Immortality and Cultivation: Starting with Improved Spirit Rice

Chapter 87 So this is the path I followed, shrouded in darkness. I thought it was already over.

The giant ship was anchored in the clouds, so enormous that it resembled a celestial mountain floating in the air.

With its flying eaves and brackets, carved beams and painted rafters, the deck even offers views of well-arranged pavilions and winding rock gardens. Clouds drift among the pillars, and several white cranes fly over the eaves, creating a truly ethereal atmosphere.

If the Yunhai is a cargo ship that transports goods, then this giant ship in front of us can almost be called a luxury yacht.

A waterfall of blue light cascaded down from the side of the giant ship, gently enveloping Zhao Cheng'an and Chen Heng. The two felt their feet lighten, and their bodies lifted off the ground, slowly rising upwards along the blue light.

Zhao Cheng'an looked back in mid-air.

The entire imperial city of Dayin quickly shrank in the field of vision.

Streets, markets, palace walls, and towers all transformed into a network of crisscrossing lines, like a giant chessboard laid out quietly on the earth.

Zhao Cheng'an's eyesight, honed by repeated exposure to spiritual energy, was far sharper than that of ordinary people. He could even clearly see a row of small figures standing in the square in front of the palace.

Father Zhao Jinglong and Mother Shangguan stood side by side on the steps in front of the palace gate, looking up at the sky.

Crown Prince Zhao Chengyuan stood half a step behind them, head tilted back, mouth agape, like a stiff doll. His younger sister, Zhao Ying, stood beside her brother, waving her small arms vigorously towards the sky.

The light grew brighter and brighter.

Zhao Cheng'an and Chen Heng's figures were swallowed by the blue light waterfall, and then landed steadily on the wide deck of the giant ship.

The giant ship trembled slightly.

The clouds around the ship began to churn violently, and the spiritual patterns on the ship lit up one by one. The entire giant ship transformed into a streak of blue rainbow in the rosy glow of the sky, breaking through the clouds and disappearing into the vast horizon.

In front of the palace.

Zhao Chengyuan looked up at the blue rainbow that grew farther and farther away and finally disappeared completely into the horizon. It took him a long time to close his mouth after it had been open so wide.

What did he just see?

A giant ship, hundreds of feet long, hovered in the sky, seemingly taking someone away. Then, with a turn, it disappeared into the horizon faster than a bird in flight.

He mechanically turned his head and looked at his parents standing beside him.

Zhao Jinglong stood calmly with his hands behind his back, as if the earth-shattering scene just now was just an ordinary sight.

Although her eyes were a little red, her mother, Shangguan, did not look too shocked. She just stood there, silently watching the direction in which the giant ship disappeared.

Even Zhao Ying, his younger sister who had been clinging to Zhao Cheng'an's leg and acting coquettishly just moments before, was now jumping around on the ground with excitement on her face. She didn't seem frightened at all; on the contrary, she was overjoyed.

"—Father, Mother?"

Zhao Chengyuan swallowed hard. Although he was honest, he wasn't stupid. Combining the various news coming from different places recently with the abnormal things he had witnessed, an unbelievable thought appeared in Zhao Chengyuan's mind: "You—you knew all along?"

Zhao Jinglong withdrew his gaze and turned to look at his eldest son, his eyes filled with complex emotions.

He remained silent for a moment, then let out a low sigh.

"Come with me. There are some things I need to tell you, so that you won't make any irreparable mistakes in the future due to your ignorance."

Zhao Chengyuan stood there stunned for a moment, then quickly followed his father's steps.

The entire imperial city, and the streets around it, were already filled with a dense, dark mass of people kneeling down.

Ordinary people, peddlers, street vendors, and even the soldiers guarding the city gates all knelt on the ground, kowtowing repeatedly in the direction where the sky had disappeared, muttering prayers for themselves and their families.

At the end of the street, in the shadows of a secluded alleyway.

A tall, upright young man was standing there quietly.

He was wearing faded old clothes, with a short knife that had been polished to a shine hanging at his waist, and he looked up at the sky, which had returned to its azure blue.

His gaze passed through the kneeling crowd, through the scattered burning paper money, and finally landed in the direction where the blue rainbow disappeared, lingering there for a long time.

"In the end, there is a difference between immortals and mortals."

Xiao Wu's voice was very soft, as if he were talking to himself, "I hope Your Highness will be well in the future."

He bowed respectfully in the direction the fairy boat had left.

The celestial vessel "Wen Dao" slowly sailed through the vast sea of ​​clouds.

When Zhao Cheng'an first stepped onto the deck, he felt a little empty inside.

Having lived in the Seven Kingdoms for over twenty years, he was now heading to a completely unfamiliar place. With every inch the giant ship beneath his feet propelled forward, the distance between him and the Great Yin Dynasty, and between him and his parents and family, grew further.

However, this slightly melancholy mood did not last long.

Zhao Chengan quickly adjusted his mindset.

The sky is high enough for birds to fly freely, and the sea is wide enough for fish to leap freely. The wider world outside is the place he has always longed to reach since he transmigrated.

He calmed himself down and began to look around at his surroundings.

It must be said that this "Wen Dao" ship truly deserves the description of "celestial grandeur".

Every step on the deck reveals a new vista, with artificial hills and cascading water features arranged in a harmonious and orderly fashion. Winding corridors connect exquisite waterside pavilions and terraces. Several unnamed spiritual trees stretch out their branches and leaves, blooming with pale purple flowers. The petals drift down in the wind, transforming into shimmering light and dissipating in mid-air.

The air is filled with a fresh, natural fragrance of grass and trees; taking a deep breath makes you feel refreshed and invigorated.

