Raise a sword!

The southern foothills of the Diming Mountains lead directly to the South China Sea.

In the vast southern coastline, there is a narrow pass.

The coastline here seems to have suddenly caved in into the continent, forming an inland sea and an outer sea.

The open sea is turbulent, while the inland sea is calm and tranquil.

Because of this narrow pass, ships from the open sea had a place to anchor.

Because of this pass, the inner sea is close to the Earth-Ringing Mountains, where spiritual energy gathers, making it a natural treasure land for cultivation.

And so Bibo Harbor came into being.

"In the past, Bibo Port was a region contested by several major powers. It was a place where wealth gathered, connecting the outer sea to the south and the inland to the north... Powerful forces such as the Nanming Sect in the outer sea, the Longshe Temple and the Beast Taming Sect in the inland all tried to occupy this place."

This was the first time Jiang Peng had ever heard of the Dragon and Snake Temple.

On the contrary, he had heard of both the Nanming Sect and the Beast Taming Sect.

The Southern Ming Sect is a leading force in the overseas cultivation world.

Master Qin Yuan also possesses a token obtained from Elder Liu Zhi. Qin Yuan has already agreed that once Jiang Peng has established his foundation, he can use this token to go to the Nanming Sect for cultivation.

The origins of the Beast Taming Sect are also extraordinary.

The Beast Taming Pavilions, which are located in every market town throughout the Southern Mountain Region, are the business of the Beast Taming Sect.

Even so, the Beast Taming Sect is not well-known in the Southern Mountain Region, and it is rarely mentioned.

Because the Beast Taming Sect is a branch of the Central Continent Beast King Sect, many people view the existence of the Beast Taming Sect as an extension of the Central Continent's influence into the Southern Mountain Region.

"What's the background of the Dragon and Snake Temple? Do all three of these sects have Nascent Soul cultivators?"

"There's a reason why the Dragon and Snake Temple isn't well-known. They have few disciples, and they don't travel around using their own name... Sometimes, a powerful figure suddenly appears in the Southern Mountain Region, and after making some inquiries, it turns out to be a successor of the Dragon and Snake Temple."

After thinking for a moment, Sun Yinxi added, "To put it simply, the Dragon and Snake Temple is located deep within the Earth-Ringing Mountains, next to the fourth-tier demon kings."

"That's really impressive," Jiang Peng exclaimed in admiration.

As they spoke, the two had already entered the Blue Wave Harbor.

Jiang Peng's first impression of this place was that it was bustling.

Near the dock in the distance, boatmen were pulling a towering, mountain-like ship ashore. Upon closer inspection, it was discovered that all the boatmen were cultivators, including several at the mid-stage of Qi Refining.

The roadside was filled with vendors selling mostly seafood, including some seemingly spiritual sea creatures, as well as pearls and corals.

This is only one or two thousandths of the bustling activity at Bibo Port.

In addition, the level of cultivators coming and going here is significantly higher.

After walking for only a short while, Jiang Peng had already seen several people whose cultivation levels he could not discern, and he figured they must all be Foundation Establishment cultivators.

"Various forces, both in the outer sea and inland, have some business in Bibo Port. The person in charge must be someone who can handle things, and they are usually Foundation Establishment cultivators."

Sun Yinxi offered a pointed reminder: "So don't be arrogant just because there are so many Foundation Establishment cultivators here, thinking that Foundation Establishment is easy."

Jiang Peng knew that Sun Yinxi was concerned about her, so she thanked her softly.

After a long and winding journey, Jiang Peng was led by Sun Yinxi to the outside of an inconspicuous little house.

Jiang Peng watched as Sun Yinxi took out a jade tablet and activated the array in the courtyard.

"Is this the sect's property?"

"It was a gift from Elder Liu Zhi to the sect. The Liu family of Bibo Port, which we are going to visit on this trip, is the family from which Elder Liu Zhi came from."

The courtyard is small, consisting of only one main house and one side house.

There is a well in the courtyard, and a kitchen and a storeroom are located nearby.

Small but complete.

Sun Yinxi went into the main house to rest. The two of them would probably stay here for a few days, so they needed to tidy up their accommodations.

Jiang Peng then took out a tea set from her storage bag and boiled water to make tea.

When Sun Yinxi called out, he carried the tea tray into the main room and placed it on the table.

Seeing this, Sun Yinxi smiled and said, "Sometimes, the longer I spend with you, Junior Brother, the more I realize what a wonderful person you are... Taking you with me when we go out means I don't have to worry about anything."

"Is my senior sister treating me like a servant?"

Sun Yinxi smiled and said, "Then I'm the host? How about my role as host?"

"nice."

Sun Yinxi rarely makes a joke, but she didn't expect this answer.

She paused for a moment, then blushed slightly and spat out a remark.

"I need to tell Yingying this."

Jiang Peng did not respond, but simply filled both teacups and pushed one of them in front of Sun Yinxi.

The two then got down to business.

"There are now three major forces in Bibo Port: the Qiaogong Sect, the Liu Family, and the Bibo Chamber of Commerce."

Sun Yinxi gave a brief introduction to the situation of Bibo Port.

"These three forces all have Golden Core cultivators... It's quite interesting, because of the competition among various parties, in the end, Bibo Port had no place for Nascent Soul cultivators to stay."

Jiang Peng thought about it for a moment and then understood the reason.

A Nascent Soul True Monarch is a pillar of strength wherever he is. If one faction sends a Nascent Soul True Monarch to oversee Bibo Harbor, other forces interested in the area might also send their own people.

The end result was that Nascent Soul True Monarchs gathered there, glaring at each other.

"This is because powerful forces control the intensity of the competition here," Jiang Peng said.

"That's exactly right."

Sun Yinxi continued, "The Qiaogong Sect is renowned for its mechanical puppets and formations. It has three Golden Core cultivators, one of whom is at the peak of the Golden Core stage. In terms of the strength of its cultivators, it is the leader among the three major forces in Bibo Port."

"The Liu family we are going to visit runs a spiritual material business. They have an extremely powerful lineage of spiritual plant cultivation, and can cultivate spiritual materials from all over the country... To exaggerate a bit, more than 30% of the main ingredients for Foundation Establishment Pills in the Southern Mountain Region come from the Liu family."

"Amazing!" Jiang Peng exclaimed.

"Both of these companies have their own masters behind them, which is why they can maintain their current status. As for the Azure Wave Chamber of Commerce... they are a dragon from the Central Plains who have crossed the river. Their trade routes go directly to the Central Plains, and they operate flying ships that cross the natural barrier between the Southern Mountain Region and the Central Plains."

"This is also one of the few ways to reach Zhongzhou without any risk... If you ever find yourself unable to stay in Nanshan Region, you can use the Bibo Merchant Guild to travel to Zhongzhou or other states," Sun Yinxi said meaningfully.

Jiang Peng immediately realized that this was the woman's retaliation for his earlier flippant remark.

I never expected that Sun Yinxi would be so petty.

"Junior brother, I'm doing relatively well in the Southern Mountain Region and haven't caused any major disasters, so I have no intention of running away for the time being."

"Hmph, with your mouth, it's only a matter of time."

Sun Yinxi rolled her eyes at Jiang Peng, then casually returned to the main topic.

"In five days it will be the 300th birthday of the Liu family patriarch. We should go and offer our congratulations then, and also mention the Xuanxin Leaf... The Cangshan Sect and the Liu family have always had a good relationship. Although Elder Liu Zhi has passed away, the friendship remains, so they shouldn't refuse."

"I hope so," Jiang Peng said.