Eternal Heavenly Emperor

Three days later, Chu Hao still could not see any hope for a breakthrough.

The second reverse meridian was quickly drawn out, but it seemed to be made of solid fine iron, impossible to "dig" through. How could he clear it if he couldn't dig it open?

At first, Chu Hao thought it was a problem with his cultivation technique. After all, a Martial Sect had a corresponding Star Force circulation method, but he had already switched to the second layer of the Minor Formless Mysterious Skill. Over these few days, he should have fully mastered it by now.

He carefully observed and found that his Star Force was flowing smoothly, without any sense of unfamiliarity. It didn't seem like he had practiced the wrong technique.

The problem was that he was now alone outside, with no one to ask for advice.

However, the Upper Three Counties deserved their reputation; there was even a place to consult about martial arts problems. In West Meeting City, there was a place called "Hundred Flavors," which was not a restaurant but rather a place to gather information.

Hundred Flavors claimed to know everything under the sun. If you lacked a certain alchemical ingredient, you would ask Hundred Flavors. If you wanted to know the whereabouts of an enemy, you would ask Hundred Flavors. And if you encountered problems in martial arts cultivation, you could also ask Hundred Flavors.

This Hundred Flavors was not just present in West Meeting City but spread throughout the entire Upper Three Counties. Of course, getting answers there was costly—the specific amount depended on the difficulty of the answer.

For example, if you were looking for a Thousand Spirit Grass, the price wouldn't be high, because there were many places where this herb grew, and most people could reach them smoothly. But if you wanted to know the whereabouts of a Phoenix Blood Grass, even a War Venerate would have to brace for half a year of heartache.

Because not only was Phoenix Blood Grass extremely rare, but its growing environment was also extremely dangerous. Just discovering the growing place, or even just a rough area, would cost many lives.

Could the cost be any less?

When Chu Hao learned of such a place's existence, the corners of his mouth couldn't help but twitch.

Wasn't this just the Sky Martial Star's version of Baidu? And they all started with "Hundred."

He immediately ran to Hundred Flavors.

After being informed of a bunch of rules, like no fighting or causing trouble, Chu Hao entered a small room. The room's décor was very simple, just a table. On one side of the table sat a middle-aged man, while the chair on the opposite side was empty.

"Sit," the middle-aged man said, his voice calm and unemotional, like a robot. He didn't move a muscle and continued, "What do you want to ask?"

Chu Hao sat down as instructed and said, "I have encountered a bottleneck in my cultivation."

"What kind of bottleneck?"

"I am now a Peak Martial Sect of the Single-Meridian. After drawing out the second reverse meridian, it is impossible to penetrate it," Chu Hao said.

"This question requires... 1000 Star Stones," the man paused slightly before naming the price.

Chu Hao was astonished. The other party knew the answer that quickly? If not, how could they set the price? He swept his hand across the table, and the Star Stones in his Mustard Seed Ring appeared on the table one by one.

Exactly 100 pieces, each weighing 10 jin.

Without special instructions, 1000 Star Stones meant 1000 jin of Fifth Grade Star Stones.

The middle-aged man waved his hand, and the Star Stones on the table instantly disappeared, obviously being stored in his Mustard Seed Ring. He then said, "This is normal. The reverse meridian of a Martial Sect is inherently hard to penetrate. Generally, continuous impact for about two months will start to loosen it."

Chu Hao's face turned dark involuntarily. So the answer was that simple?

That cost him 1000 Star Stones?

But why did he break through to the Martial Sect so easily before? Ah, it's because he was soaking in Treasure Liquid at that time, so the progress couldn't be judged by common standards. Didn't You Zhiyuan and the others also break through? It didn't take two months.

Fortunately, he was somewhat wealthy now; 1000 Star Stones were nothing. He asked again, "Is there any way to speed up the process?"

"This question requires 2000 Star Stones," the other party immediately said.

Well, this answer would probably be simple too, but Chu Hao had no guide in martial arts, so he had no choice but to accept being slaughtered.

He readily took out 2000 Star Stones.

"Taking a Star Shattering Pill can shatter the interior of the reverse meridian," the middle-aged man said, as if he cherished words like gold, unwilling to say more than necessary.

Chu Hao didn't ask where he could get a Star Shattering Pill; he planned to directly inquire at a pharmacy. A question worth one or two thousand Star Stones should be known to anyone with a bit of martial arts knowledge.

After leaving Hundred Flavors, Chu Hao quickly found a pharmacy.

"This young hero, what kind of pills do you want to buy? We have everything here: Star Yuan Pills to accelerate meridian expansion, Star Boosting Pills to quickly replenish Star Force, and the top-grade Ten Strong Powder for treating internal injuries," a shop assistant immediately greeted him.

Chu Hao smiled and asked, "Do you have Star Shattering Pills?"

"Star Shattering Pills!" The shop assistant showed a troubled expression and shook his head, saying, "Young hero, you are making it difficult for me. Star Shattering Pills require many Sixth Grade herbs. Usually, no Pill Master is willing to make them, and even if they do, they are sold at auctions."

