Dripdrop Cave was located southeast of Clear Stream Market, bringing it a step closer to the mountain gate of the Red Lantern Illumination Sect. As a sect that shared equal renown with Wondrous Peak Mountain, Dripdrop Cave likewise possessed three Purple Palace Grand Cultivators.
It belonged to the strongest tier among the vassal sects of the Red Lantern Illumination Sect. However, the most unique and well-known aspect of Dripdrop Cave was the location of its mountain gate.
The full na of Dripdrop Cave should actually be Droplet Cave Heaven, as it sat within a semi-sealed grotto-heaven. The owner of this grotto-heaven was True Person Droplet, who had passed away over a thousand years ago—and the "True Person" here did not refer to the title used under the First True Person Law, but a genuine ancient expert. He was the kind of existence whom even Mang Xiang would have to respectfully bow before if they t face to face.
Yet, even a Golden Core cultivator could not achieve true immortality, and this grandmaster had eventually succumbed to ti. Although True Person Droplet's three disciples took over the Blessed Land-level grotto-heaven he left behind, for so reason, they chose to connect the blessed land to this mundane world.
Thus, Dripdrop Cave was born as a sect. Aboard the Red Lantern, the silent Patriarch guided the equally silent Yulou, gradually drawing closer to where the mountain gate of Dripdrop Cave lay.
"Look over there. That is the mountain gate of Dripdrop Cave," Wang Xianmao pointed out. Snapping out of his deep thoughts, Yulou looked in the direction the Patriarch was pointing and was slightly stunned.
It was a peculiar cluster of mountains. Though they were not spiritual mountains like Wondrous Peak Mountain, they were all lofty and perilous peaks.
There was a saying that the higher the mountains, the deeper the water. But here, it beca: the higher the mountains, the higher the water.
For above the mountain peaks that seed to worship the sky, beneath the high and grand heavens, sat a magnificent celestial gate. The two sides of the celestial gate were ford by sheer, wondrous peaks acting as pillars. Between the two peaks, a white waterfall surged downward violently. The mountains were high, the waterfall grand, and the clouds shallow.
From afar, it looked precisely like a massive white dragon winding through the clouds. Behind the white dragon was a misty area. When Yulou cast his gaze into it, he felt as if his soul was being drawn in.
His vision pierced through the misty boundary where the grotto-heaven t this world, catching a glimpse of the interior of Dripdrop Cave in an instant. Within this legendary Golden Core blessed land, Yulou saw a boundless, vast marsh that resembled a great sea. He saw continuous, verdant mountain ranges that blotted out the sky, and bustling towns with rows upon rows of houses and thousands of wisps of cooking smoke.
The heavenly gates open above the peaks, boundless wonders of the droplet blessed land.
"This... is Dripdrop Cave?"
Dripdrop Cave was rely a Purple Palace sect, yet it was already this magnificent. If so, what would a truly great sect like the Red Lantern Illumination Sect look like?
"Yes. You will cultivate inside here from now on. I will take you in right now."
Riding the Red Lantern, the two of them ascended higher and higher through the midair, gradually approaching that magnificent celestial gate. Flying outside the gate, the moisture scattered by the falling white waterfall filled the air, making it extrely humid. Most importantly, Yulou could feel that as they drew closer to the celestial gate, the density of spiritual energy was rising.
"The spiritual energy is very dense?"
"Once you enter Droplet Cave Heaven, the spiritual energy will be even denser."
Wang Xianmao activated a transmission talisman and shot it into the misty entrance of the grotto-heaven. Monts later, a gate-keeping Dripdrop Cave cultivator flew out.
The gate-keeping cultivator was at the peak Qi Refining realm, wearing a dark purple dharma robe and flying through the air on a boat-shaped magic artifact. Seeing that Wang Xianmao possessed a profound cultivation base and looked sowhat non-human, and especially noticing that he was riding the Red Lantern—the signature spiritual artifact of the Red Lantern Illumination Sect—the cultivator instantly beca deeply respectful.
"Senior? May I ask who you are?"
"Wang Xianmao of the Anbei Kingdom Wang Clan. I have an appointnt with Fellow Daoist Zhuo Chi."
The gate-keeping cultivator thought for a mont and said, "Since Senior has an appointnt with Elder Zhuo Chi, please co inside first."
Entering and exiting the grotto-heaven of Dripdrop Cave was strictly regulated. It opened and closed only twice a day, which were the only two opportunities for communication between the inside and the outside. Aside from that, only the Foundation Establishnt cultivators of the sect could freely enter and leave the grotto-heaven. However, Wang Xianmao had a profound cultivation base and clearly held so status within the Red Lantern Illumination Sect. Moreover, he had an appointnt with an elder of the sect. Seniors of this caliber had to be invited in promptly.
As he passed through the misty entrance of the celestial gate, Yulou felt as if he were subrged in a warm spiritual spring, with the spring water gently massaging every single angle of his body. Soon, this sensation vanished.
Yulou found himself standing on a plaza outside a magnificent, jade-colored grand palace. Within the plaza, so Dripdrop Cave disciples wearing various dharma robes walked back and forth, completely ignoring their arrival.
