Gentlemen, it's time to enter the Banner of Ten Thousand Souls.

Chapter 230 The Warm Hospitality of Tianxin Island
The second floor of the Pearl and Jewel Building is different from other places.

It has lost much of its glittering splendor, but gained a touch of the magnificence of the sea.

The walls were not inlaid with gold or silver, but with deep-sea luminous pearls that contained spiritual light, their soft glow illuminating the table carved from a single piece of spiritual jade.

Several exquisite ritual implements were displayed on the table.

An incense burner made of giant clam shell will have wisps of smoke condensing into various runes, which are not only exquisite but also have the effect of calming the mind and soothing the spirit.

A set of crystal goblets held amber-colored spirit wine, the surface of which rippled with tiny, ethereal waves, as if a corner of the ocean had been sealed within. Moreover, without Chen Ye lifting a finger, each cup was automatically refilled. Furthermore, if one didn't like alcohol, touching the lid would replace it with tea.

Back in Baihai Valley, Chen Ye had never seen such a small, everyday magical artifact on any rogue cultivator. He had only seen it once when he went to the Burning Incense Sect's headquarters to find Mo Suixin; it was the teacup he used to pour tea.

These little things are the best indicator of a person's inner strength and character.

Because such a small magic treasure is equivalent to having "money and leisure," independent cultivators or small sects can't even gather enough cultivation resources, so how could they have the time or inclination to acquire such small magic treasures?

Fang Zhixuan sat opposite Chen Ye, his smile appearing very genuine.

Even though Chen Ye had already said it was all a misunderstanding and told him not to worry about it, Fang Zhixuan still hurriedly had someone deliver the coral ornament that Chen Ye had taken a liking to.

“It’s just a common item, worthless. If you refuse to accept it, then it is the fault of my Tianxin Island.”

It was indeed just a pile of ordinary things; its most precious feature was the ingenious design and exquisite craftsmanship. To cultivators, it was of no use other than being aesthetically pleasing.

Since Fang Zhixuan had said all that, Chen Ye accepted the gift.

Seeing that Chen Ye had accepted the gift, Fang Zhixuan's smile became even brighter, and he warmly toasted Chen Ye.

Both of them were very good at dealing with people. One was eager to make friends, while the other was interested in finding out information. Before long, they had become friends.

Seeing that the time was ripe, Chen Ye couldn't help but ask, "Fellow Daoist Fang, how far is it to Rift Sky Mountain, and how many days will it take?"

Fang Zhixuan explained, “Sect Leader Chen, rest assured, there are still many days before the conference. Tianxin Island has a special magical artifact for sea navigation, so we can arrive in less than a day. However, Rift Sky Mountain is still undergoing extensive construction, so if we go now, we're afraid we'll only see a pile of rubble. Why don't you stay at the Pearl and Treasure Pavilion for a few days, Sect Leader Chen? When the time comes, we will naturally invite you to board the ship.”

Chen Ye was worried that he was too late, but he was actually a few days early.

Since Fang Zhixuan had said so, Chen Ye was not in a hurry and simply asked him about the situation of Tianxin Island.

This is the only major righteous sect far from the Central Plains, and Chen Ye knows almost nothing about it.

Upon hearing Chen Ye's inquiry, Fang Zhixuan enthusiastically explained, "My Tianxin Island isn't really anything special. It's just that our sect is located at sea, which is a bit remote. Because it's a sect at sea, we're quite skilled in water magic and like to go to sea to collect treasures. Other than that, there's nothing particularly special about it."

That's a bit vague, but since it was only their first meeting, it was impossible for Fang Zhixuan to be completely open with him.

Chen Ye then asked, "I've heard that some of the disciples on Tianxin Island are mermaids. I've only been cultivating for a short time and have limited knowledge, so I don't know if this rumor is true?"

