After Bai Ran entered the middle stage of pill formation, he spent more than 20 years in seclusion in a secret room before coming out.
During this period, he did not take all the elixirs, and a small portion remained in the storage bag.
It's not that he couldn't bear the loneliness and was eager to get out the elixir before it was fully refined.
But when I reached the late stage of pill formation, I finally encountered a bottleneck in my practice. If I didn't break through this bottleneck, I wouldn't be able to make any progress no matter how many spiritual pills I took.
The method to break through the bottleneck depends on personal luck and the characteristics of the technique. Basically, there are no rules.
However, in the past, monks who have reached this stage have made breakthroughs on their own while refining their energy and meditating. Some have broken their necks while touring the mountains and rivers. Others have made unexpected breakthroughs while on the thin line between life and death.
In this way, Bai Ran naturally did not want to waste time in the retreat room, and was ready to go out to find the rumored demon companion grass. And see if he could break through the bottleneck by chance while he was out.
Because he didn't know how long it would take to harvest something, Bai Ran naturally didn't dare to keep the Jiuqu Spiritual Ginseng in the house for a long time.
Therefore, I plan to give up on this cave in a small island in the sea of fog.
It would be good to have Gongsun Xing take over now. At least it will be safe there for a short period of time.
As for the Jiuqu Spiritual Ginseng, it must be nourished with the energy of earth and stone every once in a while. This was indeed a bit troublesome before Bai Ran's cultivation reached the middle stage of pill formation.
But now that we have entered the middle stage of pill formation, we no longer have to worry about this!
Bai Ran has the ability to extract the essence of the earth and rocks on the island and inject it into the body of the spiritual ginseng to ensure its safety.
Now Bai Ran was flying in the direction of the market that the girl mentioned. Only in such a place where monks frequently come and go could Bai Ran have the opportunity to get news about the eighth-level monster.
At that time, we will think of another way to see if we can get the demon companion grass.
As for being able to purchase this spiritual grass directly from Fang City, Bai Ran never thought that such a good thing would be waiting for him.
Bai Ran's escape speed is extremely fast.
Although the girl said that it would take half a month to reach the small island in Ubo City, but for him, it would only take a few days with all his strength.
Two days later, when Bai Ran was driving on the sea with all his strength, a red light suddenly flew diagonally from the distance, followed by several groups of gray energy chasing after him.
Seeing this situation, Bai Ran raised his eyebrows inadvertently.
Then, with a thought in his mind, an inaudible spell came out from his mouth, followed by a slight crackling sound coming from his body, the sound was rapid and dense, and at the same time, a ball of green light appeared on his face.
After a moment, Bai Ran's figure suddenly grew a few inches taller, and the green light scattered, revealing a yellowish, unfamiliar face.
This is exactly one of the secret techniques of the Xuanyin Sutra, the "Shape Changing Technique" that Bai Ran deliberately practiced during his retreat.
This secret technique can not only lengthen or shorten various parts of the body at will, but can also control muscle relaxation and instantly change the color of the skin. It is definitely the top makeover technique.
According to Bai Ran's estimate, this technique is definitely no less than the other rumored secret techniques of disguise. Even if you face a monk with superior spiritual awareness, you won't be able to see through it easily. That's why it was included in Xuanyin.
among the scriptures.
The only drawback of this secret technique is that once it is used, only 70% of the whole body's mana can be used.
Once more than 70% of the mana is used to fight with someone, the miraculous effect of "Shape-Changing Technique" will disappear and the person will return to his original appearance.
But Bai Ran didn't care about this.
Once he decided to conceal his identity, he probably didn't want to show his true strength, and limiting his cultivation would not have a big impact on him.
Just after Bai Ran changed his face, the red light also discovered Bai Ran's location, and immediately ran towards this side as if grasping a life-saving straw.
Seeing this scene, Bai Ran simply stopped hiding and sighed lightly.
This was not because trouble came to his door and made him sigh.
Rather, Bai Ran felt that the person running for his life, regardless of whether he, a passerby, had the ability to save him, first had the idea of dragging him into the water, and came here without any hesitation. It seemed that his character was not very good.
As for the groups of gray-white air at the back, they are clearly just a few third- and fourth-level monsters.
This made Bai Ran, who had just felt deeply about Gongsun Xing's filial piety, suddenly feel that human nature is really an extremely complicated issue.
