Immortality begins with upgrading buildings

Chapter 246 We Board the Ship [Seeking Monthly Tickets]

After saying goodbye to Xie Wan, Ji Yuan went into a teahouse by the roadside. When he came back down, his appearance and demeanor had completely changed.

In any case, there are at most Golden Core cultivators in this South China Sea City.

Unless there is a Nascent Soul cultivator, no one can see through this shape-changing talisman.

Therefore, it is simply impossible to identify Ji Yuan's true identity.

Having changed his appearance, he wandered around the streets before finally arriving at the entrance of the Water Dragon Sect's shop.

And this is the place where he made his transaction. He hasn't forgotten that his main purpose for this trip is to complete the sect's mission. As for going to Icefire Island, that's just something that happens after completing the sect's mission.

He looked up at the signboard hanging above the shop.

Thousand Talismans

Once inside, the shop was indeed selling talismans, both first and second tier, as well as a small number of pills displayed in a corner.

The cultivator on duty, who was counting the talismans, immediately put away the talismans upon seeing the newcomer, stood up, and bowed, saying, "Greetings, Senior."

Ji Yuan waved his hand, "No need for formalities, I'm just taking a look around."

"Yes."

Despite saying that, the Qi Refining cultivator dared not sit down and instead stood aside with his head slightly bowed.

Ji Yuan said he was just looking around, and he actually started to examine the shop carefully.

Most of the items sold in this shop are second-tier water-based talismans. Judging from the strokes on the corners and heads of the talismans, the person's talisman-drawing skills and techniques should be far superior to mine.

At least my own experience isn't that extensive.

However, his talent is probably not as good as mine.

Ji Yuan had looked through the entire shop and hadn't seen a single talisman array; in fact, most of the talismans he had were only mid-to-low-grade second-tier items.

After he had finished looking at all the talismans, the Qi Refining cultivator did not urge him and continued to smile.

Ji Yuan then came to him, first scanning the doorway with his divine sense to make sure no one was there, before taking out a jade tablet from his storage bag and infusing it with spiritual energy.

A blue water dragon, symbolizing the Water Dragon Sect, rose from the jade tablet.

Upon seeing this, the Qi Refining cultivator's initial worry vanished completely, and he even appeared much more amiable and approachable towards the somewhat unwell-looking senior before him.

"So it's my martial uncle in person. Junior Xiao Qing greets you."

"Hmm, which fellow cultivator is stationed here?"

"It's Uncle Cangsong, I'll go and invite him right away."

After Xiao Qing finished speaking, she turned and went to the back room, where Ji Yuan waited. After only a short while, hurried footsteps came from inside the room.

Ji Yuan turned to look and saw an old man with white hair and beard hurrying out.

His cultivation level wasn't particularly strong, only at the mid-Foundation Establishment stage.

"Wuyou greets Senior Brother Cangsong."

"Junior Brother Wuyou, there's no need for such formalities."

When the island lord of Cangsong Island saw people from his own sect, he was in a great mood and quickly stroked his beard and greeted them with a smile, "Please come in and have a chat, Junior Brother Wuyou."

"Thank you, senior brother."

To the island lord of Cangsong Island, seeing people from his own sect in this remote South Sea City was no different from seeing his own relatives.

After the two entered the house, they were naturally treated to delicious food and drinks.

Ji Yuan took the opportunity to retrieve a storage bag issued by the sect and specially restricted. All the items for his mission were in this bag.

After receiving it, the Island Master of Cangsong broke the restriction in front of Ji Yuan, then checked it in person to make sure it was correct before putting it away and giving Ji Yuan a voucher instead.

Upon returning to the sect, Ji Yuan can use this certificate to collect the mission reward from Qianji Hall.

"Thank you, senior brother."

"Hey, what are you saying, junior brother? It's clearly you who have gone to the trouble of making this trip."

"..."

The two then spent a long time catching up, and Ji Yuan learned many things he didn't know before from the Island Master of Cangsong.

Even Xie Wan was unaware of this.

After all, many things only circulate among the upper echelons of the cultivation world.

In South Sea City, the Foundation Establishment stage is definitely considered high-level.

For example, the reason why that group of ephemeral cultivators were able to establish themselves in South China Sea City and even open up a sea route through the storm zone to Icefire Island was because one of them was a cultivator at the Pseudo-Core Formation stage.