This time, Fang Zhixuan didn't give a perfunctory answer. Instead, he said frankly, "This rumor is true. In fact, it's a tradition of our Tianxin Island. The founder of Tianxin Island, Master Linyuan, had a merman as his Daoist partner. The establishment of Tianxin Island also relied on the help of the merman race."

"Therefore, Tianxin Island has had merfolk disciples throughout the ages, and merfolk also intermarry with humans. Sect Master Chen, please don't be offended, I also have some merfolk blood."

As Fang Zhixuan spoke, a faint layer of lines appeared on his face, like scales covering his cheeks.

Chen Ye was astonished. He had almost thought he was seeing things before, but he never expected that Fang Zhixuan was a hybrid of a merman and a human.

However, the fact that the two clans could intermarry was quite unexpected for Chen Ye.

Chen Ye exclaimed in surprise, "I thought merfolk were a different race, but I never imagined they could have offspring with humans."

Fang Zhixuan explained, "Pure-blooded merfolk cannot marry humans. However, if a merfolk falls in love with a human, they will transform themselves into human form, appearing not much different from humans, and then they can marry and raise offspring. However, merfolk are born with a lifespan of several hundred years, and transforming into a human will greatly shorten their lifespan. Unless they meet their true love, most merfolk choose to marry within their own race."

Upon hearing this, Chen Ye exclaimed, "That is truly admirable."

To give up hundreds of years of lifespan just to be with the one you love—that's no small sacrifice.

Fang Zhixuan seemed proud to hear Chen Ye praise the merfolk, and then told Chen Ye some more things about merfolk.

Merfolk are all human-bodied with fish tails. They are born with the supernatural ability to manipulate seawater and can dive into the deep sea at will. Their intelligence is not much different from that of humans.

However, the bodies of merfolk make cultivation difficult, and their lifespan is at most five hundred years.

Therefore, many merfolk did not transform into human form to marry humans, but rather hoped to achieve immortality through human cultivation methods.

However, once they become human, they can no longer marry their former kin and naturally have to choose to marry humans. Over time, the merfolk have come to regard the transformation into human form as an inevitable stage for their race.

Since we're all going to die eventually anyway, why not try some spiritual practice?

Therefore, even if they do not fall in love with humans, most merfolk will choose to transform into humans after the age of four hundred, thus halving their remaining lifespan. If they cultivate successfully within the next fifty years, they can extend their lifespan.

Merfolk who transform into humans retain some of their talent for water control, and their cultivation speed is faster than that of ordinary people, allowing them to extend their lives by several hundred years.

Fang Zhixuan sighed, “The path to immortality is so difficult. To this day, only one mermaid on Tianxin Island has achieved the Dao Integration and ascended to immortality. She was the Daoist partner of our Tianxin Island ancestor, Master Linyuan. The fact that the two of them ascended to the Immortal Realm together is a beautiful story. It’s truly enviable. I wonder when I will be able to marry a mermaid woman.”

Chen Ye smiled and said, "With Fellow Daoist Fang's character and abilities, this shouldn't be a difficult task, right?"

Fang Zhixuan wasn't very old, and his cultivation had already reached the Tongxuan Realm, making him a true young talent and a pillar of the five major sects. In Chen Ye's opinion, such a person would have a considerable range of choices if he wanted to find a Daoist partner.

Fang Zhixuan shook his head and said, "If I had the appearance of Sect Leader Chen, that would be easy. You don't know, every mermaid woman is stunningly beautiful. They see their own kind every day and consider handsome men to be commonplace. My appearance might be considered decent in the eyes of humans, but in the eyes of mermaids, it would be considered ugly. Those mermaid girls would turn their heads away if they looked at me even twice. Marrying one wouldn't be that simple."

Chen Ye was somewhat skeptical. Fang Zhixuan was by no means ugly; for a merman woman to reject him was simply too high a standard. Seeing Fang Zhixuan's sighing and lamenting, Chen Ye could only comfort him, saying, "We men don't rely on our looks for a living. Fellow Daoist Fang, just focus on your cultivation. Once your cultivation is high enough, why worry about not having women who like you?"

