Under the blazing sun, at the foot of the lush green mountains in the center of Lamma Island, a lazy and smug humming voice drifted from an elegant little courtyard.
"Hmph. After eating sea cucumber stewed with fatty pork, even a god can't compare to me, ah!
In the courtyard, the century-old banyan tree grew lush and verdant, blocking the scorching sun and creating a large shady area. Under the shade, Xin Buhai lay leisurely in a large recliner, his eyes half-closed, tapping his right hand to the beat and humming a little tune intermittently.
A porcelain pot sat on the stove beside him, containing sea cucumbers with alternating black and white fat, and the broth was bubbling and emitting a rich, exotic aroma.
Smelling the aroma of the sacred food in the pot, Xin Buhai felt very comfortable and at ease.
As a cultivator at the third level of Qi Refining, Xin Buhai held a position second only to the emperor on Lamma Island.
Once his grandfather dies, the position of Lamma Island owner will fall into his hands sooner or later.
The thought that more than 20,000 people on the island would be under his command filled Xin Buhai with excitement.
"Life is short, so let's get drunk! Oh dear!"
Xin Buhai was humming happily when he suddenly felt a dark shadow appear in front of him.
He opened his eyes and saw a handsome and dashing young man standing beside him.
"Who...who are you? Why...oh dear!"
He was speaking when an aura belonging to the Foundation Establishment Realm suddenly burst forth from Zhao Sheng. Xin Buhai's expression changed drastically, and he almost collapsed to the ground.
Despite his round face, big ears, and plump body resembling a pig, Xin Buhai was extremely clever.
He hurriedly rolled off the recliner and lay face down on the ground, begging for mercy, "Senior, please spare me! I was blind and offended your dignity. I beg you to forgive me this time."
"Get up!" Zhao Sheng said calmly.
"Oh, thank you for your magnanimity, senior!"
Xin Buhai, overwhelmed with gratitude, scrambled to his feet and bowed deeply to Zhao Sheng.
Zhao Sheng sat down on the recliner, relaxed, and glanced at the hot pot next to him.
Upon seeing this, Xin Buhai immediately flattered, "Senior, this is a famous delicacy from Lamma Island: sea cucumber stewed with fatty meat. Not only does it taste amazing, it's also incredibly nourishing!"
Zhao Sheng nodded noncommittally and asked, "Um, what's your name? And where is this place? Tell me about the surrounding sea."
"My name is Xin Buhai. This is Lamma Island, located in the southwest of the Inner Star Sea, and is an island under the jurisdiction of Xingxiu Ling Island and Jiuzhen Island..."
While giving a detailed introduction to the local customs and the situation in the cultivation world, Xin Buhai diligently served Zhao Sheng a bowl of spiritual meat and sea cucumber soup.
After being in seclusion for several years, Zhao Sheng's mouth had become so bland.
So he actually admired Xin Buhai's cleverness.
"I'll spare his life then!" Zhao Sheng thought to himself after taking a sip of the exceptionally delicious meat soup.
...
Seven days later, Zhao Sheng lay leisurely on a recliner under the banyan tree in the courtyard, pretending to doze off.
Beside him, Xin Buhai, his face full of sorrow, clumsily made hand seals, circulating his spiritual power, and barely managed to send a ray of spiritual light into the body of the humanoid wooden puppet that was a head taller than him.
Xin Buhai was very uneasy at this moment. He had been living a carefree life, but since the arrival of his senior, his good days were gone forever.
He was only at the third level of Qi Refining, yet the senior actually asked him to refine a high-grade wooden puppet.
Xin Buhai didn't know why his senior had asked him to do this, and he didn't dare to ask.
But to entrust such a valuable item to him for refinement, "Is this senior crazy or stupid? Or... has some other motive?"
He, Xin Buhai, a fat man weighing over 200 pounds, has never done anything bad!
As the sun reached its zenith, Zhao Sheng slowly opened his eyes and lazily said, "Xiao Xinzi, it's lunchtime. What are we having for dinner today?"
