Flying Tiger No. 4
Hong Yan didn't rush them either, patiently waiting for the three to respond, and from time to time, she would glance at each of them with a smile.
Door A and Door B exchanged a bitter smile, feeling somewhat helpless. This ship belonged to someone else, and they couldn't help with the situation. Although Hong E seemed to say that she liked the three of them, in reality, she was just a nuisance. Otherwise, she wouldn't have suddenly started cheating people. Remembering the previous batch of flying ascenders who took the boat, she had only collected 10,000 top-grade spirit stones and ten pieces of low-grade yuan crystals. This time, however, the price had increased by five times.
After a silence of almost a minute, Yuanchen was the first to speak up. He gritted his teeth and said fiercely, "Fine! I'll pay!" As soon as he finished speaking, a small storage bag appeared in his hand and he tossed it at Hongyan.
Hong Yan weighed the bag and smiled, "The amount is just right, you can go up now."
Yuanchen snorted and quickly got on the boat without even giving her a glance. Next, Haitang also handed over a pink small bag to her and followed Yuanchen onto the boat.
Now, only Xiao Yao was left standing on the Ling Xian Tai with a crying and laughing expression, without any indication. Hong Yan tilted her head in confusion and smiled: "What's wrong, are you reluctant to part with Yuan Jing or reluctant to leave this place?"
"Miss, you misunderstood," Xiao Yao said somewhat dejectedly. "It's not that I don't want to pay the fare, but I don't have any yuan crystals on me. My magic tool was also destroyed in the Void Storm when I was resisting the heavenly tribulation and my energy was depleted. Now I only have spirit stones; I wonder if they can be exchanged for payment?"
"Strange," Hong E said without answering whether she could or not, half questioning and half smiling: "Without Yuan Jing, how did you cultivate to Nirvana?"
Xiao Yao's reaction was quick, and she continued to put on a bitter face to gain sympathy: "Originally, there were some, but during the Void period, I suffered serious injuries. When I sat down to recover, they were all consumed. I also know that it's not easy for you to manage an entire ship, but really, I don't have any left. If the spiritual stone can't be collected, then I won't blame you, it's just my own bad luck. The only thing I can do is wait here for a passing ship that will take me on board."
Hongyan's big eyes sparkled as she stared at Xiao Yao for a while, then thought for a moment before saying: "Actually, I don't dislike you, it's just that I dislike those two people even more, especially that male cultivator. The way he looks at people is full of disdain. Forget it, let's just consider this an act of kindness, and I'll only take 10,000 top-grade spirit stones from you."
Xiao Yao felt like crying, for the first time she felt that the resources in Taiji world were really too scarce, even the top-grade spirit stone was only half a piece! "Miss, can you negotiate again? That... I don't have any top-grade spirit stones on me either, but I do have a lot of high-grade spirit stones. Can we exchange them for high-grade spirit stones?"
Hongyan was shocked, and even Meng Jia and Meng Yi looked at her with a hint of sympathy. Who would have thought that this fellow Taoist friend was so poor, yet still managed to cultivate to the point of ascending to immortality as a flying immortal? She must be someone who has great luck.
"High-grade spirit stones are just high-grade spirit stones," Hong E said unexpectedly, becoming very talkative. She waved her small hand quickly and calculated: "One extreme-grade spirit stone is equivalent to one hundred high-grade spirit stones. If you exchange it for money at the Money House, you'll have to pay two handling fees, so give me 11 million high-grade spirit stones."
Xiao Yao didn't say a word, took out a storage bag and handed it to Hong E, waiting for her to check it carefully before saying goodbye to Meng Jia and Meng Yi. Only then did she board the flying boat. Every step she took on the ship's ladder made her feel a sharp pain. She had worked hard in the mortal world to refine equipment and earn money, but after several tens of thousands of years, she had only earned more than 7 million top-grade spirit stones. In Taiji Realm, having such a large sum of money was considered wealthy, but she didn't expect that inflation in Xianling Realm would be so severe. Just building the boat had cost one-seventh of her savings. It seemed like everything had to start all over again.
The airship was called Feihu, and it usually delivered goods to the nearby Xing District. In addition to Hongyan, there were more than 20 other crew members on board. Hongyan was only responsible for negotiating prices and collecting money, and most of the time she left the management of trivial matters to Li Wu, a man who followed her closely. Now that Feihu had left Yinxiantai, Hongyan handed over the three people to Li Wu and returned to her room.
Three people looked at Li Wusheng's clear eyebrows and eyes, looking like a weak scholar, but unaware that he was also a famous body repairman. After taking off his outer robe, it would be discovered that this son is actually very strong all over, only slightly lower than Hong Xuan's cultivation. However, compared to Hong Xuan's arrogant and self-willed temperament, this person is much more gentle. He first looked at the three people's jade symbols one by one, then patiently helped the three people with a detailed identity registration. Afterwards, he unfolded a virtual shadow map in the ship's warehouse.
