Cultivating To Immortality

Lan Zhu, however, didn’t find anything strange about her words and continued, "Oh, didn’t Brother Bo Qi say he was also going to the Border Region?"

Song Yan looked at the person on the middle finger of his right hand upon hearing this.

What’s been happening lately? This small, insignificant place is attracting so many people from the Central Region.

"..."

Bo Qi still said nothing, his head slightly bowed in thought, unsure of what he was pondering.

Inside the Nuo Realm, silence suddenly fell.

Lan Zhu pressed, "Brother Bo Qi?"

"Uh..."

Bo Qi seemed to snap out of some deep thought, speaking with an apologetic tone, "Sorry, I was just distracted."

"What were you talking about?"

"..."

Bo Qi’s voice was relatively neutral, and from his build, it was impossible to tell his gender. However, since Lan Zhu called him ’brother,’ he should be a male Cultivator.

"I asked if you were also going to the Border Region?" Lan Zhu repeated, "Will you two run into each other?"

"Hmm... probably not. I’m not going to the Border Region."

Bo Qi glanced at Song Yan, "The place I’m going to is Jun Ping."

In fact, from the entire map of the Central Region, the Tang Empire’s Jun Ping Prefecture and the State of Chu are indeed very close.

Some people from the State of Chu refer to Jun Ping Prefecture as "the only border crossing between the Border Region and the Tang Empire," but in reality, it is still tens of thousands of miles away from the State of Chu.

Such a statement is often just to flatter themselves.

"Oh, that’s a real shame..."

At this moment, Cuo Duan continued to introduce to Song Yan, "Fellow Daoist Jia Zuo, according to historical records, these Nuo Gods have long since vanished."

"So, for us people from all corners of the world to gather here, it can be considered fate."

"Without the burden of any Legacy, the purpose of us last-generation ’Fangxiangshi’ is to exchange what we have."

"Share and exchange cultivation resources or intelligence that each of us needs."

Cuo Duan gave an example, "For instance, my Cultivation Technique is quite unique, closely related to the Art of Go, so I also entrust everyone to help me search for valuable ancient Go manuals."

"As compensation, I can pay with Spirit Stones, information, intelligence, or even other things like task commissions."

"These are all free, without any restrictions, as long as you can agree among yourselves."

Song Yan’s heart stirred after hearing this.

If he were to say what he wanted most, it would undoubtedly be the spiritual swords left behind by ancient Sword Cultivators.

If he could get these Central Region bigwigs to help him keep an eye out, it would be much better than searching for a needle in a haystack by himself.

However... there were actually two problems here.

One was, Song Yan couldn’t determine if making this request would allow them to guess his identity as a Sword Cultivator.

Although these people all seemed easy to talk to, he couldn’t expose his safety to danger.

In the Border Region, at least in the State of Chu, Song Yan seemed to have never seen any other living Sword Cultivators besides himself and the Sect Master.

He was completely in the dark about the situation in the Central Region.

However, judging from Cuo Duan’s words just now, the danger of this problem was not too great.

Cuo Duan, whether he was Wang Ke with whom he had interacted or not.

He could proactively reveal the uniqueness of his Cultivation Technique, so even if his identity as a Sword Cultivator was known by these people, no one should care.

The second problem was also the most difficult to handle.

What kind of things could he possibly offer to exchange for information with them?

Besides himself, a country bumpkin, everyone here seemed to be young Masters and Young Miss from the Central Region.

Anything he could offer would probably be considered utterly worthless in their eyes...

Song Yan was silently pondering when Cuo Duan continued, "Every Fangxiangshi here can proactively initiate a meeting in the Nuo Realm."

"But because this can be quite chaotic, and some Fellow Daoists might want to participate but miss out, we’ve set a rule: The Second Day of the First Lunar Month each year is the official Nuo Realm gathering."

"All Fellow Daoists holding masks can set aside time to participate."

"Of course, if there’s something urgent to communicate, you can also initiate a small meeting, and available Fellow Daoists will naturally join."

Song Yan nodded; a frequency of once a year seemed quite appropriate.

After all, now that he had entered the Foundation Establishment Realm, he didn’t need to go into seclusion; a casual cultivation session would last one or two months.

The Second Day of the First Lunar Month didn’t seem to be many months away.

Cultivating in the mountains, time passed without notice; in reality, he wasn’t sure what season it was now.

He only roughly judged that it was entering early winter by observing the plants and weather outside his Immortal Cave courtyard.

"How is it?"

Cuo Duan asked, "Fellow Daoist Jia Zuo, is there anything you need everyone to look out for?"

"Hmm..."

Song Yan pondered for a moment, then slowly spoke, "I am in the Border Region, where spiritual resources and items are scarce. Even if there’s something I want, I won’t have enough resources or information to exchange for it."

"If there’s anything I desire, I do enjoy collecting ancient swords of great age."

"Ha, why are you like Cuo Duan?"

Lan Zhu laughed heartily, not at all questioning why Song Yan was looking for ancient swords, but rather with a hint of "mockery."