However, right in front of them, over a dozen Dripdrop Cave disciples were sitting cross-legged, seemingly waiting for the grotto-heaven's gates to open so they could leave. Seeing the two of them suddenly appear, they were slightly surprised but said nothing, seemingly used to such occurrences.
"The teleportation formation array of Dripdrop Cave is on par with that of the Red Lantern Illumination Sect. Did you feel very comfortable when you passed through the formation array just now?" Wang Xianmao led Yulou toward the jade-colored grand palace.
Yulou nodded silently. He noticed the plaque hanging before the entrance of the jade-colored palace—Droplet Heaven.
'Droplet Heaven, omitting the word "Cave,"' Yulou thought, deep in contemplation.
Before even entering the palace doors, Yulou noticed a massive golden statue facing the main entrance. It was a golden deity with a human torso and a fish tail, holding a seashell in its hands. The deity statue, cast entirely from spiritual gold, sat upon a high platform paved with white jade. Its eyes were tightly shut, and a faint smile played at the corners of its lips. In front of the statue stood a massive incense burner, along with row after row of prayer mats. The statue was cast from spiritual gold, but the incense burner was even more extraordinary—it was directly a spiritual artifact.
Under Wang Xianmao's lead, Yulou silently paid his respects to the statue, and then the two of them left the palace.
"Although Di Shui Xianzun has passed away, her lineage remains. In order to avoid being marginalized by the Red Lantern Illumination Sect, Dripdrop Cave always likes to keep Di Shui Xianzun's contributions to Wunan on the tip of their tongues. Both inside and outside the sect, Dripdrop Cave disciples pay respects daily. This is also sothing you must pay attention to while cultivating in Dripdrop Cave—you must maintain reverence for the Immortal Venerable at all tis."
Even though Yulou was practically being sent away from the family, Wang Xianmao remained deeply concerned about his future cultivation. This left Yulou sowhat unable to fathom his thoughts.
"Yulou understands."
Just as the two of them were about to step out the door, a familiar voice drifted over.
"Fellow Daoist Xianmao?"
Wang Xianmao and Yulou turned around in surprise, only to see Wu Jinyan, the newly advanced Foundation Establishnt cultivator of the Wu Clan. He was actually wearing the dharma robe of an Immortal Alliance steward, walking out from a side hall with a smile.
"You are..." Wang Xianmao sized Wu Jinyan up, completely bewildered.
"Hahaha, let us talk inside, talk inside." Pulling Wang Xianmao into the side hall, Wu Jinyan invited the two of them to sit. Only after serving spiritual tea and setting out spiritual fruits did he explain the reason for his presence in detail.
As it turned out, the first ti he went to the Red Lantern Illumination Sect to use the back door for so business, he had not gauged the amount correctly and accidentally gifted too much. Linghu Qishang took his spirit stones and arranged a good position for him, making him a steward in the Immortal Alliance responsible for monitoring the interior of Droplet Cave Heaven. However, the interior of Droplet Cave Heaven was territory completely controlled by Dripdrop Cave, leaving no room for outsiders to perform any real monitoring.
Consequently, Wu Jinyan had no choice but to frantically slack off. For the sake of his cultivation, he chose to take a part-ti position as a guest elder of Dripdrop Cave. Furthermore, because of his status as a monitoring steward of the Immortal Alliance, the sect master of Dripdrop Cave was also quite helpless, forced to pinch his nose and spend resources to buy peace. In the end, the task assigned to Wu Jinyan as a guest elder was simply to look after the dharma statue of Di Shui Xianzun within the Droplet Heaven grand palace.
"Ultimately, the one I should thank the most is Fellow Daoist Xianmao. If Fellow Daoist Xianmao had not introduced to Fellow Daoist Linghu, how could I have such excellent conditions now? I lack neither cultivation thods nor ti to cultivate, and I don't even have to do anything... Ah... no, what I an to say is, of course... um, right, one still has to remain vigilant at all tis! Vigilant at all tis!" Wu Jinyan, who was not particularly careful with his words despite his na, realized halfway through that he had gotten too carried away and hastily tried to patch up his words.
"Hahaha, right, vigilant at all tis. Jinyan, the burden on your shoulders is indeed not light." Wang Xianmao chuckled, teasing him briefly before pointing at Yulou. "Hongi has now joined our Wang Clan as a guest elder. You also know Yulou; you could say you watched him grow up. In the coming years, he will be cultivating here in Dripdrop Cave. I hope Fellow Daoist Jinyan can look after him a bit."
Speaking of which, the Wang Clan and Wu Jinyan already had quite a few connections, establishing the foundation of a generational friendship. As for how long this friendship could last, it did not depend on the Wang Clan, but on whether the Wu Clan could continuously produce Foundation Establishnt cultivators. Therefore, facing Wang Xianmao's request, Wu Jinyan did not hesitate.
"Naturally, naturally. Since Yulou is both Hongi's disciple and a child of the Wang Clan, I will certainly look after him. However, Fellow Daoist Xianmao, why did you not send him into the Red Lantern Illumination Sect, but sent him to Dripdrop Cave instead?"
