The Portal of Wonderland

“This is much more than I expected…” Shi Mu said, a little fazed.

Being in Red Flame City gave him the opportunity to take on missions and tasks such as hunting demons, monsters and ores in exchange for Spirit Stones. Even if he was out of luck, he could still earn Spirits Stones by the hundreds at least. But Shi Mu did not expect he could earn as many as 30,000 Spirit Stones in just one mission.

“Brother Yu, there’s no need for you to quit. Maybe I should stop asking Brother Yu for help with my personal matters,” Shi Mu hurriedly added before Yu Yi could say anything.

“If that’s what you desire, it’s fine by me,” Yu Yi said hesitantly before walking out of the room.

After sending off Yu Yi, Shi Mum went into the room and sat down.

Suddenly he heard a buzzing sound from outside the courtyard, though it was hard to pinpoint where it came from exactly. As Shi Mu looked outside to identify the sound, he spotted a figure. It was not other than Master Gong Xi!

“Master Gong Xi!” Shi Mu called as he blinked his eyes and walked toward the old man.

“Haha! Hello Sect Fellow Shi! I’m here to thank you for your help. My child has fully recovered and it’s all thanks to you. I could not be more grateful!” The black-robed old man said gratefully.

“Oh Master Gong Xi, you’re being too kind. I was able to rent the Lava Pool for free all thanks to you, Master. This is just a small price to pay,” Shi Mu said while ushering the old man into his residence.

“Hehe… It may be a small matter to you but not to me. I heard from Deacon Wan that Sect Fellow Shi has been to the Red Flame City a while ago. I was wondering if Sect Fellow Shi would be interested in joining the Celestial Fire Armory as a guest. The resources I have are more than enough, almost unlimited,” the robed man said.

“Not to disappoint Master Gong Xi but the main reason why Sect Fellow Shi came here to Red Flame City in the first place was to rent a Lava Pool for cultivating my skills. I had no intention of joining any forces at this point,” Shi Mu said frankly.

“Hehe… No problem at all. Though I am unsure how the preparation is going but if you ever need anything, do let me know,” the old man said with a big smile on his face.

“Now that you mention it, there is something I would like to ask…” Shi Mu said directly.

“Please tell me about it,” the man in black said.

“Master Gong Xi, do you happen to have any idea where I could purchase a sufficient number of Infernal Polaris Stones?” Shi Mu asked.

The old man had a stern expression on his face as he replied bluntly, “If Master Gong Xi remembers correctly, the Infernal Polaris Stone that you’re looking for is only produced in the Eastern He Continent which is quite far from Red Flame City. A stone of that grade is not something ordinary that is simply forged. May I know what is Sect Fellow Shi planning to do with such ores?”

Shi Mu hesitated a moment and finally mustered the courage to fess up about his use of the Infernal Polaris Stone.

“Is it possible for Sect Fellow Shi to hand Master Gong Xi the array of the Incendiary Formation? I may know a thing or two about it, and having a look at the array might jog my memory. Maybe I could even help look for other materials that you need,” the robed man said.

“Thank you for the offer Master Gong Xi. I apologize for being a burden on you” Shi Mu said happily as he took out a jade slip and handed it to the old man.

The man in the black robe took the jade slip and examined its contents.

After half an hour, he finally snapped back to reality…

“Based on my speculation, the Infernal Polaris Stone is only used to stabilize the formation and prevent the fire from dissipating. There are other fire-based ores that can replace the Infernal Polaris Stone.”

“What kind of ore?” Shi Mu asked.

“The Fire Ore. The array uses fire and crystallization, so the effect of the Fire Ore would be several times better than the Infernal Polaris Stone. However, using Fire Ore to refine grade-A spirit tools is rather costly. Acquiring large quantities of it isn’t easy. Sect Fellow Shi would have to-”

“Thank you for the guidance, Master Gong Xi,” Shi Mu thanked him before he could even finish his sentence.

The old man smiled and said nothing as he handed the jade slip to Shi Mu.

“Master of the West, there is something important I wish to entrust you with.” Shi Mu said while taking the jade slip from the old man’s hand.

As he said, he unearthed the Sky Splitting Bow and Green Cloak.

The black-robed man glanced at the Sky Splitting Bow but as soon as he saw the Green Cloak, his eyes suddenly lit up.

He took a Green Cloak in his hand and looked at it carefully. The more he examined it, the more focused his eyes became.

Shi Mu saw the look on the old man’s face but remained silent.

After a long while, the old man in black put down the Green Cloak and sighed.

“The refining technique is astounding! Sect Fellow Shi, where did you get such a cloak?” the old man in black inquired.

“I obtained it during an expedition so its real origin is unclear.”

Hearing Shi Mu’s reply, a disappointed expression appeared on Master Gong Xi’s face.

“Master Gong Xi, as you can see, this cloak is a bit torn. I was wondering if there’s a way to repair it?” Shi Mu asked.

“Although this is a rare treasure, it is definitely not impossible to repair. You would need a few rare wood-based attributes. One of them is the Royal Spirit Wood, a very rare material,” The old man said.

“Royal Spirit Wood? Master Gong Xi, are you referring to this?” Shi Mu questioned as he waved his hand.

