Chapter 106 - 105: Meridian Condensation Opportunity, Ring Mountain Spiritual Land

Chapter 106: Chapter 105: Meridian Condensation Opportunity, Ring Mountain Spiritual Land

According to him, there were two requirements to advance from the Qi Cultivation Stage to the Vein Condensation Realm.

The first was for one’s Spiritual Power to be at its absolute peak.

The second was to use a Vein Condensation Secret Technique to refine a unique spiritual catalyst that matched the Cultivator’s Spirit Vein, characteristics, and Cultivation Technique. This would transform one’s Spiritual Power, causing it to change from a gaseous to a liquid state.

For example, when Tan Hu advanced to the Vein Condensation Realm, he had refined the beast soul of a wind-attributed tiger-type creature, which had a high degree of compatibility with his Spirit Vein and characteristics.

It was both simple and difficult.

The most crucial element was the unique spiritual catalyst.

All things in the world were different.

Even things of the same species had subtle differences.

And if one wanted to find a unique spiritual catalyst that was perfectly compatible with oneself, unless a Dao Foundation Cultivator who had developed Divine Sense was there to guide them, one could only rely on luck and chance.

Many Qi Cultivators were weak in combat after advancing to the Vein Condensation Realm precisely because the unique spiritual catalyst they had refined had very low compatibility.

And because of the Vein Condensation Secret Technique, the choice of unique spiritual catalyst, and so on...

The gap between sect disciples and Loose Cultivators widened by a massive leap.

Among those of the same realm, it was rare for a Loose Cultivator to defeat a sect disciple.

’Vein Condensation Secret Technique, unique spiritual catalyst...’

Li Changsheng’s eyes flickered.

His Blood River Refining Yang True Skill included the former.

As for the latter, he could rely on his Golden Finger. While others had to depend on luck and opportunity, for him, it was a matter of choosing his future path.

After all, refining different unique spiritual catalysts would certainly lead to different future paths. But fortunately, he was only at the Qi Cultivation Seventh Layer and still had plenty of time to consider it.

Li Changsheng shook his head to clear his thoughts, flipped his hand, and took out a Refining Jade Pill. He swallowed it and began to cultivate.

Although the Refining Jade Pill was becoming less and less effective for him, it could still, at the very least, improve his cultivation.

Besides, he still had over a dozen Refining Jade Pills in his storage bag. To just abandon them would be a waste.

Having grown accustomed to a life of poverty, he couldn’t afford to be so extravagant.

「The next day.」

WHOOSH...

Li Changsheng slowly exhaled a breath of turbid air and opened his eyes, focusing his gaze inward.

[Cultivation: Qi Cultivation Seventh Layer "6%"]

’My cultivation progress only increased by one percent...’

With a thought, Li Changsheng dismissed the panel, tidied his robes, and pushed the door open to walk out.

He walked through a narrow passageway.

A fairly spacious deck came into view.

At this time, seven or eight people were standing on the deck, all leaning against the railing and gazing with great interest at the mountains and rivers below.

Li Changsheng scanned the area and walked toward Lan Cai Shen, who was dressed in an off-white robe.

"Senior Brother Lan, enjoying the view?"

Lan Cai Shen turned to glance at him, but there was no happiness on his face. He shook his head and said, "I’m worried about demonic birds attacking the Flying Ship, so I came out here to keep an eye out."

"The Flying Ship is so fast. Are there demonic birds that can even catch up?" Li Changsheng asked in surprise.

He had ridden Lan Cai Shen’s giant eagle before, and compared to it, the Flying Ship beneath his feet was several times faster.

Lan Cai Shen smiled. "Is the Flying Ship fast? Some greater demons can cover the distance it travels in a day with a single flap of their wings." After a pause, he added, "Of course, greater demons certainly wouldn’t bother with little ants like us."

"But there are still some unusual demons with extraordinary bloodlines. They’re the ones I’m worried about..."

Li Changsheng came to a sudden understanding and nodded grimly.

The two chatted idly, with Lan Cai Shen mostly telling him about the situation at the Ring Mountain Spiritual Land.

This gave him a preliminary impression of the Ring Mountain Spiritual Land.

It was big. Very big...

「Until noon.」

Lan Cai Shen smiled and said, "In another half a day, we’ll..."

