Chapter 40 The Road is Still Far Away

  As they drew closer to the castle of Solitude, all that could be seen within their field of vision was a small segment of the castle wall and the open iron gates.

  The city wall was built with a common stone material from the Xianxia realm, about 4-5 meters thick, with a grayish-white surface that was slightly rough to the touch. However, its hardness was not inferior to ordinary steel, and even if attacked with ordinary swords, only shallow marks could be left on its surface.

  Of course, this city wall is not the main defensive means of this large castle. For cultivators, even the most solid stone walls are useless.

  The pale purple protective array around the city wall is the main defensive force of Dugu Sky Castle, putting the entire castle under its protection.

  There were twenty cultivators at the intermediate stage of Qi refining guarding the city gate, and all the coming and going cultivators passed through this city gate. When they reached the city gate, they would consciously fall to the ground extended by the castle and then walk in.

  Zhang Heng found that every monk who entered the castle would hand over a crystal stone, and in this process, there was not a hint of dissatisfaction. When there were many people, they even lined up obediently.

  Zhang Heng was somewhat stunned, those usually unruly cultivators were actually so obedient today, even more orderly than people queuing up to buy train tickets on Earth, and at least he hadn't seen a single person cutting in line.

  Was it that these cultivators were of higher quality than people on Earth? Zhang Heng would never think so.

  It's because this is a world that respects strength, and these monks are so obedient also because of the overwhelming power of Dugu Fortress.

  At this moment, a cyan light flashed across the sky above Zhang Heng and others, and a strong aura swept past from around.

  That blue-green light was rectangular in shape, somewhat like Aladdin's flying carpet, and its entire body shone with a blue-green halo, moving much faster than driving a spiritual device.

  Above the void light, there was an old man with a black face. He drove the void light into the city without any restraint, not passing through the city gate, but directly piercing through the purple protective array on top of the city wall.

  His actions drew the attention of many monks around him, but no one raised any objections, and most looked at him with a mixture of awe and reverence as he entered the Duguang Fortress so casually.

  The twenty guards at the city gate also did not raise any objections and let the man enter the city from the sky with a familiar gaze.

  "It's actually a foundation-building monk!" Zhao Rui exclaimed, looking excitedly at the disappearing figure in the distance with an expression of admiration.

  Zhang Heng was speechless, and the minimum requirement for casting the Void Escape Technique was a Foundation Establishment cultivator. Some high-level Void Escape Techniques were even faster than driving a spiritual artifact.

  "Alright, we should also head into the city. The foundation period isn't a very distant goal." Zhang Heng didn't bother with Zhao Rui behind him and drove his spiritual tool towards the city gate.

  "Really? Give me four or five years and I'll also enter the foundation building stage. Hey! Wait for me......"

  Zhao Rui hastily flew towards Zhang Heng's direction, his words attracting the attention of many cultivators around him.

  Four or five years into the foundation period? The cultivators around him looked at him with disdain, and some even ridiculed him on the side.

  "Hair not yet grown, still in foundation period? Our sect's senior brother who has been cultivating for twenty years is still unable to break through the bottleneck."

  "You haven't seen him achieve the late stage of Qi Refining at such a young age, perhaps he can really enter the Foundation Building stage?"

  "Cut it out, don't fantasize, the current Zhi Ji Dan is almost extinct, and those who can enter the foundation period through their own efforts are even fewer..."

  ……

  Zhao Rui looked around awkwardly, then flew to Zhang Heng's side and whispered: "Is the foundation period really that difficult?"

  "For ordinary spiritual root holders, it is indeed rare. However, if there are better cultivation methods or assistance from spiritual medicine, innate spiritual root holders still have a greater chance of entering the foundation building period."

  "But I heard my master say that I am not a natural spiritual root." Zhao Rui said in doubt.

  "It's not a natural spiritual root, then you must be the legendary top-grade spiritual root." Zhang Heng said casually, but his eyes didn't show any envy.

  What's the use of innate spiritual roots? My cultivation of freakish powers ignores innate talents, and I can still trample you to death.

  Zhao Rui naturally didn't know what Zhang Heng was thinking at this moment. He touched his head with his hand and smiled, "But I'm not a top-notch spiritual root either?"