I see.

Chu Hao nodded and said, "Then I'll buy some Ten Strong Powder and Star Yuan Pills, hmm, and some Star Boosting Pills as well."

"Sure thing!" The shop assistant immediately showed a happy expression. He thought Chu Hao would leave if they didn't have the Star Shattering Pills, but unexpectedly, he was still making a big purchase.

Chu Hao didn't mind; he needed these pills anyway, so buying them wasn't a loss. Moreover, if he asked at Hundred Flavors where to find Star Shattering Pills, it would cost him at least one or two thousand Star Stones.

He bought nearly ten thousand Star Stones worth of pills before leaving, and the shop assistant was jubilant, exceedingly grateful to Chu Hao.

—There were commission rewards.

Chu Hao then went to the auction house, which held auctions every three days, with a large auction once a month and a super-large one at the end of the year. The auction in two days happened to be the large monthly auction.

After paying the deposit, he got an auction catalog, listing most of the items to be auctioned in two days, with detailed descriptions and starting prices.

There were Star Shattering Pills.

Chu Hao's eyes lit up; the starting price was three thousand Star Stones each, quite expensive.

But if Star Stones were just used for cultivation, at most a few thousand jin would be consumed in a year. If not for spending, should they just be left sitting there?

He hoped the competition wouldn't be too fierce.

Chu Hao sorted through the Mustard Seed Rings he had. He had a total of seventeen rings—some were necklace and bracelet types, but that didn't matter. He had about 700,000 jin of Star Stones, with a small amount being Fourth Grade. Converted to Fifth Grade, the total value was around one million.

Additionally, he had many herbs that he could sell, bringing about another million jin in Star Stones.

Chu Hao nodded. He ran to another pharmacy, selling off the lower-grade herbs, while keeping a few High Rank ones for the auction, usually fetching higher returns.

Now, he had the equivalent of 1.7 million jin of Fifth Grade Star Stones. Not only could he buy several Star Shattering Pills, but he could also acquire some precious Treasure Artifacts.

Speaking of Treasure Artifacts, Chu Hao took out the Deep Blue Gold, a Sixth Grade material.

Unfortunately, his current forging skills weren't enough to create a Sixth Grade Treasure Artifact; he needed to improve gradually. Feng Yezi's tool-forging experience had been fully passed on to him.

Chu Hao rented a workshop at a blacksmith's shop and spent his spare time forging.

For a Sixth Grade Treasure Artifact, 32 layers of iron were sufficient. Moreover, Chu Hao could forge up to 128 layers, enough to turn the Sky Blue Sword into a top-grade Sixth Grade weapon.

Of course, it couldn't become a Treasure Artifact yet because Chu Hao hadn't mastered the technique of embedding a Sixth Grade inner core.

In two days, he had forged the Deep Blue Gold into 64 layers. In another day, it could be turned into an artifact embryo.

At this time, the auction also started.

After organizing himself, he set out for the auction house.

Because he had consigned several precious herbs for auction, he became a distinguished guest of the auction house, receiving a private room on the second floor, small, only accommodating three people.

It was said there were luxurious rooms on the third and fourth floors, sufficient for a dozen people.

Being alone, Chu Hao didn't mind the size of the room and waited quietly for the auction to start.

According to the catalog, there were indeed some good items today. Besides the Star Shattering Pills, there was a 300-year-old White Jade Ginseng, boasting an amazing healing effect. It was said that no matter how severe the injury, taking a slice would at least save a life, while minor injuries would heal immediately.

For Martial Artists, such a healing Spiritual Medicine was extremely valuable.

Imagine fighting a mortal enemy to a standstill, only to pull out a piece of White Jade Ginseng and heal instantly. Wouldn't that seal the victory?

The 300-year-old White Jade Ginseng's effectiveness was capped at Warrior level. If a War General used it, the effect would be greatly reduced, and for a War King, it was almost useless. Therefore, the main competitors for the White Jade Ginseng would be Warriors.

Chu Hao stroked his chin. Should he compete with the Warrior-level experts?

Though the auction house didn't compare strengths but who had the deeper pockets, if others knew he had the White Jade Ginseng, they would surely target him.

He had a major weapon, the Jade Seal. If he could stamp it, even a Warrior would be shattered. The key was, could he get close enough to stamp a Warrior?

Difficult, truly difficult.

After pondering for a long time, Chu Hao decided to try his best. If he won the bid, he would quietly leave the city, as no one knew his true identity.

Having made up his mind, he no longer hesitated.

"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to today's auction. Are your wallets ready?" An elderly man in grey stepped onto the auction stage, starting the auction with a light-hearted remark, eliciting some laughter from the audience.

"Without further ado, let's begin the auction!" The auctioneer nodded and had the first auction item brought forth.

Since this was the large monthly auction, there were a lot of items, making the process extremely lengthy.

After waiting for over an hour, it finally came to one of the highlights of the day: the auction of the Star Shattering Pills.

Chu Hao immediately perked up.