Simultaneous Transmigration: We Level Up Alone Across Multiple Worlds

The other end of the teleportation array is also a stone cave.

The rocks on the cave walls are bluish-black, with a layer of damp salt frost on their surface.

Seawater seeped into the mountain, dripping down from the cracks in the rocks.

There was a strong fishy smell in the air.

Chen Chen did not immediately leave the cave.

He turned around and pulled the Great Teleportation Order off the array's core.

The stone base of the teleportation array was more intact than that of the Yan Family Fortress, the array patterns were not severely worn, and the residual spiritual energy in the grooves of the array eyes was still slowly dissipating.

Chen Chen walked around the array base, his divine sense spreading along the main lines of the array patterns one by one.

There are sixteen main storylines, and none of them have been interrupted.

Of the thirty-four auxiliary lines, three were slightly deformed by the surge of spiritual energy during the teleportation, but this did not affect their use next time.

He then took out three sets of array flags from his storage bag.

Illusion Restriction...

Defensive formation...

Warning formation...

All three overlapping arrays are in place.

"The escape route is blocked. Now let's go see what's ahead."

The cave's exit is halfway up the mountain.

The sea breeze hit me head-on, so strong that my robes were instantly blown behind me.

The waves crashed against the bedrock of the mountain beneath our feet.

cold.

Chen Chen squinted and looked into the distance.

Before me stretched a deep blue sea.

The sky above the sea was vast and empty, with no outline of islands or the elusive light of cultivators.

"It's completely desolate."

His divine sense spread outwards from himself, and soon found a trace of human presence.

It's not too far from Kui Xing Island.

Back then, the teleportation arrays in the Jixuan were not too far off-center.

Chen Chen threw another warning talisman into the bushes near the cave entrance, then used his divine sense to perform a final scan of the surrounding sea area... confirming that there were no witnesses within a radius of several hundred feet.

Ascending into the sky on a sword.

The Earthly Fiend Sword unfurled a pale white light beneath his feet, carrying him as he flew low towards the southeast, skimming close to the sea surface.

Raising the beam of light above the sea surface would be too conspicuous.

Chen Chen deliberately flew very low.

The light shone close to the sea surface, its feet only a few feet from the crest of a wave. The reality of their isolation was now stark.

Two hours later, a gray line appeared on the sea surface.

The gray line gradually thickens, growing into the outline of an island.

The island was small, with only three or four small wooden boats moored at the dock. The boats were blackened by the seawater, and the fishing nets hanging on the sides swayed in the wind.

Behind the dock is a sloping stone staircase leading uphill, with rows of low houses made of wood and stone scattered on both sides of the path.

Chen Chen withdrew his escape light behind a group of reefs a hundred feet away from the dock.

No monks on the dock noticed him.

My gaze swept over there.

There weren't many people walking around the dock.

A Qi Refining stage youth squatted on the gunwale, tying oars with hemp rope; a middle-aged woman sat at the bottom of the stone steps, gutting fish; two Foundation Establishment stage cultivators walked up the stone steps, talking in hushed tones, each with a seashell-shaped identity token hanging from their waists.

Chen Chen emerged from behind the reef and strolled leisurely along the edge of the dock.

The low houses on both sides of the stone steps are mostly shops.

A spirit material purchasing shop, with a few low-grade spirit stones of poor quality and a pile of dried sea beast bones on the counter. Above that is a teahouse with a faded cloth sign, on which the words "rest" are drawn crookedly.

Chen Chen stopped at the entrance of the tea shop and scanned it with his divine sense.

There were three or four people sitting in the shop, all of them Qi Refining and Foundation Establishment stage cultivators, drinking coarse tea with a yellowish color from their dusty teacups.

No one spoke.

The information provided by these low-level, independent tea shops is too limited to be worth the time.

Continuing uphill, the stone steps lead to a platform that is more open than at the foot of the mountain, which is the only main road on the island.

There was a somewhat upscale-looking tavern by the roadside, with wooden doors and windows, and a sign made of animal bone nailed to the door frame, which read "Tingchaoju" (Listening to the Tide Residence).

