Chapter Sixty-One: Mourning the Heavens

After listening to the conversation between the two, Lin Yanghao quietly slipped away, his expression unchanged.

Arriving at the marketplace of Chongzhou City, Lin Yanghao marveled at the scene before him. Indeed, this city was worthy of being called the largest and most prosperous in Central Continent. Countless stalls and shops lined the streets, and among them bustled many cultivators, painting a picture of flourishing activity.

For Lin Yanghao, this was an eye-opening experience. He gazed at the various pills, talismans, and techniques displayed at the stalls, but with not a single low-grade spirit stone remaining on his person, he could do nothing but look on helplessly.

Sweeping the area with his spiritual sense, Lin Yanghao was surprised to find that most people here were only at the Qi Refining stage, with a few at Foundation Establishment, but not a single cultivator above the Core Formation stage in this vast city. This puzzled him greatly.

"Can anyone tell me what's going on here? I haven't provoked anyone, so why is everyone staring at me like that?" As Lin Yanghao glanced around, he noticed a group of people casting hostile looks his way.

"Boy! Are you trying to provoke us?" a burly middle-aged man shouted at Lin Yanghao as he stood up.

Not only this man, but even those who had just been scanned by Lin Yanghao's spiritual sense were now glaring at him with challenging eyes.

"Hey, everyone, for my sake, give this young brother a break. I think he must be new here and doesn't yet know the rules of the cultivation world. Isn't that right, little brother?" At this moment, a young man about Lin Yanghao's age stepped forward to mediate.

"Yes, that's right. I am indeed new here. I've been secluded in my sect, cultivating hard. I only just broke through to Foundation Establishment, so I came out to gain some experience," Lin Yanghao replied, quickly following the young man's lead.

Hearing this, and seeing that Lin Yanghao was indeed at the Foundation Establishment stage, the crowd decided not to make a fuss. Before long, they all dispersed.

"Thank you for stepping in, brother. I am Lin Yanghao, and I am truly grateful." Although Lin Yanghao was not afraid of these people, he preferred to avoid unnecessary trouble. If not for this early Foundation Establishment cultivator's intervention, it would have been difficult to avoid a fight today, judging by the mood. He quickly cupped his fists in thanks.

"No need for that, Brother Lin. My name is Shang Tian. Let's find somewhere to talk," the young man replied with a gentle smile.

Having no other choice, Lin Yanghao followed Shang Tian to a place resembling a tavern or inn from the mundane world.

Upon entering, Lin Yanghao saw that his guess was correct—it was indeed a tavern.

"Lao Liu, bring us two plates of mid-grade spiritual food and a bottle of mid-grade spiritual wine!"

"Alright, Old Shang, just wait a moment!"

Hearing this, Lin Yanghao understood. Spiritual food and wine were treasures said to enhance one's spiritual energy, though he had only ever heard of them before and never actually seen any, let alone mid-grade spiritual food.

Both spiritual food and wine were expensive—just one plate of low-grade spiritual food cost ten low-grade spirit stones; how much more would mid-grade cost? The more Lin Yanghao thought about it, the more he was startled—the same went for spiritual wine.

Before long, two plates of spiritual food and a bottle of wine were set before Lin Yanghao and Shang Tian, with Lao Liu departing with a knowing smile.

The two began to converse, and gradually became better acquainted. Lin Yanghao learned that Shang Tian was a rogue cultivator from the Central Continent, famed for his chivalry. Others respected him greatly, as could be seen from his willingness to help Lin Yanghao earlier.

Lin Yanghao also learned the reason for the earlier hostility. It turned out the cultivation world adhered to three major rules that every cultivator must abide by.

First: cultivators may not seize the bodies of mortals, only those of cultivators with a lower cultivation base, and only once in their lives.

Second: cultivators may not casually use spiritual sense to probe others' cultivation; doing so is considered a provocation. This was the rule Lin Yanghao had broken, leading to the earlier confrontation.

Third: cultivators may not kill mortals; violators become the enemies of the entire cultivation world.

After hearing all this, Lin Yanghao couldn’t help but sneer inwardly. Such rules were designed for the weak. Did true powerhouses ever obey them? Who could restrain them anyway?

"Brother Lin, don’t be shy—eat! This is good stuff," Shang Tian said with a laugh, then began eating.

The spiritual food was crystalline, about the size of a grain of rice, and exuded a powerful aura that aroused Lin Yanghao's appetite. The moment he took his first bite, he felt a wave of comfort throughout his body, and within moments he had polished off the entire plate.

Looking up, Lin Yanghao found everyone around him staring as if he were some kind of monster; even Shang Tian looked at him with an incredulous gaze.

"Brother Shang, what’s wrong? Why are you all looking at me like that?" Lin Yanghao asked, bewildered.

"Brother Lin, you’re not... some old monster in the Nascent Soul stage disguised to play a prank on me, are you?" Shang Tian stammered.

Now Lin Yanghao was truly at a loss. All he had done was eat a plate of spiritual food—how had that caused so much commotion?

"Of course not, I’m only at the early Foundation Establishment stage," Lin Yanghao replied, thoroughly confused.

After his explanation, the others were only half convinced, though they continued to watch him closely. With further clarification from Shang Tian, Lin Yanghao finally understood why he was being treated as a monster: it was simply because he was so inexperienced in the ways of the cultivation world.

As it turned out, a Foundation Establishment cultivator would normally require several hours of meditation and refinement to fully absorb the spiritual energy from a plate of mid-grade spiritual food, eating it slowly all the while. Yet Lin Yanghao had devoured the entire plate in a few bites and remained perfectly unharmed. Anyone else would have died from spiritual energy overload, so how could the crowd not be alarmed?

Elsewhere in the tavern, several others witnessed this scene and secretly congratulated themselves on their good fortune. They were the very ones who had nearly come to blows with Lin Yanghao at the marketplace. Had they done so, they would surely have met a miserable end.