Chapter 137: First Steps into the Haoli Realm of Cultivation

Ji Mo left Ao Feng’s palace and found Su Ye, with whom she discussed her thoughts. Su Ye naturally agreed with both hands raised. Over the past century, if not for the fact that Ji Mo had remained asleep and he could not bring himself to leave her behind, he would have left the Crystal Palace long ago. In the span of a hundred years, Su Ye had already reached the peak of Core Formation, despite being only two hundred and thirty-eight years old.

Su Ye possessed a supreme-grade spiritual root with three elemental attributes. Given his cultivation speed and talent, he would likely succeed in forming his Nascent Soul within a hundred years. Yet forming a Nascent Soul had never been difficult for him. He had no intention of remaining at home and slowly cultivating his way to that realm. A cultivator who rose through years of bloodshed and real combat was worlds apart in strength from one who secluded himself in his lair and advanced within its safety.

A true powerhouse could not remain forever within his own stronghold, refusing to brave the storms outside. No matter how abundant the resources or how favorable the environment within that nest might be, he could never grow into a genuine expert. Su Ye had never been someone content with mediocrity, so he understood this principle well. Moreover, he carried upon his shoulders the heavy responsibility of restoring his sect.

Once the two of them had reached an agreement, Ao Feng sent them out of the Blue Moon Divine Palace several days later. Though Ao Feng possessed extraordinary abilities, certain restrictions imposed by the Crystal Palace’s current surroundings prevented him from sending them directly to the Ten Great Cultivation Realms. He could only teleport them to the Flame Region, from which they would have to use a teleportation array and be sent randomly elsewhere.

Ao Feng seemed to know the Flame Region extremely well. He gave Ji Mo a map of the region and explained in detail everything concerning its teleportation arrays. Without his map and instructions, Ji Mo—though she had spent several years making her way through the Flame Region—would have been helpless. The Flame Region was boundless, and in all those years she had traveled through less than one ten-thousandth of it. To find her way through the teleportation arrays successfully might have taken her a century or more.

With Ao Feng’s map and guidance, however, everything was different. The two humans and two beasts traveled through the Flame Region almost without obstruction. After spending just over three years on the journey, while avoiding the Flameborn tribe’s various inspections, they passed through a teleportation array and successfully arrived on a planet within one of the Ten Great Cultivation Realms.

When Ji Mo and Su Ye emerged from the teleportation array, they found themselves in a bustling town teeming with people. Aside from the Flame Region and Moon City, Ji Mo had little experience traveling elsewhere. She narrowed her eyes as she surveyed the crowds and prosperous streets, then turned to Su Ye.

“Senior Brother, this place is remarkably lively. It should be some sort of city, shouldn’t it?”

“If you want to know where we are, it’s simple. Wait here while I go find out.”

With a flourish, Su Ye produced a folding fan from somewhere, a dashing smile blooming across his face as he sauntered away. Before long, he stopped a beautiful young woman riding a mottled tiger beast.

“Little Gold, do you think Senior Brother will be mistaken for a lecher and beaten until his head is covered in bumps?” Ji Mo secretly glanced at the beautiful woman, who had suddenly been stopped by Su Ye and was now furiously raising her brows, then whispered to the small golden creature perched on her shoulder.

“He won’t,” Little Gold muttered, curling its lip.

“How could he not? Just look at him. Isn’t he simply asking to be—”

Ji Mo was speaking when she accidentally glanced over again. The final word caught in her throat and never emerged. The beautiful woman, who had been about to lose her temper after being stopped by Su Ye, had apparently heard something he said. The anger had already faded from her face, replaced by a smile as lovely as a blooming flower.

After roughly the time it took to finish half a cup of tea, Su Ye courteously saw the young woman off before strolling back. Ji Mo’s eyes turned mischievously toward him.

“Well, Senior Brother? What did you find out?”

“With your senior brother making the inquiry, is there anything I could fail to learn?” Su Ye replied with a smug smile. “This is not a city but a town called Wumang Town. It lies on the frontier where the territories of four great empires meet. This continent is called the East Nether Continent, one of the four continents of the Lihao Cultivation Realm.”

“A place this lively is actually just a town?” Ji Mo exclaimed.

Wumang Town was crowded, prosperous, and flourishing with trade. It was indeed difficult to believe that it was merely a town. Ji Mo was not the only one who felt this way; even Su Ye, whose travel experience was extensive, shared her astonishment.

Su Ye looked over the surroundings and sighed. “This place is far more developed than ours. The cities in our region might not even compare with this town. And look at the cultivators here—Core Formation cultivators are everywhere, and Nascent Soul cultivators are hardly rare. We’d better keep a low profile.”

“Don’t worry, Senior Brother. I’ve never been one to cause trouble. Besides, I’m merely a cultivator who has just reached Core Formation. Even if I wanted to stir something up, I’d have to weigh my own ability first. You, on the other hand, should stop flirting everywhere and recklessly inviting trouble.”

Ji Mo’s expression was perfectly innocent, but by the time she reached the final sentence, the look she gave Su Ye was filled with suspicion.

“That’s not true at all. Wherever you are, trouble has never been scarce,” Little Gold muttered from Ji Mo’s shoulder.

“What did you say?” Ji Mo turned her head and shot it a sidelong glance.

Little Gold curled its lip, turned its head away, and ignored her. Su Ye could not help bursting into laughter.

“Stop laughing, Senior Brother. Since we’re new here, let’s find somewhere to eat and sample the local specialties. What do you say?” Ji Mo glared at him in annoyance as she made the suggestion.

Although Ji Mo had long since reached the point where she no longer needed to eat, she was fond of fine food. Moreover, restaurants and teahouses were the easiest places to gather information. Since they had only just arrived, it was best to learn the local situation as quickly as possible.

“Fine!” Su Ye readily nodded.

Although he had just obtained some information, it was far from enough for them. If they wanted to learn more, there was no place more convenient than a restaurant. Whether in the mortal world or among cultivators, taverns and teahouses were always the best places to gather news.

The two entered a crowded restaurant and chose an inconspicuous corner. The service here was excellent. No matter how many customers came and went, the restaurant never allowed anyone to feel neglected. Sure enough, just after Ji Mo and Su Ye sat down, a waiter approached them.

Ji Mo had little experience living in the outside world, so she left everything to Su Ye. He took the menu from the waiter and ordered several dishes, a pot of tea, and a jug of wine. The waiter soon departed. Only after he had gone did Ji Mo lower her voice and ask, “Senior Brother, they charge in spirit stones here. Do you have any with you?”

“Of course I do. How could I venture into the world without carrying spirit stones? Junior Sister, let me tell you something: when traveling outside, everything else is optional, but one thing is indispensable—money. That principle holds true in every world.”

Su Ye lectured her with a solemn expression.