"One likes collecting ancient manuals, the other likes collecting ancient swords; both are so fond of old things..."

"Uh..."

This request, when heard by the others, indeed seemed to hold nothing worth deep consideration.

Perhaps this "Jia Zuo" was just an ancient sword enthusiast who, knowing he couldn’t offer them anything of equal value, merely mentioned his preference casually.

Cuo Duan also just nodded, "Alright, this time was just a spontaneous gathering I called after coming out of seclusion, so I apologize for the disturbance."

"If there are no other matters, then I won’t waste your valuable cultivation time."

"Everyone, we’ll meet again on The Second Day of the First Lunar Month."

"Alright." Bo Qi nodded, and his figure flickered, disappearing from the fingertip.

"Goodbye, Senior Brothers." Lan Zhu also vanished.

Song Yan didn’t rush to leave; instead, he looked in Cuo Duan’s direction.

He wanted to see if the other party would stay and chat with him, and also to test if he was indeed Wang Ke.

However, to Song Yan’s surprise, Cuo Duan’s shadow swayed on the fingertip and then simply disappeared.

The other party apparently had no intention of communicating with him alone.

"Zhongzhou..."

Song Yan murmured.

Lan Zhu said Cuo Duan was in Zhongzhou... within the Central Region was the Tang Empire, and within the Tang Empire was Zhongzhou.

Wang Ke once said his Sect was in Yunmeng Mountain; if Yunmeng Mountain was in Zhongzhou, then this person was almost certainly him.

He pondered for a while, just about to cut off his Divine Thought, when he noticed that Zu Ming, who was closest to him, had not left.

At this moment, he was looking sideways at him.

"Fellow Daoist Jia Zuo, please stay."

"Hmm?"

Song Yan asked, "Is there something?"

Zu Ming’s voice was very young, roughly similar to Song Yan’s.

"Fellow Daoist, please don’t misunderstand; there are just a few things I wish to ask you."

There was a strange, inexplicable quality to his speech.

It made Song Yan feel that this person was humble and polite, yet subtly revealed an uncontained sharpness.

"As repayment, I will keep an eye out for ancient swords for Fellow Daoist."

Song Yan raised an eyebrow, a little puzzled, but still nodded, "Ask away."

Just asking a few questions could solve his most troublesome problem; if there was such a good thing, what else was there to say?

"Fellow Daoist Jia Zuo, you’ve met Cuo Duan, haven’t you?"

"?"

Song Yan frowned slightly, thinking to himself how perceptive this person was.

Although there was no face at the moment, hesitation and silence could not be concealed.

He pondered for a moment, first nodded, then shook his head, "It’s possible, but I can’t be sure."

"After all, this is my first time seeing him within the Nuo Realm."

"However, how did you figure that out?"

Song Yan’s frankness also surprised Zu Ming, who said, "It’s nothing, it’s just that Cuo Duan himself was a bit unusual."

Zu Ming pondered for a while, seemingly wanting to ask a few other questions.

But after deliberating for a moment, he ultimately didn’t voice them.

"Alright, I’ve disturbed you enough."

Zu Ming nodded slightly, expressing his gratitude, "If there’s any information about ancient swords, I will inform you."

"However, the Central Region and the Border Region are far apart, Fellow Daoist Jia Zuo, please act within your capabilities."

"Thank you."

Song Yan nodded, and the two disappeared together into the Nuo Realm.

Inside the Earth Character Two-One Immortal Cave.

Song Yan slowly took off the mask from his face, his fingertips lightly tapping on his knee, as if deep in thought.

"Nuo Realm, Fangxiangshi..."

For him, joining such an organization that could exchange intelligence and information, and trade for what each needed, was certainly a good thing.

However, there was one major problem here.

He was in the Border Region, while these people were all in the Central Region.

Even if that Fellow Daoist Zu Ming really went to search for information on ancient swords for him and found something.

Would he really have to travel thousands of miles to the Central Region?

Perhaps in the future, but at least not now.

Looking at it this way, the benefits of the Nuo Realm for him were greatly diminished.

Of course, there were also advantages; these people in the Central Region would certainly have a much broader vision and knowledge than him.

Just by simply exchanging information or listening to their casual chats, he could learn many things he didn’t know.

Especially this Fellow Daoist "Zu Ming."

For some reason, this Fellow Daoist seemed very interested in him and "Cuo Duan."

In any case, the matters of the Nuo Realm were completely new territory for him.

"Let’s take it one step at a time."

...Central Region, Yunmeng Mountain’s Ghost Valley.

Inside the silent chamber, it was simple and ancient, with only a meditation cushion, a low table, a few clumps of spiritual plants, and some open ancient books and scattered Jade Slips.

Deep within Yunmeng Mountain, Spiritual Qi permeated.

The air was filled with a unique coolness, an aroma blending Spiritual Qi and the essence of plants.

Taking off the mask, his Divine Thought was suddenly withdrawn.

Wang Ke did not immediately get up; he remained silent.