This map vaguely outlines seventy-two regions, each with a name marked on it. Xiao Yao took a glance and found that the star districts of the Eastern Extreme Border were named after the seventy-two Earthly Fiends. Li Wu pointed to a location on the outermost circle of the map and said, "The three of you, this is the star district distribution map of the Eastern Extreme Border. The Flying Tiger is currently heading towards the Di Jun Xing district on the outskirts of the Eastern Extreme Border. At that time, it will drop the three of you off at a floating island in that star domain. As for which island to go to, the three of you can choose within a certain range."
After finishing, he changed into another virtual image map. This map is obviously clearer than the previous one, with four big characters "Dijun Star District" on it. The map has nearly a million islands of various sizes, only a small part of which are marked, and the dense and messy view makes people's eyes dizzy, let alone choosing an island.
At this point, Haitang shifted his gaze from the map and said, "I remember that each star district has a main island. Since that's the case, we don't need to waste any more time choosing. I'll just choose the main island of the Jundu Star District."
"This won't do," Li Wu said with a gentle smile, "As I mentioned earlier, there's a certain range within which you can choose. In the Eastern Extreme Domain, the star districts have different levels, with those closer to the outer edges having lower ranks, fewer resources on the floating islands, and thinner spiritual energy. The closer you get to the center, the higher the rank of the star district, the more prosperous the floating islands are, and the thicker the spiritual energy is. Only the strong in the Eastern Extreme Domain can go there to live, such as the Earth Extermination Star District, which is where the domain master resides and is also the center of the entire Eastern Extreme Domain.
Similarly, within a star district, there are many floating islands, some of which are very dangerous and not suitable for cultivation or living. Some are desolate and lack resources, while others are rare and fertile lands. The main island belongs to the inner domain island, and only cultivators with exceptional talent and potential can settle there, whether they are native or flying immortals. Among the three of you, only Yuan Chen can choose the main island. As for the other two friends, you can only choose an island in the middle or outer domain to land on."
"Apparently, it's not just about qualifications..." Haitang muttered to herself, stroking the jade pendant at her waist with her slender hand, and fell silent. As for Yuanchen, he still had a poker face, his eyebrows never relaxing since he learned that women from the Xianling Realm could also cultivate immortality. It was unclear whether he was listening or not, lost in thought. Only Xiao Yao carefully examined the map and asked after a while: "Li Wudao friend, I'm new to this place and still feeling my way around. Could you please tell me which are the most prosperous floating islands within the central domain? I'll choose one to go to, thank you for your trouble."
"No need to be polite," Li Wu said, noticing the other two were still looking at the map with puzzled expressions. "In the central domain, there are two major floating islands that are quite prosperous: Xingchuan Floating Island and Meishan Floating Island. Xingchuan Floating Island has the largest airship dock in the entire Jundu Star District, and its owner, Shi Junfeng, is a cultivator who has reached the Wanli period. As for Meishan Floating Island, it belongs to the Star Master of Jundu Star District, Bai Yuzi. This island was originally just a villa for his concubines, but later developed into the most prosperous commercial district in the central domain." At this point, Li Wu suddenly revealed a smile that was full of meaning: "Bai Yuzi is the 37th husband of the Realm Master, although he has long since fallen out of favor. However, his title remains, and he has already cultivated to the middle stage of the Void Refining period, making him the strongest in Jundu Star District."
As soon as this was said, Yuan Chen's face turned pale and his eyebrows furrowed even tighter, like a knot that couldn't be untied. Xiao Yao, on the other hand, was deep in thought: she had also read about some interesting stories about the Lord of the Realm in the Xianyuan Pavilion. The Eastern Extreme Realm Lord, Mo Zhen Yin, was also known as Cai Xia, and was said to have been born with not only stunning beauty but also exceptional talent. She had a set of inherited techniques recorded in her mind, which allowed her to cultivate at an extremely fast pace without ever taking elixirs or pills. Her foundation was solid, and she had reached the Unity stage in just 200,000 years. Moreover, through a combination of luck and circumstance, she had obtained the Pointing Heaven Sword, one of the top ten ancient divine artifacts. After countless struggles and killings, she finally became the Lord of the Eastern Extreme Realm. It was said that not only was she born beautiful, but she also loved handsome men, and was skilled in managing her husbands. She currently had 58 husbands, each with exceptional looks and cultivation, all of whom were willing to serve her willingly, without any coercion. At the same time, she did not object to some of her more neglected husbands taking on concubines or servant girls outside to comfort themselves. Adding to this, her own romantic entanglements were too numerous to count, earning her the reputation as the "Romantic Lord" within the realm. When Xiao Yao first read about this in the jade scroll, she couldn't help but feel a sense of awe and admiration for Cai Xia's boldness.
"Cough, cough, has this Taoist friend decided which floating island to choose?" Li Wu saw her lower her head and ponder for a long time, as if in meditation, and couldn't help but speak up to remind her.
