Bai asked, turning his gaze away.
The little girl blinked, looking annoyed that she had actually met a smart person. She pouted and said, "You really are a shrewd outsider."
She reached into the cloth bag at her waist and pulled out a crumpled piece of parchment. "Here you go, a map of Blazing Fire City, and ten low-grade spirit stones. I'm being honest with you!"
Bai reached out to take it, but the little girl quickly pulled her hand back, grinning with her white teeth: "Outsider, pay first."
"Oh, sorry." Bai also took out ten low-grade spirit stones from his storage ring and handed them over.
The little girl took the spirit stone, confirmed it was correct, and stuffed it into her pocket. Then she shoved the map into Bai Ye's hand, and with a flash, she disappeared into the crowd like an eel.
Bai didn't pay any attention, assuming the other party was in a hurry to attract customers. She opened the map, her brows gradually furrowing.
"How could I have fallen for that so easily?!" Bai cursed inwardly.
A few crooked lines were drawn on the parchment. The only recognizable feature was the teleportation plaza where she was standing, as this place was marked separately. There were no other details, and it was even worse than a kindergarten child's drawing.
After studying it for a while, Bai finally gave up, crumpled the map into a ball in his palm, and walked out of the teleportation plaza.
Just as he stepped out of the square, another nimble figure approached. Bai didn't even bother to lift his eyelids, simply raising the sheepskin map in his hand and waving it around, indicating that the other person was a fat sheep that had already been slaughtered, and that he should go find the next one.
"Outsider, that's a fake map. I have a real one, for just one low-grade spirit stone," the man shouted, unwilling to give up.
Bai ignored him and walked past him. She wasn't stupid; if she bought a fake for ten spirit stones, she wouldn't even consider a one-stone one.
"Ye Zai... I remember that person," Jiao Jiao whispered, resting on her shoulder.
“I’ve remembered that person too,” Bai Taihuo, who had transformed into a hairpin, echoed.
Bai shook his head and chuckled, "You two little guys shouldn't be too fierce. We're new here, so it's best not to cause trouble. We just want to make a living."
"Waaah, Yezai, you've really grown up." Xiao Wang's voice was full of emotion.
Once upon a time, Bai Ye, who went out to train with Zhong Jiuli, was like a little firecracker, rushing at anyone he saw without using his brain at all. Now he knows to keep a low profile.
"Stop flattering me, just help me find the location of the Hundred Refinements Pavilion. I need to upgrade Big Black first," Bai said in his mind.
Xizhou is famous for its weapon forging.
The Hundred Refinement Pavilion is a shop operated by the Hundred Refinement Sect, the largest and strongest sect in the Western Continent. It is said that the Hundred Refinement Sect contains the source of the True Fire of the Sun, which can refine all things in the world.
Bai had studied the Wang family's immortal sword for a long time but couldn't melt it down. Since she was in Xizhou this time, she thought she would take care of it on the way.
[Navigation is now on, kid. Flying is not allowed in Blazing City.] Little Wang reminded him.
"Hmm." Bai responded, glanced at the 3D projection map of Blazing City that Xiao Wang had given him, and walked towards the Hundred Refinement Pavilion on the scorching hot stone path.
The houses lining the streets were mostly built of dark red stones, giving them a rugged appearance. Pedestrians were dressed very lightly, and Bai, wearing a plain white long gown, stood out in the crowd.
The children playing in the shade blinked their big eyes and looked curiously at this stranger who seemed unaffected by the heat.
More than an hour later, Bai finally arrived at the entrance of the Hundred Refinement Pavilion. By this time, she was covered in sweat, and her inner clothes were soaked through.
Only then did she understand why the cultivators of Xizhou were dressed so lightly. Her protective spiritual energy was no match for the all-pervasive fire spiritual energy, and even with Bai Ye's current physique, walking under the scorching sun felt unbearably hot.
This feeling isn't like walking on the street; it's more like swimming in lava.
"I told you I'd give you some cooling, but you didn't want it," Bai Taihu muttered softly in her hair.
Bai wiped the sweat that was about to drip into his eyes. "But I can't always rely on your help. What if you're not here one day?"
She raised her hand to shield her eyes from the glaring sunlight and looked at the local cultivators on the street, who seemed completely oblivious to the heat. "Look at those with lower cultivation levels than me, they're all adapting very well. This shows that the temperature isn't a big deal. What I need to do isn't to isolate myself from this heat, but to adapt as quickly as possible."