The dim light of the spirit lamp shone through the window, and there were seven or eight people sitting inside, most of whom were at least at the Foundation Establishment stage.

Chen Chen pushed open the wooden door and went inside.

The tavern fell silent instantly.

Several people who were chatting stopped talking at the same time and looked over to examine his cultivation level.

Chen Chen walked straight to a corner seat by the window and sat down.

The waiter hesitated for a moment before stepping forward with the wooden teapot: "Senior... what would you like to drink?"

"Just brew a pot of tea."

Chen Chen placed the two spirit stones on the table.

The waiter's eyes lit up, and he quickly collected the spirit stones and ran back to the kitchen.

The corner window seat offers a view of the main road and the pier.

The tavern quickly returned to its previous noisy state.

"...The Star Palace's tribute has increased by 20% this month, and the patrol team on Kui Xing Island has one more team than last month..." A middle-aged Foundation Establishment cultivator at the table complained in a low voice, and the people next to him nodded in agreement.

"...The Myriad Sounds Sect is buying high-level demonic beast materials, and the price is 20% higher than other places, but the sect leader must personally inspect the goods upon delivery..."

Chen Chen paused in his tea-drinking motion.

The Gate of Wonderful Sounds.

First of all, I am not a lecherous person.

The sect leader's daughter, Zi Ling, is the most beautiful woman in the Chaotic Star Sea, but that's a story for later.

He was unaware of the current situation of the Miaoyin Sect.

Is the sect leader still Wang Heng, Zi Ling's father?

Or has it been replaced?

He put down his teacup, stood up, and walked over to the middle-aged monk who was talking at the other table.

The middle-aged rogue cultivator stopped talking as soon as he saw him coming.

Foundation Establishment stage cultivators have an instinctive wariness of people like Chen Chen whose cultivation level is unclear.

"We were just talking about the Myriad Sounds Sect." Chen Chen lowered his voice to just enough for the other person to hear him clearly.

How do I get to Kuixing Island?

The middle-aged rogue cultivator was taken aback, seemingly not expecting to be asked for directions.

After hesitating for a moment, he said, "...Head northeast, along the Inner Star Sea route. You'll arrive after passing three island chains. You don't need a nautical chart; just keep following the island chains to the northeast."

Who is the current leader of the Miaoyin Sect?

"Sect Leader Wang Heng, the sect's main business involves trading monster materials between the Outer Star Sea and the Inner Star Sea..."

Chen Chen nodded in thanks.

The middle-aged rogue cultivator took the opportunity to finish the remaining half-glass of wine on the table, and dared not say another word.

Chen Chen returned to the corner and sat down, finishing the rest of the tea in his cup in one gulp.

Wang Heng is still alive.

It's highly likely that Zi Ling hasn't become the sect leader yet.

This timing... is a good window of opportunity.

The Miaoyin Sect was on the rise and had not yet experienced the darkest moment when its leader was killed and Zi Ling was forced to succeed him.

Establishing partnerships with business alliances during their growth phase is simpler and cleaner than intervening during their decline.

Wang Heng needs someone to help him improve the competitiveness of his caravan in the mid-to-high-end market, while Chen Chen needs a local force to help him gain a foothold.

Wang Heng was not fond of war or killing, and established his business through commerce; such people are more comfortable to deal with.

Let's go check out Kui Xing Island first, and learn more about it.

He placed a few spirit stones on the table, got up, and walked out of Tingchao Residence.

……

Kui Xing Island is located in the northeast direction.

Chen Chen flew close to the sea surface on his sword, advancing segment by segment along the island chain.

We passed two small islands along the way, but did not stop. We only circled briefly over one of them to confirm our location before continuing to fly northeast.

As we approached Kuixing Island, the masts of merchant ships began to appear on the sea.

Several large spirit wood ships were moored at the dock, their waterlines drawn very deep, suggesting they were cargo ships carrying materials from demon beasts that had just returned from the outer sea.

Laborers carried wooden crates back and forth on the dock pier. Someone carried an entire rib of a level six demon beast down the gangplank, making the pier creak under his feet.

