Cultivating Immortality: Starting from Ferrying Passengers

Chapter 182 Foundation Building of Tuoyuan
A month later, at the edge of the Chaotic Star Sea, Fang Jingxuan, with Tuoyuan, crossed tens of thousands of miles of sea and arrived here.

The journey was filled with stops and starts, with most of the time spent recovering from injuries. Only now have they been fully healed.

Fang Jingxuan had heard that this place was very chaotic before, so he didn't dare to come here during his Qi Refining stage.

However, at this time, he had already established his foundation, and with the innate supernatural power of the Six Bones, Fang Jingxuan felt that even if he couldn't win, he could still escape. In order to avoid the pursuit of the Haifeng Sect cultivators, after much consideration, he decided to stay here for a few years to avoid the limelight.

On a small, deserted island, Fang Jingxuan stopped. He was about to step into the Chaotic Star Sea, so he decided to consult the oracle first to see if it would bring good or bad fortune.

Since reaching the Foundation Establishment stage, Fang Jingxuan's innate talent, "Spur of the Moment," has been enhanced, granting him the ability to vaguely sense good or bad fortune.

Although it's not accurate and is just a vague perception, it's better than nothing.

Therefore, Fang Jingxuan carefully activated this supernatural power, sensing different directions ahead. After four consecutive attempts, he realized that going north was the most advantageous for him.

Based on the divination, Fang Jingxuan believed his intuition and, with Tuoyuan in tow, resolutely headed north.

Shortly after Fang Jingxuan left, three Foundation Establishment cultivators flew to Black Toad Island.

As soon as they entered the island, they took control of all the cultivators and questioned them one by one.

Both He Shen and Huang Xie were filled with panic, not knowing why they had to face such a calamity.

Fortunately, the opposing cultivators were reasonable and not the kind of indiscriminate killers.

When questioned, both of them claimed to know nothing, and even after mind control and other methods were used, they remained the same.

Inside Fang Jingxuan's cave dwelling, the three Foundation Establishment cultivators inspected the place but found nothing unusual. They then gathered together to discuss the matter.

“This place doesn’t seem to be the murderer’s lair. I learned from the interrogation that although their island lord is powerful, he is still a Qi Refining cultivator and could not possibly be the murderer who killed Junior Brother Cen.”

The leading cultivator was in the late Foundation Establishment stage, while the other two were in the mid Foundation Establishment stage. Haifeng Sect was a Golden Core sect. After Cen Zhi died, the sect's soul lamp went out, which immediately alerted the Golden Core ancestor.

A Golden Core sect with only about ten Foundation Establishment cultivators lost one of them, which enraged Patriarch Haifeng. So he ordered his second, sixth, and eighth disciples to come and investigate.

"Second Senior Brother, the island lord of this place disappeared not long after Junior Brother Cen was murdered. He is very suspicious. Even if he is not the murderer, he is hard to escape the connection."

The sixth and eighth junior brothers each had their own opinions, while the second senior brother remained silent.

After a long silence, he finally spoke:

"Since the person is missing, there's no use saying anything. Let's keep this place for now and wait for him to return. We can then use a soul search to find out everything. Now, let's investigate other places. The three families on Guixu Island, as the landlords, have failed in their duties and should be held accountable."

Upon hearing this, the remaining two people's eyes gleamed with excitement. Taking this opportunity, the three Foundation Establishment families on Guixu Island would also have to bleed a little.

So the three of them immediately headed towards Guixu Island. As for He Shen and Huang Xie, they had no idea what had happened from beginning to end. They could only silently suppress the matter and continue as usual, after all, life had to go on.

In the northern part of the Chaotic Star Sea, there is a medium-sized market town.

Fang Jingxuan arrived here alone. His attire was similar to that of other cultivators, all wearing bamboo hats to conceal their identities.

This market is named Nine Leaves Market, which means it was jointly built by nine Foundation Establishment cultivators. However, times have changed, and five of the original nine Foundation Establishment cultivators have now disappeared.

