In the Southern Wilderness Cultivation World.
Heavenly Immortal Tower.
Steam rose from the purple clay teapot on the small stove.
Ge Hongdan, in a long robe with wide sleeves and a bun on his head held in place by a black wooden hairpin, looked quite relaxed.
He poured a cup of tea for Fang Xi, saying, "For brewing tea, snow water is the best, followed by mountain spring water, then rainwater... This is the snow water I stored from last year. The weather was good last year, the first snow came at the right time. Friend, please taste it."
"Not as good as the water from the Spirit Spring!" Fang Xi replied truthfully.
Ge Hongdan was speechless, a hint of self-deprecation even appeared on his face.
For a cultivator like him who had completely given up on the path of cultivation, acquiring wealth, power, and influence in the secular world was easy, but anything related to the cultivation world was simply wishful thinking...
Yet, to all cultivators, even a bowl of spirit rice was much better than any delicacy!
Even a patched robe was more impressive than the luxurious fur coat of a nobleman!
In the cultivation world, anything unrelated to cultivation was at the bottom of the hierarchy.
"Haha... but this tea is good," Fang Xi laughed, easing the awkwardness, and asked, "Ge Daoist friend, do you have the items I need?"
"They are ready, please take a look!" Ge Hongdan composed himself and spread out a scroll on the table, revealing a map of the terrain of Yue Country!
For ancient people, maps were precious items.
Even for cultivators, they held significant value.
"Friend, please look, Jiahe City is located here!" Ge Hongdan pointed to a tiny spot on the map.
Fang Xi carefully looked and found the location of Jiahe City, with the nearby Qingzhu Mountain Market clearly marked.
The entire Qingzhu Mountain Market was situated in the northeastern part of Yue Country.
The map was large, not only depicting Yue Country but also the neighboring countries of Mugu and Wugu... showing the three countries standing in a triangular formation, with Yue Country in the north.
At the junction of the three countries, there was a massive mountain range shaped like the Chinese character '丫', dividing the three countries.
This was the 'Ten Thousand Beast Mountain Range', rumored to be inhabited by third-order demon beasts of the Jiedan level.
And at each passable mountain pass, there were cultivation markets and fortresses.
These fortresses and markets were like strings of pearls, with the largest one located at the junction of the three countries, labeled 'Baize Immortal City' in large letters!
"Is this the sacred land for wandering cultivators—Baize Immortal City?" Fang Xi gazed at the location of the Immortal City, expressing his longing.
In Yue, Mugu, and Wugu, each had a Jiedan sect suppressing everything, even monopolizing the source of Foundation Establishment Pills. Only a few cultivation families could exchange Foundation Establishment Pills from the sects at a great cost.
Wandering cultivators struggled to survive in such circumstances.
But Baize Immortal City was different. Originally just a cultivation market, it quickly became the center of activity for wandering cultivators because it was located in a neutral zone between the three countries. Relying on the abundant resources in the Ten Thousand Beast Mountain Range, it eventually developed into a cultivation city after the wandering cultivator 'Baifeng Zhenren' achieved Jiedan.
Today, it could even be said that among the three countries, Baize Immortal City was the only place where wandering cultivators could possibly obtain Foundation Establishment Pills, making it a sacred land.
"Yes... if I were thirty years younger, I might consider going to Baize Immortal City to seek opportunities," Ge Hongdan also sighed.
However, Fang Xi's gaze shifted away from Baize Immortal City, where dangers lurked, unsuitable for practicing the 'Eternal Life Technique'.
His principle of cultivation was to avoid conflicts and competition, silently planting trees to grow, never venturing into dangerous places of great contention.
Fang Xi's gaze turned northward towards the northern border of Yue Country.
At the northern border of Yue Country lay a vast water area called 'Ten Thousand Islands Lake', which was incredibly huge. If one continued north, it would connect with the 'Great Dream Marsh'.
This marsh was shrouded in mist year-round, even blocking the divine senses of Foundation Establishment cultivators. It was said to be vast, and even Jiedan ancestors who entered it never returned.
Legend had it that crossing the 'Great Dream Marsh' would lead to a more powerful and prosperous cultivation world further north.
Within the 'Ten Thousand Islands Lake', numerous islands were scattered, some possessing spiritual veins and occupied by small sects and families.
Among the seven major cultivation families in Yue Country, the 'Longyu Zhong Family' was located here.
The so-called seven major cultivation families in Yue Country were led by the Song Family, a Foundation Establishment family with generations of Foundation Establishment cultivators. They were among the thirteen major forces in Yue Country, subservient to the Xuantian Sect.
However, now, the Tianfu Shen Family, the Heishui Situ Family, and the Hongye Valley had been destroyed, leaving only five of the seven major cultivation families in Yue Country.
It was said that the Song Family had promoted another cultivation family, the 'Tu Family', helping the ancestor of the Tu Family to establish Foundation Establishment, with the intention of replacing one of the original major families.