Two long streets extend along the coastline on both sides of the pier.

The street is lined with shop signs, including herbal medicine shops, weapon crafting shops, pill shops, talisman shops, spirit beast shops, etc. The categories are complete, but most of them are low- to mid-range shops, doing daily business for independent cultivators below the Foundation Establishment stage.

The high-end materials stores are located in the latter half of the long street, all displaying signs that begin with the character "妙" (meaning "wonderful"). Their storefronts are significantly larger than those at the front.

Chen Chen glanced at the sign and continued walking forward.

Wang Heng did not appear on the long street... This was expected.

As the head of the sect, Wang Heng wouldn't solicit business at the entrance of his shop like a shopkeeper would.

Chen Chen found a materials store directly under the Miaoyin Sect in the latter half of the long street and pushed the door open to go inside.

The shopkeeper was a middle-aged male cultivator in the late Foundation Establishment stage, who was counting spiritual materials behind the counter.

Upon seeing a cultivator whose cultivation level was unclear push the door open and enter, he paused for a moment, then greeted him with a perfectly measured smile.

"Are you here to sell or buy materials, senior?"

"I want to discuss business with your sect leader."

Manager Zheng's eyes became more cautious. Every day, rogue cultivators would come to Kui Xing Island to "talk business with the sect leader." Most of them were animal material dealers who came to bargain, while a small number were wandering cultivators who came to try their luck.

As was customary, he asked, "Could you please leave your name, senior? I'll inform you."

"Chen Chen, Core Formation cultivator."

"I wonder what kind of business you do, senior... so I may have a reason to inform the sect leader."

"I have some knowledge of talismans, elixirs, weapon crafting, and formations."

The shopkeeper's eyes flickered. This guy was boasting a lot, but he looked too young. In the end, unsure, he turned and called to the inner room, "Xiao Lin, go and invite Steward Wei."

The inner hall curtain was lifted, and a cultivator in the early stage of Core Formation, wearing a dark green robe, stepped out.

Deacon Wei was fair-skinned and beardless.

He looked Chen Chen up and down, then cupped his hands in greeting: "Fellow Daoist Chen, please come into the inner hall and have a seat. The sect leader happens to be on the island today; I'll go inquire about his schedule."

Wang Heng met Chen Chen in a study on the second floor of Miaoyin Pavilion.

A row of wooden bookshelves lined the wall of the study, filled with account books and nautical charts.

Behind the desk, windows were open, and the sea breeze carried the fishy smell of the docks. A faded red silk paperweight rested on the corner of the desk.

Wang Heng himself appeared to be in his thirties, wearing a dark purple plain silk robe, and was of medium height.

"Fellow Daoist Chen, please have a seat."

Chen Chen sat down.

He took three items out of his storage bag and placed them on Wang Heng's desk.

A Mystic Water Amulet. A Core Formation level water-based talisman that, when activated, forms a Mystic Water shield on the body's surface, lasting for nearly twice as long as other talismans of the same level.

The pill that restores a significant portion of one's mana, along with an improved flying sword, can be taken.

Wang Heng then ordered Steward Wei to take the goods away for inspection.

Not long after, Deacon Wei returned and whispered a few words in Wang Heng's ear.

After checking the three items, Wang Heng leaned back in his chair and looked at Chen Chen.

"What would Fellow Daoist Chen like to entrust?"

"Looking for Heavenly Thunder Bamboo, quality is not limited, as long as it has roots, even if the appearance is poor."

Chen Chen took out a jade slip from his storage bag and handed it over. Inside was a complete list of commissions, including high-level talisman-making materials and weapon-refining materials.

Wang Heng took the jade slip and scanned it for a moment.

"Does Fellow Daoist Chen know how difficult it is to find some of the items listed in the jade slip in the Chaotic Star Sea?"

"I roughly know."

"Golden thunder bamboo has only appeared in records, and it's uncertain whether it's still available on the market. When you create this list, you should have certain expectations."