It’s really impossible to generalize!
"Fellow Taoist, help me! I will definitely thank you Daoist Huang Mingli." In the red light, there was a skinny old man with sinister features and eyes. Before he could fly in front of Bai Ran, he shouted for help with a look of fear on his face.
He was quite clever. Although he hadn't seen Bai Ran's cultivation clearly yet, when he saw how steady he was, he immediately knew that his life might be saved.
Bai Ran's expression was as usual. Seeing that the old man had flown in front of him, he lazily raised his hand, and five light cyan sword lights shot out from his hand, immediately stopping the five monsters behind them and fighting them together.
When the old man saw this, he let out a long sigh of relief. He also released a fire ring magic weapon to attack the five monsters together.
Bai Ran glanced at the old man with a sideways glance. This man's cultivation was close to the fake elixir realm of the Foundation Establishment stage. No wonder he was able to escape with his life under the siege of so many third- and fourth-level monsters.
Bai Ran turned around and directed a few sword energy to slowly trap the monsters. He was not in a hurry to expose his cultivation with a fierce attack.
But even so, the little old man beside him became energetic and used this fire-attribute magic weapon to beat the drowned dog hard.
After spending a while, Bai Ran felt that time was almost up, so he started to wave the Qingyuan sword light and killed these monsters one by one.
"Thank you, senior, for coming to the rescue! Senior, are you going to Fangshi on Nanli Island?" The little old man didn't need to check Bai Ran's monk at this time, and knew that the other party must be a monk in the elixir formation stage, so he came up with great respect.
He bowed before him and asked with a smile.
"Yes, I want to go to the market to exchange some things." Bai Ran nodded calmly.
"Senior, there's no need to go anymore. It's just a trip in vain." Huang Mingli blinked a few times and suddenly said with a wry smile.
"What's going on?" Bai Ran looked a little surprised and asked.
"A few days ago, Fangshi on Nanli Island was accidentally discovered by some low-level monsters. Although most of the monsters were killed on the spot, the monsters that escaped the next day attracted a large number of fourth- and fifth-level high-level monsters.
The beasts. The monks in Fangfang City suffered a lot of damage and had to break out separately. I am one of them. But I didn't expect that I accidentally bumped into this group of monsters on the way." Bai Ran, the leader, said
In front of Monk Danqi, the young man preached carefully.
"According to this, your trip here is really in vain?" Bai Ran frowned and his expression became gloomy.
"Well...if senior really wants to buy or sell something, I can recommend another place. The things there are definitely treasures, and only monks above the foundation stage can enter. However, this market must be recommended by an acquaintance.
can enter and
Moreover, the location of the market changes frequently. I am not talented, but I am qualified to recommend. If the senior wants to go, the junior can lead the way, just to repay the senior for saving his life." Huang Mingli rolled his eyes slightly and grinned.
Yellow Teeth said with a mysterious face.
"There is such a place, are you talking about the secret market?" Bai Ran asked thoughtfully after being startled.
"Senior is joking. There is no such thing as a secret market in today's market. Everyone has to be cautious. After being discovered by a monster, there is only one end." The little old man explained hurriedly with a bit of embarrassment.
explain.
"That's true!" Bai Ran couldn't help laughing after hearing this.
"How far away is the place you mentioned?" Bai Ran then asked.
"Starting from here and traveling more diligently, it will only take us more than half a month to arrive. The market will have just opened by then." Huang Mingli seemed to be very familiar with this secret market and replied without thinking.
"Okay. I'll just let you see." Bai Ran thought for a moment and had no choice but to agree.
"Great. Hey! Wait a moment, senior!" Huang Mingli showed excitement and did not lead the way immediately. Instead, he blinked and suddenly remembered something.
He quickly confessed his crime, but he suddenly rushed down, heading straight towards the corpses of several monster beasts floating on the sea.
When Bai Ran saw this scene, he was startled at first, and then smiled lightly as he understood what the other person was thinking.
After a while, the little old man skillfully dismembered several monsters and put them into his own storage bags. Then he happily flew back into the air.
"It makes the seniors laugh. Of course these monsters are not in the eyes of the seniors, but for the juniors, they are also a big income!" Huang Mingli said a little embarrassed.
After all, these five monsters were all killed by Bai Ran just now.
