Fang Qingyuan’s destination for this trip was not Haidong Island. A Divinity Transformation Cultivator was stationed there, along with several Nascent Soul Cultivators. Fang Qingyuan had no desire to be discovered by that Nascent Soul Cultivator from the Qin Family he had run into before.
His true destination was Sea Gate Island, one of the territories under Haidong Island’s influence. Along the way, Fang Qingyuan had asked around and learned that Sea Gate Island was located north of Haidong Island. It was shaped like an inverted V, and at its narrowest point, the sea tides raged year-round. A "Sea Gate" had been built above this channel, and the tide roaring through it was a spectacular sight, making it an excellent choice for Water Elent Cultivators to attempt Core Formation.
Fang Qingyuan currently majored in the wood elent. Since water nourishes wood, the loss from converting Spiritual Power between them was minimal. He planned to rent a Tier Two high-grade cave mansion on Sea Gate Island for his cultivation.
After entering Haidong Island, Fang Qingyuan didn’t wander around. Instead, he went straight to the city’s Teleportation Array, paid over a thousand Low-grade Spirit Stones, and had himself, Jinbao, and Yinbao teleported to Sea Gate Island.
He chose not to fly there slowly on Yinbao because the environnt in the overseas territories was vastly different from that of White Mountain, the Southern Border, or Qi Yun.
The Chaotic Star Sea Region contained three thousand large islands and countless smaller ones, all dotted across the ocean like stars in the sky.
The distances between islands were imnse, making travel tis incomparable to those in White Mountain. In terms of sheer area, White Mountain and the Southern Border combined weren’t even a tenth of the size of the Chaotic Star Sea Region.
If Fang Qingyuan were to fly to Sea Gate Island on Yinbao, the journey would take at least a month. Moreover, the route was fraught with danger. Leaving aside malicious Loose Cultivator bandits, even encountering a few Foundation Establishnt-level demonic birds or fish monsters would be a huge hassle for him to handle.
There were also colossal deep-sea monsters, beasts comparable to the Nascent Soul Level. So fish monsters were so formidable that even Divinity Transformation Cultivators would find them a headache. These powerful beasts would occasionally surface, occupy a region, and create a forbidden zone of death, devouring any Cultivators who passed through.
As a result, for travel between closer islands, people used Flying Fish Flying Shuttles. These shuttles used the skeletons of various flying fish as their keel, supplented by an assortnt of lightweight materials, making them exceptionally fast and agile. The bottom of the shuttle had a pointed, curved shape similar to an ocean-faring vessel, allowing it to be easily docked in harbors.
For travel between distant islands, one either used a Tier Three Giant Ship that flew at great altitudes or built Teleportation Arrays for instantaneous arrival. In any case, traveling by boat on the sea’s surface was not a good option.
The next Tier Three Giant Ship bound for Sea Gate Island wasn’t scheduled to depart for another month. Fang Qingyuan didn’t want to wait that long. Traveling with Jinbao, his greatest fear was unexpected complications, so he decided to just spend so Spirit Stones and get it over with in one go.
After a familiar wave of dizziness, Fang Qingyuan felt as if he had been transported to a different world in the blink of an eye. He looked at the doorfra-shaped mountain peak on the horizon and understood. ’This is Sea Gate Island.’
After exiting the Teleportation Array, Fang Qingyuan rode Yinbao to the base of the largest Spirit Mountain on the island. As soon as he reached the foot of the mountain, he heard the roaring sound of the surging tide crashing against the shore, as loud as thunder and incredibly majestic. Such a sight was rarely seen in White Mountain or the Southern Border.
Sea Gate Island was a Tier Four low-grade Water Spirit Land. Its Island Master was a Late-stage Golden Core Cultivator. There were three other Golden Core Cultivators on the island, all from the sa family as the Island Master but belonging to different branches, similar to the relationship between Wei Tong and Wei Xuan.
Fang Qingyuan wasn’t interested in the Island Master. He only planned to cultivate here for a few years and leave once he reached the Ninth-Layer Qi Cultivation.
At the foot of the mountain, Fang Qingyuan found the gate guards and stated his purpose. A mont later, a Foundation Establishnt Cultivator ca out to receive him.
Upon seeing the Foundation Establishnt Cultivator, Fang Qingyuan imdiately presented an item to prove his identity. Sea Gate Island was essentially a vassal of a vassal to Qi Yun, and Qi Yun had a good relationship with the Beast Taming Sect, making them semi-allies. That was why Fang Qingyuan dared to reveal who he was.
Otherwise, fabricating a false identity would be troubleso and risk being exposed. Besides, with both a War Beast and a Cal Beast in tow, claiming he wasn’t from the Beast Taming Sect would be utterly unconvincing.