Xin Buhai immediately stopped what he was doing and respectfully replied, "Senior, a hundred-year-old sea gate snake was delivered from the island today. How about we make a steamed pork dish?"
"Okay, go ahead!" Zhao Sheng waved his hand, indicating to the other party.
"Please wait a moment, senior!"
As he spoke, Xin Buhai dashed into the nearby kitchen.
After successfully completing his Foundation Establishment and emerging from seclusion, Zhao Sheng originally only wanted to find a scapegoat to collect the ancient painting and bamboo basket for him.
While passing by Lamma Island, they discovered Xin Buhai, who was at the third level of Qi Refining.
Although his cultivation level is low, he is still a cultivator.
Therefore, Zhao Sheng chose Xin Buhai, but unexpectedly, this guy had excellent cooking skills.
After seven days, Zhao Sheng's palate had become quite discerning thanks to Xin Buhai's feeding.
Smelling the enticing aroma wafting from nearby, Zhao Sheng thought to himself, "It's a shame this little guy isn't a chef!"
...
Three months have passed in the blink of an eye.
That day, Xin Buhai excitedly found Zhao Sheng and shouted, "Senior, I've refined it! I've refined that puppet!"
"Oh, really?"
As soon as he finished speaking, Xin Buhai felt a sharp pain in his forehead, his vision went black, and he immediately fainted, though an excited expression remained on his face.
He didn't know how much time had passed before Xin Buhai vaguely regained consciousness.
"You're awake!"
A familiar voice rang in his ears, and Xin Buhai instinctively shuddered, instantly regaining full consciousness.
He suddenly sat up, then fell back to his knees, pleading in terror, "Senior, spare my life! I haven't revealed your whereabouts to anyone. Please spare my life, considering how diligently I've served you for the past three months!"
Zhao Sheng frowned slightly upon seeing this.
He couldn't stand Xin Buhai's cowardly and sleazy behavior, so he said in a cold voice, "Get up! When did I say I was going to kill you!"
"Oh, I'm just scared."
Upon hearing this, Xin Buhai felt relieved and awkwardly got up from the ground, then looked at Zhao Sheng with a fawning expression.
"Come with me!"
At a command, Xin Buhai followed Zhao Sheng to the front of the main hall in the backyard.
Xin Buhai secretly glanced around, his expression quickly changing from shock to fear.
Clearly, the sight of Beifu Cave made Xin Buhai realize that this place was extraordinary, and he couldn't help but worry that his life was in danger.
Seeing the fear on Xin Buhai's face, Zhao Sheng couldn't help but tap him on the forehead and said coldly, "Don't worry! As long as you do one thing for me, I guarantee you won't die."
"Senior, please give your orders!" Xin Buhai composed himself and said respectfully.
Zhao Sheng pointed to the ancient painting in the main hall and ordered, "You manipulate the wooden puppet to take the painting down from the wall for me."
That's it?
Xin Buhai turned his head and looked at the picture of the old man fishing on the wall, and the pressure in his heart immediately eased a bit.
"Senior, please wait a moment."
After speaking, Xin Buhai took out the wooden puppet, then channeled his spiritual power, chanted a control incantation, manipulated the spiritual power threads, and drove the wooden puppet to step into the main hall and walk towards the innermost part.
Zhao Sheng narrowed his eyes, a thick black aura shrouding the hall in his vision, and a sense of impending death gripped his mind.
However, when the wooden puppet touched the ancient painting, Zhao Sheng's worst fears did not come true.
Xin Buhai stood there perfectly fine, easily manipulating the wooden puppet to remove the ancient painting.
"Be careful! Roll it up slowly!" Zhao Sheng reminded him cautiously.
"OK!"
Xin Buhai responded softly, and then rolled up the ancient painting little by little as Zhao Sheng instructed.
When the ancient painting was rolled up into a scroll, Zhao Sheng's face instantly lit up with surprise.
At that moment, the deathly black aura in the hall suddenly vanished without a trace.
