Starting as a spiritual plant master, may I eventually become the master of all lands.

Five days later.

The flower boats of Wisteria Valley crossed several large counties in the south-central part of Qi State and arrived at the easternmost part of Le'an County.

This place is deserted; it's a huge clearing in the mountains.

This place is located on the outer edge of the Kongsang Mountains, and it is also where various sects gathered for this Kongsang adventure.

To the east, the mountains rose and fell, shrouded in mist, resembling a giant beast crouching there, sometimes visible, sometimes hidden.

Although they are not very distinct, these mountains are clearly different from the mountains in the secular world.

At this moment, over a thousand cultivators had already gathered in this open space.

There were groups of independent cultivators, as well as cultivators from small and medium-sized sects led by senior figures.

Of the six major sects in Qi, two have already arrived: the Changshao Sect and the Beast Taming Sect.

As the flower boats of Wisteria Valley slowly descended, a flurry of discussion arose among the crowd.

Some were envious, some were disdainful, some pointed and commented, and some even looked angry...

Duanmu Jingyi led the group from Teng Hua Valley off the flower boat, then put the boat away and sat down cross-legged.

The disciples, some sitting and some standing, were all observing the others who had gone into the mountains.

Song Chuan spotted the "Three Birds" brother and sister from the Changshao School at a glance.

The three people were also looking towards the Vine Flower Valley and recognized Song Chuan.

Old Zhang has successfully reached the late stage of Qi Refining, specifically the eighth level.

Zhuang Xiuya, after five years, appeared even more beautiful and voluptuous. Her cultivation level, like his, had reached the seventh level of Qi Refining.

As for Yu Banji, he is at the sixth level of Qi Refining.

Like the other members of the Long Spoon Faction, all three of them had a long-handled spoon stuck in their backs.

Like the Five Elements Hoe given to disciples by Teng Hua Valley, it is a mid-level magic weapon and a symbolic magic weapon of the Changshao Sect.

The members of the Beast Taming Sect all carried spirit beast pouches, and every now and then some spirit beasts would fly out to play, eliciting gasps of surprise from the crowd.

Song Chuan had never met anyone from this sect before, but he knew that their spirit beasts were extremely powerful, and that they had always been at odds with the beekeepers of Vine Flower Valley.

As for the disciples of those small and medium-sized sects, because the number of places allocated was limited, some sects had ten or so people participating, some had five or six people participating, and some sects only had one person participating.

They probably come here to explore on their own and do better than this.

Before Song Chuan could carefully observe the people present, a streak of light flashed in the western sky, and a huge gourd flew in.

The Hanging Gourd Pavilion! Song Chuan felt a chill run down his spine.

This sect originated from Baiquan County, Song Chuan's hometown, and is famous for its alchemy.

These disciples of the Hanging Gourd Hall all wore white shirts and had gourds hanging from their waists.

As far as Song Chuan knew, the Hanging Gourd Pavilion and the Vine Flower Valley had always had a relationship of both cooperation and competition. They also grew their own spiritual plants, but a large portion of them were purchased from the Vine Flower Valley.

Just as the people from the Hanging Gourd Pavilion arrived, another multi-story ship flew in from the sky.

This boat is different from the flower boats in Wisteria Valley; it is more like a large seagoing vessel.

A flag hung above, depicting a lifelike whale spouting water.

It was indeed a group of cultivators from the Crossing-the-Sea Pavilion. Among the Crossing-the-Sea Pavilion members who came down, Song Chuan saw Qian Sen.

The moment these two factions arrived, the room instantly became lively.

Several Core Formation cultivators greeted each other, while Foundation Establishment cultivators caught up with their acquaintances. The atmosphere was harmonious and joyful.

There was only one sect left to visit: the Four Pillars Sect. Song Chuan couldn't help but feel curious about this sect.

But soon, Song Chuan looked up and saw an old copper coin flying towards him like a shooting star.

The people sitting on the copper coin were the cultivators from the Four Pillars Sect. They all wore square headscarves and Taoist robes, exuding an air of otherworldly elegance.