Here, Fang Jingxuan decided to keep a low profile, so he lowered his cultivation level to the late stage of Qi Refining, which was considered mid-level here and wouldn't attract much attention.

The Nine Leaves Workshop was a melting pot of all sorts of people. Fang Jingxuan was new to the place and naturally didn't want to cause trouble, so even though he saw many brutal scenes, he remained unmoved.

This place is even more unscrupulous than the black market in Baishan. Female cultivators are openly sold as cultivation vessels, and demonic and ghost cultivators are not universally condemned.

Along the way, Fang Jingxuan saw several gloomy cultivators. Although they were wearing bamboo hats, Fang Jingxuan could feel the uncomfortable aura emanating from them from a distance.

To Fang Jingxuan, whose senses were sharp, this was like entering a long-fermented cesspool, which truly disgusted him.

This was the instinctive, subconscious reaction of a human cultivator to these ghost cultivators who toyed with souls, but Fang Jingxuan held back, pretending not to see it.

Upon arriving at the market inn area, Fang Jingxuan took out spirit stones and rented a cave dwelling with a first-grade high-quality spiritual vein; the price was reasonable.

Holding the token, Fang Jingxuan used his divine sense to carefully examine it. After confirming that there were no unusual arrangements, he released Tuoyuan.

Now that Tuoyuan has become a unique spirit beast with dragon blood, Fang Jingxuan didn't want it to cause unnecessary trouble, so he could only put it into his spirit bag for the time being.

After Tuoyuan came out, it became much calmer. After the last incident, it seemed to have grown up a few years.

Looking at Tuoyuan's current state, Fang Jingxuan felt a pang of heartache. Then he took out the blue scale, which looked like a sapphire, and placed it in front of Tuoyuan.

After examination, Fang Jingxuan learned that the scale originated from a fourth-order mutated spirit beast called Xuanling Thunder Dragon.

This beast is the product of a blood spirit dragon hybridized with a certain high-level aquatic turtle-type spirit beast, resulting in a bloodline mutation. It inherited the aggressiveness of the dragon and the defensive talents of the spirit turtle branch.

The inner side of its scales faintly reveals dark patterns resembling "snakes coiled around tortoise shells," providing excellent protection that ordinary second-tier magic weapons simply cannot penetrate.

Only a third-tier magic weapon can damage it. At that time, the Foundation Establishment cultivator of Haifeng Sect used this scale to directly block several of Fang Jingxuan's attacks.

If Fang Jingxuan hadn't directly detonated the Dongxiao Five Thunder Talisman, he probably wouldn't have been able to do anything to his opponent if the fight had continued.

This scale is of a very high grade. Although a fourth-order demon beast does not necessarily mean that it is a Nascent Soul demon beast, its bloodline potential must be very high.

Currently, Fang Jingxuan has two ways to use this scale. One is to find a master craftsman to tailor-make a second-grade high-quality or even top-quality protective magic weapon.

The second option is what we're doing now: feeding it to Tuoyuan to help it achieve Foundation Establishment, improve its bloodline, and even raise its rank again.

Fang Jingxuan did not hesitate and chose to feed it to Tuoyuan. After all, second-tier magic artifacts would become less and less useful to him over time.

But Tuoyuan can enhance bloodlines, which will make one stronger and stronger. Fang Jingxuan understood this calculation clearly.

After sensing Fang Jingxuan's meaning, Tuoyuan was very excited. It circled around the blue scale incessantly, as if it had seen a delicacy.

Fang Jingxuan wasn't worried; given Tuoyuan's teeth, it wouldn't be able to bite into those scales.

The saliva of Tuoyuan has a certain corrosiveness, and given time, Gengjin can also swallow it.

So, Fang Jingxuan patted Tuoyuan's head, then took out a full bottle of Moon Dew Elixir from his storage bag and placed it next to Tuoyuan.