Ji Yuan also took the opportunity to ask if they were demonic cultivators.

The island master of Cangsong said that there is no such thing as good or evil, and that he does not care about his actions and there is no clear distinction between good and evil.

And there are more and more cultivators like this in Shangdong, especially those rogue cultivators... When the righteous path was dominant at the beginning, they would call themselves the righteous path.

Given the current situation, they call themselves independent cultivators.

"That's me!"

Ji Yuan muttered to himself, and after chatting idly for most of the day, he took his leave, saying that the world was in danger and he had to return to his sect to report.

After saying a few polite words, the island lord of Cangsong Island did not try to persuade him to stay.

After all, what Ji Yuan said was true. Given the current state of the world, it would be best to return to the sect as soon as possible.

"Then junior brother, please be careful on your journey."

"Um."

"..."

After leaving this place, Ji Yuan headed north until he was almost at the city gate, where he found a place to stay nearby.

After moving in, he changed his appearance again with a shape-changing talisman and waited silently for the Luo family's notification.

As for that group of ephemeral flower guests, after listening to the introduction by the Island Master of Cangsong, Ji Yuan felt that they were more and more like the group from the Great Love Sect.

The one at the Pseudo-Core Realm is naturally the Mourning Hermit, and the others... are only Ye Zhi Qiu and Deng Ping Hai left.

But if that's the case, then the Great Love Sect must have recruited other Foundation Establishment cultivators, since an organization of pseudo-Core Formation cultivators can still attract some Foundation Establishment cultivators to join.

But this is just Ji Yuan's guess; whether it is true or not remains to be seen.

Four days passed in the blink of an eye.

On the night of the third day, Ji Yuan set off south. When he arrived at the south gate of Nanhai City, it was just dawn.

Even the vouchers in his storage bag hadn't started flashing yet.

Perhaps it was just the right time, but he happened to see two large ships entering the harbor.

One left and one right.

The one on the left is naturally the Luo family's whale patrol boat. Its appearance when it surfaced was clearly that of a huge whale skeleton, and judging from its shape... Ji Yuan felt that this thing should be able to dive into the sea.

Perhaps the way these whale patrol boats traverse storm zones is by going into the water.

Overall, the whale patrol boat is quite good. It looks new and has a powerful design, giving people a sense of security at first glance.

As for the large ship resembling a night-blooming cereus on the right... well, that goes without saying.

It is entirely black, and the black petals on top are severely damaged.

Regarding this point, the Island Master of Cangsong Island mentioned it casually, saying that when the Epiphyllum Boat crosses the storm zone, it will cause all the petals to close up and turn into a flower bud, almost forcibly passing through the storm zone.

That's why the ephemeral flower boat looks so badly damaged.

After the two large ships docked and came to a stop, Ji Yuan saw several figures appear on his left and right.

The Luo family members are nothing special; they are simply dressed in fine clothes and have an air of superiority.

Ji Yuan was still focusing on that group of ephemeral tourists.

Today is the day the Luo family's Whale Patrol Boat sets sail, and it's also the day the Ephemeral Flower Boat has just returned from Icefire Island, so there are four Ephemeral Flower Guests disembarking from the Ephemeral Flower Boat.

The leader was none other than that cultivator at the Pseudo-Core Formation level.

Ji Yuan glanced at it, then looked away slightly.

At the same time, he also realized that this group of people were not the ones from the Great Love Sect, because the leader, a fake Core cultivator, was a woman with a petite and delicate figure and extremely fair arms and ankles. The other three were all men, and none of them were people Ji Yuan knew, and their auras didn't match up.

Indeed, the world is so big, the chances of meeting someone here are... extremely small.

So after glancing at them a few times, Ji Yuan stepped aside and let them pass by.

After they left, the boarding pass in Ji Yuan's storage bag began to glow. He slowly walked forward and came to the whale patrol boat.

The one guarding this spot has now changed to a Foundation Establishment stage cultivator from the Luo family.

He looked middle-aged, slightly overweight, and was dressed in a brocade robe.

"Greetings, fellow Daoist."

Ji Yuan returned the greeting first, and then took out his boarding pass from his storage bag.