This sect mainly practices celestial divination. I heard that it has very few members, but its strength is very high. I don't know why they would be willing to send two hundred disciples to participate.

Who knows, they might sell the spot to outsiders, Song Chuan thought to himself.

Once the copper coin had settled, the Core Formation cultivator from the Four Pillars Sect, a long-bearded man who looked like an old Taoist priest, chuckled:

"I have calculated that this is the auspicious time to arrive. So it was not intentional that I was late and have kept you all waiting."

The Core Formation cultivator at the Crossing the Sea Tower was a beautiful female cultivator with a high nose bridge, slightly deep-set eyes, and full lips, with a somewhat exotic appearance.

She laughed and said:

"Hiccup! Old Daoist Chen, why don't you calculate how much each sect gained from this trip into the Kongsang Mountains?"

Whether people misheard or not, the woman let out a burp before speaking.

Old Chen stretched out his fingers, did a quick calculation, and said seriously, "I've figured out that you, this female drunkard from the desolate region, have drunk three more jugs of 'wind-blown' strong liquor!"

Upon hearing this, those in the know all smiled knowingly.

The Desolate Region? Song Chuan was startled. It was said that beyond the Cloud-Broken Great Mountains, which belonged to the Kongsang Mountains, lay another world of cultivation, called the Desolate Region.

However, this desolate region and the eastern region are impassable by the Cloud-Breaking Mountains.

Even Nascent Soul cultivators might not be able to traverse the Cloud-Broken Mountains; the demonic beasts within are no pushovers.

Even with the slow pace of a Qi Refining cultivator, it would take decades to walk there, without encountering the slightest danger.

However, the northern end of the Yunduan Mountains extends all the way to the sea in Fuhai County in the northeast of Qi State.

Traveling by sea from Fuhai County, bypassing the Yunduan Mountains, one can reach the desolate region, which will not take too long.

The woman from Guohailou was actually from there! Song Chuan was somewhat surprised.

No wonder this woman looks quite different from the people of Qi.

The Core Formation woman, hiccuping from drinking, rolled her eyes at Old Man Chen: "Is that all you've got? You think you can bully me just because I'm from the Desolate Region?"

Old Master Chen laughed heartily: "Just kidding. Who would dare to bully the people of your Wilderness Wine Clan? I thought Fairy Zhaohua's term at the Crossing Sea Pavilion had ended and she had returned to the Wilderness."

"That's because your Qi Kingdom is the number one drinker in the entire Eastern Region, making even a drinker like me not want to leave."

After speaking, the fairy Zhaohua stuck out a small part of her tongue and licked her full, red lips, making all the cultivators present feel their mouths dry.

The "wine clan"? Song Chuan had never heard of them. It seemed he hadn't visited Yuewei Hall enough.

What puzzled Song Chuan was that Guohailou was a sect of the Qi Kingdom, so how could there be a wine clan from the Desolate Region in charge here?

He shook his head. These things had nothing to do with him, a mere Qi Refining cultivator, so it was better not to know.

However, being able to hear Core Formation cultivators chatting here was quite an eye-opening experience.

Song Chuan's eyes flickered, waiting to see what else they would say.

To his disappointment, the few Core Formation cultivators present only exchanged a few casual greetings before falling silent.

Occasionally, one could hear the sudden, abrupt hiccups of that fairy Zhaohua.

Song Chuan would occasionally steal glances at Fairy Zhaohua. Once, Fairy Zhaohua even sensed his gaze and gave him a half-smile. Song Chuan blushed slightly and dared not look again.

After an incense stick's time, Elder Chen of the Four Pillars Sect suddenly raised his head and looked towards the mist-shrouded Kongsang Mountains, his expression solemn as he said, "They've arrived!"

The other Core Formation cultivators were a few breaths slower than him, but they also sensed something and all looked to the east.

The clouds and mist around the mountain range slowly dispersed, revealing five figures standing there, quietly observing the group.