"Haha, Fellow Daoist Jinyan, our Wang Clan has always possessed slots for inner disciples of the Red Lantern Illumination Sect. It is just that Yulou needs to cultivate the thods of Dripdrop Cave."
"Oh? How do you manipulate the inner disciple slots?" Wu Jinyan instantly beca interested.
The Wu Clan belonged to those families that had lingered at the bottom for many years. Compared to the likes of the Wang Clan and the Yang Clan, they were terribly destitute. Now that he had luckily achieved Foundation Establishnt, there were far too many lessons he needed to catch up on.
"It goes like this... Right now, everyone is worried that a war is about to break out, so the prices have skyrocketed. Our Wang Clan still has three accumulated slots left. If you want one, I can part with one for you at a price of twenty-four thousand spirit stones."
"If a war is about to break out, shouldn't the price drop?" Wu Jinyan was no fool; he felt that Wang Xianmao was treating him like a sucker.
"Ai, you don't understand. Right now, Foundation Establishnt resources in Wunan are too expensive. During the years of the Clear Stream Grand Gathering, the Red Lantern Illumination Sect distributed many thods to the outside. The rogue cultivators have gradually begun to attempt Foundation Establishnt over the past few years, only to suddenly realize they cannot afford or even find Foundation Establishnt resources. They have no choice but to enter sects like the Red Lantern Illumination Sect as disciples.
"But a high-stage Qi Refining rogue cultivator without any background, even if they enter the Red Lantern Illumination Sect, has to start climbing from the position of an outer disciple. This has forced the few inner disciple slots that leak out to surge drastically in value. Moreover, there are many things an inner disciple can do. Selling it for just twenty-four thousand is not considered expensive at all."
A sect was a closed system, and Wunan did not operate on a free-market economy. For a scarce resource like Foundation Establishnt resources, the selling price outside the sect might be eighty thousand, ninety thousand, or a hundred thousand spirit stones. However, inside the sect, using the sect's internal circulation system to exchange for resources might only cost fifty to sixty thousand. The price difference between the inside and the outside was precisely the reason why inner disciple slots had inflated—only inner disciples could make the exchange.
As for Yu'an's two-for-one exchange, that was an exception. After all, what Yu'an obtained was an inner disciple slot for Hidden Dragon Abbey—which had also gone up in price.
"So that's how it is..." Wu Jinyan nodded, forced a bitter smile under Wang Xianmao's expectant gaze, and said, "Our Wu Clan cannot afford it for the ti being... Dripdrop Cave is quite decent, though. Although there are many rules, it is extrely safe inside the grotto-heaven. Right now, tension is running high between the two sects. Yulou coming here to cultivate can be considered a correct choice."
This was actually the point that puzzled Yulou. Wang Xianmao clearly maintained a posture of driving him out of the family, yet he had also paved the way for him, giving him various treasures and a heap of spirit stones. Although he had not ntioned how Yulou was supposed to achieve Foundation Establishnt in the future, Yulou felt confident. He had the Jade Ruyi in his possession, his artificing talent was quite good, and he had also obtained An Ning's artificing notes. Relying solely on himself, he was confident he could amass a portion of Foundation Establishnt resources!
The two bid farewell to Wu Jinyan and continued to wait in the plaza. After waiting for about another fifteen minutes, the Patriarch's friend, Zhuo Chi, finally arrived.
Daoist Zhuo Chi was not tall and carried a fair amount of flesh, but it was not soft fat; rather, it was a solid, robust stoutness. He leaped down from a spiritual boat, words of apology spilling from his mouth. "Fellow Daoist Xianmao, I am truly sorry. When I received your transmission talisman just now, I happened to be circulating my energy, which caused a bit of delay."
Saying that, Zhuo Chi looked at Yulou and praised, "Hmm, reserved and calm, a good seed. This is Yulou?"
Even though the man had arrived late, his attitude was warm, so Wang Xianmao naturally would not mind his lateness.
"Yes, Fellow Daoist Zhuo Chi. I wonder how the matter regarding Yulou has been handled?"
Yulou's mind raced. 'The matter regarding ? How has it been handled?' This indicated that Wang Xianmao had long been in contact with this Elder Zhuo Chi of Dripdrop Cave.
"Mhm, let us talk as we walk." Zhuo Chi summoned his spiritual boat and invited the two to stand upon it, then steered the boat to fly down from Droplet Heaven.
Only at this mont did Yulou realize that Droplet Heaven was actually a palace complex built amidst the clouds, rather than on a mountain peak. The spiritual boat flew out from Droplet Heaven, and for the first ti, Yulou directly witnessed the sights inside Droplet Cave Heaven. High up in the sky, he could see that the distant edge of the land was a soft gray, marking the boundary of this grotto-heaven that spanned a radius of a thousand kiloters.
On the ground, there were fishern and farrs steering small boats, catching fish upon the vast marsh, laboring for their livelihoods. Shifting his gaze from the marsh to the dry land, densely packed rice fields were filled with tender green rice sprouts. The sprouts here were so dense that they seemingly had no concern about insufficient soil fertility at all. As the spiritual boat drew closer, it startled the birds within the mountain forests. They took flight in anger, chirping loudly as they offered their beautiful blessings to the discourteous Zhuo Chi.
