Myriad Paths City lived up to its name.

As we approached, I could see why it was called the City of Countless Roads – dozens of major thoroughfares converged on its walls like spokes on a wheel, each one a vital artery connecting to some distant part of the cultivation world.

Trade caravans and travelers flowed along these paths in an endless stream, giving the city the appearance of a massive spider web with the urban center as its heart.

"Every major road in the Eastern Continent passes through here," Wei Lin explained, noticing my wide-eyed observation. "The original city was built at the intersection of three ancient spirit veins. Over time, as cultivation sects established themselves across the continent, new roads were built to connect them all through this central point."

"The spirit veins are why it became such an important hub?" I asked, genuinely curious.

"Partly," Wei Lin nodded. "The veins made it easier to maintain the massive formation arrays that protect the city. But honestly? It's mostly just geography. We're at the perfect midpoint between the major mountain ranges where most sects build their strongholds."

The forest surrounding the city was unlike anything I'd seen near Azure Peak.

Ancient trees with trunks wider than houses created a natural barrier, their branches interweaving so densely that barely any sunlight reached the forest floor. The roots of these giants had broken through the earth in places, creating natural archways and hollows that looked like they could hide any number of secrets.

"This is perfect!" Liu Chen declared, leading us to one such hollow beneath a particularly massive tree. "Rocky will be safe here, and no one will bother him!"

I watched as the boy hugged his stone friend's massive leg, his small arms not even reaching halfway around. "I'll be back soon, okay? Really soon! And I'll bring you the best stones I can find!"

Rocky made a low, rumbling sound that somehow managed to convey both reassurance and sadness. The stone giant carefully patted Liu Chen's head with one massive finger, showing surprising gentleness for something that could probably uproot the ancient tree we stood beneath.

"You have to promise to stay hidden," Liu Chen continued, his voice wavering slightly. "No matter what! Even if you hear something interesting, or smell some really nice stones, or if someone's being mean to a small animal – I know how you get about that – you have to stay right here!"

Wei Lin leaned close to me, whispering, "We won't even be gone that long. Isn't this a little... excessive?"

I watched as Liu Chen continued listing increasingly specific scenarios that Rocky wasn't allowed to intervene in, including but not limited to: stopping bandits, helping lost travelers, or attempting to befriend any passing spirit beasts.

"The kid clearly doesn't have anyone but Rocky," I replied quietly. "He's probably terrified something will happen while he's gone."

I didn't add my other concern – that an elemental guardian of Rocky's caliber would be quite valuable to the right person. The cultivation world wasn't always kind to powerful beings without strong backing.

"Rocky…promise," Rocky rumbled in a voice like grinding stones, surprising all of us. It was the first time we'd heard him actually speak.

"You can talk?" Lin Mei gasped.

"Little... bit..." Rocky seemed to concentrate hard on each word. "Hard... to... form... words..."

"See? Rocky's super smart!” Liu Chen beamed proudly. "He's been practicing!"

I couldn't help but smile at the genuine pride in the boy's voice. Looking at the gentle stone giant carefully patting his small human friend, it was hard to imagine him as the fearsome guardian he was supposed to be.

I noticed Lin Mei practically vibrating beside me, her hands clasped together as she watched the interaction. She caught my amused look and defended herself: "What? They're so cute! Look at how gentle Rocky is with him!"

Finally, after what felt like an hour of increasingly emotional goodbyes, Liu Chen stepped back. Rocky's form began to shift, his massive body compressing and reshaping itself until all that remained was an ordinary-looking boulder, maybe six feet across at its widest point.

The transformation was so complete that I couldn't detect even a trace of spiritual energy from the stone.

"That's... actually brilliant," I murmured.

"Indeed," Azure agreed in my mind. "The level of qi control required to suppress his signature so completely while maintaining consciousness... I wouldn't be able to detect him if I didn't know what to look for."

"Well, at least we don't have to worry about him being kidnapped," I thought back. "Though now I'm slightly concerned about him being used as impromptu training equipment by some cultivation-obsessed maniac."

I had vivid memories of all the cultivation novels where ambitious young cultivators would start their body-tempering by punching boulders. Poor Rocky might end up as someone's practice target.

"The statistical likelihood of someone choosing that specific boulder for training purposes is quite low," Azure assured me, though I detected a hint of amusement in his tone.

As we approached the city gates, I could see why Wei Lin had insisted on bringing Liu Chen with us rather than letting him sneak in on his own.

