Cultivating Immortality Begins with Rejuvenation.

Chapter 304 Setting Sail Again
Master Meng ignored Li Ji'an and Yao Rui, but Li Ji'an did not ignore his strength for the time being.

So ever since Master Meng brought Manager Liu in, Li Ji'an has been smiling and bowing slightly, without interrupting his conversation with Guo Wanzhi.

At that moment, Guo Wanzhi's gaze fell upon him, and Li Ji'an nodded secretly. This apprentice was indeed cautious and unlikely to make any mistakes.

Looking at Yao Rui beside him, he was speechless.

If she really is my maid, and I die inexplicably one day, it will definitely be because of her.

"Phew~" Li Ji'an suddenly let out a long breath.

Then, under Master Meng's surprised gaze, she stood up, cupped her hands, and said, "Junior Sister, it's best not to deceive Master Meng in person."

"..." Master Meng's gaze toward Li Ji'an, which had been indifferent and cold, showing no regard for him at all, suddenly lit up at this moment.

"Junior sister?"

Guo Wanzhi stared at Li Ji'an with great surprise.

“Junior sister, our master passed on the Dao of alchemy to you and the art of talismans to me, and also gave me these two tokens. It’s not exactly a secret, and there’s no need to hide it. Besides, I can tell that Master Meng is sincere and kind. He must be a virtuous and benevolent senior. We really shouldn’t hide it from him,” Li Ji’an continued nonchalantly.

"..."

"The same master! Proficient in alchemy and talismanic arts?" Master Meng's eyes widened involuntarily.

If someone else had said such things, he would have dismissed it as nonsense.

A cultivator's lifespan is finite, but the Dao is limitless. The cultivation realm is the foundation for determining the quality and quantity of magical power, and it is also the decisive factor in determining the length of a cultivator's lifespan.

Therefore, cultivation level is something that every cultivator strives for with all their might.

Those who can cultivate with complete single-mindedness are extremely rare in this world; only the direct descendants of powerful families or the true disciples of sacred sects have such good fortune.

Other cultivators, to varying degrees, need to cultivate while also making a living.

The means of making a living are nothing more than fighting and killing, and practicing various arts.

Therefore, even if it was for the purpose of making a living, if one initially learned a certain cultivation skill, one would definitely use all spare time to cultivate it, so how could there be time to study other skills?
There is no possibility for cultivators below the Core Formation stage to master two skills.

Even those who are merely False Core cultivators only venture into the cultivation of various arts after condensing a False Core. To master a skill to the third level, a False Core cultivator's lifespan is likely already stretched thin, leaving them with almost no energy to study a second skill.

Only true cultivators, during the long cultivation period of the Core Formation stage, can spare a great deal of time to hone their skills.

In addition, those who can form a true elixir must have superior comprehension. Furthermore, compared to those who form a false elixir, those who form a true elixir are not particularly fixated on the timeliness of their skill refinement, unlike those who form a false elixir, who, once they have chosen a skill, will do their best to push that skill to its highest level before their lifespan ends.

True Dan cultivators have unlimited lifespans and don't care about timeliness. If they first learn alchemy but can't advance to the third-level advanced stage, it doesn't matter. They can try other skills. There's plenty of time. In fact, if they can achieve Nascent Soul cultivation and live for over a thousand years, they can go back and study it slowly.

“Their master is at least a fake Core Formation Realm Master! There’s even a high probability that he’s a true Core Formation Realm Master.” Master Meng immediately put away his contempt for Li Ji’an.

Moreover, from Li Ji'an's few words, he roughly understood the situation.

It must be that the master of this man and woman was exceptionally skilled back then. When the members of the Nine Cauldrons Merchant Guild came to the Tiancang Domain, they formed a bond with them by demonstrating their alchemy prowess, which was recognized by the Nine Cauldrons Merchant Guild.

Subsequently, that alchemist, in his capacity as a talisman master, forged a profound karmic connection with the Sishui Chamber of Commerce, leading to the acquisition of a legendary token.

"A pill-making skill that can be recognized by the Nine Cauldrons Chamber of Commerce... can't be low!"