"Good, very good! Little Xinzi, you have done a great service!" Zhao Sheng couldn't help but praise Xin Buhai.
Then, he instructed, "Now, use the puppet to bring out that bamboo basket as well."
Xin Buhai obediently followed the instructions, directing the wooden puppet to lift the emerald green bamboo basket and walk out of the main hall step by step.
"Senior... uh!"
Xin Buhai had barely uttered two words when a sharp pain shot through his forehead, followed by a blackout.
Here we go again!
As his last thought flashed through his mind, Xin Buhai's eyes rolled back, and he immediately fainted.
...
The dazzling sunlight shone on Xin Buhai's eyelids, stinging him and waking him from his coma.
Xin Buhai suddenly sat up from the recliner, opened his eyes, looked around in a daze, and found that he had returned to the familiar courtyard.
The courtyard was empty; that hateful figure was gone.
"senior?"
"senior?!"
He called out tentatively a few times, but found that no one responded.
Is he really gone?
After confirming it several times, Xin Buhai excitedly shouted, "Great!"
Just then, he suddenly noticed a storage bag and a manual on the stone table behind him. The cover of the manual had the words "Golden Spirit Hundred Refinements Technique" written on it.
"Huh! What's this?"
Just as Xin Buhai discovered the gift Zhao Sheng had given him, a silver-white three-zhang-long flying boat skimmed the sea surface and sped towards Jiuzhen Island.
...
Two days later, the airship sped across the undulating sea.
Just then, Zhao Sheng saw a large, dark gray ship suddenly rise to the surface of the sea ahead.
This large ship is over seventy zhang long, with a huge and rounded belly. Its width is several times that of a typical ocean-going vessel. From a distance, it looks like a giant sea turtle lying on the sea surface.
When Zhao Sheng saw the suddenly appearing ship, his brows furrowed slightly.
With a thought, the light and agile flying boat suddenly veered off course, changed direction, and flew far away from the sea vessel, continuing to fly forward.
However, the tree may wish to remain still, but the wind will not cease!
A streak of light suddenly flew up from the sea ship and sped toward the flying boat.
Zhao Sheng narrowed his eyes and quickly saw that the person in the stream of light was a middle-aged man in a green robe.
He wielded a cyan flying sword and caught up at an extremely fast speed.
"Halt!"
Zhao Sheng's expression darkened, and the platinum spirit sword suddenly flew out from his waist, transforming into a platinum sword rainbow that stretched across the front of the flying boat.
"Haha, fellow Daoist, please don't misunderstand. I have no ill intentions. I hope you won't take offense."
The middle-aged man in the green robe laughed heartily and quickly stopped ten feet away.
The man was dressed in a bamboo-green robe, wearing a green jade crown on his head, and a jade pendant at his waist. He had a scholarly air about him and seemed to be well-versed in literature.
Judging from the aura emanating from him, this person was clearly a Foundation Establishment cultivator, but his specific cultivation level could not be discerned from his appearance.
Upon seeing that this person was very polite, Zhao Sheng's expression softened slightly, and he asked, "Fellow Daoist, why are you blocking my way?"
"My name is Meng Quyi. May I ask your esteemed name, fellow Daoist?" The middle-aged man in the green robe did not respond directly, but instead greeted the man with a smile and a cupped-hand salute.
"I, Zhao, am but a nobody, so I won't mention my name. Fellow Daoist Meng, you haven't answered my question yet?" Seeing this, Zhao Sheng's face showed no displeasure, but his words carried a hint of dissatisfaction.
Upon seeing this, Meng Quyi smiled slightly and said:
"Fellow Daoist, please don't be offended! This sea area is under the jurisdiction of my Spring and Autumn Alliance. Because this place is somewhat secluded and inconvenient for outsiders to know, I came to inquire. But I absolutely have no malicious intent."
"Fellow Daoist Meng, so you're from the Spring and Autumn Alliance. I was just on my way to your alliance's Nine True Island when we bumped into each other here." Upon hearing this, Zhao Sheng's heart stirred, and he quickly sheathed his platinum flying sword, replying with a chuckle.