"It's okay, I don't like these monsters either! Let's get on the road quickly." Bai Ran shook his head lightly and urged without changing his expression. After hearing Bai Ran's words, the little old man agreed with a smile. Then he drove in the direction
Change, fly to the east and fly ahead.
Bai Ran followed him calmly, looking extremely calm.
"Senior's face seems a bit unfamiliar. I don't know his surname. Where did he practice cultivation before? Junior may have heard of senior's name before!" Huang Mingli was flying, turned around and glanced at Bai Ran, and asked cautiously.
road.
"My surname is Li. I used to practice in seclusion in the cave. I recently came out of seclusion after successfully forming the elixir. Fellow Daoist Huang has never seen me before. This is normal." Bai Ran naturally didn't know the truth and responded casually.
Huang Mingli couldn't hear any flaws in Bai Ran's words. Although he still had some doubts in his heart, he could only keep saying congratulations.
Then Huang Mingli was very sensible. He didn't listen to much of Bai Ran's news. Instead, he took the initiative to tell Bai Ran some recent incidents involving monks and monsters fighting against each other. However, looking at the way he sighed, he seemed to be dissatisfied with the human beings here.
The future is not very promising.
Listening to this person's eloquent words, although Bai Ran didn't say a few words, he had a clearer understanding of the current overseas situation.
In the next half month, there were no accidents along the way. Bai Ran and the little old man successfully arrived at a small island that looked very ordinary.
This island is only a hundred miles in size, and its aura is pitifully thin. Apart from small patches of vegetation, it is just bare gray rocks. It really looks like a desert island that can be seen everywhere in the outer sea.
It seems that choosing this place is also the best way to conceal the existence of the secret city.
But even so, when they were still half a day away from the island, Bai Ran and the two began to use the concealment technique to restrain their stealth.
This is naturally what the master of the secret city requested.
After Bai Ran listened to Huang Mingli's plea, he didn't show any sign of impatience and obeyed silently. This made Huang Mingli breathe a sigh of relief.
After all, some monks in the alchemy stage are not very easy to talk to.
At this moment, Huang Mingli flew around the island and then fell towards a pile of rocks.
When Bai Ran who was following him saw this, a strange look flashed on his face.
If you read it correctly, there are no restrictions in this place. Could it be... Just when Bai Ran was a little confused, Huang Mingli was already standing next to a huge stone and tapped the stone wall three times skillfully.
A moment later, the boulder suddenly opened up into a black hole about ten feet in size.
Huang Mingli immediately stepped forward, whispered something into the cave entrance, and then turned back to greet Bai Ran loudly in the air:
"Senior Li, this is it. Let's go in!"
Bai Ran nodded lightly, the person landed from the sky and walked directly over.
There is a sloping stone staircase inside the entrance of the cave. Next to the staircase stands an old man in gray robe with white beard and hair. He is probably in the later stage of foundation construction.
"Welcome to our market, senior. I hope you can find what you need there." When the old man saw Bai Ran come in, he immediately said with a smile, acting neither humble nor overbearing.
"I hope so!" Bai Ran said calmly, leading the way down.
Now Bai Ran has understood that apparently in order to prevent monsters from discovering the abnormal spiritual energy here, there is no formation restriction here, but a temporary low-level place has been opened.
After walking along the stairs for a short distance, Bai Ran's eyes lit up.
A vast underground world appeared in front of it, about five or six feet high. The soil was solidified using petrification techniques and supported by blue stone pillars. In the middle were small square stone houses with various hangings.
Such a sign.
There are more than a hundred monks trading various things and raw materials in these stone houses.
"Senior Li, this floor is just an ordinary goods trading office. If you want to buy rare materials, you need to go to the next floor." Huang Mingli pointed to the stone ladder leading down next to a stone pillar and reminded him on the side.
said.
"If I need some information about the lair of high-level monsters, where can I find it?" Bai Ran glanced at the stone staircase, but did not go there. Instead, he asked in a deep voice.
When Huang Mingli heard this, he was obviously startled. A trace of doubt flashed across his face, but then he blinked and replied with a familiarity:
"It depends on what level of monsters the seniors need. If it is a fifth- or sixth-level monster, just go to the 'Tingfeng Pavilion' below. They specialize in selling some hard-to-obtain heavenly materials and earthly treasures and high-level monsters.
