Ling Xiao walked along the road. He wore a simple black robe, so he looked just like any other person passing by. In a city of this size, anonymity was its own form of armor. He kept his head slightly lowered, his pace steady and unhurried. A few people looked at him closely, but since they didn't find anything special, they quickly went back to their own business. In the cultivation world, people only paid attention to two things: threat and opportunity. Ling Xiao, with his restrained aura, appeared to be neither.
He stopped and looked back. In the distance, the huge Royal Palace stood, glowing with a powerful energy, much denser than the air around him. The structure dominated the skyline, a constant reminder of the hierarchy in this land.
After walking for a few minutes, he reached the main city, called Lingyuan City, the center of the continent. The Qi in the air here was not as clean as inside the palace. It felt thin and mixed with the dust of mortal living. The air was filled with many smells, like roasting meat, and it was noisy with merchants selling their things.
"Spirit herbs! Fresh from the valley!" one vendor shouted.
"Beast hides! Tough as iron!" roared another.
All this made the city feel very busy and crowded. Carts rattled over uneven stones, and the press of bodies was suffocating.
Needing a moment to think, he ducked into a quiet side alley where almost no one was around. The noise of the main street faded into a dull hum. He took out the map from his storage ring. The map showed the Royal Palace as a big ring in the center, which was about the size of a medium village.
He studied the layout carefully. It also marked two other clans and buildings like the alchemy and library halls. These were the seats of power for the city's elite. A river flowed from the city toward the Jungle in the west. Only a small part of the jungle was drawn on the map, meaning most of it was not considered part of the city.
Swish! A sudden shadow covered the ground. Ling Xiao instinctively tensed. Ling Xiao looked up and saw a huge bird, like an eagle, but with feathers that looked like steel blades. It glided silently over the rooftops, its metallic plumage glinting in the sun. It was an Iron-Winged Eagle, a beast used for travel.
Now that he knew where he was, he felt a little confused. Where should he go first? He folded the map and put it away. His thoughts started to argue inside his head. It was the struggle of a young cultivator.
"Why not have fun? You came out to see the continent and hunt beasts!" A tiny image of Ling Xiao with horns appeared in a puff of smoke, in his right side. It grinned mischievously, urging him toward chaos.
"No, it is not in the capital city and you promised your father," another tiny image, this one with a halo, appeared in his left side, showing his good side. It crossed its arms disapprovingly. "Besides, it's too dangerous, and you aren't strong enough yet."
"Hmph! How can anyone get strong without taking risks?" the horned one argued.
Ling Xiao shook his head, pushing those thoughts aside. Fantasy was fantasy; reality required preparation. He couldn't just wander into jungle without a plan. He opened the map again, looking closely at the Jungle area. The lack of detail was troubling. Since the map had no details for the jungle, he thought, "I guess I need to find a map just for the Jungle".
He left the alley. After walking for about ten minutes, a big shop attracted his attention, a big billboard attached on the top 'Wang treasure hall' written on it. The building was imposing, built of sturdy stone with guarded majestic doors. He stepped inside.
Inside, he heard angry voices.
"Hmph! Why is this rusty thing so expensive?" An ordinary looking young man with short hair complained. He was holding a long saber, inspecting the blade.
"It will not bear a single punch of mine!" another voice said, followed by a metal sound. It is a bulky man... who punched the saber. The heavy impact echoed through the shop. Although anything does not happen to that shaver. Although the saber didn't shatter, a careful observer could see that the blade was slightly bent.
"See that?" the bulky man pointed out, his voice rough. "It didn't break, but it didn't hold true either. You call this a Treasure Hall?"
"Listen! Do you want a good weapon or not?" The middle-aged shopkeeper sounded annoyed. He slammed his hand on the counter. "You need to spend more money, or just take the weapon. Hurry up, I have other work to do!"
"We have coin," the short-haired man retorted, "but we won't be cheated. This isn't worth three hundred silver."
"Then leave!" the shopkeeper sneered. "This is the price for quality craftsmanship."
Ling Xiao watched two young men arguing with the shopkeeper. He stayed back, observing the dynamic. The shop had good inventory, but the service left much to be desired.
An older man working at the shop stepped up to Ling Xiao. He was clearly an elder assistant, more experienced in judging customers.
"Sir, what kind of weapon do you need? We have the best weapons in the city."
"I'm not looking for weapons," Ling Xiao asked. "I need a map of the jungle. Do you have one?"
"Of course, young master, we have plenty," the assistant replied politely. "But may I ask why you are going to the Jungle?" Hearing this the old shopkeeper came over and quickly asked in gentle smile in his face.
The shopkeeper's eyes narrowed slightly as he appraised the new arrival. The shopkeeper secretly checked Ling Xiao for a cultivation aura but couldn't sense any power. This made him look puzzled. 'Does this kid have something to hide his power?' he thought, noticing Ling Xiao's nice clothes. The fabric was high quality, even if the design was simple. 'Looks like I caught a rich, easy customer today!' He assumed Ling Xiao was a wealthy runaway or a pampered young master playing adventurer.
He quickly hid his thoughts and smiled again.
Remembering the advice he got, Ling Xiao simply said, "It's just for training".
"Very well," the old man went to a shelf, grabbed a map, and gave it to Ling Xiao. He spread it out on the wooden counter. Ling Xiao opened the map; it was only for the jungle. It was far more detailed than his general map. Some dangerous areas were marked as beast nests.
"This covers the outer and middle regions," the shopkeeper explained smoothly. "This map is quite expensive, but since you are a new customer, I'll give you a discount," the shopkeeper said, keeping his gentle expression. "It will be 50 silver coins."
The two young men arguing earlier looked over at Ling Xiao curiously. Fifty silver was the price of a decent iron sword, not a piece of paper.
"Silver coin?" Ling Xiao mumbled. He paused, calculating. He didn't know the exact value, but the real issue was that he hadn't used silver coins and didn't have any with him.
The shopkeeper thought Ling Xiao was complaining about the price. "Yes! It's so expensive because it has all these markings. No other map is this accurate!" He tapped the paper aggressively. "This information saves lives!"
"I understand," Ling Xiao said, "but I don't have any silver coins".
The shopkeeper's face darkened instantly. "What a waste! No silver coins?" The shopkeeper frowned deeply. His attitude change immediately. "Do you think I run a charity? Don't waste my time!" He quickly took the map back. He rolled it up with a snap, glaring at Ling Xiao. "If you have no money, get out. Don't block the counter for paying customers."
"Hmph! Another one who does not know the value," the ordinary looking short haired man remarked.
"What do you expect? He is just a kid with no cultivation." told the bulky man. "Probably thought he could get it for free with a sad story."
Ling Xiao stood his ground, unfazed by the insults. "Wait!" Ling Xiao stopped the old shopkeeper.
"What now?" the shopkeeper snapped.
"I don't have silver, but I can pay with this coin." He took out a gold coin from his storage ring.
He placed it gently on the counter. The heavy clink of pure gold cut through the murmurs of the shop.
The shopkeeper froze, speechless. His eyes bulged. In the markets, gold was not rare but a gold coin for a single map? a single gold coin was worth a thousand silver. The two other young men were also stunned. They stared at the small golden disc, their previous mockery instantly forgotten.
The shopkeeper's hands trembled as he reached for the coin, as if testing if it was a real gold coin.
"Young master! This... this is much, much more than the map is worth!" the shopkeeper stammered, completely shocked. His arrogance evaporated, replaced by a respect. "I don't even have enough silver coins to give you back the change".