The Long Journey to Immortality

Seeing this unprecedented phenomenon that had never occurred in the past 90,000 years, all the rogue cultivators stood up, widened their eyes, and stared at the rock wall that they were all too familiar with.

"What's going on! Is a magical treasure about to be born?" a white-haired, mid-Foundation Establishment cultivator exclaimed.

Most cultivators in the Central Plains know the story of the Ancient Cultivation Forest.

The fact that Fang Lin possessed two incredibly powerful spirit swords was something that all the sword cultivators knew.

Naturally, the strange phenomenon that occurred at this moment made the old cultivator, who didn't have much lifespan left and longed to gain an opportunity from the sword marks on the rock wall, think a lot.

Imagine that Senior Fang Lin's spirit sword is hidden in the gap of this sword mark, imagine that obtaining that spirit treasure will grant you Senior Fang Lin's inheritance and allow you to soar to great heights.

The other cultivators present had different ideas, but they all approached the discussion with an optimistic attitude.

Or perhaps it is the legacy cave left behind by Senior Fang Han on this Xuan Turtle Island that has come into existence.

Perhaps Senior Fang Han's hidden meaning within this sword mark is about to be revealed, bringing him an opportunity.

……

Most of the cultivators gathered below the sword mark had "no bright future," so it's normal for them to have richer imaginations and be more optimistic.

However, things did not develop as optimistically as the independent cultivators of the East Sea had imagined.

The rock face gradually closed, and the crevice shut.

In less than a hundred breaths, the originally abrupt sword mark had become indistinguishable to the naked eye. Only a thin trace told later generations that the rock wall here was broken and that something that was once regarded as a treasure by countless sword cultivators of the East Sea once existed.

No dazzling lights were emitted.

No dark-colored spirit sword flew out from the sword mark.

The story of the cave emerging without the collapse of the rock walls occurred.

When the sword wound completely closes and the "wound" heals, everything comes to an end.

The scene these independent monks had hoped for did not occur.

"That's it?" The white-haired cultivator, who didn't even have many years left to live, gaped slightly, feeling utterly disappointed.

Similar sentiments spread among the cultivators.

A cultivator who considered practicing and comprehending the sword marks in front of the cliff as the last straw to advance to a higher realm even suffered a complete mental breakdown, immediately crying and wailing, showing none of the composure that a Foundation Establishment cultivator should have on a daily basis.

Clearly, the original sword mark still gave them a glimmer of hope.

Now, the closed stone wall, apart from leaving behind a story that had never happened in 100,000 years, has not brought them any real benefits, and has even blocked a possible path to advancement.

On the path of cultivation, few have a smooth journey; most encounter numerous stumbles and setbacks.

If Feng Bailu had been born in the East Sea, he might have felt the same despair as this cultivator, or even worse.

Han Lu, who had unintentionally "stolen" the sword intent from the sword mark and was already strolling with her friend in the Xuan Gui Island market, was completely unaware of the "big mistake" she had made.

The market on Xuan Gui Island is bustling with activity, with both shops and general markets teeming with people.

Because of the unique nature of Xuan Turtle Island, even the lowest-grade magic items sold at the market stalls are of the superior quality.

There's nothing we can do about it; most cultivators in the East Sea are only at the "impoverished" level, and there aren't many who can control a magic weapon and fly to Xuan Turtle Island at the Qi Refining stage.

Even when selling goods, such as cultivation-related items, it is necessary to sell them according to the level and sophistication of the target customer group.

Most of the cultivators who set up stalls in the market and engage in the street vendor economy are in the early or middle stages of Foundation Establishment, and the cultivation materials they sell are also mostly at this level.

Occasionally, a few cultivators would set up stalls to sell the mysterious items they had found.

These mysterious materials, whose quality and function are unknown, are traded according to the client's quote; a transaction will only be completed if both parties are satisfied.

If one is knowledgeable and experienced in appraisal, one can naturally make a small profit by "deceiving" stall owners in the market regarding these rare and unusual items.