Fang Zhixuan said with a wry smile, "Brother Chen, to put it bluntly, you'd better stop comforting others about appearances in the future. With your looks, saying such things will only make others think you're a well-fed person who doesn't know the hunger of the starving."

Chen Ye awkwardly touched his nose.

Fang Zhixuan was right. He was already very handsome, and after being baptized by the ginseng fruit, his appearance became even more flawless, making him particularly likable.

Chen Ye had no choice but to punish himself with a cup of wine, and said to Fang Zhixuan, "I admit I misspoke, please don't be offended, Fellow Daoist Fang."

The two started drinking again, and they drank for an unknown amount of time until they were slightly tipsy.

The two became more familiar with each other, and Fang Zhixuan asked mysteriously, "Sect Leader Chen has come all the way from the Northern Frontier. He must be tired from the journey. It's getting late. Does he need someone to help him rest? The girls at the Pearl and Treasure Pavilion, although not as beautiful as the mermaid women, are still quite charming and lovely."

Upon seeing Fang Zhixuan's ambiguous smile, Chen Ye immediately understood what this so-called "serving" meant.

Tianxin Island seems a bit too down-to-earth. Not only is the Pearl and Jewel Building extremely luxurious, but even the rules for entertaining guests have such a strong worldly and vulgar feel.
This was the first time Chen Ye had ever heard of such a service offered by one of the five major sects.

However, Chen Ye was not interested in this kind of thing and politely declined, saying, "I am indeed a little tired, but I like to meditate and cultivate in peace. Fellow Daoist Fang can prepare a quiet room for me, and I don't need anyone to serve me."

Fang Zhixuan only mentioned it briefly, and seeing that Chen Ye had no interest, he smiled and said, "Since that's the case, then I won't disturb Sect Leader Chen's rest. This room already has an inner room, so Sect Leader Chen can rest here. If you need anything, just ring the clock on the door, and servants will come to serve you."

"Thank you for your hospitality, Fellow Daoist Fang."

Chen Ye politely saw the person to the door, and then prepared to rest for a while.

Having flown thousands of miles to reach this port, although my body isn't physically exhausted, I am a little mentally tired. I should rest early and always be in top condition.

However, before Chen Ye could begin his meditation, Mo Ci's voice came from within the Myriad Souls Banner: "Don't you think there was something wrong with that kid just now? Why was Fang Zhixuan so polite to you?"

Chen Ye shook his head and said, "He is indeed being overly enthusiastic, but this Fellow Daoist Fang may not have any other intentions."

"How could this be? Unsolicited kindness is always suspicious. The disciples of the five major sects are all arrogant and haughty; this enthusiasm is clearly not right. You'd better be careful. Force them to come back to the wine they just drank, lest they've been drugged. And that incense burner, put it out quickly; there might be some scheme involved..."

Mo Ci talked a lot, as if the room was full of traps that could harm people.

Chen Ye did not refute, and did as Mo Ci said without the slightest impatience.

He forced the alcohol out of his body, extinguished the incense burner, touched under the bed, tapped the floor, checked every corner, and scanned the room with his spiritual eyes to make sure there were no hidden formations.

After that, he had Chen Ye summon the mirage demons and set up a simple illusion array.

Only after all preparations had been made did Mo Ci say with satisfaction, "Alright, go and rest. I will protect you."

Chen Ye said helplessly, "Master, it's already dawn, what's the point of resting?"

Looking at the slightly brightening sky outside the window, Mo Ci said somewhat awkwardly, "Better safe than sorry!"

Chen Ye laughed heartily, then sat cross-legged to meditate and recover his spiritual energy and strength.

Regardless of whether he's being overly cautious, it's rare for a master to have such a thoughtful gesture, and as a disciple, I should appreciate it.

(End of this chapter)