Siheyuan: A master brewer starts with a jar of bone-strengthening wine!

Liu Dong glanced around and grinned, "Not bad, now you can all stand on your own."

"Brother Liu, what you just said is a bit harsh, isn't it?"

Zhang Yuxian muttered, "You lot are all experts at the mid-stage or higher of the Great Luo Golden Immortal realm, yet you turn around and praise us Celestial Immortals as 'strong'?"

Vido laughed and replied, "Don't be so stubborn, child. Becoming a celestial being isn't that easy."

"You really think cultivation is like frying beans? You just dump a whole pot in and it pops and explodes?"

"To be honest, out of ten novice cultivators, at least nine can't even pass the first hurdle of 'refining essence into qi'."

"To reach the 'Refining Emptiness and Merging with the Dao' stage? That's one in ten thousand people."

"Want to step into the realm of immortals? Hard work alone won't work. You need to burn incense and have a stroke of luck. At most, one in a hundred will succeed."

"Think about it, how many people break down along the way, failing halfway through their journey?"

"The five of you now stand at the celestial level, possessing both talent and luck."

"Make the most of this time at sea. Once the ship reaches the east of the East China Sea, the Mysterious Immortal Realm will be ours!"

This was the rhythm that Liu Dong had set long ago: time was tight and the task was heavy, so the key points had to be met precisely and not a single step could be missed.

Ding Lai nodded, her voice soft but earnest: "If my husband hadn't brought me into this world, I wouldn't even have gotten close to the path of cultivation."

"In the end, I am where I am today because of my husband."

Liu Dong waved his hand: "Stop putting labels on yourself."

"If you don't have that kind of talent, it's no use me bringing you in. You can't help someone who's not good enough; no matter how much I push you, it's all in vain."

"After consuming the ingredients, our cultivation levels increased, and everyone is feeling much more energetic."

"Then let's stop talking and set off! Head straight for the East China Sea coast, find a large ship, and set sail."

To be on the safe side, Liu Dong and his team didn't choose to act right by the sea, fearing something might go wrong. But now they're not far from the sea...

Ding Lai suddenly remembered something and sighed, "It's a pity this isn't Lingyu Clan territory."

"If we were still with them, we might be able to ask them to help us prepare ships and provisions, which would save us a lot of trouble."

When the Lingyu Clan was mentioned, Liu Dong and Wei Duo all nodded in agreement.

They are proper sea creatures, spending all their time on the coast, skilled in everything from shipbuilding and navigation to understanding tides.

Ask them for help; they will definitely not let you down.

The problem is that the Fusang Divine Tree is located east of the East Sea, while the Lingyu Clan's lair is located in the southeast.

The coastline where they landed was a piece of uncharted territory more than a thousand miles to the north.

Taking a detour to find it? That's like going in a big circle, going back and forth, and wasting time for nothing.

Instead of doing that, let's just find a boat on the spot and get it over with!

Everyone tacitly agreed to this, and no one brought it up again.

Liu Dong waved his hand, and he and the others took to the air, flying straight towards the sea to find a boat and set off!

In less than half a day, Liu Dong and his group landed on the seaside on clouds.

After circling in the sky, they quickly set their sights on the fishing village closest to the coast.

It wasn't because of a notice posted at the village entrance, but because several large iron-hulled boats were moored in a row in the bay outside the village. The boats were wide and long, and their masts were taller than the pine trees on the hill behind the village.

They're clearly not the type to just catch small yellow croakers and dry some salted shrimp.

Those who can afford to build and maintain such a large vessel are probably seasoned veterans who spend years venturing into the deep sea.

Liu Dong and his men landed directly at the edge of the field at the village entrance.

The ferocious beast and the floating shadow "whooshed" back into the blood pact space to rest;

The Great Luo Golden Immortal puppet and the Purple Bamboo Staff were also put away, and they did not show themselves.

Normally, unless Ding Lai and the others are absorbing rare and precious materials and need to guard the area, these two trump cards are never left idle.