Whereabouts. Let all fellow Taoists retrieve it according to their abilities. But if it is a higher level
If there are monsters, they will not have them. We can only see if other seniors in the pill formation stage have such information. After all, the whereabouts of monsters of this level are generally not easily leaked. Seniors can participate in the special group for knot formation.
The exchange meeting prepared by the Danqi monks may yield something in this regard."
"Exchange meeting?" Bai Ran's expression changed, revealing a hint of interest.
"Yes! Usually only monks in the Danjie stage have the raw materials and treasures needed by other Danjie monks, so every time the market is held, the owner of this place will call these seniors together to hold a small private exchange meeting.
Let these seniors get what they need, and the master will also bring out many rare things to participate." Huang Mingli explained carefully.
"When will this exchange meeting start?" Bai Ran asked slowly and calmly, with the corner of his mouth raised slightly.
"Senior Li is expected to have to wait for a few more days. Basically, when the market meeting is in the middle, someone will naturally come to invite senior to participate." The little old man quickly added.
When Bai Ran heard this, his eyes narrowed slightly, and there was a trace of contemplation on his face, as if he was thinking about something again.
But after a while, he looked at Huang Mingli and said:
"Huang Daoyou, Li is going to look alone, so he and his fellow Taoist should part ways here. There is no need for fellow daoist to accompany him." Bai Ran didn't want anyone to follow him all the time when he was looking for Qianye Lu. So he didn't.
Say this politely.
The little old man didn't show any surprise when he heard this. Instead, he agreed with a smile on his face.
"Senior's words are exactly what I want to say. I was just about to buy some materials. So I'll say goodbye. If you still need help with anything, senior, feel free to come to me." Huang Mingli saluted Bai Ran respectfully.
He said goodbye and ran to a nearby raw material store. It seemed that he wanted to deal with the corpses of the monsters first.
Bai Ran was quite satisfied with the other party's knowledge and cleverness.
After sweeping his eyes, he walked towards a shop in the opposite direction with his hands behind his back. This shop was filled with all kinds of medicinal materials.
...Three days later, Bai Ran was sitting cross-legged in a quiet room in Fang City, closing his eyes to meditate.
But I feel really depressed.
On the first day he arrived in this market, he visited all the shops on the first to second floors. Sure enough, although the demon companion grass was easy to find, no one sold the demon companion grass for eighth-level monsters.
As for the "Tingfeng Pavilion", there is also no news about monsters above level seven.
In this case, he could only wait for the exchange meeting to be held to see if other monks in the Dan Formation Stage had relevant information.
As for the remaining two days, he didn't go anywhere. He rented a quiet room to practice Qi and practice here to see if there was any possibility of breaking through the bottleneck.
So far, nothing has been found.
"Bang" and "bang" knocked on the door twice, coming from outside the quiet room.
"What's the matter?" Although Bai Ran had already expected it, he still opened his eyes and asked coldly.
"Senior Li! This junior was sent here to invite senior to the exchange meeting. I wonder if senior is interested in participating?" A sweet female voice said respectfully.
"I know. Of course I will participate!" Bai Ran replied slowly, then stood up, pulled the stone door open, and walked out of the quiet room.
Outside, a woman dressed in white lowered her head and waited respectfully.
When she saw Bai Ran coming out, she immediately raised her head and revealed a charming face.
But when Bai Ran saw the woman's gorgeous face, his figure couldn't help but trembled. He stared at the woman's face, a trace of surprise flashed in his eyes.
"How could it be her? How could she be here?" Bai Ran thought in shock.
"Senior, is there anything wrong?" The woman in front of her was stared at so straightly by Bai Ran, and her pretty cheeks turned red. She lowered her head and asked uneasily.
"It's nothing, just lead the way." Bai Ran's face quickly returned to normal, and he said calmly.
The woman in white clothes still felt vaguely uneasy, but she still responded respectfully, and then left the quiet room with Bai Ran.
Looking at the plump and proud tall figure of the woman in front of him, Bai Ran frowned inadvertently, and the suspicion on his face became even stronger.
After passing through the square on the second floor, the woman leading the way led Bai Ran to a remote stone wall.
The woman reached out and pressed lightly on the stone wall. After a burst of white light, a stone door full of runes appeared out of thin air.