Tianyao Pavilion stood as one of the largest apothecaries in the commercial hub of Sword Sect’s Shanghuang City.
Its architecture was magnificent, its presence grand and utterly extraordinary.
Qin Shuangcheng, Le Shuang, and Lu Yuan stepped inside the Tianyao Pavilion.
The moment they entered, they realized the interior was vast, suffused with a faint, expensive aroma—the scent of Spirit-Awakening Sandalwood, which the Tianyao Pavilion perpetually burned.
“The elixirs here are remarkably comprehensive,” Qin Shuangcheng remarked.
Since the three disciples under Grand Supreme Taishi all needed to visit the commercial city, they had come together.
Lu Yuan surveyed the area, hands clasped behind his back, strolling casually.
As he walked, he noticed two sealed medicinal boxes placed behind a counter ahead.
These sealing boxes were crafted from a specialized wood designed to contain the medicinal vapor, preventing any dissipation of the aura.
This ensured that even if left untouched for a thousand or ten thousand years, the efficacy would not diminish.
Lu Yuan read the inscription on the box: “Minor Barrier Pill.” What luck, he thought.
He checked the price—a staggering fifty thousand mid-grade spirit stones.
The net worth of someone at the sixth level of the Great Dao realm typically hovered around thirty to forty thousand mid-grade spirit stones.
This Minor Barrier Pill was precisely priced to demand one’s entire fortune.
Lu Yuan, showing no restraint, immediately purchased the Minor Barrier Pill.
Having acquired an entire second-tier spirit vein, he found a refreshing liberation in spending; he didn't need to worry about the price.
Once the first Minor Barrier Pill was secured, the shopkeeper leaned in.
“These Minor Barrier Pills are always scarce.
We only have two left now.
Since you’ve taken one, do you wish to purchase the other as well?” Lu Yuan nodded.
“I’ll take both.” It wasn't due to the shopkeeper’s urging, but rather an instinct that a single Minor Barrier Pill wouldn't be enough for his upcoming advancement.
Even with two, he had a nagging feeling it might still fall short—a sixth sense he deeply trusted, one that had emerged only after achieving the Sword Sovereign realm.
Legend had it that upon reaching the Sword God realm, one’s foresight would extend further, potentially allowing direct prediction of future destiny.
After acquiring the two Minor Barrier Pills, there was no immediate rush to leave.
Lu Yuan sensed something else was still missing.
With his hands behind his back, he continued his aimless perambulation, eventually spotting another sealed medicinal box at a different counter.
This one was labeled Barrier Sand.
Lu Yuan inquired, “What kind of medicinal item is this?” Qin Shuangcheng explained, “This is Barrier Sand.
When a Minor Barrier is first formed, it tends to be unstable.
This sand is used to reinforce it, ensuring the Minor Barrier stabilizes, which greatly smoothens the transition to the seventh level.
However, it is notoriously expensive.” Qin Shuangcheng glanced at the price: seventy thousand mid-grade spirit stones—truly shocking.
Lu Yuan, without hesitation, told the shopkeeper, “I’ll take this.” After acquiring these two items, he continued to wander.
His stroll unexpectedly led him to a display of Heaven Enlightenment Stones.
Lu Yuan had always favored these stones, and observing the price, he found it wasn't excessively high.
“I’ll take all five of these Heaven Enlightenment Stones.” At this point, the shopkeeper inwardly marveled at the customer’s sheer audacity.
“Oh, Heavenly Buddha Sandalwood.
It repels Heavenly Demons—good.
Ten sticks, please.” This would also be useful during his breakthrough.
He snatched those up immediately.
What was the point of having a second-tier spirit vein if not to spend it? As long as these resources aided his advancement, using them was the only logical path.
This spending spree, acquiring resources one after another, could only be described as (unbridled extravagance).
Other customers couldn’t help but cast sideways glances, wondering who this young man in green was, and which powerful figure backed him to possess such boundless resources.
Unbeknownst to Lu Yuan, several individuals were watching him from the second floor of the Tianyao Pavilion, their eyes blazing with fury.
The interior design of Tianyao Pavilion featured a grand central hall with an open atrium, allowing clear views from the second, third, and fourth floors down to the first.
On the second floor stood Xuanyuan Ling, Jian Wenhao, and a few others.
They were also browsing when Lu Yuan’s trio first entered.
Jian Wenhao had burst into laughter then, saying, “How ridiculous! After Grand Elder Xuanyuan’s suppression, how could the faction under Grand Supreme Taishi possibly have the resources to visit Tianyao Pavilion? They are likely just window-shopping for high-grade elixirs and maybe buying a few minimum-tier ones worth a few hundred or thousand mid-grade spirit stones.” Xuanyuan Ling offered a faint smile.
Though silent, he felt a surge of triumph.
He had achieved victory without a fight; what use was being the peerless genius of the Sword Dao if one lacked resources? Let alone a mere Sword Dao genius—even one of the Seven Sons of Fortune would be useless without means.
Xuanyuan Dan chuckled beside him.
“In Sword Sect, the domain of Grand Supreme Xuanyuan is absolute.
Those who follow the path of Grand Supreme Xuanyuan prosper; those who defy him fail.” They all wore expressions of smug arrogance.