"Especially the black gold heirloom token from the Sishui Chamber of Commerce, which indicates that the talismanic skills are at least at the late stage of the second tier, or even the third tier..."

"In that case, their master must be quite extraordinary!"

What put the most pressure on Master Meng was that, based on his understanding of the Tiancang Domain, he couldn't think of any Master with such strength!

The top-tier True Persons within the Heavenly Azure Domain have detailed information on almost all of them within their merchant guilds.

"A reclusive master who travels among mortals!"

"Could the legend told by our ancestor be true? Has another master from an unknown place appeared?" For a moment, Master Meng's breath hitched slightly, then he lost the sternness he had shown towards the younger generation and revealed a kind and amiable expression.

"Haha, thank you for your kind words, Fellow Daoist Huang. I am not much older than you, so please address me as Fellow Daoist."

With his mind filled with wildly imaginative ideas about Li Ji'an and the others' master, how could he dare to consider himself a senior?

This behavior not only left Steward Liu behind Master Meng speechless, but also left Guo Wanzhi and Yao Rui dumbfounded.

Although Master Meng is only a fake Core Formation cultivator, he is far from deigning to address Li Ji'an, a mid-Foundation Establishment cultivator, as a fellow Daoist.

Li Ji'an was somewhat surprised.

Although his original purpose was to prevent Guo Wanzhi from being misunderstood for holding the Jiuding Chamber of Commerce jade token, which could lead to unnecessary conflict with the Jiuding Chamber of Commerce, he stepped forward to clarify Guo Wanzhi's relationship with the Jiuding Chamber of Commerce.

At the same time, he was indeed thinking of invoking his master's name to slightly intimidate Master Meng and Steward Liu, as long as they didn't bother them.

"I wonder how far Master Meng has gone in his imagination?" Li Ji'an sighed inwardly and could only exchange pleasantries with him.

After a while...

"Brother Huang, the spirit ship is about to depart. Why don't we move to a private room on the first floor?" Master Meng invited again.

"Then I shall accept your offer with utmost respect!" Li Ji'an accepted the offer quite naturally.

"Greetings, Master Meng!" Just then, Yuan Yishui hurriedly returned.

They thought that Manager Liu of the Jinhua Chamber of Commerce was causing trouble for Li Ji'an and his group again, but as soon as they arrived at the door, they heard Master Meng calling Elder Huang brothers!
This gave him a huge sigh of relief.

"Old Yuan, my junior sister and I are staying on the next floor for now. Just come find me if you need anything," Li Ji'an greeted him.

"Junior sister?" Guo Wanzhi was looked at suspiciously.

Without further thought, Yuan Yishui immediately bowed and said, "Respectfully seeing Elder Huang off!"

He was overjoyed, thinking to himself that he had truly accomplished a great feat.

Although it's unclear why Master Meng of the Five Blessings Chamber of Commerce treated Huang Jie with such respect, it's highly likely due to his master, that gentleman.

This shows that the value of that gentleman, and even Huang Jie, is much higher than he had expected.

In this way, the Surabaya Chamber of Commerce can truly hope to establish itself fully.

In an instant, Yuan Yishui wished he could fly back to the Chamber of Commerce immediately and tell the president about the matter.

……

Yao Rui followed Li Ji'an and Guo Wanzhi, arriving at the top-floor guest room of the spirit ship with an incredulous expression.

The guest rooms are located on the top deck of the spirit ship. They are not only spacious but also offer a wide view, with the surrounding scenery visible as soon as you turn your head.

Most importantly, there is such a rich second-grade spiritual vein environment on this cross-domain spirit ship.

"Truly extravagant!"

Not only Yao Rui, but even Li Ji'an, who already knew about the Wanshang Domain, marveled at the spiritual vein environment of the private room on the spirit ship.

The fundamental difference between the Myriad Merchants Domain and ordinary cultivation domains like the Celestial Realm lies not in their external circumstances, but in their core ideology. Traditional cultivation domains like the Celestial Realm revere the strong, with cultivation level, magical power, and secret techniques being the evaluation criteria.

Wanshangyu is different in this respect.