Upon seeing the gold-rimmed certificate, the Luo family cultivator's smile became more genuine, but he still took it, examined it, and then returned it with both hands.

"Please board the boat, fellow Daoist."

After saying this, seeing that no other cultivators were coming, he personally led the way onto the whale patrol boat.

"Fellow Daoist, this must be your first time visiting Icefire Island, right? Before we reach the storm zone, you can enjoy the beautiful scenery from this deck, but once we get close to the storm zone, you'll have to go back to your room to take shelter."

"it is good."

As the two were talking, Ji Yuan stepped over the stairs and finally boarded the Dharma ship.

Although the Whale Patrol Boat looks like a giant whale, it has all the features that a Dharma ship should have.

The deck is built on top of the giant whale's head, and the rest of the whale is surrounded by railings and galleries. The cabins are inside the whale's body.

Ji Yuan stepped onto the deck supported by this precious spiritual plant. The surrounding railings and the hull of the whale patrol boat all had clearly visible array patterns.

He identified it with a sweep of his divine sense.

This patrol boat is protected by a third-tier array, no wonder it was able to pass through this storm zone safely.

"By the way, does Fellow Daoist have any preferences regarding accommodations? The rooms on our Whale Patrol Ship are actually divided into several grades... For example, Fellow Daoist has now purchased a round-trip pass, which allows you to stay in our Earth-class cabins. Above that, there are Heaven-class cabins."

"Fellow Daoist, you may not know this, but how many cabins are there on our Heavenly Class ship? If you stay in there, even when passing through a storm zone, you won't feel any shaking."

...It's time to spend money again.

Ji Yuan wasn't too particular about things when he was traveling; all he needed was a place to stay and a smooth journey to Icefire Island.

"Thank you for your kindness, fellow Daoist, but there's no need. I'm already satisfied to be staying in cabin number 'Di'."

After Ji Yuan finished explaining with a smile, the Luo family cultivator didn't press the matter further. Everyone was a respectable person, and there was no need to force the issue.

However, in doing so, the Luo family cultivator summoned a maid from the ship to receive Ji Yuan, and he himself took his leave to return to the ferry to greet the other cultivators.

"Take me to the cabin."

The whale-hunting boat hadn't even set sail yet, and there wasn't much to see on the deck, so Ji Yuan naturally thought it would be better to go back and cultivate.

"Yes, senior, please follow me."

The scantily clad maid bowed slightly and led Ji Yuan toward the cabin.

The portal connecting the cabin and the deck was actually the giant whale's eyeball, with one eyeball going in and the other going out.

Ji Yuan also saw the "control room" of the whale patrol boat, which was located inside the mouth of the giant whale, but he did not see the captain of the whale patrol boat, presumably because he had not yet come aboard.

"Senior, this is your guest room."

Perhaps because Ji Yuan was the first to board the ship, the maid led him to room number "Di Yi".

Ji Yuan looked down from the railing. There were two more floors below. The first floor was a "人"-shaped building, and the bottom floor had no name.

There are ten rooms on the floor with the "Earth" number, and only five rooms on the floor with the "Heaven" number above.

Ji Yuan glanced at it a few times and then went back to his room.

The room wasn't very big; it only had a bed, a meditation cushion, and a small square table, and nothing else.

Ji Yuan first activated the restrictions on the room, and then pasted several talismans on the doors and windows.

Some barriers isolate the breath, while others isolate the sound.

Moreover, it was not suitable to open the [Cave Abode] inside this cabin, so he opened the [Enlightenment Chamber] to continue comprehending the "Sword Canon".

After about half a day, Ji Yuan suddenly felt a slight tremor, and then the entire ship seemed to move.

"Is this... departure?"

Ji Yuan stood up from the prayer mat and then pushed open the door to come out.

As soon as he appeared, several pairs of eyes fell on him from the gallery inside the cabin.

He looked around without any hesitation. He didn't know exactly how many people lived on his floor, but he saw five Foundation Establishment cultivators in the corridor, including himself.

Upstairs, all five rooms were locked, and Ji Yuan didn't know if anyone was living there. As for the rooms downstairs, there were 18 people standing in the corridor, only 3 of whom were in the early Foundation Establishment stage, and the rest were Qi Refining cultivators.

Ji Yuan glanced at it briefly before looking away, then looked out through the whale's eyes and onto the deck.