"In Yue Country, the Xuantian Sect, presided over by the Jiedan ancestors, is supreme! Having Foundation Establishment cultivators is a sign of a powerful family. Countless Qi Refinement families, sects, and even the lowest-ranking wandering cultivators can only struggle..." Fang Xi sighed inwardly, his gaze fixed on the Ten Thousand Islands Lake.
In this vast lake, there were not many islands with abundant spiritual energy, most were first-tier or even insignificant, with limited resources.
Overall, in the eyes of major powers, it was suitable for slow development.
"The Ten Thousand Islands Lake is so vast, perhaps I can find new spiritual veins... even if they are first-tier or insignificant..." Fang Xi pondered, envisioning setting up formations, cultivating the Eternal Life Technique, and improving his cultivation through meditation.
"When the spiritual body is refined, I can then plan for Foundation Establishment in Baize Immortal City!" Fang Xi's ultimate goal was to cultivate the 'Green Wood Spirit Body'!
Otherwise, with his low-grade spiritual root aptitude, he might not succeed in Foundation Establishment.
Even though he could continuously obtain a large number of spirit stones through inter-realm trade and was willing to consume a large amount of pills for cultivation, trade and purchasing pills required channels, and attracting the attention of Foundation Establishment cultivators was highly probable!
Once he achieved the spiritual body, the required pills would be greatly reduced.
"I still need to plant trees first, as the saying goes, 'sharpen the axe before cutting the wood.'"
"The growth of the demon tree is quite fast... in case it falls short of expectations, I can cut my losses in time."
"Let's set a twenty-year plan! I'm only twenty years old now, and in twenty years, I'll be forty! If I find that the Eternal Life Technique is too difficult to cultivate, I can still turn back."
Fang Xi set a deadline for himself in his heart.
"However, I still need to purchase the necessary items..."
His gaze swept around the Ten Thousand Islands Lake area and saw the mark of 'Treasure Ship Market', feeling even more satisfied.
Although there were many good things in the Qingzhu Mountain Market, the place was problematic, and Fang Xi didn't want to go there again.
He had plenty of good items on him now and could easily sell them in another market, then purchase legacies, formations...
"Very good, these are really good items!"
After planning in his mind, Fang Xi looked up and said to Ge Hongdan, "Thank you, friend!"
As he spoke, he took out ten spirit stones and handed them to Ge Hongdan.
"Haha, you're too kind." Ge Hongdan took the spirit stones, grinning from ear to ear.
For cultivators, this was the real deal.
Even in the secular world, it was hard to come by.
He accepted the spirit stones, started drinking his tea, and became curious, "Friend, are you planning to go to Baize Immortal City?"
"That's the plan!"
Although he had no such intention at all, after all, even the Jiedan ancestors were present in the Immortal City, and there were countless Foundation Establishment cultivators. Fang Xi didn't want to wander around under their noses.
But it was necessary to keep it hidden.
"While I'm in Baize Immortal City, I have a few friends there. If you go, you can visit them..." Ge Hongdan said with a smile, providing a few contact details.
Fang Xi noted them down one by one, expressing his gratitude.
After the transaction was completed, he left the Heavenly Immortal Tower with large strides.
...
The Ten Thousand Islands Lake was six to seven thousand miles away from the Qingzhu Mountain Market!
And that was just the straight-line distance.
On the way, there were mountains, rivers, bandits... so ordinary ancient people might never leave their hometown in their lifetime, and going to a county town would be considered a remarkable feat.
Fang Xi used his body techniques to travel, maintaining the lowest consumption, effortlessly running for a day, surpassing horses, covering five to six hundred miles.
Although he had the Black Cloud Pouch artifact for transportation, using it continuously was too extravagant as Qi Refinement cultivators had limited spiritual power, and it could lead to unexpected dangers.
Therefore, he mostly traveled using his body techniques or rested while riding a horse, only using the Black Cloud Pouch to fly low when encountering major rivers or cliffs.
In this way, he took a detour, estimating that he could reach the Ten Thousand Islands Lake in twenty days.
After more than ten days.
Fang Xi traveled, eating and resting along the way, occasionally indulging in some entertainment in large cities.
One day, seeing that it was getting late, he found a cave to rest for the night.
"If it weren't for the convenience of Qi Refinement Pills and purification talismans for cultivators... long-distance travel would be even more dangerous."
After taking a Qi Refinement Pill, Fang Xi lamented the transportation methods of ancient times.
"I heard that... some large markets have regular merchant caravans traveling between them, making it much easier to ride on beast-drawn carriages... and safer too."
There were such caravans before the Qingzhu Mountain Market, but now... it had turned into a black market!
So the so-called merchant caravans were no longer available.
Fang Xi could only travel alone.
Fortunately, he kept a low profile, avoided trouble, and nothing special happened along the way.
There were no rogue cultivators jumping out to kill for treasures, nor distressed female cultivators seeking his heroism.
After resting for a night, Fang Xi was refreshed and continued his journey, arriving at the position of Yujun in the northern part of Yue Country.
(End of this chapter)