Bai Tai said angrily, "I will always stay with Da Bai."
"Okay, I know. No talking. I need to go inside and take care of some business." Bai Ye finished speaking and walked into the Hundred Refinement Pavilion.
Upon entering the pavilion, the refreshing coolness made Bai breathe a sigh of relief, and the restless fire spirit energy within his body instantly calmed down.
She looked around. The walls were inlaid with cold crystals, and the ground was paved with black ice jade bricks. The cool air completely kept out the omnipresent fire spirit energy.
In the center of the hall, facing the main entrance, the weapon rack was filled with divine weapons. The surfaces of those weapons shimmered with spiritual light, clearly indicating that they were high-grade spiritual artifacts.
"Fellow Daoist, you've come straight to my Hundred Refinements Pavilion upon your arrival in Blazing Fire City. Are you perhaps looking to customize a natal spirit weapon?" The welcoming cultivator in a crimson robe waited until Bai Ye had finished observing before appearing to speak to him.
Bai also looked at the newcomer and nodded, saying, "I have two swords that I would like to reforge. Is that possible?"
“Of course, fellow Daoist, please follow me.” The welcoming cultivator bowed and led the way.
Bai followed the welcoming cultivator into the inner room and took a seat. It was indeed befitting a weapon-refining sect; even the welcoming area was decorated with some unfinished sword embryos, which truly suited the sect's style.
"Please have a seat, fellow Daoist." The welcoming cultivator led Bai Ye to the inner room. "Fellow Daoist, you may take out your sword so I can appraise its value for you."
Upon hearing this, Bai took out Big Black from his storage ring and casually placed it on the table in front of him.
As soon as the sword was placed on it, there was a "crack" sound, and the table shattered on the spot, with the heavy sword falling straight down.
Bai reacted quickly and grabbed the heavy sword, worried that it might damage the cooling floor and make her pay for it.
"This... Fellow Daoist's sword is quite extraordinary." The welcoming cultivator stared wide-eyed, somewhat dumbfounded, at the heavy sword in Bai Ye's hand.
With his keen eyesight, he couldn't see anything special about the heavy sword, but its weight was undeniably real.
Bai forced an awkward smile. "Sorry, sorry, I didn't realize your table was a bit flimsy."
"It's alright, it's alright. Fellow Daoist, please wait a moment. I'm a little undecided about this sword. Let me ask the weapon refiner on duty in the pavilion to take a look." The welcoming cultivator bowed and then rushed out.
Shortly after, heavy footsteps sounded outside the door. The monk who had just left led in a tall woman.
Bai also sized up the newcomer. The woman was about twenty years old, with a beautiful face and her black hair tied up high.
His skin was a uniform bronze color, and his upper body was almost naked, with only a cloth wrapped around his chest. His muscles were beautifully defined, and just standing there, he was as beautiful as an ancient Greek sculpture.
"You little brat, keep your eyes to yourself, or I'll gouge your eyes out." The woman spoke, her voice clear and melodious, unlike the fierce aura emanating from the others.
Bai also awkwardly looked away, "Ahem...sorry, I've just never seen such good-looking muscles before, I couldn't help but take a second look."
The woman, who had initially seemed a little impatient, immediately broke into a friendly smile after hearing Bai Ye's words. "Not bad, you have a good eye. Come, let me see what kind of sword you're going to forge."
After she finished speaking, her gaze fell on the heavy sword in Bai Ye's hand, and her eyes lit up. Before Bai Ye could answer, she reached out to snatch it.
Bai Ye flicked his wrist, dodging the large, fan-like hand. "Wait, this sword is a bit heavy."
"What? You look down on me?" The woman raised her voice, snatched the heavy sword, and raised Big Black with one hand.
"I could swing a thousand-pound hammer to forge iron when I was three years old..." The woman stopped halfway through her boast, staring at the heavy sword with fascination, her fingertips lightly tracing the patterns on the blade.
"This sword...this forging technique...you little brat, where did you get this sword from?" the woman asked Bai Ye.
"I obtained it from a secret realm." Bai also told the truth. It was obvious that the other party recognized the sword, while she did not, so there was no need to hide anything.
"You want me to remove the seal on your sword?" the woman asked, raising an eyebrow.
Bai's heart stirred slightly upon hearing this. She hadn't expected that Dahei, which she considered quite useful, was actually sealed away. She shook her head calmly, "I have another sword that I want to fuse together."
As she spoke, she took out the Wang family's immortal sword from her storage ring.