There were more cultivators standing here, about 30 in total, including 8 Foundation Establishment cultivators... It seems that quite a few people are going to Icefire Island.

There must be quite a few people on this Ice and Fire Island.

As the thought flashed through Ji Yuan's mind, he also went to the railing and watched the scene of the large ship setting sail.

As soon as he arrived, the Qi Refining cultivators standing nearby all stepped aside, giving him the space.

Some of the more polite people even bowed to him before leaving.

Ji Yuan was used to this. He just stood there watching the big ship leave the ferry, and for a moment, he even found a trace of the feeling of going out to fish in Zengtou City back then.

But what emerged then was a lake, while what emerged now is the sea.

At first, one had to look up at the majestic South China Sea City, but gradually it became something that could be viewed at eye level. Later, the South China Sea City became a black dot protruding from the coastline.

Ji Yuan only looked away when the sea and sky met.

"Judging from your appearance, is this your first time at sea?"

A cheerful voice came from beside Ji Yuan. He turned his head and saw that the speaker was a slightly balding old man with a smile on his face. He looked quite friendly. Perhaps due to years of exposure to the wind and sun, his skin was tanned dark. His cultivation level was not low, and he was already at the mid-stage of Foundation Establishment.

"That's right, from the inland."

Ji Yuan clasped his hands in a fist salute to him.

"The inland is great. If I hadn't spent so much time at sea and didn't know how to make a living inland, I would have moved there myself."

The old man said with a chuckle.

"Fellow Daoist, your words are misleading. I think you probably have a large and prosperous family on the sea and don't want to go inland and suffer the hardship of digging for food in the soil."

Ji Yuan, having nothing else to do, started chatting with him.

The bald old man chuckled, "Fellow Daoist seems to be a remarkable person, with a large and prosperous family. He only fishes for three days and then comes up empty-handed for two."

"And what about the remaining day?"

"We have one more day to travel."

"..."

With the addition of this bald old man, Ji Yuan's journey was no longer boring. He would either cultivate diligently in the cabin or come up to the deck to chat with the man.

Ten days passed in the blink of an eye.

According to the old man, the journey was basically halfway complete, and they would reach the storm zone in ten more days... The storm zone could be crossed in one day.

Once we cross the storm zone, we will arrive at Ice and Fire Island.

Everything went smoothly, and Ji Yuan listened to the old man tell some strange things he had encountered on his voyage, such as a terrifying sea monster called "Forbidden Woman," whose body looked like a clump of a woman's hair.

It is not afraid of wind or fire, and even if it is cut open, it can recover quickly, as if it has an immortal body.

Moreover, it travels at an extremely fast speed through the seawater.

"How can we kill it?"

Ji Yuan asked questions when he didn't understand.

The old man chuckled.

Before he could speak, a female cultivator behind him chuckled and said, "Fellow Daoist, don't listen to this old man's nonsense. This old woman is just for scaring children."

Ji Yuan: "..."

Old Huang raised an eyebrow and said unhappily, "I didn't tell you, why are you interrupting?"

Seeing that they seemed about to start arguing, Ji Yuan quickly tried to smooth things over. After some more casual conversation, he got up and went back to the cabin.

But just as he entered through the whale's eye and arrived at the ship's corridor, Ji Yuan, as usual, looked up at the fourth floor.

Because he also discovered during this period that two of the five top-tier rooms on the fourth floor were occupied.

But those two lived a secluded life, and Ji Yuan had never seen them.

But today was different. He discovered that a woman in a dark green dress was standing at the door of room number two. She disappeared in a flash and went back to her room.

Ji Yuan glanced at it hastily and felt that the figure looked somewhat familiar, but he wasn't quite sure.

Had to give up.

Nine days passed peacefully until the morning of the tenth day, when Ji Yuan was awakened from his meditation and felt the ship rocking violently.

He realized with a start that they had finally reached the storm zone!

Once you cross this storm zone, you'll reach Icefire Island.

According to the old man Huang, they would not arrive at the real storm zone until the evening of the tenth day. Since it was still early, Ji Yuan went out and went up to the deck.

At this moment, the deck was filled with monks watching the spectacle.

In an instant, Ji Yuan finally saw the true face of this storm zone.

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(End of this chapter)