On the table, there suddenly appeared a piece of green wood the size of a human skull. It was one of the items he acquired at an auction in the Rising Sun City.

The black-robed old man’s eyes immediately glowed when he saw the material.

“This is Royal Spirit Wood!” The old man in black robe gently stroked the wood with a pleasant look on his face.

“Is Master Gong Xi sure that the cloak can be repaired with this?” Shi Mu asked.

“This cloak is subtle and only the bottom was torn. No doubt, at least 90% of it can be restored,” the old said.

“Then I’ll leave this matter to Master Gong Xi. Oh right, I almost forgot. About my Sky Splitting Bow, I was wondering if it could be refined to its advanced level. I’ve already prepared the materials needed to refine it.” Shi Mu said with a wave of his hand. High-grade materials like the muscles of the Flaming Crown Demon Snake appeared on the table. Among them was a red crystal Shi Mu had acquired in the cave where the Flaming Crown Demon Snake resided.

“Ah, the muscles of the underground demon beasts! Oh wait, these are muscles of the Flaming Crown Demon Snake… Hey, isn’t this the Kun Wu’s Flame-scorched Iron?” the old man in black became even more excited about seeing the red crystal.

“I obtained this crystal when I was in the Hundred-Thousand Volcanoes. Is it valuable?” a confused Shi Mu asked.

“Of course. The Kun Wu’s Flame-scorched Iron is one of the best fire-based ores. With a sufficient amount, it could be forged into a real magical weapon. It would be a waste to use it just for refining a Spirit Weapon.” The black-robed man said as he placed his hand on the red crystal.

“Thank you for the advice, Master Gong Xi, but this bow and arrow is very important to me,” Shi Mu said.

“Well, since Sect Fellow Shi insists, I’ll go along with your choice. With the Kun Wu’s Flame-scorched Iron and muscle of the Flaming Crown Demon Snake, refining it won’t be a problem,” the old man nodded in agreement.

“Then I’ll leave it to Master Gong Xi. Regarding the payment…”

“Sect Fellow Shi, this cloak has inspired me. If the process of repairing it is successful, my refining technique will have improved to the next level. This is the best reward you could give me. Regarding the other materials, if there is any Kun Wu’s Flame-scorched Iron and muscle of Flaming Crown Demon Snake leftover, what would you want to do with it?” The old man asked as he picked up the cloak and gently stroked it.

“Okay, that’s a promise then!” Shi Mu replied happily.

After talking a while more, the old man finally left with the cloak, Sky Splitting Bow and the materials needed for refining.

As Shi Mu ushered the robed man out, he did not return to the small courtyard of his residence. He stood there for second before he sighed and rode the Green-Winged Flying Carriage to the inner city.

He soon arrived at the White Tiger Shop, one of the biggest material shops in the inner city. Business seemed smooth, as it was filled with customers.

When Shi Mu walked into the shop, several attendants in white robes saw him but none approached him since he hardly stood out in his ordinary commoner’s clothing.

After all, many people had fallen on hard times in Red Flame City. Even if they bought materials, it was just small business.

Shi Mu did not bother much about it and continued to stroll around the shop on his own.

The front area inside the store was very large, almost several times bigger than the Celestial Fire Armory. There were countless shelves which displayed various types of materials.

From Spirit Grass and Spirit Wood to ores and other materials obtained from demons and monsters.

Even Shi Mu, with his vast knowledge from all his adventures and expeditions, was dazzled at the sight.

Not far away, a young attendant who seemed around seventeen or eighteen years old paused for a moment before coming over to Shi Mu. “I’m not sure who you are but may I ask what are you looking for?”

“I was wondering, would you have any Fire Ore for sale?” Shi Mu asked.

“Fire Ore is a rare ore produced by the Hundred-Thousand Volcanoes and of course our shop, White Tiger, stocks it. How many do you need?” The young attendant replied quickly.

Shi Mu paused before finally stating a number.

“That is a lot indeed… I’m in no position to make the deal. Please follow me and I’ll call the lord. Do have a seat while you wait,” the young attendant said quietly with a stern expression.

“Lead the way,” Shi Mu motioned with his hand.

This gesture shocked the white-robed attendant.

…

After half an hour, Shi Mu walked out of the shop accompanied by several attendants in white and let out a deep sigh of relief.

“Spirit Stones sure are handy!

It was fortunate that he managed to earn some Spirit Stones at the auction in Rising Sun City or today would have been awkward.

Though he was able to purchase Fire Ores, it was just as Master Gong Xi said. Fire Ore can only be harvested just after a volcano eruption, so it came at a high price. Even though the Infernal Polaris Stones was the same size as a Fire Ore, it would be ten times more expensive to produce the same effect.

Cultivating the first phase of the Nine Revolutions Mysterious Art demanded a challenging environment. At first, he was concerned that the force of the flame would not be enough. But after deciding to use Fire Ores, his worry disappeared.

Purchasing Fire Ores used up at least one-third of his Spirit Stones. Procuring the expenses needed to maintain the Fire-filled Array was no easy matter.

As Shi Mu was deep in thought, he boarded the Green-Winged Flying Carriage and departed to the next shop.