"Brother Xianmao, in truth, both you and I know that for a child of the Wang Clan to enter Azurewater Palace, the matter itself is not difficult at all. However, entering Azurewater Palace yet wanting to take the cultivation manual first to cultivate, and only returning the owed Dripdrop Cave rit points later—this matter is far more difficult to handle. But look, I have handled it for you anyway. However, allowing Yulou to cultivate for twenty years first... this matter, no matter what, I could not easily secure."
The plump Zhuo Chi spoke with distress; Old Wang's demands were truly too excessive. Azurewater Palace was where the inner door of Dripdrop Cave resided. An Azurewater Palace disciple was an inner disciple of Dripdrop Cave. The reason it was nad this way was that terms like inner door, outer door, and miscellaneous duties disciples were far too detrintal to unity. Words detrintal to unity should be spoken less.
Wang Xianmao requested a complete free ride—taking a free ride for twenty years first, and then slowly paying it back later. The condition he wanted was sothing that even the Qi Refining disciples of the Foundation Establishnt families within Dripdrop Cave could not obtain. Old Wang, you are far too daring in your imagination. Do you treat our Dripdrop Cave as a charity house? The deity statue we worship is Di Shui Xianzun, not so Bodhi or Buddha of the Buddhist path.
"Fellow Daoist Zhuo Chi, since you said it is difficult, then there must surely be a solution. Let us hear it." How could Wang Xianmao believe Zhuo Chi's lants? If you could not handle matters when asked, what use would I have for a cheap Daoist friend like you? Giving you face, I call you a Fellow Daoist; if I don't give you face, I will call you a little fatty!
"It goes like this. Our Yulou can directly begin to accept a mission under the identity of an Azurewater Palace disciple, imdiately performing the mission to earn rit points without wasting any ti at all. Of course, this mission is sothing I have ticulously prepared. Yulou, you can choose between becoming a Fishing Port Guardian Cultivator or a Mountain Mine Guardian Cultivator. The risks of these two missions are extrely low, and nothing has gone wrong for over a hundred years. After you accept the mission, you can balance your cultivation during the guarding process, without any delay at all."
A Town Guardian Cultivator sounded identical to Mu Changze's position, but in reality, the difference was imnse. Mu Changze was a seasoned Foundation Establishnt cultivator, matching the scale of Clear Stream Market. As for places like Hidden Dragon Market, during ordinary tis, they were completely garrisoned by Qi Refining stage Town Guardian Cultivators.
When it ca to Yulou choosing a mission, he could only pick between watching over a fishing port or watching over a mine shaft. Clearly, these belonged to posts that did not place high demands on one's cultivation, suitable for his level as soone who had just entered Qi Refining. Seeing the Patriarch look over, indicating for him to choose, Yulou asked, "Town Guardian Cultivator... Are there any dangers within the grotto-heaven?"
Zhuo Chi barked a laugh and said, "There are, and there aren't. A certain amount of demon beasts is necessary. Only in this way can the mortals within the grotto-heaven understand the greatness of our Dripdrop Cave and Di Shui Xianzun. However, these demon beasts are not strong, at most reaching the Small Demon Realm, which is equivalent to Qi Refining. You hail from the Anbei Kingdom Wang Clan; even if you encounter a peak Small Demon Realm beast, you can easily escape. Therefore, this kind of guarding post is still relatively sought after. When I went to the sect master to pull strings, it cost quite a bit... cost quite a bit."
'A certain amount of demon beasts is necessary, so that mortals can understand the greatness of Dripdrop Cave.'
The young Wang Yulou was completely silenced by this sentence. The interior of Droplet Cave Heaven appeared truly beautiful—the weather was favorable, the breeze gentle, even the sky looked perfectly normal, and there was even a sun with a magic treasure acting as its core. Previously, everything Yulou saw indicated that this place seed to be a utopian blessed land, and the living standard of the people here was decent as well. Under the control of Dripdrop Cave, food resources were absolutely sufficient. Within the grotto-heaven, the people would also not suffer from natural disasters or the impact of wars. No matter how one thought about it, this place ought to be a happy, utopian world.
Yet, at this mont, Elder Zhuo Chi emphasized without the slightest hesitation the importance of using demon beasts to conduct gratitude education upon the mortals within the grotto-heaven. Mang Xiang's gratitude was targeted and distributed, while Dripdrop Cave's gratitude was delivered free of charge upon birth. Compared to Dripdrop Cave's thod of releasing demon beasts to refine gratitude, Yulou actually found that the ancestor suddenly seed sowhat adorable. Before Mang Xiang's gratitude loan, everyone possessed the right to choose. anwhile, Dripdrop Cave's gratitude was entwined from birth, unable to be fully repaid until death.
On the other side, Wang Xianmao and Zhuo Chi had finally negotiated the price. Though carrying an expression of helplessness, a hint of satisfaction remained within Zhuo Chi's eyes. The Wang Clan's bargaining skills were exceedingly high and widely renowned; for him to actually make a small profit was already very satisfying.