Only Zhang Yuxian stayed with the group the whole time, her sleeves rolled up to her forearms, her hair neatly tied up, like the most reliable older sister in the team.

After all that, only four people actually went into the village: Liu Dong, Ding Lai, Wei Duo, and Ting'er.

The remaining members are Wang Zhonggui, Lei Yuan, Qiao Yuanmu, and Zhang Yuxian.

Oh no, Zhang Yuxian was with them, but the other three stood on the periphery, not getting too close, just serving as background figures.

Even though the four of them were walking side by side into the village, they were recognized by the sharp-eyed villagers as soon as they turned the corner past the fish drying rack.

It's not that her clothes are too flashy, it's that her aura is too abrupt.

Eight living people standing there looked like eight light bulbs stuck in a coal pile, dazzlingly bright.

As soon as I stepped onto the stone steps at the village entrance, a man wearing a coarse cloth jacket and trousers with mud still clinging to his cuffs came up to me with a grin:

"Where are you all from? Are you planning to go out to sea?"

Liu Dong glanced at him from head to toe.

On the surface, he was just an ordinary fisherman with a tan and calloused hands;

With a gentle touch of his divine sense, he was at the late stage of Refining Spirit and Returning to Emptiness, very stable, his aura deeply concealed, but it could not escape Liu Dong's perception.

"Yes, rent a boat."

Liu Dong nodded, "Let's go to the east coast of the East China Sea."

"Ouch?"

The man's eyelids twitched, and his eyes darted around rapidly. "That place... the winds are strong and the waves are high; even if a boat capsizes, it won't splash. Are you all really going?"

Vido took a half step forward, smiling lightly: "As long as the boat can get there, the price is negotiable."

He paused, then added, "Encounter sea monsters on the road? We'll take them."

As soon as she finished speaking, she straightened her back slightly, and a trace of pressure swept across the water like a hot breeze, disappearing in an instant.

The man froze on the spot, sweat beading on his forehead, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down twice.

"...So you are all experts from the mountains! No wonder you dared to venture over there! With you all here, my crew can simply hide from sea monsters; their lives are guaranteed!"

But then he changed the subject and sighed:

"However... the sea is not only home to beasts, but also to the wrath of the heavens. If you encounter a storm that tears the sky apart or a whirlpool that swallows ships, even gods have to step aside."

Ding Lai frowned: "Is there really no way to avoid it?"

Lei Yuan chuckled and patted the man on the shoulder.

"Brother, stop beating around the bush, let's be frank, just tell me, how much?"

"Since you can see that we are quite capable, you should trust us. We won't renege on our debts or try to lower the price."

His tone was relaxed, yet every word hit the nail on the head: "Whoever is injured or killed on the road, we will compensate them, not a penny less."

The man's eyes flickered twice, but he didn't reply. Instead, he glanced at Liu Dong and Wei Duo a few more times, clearly understanding what was going on:

The two who actually made the final decision were these two.

Liu Dong immediately chimed in, his voice crisp: "What he said is exactly what I said. We're friends, there's no distinction between 'yours' and 'mine'."

"You provide the ships and personnel to take us to the eastern shore of the East China Sea, just as he mentioned earlier."

As soon as he said that, the man's face lit up instantly, and he rubbed his hands together and laughed: "Oh, that's great! I'll just say it directly then."

A single boat definitely won't work; it's too risky. We need at least two boats to start.

Vido raised an eyebrow: "Three routes, I guess. There aren't many people, but we might need to add a few more along the way, so let's leave some room for maneuver."

The man's brow furrowed slightly, then immediately relaxed; his mind worked quickly.

Daring to mention the East Coast, and bringing along spirit pets, puppets, and precious treasures, this couldn't have been a spur-of-the-moment decision. They must be aiming for something big.

He nodded: "Alright! Three boats, form a small fleet. The price is two thousand mid-grade spirit stones per boat."