"Hiss~" The woman gasped when she saw the sword. She casually stuck the big black thing into the ground, ignoring the cracked floorboards, and took the sword with both hands to examine it carefully.
"This is actually a damaged immortal sword? You obtained this from the secret realm as well?"
"This isn't it, I picked it up from a dead old man." Bai scratched his ear and took out a large piece of dragon crystal from his storage ring, handing it to the woman.
"Dragon Crystal!!!" The woman's voice rose even higher, almost blowing the roof off.
This time, even the welcoming monks couldn't help but cover their ears.
"Yes, I found these in the secret realm. I'd like to incorporate them into this heavy sword. Is that possible?" Bai asked the woman.
"You little brat, you really don't know how treacherous people can be. If any one of these three treasures you possess is leaked..." The woman hadn't finished speaking, but Bai already understood her implication.
"Consider yourself lucky to have met me, Bai Duan Hong!" she patted her chest proudly. "In this Blazing Fire City, my reputation is top-notch and trustworthy."
Bai Ye's heart, which had just settled, instantly tightened again. The last one, who was supposed to be honest and trustworthy, had swindled her out of ten low-grade spirit stones with a tattered sheepskin.
Bai Duan Hong didn't notice Bai Ye's sudden change in expression. Instead, she leaned closer and asked, "Little brat, tell me, how do you plan to forge this sword?"
Bai also wanted to say, "Why don't you give me back my things? I'm not going to refine them anymore."
But judging from how tightly the other party was holding onto the two swords, it seemed they weren't going to let go.
"Just forge them all into the greatsword. As for the specifics, you can decide how to do it."
Bai won't interfere too much in this matter; leaving professional matters to professionals is the best way to get the most suitable outcome.
"Good heavens, don't worry, give me a month, and I'll definitely return a peerless divine weapon to you." Bai Duan Hong laughed loudly, then strode away carrying two swords and a large piece of dragon crystal.
If Bai hadn't inquired beforehand and known that the Hundred Refinements Pavilion had stood in Xizhou for nearly ten thousand years and had always had a good reputation, he would have suspected that he had been robbed.
She looked at the welcoming monk huddled in the corner and asked, "Um, do I have to pay a processing fee?"
The welcoming cultivator shook his head and smiled, "Since Master Bai didn't mention it, then it's unnecessary. Your honored guest can simply come back in a month to collect the sword."
As Bai Ye left the Hundred Refinement Pavilion and stood on the street, enveloped by the heatwave once again, he was still somewhat dazed.
Was I really not being robbed? Or did I just walk right into their trap?
"Ye Zai, hurry up and go..." Jiao Jiao slumped weakly on Bai Ye's shoulder. "The spiritual energy in this awful place is scorching me. If it stays in the sun any longer, Jiao Jiao will turn into a roasted turtle."
Upon hearing this, Bai quickly tucked Jiaojiao into his arms, saying, "I forgot, wouldn't it be better if she didn't get any sun while in my arms?"
Jiaojiao peeked her head out from under her clothes and weakly hummed in response, "I can barely survive."
"You call yourself a tenth-tier demon beast? How come you're so weak?" Bai joked, quickening his pace as he crossed the bustling street.
She had already roughly surveyed the layout of Blazing Fire City. Not far ahead, on a street adjacent to Hundred Refinement Pavilion, was Cool Breeze Inn, the largest inn in Blazing Fire City.
As soon as Bai stepped into the inn, a waiter immediately came to greet him.
"Please come in, sir!" The waiter, with a white handkerchief draped over his shoulder, asked with a smile, "Need a meal or a room?"
"I need a room at the hotel. Get me a superior room," Bai replied.
"Alright! One room at Hantanju!" the waiter called out to the shopkeeper behind the counter, who was fiddling with an abacus, and then stepped aside to lead the way for Bai Ye.
As the waiter walked along, he introduced the guesthouse: "Sir, you've come for the sand hunt, haven't you? You've come quite early. If you had come a few days later, you wouldn't have been able to stay at the Cold Pool Residence. Although the Cold Pool Residence costs ten high-grade spirit stones a day, it is still one of the most sought-after rooms in Blazing Fire City."
"Is there anything special about this Cold Pool Residence?" Bai asked, somewhat puzzled.
"Is this your first time visiting our Blazing Fire City, sir?" The waiter chuckled and pushed open the door beside him, a chill immediately wafting out of the room.