The walls were impressive – easily a hundred feet tall and gleaming with the subtle sheen of protective formations. Guards in the colors of the Jin Clan, the city's ruling family, patrolled the battlements while cultivation-enhanced hounds prowled the base of the walls.

"You!" One of the guards at the gate suddenly shouted, pointing at Liu Chen. "Back again to cause trouble?"

The guard was at the peak of Qi Condensation, his qi sharp and controlled in a way that spoke of extensive combat experience. His partner had a similar cultivation level, though his energy felt more defensive in nature.

"We've had multiple reports about you intimidating travelers," the first guard continued. "And where's that dumb monster of yours? That walking pile of rocks you use to threaten people?"

"Rocky's not dumb and he’s not a monster!" Liu Chen shouted back, his small fists clenched. "He's my friend! And we never hurt anyone!"

"Never hurt anyone?" the guard scoffed. "What about the merchant caravan last week? Or the bridge you destroyed?"

"That bridge was already falling apart!" Liu Chen protested. "And those merchants started it! They tried to capture Rocky!"

The argument might have continued escalating if Wei Lin hadn't stepped forward, smoothly inserting himself between Liu Chen and the guards. "Good morning, Senior Brothers. The boy is with me – I'll take full responsibility for his behavior within the city."

The guards' demeanor changed immediately upon recognizing Wei Lin. "Young Master Wei! Our apologies for the disturbance. We didn't realize he was under your protection."

"No harm done," Wei Lin replied. "You were just doing your duty. I assume there won't be any problems?"

"Of course not, Young Master Wei! Please, go right ahead."

As we passed through the gates, I noticed Liu Chen looking back one last time toward the forest, even though Rocky's hiding spot was long out of sight. I placed a hand on his shoulder, surprising both of us with the instinctive gesture.

"Don't worry," I said softly. "You'll see him soon."

The boy nodded, trying to look tough despite his obvious concern. "I know. I just... I've never left him alone before."

"He'll be fine," I assured him. "He's smart enough to stay hidden, and strong enough to protect himself if he needs to. Plus, what cultivator would expect a powerful guardian beast to be disguised as a random boulder?"

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"I guess..." Liu Chen didn't sound entirely convinced, but he squared his shoulders and turned to face the city. "So... where are we going first?"

"We should head to the main marketplace," Wei Lin suggested. "It's on the way to the Wei compound, and you haven't seen the real heart of Myriad Paths City yet." He grinned at Liu Chen. "Wait until you see the spirit beast tamers' displays. They usually have at least a few interesting demonstrations going on."

"Spirit beast tamers?" Liu Chen perked up immediately. "Do you think they'd know anything about helping Rocky get stronger?"

"Probably not with Stone Guardians specifically," Lin Mei said. "But it couldn't hurt to listen. And the marketplace here really is something special."

"My father won't expect us for a few hours anyway," Wei Lin added. "He's probably still in meetings about the latest trade routes. Might as well show you the best parts of the city first."

I stared up at the Myriad Paths City skyline, where towering buildings made of white stone rose high into the clouds. Several cultivators were flying overhead on swords, completely ignored by the busy crowd below. The city’s main street was filled with a cacophony of different languages - traders from the Southern Isles bargaining in their flowing speech, Northern Continent cultivators speaking in sharp, clipped tones, even a few Western merchants with their distinctive accents.

Thanks to whatever had brought me here, I understood them all perfectly - each language sounding like normal speech to my ears.

Liu Chen pressed closer to our group as a particularly loud argument broke out between a shop owner and a customer - their words incomprehensible to him but perfectly clear to me.

"What are they saying?" he whispered to Wei Lin.

"No idea," Wei Lin shrugged. "Sounds like one of the Western languages."

I almost explained before catching myself. It probably wouldn't be wise to reveal that I could somehow understand every language being spoken. That wasn't exactly a common ability, even among cultivators.

"First time seeing a real cultivation city?" Wei Lin asked, noticing my expression.

"That obvious?" I smiled sheepishly. "Everything's so... alive."

"You should see it during the spring auction season," he replied. "This is actually quiet by comparison."

We made our way through the crowded streets, Wei Lin occasionally pointing out landmarks. "That's the Celestial Pavilion – best spirit wine in the Eastern Continent. And over there's the Hall of Ten Thousand Formations. They say the building itself is one massive formation array, though no one's ever proven it."