  "Isn't it a heavenly spiritual root or an extreme spiritual root?" Zhang Heng was also confused.

  Zhao Rui was only seventeen or eighteen years old, and his cultivation had already reached the late stage of Qi Refining. This speed of cultivation was simply terrifying.

  They say he's not an extraordinary spiritual root, no one believes it.

  "What kind of spiritual root are you then? It can't be a variant spiritual root, right?" Zhang Heng asked with an odd expression.

  "I'm just an ordinary spiritual root." Zhao Rui said in a weak tone.

  This guy is an ordinary spiritual root? I don't believe it.

  Zhang Heng ignored him and got down from the Lingqi, falling to the city gate, also lining up in a row according to the rules.

  "Tang Shixiong, I really am an ordinary spiritual root." Zhao Rui saw Zhang Heng's disbelieving expression and hastily followed him to the back of the line, also queuing up together.

  Zhang Heng directly ignored his words and closed his eyes to meditate.

  Four types of spiritual roots in the Immortal Realm: Defective Spiritual Root, Ordinary Spiritual Root, Innate Spiritual Root, and Top-grade Spiritual Root.

  Zhang Heng's physical body was just an ordinary spiritual root, and he was very clear about his cultivation speed. After more than a decade of time, he had only reached the early stage of Qi Refining, and that was still with the help of a large amount of spiritual medicine.

  At Zhao Rui Cai's age and with only two years of cultivation, even if he had swallowed some kind of heaven-defying treasure, it was impossible to have such an abnormal effect.

  "Alas, why don't you believe me?" Zhao Rui sighed somewhat depressingly beside him and stopped his explanatory actions.

  At about half past five, Zhang Heng's eyes suddenly opened, and it was his turn to enter the city.

  With a light pat of his hand on the storage bag, a crystal stone appeared in his hand, and Zhang Heng handed it over to the guard opposite him.

  "You can go in." The guard said indifferently, without giving him another glance.

  Zhao Rui reluctantly handed over a crystal stone, and the guard, seeing that he had reached the late stage of Qi refining at such a young age, relaxed his expression: "Please enter."

  Zhang Heng met with this unequal treatment for the second time today, and there was no expression on his face as he led Zhao Rui into the city.

  The ground of the castle is all paved with dark gray marble, flat and heavy, giving people a sense of solidity when stepped on.

  After entering the city, I found that there were a lot of people inside, just like an ordinary city in the mortal world.

  Moreover, Zhang Heng also found that there were many ordinary people inside, as well as a large number of Qi Refining stage cultivators and Foundation Building stage cultivators. Even at certain times, some Foundation Building stage cultivators could be seen.

  Outside the castle, on the streets, many ordinary people were selling some of the cheapest materials for cultivating immortality. Among them, there were also people shouting in batches.

  "Selling low-grade calming talismans, one crystal stone for 100 pieces."

  "Five top-grade bear gallbladders for a ordinary magic weapon."

  "First-class talisman for sale, accepting ten Qi-replenishing Pills as payment."

  ……

  Zhang Heng had an illusion as if he had entered a bustling ancient city, and also as if he had entered a virtual fairy knight online game.

  His expression was dazed for a moment, and he felt a sense of ambiguity about the reality of the world at this moment.

  Is it a bustling ancient city, or a virtual online game system city, or perhaps a fantasy world in a dream.

  His consciousness was in a fierce struggle between reality and illusion.

  Suddenly, the mysterious jade cylinder in his mind let out a "zi zi" sound, releasing a small silver lightning bolt that heavily struck his brain, making him instantly awake.

  Zhang Heng's consciousness returned to the castle once again, and he looked at everything around him with a new perspective: this was a cruel world, don't be lucky, don't escape, the road ahead is still very long...

  Zhang Heng's psychological transformation was completed in an instant, and Zhao Rui beside him didn't notice it. He was curiously sizing up the ordinary people around him, just like a country bumpkin entering the city.

  "Selling the family heirloom, asking which master to take this doll as an apprentice..." An old man in his sixties was shouting beside him, with a boy of eleven or twelve years old standing next to him.

  "Tang Shixiong, let's go take a look."

  Zhao Rui's figure flashed and he was already on the other side.

  Zhang Heng's eyes lit up, and Zhao Rui actually used a certain body method of the mortal world.