If one lacks experience, even a storage bag full of spirit stones might contain just a single, beautiful-looking piece of ordinary jade that resembles a powerful refining material. Such a mistake could cause a confident cultivator to suffer a significant loss.

The supplies sold in the shops on Xuan Gui Island are slightly higher quality and more comprehensive.

After all, if you include the mediocre talents in the East Sea who advanced to the Golden Core realm by relying on beast cores, there are probably at least 130 or 140 cultivators with strength at or above the Golden Core realm.

Even if these cultivators have so-called sects in the East Sea, they are ultimately independent cultivators. Relying on the spirit stones in their hands to acquire magic treasures and resources is one of their main ways of filling their storage bags.

Furthermore, because the resources in the East Sea are mostly found on the bodies of demonic beasts and true spirits, and are held by independent cultivators rather than lying in the storerooms of sects like in the Central Plains, the goods in the markets are even more complete and high-end than those in the markets of the Central Plains.

The unique survival rules of the East Sea make the cultivators of the East Sea more inclined to enjoy life to the fullest rather than actively saving.

Magical artifacts and resources acquired through various means but unsuitable for oneself are circulated and exchanged in various ways, eventually transforming into spirit stones and other resources needed for cultivation and strengthening combat power.

The cultivation-related commodity economy in the East China Sea alone is several times more prosperous than that in the Central Plains.

In this atmosphere, Han Lu and the other two Golden Core cultivators were naturally able to find their favorite items, buy them, and put them into their storage bags.

Han Lu and Wen Erya are both "second-generation immortals," extremely wealthy, and look down on the ordinary magical artifacts displayed in the market shops.

Instead, it was the magical artifacts and other materials that were scarce in the Central Plains sold in the market that caught their attention.

Especially Han Lu.

She had many disciples, and with her strategy of "lavishly supporting" them, she would bestow many magical treasures and elixirs upon them at every competition, big or small.

Pills are fine; there's never a shortage in the Zhengyi Sect.

However, it is difficult to give the right magic treasures to the right people based on their fighting style and the characteristics of their skills.

Therefore, she regarded the market on Xuan Turtle Island as a good place to choose magical treasures for her disciples.

Of the three, two occasionally made a move, while Han Lu spent large sums of spirit stones that were stored in her storage bag and wouldn't produce offspring.

In just a quarter of an hour, Han Lu's storage bag had lost several thousand spirit stones but gained a full thirteen magical artifacts of varying quality.

Each item was a suitable magical artifact that Han Lu selected for one of her disciples.

Although it wasn't expensive, it could at least alleviate Han Lu's guilt about neglecting her apprentices' training in recent years.

[Author's Note] I'd like to recommend a novel by a fellow reader, "I'm Not a Female Sword Immortal." It's a transformation story set in an online game.

Chapter 812 Yi Qiyan's Way of Breaking the Stalemate

Han Lu felt somewhat embarrassed as she indulged in spending money recklessly in front of her two friends.

After acquiring another magical artifact, Han Lu couldn't help but encourage Wen Erya, a cultivator who also had no shortage of spirit stones, to buy some gifts for his disciple.

Wen Erya, however, felt it was unnecessary.

In terms of training disciples, Wen Erya did not have any urgent demands or exchanges of benefits with the sect like Han Lu, and did not intend to follow Han Lu's path of lavishly raising her disciples.

In fact, Wen Erya didn't have much enthusiasm for taking on apprentices.

She felt that she, who couldn't even fully control her own spiritual practice, was not qualified to teach others.

If it weren't for Han Lu's request and connections, as well as the unspoken rules of the Zhengyi Sect, she wouldn't even have a disciple like Han Yinshuang.

After hearing Wen Erya's explanation, Han Lu expressed her understanding.

To be honest, cultivators like her are the odd ones out; "genius cultivators" with Wen Erya's ideas are the norm.

Unable to persuade Wen Erya, Han Lu turned to Yi Qiyan.