As expected, after the Foundation Establishnt Cultivator took Fang Qingyuan’s Identity Token and verified its authenticity, he returned it, and his expression softened considerably.
The Foundation Establishnt Cultivator said,
"I am the steward in charge of renting out the cave mansions on this island. My na is Lu Chengzong. Fellow Daoist Fang, you’ve co from so far away to rent a cave mansion. Might I inquire as to the specific reason?"
Hearing Lu Chengzong probe for details, Fang Qingyuan understood. ’This is a necessary precaution. If I were so random Loose Cultivator, Lu Chengzong would probably want to investigate my family history for three generations back.’
Fang Qingyuan had nothing to hide on this matter, so he spoke frankly.
"It’s because of my Cultivation Technique. I need a Water Spirit Land to advance it. If possible, it would be even better if my Flying Manta Ray could also advance here."
Lu Chengzong found Fang Qingyuan’s reason entirely convincing. The vast majority of Cultivators ca here for their cultivation techniques, and in his eyes, this disciple from the Beast Taming Sect was no exception.
After explaining his reason for coming, Fang Qingyuan asked Lu Chengzong for details about renting a cave mansion. He learned that to rent a Tier Two high-grade Water Spirit Vein cave mansion, the minimum lease was six months, at a cost of one hundred Spirit Stones per month.
By that calculation, a year’s stay would cost twelve hundred Spirit Stones in rent alone, not including the resources needed for daily cultivation.
The annual stipend for a Core Disciple of the Southern Border Beast Taming Sect was only just over a thousand Low-grade Spirit Stones. This ant that even a Core Disciple from the Beast Taming Sect might not be able to afford it, let alone any Loose Cultivators.
However, Fang Qingyuan could afford it. Over the past two years, the Crimson Iron Ore mine had paid him a dividend of over twenty thousand Spirit Stones, money he hadn’t had a chance to spend yet.
Before that, he still had forty to fifty thousand Spirit Stones left over from two previous trading ventures. In total, Fang Qingyuan currently had seventy to eighty thousand Low-grade Spirit Stones on him. Although the Tier Two high-grade cave mansion was expensive, he considered the cost trivial.
Fang Qingyuan observed Lu Chengzong’s expression and said,
"Let’s rent it for ten years, then. Here are twelve thousand Low-grade Spirit Stones. You can count them."
With that, Fang Qingyuan handed a storage pouch to Lu Chengzong. The Foundation Establishnt Cultivator was stunned by this extravagant display of wealth, and he roared internally:
’As expected of a Gou the Rich Man from the Beast Taming Sect! This cultivator’s cultivation level may not be high, but he spends so lavishly and even has a War Beast and a Cal Beast. Could he be so kind of second-generation immortal?’
This ti, Lu Chengzong’s attitude beca much more deferential. For the sake of the Spirit Stones, a Foundation Establishnt Cultivator’s pride could be appropriately lowered.
Holding the Spirit Stones, Lu Chengzong said in a hushed voice,
"Young Master Fang, since you’re renting for ten years, we offer a discount. You can also choose so complintary gifts. I wonder, what type of maids do you prefer? We can provide three, free of charge. They can handle daily chores in the cave mansion, warm your bed, and serve as intimate companions."
To this, Fang Qingyuan waved his hand and said,
"That won’t be necessary. I prefer peace and quiet and don’t like to be disturbed by outsiders. I’m giving you these Spirit Stones in the hope that Steward Lu can pick out a better cave mansion for . I’m not interested in anything else."
Fang Qingyuan was putting on the persona of a magnate, showing that he wasn’t short on Spirit Stones. Because Sea Gate Island was a place with established rules, he changed his previous low-profile approach of not flaunting his wealth. He was packaging himself as a second-generation immortal from the Beast Taming Sect with a powerful background, mimicking the style of Huo Hu.
This had an advantage: Fang Qingyuan would beco a VIP client of Sea Gate Island. If any minor Loose Cultivators got ideas about targeting him, Sea Gate Island would naturally take care of them with a warning, without him even needing to know.
Having received his benefit, Lu Chengzong’s expression beca even more amicable. In light of the Spirit Stones, he ticulously found the largest Tier Two High-Grade Water Spirit Cave Mansion for Fang Qingyuan. After getting Fang Qingyuan settled, Lu Chengzong hurried off to report the matter to the Sea Gate Island Master.
Watching Lu Chengzong depart, Fang Qingyuan used the Token to activate the cave mansion’s built-in Array, then led Jinbao and Yinbao inside.
Six months later, aided by the abundant Spiritual Qi of the Second-tier top-grade spiritual land, Fang Qingyuan’s cultivation reached the Eighth-Layer Qi Cultivation as expected.
This year, Fang Qingyuan was forty-two years old.
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