"Yulou, which one do you want to choose?" Zhuo Chi asked with a beaming smile.
Yulou hesitated slightly. Choosing the mountain mine ant that as a Town Guardian Cultivator, the portion that ought to be collected could be used by him to advance his artifact refining. Choosing the fishing port placed him closer to water, which could provide so benefit to his future cultivation of the Source Vein Gui Water Qi.
'Patriarch, which one should I choose?' Yulou was using a sound transmission to probe.
With a grand wave of his hand, Wang Xianmao directly made the decision for Yulou. "Alright, we will choose the mountain mine. Fellow Daoist Zhuo Chi, are we going directly to Azurewater Palace now?"
"Yes, follow ."
The spiritual boat traveled rapidly, twisting and turning before arriving at a place where mountains and water t. Beside the water sat a complex of palaces, which was precisely where Azurewater Palace lay.
Following Zhuo Chi into Azurewater Palace, with the assistance of the Azurewater Palace steward, Yulou quickly completed the entry process. With the reputation of the Wang Clan, sending a dual spirit root cultivator into Dripdrop Cave to beco an inner disciple was just this simple.
As an Azurewater Palace disciple, the sect benefits Yulou could enjoy were not few. After all, an Azurewater Palace disciple was equivalent to an inner disciple, belonging to the backbone of the sect's grassroots power. First was the annual stipend. Yulou was currently at the first layer of Qi Refining, so he could draw twelve spirit stones—comparable to the stipend the Wang Clan gave to young cultivators at the Qi Induction stage.
It appeared pitifully ager, but Dripdrop Cave possessed over a thousand Azurewater Palace disciples. Depending on their cultivation bases, over a hundred thousand spirit stones had to be handed out every year. The difference between a family and a sect lay precisely in this: a family's distribution could excellently guarantee the baseline, but the ceiling was not that high. A sect belonged to a system where the baseline was approximately zero, but the ceiling was incredibly high. Of course, since Yulou entered directly into Azurewater Palace upon joining, the baseline he obtained was still very decent.
Aside from the stipend, a dharma robe was also issued. It was a pity it only possessed the level of a low-grade magic tool. However, this robe used a cyan-green color as its base, paired with a light red gold-threaded belt, making it look genuinely dashing. In addition, there was an initial one hundred rit points—this was the starting rit points for an Azurewater Palace disciple, though it could only be used to exchange for techniques and cultivation manuals, unable to be exchanged for any resources. This was the advantage of a sect. A sect might have an extrely low baseline in terms of distribution, but its advantage in terms of cultivation thods was much greater than that of a family.
"It goes like this, Steward..." When Yulou was receiving his mission, even though he could have used a sound transmission, Elder Zhuo Chi insisted on speaking clearly to that Azurewater Palace steward.
"Understood. I understand the Elder's aning, it is just that the current situation is rather peculiar. The mountain mine... has been snatched away by the people of the Yuan Clan... This... Elder, you also know, I... I am just a tiny steward..."
Seeing that steward filled with helplessness and trembling with fear, Yulou knew that an accident had occurred. Zhuo Chi had prepared two excellent posts for him to slack off, but now, the position at the mountain mine had been snatched away by soone else. And looking at the steward's appearance, the people of the Yuan Clan seed quite overbearing.
"Then we will choose the fishing port. It does not make much of a difference. Yulou, I believe that no matter where you go, you can quickly adapt."
Hearing Wang Xianmao say this, Zhuo Chi grew anxious. "Fellow Daoist Xianmao, we should still choose the mountain mine. No matter how tyrannical those nad Yuan are, they cannot just snatch it away like this!"
He had already accepted Wang Xianmao's gift for the arrangent. If this matter changed, would he have to return it? Therefore, Zhuo Chi was highly motivated to help Yulou take back the post of Mountain Mine Guardian Cultivator.
"Alright, let us go take a look at the fishing port first, let us see before saying anything else," Wang Xianmao said.
Zhuo Chi did not fear the Yuan Clan, because Zhuo Chi belonged to the Zhuo Clan, a Foundation Establishnt clan within Dripdrop Cave. However, if a re mission caused Yulou to clash with the Yuan Clan in the future, that would be far too ridiculous. The Wang family would not commit such a stupid act.
Seeing Yulou follow Wang Xianmao out of Azurewater Palace, Zhuo Chi gave that steward a cold glare before sweeping his sleeves and leaving as well. He knew that Wang Xianmao would not ask for the gift back, but in the future, he would very likely need to look after Wang Yulou in certain aspects—and Zhuo Chi disliked trouble.
Wang Xianmao steered the Red Lantern in front while Zhuo Chi steered the spiritual boat to follow behind, the group flying toward the fishing port where Yulou would be stationed long-term.
"Brother Xianmao, if I am not mistaken, this is the version of the Red Lantern with eighty-eight layers of restrictions?" Zhuo Chi spoke with so tongue-clicking astonishnt.