This bottle contains about three hundred drops, enough for Tuoyuan to digest. Fang Jingxuan checked Tuoyuan's current cultivation level; after consuming this bottle of Moon Dew Elixir, it would be able to enter the Foundation Establishment realm. Ten days later, Fang Jingxuan had a preliminary understanding of the situation here. In Nine Leaf Workshop, the She family was the main force. The She family patriarch was a great cultivator in the late Foundation Establishment stage. In his youth, he had killed countless people, but as he grew older, he cultivated his character and no longer engaged in fighting.

Besides the She family, the other Foundation Establishment families here are also quite powerful. The Nine Leaf Pavilion alone has gathered nearly twenty Foundation Establishment cultivators, making its strength terrifying.

Nine Leaf Pavilion is a subordinate vassal of the Golden Core power 'Four Seas Society'. The Four Seas Society has five Golden Core cultivators and is mainly stationed in the northern part of the Chaotic Star Sea, making it a very powerful force.

Upon learning of this situation, Fang Jingxuan consciously kept a low profile, showing none of the domineering aura that a Foundation Establishment cultivator should have.

Of course, besides Foundation Establishment cultivators, there are also more than a thousand Qi Refining cultivators in Nine Leaf Pavilion, and Fang Jingxuan has no qualms about dealing with these people.

After putting Tuoyuan into his Xumi Spirit Control Bag, Fang Jingxuan went out to stroll around the market. The market here sells everything, as long as you have spirit stones.

Fang Jingxuan calculated his current spirit stone savings. Thanks to the year-long sea fishing plan, Tuoyuan had earned Fang Jingxuan about ten high-grade spirit stones.

Adding the two profits from Black Toad Island, and the remaining ones from before he established his foundation, Fang Jingxuan currently has eighteen high-grade spirit stones.

This money is enough to buy a second-tier high-grade main magic weapon, as well as many bottles of second-tier cultivation pills.

But what Fang Jingxuan really wanted to buy was the Xuanming True Qi.

Upon arriving at the market area, Fang Jingxuan began searching for traces of Xuanming True Qi. This True Qi originated from an extremely Yin place and was the product of the fusion and compression of spiritual energy and malevolent energy over tens of thousands of years.

Xuanming True Qi is very effective in assisting cultivators who practice Yin-attribute techniques, which is why it has been consumed in large quantities over the years.

This has led to its price becoming increasingly expensive; now, one pound costs one high-grade spirit stone, making it truly unaffordable for ordinary cultivators.

However, this is the Chaotic Star Sea, where many cultivators practice Yin-attribute techniques, and even demonic and ghost cultivators need this spiritual material. Therefore, the chances of finding it here are greater than in White Mountain.

Hoping to try his luck, Fang Jingxuan came here to the largest shop selling magical artifacts.

As soon as he entered, Fang Jingxuan noticed the difference from other markets. Many of the magical artifacts here were of the type that nourished the body through killing, such as the Bloodthirsty Magic Sword, the Hundred Ghost Banner, and the Soul-Gathering Bell.

These magical artifacts become more powerful the more they kill the opposing cultivators. Compared to Baishan, the situation of the cultivators here is obviously much worse.

"This guest, have you taken a fancy to some magical artifact? Why don't you give it a try?"

A few breaths later, a waiter came forward to serve him. Fang Jingxuan glanced at these insidious magical artifacts and wavered in his heart, but in the end he firmly shook his head.

This kind of magical artifact is good, but it also has great hidden dangers. Once you become addicted to it, you may become the main material of this magical artifact.

Moreover, having this magical artifact, how could one resist seeking out other cultivators to refine it?

This is like inviting trouble for yourself for no reason. Doing this too often will eventually lead to disaster.

When Fang Jingxuan refused, the shopkeeper was slightly taken aback. Ordinary cultivators do not have such composure.

"I'd like to buy some Xuanming True Qi. Do you have any in your store?"

Fang Jingxuan stated his purpose, and upon hearing it, the shopkeeper immediately said:
"Yes, of course we have it! We are the most complete shop for magical artifacts and spiritual materials in Nine Leaves Workshop. However, this Xuanming True Qi is quite expensive. May I ask how many kilograms the customer needs?"