Before he could finish his sentence,

his expression abruptly changed. A heavy pressure emanated from his body, startling Li Changsheng and forcing him back several steps. Meanwhile, Lan Cai Shen’s hands flew through a continuous series of Techniques.

The patterns on the Flying Ship’s hull flickered with spiritual light, and a white mist gradually began to spread, enveloping the surroundings.

Li Changsheng’s heart grew heavy as he scanned the area with a vigilant gaze.

But the vast white mist obscured everything, making it impossible to see the situation outside.

"What’s wrong?"

"What’s happening?"

The changes to the Flying Ship also aroused the suspicion of the others, who all turned their gazes to Lan Cai Shen.

Seeing his grave expression, their hearts all skipped a beat. They looked at the surrounding clouds with fear in their eyes. Having spent years in the Wanzhong Mountains Range, they naturally knew what the one thing it never lacked was.

Demons!

For the Flying Ship to react like this, Steward Lan must have discovered something was wrong.

Just as everyone was panicking,

a colossal pressure descended from the sky. The Flying Ship froze for an instant under its influence, and nearly half of the surrounding mist was blasted away.

Everyone felt the sky darken and looked up, only to see a vast expanse of cyan light.

The next moment, the azure sky reappeared.

Everyone stared as the enormous mass of cyan light vanished into the depths of the Wanzhong Mountains Range, their faces etched with horror. They were speechless for a long time.

SCREEE—

A few breaths later, a high-pitched, clear, and prolonged cry slowly drifted over.

Li Changsheng swallowed hard, his heart filled with an inexplicable shock.

’What kind of demon was that?’

The aura it exuded alone was enough to extinguish any thought of resistance in him.

PHEW...

Lan Cai Shen sighed in relief. He channeled his Spiritual Power into the Flying Ship, and his hands once again flew through a series of Techniques.

Golden patterns appeared on the surface of the Flying Ship. Suddenly, its speed doubled, and it shot into the depths of the Wanzhong Mountains Range like a streak of white light.

The change in the Flying Ship also caught the attention of those in the cabins, who all came out to see what was happening.

The once-quiet deck was now filled with hushed whispers.

Tan Hu, Dong Xing, and Xu Li gathered around Li Changsheng.

Tan Hu looked at the white mist swirling around them and asked doubtfully, "Junior Brother, what happened?"

Dong Xing and Xu Li also looked at him in confusion.

Li Changsheng shook his head and said, "A greater demon just sped past..." Thinking of the demon whose head and tail he couldn’t even see, he paused and added, "Or maybe a demon even stronger than a greater demon..."

"Huh?"

Hearing this, the three of them had looks of terror on their faces.

Greater demons were already comparable to Dao Foundation Cultivators, and this might have been something even stronger...

Dong Xing rubbed his face and forced a smile. "Good thing it was just passing by..."

The men exchanged a look and nodded emphatically.

Time passed quickly.

While the men were chatting in low voices, the Flying Ship suddenly shuddered. The mist around it instantly dispersed, and the ship began to descend rapidly.

Li Changsheng circulated his Spiritual Power to steady himself, then quickly walked to the railing and looked down.

Instantly, a magnificent vista of mountains and seas unfolded before his eyes.

Mountains overlapped with cascading peaks, like a surging ocean tide. Dozens of towering summits stood pressed together, rising from a rolling sea of forest.

As the Flying Ship descended rapidly, a relatively flat expanse of forest appeared in a gap between the peaks.

And the Flying Ship’s destination was that very patch of forest.

As they drew closer,

a vast, undulating mountain forest came into view, with a patch of azure blue at its center.

SWOOSH...

The Flying Ship headed straight for it, and in just over a dozen breaths,

a hilly plain of about a thousand acres appeared before everyone.

Upon it, they could vaguely see hundreds, or even a thousand, wooden houses arranged in an orderly, cross-shaped pattern across the plain.

A few breaths later,

the Flying Ship slowly descended in front of a large hall in the center, which occupied several thousand square meters.

As the Flying Ship landed,

two people walked out of the main hall to greet them.

Lan Cai Shen turned to Li Changsheng and the others with a smile. "We’ve arrived at the Ring Mountain Spiritual Land. Let’s go down."

"Yes, Senior Brother." "Yes, Lord Steward..."