Xiao Yao raised her eyes and smiled: "Let's go to Meishan Floating Island, thank you, fellow Taoist."
"Alright, hand over the jade symbol to me." Li Wu confirmed once more: "Once I record the information onto the jade symbol, everything will be set in stone and cannot be changed. Let me ask again, have you truly made up your mind, fellow Daoist?"
"Never mind, forget it."
After getting her promise, Li Wu took over the jade token, stained some gold powder on his hand, drew a few strokes on the jade token, and returned it. Xiao Yao saw that he seemed to have not noticed that the jade token was broken, let out a breath of relief at the same time, and probed into the jade token with her divine consciousness, and several lines of text appeared in her mind, recording the year, month, and place where she flew up and came, as well as the name of the star area and floating island where she would land for the first time, everything was very detailed.
Having settled one person, Li Wu looked at Yuan Chen and Hai Tang again, asking: "Can the remaining two fellow Taoists have considered it well? If you really can't make a decision for now, you can also take a few more days. From here to Di Jun Xing District, there is still half a month's journey, during which time you can slowly consider it, and once you've made up your mind, you can find me in the leftmost room of the ship cabin, and I'll register you immediately."
"It's just a matter of choosing an island, why bother so much," Haitang finally spoke up after a moment of silence and handed her jade token to Li Wu. "As Chong Rou said, we are strangers in this realm, it doesn't make much difference which floating island we go to. If we're not satisfied with the island after landing, we can just take another ship to another floating island. I choose Xing Ship Floating Island."
Li Wu helped Haitang register and Yuanchen, who had been absent-minded all along, also handed over the jade token and said: "Master Island, Di Jun Xing Island."
It didn't take long for all the information to be recorded, and finally, he revealed a faint smile to the three of them: "Considering the distance of the islands you've chosen, the Flying Tiger will first arrive at Xing Ship Floating Island, then Mei Shan Floating Island, and finally Di Jun Star Island. If the voyage goes smoothly and we don't encounter any air beasts or severe storms, the estimated arrival dates are the 20th, 22nd, and 25th. This is almost a month's journey, and you three can move freely on the ship's cabin and deck. If you want to rest, it's in the three rooms at the far right side of the ship. Finally, if there's an emergency during the voyage, everything must be followed under Hong Da's command. If you can't follow the rules, don't blame me for asking you to get off the ship, and the fare won't be refunded either." After finishing speaking, he left the three of them to their own devices and returned to his room.
The rest, Yuanchen walked alone to the outer deck, while Xiao Yao and Hai Tang chatted briefly in the cabin. From their conversation, Xiao Yao learned that the Jing Tian realm was actually a place called "Fudi Dongtian", where the air was filled with yuanqi and produced yuan ore, similar to the Xianling realm. The cultivators of Jing Tian would usually break through to the Huahua Shen stage before going to Fudi Dongtian to cultivate, and if they could break through before the reception light, they would ascend as a Huashen-stage cultivator; otherwise, they would have to continue cultivating in the Xianling realm.
To be honest, sitting on a floating airship is actually quite boring. The scenery outside is always the same, and the ship's body is only a few dozen feet long, so you can walk around in less than two days. What's left is the forbidden area on the ship, which is off-limits to non-crew members. So, after two days, Xiao Yao entered the void again to continue meditating and recovering from her injuries.
Can't help but say that this time flying up to the Xianling realm not only made her lose money, but also greatly injured her vitality. Although she had previously meditated in the void for several months, the injury was not fully healed and still needed another 10-15 days of quiet cultivation to recover her strength before getting off the boat.
On the twentieth day, Xiao Yao's injuries had healed, and there were only two days left before he could leave the ship. Thinking that continuing to meditate was meaningless, he came out of his cabin and arrived on the deck.
It so happened that Fei Hu was just arriving at Xing Chuan Floating Island, and coincidentally met Hai Tang who was already standing on the deck preparing to disembark. He went forward to bid farewell: "Hai Tang fellow Daoist, you and I being able to meet in the Eastern Extreme is also a kind of fate, today we part ways until we have the chance to meet again, fellow Daoist take care."
Haitang nodded at her and bid farewell, then calmly walked down from Feihu without looking back.
Xiao Yao looked down at the dock below, where many people were busy transporting goods and setting up stalls along the street. It was bustling with activity. At this moment, she saw Yuan Chen appear on the deck above, nodding slightly in her direction. His eyes no longer held the disdain or contempt they had when they first met, his eyebrows were no longer furrowed, but his entire demeanor seemed even more aloof than a few days ago, with an added hint of depth that was hard to penetrate.
Xiao Yao slightly narrowed her eyes and sighed quietly: This child is not simple, in just twenty days he has already overcome the obstacles in his heart, and with potential that's not bad, it can be predicted that he will have great achievements in the future.
Two days later, Feihu docked at Meishan Wharf, and Xiao Yao officially set foot in the Xianling Realm.