The Red Lantern was one of the signature spiritual artifacts of the Red Lantern Illumination Sect, starting at the spiritual artifact grade. It was specifically divided into three versions.
The version with forty layers of restrictions was an entry-level dium-grade spiritual artifact. It possessed no divine abilities but was relatively easy to use.
The version with seventy-two layers of restrictions was an entry-level high-grade spiritual artifact, carrying the "Red Lantern Fire" divine ability. In magical combat, it could thoroughly thrash water-attribute cultivators, while simultaneously amplifying the power of fire spells. It could also be used as a source of spirit fire for alchemy and artifact refining.
The version with eighty-eight layers of restrictions was a fine specin among high-grade spiritual artifacts, carrying two divine abilities: "Red Lantern Fire" and "Streaming Fla Flying Fire." The effect of Streaming Fla Flying Fire was very simple, approximately equivalent to summoning a teor shower; whoever it hit would stop talking entirely—they would be finished instantly. However, as a divine ability, the effect of Streaming Fla Flying Fire did not lie solely in its powerful offensive capability. The falling flas it brought could, within a certain range, alter the state of spiritual energy in the combat environnt, drastically reducing the combat strength of wood and water-attribute cultivators while fully amplifying fire-attribute cultivators. Under this push and pull, it beca exceptionally formidable.
Therefore, even if the Red Lantern as a spiritual artifact could not directly participate in combat, its might was undeniably powerful.
"Yes, it was a reward from the sect. Ai, it was impossible to refuse even if I wanted to," Wang Xianmao replied smugly, causing Zhuo Chi's teeth to grind in envy.
Damn it, even a large storage bag can't show off as much as you can!
"We are almost there ahead," Zhuo Chi said in a muffled voice after flying silently for half an hour. "Look, right over there, Yulou."
The Red Lantern ca to a halt, and Wang Xianmao's expression grew very serious. Yulou noticed the small fishing village nestled within the river bend—to be precise, it was a town. The town was distributed on both sides of the river. On each side, there was a single street, lined with various shops. There was also a beautiful stone bridge over the river, connecting the traffic of both sides. Looking from afar, beyond the streets in the center of the town lay many small courtyards. However, the most eye-catching feature was the several hundred fishing boats moored within the river bend at the river's mouth where it entered the lake.
"Senior Zhuo Chi, I understand that Azurewater Palace disciples need to perform missions, but I am currently only at the first layer of Qi Refining... In case a demon beast cos, I can certainly run, but..." Seeing how large the fishing village was, Yulou felt a bit uneasy in his heart. If he could not hold off the demon beasts, wouldn't these people suffer disaster? Accepting the family's assistance to take the fast lane was one thing; causing harm to people due to insufficient capability was entirely another. Yulou could not bring himself to do it.
"No matter, you are not guarding this place alone. Look, they are coming."
Zhuo Chi and Wang Xianmao did not conceal their auras. With two Foundation Establishnt seniors steering spiritual artifacts suspended in the sky, the guardian cultivators of the fishing village naturally could not fail to notice. Very quickly, two Qi Refining cultivators flew up. One was dressed in elegant attire, carrying the appearance of a graceful young master, looking to be only in his twenties. The other was much older, a square-faced middle-aged man with a stern countenance, dressed in a green robe. They did not recognize Zhuo Chi either, so they could only hurriedly pay their respects to Zhuo Chi, who was wearing the robes of a Dripdrop Cave elder.
"Greetings, Martial Uncle. We failed to welco you from afar. May we know the reason for Martial Uncle's arrival?"
Yulou noticed that Zhuo Chi, who had spoken with a gentle and soft voice to him, had now changed his countenance. His round face assud an expression of natural dignity as he said, "Alright, I am Zhuo Chi, and this is Fellow Daoist Wang Xianmao. We have co here today to escort the new Town Guardian Cultivator, Wang Yulou, to his post. Recently... the river..."
Between the two Qi Refining stage Town Guardian Cultivators, the younger one, who possessed a slightly higher cultivation at the fifth layer of Qi Refining, opened his mouth to say, "Martial Uncle Zhuo, River Bend Village, River Bend Village."
Zhuo Chi nodded and continued to ask, "Ah, right, River Bend Village. How has the situation at River Bend Village been recently?"
A small fishing village like this belonged to the lowest level of control at the very edge of Droplet Cave Heaven. How could Zhuo Chi possibly rember its na? He did not truly care about the situation here either; he was rely displaying his regard for Yulou.
"Last year, a mid-stage Small Demon Realm Black-backed Water Snake arrived. We dealt with it rather promptly and successfully managed to slay it. As for this year, from the beginning of the year until now, we have not encountered any blind demon beasts. There were a few miscellaneous wild beasts causing trouble, but the disciples at the Qi Induction stage could handle them, and they did not cause any major harm." The square-faced middle-aged man in the green robe hastily replied.
Zhuo Chi nodded in satisfaction and looked at Wang Xianmao. "Mhm, Brother Xianmao, didn't I say this place is a good spot? In the future, if any problems arise, just let these two juniors act on Yulou's behalf. Yulou only needs to cultivate properly and does not need to worry about the mission matters at all."