His fingertips stroked the Nuo mask in his hand as he murmured to himself.

"Jia Zuo..."

Previously, during the Go competition in the State of Chu, there had been a small incident.

At that time, Song Yan, while fighting Yuan Zhen, had displayed a kind of pupil technique in front of him.

It was very similar to Jia Zuo’s eyes... "Song Yan, could it be him?"

Wang Ke had the answer in his heart.

The world truly works in mysterious ways.

Moreover, what the other party desired was actually quite worth scrutinizing.

A Foundation Establishment Early Stage Cultivator from the Border Region, without some extraordinary encounter, would not have such "high-end" vision and pursuits.

Spiritual items needed for cultivation should be more useful than ancient swords, those old things.

He wasn’t trying to harm Song Yan; he was just curious about the person himself.

Matters of fate are wondrous beyond words.

In the future, there would certainly be a day for them to meet again.

He sat silently on the meditation cushion for about the time it takes an incense stick to burn, allowing his scattered thoughts to settle.

He stood up; he wasn’t carrying a Storage Bag, but the Nuo mask had vanished.

Leaving the Immortal Cave, rich Spiritual Qi and ethereal vitality washed over him.

The view suddenly opened up.

In the faint morning light, continuous mountain ranges wound and undulated, disappearing into an endless sea of clouds.

Peculiar peaks competed in beauty, and strange rocks, rugged and varied in shape, dotted the landscape.

The mountain breeze gently blew, carrying the dampness from distant clear waterfalls and springs, and the sound of water striking rock walls like clinking jade.

Sunlight pierced through the flowing clouds, sweeping across the mountains and dense forests.

The Spiritual Qi here was so abundant and pure, far beyond what the Border Region’s State of Chu could compare to.

"Hoo—"

Wang Ke took a deep breath, silently lamenting, "Cultivators of the Border Region suffer..."

The pavilions and terraces of the Ghost Valley Sect were hidden deep among these magnificent peaks and beautiful valleys, built into the mountain terrain, appearing perfectly natural and leaving no trace.

Wang Ke walked along the stone steps carved into the mountain, with exotic flowers and strange grasses growing freely on both sides of the path.

After about a quarter of an hour, he arrived at a gently sloping area.

This was a rather secluded spot within the Sect, known to few Cultivators in the Ghost Valley.

Because this was precisely where Wang Ke’s Master, True Person Qing Yan, cultivated in seclusion.

Drunk Flower Terrace.

By the terrace was an area covered by an ancient tree with luxuriant branches and leaves; the shade was cool, the ground was covered in green, and several large natural bluestones served as seats.

A Cultivator dressed in a greyish-blue Daoist robe was sitting cross-legged on one of the bluestones, slightly leaning forward, looking at the chessboard in front of him.

This person appeared young, but his hair and beard were subtly tinged with white.

His aura was peaceful and gentle, subtly merging with the surrounding mountains, water, plants, and Heaven And Earth Spiritual Essence.

"You’re here?" True Person Qing Yan did not lift his head, his voice gentle and mellow.

Wang Ke approached, bowing deeply, "Disciple greets Master."

True Person Qing Yan casually pointed to a bluestone opposite him, "Sit."

"This trip to the Border Region, you gained quite a bit, didn’t you?"

"Master, that was already a year ago."

"Oh... I’m getting old and muddled."

True Person Qing Yan chuckled self-deprecatingly, unconcerned, "The Venerable One ordered your cultivation to be Seal, and I thought you weren’t going."

"How could that be?"

True Person Qing Yan nodded slightly, reaching into the Go-stone container to pick up a white piece, "Sit steadily, calm your mind, and play a game with me."

"Alright."

"Master, this time when I went to the Border Region, I passed through the State of Chu."

"Oh?"

True Person Qing Yan raised an eyebrow, the movement of the Go piece in his hand slowing slightly.

His gaze flickered, subtly revealing a look of reminiscence.

"The State of Chu, that was a good place."

"What is the situation like now? Have you heard of the Ziyuan Sect? That was my former Sect."

Wang Ke took a black piece from the Go-stone container and placed it on the board, "No."

Wang Ke knew that his Master was from the State of Chu.

It was precisely because of this that when Senior Brother Meng traveled the world, he would visit the State of Chu in the Border Region, which was how he left behind the teleportation array.

It ended up benefiting him.

"Perhaps it was destroyed long ago." True Person Qing Yan merely nodded, "About a thousand years ago, the Ziyuan Sect was once annihilated by a demonic disaster."

He shook his head again, "One can only say, it lacked some Luck."

Wang Ke didn’t know much about his Master’s former Sect, but he had heard from Senior Brother Meng that it seemed to be a very foolish Sect.

For some inexplicable reasons, they had a falling out with his Master.

Later, after his Master achieved the Golden Core Realm, he left the Ziyuan Sect and also left the State of Chu.

"Master, you are well-traveled and knowledgeable. Have you ever seen a pupil technique that is golden, with lotus patterns in the eyes?"