“Look,” he said, pointing to the spring water in the room that was glowing with a faint blue flame. “This is the Earth Fire Spring that our boss brought from the depths of Blazing Fire City at great expense. Just soaking in this Earth Fire Spring can cleanse the fire poison from a cultivator’s body.”
Bai stepped into the room and glanced at the bubbling, flame-filled spring water, feeling that it looked somewhat similar to the Taiyin True Fire.
After Bai had finished looking at the room, the waiter asked with a smile, "Are you satisfied, sir?"
"This will do, stay for one night." Bai Ye took out one hundred mid-grade spirit stones from his storage ring and handed them to the waiter. "I don't have any high-grade spirit stones, can I use these mid-grade spirit stones?"
The waiter hurriedly took the spirit stones. "Of course, sir. Please don't rush to soak. I'll bring you a pot of chilled wine later. Soaking in the fire spring is best paired with chilled wine."
"Okay, thank you." Bai also thanked him politely.
As soon as the waiter left, Jiaojiao couldn't wait to wriggle out of Bai Ye's arms and fall into the spring water with a splash.
She swam around in the spring twice, and the restless fire spirit energy in her body subsided. Then she sighed, "Jiaojiao should stay in the cool spring water, instead of being exposed to the scorching sun outside."
Little Fire also transformed into human form and flew into the spring. As soon as she entered, she exclaimed softly, "What kind of Earth Fire Spring is this? There is clearly the aura of my original true fire in here."
"Hmm? No wonder this fire looks a bit like yours. So we're from the same family?" Bai also leaned closer and put his hand into the spring water. The water was very cold, but much milder than the Taiyin True Fire. There must have been other medicinal herbs added to neutralize the coldness of the Taiyin True Fire.
"There should be a cluster of extinguished Yin True Fire underground, which these people diluted and used for bathing," Little Fire said sullenly.
Bai also asked, "Why is it an extinguished real fire?"
"That's because our Taiyin True Fire is passed down through a single lineage, and there will only ever be one in the world. Only when our ancestors perish can our descendants be born," Little Taiyin Fire said proudly, puffing out its little chest.
"Ew!" Bai also waved his hand in disgust. "Doesn't that mean these people are soaking in your ancestor's corpse...fire?"
Jiaojiao, who was floating on the water enjoying herself, suddenly jumped up with a loud cry upon hearing this, frantically slapping the water droplets off her body with her little paws.
"Waaah, Jiaojiao isn't going to soak anymore." She scrambled to the edge of the pool, as if afraid of being contaminated by the corpse fire.
Xiao Tai angrily waved her hand and slapped Jiao Jiao back. "Silly Jiao Jiao, what do you know? Our Taiyin True Fire is a primordial spiritual object born from the creation of heaven and earth. It is pure and flawless. Even the remains of extinguished ancestors are still good things. It is the purest energy in the world."
Jiaojiao was slapped into the water and pushed to the bottom. When she wriggled back to the surface to settle scores with Xiao Taihu, there was a knock on the door.
Bai also put her index finger to her lips, as agreed with them before they came—to temporarily conceal their identities in public. They were unfamiliar with the place, so it was best to keep some cards up their sleeve.
Little Taihu understood, covered his own mouth with one hand, and pinched Jiaojiao's glans with the other.
"Good girl." Bai Ye smiled and praised her in a low voice before getting up to open the door.
Standing outside the door was the same waiter from before, carrying a jade wine pot filled with chilled wine.
Bai also took the wine and casually flicked a spirit stone over.
The waiter deftly caught the spirit stone and put it in his pocket. "Is there anything else you need, sir?"
"The sand hunt you mentioned earlier?"
The waiter's eyes lit up. After looking around, he lowered his voice and said, "Sir, are you looking for information about the Sand Hunt? I've heard that all the young geniuses from the entire Western Continent will be participating in this Sand Hunt."
"Do you know why, sir?" the waiter asked, keeping him in suspense.
Bai casually tossed another spirit stone over. The waiter caught the spirit stone and said with a smile, "Sir, you are from out of town and may not know this, but for this sand hunt, the Hundred Refinements Sect, the Golden Sand Temple, and the Burning Heaven Valley have all sent their core disciples. The winner can enter the underground of Blazing Fire City and see the real Earth Fire Spring."
"Okay, remember to let me know if there's any new information." After saying that, Bai tossed another spirit stone over, and before the waiter could speak, he picked up the wine pot and closed the door.
She had already heard about the sand hunt in Xizhou on her way here. Xizhou is mostly desert and volcano, which is a desolate place that is difficult for human cultivators to live in, but it is a paradise for fire-loving demon beasts.
