Cultivating immortality in the seas, I created an immortal island of eternal life.

After thinking for a moment, Gao Yao nodded and casually made up a pseudonym for himself.

Seeing that Gao Yao had agreed, Qian Qian's smile became even more ingratiating, and he bowed deeply, adopting a very humble posture.

"Fellow Daoist is righteous. Although I am not very capable, I know a little about this blessed land. I can point out the general location of the cave dwelling left by Master Xuanyuan, the medicine garden, the alchemy room, and the library."

Gao Yao was secretly delighted, but he didn't show it on his face.

The two rested by the ruins of the stone pagoda. Qian Qian took out two bags of water from his storage bag and handed one to Gao Yao.

"This blessed land was left behind by Venerable Xuanyuan before he passed away. He was stuck at the Golden Core stage for countless years and never took that step before he died."

"What a pity, all that talent is buried here." Qian Qian sighed as he drank water, then changed the subject, his tone becoming shrewd and calculating. "But before he died, he did a good deed, sealing all his life's treasures in this blessed land, leaving them for a destined person."

"The herb garden is in the southeast corner, the alchemy room is next to the herb garden, the library is in the deepest part, and it is said that there is also a weapon-refining room hidden in the belly of the mountain."

Gao Yao held the water but didn't drink it. He asked unhurriedly, "Where did your Hongyun Trading Company get this information?"

Qian Qian smiled, his eyes narrowing into slits: "Fellow Daoist, you may not know this, but although this blessed land has only recently appeared, it's only natural that we merchants should be well-informed."

"Years ago, someone found fragments of Master Xuan Yuan's notes on the outskirts. They contained some odds and ends. Manager Feng spent a lot of money to get them back. To put it bluntly, we're here to run errands for the manager."

He spoke tactfully, glossing over the veracity of the information with a single sentence, neither guaranteeing nor denying it.

Gao Yao didn't press further, but he already knew that Hongyun Trading Company's understanding of this blessed land went far beyond the fragments of the manuscript.

After finishing his water, Qian Qian leaned closer and lowered his voice, "Fellow Daoist, if I may be so bold as to ask, your Yun Kingdom must have a pretty good understanding of this blessed land, right?"

"Although Master Xuanyuan is a rogue cultivator, he was a close friend of a senior from your Yun Kingdom back then, otherwise he wouldn't have fled to this place."

Gao Yao nodded vaguely: "I've heard a little about it."

A Golden Core cultivator escaped here?

It turns out it's related to the Yun Kingdom. No wonder the Yun Kingdom knows so much about this blessed land.

Qian Qian didn't notice Gao Yao's unusual behavior and continued, "Master Xuan Yuan offended a major sect in the south and almost lost his life. He later fled to Yun Kingdom to live in seclusion, which is how this blessed land came to be."

"Moreover, he is an ancient inner path cultivator, unlike us modern outer path cultivators."

Upon hearing about the cultivation method, Gao Yao couldn't help but ask, "How is it different?"

Qian Qian became interested, partly because he had a businessman's habit of showing off, and partly because the two had just met and needed to talk about something to break the ice.

He cleared his throat and started talking.

"When you first entered the Daoist path, your master must have taught you, right? What we cultivate is called the present method, or the borrowed method."

"To distinguish between ancient and modern methods, one must first understand where the practice of cultivation comes from."

"In the primordial era, when heaven and earth were first created, the spiritual energy was incredibly abundant, and rare and precious materials were everywhere."

"Back then, our ancestors didn't need any special techniques. They were born with complete spiritual roots, and they could draw spiritual energy into their bodies simply by breathing. Later, some people discovered that circulating the spiritual energy in the body according to certain rules would have even better results."

"This is the earliest method of spiritual practice."

"In ancient times, cultivators did not distinguish between inner and outer paths; they simply sensed the heavens and earth, accumulated spiritual energy, and naturally attained the Great Dao."

"To put it simply, the ancient inner way is to follow the workings of heaven and earth, and to become a part of heaven and earth."

Why does it feel like the path I'm cultivating is more like this ancient inner way?