Every few steps, Liu Chen would crane his neck to stare at some new marvel – floating lanterns that shed different colored light based on the viewer's cultivation level, signs that rearranged their text to match the reader's native language, even simple things like the sheer variety of cultivation robes on display.

"The mineral market is this way," Wei Lin gestured down a side street. "It's part of the larger cultivation resources district."

The new street was notably quieter, with fewer casual shoppers and more serious-looking cultivators examining goods through special viewing formations. The buildings here were reinforced with spirit metal and carved with protective arrays – necessary precautions when dealing with volatile cultivation materials.

As we walked through, Liu Chen was practically bouncing with each step, eyes wide at the various spirit stones on display.

"Actually," I said, watching him press his face against yet another shop window, "while we're here, do you know if any shops sell earth essence?”

"Several shops should have it. Master Tao might even..." Wei Lin paused, considering. "No, for pure earth essence, we should try the Nine Elements Pavilion first. They specialize in elemental essences."

"What's earth essence?" Liu Chen asked, finally tearing himself away from a display of glowing crystals.

"It's a purified form of earth energy," Lin Mei explained as we walked. "Very useful for certain cultivation methods."

The Nine Elements Pavilion was larger than the other shops, with nine different entrances each marked by a different elemental symbol. Wei Lin led us through the doorway marked with a mountain sigil.

Liu Chen gasped as we entered. The shelves were lined with crystal bottles containing essences of varying colors and consistencies. Even Rocky would probably appreciate the pure earthen energy radiating from some of the containers.

A young woman in earth-toned robes approached us. "Young Master Wei," she bowed. "How may we assist you today?"

"We're looking for earth essence," Wei Lin replied. "The highest purity you have in stock."

The woman's eyes brightened. "Ah, we just received a new shipment. Please, follow me."

She led us to a display case where a single crystal bottle sat on a cushion of brown spiritual light. Inside, what looked like liquid stone swirled in mesmerizing patterns.

"Wow," Liu Chen breathed, pressing close to the display. "It looks like... like what Rocky feels like inside, but liquid!"

"Ninety-five percent purity," the attendant said proudly. "Extracted from the heart of the Stone Dragon Mountains."

"That's exceptional quality,” Lin Mei nodded. “The herb gardens usually only get fifty percent purity for our earth-attribute plants."

"The price?" Wei Lin asked.

"One thousand five hundred spirit stones per bottle."

I tried not to wince. That was 500 spirit stones more than what Senior Bu had offered it for.

"That's... that's a lot, right?" Liu Chen whispered, clearly trying to understand the cultivation world's economy. "Like, more than the special stones for Rocky?"

"Much more," Lin Mei confirmed softly.

Wei Lin caught my expression and shook his head slightly. "Thank you, but we'll have to pass for now.”

As we left the shop, I sighed. "I guess Senior Bu's offer was more generous than I realized."

"Earth essence is getting more expensive," Wei Lin explained. "There's been increasing demand from the major sects, and the extraction process is both dangerous and time-consuming." He patted my shoulder. "Don't worry, we'll find another way."

"Maybe Rocky could help?" Liu Chen suggested. "He's good at finding special stones and earth stuff..."

"We should focus on getting Rocky his own stones first," Lin Mei suggested. "But it's not a bad idea.”

I found myself considering Liu Chen's suggestion more seriously than I'd initially expected to. A Stone Guardian's natural affinity for earth energy could be incredibly valuable for finding and extracting earth essence.

Most cultivation sects had to rely on expensive formation arrays and specialized tools, but Rocky might be able to sense rich deposits naturally. And if he continued growing stronger...

A dark thought crossed my mind - if I were a demonic cultivator, the simplest solution would be right in front of us.

Rocky himself was essentially a massive concentration of high-quality earth essence. A few specialized techniques and... I pushed the thought away, feeling slightly sick. The gentle giant had cried actual pebbles when hurt... no, I couldn't imagine harming him, even if he was made of exactly what I needed.

"Azure," I thought, "what do you think about the potential of a Stone Guardian helping with earth essence extraction?"

"Quite promising," Azure replied. "Their innate connection to earth energy would make them perfect for the job.”

I made a mental note to explore this idea further once we were on our way back to the sect. If Rocky could help locate earth essence deposits, it would save me a significant amount of spirit stones. And it would be a much better use of his abilities than extracting tolls from travelers.