Meng Quyi was taken aback at first, but his eyes immediately lit up and his expression became even more eager: "What a coincidence! We were just about to return to Jiuzhen Island. Why don't you come back with us, fellow Daoist?"
Zhao Sheng pondered for a moment, then nodded and said, "It's better to meet by chance than to ask. In that case, I'll have to trouble Fellow Daoist Meng!"
Upon hearing this, Meng Quyi's expression brightened even more, and he said with a beaming smile, "Not at all, not at all! Fellow Daoist Zhao has come from afar, so I should do my best to be a good host."
As they spoke, Meng Quyi led the way, while Zhao Sheng drove the flying boat behind them.
A moment later, in the largest cabin on the ship, Zhao Sheng and Meng Quyi sat facing each other.
After pouring Zhao Sheng a cup of spiritual tea, Meng Quyi tentatively asked, "I wonder what brings Fellow Daoist Zhao to Jiuzhen Island? To be honest, I am an elder of the Spring and Autumn Alliance and have quite a bit of influence on the island. If you need anything, please feel free to ask. I might be able to lend a hand."
Zhao Sheng thought to himself that his wish had come true, so he took the opportunity to say, "After I established my foundation, my original cultivation place was no longer sufficient for my cultivation needs. I heard that the spiritual energy on Nine True Island is abundant, and there are even high-level cave dwellings for rent, so I would like to rent a cave dwelling for cultivation."
Meng Quyi was secretly pleased upon hearing this, but a hint of difficulty appeared on his face as he hesitated and said, "Fellow Daoist, you may not know this. The number of high-level cave dwellings on the island is limited, and priority must be given to those of our alliance who have reached the Foundation Establishment stage. As far as I know, all the cave dwellings on the island that can be rented out have already been rented out."
Zhao Sheng understood the implication in his words and asked astutely, "If it's not available externally, does it still exist internally?"
Meng Quyi nodded and smiled, "Our alliance always has several high-level cave dwellings available for use by Foundation Establishment guests or elders for their residence and cultivation."
Zhao Sheng understood immediately and asked, "I wonder if your alliance still accepts guest elders? Although I have only been at the Foundation Establishment stage for a few years and my strength is still shallow, I am quite skilled in the art of talismans."
"No problem! As long as Fellow Daoist Zhao is willing, the Spring and Autumn Alliance welcomes any Foundation Establishment cultivator to join. Our alliance was originally formed by many independent cultivators, and we are not prejudiced against outsiders at all." Meng Quyi was overjoyed and quickly agreed, afraid that Zhao Sheng would refuse.
Zhao Sheng nodded and said with a smile, "Then I will trouble Fellow Daoist Meng to introduce me."
As one of the thirty-six constellation spirit islands, Jiuzhen Island can be considered a vital location in the Inner Star Sea.
The Inner Star Sea is the core region of the Shattered Star Sea, the true land of prosperity for cultivators, boasting an excellent location and abundant spiritual energy. Numerous sects and families, large and small, abound there.
Zhao Sheng originally planned to go directly to Star God Island after advancing to the Foundation Establishment stage, and then take the transoceanic cloud boat back to the Central Continent.
But later, he temporarily changed his mind.
Firstly, Star God Island is the location of the Star God Palace, and it must be teeming with experts and heavily guarded. He possesses the bloodline of the Spirit Race, and if he rashly enters Star God Island and is recognized, his life will likely be in his own hands, and he might not even be able to die if he wanted to.
Secondly, the Spring and Autumn Alliance is a good place for him to clear his name. He can stay on Jiuzhen Island for a few years and wait until he has found out more information before making his move.
Thirdly, Jiuzhen Island is a famous gathering place for cultivation resources in the Shattered Star Sea, and many alchemists gather here. If Zhao Sheng wants to learn alchemy in this life, there is no more suitable place than Jiuzhen Island.