Wang Xianmao glared at Zhuo Chi for making arbitrary decisions. With just one glance, Zhuo Chi shivered. Yulou also felt so displeasure in his heart. Zhuo Chi might have intended to help, but his words were far too provocative. Any child of the Wang Clan who heard them would feel a jolt of discomfort in their heart.
"What nonsense are you speaking? Yulou accepted the mission decree to co here precisely to act as a Town Guardian Cultivator. Fellow Daoist Zhuo Chi, mind your words!"
The two Qi Refining cultivators were terrified by Wang Xianmao's aura, trembling so much that they dared not speak at all, keeping their heads lowered completely.
'What exactly you two an, we dare not understand, nor do we dare to speculate. But we understand that a powerful character has arrived this ti. We understand, Senior, everything goes unsaid.'
"Haha, true. Yulou, I am very pleased that you can join Dripdrop Cave. Since you happen to be acting as a Town Guardian Cultivator in River Bend Village, you cannot do without a good residence. This Martial Uncle will gift you a residence, then." Saying that, Zhuo Chi pulled a wooden residence from his storage bag and tossed it toward an empty space in the middle of River Bend Village.
After that wooden residence landed, it rapidly grew and expanded. Within monts, it transford from a tiny model-like toy into a grand residence complete with its own formation array. The way the two Town Guardian Cultivators looked at Yulou completely changed. Where did this ancestor co from? Now, in their eyes, Wang Yulou was no longer just a powerful character, but an ancestor. Elder Zhuo Chi had casually gifted him a residence equipped with its own formation array, and there was another Foundation Establishnt cultivator who appeared even more powerful than Zhuo Chi escorting him to his post. If anything happened to Wang Yulou while he was stationed at River Bend Village, the paths of the two of them would likely co to an end along with it.
"Alright, you two may withdraw first," Wang Xianmao gestured indifferently, and the two minor Qi Refining cultivators naturally obeyed.
Leading Yulou down into the newly ford courtyard, the Patriarch exchanged a few pleasantries with Zhuo Chi, and Zhuo Chi then departed. Before leaving, however, he left several transmission talismans for Yulou, which could be considered an expression of his intent to shelter Yulou during his cultivation career in Dripdrop Cave.
"I have escorted you all the way to the end, Yulou. In the end, a parting must co," Wang Xianmao said with so sighing emotion as he stood in the front courtyard of the residence.
"Patriarch... I..."
Wang Xianmao waved his hand, cutting off Yulou's words. "Alright, previously I only knew that Dripdrop Cave cultivators favored using flying boats; only today did I learn that they use nothing but flying boats. Within Droplet Cave Heaven, a flying boat is indeed the most suitable flying magic artifact. You don't have a flying magic artifact yet, do you?"
Yulou blanked for a mont, then said, "I do. I have a Purple Copper Flying Sword. That sword is made from an entire block of purple copper, which is actually sufficient to act as a flying magic artifact."
Speaking of which, that Purple Copper Dharma Sword with thirteen layers of restrictions was sothing Yulou had refined a few months ago. But since he had reached Qi Refining now, he could completely and easily refine better dium-grade magic tools, and even high-grade ones were not impossible.
"Hahaha, forget about a flying sword. It is inferior to a flying boat." Saying that, Wang Xianmao searched through his storage bag for a good while, pulling out a water-attribute spiritual seed. After activating it, it quickly transford into a massive water-candle spiritual herb. The water-candle was also known as cattail. Its fruit looked like a rolling pin, but the most valuable part lay within its leaves.
Wang Xianmao plucked the leaves of this eighth-grade water-candle spiritual herb, stimulated the Wood Generation thod, and began to refine it. During the process of the Patriarch's refining, Yulou stood to the side with his hands lowered, silently contemplating the current situation.
The Patriarch wanted him to leave ho, and it was very urgent, seemingly even hinting to him never to return to the Wang Clan. Why? There were far too many possible reasons, many of which Yulou was unwilling to contemplate, and many of which Yulou was unable to alter. But he understood clearly within himself that he possessed feelings for the Wang Clan, for Yu'an, for Uncle Rongyuan, for the Patriarch, and for many others. The Wang Clan had nurtured him for so many years; it was impossible for him to leave completely unconcerned. That would make him less than human.
Furthermore, the existence of the Wang Clan was not rely a simple matter of kinship for Yulou. Under the Immortal Alliance-Ten Sects system, the existence of a family could help an individual cultivator better resist risks and climb upward more effectively. If one wished to go far, even if they joined a sect, they still needed to manage their own forces, and a family was the best fundantal base to manage.
"Alright, a dium-grade flying boat. The refining was a bit rushed, but it should be enough for your use. Once you cultivate for a few more years, your cultivation base advances further, and your artificing path advances further, you can refine a high-grade magic tool flying boat for yourself." The old Patriarch finished refining the flying boat and delivered it to Yulou. The Wood Generation thod had shortcomings everywhere, but its strength lay precisely in its speed, and in the ease with which functional traits could be stacked during refinent.
"Yulou understands."
