The elder before them, like an immortal descended among men, sat cross-legged, seemingly in meditation.
In Xuan Country’s martial arts, there exists a breathing technique characterized by extraordinarily smooth abdominal breaths. This cultivation technique can greatly enhance Blood Power, and with daily practice, one could become as fierce as a wolf or tiger. It appeared that this elder had been practicing.
Tang Zhong knew that this was likely to be a Master of Kunlun.
He saw Xiang Kunlun approach, and respectfully said, "Master, I have brought the person!"
The Kunlun Master, upon hearing the voice, slowly opened his eyes and sized up Tang Zhong from head to toe.
Tang Zhong promptly stepped forward and said, "Senior, I’m here!"
The Kunlun Master didn’t speak but continued to assess Tang Zhong’s build and then burst into laughter, "Not bad, indeed a fine young man. Changgong said that Old Tang had an outstanding descendant, and I was doubtful, but seeing you today, it seems your reputation is well deserved!"
The Changgong mentioned was Zhang Changgong, and the Old Tang was likely Tang Zhong’s grandfather, Tang Zongyao. Tang Zhong understood all this.
Being able to call out his grandfather’s name, Tang Zhong knew this merchant of Kunlun must be from the same era as his grandfather.
He immediately added even more respect and said, "Thank you for the compliment, grandfather!"
The Kunlun Master was taken aback and then laughed heartily, "Good, very good!"
If his disciple were as clever as Tang Zhong, he would be immensely fortunate.
"I already know what you’ve come for today. The Kunlun Fountain of Youth is indeed mentioned in the Kunlun ancient texts. Follow me!" the Kunlun Master said.
He had listened to Zhang Changgong lay out the key issues, understanding that this matter could not be taken lightly.
"Alright!" Tang Zhong nodded.
At that moment, Tang Zhong heard a noisy commotion.
They were within Mount Kunlun, and the noise was coming from outside, sounding like a marketplace.
Tang Zhong was taken aback, "This noise?"
Seeing his reaction, the Kunlun Master chuckled and explained, "Don’t be alarmed, that is our Heavenly Market of Kunlun, held once every five years—Kunlun’s grand epoch!"
The Heavenly Market was indeed a graceful name.
"Is it an ancient market?" inquired Tang Zhong.
"You could say that. However, there are only two kinds of items for sale at our Heavenly Market. The first is antiques, which have no limitations—ancient swords, ancient armor, all are sellable!"
"The second is ancient medicine. There are many farmers near Mount Kunlun who often go into the mountain to gather herbs but have no means to sell them. Or if they do sell them, they might be cheated. Thus, they can sell at our Heavenly Market and be assured of protection!"
Tang Zhong listened, impressed with Kunlun’s ingenuity for coming up with such a good strategy.
"What if it’s none of those items?" Tang Zhong asked.
"Those are the only ones we sell. After all, there aren’t so many treasures in the world. If someone brings an item that doesn’t fit into either category, they can choose to auction it. Of course, auctions have their pros and cons. The advantage of an auction is that if a valuable item meets someone who knows its worth, it can sell for a high price. The disadvantage is that if it meets someone who doesn’t recognize its value, the price will undoubtedly be low!"
"This Heavenly Market, I must take a look!" said Tang Zhong.
"Of course, but before that, I’ll take you to see the records of the Kunlun Fountain of Youth!"
"Alright!" Tang Zhong nodded, eager to check out the records and then explore the market, where there might be unexpected finds.
He saw the Kunlun Master walking ahead.
Tang Zhong followed behind and, leaving the grand hall’s doors, arrived beside a building marked with the Bagua, inscribed with three large characters.
It appeared ancient and emanated an aura of solemn dignity.
"This is the place where the ancient texts of Kunlun are stored!"
The Master from Kunlun pushed open the door and stepped out.
In that instant, Tang Zhong saw many bookshelves laid out in front of him, and on the shelves, all the ancient books glittered in gold.
"These are the secret texts of Kunlun. Of course, since you are a descendant of Zongyao, you may browse them at will!" the Master from Kunlun said.
"Alright!" Tang Zhong nodded, "When I have time in the future, I will come to read them. I want to know about the records of the Fountain of Youth!"
Just then, the Master from Kunlun reached out towards the bookshelves in front of him, and Tang Zhong saw an ancient book fly off the shelf and toward him.
Tang Zhong’s pupils dilated.
"Blood Force Control. This Master from Kunlun has already reached the realm of Martial Arts Peak Perfection!" Tang Zhong exclaimed.
Tang Zhong had always thought that Martial Arts Peak and Martial Arts Grandmaster were the same, but it wasn’t until he stepped into it that he discovered the mystery within.
Indeed, one at the Martial Arts Peak could utilize Blood Power for oneself.
But there were many intricacies in this, to begin with, the Martial Arts Peak has three realms: Lesser Vehicle, Mahayana, and Perfection.
The Lesser Vehicle is capable of unleashing Blood Power.
Great Achievement is when Blood Power transforms into myriad things.
And Perfection is the ability to summon and dispatch Blood Power at a touch.
And now, the Master from Kunlun casually retrieving a book was indeed Perfection.
The book he grabbed had a golden cover, the kind that has seen many years, with many places on the cover worn and tattered.
"This is the book that contains records of the Kunlun Fountain of Youth. Take a look!"
As Tang Zhong took it in his hands, he sat down on the spot and began to open the book.
He saw the records of the Fountain of Youth.
The image depicted snowy mountains, a spring flowing through them, and despite the freezing surroundings, the water flowed uninterrupted.
Reading the descriptive text.
"The Kunlun Fountain of Youth, if one drinks from it, can achieve eternal life and remain forever young, and the water is sweet and delicious!"
Tang Zhong felt it was magical, that such a spring existed, capable of granting eternal life—probably an exaggeration by ancient people. What could possibly grant immortality?
If such a spring did exist, then the Blood Power of the blood toad could definitely be unleashed, and when that happened, the combat strength of the entire army of Xuan Country would surely double.
In the mountains of Mount Kunlun, dangers abound, and the Earth’s crust shifts, but each time the mountains move, it’s only every few centuries.
If the era when this photograph was taken is not too distant, then one could find this place by following the image. But upon seeing the date on the photo, Tang Zhong was stunned.
1309, doesn’t that mean hundreds of years ago?
No, that can’t be right. Hundreds of years ago there wouldn’t have been cameras. Upon closer examination, he found that the photo was originally a painting, but as time went on, someone converted the painting into a photograph.
This revealed another piece of information: that hundreds of years ago, someone had come in search of the Fountain of Youth and had seen it, but there was no record in the book of the path they took.
It seemed he needed to keep figuring it out. He flipped through the entire book back and forth, but there wasn’t anything of importance, just a few illustrations, nothing more, without any significant findings!
Tang Zhong did not want to lose this lead.
And it was then, as he gazed at the image, after several moments, that he detected a problem.