Everyone followed Lan Cai Shen and jumped off the Flying Ship.

"Greetings, Lord Steward."

The two people who had walked out of the hall clasped their hands and called out.

’Steward Ye...’

Li Changsheng’s expression flickered as he looked at one of them.

Lan Cai Shen pointed to the dozens of Spirit Farmers behind him and said to the thin-faced old man, "Steward Ye, please arrange for them."

"Yes, Lord Steward." Steward Ye nodded in acknowledgment.

Lan Cai Shen looked around, then led Li Changsheng and the others into the main hall.

The main hall was vast and empty, with a dozen or so pillars arranged in two rows. There were no other decorations or furnishings.

After everyone was seated,

they waited for a moment before Steward Ye returned.

Lan Cai Shen made some introductions.

The Cultivator who had gone to arrange for the Spirit Farmers was named Ye Xiang, at the Early-Vein Condensation stage. He was temporarily in charge of miscellaneous affairs at the Ring Mountain Spiritual Land, such as the food and lodging for the Spirit Farmers.

The bald, big-bellied Cultivator who had entered the hall with them was named Wu Jiang, also at the Early-Vein Condensation stage. He was temporarily in charge of developing the Tier One Spirit Fields at the Ring Mountain Spiritual Land.

After the introductions, everyone exchanged a few words.

After they had become somewhat acquainted,

Lan Cai Shen knocked on the table. After sweeping his gaze over everyone, his eyes landed on Tan Hu and Jin Fang. He said, "You two Stewards will be temporarily in charge of supervising the development of the Spirit Fields. After the fields are developed, they will be allocated."

"Yes, Lord Steward."

The two of them replied with unchanging expressions, clasping their hands.

Lan Cai Shen’s gaze then turned to Dong Xing, Xu Li, and Fang Fan. "It will take some time to develop the Tier Two Spirit Fields. Would the three of you be willing to help develop the Tier One Spirit Fields?" He paused, then added, "When the work is complete, you can choose three acres of Spirit Fields for yourselves."

Although the three of them were Spirit Plant Masters who had not yet condensed a Spirit Plant Mark, they were more than capable of developing stable Tier One Spirit Fields.

Hearing that they could choose their own Spirit Fields, Dong Xing didn’t even hesitate before nodding in agreement.

Xu Li and Fang Fan quickly followed suit.

Seeing this, a smile appeared on Lan Cai Shen’s face. He looked at Li Changsheng and said with a laugh, "There’s no need for you, Junior Brother, to waste your time on Tier One Spirit Fields. Whether you cultivate or do something else in your spare time, you can arrange it yourself."

"Thank you, Senior Brother."

Hearing that he could do as he pleased, how could Li Changsheng refuse?

Dong Xing and the other two looked at each other in dismay. ’Is the gap between us and Steward Li really that big?’

’Us working to develop Tier One Spirit Fields is considered a waste of time for Steward Li?’

’So that’s how it is!’

Steward Ye and Steward Wu also looked over this young Steward Li with a curious gleam in their eyes.

Lan Cai Shen’s gaze turned back to Stewards Ye and Wu. "What’s the progress on clearing the Spiritual Land?" he asked.

Steward Ye and Steward Wu quickly collected their thoughts and exchanged a glance.

Steward Wu stood up, clasped his hands, and said, "Reporting to the Lord Steward, the development progress has stalled at Ten Thousand Serpent Lake..."

Lan Cai Shen frowned slightly. "Why?"

There were many demons in Ten Thousand Serpent Lake, but the Demon Hunting Corps and the Patrol Guards weren’t just freeloaders.

Steward Wu looked hesitant. "Well..."

Lan Cai Shen’s mind raced for a moment, and his voice grew serious. "Is it the Demon Hunting Corps or the Patrol Guards?"

Steward Wu scratched his head and said in a low voice, "It’s both of them."

Hearing this, Lan Cai Shen felt a surge of anger, but he simply nodded with a calm expression.

"You are all dismissed. Steward Ye, please arrange rooms for them."

"Yes, this subordinate takes his leave." "We will take our leave."

Everyone stood up and slowly exited the main hall.

After everyone had left,

Lan Cai Shen rubbed the space between his eyebrows, clearly troubled. "Sigh..."

"The Senluo Flower..."