Looking at Yulou, who was calm yet carried a trace of bewildernt, the old Patriarch suddenly pulled out two more magic tools from his storage bag. "This Jade Blade is made from eighth-grade corundum. Although it only possesses eighteen layers of restrictions, as long as its blade remains undamaged, it can easily slash through most magic tools and shields. This Golden Cymbals is a dium-grade magic tool. You know how to use it. Do not be stingy during combat; you must activate it to its limit, and after activating it, discard it imdiately, deploying other magic tools to launch a surprise attack while the opponent is off-guard."
Yulou obediently accepted the Jade Blade and the Golden Cymbals once more. He even possessed a sensation right now as if the Patriarch were delivering his last words. "Patriarch, has sothing happened to the family?"
Wang Xianmao smiled slightly, shaking his head as he said, "The world is about to descend into chaos. When everyone believes a certain event will occur, that event will very likely happen. The future survival of the Wang Clan rests upon you, and also upon Yu'an. The two of you currently possess the highest natural talent among the Yu generation. One goes to Hidden Dragon Abbey, and one cos to Dripdrop Cave. With attainnt in the artificing path on your persons, no matter how chaotic the future becos, you can still cultivate peacefully and stably within the sects. Cultivate well."
An Ning's artificing inheritance was, aside from those existences above the Purple Palace, the top-tier artificing inheritance in this world. The artificing path Yulou and Yu'an learned from Hongi belonged to An Ning's artificing lineage to begin with. Now that the two of them had obtained An Ning's true inheritance, their futures were naturally exceptionally bright.
"Patriarch, but this Red Lantern is truly unsuitable for Yulou to take. If I keep it, I won't be able to use it for decades. It would be better left within the clan." A high-grade spiritual artifact Red Lantern with eighty-eight layers of restrictions and two innate divine abilities—Yulou knew its price now as well. It was priceless; no one had ever sold one! This object was excellent, but in Yulou's hands, its sole purpose would be to act as a source of spirit fire for burning flas.
"I am a wood-water attribute cultivator, your Uncle Rongyuan is an earth-wood attribute cultivator, Uncle Rongwen is also a wood-water attribute cultivator, Uncle Rongjiang is a gold-wood attribute cultivator..." Wang Xianmao forced a bitter smile as he analyzed the situation. "Tie Qinhuo does possess deep attainnt in fire thods, but you know how it is."
Hearing the Patriarch analyze it this way, Yulou understood as well. The Red Lantern was extrely formidable, but there was no one within the clan who could use it... or rather, using it would result in its effectiveness being drastically compromised.
"Very well, then I shall keep it for now. If Ancestor Xianzhou achieves Foundation Establishnt, it can be given to him." Wang Yulou finally accepted the Red Lantern. After all, the Red Lantern Fire of this object was indeed useful; with it around, the consumption of spirit fire required for artifact refining could be greatly reduced.
"Mhm, I am leaving..." Wang Xianmao was about to leave when he suddenly halted his steps. He pulled a spiritual crane from his robes and stuffed it into Yulou's arms. "This is He Laosan. Let him follow you from now on. Although this fellow is a bit sly, he possesses the potential to advance into the Small Demon Realm. Having a helper during combat is also very important. Right, the Donkey Mane Sachets! Take these Donkey Mane Sachets. The blue ones contain water poison, the red ones contain fire poison, and the gray ones contain neutral poison."
After delivering an entire dozen of Donkey Mane Sachets to Yulou, Wang Xianmao finally departed. When he left, he steered his signature fruit-core spiritual artifact, never looking back. Gazing at the retreating back of the Patriarch, Yulou stood within the courtyard for a very, very long ti.
Gifting a residence, a flying boat, a Jade Blade, a Golden Cymbals, a Red Lantern, a spiritual crane, and sachets. Living, traveling, attacking, special attacking, assisting, helping, and field-controlling. The accumulation of the Wang Clan was revealed without omission through these things the Patriarch had gifted to Yulou. It could be said that the Patriarch had provided every single aspect of the magic tools and companions a cultivator required for combat.
Yet, Yulou still felt sowhat forlorn, as if he had lost sothing. Leaving ho at a young age, and now leaving even further away—what would the future be like?
Yu'an had gone to Hidden Dragon Abbey under the escort of Ancestor Xianzhou, while he had co to Droplet Cave Heaven. The hard-working Bailu, the ticulously calculating Uncle Rongsheng, Senior Martial Sister Ningyao who was single-mindedly devoted to the Dao, the foolish Yu'an, and Fellow Daoist Yingxi who liked to swallow donkey intestines despite her disgust... Cultivating immortality, cultivating immortality—in just a few months' ti, many things had completely changed. If accepting change was also a part that a cultivator of immortality had to adapt to, then Yulou, experiencing the sheer magnitude of change for the first ti, only felt a sense of emptiness.
Would he ever et these past companions again in the future? The occurrences that took place in Clear Stream Market clearly felt like yesterday. But thinking about it now, it already carried the sensation of a distant past. Yulou had left the starting village, officially beginning his true cultivation journey.
User Comments
0 comments from readers