The majority of people in the Wanshang Domain are merchants. Whether they are low-level itinerant merchants or cultivators who have established merchant guilds, they all adhere to the principle of prioritizing spiritual resources.

In their value system, as long as one has enough spiritual resources, even a Nascent Soul True Monarch can be killed at will.

The reason why Wanshang Domain and Tiancang Domain have had many years of exchanges without Wanfa Zhenjun ever forcibly breaking the rules of the Merchant Alliance by relying on his cultivation level is not only because Wanfa Zhenjun wants Wanshang Domain's merchants to input fresh spiritual resources, but also because he is wary of the Merchant Alliance.

Although the highest level of cultivation in the entire Wanshang Domain is only a Core Formation stage cultivator and there are no True Monarchs, over the past few thousand years, no fewer than three Nascent Soul True Monarchs have died at the hands of the Wanshang Domain.

As I said before, given enough spiritual resources, they believe they can accomplish anything!
The most recent event was eight hundred years ago. In a large cultivation domain in the southwest of the Myriad Commerce Domain, a Nascent Soul True Monarch used his True Monarch power to despise the Myriad Commerce Domain Merchant Alliance. He not only forcibly demanded a Dao Seed opportunity that the Merchant Alliance had accumulated over many years, but also almost wiped out the Alliance Leader's clan.

Although the leader's family has lost power, the entire business alliance is united in their hatred of the enemy.

All the merchants in the alliance, and even the traveling merchants who relied on the alliance, contributed money and effort.

Ultimately, the Chamber of Commerce Elders even made avenging the previous leader the selection criterion for the next leader.

For the next century, the entire business alliance planned for this.

Ultimately, the Nine Cauldrons Chamber of Commerce made a deal with a being from the Central Ten Domains using a legendary treasure that was likely a spiritual artifact.

Years later, the Nascent Soul True Monarch who had killed the previous leader of the Merchant Alliance had his physical body beheaded and his primordial spirit captured and taken into the Soul Banner, where he would suffer eternal torment and be unable to enter the cycle of reincarnation!
Some speculate that it was Taiyi Immortal Domain, the top of the ten domains in the central region, that was taken over by True Monarch Taihua, otherwise it would have been impossible for even his Nascent Soul to escape.

Some speculate that it was the junior brother of that Nascent Soul True Monarch who did it, taking him by surprise and poisoning him with a fourth-level poison.

There are many different opinions, and there is still no definitive answer.

However, Wanshangyu's prestige was once again proven.

Besides the core idea of ​​prioritizing spiritual resources, their consensus also includes the lavish consumption of spiritual resources.

There's a saying circulating in the Wanshang Domain: Only the spiritual resources you trade away truly belong to you!
However, Li Ji'an felt that this statement was clearly something the higher-ups of the business alliance deliberately spread to facilitate the circulation of spiritual resources within the region.

Li Ji'an carefully examined the magic array surrounding the spirit ship and estimated that the spirit ship consumed at least several hundred spirit stones every day.

It is worth mentioning that in this realm, the original purpose of spirit stones was only for cultivators to refine and absorb spiritual energy, or to serve as an energy source to power formations, magical artifacts, and puppets.

It was thanks to the itinerant merchants who roamed various regions of the Wanshang Domain that the currency truly acquired its attributes.

Moreover, the Wanshang Domain has always had the largest reserves of spirit stones in the entire Daze cultivation world.

They never cherished the spirit stones.

They believed that the most valuable spiritual resources were the various treasures from ancient times.

"Huang... Senior Brother, this..." With a gentle wave of her hand, Guo Wanzhi closed the guest room door and sent a wary telepathic message to Li Ji'an.

Li Ji'an casually took out a talisman and activated it in front of Guo Wanzhi: "It's alright, this is a testing talisman, no one will be spying on us for now."

In fact, his mid-stage True Core Divine Sense had already scanned the area once.

At this moment, on the first floor of the spirit ship, Master Meng was calming his mind in a private room at the front, carefully considering his words in preparation for reporting to the senior management of the Five Blessings Chamber of Commerce.

