"Uncle, where can I buy a map?"
The middle-aged man was about to flare up after being suddenly grabbed, but when he saw the jade bottle Xiao Jietian handed over—and the pill inside—his anger vanished instantly.
In the Dou Po world, medicinal pills were a currency far more valuable than gold coins. Many people might not care about gold, but they placed immense value on pills.
After all, some pills simply couldn't be bought with money.
He accepted the jade bottle, opened it, and glanced inside. A flash of joy crossed his face. His previous irritation disappeared, replaced by a warm, eager smile.
"You can go to the Myriad Treasures Pavilion to look."
He pointed in one direction. "See that tallest building? That's the Myriad Treasures Pavilion. They sell the most detailed maps there—even ones covering the entire Central Plains."
Seeing Xiao Jietian's generosity, the middle-aged man didn't hesitate to point him toward the best place.
"Okay, thank you, Uncle," Xiao Jietian said with a smile.
"You're welcome. If there's nothing else, I'll be on my way."
After confirming Xiao Jietian had no further questions, the middle-aged man happily pocketed the pill and left quickly.
Xiao Jietian followed the direction indicated and soon arrived in front of the tallest building in the city—the Myriad Treasures Pavilion.
He observed the bustling entrance for a moment. Zi Yao stepped forward to lead the way, and the two of them walked inside.
Upon entering, a maid in elegant attire approached them. Noticing Xiao Jietian's noble bearing and extraordinary presence, she bowed slightly and asked politely:
"What may I help the two distinguished guests with today?"
"Do you have a map of the entire Central Plains here?" Zi Yao asked directly.
"Yes, esteemed sirs. Please follow me!"
The maid led them to a specific counter area. She exchanged a few quiet words with the person behind it, who then skillfully retrieved a scroll made from an unknown type of leather.
"Young Master, this is the most detailed map of the entire Central Plains. Only our Myriad Treasures Pavilion in Ximo City carries it!"
"The price is three million gold coins."
The maid respectfully handed the scroll toward Xiao Jietian.
The Central Plains was unimaginably vast—even a Dou Venerate would struggle to traverse every corner, let alone create such a comprehensive map. While producing the original was incredibly labor-intensive, once completed, copies could be mass-produced.
Three million gold coins was actually quite reasonable—equivalent to the market price of an Earth-tier Dou Technique.
"Here is a Dou Ling Pill. That should cover it, right?"
Xiao Jietian placed a jade bottle on the counter.
The maid was momentarily stunned to hear it was a pill. Her gaze lingered on the jade bottle, surprise flickering in her eyes.
"Sir, please wait a moment. I will notify someone to appraise it. Please forgive the delay."
Xiao Jietian had no objections.
The maid left quickly. When she returned, an old man accompanied her.
A badge was pinned to the old man's chest. Swirling flames surrounded a pagoda emblem, and five purplish-gold stars glowed on it—though careful observation revealed the fifth star was noticeably dimmer, indicating he was a Fifth-Grade Junior Alchemist.
"Where is the pill? Let me see it!" The old man approached the counter impatiently.
"Young Master, this is Elder Su. He will verify the pill," the maid explained, standing beside Xiao Jietian.
Xiao Jietian nodded lightly.
Elder Su had already taken out various strange appraisal tools and examined the pill for quite some time before finally stopping. He looked up at Xiao Jietian with a strange glint in his eyes.
"It is indeed a Dou Ling Pill—and of exceptionally high quality. Even a Sixth-Grade High-level Alchemist might not be able to produce one of this caliber."
"Young Master… did you refine this yourself?"
Xiao Jietian only smiled and chose not to answer.
Seeing this, Elder Su did not press further. Although the young man wore no Alchemist badge, there was a very faint medicinal fragrance about him—the subtle scent that only fellow Alchemists could detect.
"Young Master, the quality of this pill is more than sufficient to cover the cost—in fact, it exceeds it."
Elder Su was inwardly thrilled. A pill of this quality could easily fetch over 3.5 million gold coins on the open market.
He planned to apply to study this pill personally. Perhaps it could help him improve his alchemy skills. To any low-grade Alchemist, a pill like this was a priceless treasure.
After the transaction was completed, Elder Su quickly left with the pill. He knew he wasn't the only Alchemist in the pavilion—if others found out, he might have to share it. Better to examine it privately first.
The maid carefully wrapped the map scroll, bowed slightly, and handed it to Xiao Jietian—deliberately allowing her ample cleavage to show during the exchange. As their hands met, her finger lightly brushed against his palm in an obvious hint.
Xiao Jietian, of course, had zero interest and simply ignored it.
"Young Master, do you need anything else? If you have any… special needs, feel free to tell me," the maid said softly, her voice alluring as she deliberately emphasized the word "needs."
The man before her was not only extraordinarily handsome but had casually produced a Sixth-Grade pill—clearly someone from a major power or extraordinary background.
"No," Xiao Jietian replied flatly.
He had already looked around earlier and found nothing worth buying.
Zi Yao had been standing guard-like beside him the entire time. Seeing Xiao Jietian turn to leave, he quickly followed.
"Very well, Young Master!!" The maid bowed once more, then personally escorted them toward the exit—swaying her hips exaggeratedly with each step, practically twisting her waist off in an attempt to attract attention.
It stirred no reaction from Xiao Jietian whatsoever.
He had long since tasted only the finest "national banquet-level" delicacies.
In terms of allure, grace, and presence, any one of Little Fairy Doctor, Medusa, or Ya Fei could instantly outshine an entire crowd.
…
After purchasing the map, the two left the Myriad Treasures Pavilion under the maid's disappointed and reluctant gaze.
They blended back into the bustling flow of people on the street.
Xiao Jietian opened the map and examined it carefully. His powerful soul perception instantly memorized every detail.
The map meticulously marked distances between major cities, the prominent families and powers within each region, and clearly delineated territories with different colors.
It was essentially a simple but comprehensive encyclopedia of the Central Plains—even dangerous zones were clearly marked.
It had to be said—the Central Plains was truly vast.
Xiao Jietian spent quite a while searching before finally locating his destination.
The map also noted that one could travel there via spatial wormholes, though it would require multiple transfers.
He found a relatively secluded corner and stopped.
"Zi Yao, you should return first and continue cultivating."
With that, Xiao Jietian sent him back into the Eternal Heaven World.
Then he headed directly toward the plaza where the spatial wormhole was located.