Chen Chen nodded: "The Miaoyin Sect doesn't need to guarantee the outcome. They just need to intercept what's available on the market for me and keep an eye on what's not. If the sect leader agrees, these three things will be considered as a deposit."

Wang Heng didn't ask any more questions and put the jade slip into his desk drawer.

"We regularly receive shipments and updates at the beginning and middle of the month. If there is an urgent message, I will arrange for someone to handle it."

"Can."

"There's one more thing. Does your esteemed sect possess detailed sea charts of the Chaotic Star Sea?"

Wang Heng took a roll of parchment nautical chart from the bookshelf and unfolded it on his desk.

The map is quite large, covering most of the known Kui Xing Island and waterways in the Inner Star Sea. Reef areas and safe shipping lanes are distinguished by different shades of ink.

"This is the old version; there are a few newly discovered reefs that haven't been added yet. If Fellow Daoist Chen isn't in a hurry to use it, I'll have my men make a new copy for you."

"The old version is fine."

Wang Heng rolled up the nautical chart and handed it over.

Chen Chen caught it.

By the time we left Miaoyin Pavilion, it was already getting dark.

The last cargo ship was unloading at the dock, and laborers carried wooden crates down the pier, their shouts muffled by the waves.

Chen Chen stood on the edge of the dock for a moment, unfolded the nautical chart in his hand, and quickly scanned it with his divine sense.

Kui Xing Island is scattered in the southwestern part of the Inner Star Sea.

Kui Xing Island is located at the westernmost point, like a wedge inserted into the shipping lane between the Outer Star Sea and the Inner Star Sea.

Its sphere of influence encompasses dozens of small Kui Xing Islands, the larger ones spanning over a hundred miles in circumference, while the smaller ones are only a few miles in size.

Xiao Huan Island is located in the southwestern part of the sea. It is marked very small, just a dot, with a line of small text next to it: Xiao Huan Island, about 60-70 square meters, poor spiritual veins, no inhabitants.

"The spiritual veins are barren, and no one is stationed here. The location is remote, not on the main flight path. Perfect."

He carefully put the nautical chart away.

Footsteps sounded behind me.

Deacon Wei emerged from the side door of Miaoyin Pavilion, carrying a wooden box in his hands.

"Fellow Daoist Chen, please wait. The sect leader instructed that if you are not in a hurry to use these three samples, could you please leave them with the sect for a few days? There will be a monthly trade fair in a few days, and the sect leader wants to use them to test the waters and see the bids. If a deal is made, the Miaoyin Sect will take its usual cut, and you can buy them back at the original price."

Wang Heng acted even faster than he had anticipated.

The fact that the sect leader was ready to launch the three samples directly to the trade fair as soon as they were tested shows that he has a keen business sense and doesn't hesitate.

"Can."

"The trade fair is scheduled for three months from now. If it's convenient for you then, you can come and take a look in person."

"It depends."

Chen Chen made no promise.

His current priority is not the trade fair, but Xiaohuan Island.

……

The following morning, Chen Chen left Kuixing Island and flew low over the southwest route.

On the nautical chart, Xiaohuan Island is hidden among several small islands, and the route requires navigating around a shallow reef area.

We flew for a whole day.

We stopped for a quarter of an hour on an unnamed reef to replenish our magical power. The reef was covered with dried seabird droppings and felt as hard as a stone slab when stepped on.

The following afternoon, a small, gray-green island appeared on the horizon.

Chen Chen circled around the island's perimeter once.

He scanned the area with his divine sense.

There were no spiritual energy fluctuations from any cultivators on the island, nor any aura of demonic beasts.

The concentration of spiritual energy at the bottom of the central ridge of the island is indeed very low, far inferior to the spiritual veins surrounding the market town of Kui Xing Island. No wonder even Qi Refining stage cultivators look down on it.

It landed at the foot of the mountain on the north side of the ridge.

Surrounded by a low pine forest, the pine needles rustled softly in the wind as I probed my senses into the mountainside.

The interior of the mountain is a naturally formed cave structure. The cave is not large, but its location is hidden.