Although Yi Qiyan's storage bag contained fewer spirit stones than Han Lu and Wen Erya, it was still considered quite wealthy among Golden Core cultivators.

Han Lu also wanted to use this opportunity to encourage Yi Qiyan to at least buy some materials that are rare in the Southern and Western Regions, so as not to miss such a good opportunity.

Shopping can also be a great way to relax.

Yi Qiyan's answer was completely different from Wen Erya's, and could even be said to be somewhat off-topic.

Yi Qiyan didn't answer Han Lu's question at all, but instead asked, "Han Lu, tell me, for example, if I find a high-grade beast core and send it back to the sect, wouldn't that completely resolve the trouble I'm in?"

This question stumped Han Lu and Wen Erya.

The specific problems that Yi Qiyan faces have been discussed countless times with Han Lu and Wen Erya.

The Five Poisons Sect is broadly divided into three factions.

They can be categorized as radical, conservative, or moderate.

The radical faction naturally refers to the faction to which Yi Qiyan and her master belong, and their guiding principle is to actively build good relations with the Central Plains and the Western Regions.

Guided by this policy, when Yi Qiyan's master was the leader, the relationship between the Southern Frontier and the other two regions did indeed improve considerably.

Yi Qiyan became friends with Han Lu and Wen Erya because she accepted this ideology.

Now, the radicals have stepped down for some non-wrong reasons, and the conservatives have become the main force in the Five Poisons Sect.

They advocate for isolation, believing that the people of Southern Xinjiang only need to manage themselves to ensure the continued development of Southern Xinjiang's unique cultivation civilization.

Therefore, she would choose to ostracize Yi Qiyan.

Although it wasn't life-threatening, it was still manageable to disrupt her future "radical party leader's" peaceful spiritual practice.

This is why Yi Qiyan sought "political asylum" and came to the Central Plains.

Although Yi Qiyan's question was somewhat brief this time, Han Lu and Wen Erya understood her meaning by combining it with the previous context.

That is to seek the protection of the middle faction among the three factions by using "interests".

The "superior-grade beast core" that Yi Qiyan mentioned was the so-called stepping stone, the "benefits" used for exchange.

In the Central Plains, beast cores are hard to find; even low- to mid-grade beast cores are quite expensive.

In the East China Sea, however, this thing is quite common. Even though many independent cultivators consume it internally, its price and rarity are much higher than in the Southern Frontier and the Central Plains.

Not to mention that there are countless Golden Core Realm demonic beasts and spirit beasts in the East Sea, so hunting them directly is also a good idea.

Although Yi Qiyan didn't quite understand this "abnormal" partisan struggle, she felt that exchanging an opportunity to advance to the Golden Core Realm for the protection of the centrists would probably not be too much of a problem.

He first gave a brief explanation, and then roughly explained it again. After listening and thinking about it carefully, Han Lu and Wen Erya both felt that this was feasible.

Compared to hiding in the Zhengyi Sect and causing controversy by waiting idly, this move is more proactive and can avoid criticism, giving Yi Qiyan the initiative for the time being.

“However…” Han Lu looked around and finally focused her gaze on a few shops in the center of the market, saying, “These kinds of good items, which cost at least forty or fifty thousand spirit stones, should only be found in these shops.”

Because she possessed the bloodline of a true spirit and there was indeed a high-grade beast core active in her dantian, Han Lu was somewhat resistant to this topic. In addition, she had not previously learned about the "market situation" in this area, so she only said a few words casually and was not as proactive in helping her friend solve the problem as she used to be.

Wen Erya and Yi Qiyan could understand this.

Thus, the three's trip to the market on Xuan Turtle Island was soon led by Wen Erya and Yi Qiyan, with Han Lu accompanying and advising from behind.

Although the market on Xuan Turtle Island is thriving, there are ultimately not many Golden Core cultivators who come here to shop.

There are only three shops in total, two of which are "chain stores". Only one is a local enterprise that serves as a middleman for cultivators traveling to and from Xuan Turtle Island.