In the private room behind were Chun Yuan Shangren's relatives, Sima Yu, and two fake Dan attendants.

"Fellow Daoist Huang, this attempt to cover up lies with lies will eventually be exposed. You kindly helped me, but I have no intention of harming you."

Regardless of how the Nine Cauldrons Chamber of Commerce obtained the jade token, once this trip arrives in the Myriad Commerce Domain, it will inevitably attract the attention of the Nine Cauldrons Chamber of Commerce, and may even lead to an invitation.

"We should make plans as soon as possible." Upon hearing that no one was listening in, Guo Wanzhi immediately suggested anxiously.

Li Ji'an smiled and shook his head: "I have already told you about the origin of this jade pendant. Just stick to your story and pretend that our master has passed away, leaving us two siblings to depend on each other!"

"..." Guo Wanzhi stared at the grinning Li Ji'an with a serious expression, and the image of Xu Xiaochun subconsciously surfaced in her mind.

"Then why don't you say I'm also your junior sister? Why do you insist on saying I'm your maid?" Just then, Yao Rui stood in front of Li Ji'an with her hands on her hips.

Li Ji'an leaned against the bed, while Yao Rui stood there, looking down at him from a superior position, creating a rather oppressive atmosphere.

“Master has always been low-key and steady, and he is also very meticulous. You don’t look like him at all. If we were to say that you are our junior sister, it would be easy to give ourselves away!”

"You mean I'm not steady or meticulous enough?" Yao Rui narrowed her eyes.

Li Ji'an ignored her and deliberately changed his expression, transmitting his voice: "Someone is spying on you, be careful!"

"Whoosh!" Upon hearing this, Yao Rui immediately moved and squatted down at Li Ji'an's feet, tenderly massaging his feet.

At the same time, she looked very serious and professional, clearly refuting Li Ji'an's evaluation of her.

Upon hearing this, Guo Wanzhi quickly stopped transmitting her voice and closed her eyes to ponder.

A smile appeared on Li Ji'an's lips as he openly took out several communication talismans and began to write.

I don't know when I'll be able to come back after leaving this place.
Having lived in the Tiancang Domain for over two hundred years, he naturally developed a sense of familiarity with it, considering it half his hometown.

Of course, most importantly, if there had been no invasion from the Demon Realm, he would have been quite satisfied with the cultivation environment within the realm.

Especially after forming a vested interest group, they thrived in the region.

In addition, the strict class promotion system within the region makes the entire social system very stable, and it should be able to continue indefinitely without external forces.

He was even very satisfied with the safety of the reverse aging process.

At least there are no tragedies like those in other cultivation worlds where people unleash their full power at the drop of a hat, with magic and secret techniques flying everywhere, causing harm to passersby.

Besides, the Tiancang Domain has now given him some human connections.

He sent the first message to Ning Sujin, the explicit message being engraved with his magic power, and the implicit message being condensed with his divine sense.

Ning Sujin and Ning Yutan are one body with two souls. This is because Ning Sujin bound her soul to the spiritual vein of the Strange Stone Forest in order to preserve Ning Yutan's physical body and strengthen her own primordial spirit.

After her physical body was taken away by the Wanfa Palace, she is now unable to leave the Qishi Forest too far.

Fortunately, with Xiao Qiao at the forefront, Ning Yutan, whose presence was extremely low, was never affected by the war.

With the demonic forces now overwhelming, Li Ji'an was uncertain about the ultimate fate of the Strange Stone Forest.
However, if the demonic path really does break into the Strange Stone Forest, with Ning Sujin's current primordial spirit pressure, no one should be able to contend with her.

In addition, in recent years, she finally mastered the Puppet Control Technique to the late stage of the third tier, and could barely control the invisible puppet.

It has about 10% of the power.

"That should be enough to protect myself!"

After sending a message to Ning Sujin, Li Ji'an immediately sent messages to Xiao Changfeng, the sect leader, Xiao Qiao, and Yan Qingwan, informing them that he had boarded the spirit ship and was heading to the Wanshang Domain.

Before long, with a clear and crisp sound, the huge inter-domain spirit ship finally set sail.

(End of this chapter)