Fang Jingxuan was overjoyed. He hadn't expected to find out the source of the Xuanming True Qi so easily. The North was indeed his auspicious place.

"Then let's start with ten catties, oh no, fifteen catties."

Fang Jingxuan only has eighteen high-grade spirit stones in total. The top-grade Foundation Establishment Pill is not easy to sell right now, so he can't exchange it for spirit stones. Therefore, for now, he can only buy fifteen catties.

"Alright then, one pound of Xuanming True Qi for one high-grade spirit stone. Please come over here to pay."

Fang Jingxuan walked out of the shop with slightly unsteady steps. At this moment, there were fifteen jade gourds in his storage bag, each containing one jin of Xuanming True Qi.

Sensing the gourd in the storage bag, Fang Jingxuan felt more and more that he had made the right choice to come to the Chaotic Star Sea. If he were still in the South China Sea, a place with scarce resources, he would not know how much effort he would have to put in to obtain these things.

Fang Jingxuan carefully circled around outside a few times, using his divine sense to confirm that no one was following him, before returning to his rented cave dwelling.

It seems that Jiuyefang, despite its fierce appearance, has its own rules. Indeed, places like this tend to have their own rules; otherwise, who would dare to spend money here?
Inside the cave, Fang Jingxuan deactivated the formation and then released Tuoyuan to cultivate on its own.

He himself took out a gourd and began to study the profound true qi contained inside.

Fang Jingxuan removed the talisman from the gourd and channeled his inner energy. A heavy stream of true qi, as black as ink, transformed into a wave of water and surrounded Fang Jingxuan.

Sensing the extremely yin spiritual energy emanating from this true qi, as well as the extremely heavy Xuanming water qi, Fang Jingxuan's own Xuanming True Explanation technique faintly felt a yearning.

So Fang Jingxuan took out the item from Tongcan, reached out and swiped it, sending a wisp of true qi into his nostrils, as if he were a deity eating incense, and began to enjoy this profound true qi.

In a distant corner, Tuoyuan was holding the Xuanling Thunder Dragon scale, which already had a clear chip, and continued to slowly grind his teeth.

When they got tired of grinding, they would take a sip of the Moon Dew Elixir from the side, which was extremely pleasant.

As Tuoyuan ate, the dragon blood in its body began to react inexplicably with the Xuanling Thunder Dragon scales that entered its stomach, both in conflict and in fusion.

In the blink of an eye, a month had passed. Only after Fang Jingxuan had exhausted the Xuanming True Qi of the gourd did he belatedly realize that Tuoyuan outside had fallen into a deep sleep.

At this moment, Tuoyuan had already devoured all the scales of the Xuanling Thunder Dragon and finished drinking the bottle of Moon Dew Elixir.

Seeing this, Fang Jingxuan's eyebrows lit up with joy; Tuoyuan was about to establish his foundation.

With this in mind, Fang Jingxuan waited patiently, not going out, but waiting for Tuoyuan to wake up.

Two months later, Fang Jingxuan, who had begun to consume the fourth gourd of Xuanming True Qi, suddenly had a thought and took the initiative to break out of his cultivation state.

At this moment, the mark in his sea of ​​consciousness that had formed a soul contract with Tuoyuan began to flicker and twist.

Fang Jingxuan opened his eyes and immediately noticed that Tuoyuan had undergone a tremendous change. The dragon blood within its body was being forced back by another bloodline.

Meanwhile, Tuoyuan's aura was also rising steadily, and in the blink of an eye, he surpassed the limit of the late stage of Qi Refining and reached the Foundation Establishment stage.

Finally, after following Fang Jingxuan for eighteen years, Tuoyuan completely broke the racial restriction that originally required one hundred and fifty years to reach the Foundation Establishment stage and became a Foundation Establishment stage spirit beast.

(End of this chapter)