Although Gao Yao had doubts, he couldn't directly ask about his own cultivation method, so he could only follow up with further questions.

"What about the current law?"

"The current method is a shortcut." Qian Qian clicked his tongue, his tone carrying a hint of disdain and envy. "Since the Primordial Era, the spiritual energy of heaven and earth has gradually declined, and rare and precious materials have become increasingly scarce."

"If we follow the ancient methods again, the Foundation Establishment stage alone can be incredibly difficult, and most people are born with incomplete spiritual roots. So someone came up with a shortcut."

Are most people born with incomplete spiritual roots? Gao Yao's doubts deepened.

"Some exceptionally talented individuals have devised unorthodox methods. Rather than passively accepting fate and following the established path of spiritual cultivation, which is limited by one's spiritual roots, it is better to find a way to directly borrow it."

"As the saying goes, all things in heaven and earth can be borrowed, and the great Dao can be forged by borrowing the spiritual foundation."

"Just like your Yun Kingdom's imperial cultivation, which relies on the nation's fortune and the people's fortune, our Hongyun Trading Company relies on commercial fortune. Both are relatively peaceful approaches."

"And the Yunxiang Sect..." A hint of apprehension flashed in Qian Qian's eyes, "They raise a bunch of furnaces, and when needed, they borrow spiritual roots, luck, and life force. That's a rather radical approach."

Borrowing spiritual roots, borrowing luck, borrowing fate.

These words exploded in Gao Yao's mind.

He was finally certain of one thing: he was practicing the ancient method, and the purpose of Yunxiang Sect in raising fishermen was what Qian Qian called "raising furnaces."

A chill ran up his spine, making his back feel cold and his forehead almost sweating.

Seeing that he was lost in thought, Qian Qian didn't urge him. He took a sip of water and waited a moment before speaking again: "Fellow Daoist, are you still thinking about the cultivation method? Actually, it's not just your Yun Kingdom that's interested; our trading company is also looking for one. Manager Feng said that whoever can bring out a Golden Core inheritance from Fuzhou will have their offerings to the trading company at least triple in the future."

"Good things don't just fall into your lap if you don't risk it." He chuckled, dusted off his clothes, and stood up. "But there's no rush. The herb garden is just ahead; shall we go take a look?"

Gao Yao snapped out of his daze, suppressed his turbulent emotions, and nodded.

The two continued walking southeast. Qian Qian was a talkative person and kept chattering as they walked.

One moment they say that most of the monsters in the blessed land are suppressed by restrictions, and there are almost none that have reached the highest level, but there are poisonous insects and plants that have not reached the highest level everywhere, making them impossible to guard against.

He then recounted the various dangers he had encountered while on foreign missions, describing them vividly.

Gao Yao responded half-heartedly, while planning what to do next.

Qian Qian said the herb garden was just ahead. Once they arrived, if there were any good items, he would first have Qian Qian retrieve the protagonist's forbidden trap to ensure safety before taking the goods.

Less than fifteen minutes after heading southeast, the fog thickened again.

The stone path underfoot gradually turned into gravel, and stone pillars half-buried in the soil began to appear on both sides of the road. The pillars were engraved with blurry array patterns and gleamed with a faint spiritual light in the gray mist.

Most of the formations were broken, and the flow of spiritual energy was intermittent, like a water pipe that had been neglected for many years, occasionally emitting a few streaks of light.

We've reached the outskirts of the herb garden.

Qian Qian stopped and pointed to the area surrounded by stone pillars ahead: "Fellow Daoist, that's the herb garden. But we have to be careful. It's said that the protective restrictions on the herb garden haven't completely worn off yet. Rushing in recklessly could easily lead to trouble."

Gao Yao also stopped, extended his divine sense, and scanned the space between the stone pillars.

Several spiritual energy nodes hidden within the broken array patterns were indeed traces of the remaining restrictions.

It's not particularly strong, but it's not something you can break through easily either.

Gao Yao was about to say something when Wu Ling suddenly reminded him.

There are people behind the stone pillar, and more than one.

......