If left unchecked, the monsters deep in the desert will multiply excessively, forming a beast tide that will sweep through the cities of human cultivators.
After the first beast tide, the major sects of Xizhou offered up precious treasures such as pills and cultivation techniques as prizes, attracting cultivators from all directions to step into this desert and fight against the monsters.
The Sand Hunt originated from this, and now, thousands of years later, it has gradually become a battleground for young cultivators to compete.
Bai also considered that the Sand Hunt should not start for another month or so. This period of time would be just enough for her to go outside the city to find a place to break through to the Nascent Soul stage. When she returned to Blazing Fire City to get the sword, she could also go and witness this grand occasion.
【Hey kid, should we go to the Rama Desert ahead of schedule?】
"Is the female lead you're talking about the young master of Burning Heaven Valley?" Bai asked in his heart.
Yes, you'll meet in the Rama Desert. The book says you were trapped in quicksand, she rescued you, and you fell in love with her.
Bai also resisted the urge to roll her eyes. "I'm not that shallow. How could I fall for someone just because they saved my life?"
"That's what it says in the book," Xiao Wang said, looking aggrieved.
"Alright, don't rush, I have plans." After saying that, Bai put the wine pot on the table, loosened his belt, and stripped off his clothes.
Since we're already here, we should definitely take a bath worth ten high-grade spirit stones.
Bai, completely naked, carried the wine jug into the pool. The two little ones, who were having a great time playing in the pool, immediately surrounded her when they saw her join them.
The three of them sat in a row and took a bath together.
"Give me a sip~" Jiao Jiao looked longingly at the ice wine in Bai Ye's hand.
"I want to drink too~" Bai Taihuo joined in the fun.
Bai also firmly refused, saying, "Children are not allowed to drink alcohol."
"You stinky tiger! I'm older than you, okay!" Jiaojiao huffed and puffed, bumping Bai Ye's knee with her tortoise shell. "Don't think that just because you've transformed into an adult, you're a real adult."
Bai also picked up the mischievous little turtle and poured a mouthful of wine into her mouth. Upon seeing this, Bai Taihuo immediately tilted her head back, opened her little mouth, and looked like a little baby waiting to be fed. She then poured some wine into her mouth as well.
"Is it ready?" Bai asked, looking at the two of them.
Little Tai smacked her lips, "It doesn't taste good!"
"I also think grilled fish is tastier." Jiao Jiao chuckled.
The two little chickens got drunk after just one sip. Bai shook his head and scooped the two dizzy little guys out of the pool.
When they first arrived in Blazing City, their internal fire poison was still mild, and soaking in this icy pool for too long would only harm their health.
"Do you want to stay in the room, or come out with me to buy some supplies?" Bai asked as he put on his clothes.
"Together!" the little ones answered in unison.
"Let's go then." Bai led the two little ones out of the room again.
The sun had already set, and the night market in Blazing City was much more lively than during the day, with bright lights lining both sides of the street and throngs of pedestrians.
Bai also bought some food that the little ones wanted along the street, as well as a lot of spiritual fruits for himself. Xizhou is full of desert, but the fruits are extremely sweet.
Finally, we found a shop selling miscellaneous items and asked the shopkeeper to help us prepare some supplies needed for the trip to the desert.
When going to the desert, it is essential to stock up on some fresh water resources. It is said that the fire poison in the desert is extremely potent, and even cultivators cannot withstand it without water.
"Sir, everything you requested has been prepared." The shopkeeper packed Bai's belongings into a large package.
"Thank you." Bai paid the money, packed up his package, and headed towards the inn.
Back at the inn, Bai brought out all the food the two little ones had been clamoring to buy. "Here, everything you wanted is here. Share it and don't fight."
After she finished speaking, she ignored the two men, picked up a jug of iced wine, leaned back on the soft couch, and looked at the map she had just bought.
The map was covered with many crimson marks, which were the locations of monster nests that had been explored by humans.
On the vast map, only a few scattered green dots represent oases in the desert, which are supply points where human cultivators can rest temporarily.
Bai pointed to a spot and muttered, "Crimson Flame Cave, Crimson Flame Scorpion Nest Cave, contains a large number of crimson crystal stone forests, and is rich in spiritual energy. This is it!"
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Author's Note: [Dog head holding a rose][Dog head holding a rose][Dog head holding a rose] Actually, Sister Zhong has already arrived.
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