It's like a resort garden floating in the clouds.

However, most of the cultivators coming and going on the deck were in a hurry, busy with their own affairs, and not many people paid attention to the two who had just boarded the ship.

Occasionally, a few glances would sweep over, but they would only touch briefly before looking away, without lingering for long.

Just as Zhao Cheng'an was looking around, a woman in a light blue dress walked gracefully towards him.

She was born with gentle eyebrows and a few faint blue scales on her forehead, clearly indicating that she was a maidservant from an aquatic tribe.

"Welcome, fellow Daoists, aboard the Dao Asking Ship."

The aquatic maidservant stopped in front of the two, a professional and gentle smile on her face, and gave a slight bow.

"May I ask where you two are headed? That way I can arrange appropriate rooms for you."

She paused, then added softly.

"You two need not worry about missing your stop. Someone will come to inform you when the ship arrives near its destination. We wish you a pleasant journey."

After saying this, the aquatic maidservant glanced at Zhao Cheng'an and Chen Heng.

Her smile deepened, as if she had figured something out.

"Judging from your young age, you two fellow Daoists are already quite handsome and possess an extraordinary demeanor. You must have just passed the examinations of the Seven Kingdoms' Imperial Academies and are on your way to report to your respective Daoist lineages?"

Zhao Cheng'an nodded slightly: "Fellow Daoist has keen eyesight, indeed it is so."

The aquatic maid's eyes lit up, and her tone became even more enthusiastic.

"Congratulations, fellow Daoists. May I ask which immortal sect you will be joining?"

Chen Heng, standing to the side, answered upon hearing this.

"Heavenly Sword Sect".

"So—he's a sword cultivator."

The gentle smile on the aquatic maid's face vanished visibly the moment she heard the words "Sword Sect".

Her tone suddenly became somewhat indifferent, even revealing a lingering coldness.

She reached into her robes, pulled out a simple wooden token, and casually handed it over.

"Room number 37 (C) is located in Section B on the lower deck at the stern of the ship. Walk along this corridor to the end, and when you see the corner with the blue cloth banner hanging, go down. You can go there by yourself, fellow Daoist."

After explaining these things, she stopped looking at Chen Heng and instead turned her gaze to Zhao Cheng'an.

The smile returned to his face.

"Where will this fellow Daoist be heading to for his new post?"

Zhao Cheng'an answered truthfully.

"I am going to Tongming Mountain."

"brightly lit"

The water tribe maid's words came to an abrupt halt.

Her charming face was instantly filled with shock, which then transformed into an expression of near-adoration.

"Tongming Mountain! You—you are the disciple personally chosen by the Purple Emperor's Mandate True Lord?"

It wasn't just her.

Even the cultivators around him, who were originally engrossed in their own affairs, all raised their heads at this moment, turned their heads, and cast admiring and respectful glances at Zhao Cheng'an, giving him a proper salute.

Zhao Chengan has always been a low-key person.

Being stared at by so many eyes made him feel a little uncomfortable, and his old face flushed slightly.

However, I couldn't help but feel a secret sense of satisfaction.

"It was just luck, nothing more than luck," Zhao Cheng'an said modestly, cupping his hands in greeting. "I was just lucky, and my cultivation is still shallow. I don't deserve such high praise from you all."

"Fellow Daoist, you're mistaken."

The aquatic maidservant interrupted his humble words, her tone utterly serious: "To be personally chosen by a Golden Core True Monarch and summoned by a Phoenix Decree—what chance is there in this world?"

"Moreover, the immortal ship previously docked in the Seven Kingdoms. To have cultivated all the way to this day in such a spiritually barren low-spirit area and been chosen by the Golden Core lineage, the hardships he endured and the talent he displayed are beyond the imagination of ordinary people."

"Fellow Daoist is far too modest."

As she spoke, she naturally turned to the side, leading Zhao Cheng'an toward the bow of the ship, her tone extremely attentive.

"Fellow Daoist, you've traveled a long way; you must not have had breakfast yet. Our Moon-Viewing Pavilion at the bow of the Dao-Seeking Ship offers a variety of spiritual fruits and teas, as well as several exquisite pastries to nourish your spiritual veins. Would you like me to take you there to rest?"

"The Crimson Crystal Spirit Fruit in Lan Yue Pavilion is truly exceptional; it was transported from the Crimson Gold Desert—"

Two voices, gradually fading into the distance, accompanied by the melodious laughter of the aquatic maidservants, drifted slowly across the deck.

Chen Heng was left alone, standing there all alone.

She was still clutching the plain, somewhat shabby wooden plaque that had been casually handed to her in one hand, completely dumbfounded.

Although she had heard from various sources that sword cultivators were at the bottom of the cultivation world's hierarchy of contempt and were often discriminated against when they went out.

But she never expected that this discrimination could be so specific.

The sun was shining brightly on the deck, the sea of ​​clouds was surging, and the light was dazzling.

Chen Heng stood there, but for some reason, he felt that everything in front of him was dark.

"So it turns out that what's dark isn't the sky, but the path of my sword cultivation, which I can see the end of at a glance."

Chilling!

We're both classmates from the Imperial Academy, so why is there such a huge difference in our treatment?

When will our sword cultivator lineage finally rise to prominence?

Chen Heng felt incredibly bitter at that moment.

The next moment, she suddenly came to her senses.

Because she realized that the attentive aquatic maid had almost led Zhao Cheng'an away and disappeared from sight.

She still has absolutely no idea where her room, number 37 (C-class), is located.

"Wait, wait a minute!"

Chen Heng, clutching the wooden sign in her hand, jogged after them, "Um—excuse me, how do I get to Section B at the stern?"