This was the pride inherent to disciples of the Xuanyuan Supreme Faction.
When Lu Yuan casually pulled out a Minor Barrier Pill costing fifty thousand mid-grade spirit stones, Jian Wenhao froze.
“This kid still has spirit stones? Does he have that much accumulated wealth from the outer regions?… At this point, we can still manage.
The strategy to suppress Lu Yuan through resource control has worked perfectly so far.” But then, Lu Yuan proceeded to spend extravagantly: ten thousand mid-grade spirit stones on two Minor Barrier Pills, seventy thousand on a box of Barrier Sand, five Heaven Enlightenment Stones, the Heavenly Buddha Sandalwood, and more—a cascade of purchases totaling over two hundred thousand spirit stones in a display of pure extravagance.
This display left Xuanyuan Ling, Jian Wenhao, and Xuanyuan Dan utterly stunned.
No, ‘stunned’ was too weak a word.
It was bordering on collapse.
Jian Wenhao’s expression had long gone slack.
Xuanyuan Dan was equally shattered.
His own cultivation base, the ninth level of the Great Dao realm, was backed by only about a hundred thousand mid-grade spirit stones in total.
Lu Yuan had casually spent over two hundred thousand, surpassing even his own net worth.
Why? Xuanyuan Ling pondered grimly.
After failing to recruit Lu Yuan, he had resorted to crippling him via resource deprivation, intending to neutralize a peerless Sword Dao genius.
But why had his efforts produced no discernible effect? Xuanyuan Ling’s own reserves barely scraped past three hundred thousand, yet Lu Yuan had casually deployed nearly his entire fortune.
Aren’t we the faction where obedience brings fortune and defiance brings ruin? Why is Lu Yuan living so freely? At Mount Kong, within Huashan Residence.
Lu Yuan sat with his legs outstretched, perched atop a glittering mountain of mid-grade spirit stones.
Their blinding radiance illuminated the entire chamber.
He lit the Heavenly Buddha Sandalwood.
As the incense ignited, strands of Buddha light manifested above his head, seemingly coalescing into images of Arhats—the Fruit Attained Arhat, the Tiger Subduing Arhat.
The Buddha light shone fiercely, driving away all demons, leaving even his Inner Demons paralyzed.
It was time to push toward the seventh level of the Great Dao realm.
Lu Yuan summoned fifty ancient talismans hovering above his head; they blazed with a light comparable to the spirit stones below.
Meanwhile, the two legendary-grade spirit beasts, the Cloud Spirit Dragons sealed within the Spirit Sealing Plate, began emitting torrents of vital essence, bringing Lu Yuan’s mana to a state of absolute saturation.
He initiated the breakthrough! He opened the seal of a medicinal box.
Inside rested a single elixir, the size of a green dragon’s eye.
The moment the box opened, an intense, rich fragrance flooded out.
He tilted his head back and swallowed the Minor Barrier Pill.
Upon entering his stomach, Lu Yuan felt his consciousness lift above his body toward his nascent soul (Yuan Ying).
The Yuan Ying then began to emit boundless spiritual energy, directing the forty-nine ancient talismans to transform into a miniature barrier.
At the apex were the talismans of Life and Death, immense and mutually restraining, functioning like Yin and Yang fish; no other talismans dared approach them.
The remaining forty-seven ancient talismans each occupied a strategic position, balancing one another.
Among them, the five talismans representing Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth were placed in an exquisitely precise formation, occupying five key points with perfectly equal spacing between each talisman.
The forty-nine ancient talismans were arrayed in a configuration brimming with profound meaning.
From each ancient talisman emanated a thin veil of spatial energy—a spatial curtain that could isolate the inner domain from the outside world.
Finally, the spatial curtains are forced out, Lu Yuan thought, filled with boundless joy.
Now, all he needed was to link these spatial curtains together to seal off a complete Minor Barrier.
The spatial curtains expanded continuously, striving to connect.
Each one stretched outward, but just as the multitude of curtains began to meet, the medicinal power of the first Minor Barrier Pill was exhausted.
Clapping his hands, Lu Yuan swallowed the second Minor Barrier Pill.
The energy was released before it even reached his throat.
The spatial curtain projected by every ancient talisman expanded once more, and simultaneously, the numerous curtains began to interlink.
Pieces of spatial fabric joined together, and the connection to the outside world diminished rapidly.
Gradually, it seemed as if this space was on the verge of complete severance from the external world, centered around the fifty ancient talismans, each projecting a spatial curtain to delineate the isolated domain.
Lu Yuan perceived the nascent barrier above his head slowly taking shape.
This barrier actually possessed two subtle cores: one centered on the Life and Death talismans, though these two remained isolated, and the other core around which the remaining talismans orbited—the Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth talismans.
However, several fissures still connected to the outside world; the Minor Barrier had not yet fully isolated itself.
But the talismans continued to project spatial curtains, until finally, the curtains released by the fifty ancient talismans sealed off the external world entirely.
It had become a true Minor Barrier.
The moment the isolation was complete, Lu Yuan felt the raw spiritual energy of heaven and earth press down upon his newly formed domain.
It was a vast and crushing power!