The entrance is behind a crevice in the rock wall halfway up the mountain. The crevice is so narrow that only one person can pass through sideways, and it is mostly hidden by a thicket of bushes.

Chen Chen pushed aside the bushes and squeezed into the crevice.

Inside the fissure is a natural cave, about three zhang square. A narrow crack in the cave ceiling leads to the outside of the mountain, through which light leaks down and casts a narrow spot of light on the cave wall.

The cave was dry, with flat rocks on the ground and piles of withered leaves blown in by the wind in the corners.

"The location and structure are suitable; it can be used with minor modifications."

Chen Chen took out the red copper refining furnace from his storage bag and placed it on one side of the cave. He then arranged the stone table and stone benches one by one to set up the spirit gathering array and the defensive array.

The core of the triple-layered array is embedded in the deepest crevice of the cave, while the auxiliary cores are scattered at the entrance of the crevice and in the bushes at the foot of the mountain.

The defensive array covered the entire mountain, and the illusionary restriction disguised the cracks halfway up the mountain as a single, intact rock wall.

After the cave was renovated, he stood for a moment directly below the crack in the cave ceiling.

Looking up at that narrow patch of light, the air inside the cave was dry and cool, separated from the damp and salty sea breeze outside, like two different worlds.

A self-made talisman was placed on the stone table, with the words "Zeshui Residence" written on it, and then pasted on the inner wall of the stone room.

Then he stepped out of the crevice and flew on his sword towards the ancient cultivator's cave on the southwest side of the island.

……

He had located the ancient cultivator's cave dwelling during his first island sweep.

On the southwest side, a landslide buried most of the entrance below the cliff.

One of the three swords, the Tian Shu Sword, struck the pile of rubble. The heavy Xuan Shui sword energy seeped into the cracks in the rocks and enveloped the rubble from the inside. With a sudden retraction of the sword, the rubble collapsed, revealing a hole half the height of a person.

The air inside the cave was dry and had a musty, dusty smell.

The main room was empty.

On the stone table lies a shattered jade slip, its contents no longer legible.

Under the table lay the rotten remains of a storage bag, several pieces of discarded spirit stones, and the fragments of two broken swords scattered on the ground.

In the corner of the side room... a small pile of black insect eggshells.

The eggshells are translucent, reflecting a dark golden glow in the dim light.

The shell was empty, with a few extremely thin, dark gold threads hanging from its walls.

When the divine sense swept over it, the fine thread emitted a slight tremor. The bottom of the insect egg shell was connected to a layer of mucus that had not yet completely dried. Embedded in the mucus were dozens of smaller, darker-colored insect eggs, which were in a state of apparent death.

The first batch has already incubated on its own.

The second batch is still inside the shell.

Chen Chen squatted down and touched one of the half-hatched insect eggs with his fingertips.

The eggshell felt slightly warm the moment it came into contact with the divine consciousness, and what it returned was a primal urge to swallow.

Using his divine sense, he examined all the insect eggs in the cave one by one, selecting more than a dozen semi-hatched eggs that still showed a slight life response, and sealed them in a jade box.

He then collected the empty shell fragments of the first batch of insect eggs, used his divine sense to lock onto the faint insect aura remaining on the shells, and spread the search outward from the cave as the center.

Half an hour later, the first batch of larvae was found in a crevice in the rock wall on the north side of the island. Hundreds of tiny, dark golden larvae gathered on a fragment of natural black iron and were gnawing on it.

Chen Chen wrapped the fragments and larvae in Xuan Shui and sealed them into the spirit beast bag.

The larvae wriggled slowly in the dark water, like a group of golden grains of sand suspended in a droplet.

On his way back to Zeshui Residence, he discovered a spring in the southeast corner of the island.

The spring gushes out from a crevice in the rocks at the foot of the mountain. The water volume is not large, but the water is clear and cold. A clump of horsetail grass grows by the spring, its roots embedded in the wet mud soaked by the spring water, and the grass leaves are emerald green.

"It has fresh water, secluded caves, and conditions for cultivating spirit insects. Little Huan Island is suitable."