"According to your guess, Li Buwei should still be within a hundred li?"
More than half an hour later, Ji Yuan asked, his brow unconsciously furrowing slightly.
If this were the case, he might have to change his original plan, though deep down, he was not very willing to do so.
He could be considered a mobile treasure trove at the moment, possessing too many opportunities. Whether it was a remnant furnace, the method of refining pills with water, or the Wonderful Origin Derivation Divine Method, any single one of these could make cultivators in the three realms envious.
Under such circumstances, the wisest choice would be to rush back to the crossing-void ship of the Nine Profound Sect as soon as possible, or to a large gathering place where several elders of the Nine Profound Sect in the three realms were located.
No matter how many opportunities one possessed, only by truly digesting them and transforming them into one's own solid foundation would they truly belong to oneself. Otherwise, one might very well be working for others.
Moreover, with Li Buwei's abilities, he could thrive in any environment, even if he were alone.
"To be precise, Fellow Daoist Li should be at a gathering place dozens of li away. We had agreed that if we separated, we could meet here."
Zhou Lianying said slowly, a trace of worry in her expression.
Although she knew that with his abilities, even if he encountered danger, he had a great chance of escaping safely, she still couldn't completely let go of her concern until she saw him with her own eyes.
After all, they had been exploring the dojo together for several months, and they had experienced many things, thus accumulating a not-insignificant friendship.
"Then let's go and take a look."
Ji Yuan had intended to head directly to the Nine Profound Sect's location, but suddenly a thought arose in his mind: he wanted to go to the gathering place dozens of li away.
As soon as this thought emerged, it quickly spread, suppressing all other ideas.
Zhou Lianying, standing beside him, couldn't help but show a surprised expression. He had been in deep thought just moments ago, and now he had instantly made a decision.
At the same time, she was a little puzzled. Based on her understanding of the young man beside her, he should be unwilling to complicate matters and avoid places with many people.
However, despite her doubts, she didn't say anything and inexplicably suppressed the thought in her mind.
A few hours later, with Zhou Lianying leading the way, they easily found the gathering place, but it was somewhat beyond their expectations.
What was originally a small gathering place of only twenty or thirty people was now densely packed with hundreds of cultivators. To create enough space, many surrounding trees had been cut down to build a messy cluster of small huts.
Walking through the gathering place, Ji Yuan quickly discovered that only cultivators in the second realm or above, and powerful groups, were qualified to live in the wooden huts.
Cultivators below the second realm, no matter how many, could only set up tents themselves or simply find a quiet spot and sit on the ground.
He also saw cultivators like himself who had just arrived at the gathering place. They had cut down many trees and built huts, but as soon as they finished, a group of people forcibly took them over.
"It's just a few huts, is it really necessary?"
Zhou Lianying muttered softly, her eyes full of confusion.
Anyone who could enter the underground dojo had at least the cultivation of the Enlightenment Realm. Cutting down trees and building huts was not a difficult task.
Not to mention those second-realm cultivators; with the guidance of their magical power, they could easily build a large number of wooden huts.
"Observe more, speak less."
Ji Yuan glanced at her and said indifferently.
Scanning the surroundings, he had the same doubts, but unlike Zhou Lianying, he didn't show all his emotions and wouldn't speak softly to himself as if no one could hear.
For cultivators who practiced special arts, let alone sounds as fine as a mosquito's hum, even others' inner thoughts were not entirely undetectable.
As they moved deeper into the gathering place, the two finally understood why cultivators below the second realm were not allowed to build wooden huts themselves.
What was originally a place where twenty or thirty people spontaneously gathered had now been taken over by three sects. They had established a rule: only those in the second realm or powerful groups could build wooden huts themselves.
The purpose of this was quite simple. On one hand, it was to maintain their authority through small matters; on the other hand, it was to use this as a means to identify the cultivators in the gathering place to some extent.
Those who could cultivate to the Spirit Point Realm were all gifted with some talent or opportunity, and few would willingly do something that would lower their status in front of others.
For example, sitting on the ground in a secluded spot with cultivators who were a realm lower.
Especially those from a certain force or sect would consider such behavior a disgrace to their sect and lineage.
Sometimes, cultivators were very similar to martial artists. When traveling outside, they valued face, not just their own, but also the majesty of the forces behind them, which must not be easily insulted.
"Meaningless persistence."
Ji Yuan murmured to himself, secretly shaking his head, not entirely approving of this behavior.
In a stable environment, such actions could be slightly understood, but in this situation where dangers were unknown and imminent threats could be encountered at any time, persisting in such conduct was, in his opinion, unwise.
In the true face of life and death, no one would show mercy or spare your life just because of your identity or background.
On the contrary, the more distinguished one's status, the more likely it was that enemies would go to great lengths to strike ruthlessly, ensuring that all traces were wiped clean to avoid future repercussions.
The kind of situation where one endured insults and dared not retaliate due to one's identity and backing rarely existed.
"How did you and Li Buwei arrange to meet?"
Ji Yuan sighed faintly and then turned to look at the girl beside him.
Hearing this, Zhou Lianying's mouth twitched, and she said with some helplessness, "Actually, there was no arrangement. Originally, there were at most about twenty people here, and we could see each other at a glance."
No one expected that in less than a month, the place where a group of rogue cultivators had spontaneously gathered would now have so many more cultivators, and it had been taken over by three sects.
Although she hadn't heard the names of these sects, judging by their appearance, they seemed to have considerable strength and were not ordinary small sects, otherwise, they wouldn't have been able to intimidate hundreds of cultivators.
"Then it can only be so."
After a moment of thought, Ji Yuan led the girl beside him to a place resembling a market, which was the center of the gathering.
The outer areas were mostly places where cultivators gathered and rested, while the inner areas were filled with various stalls, ranging from spiritual artifacts, pills, talismans, and so on, down to relics of unknown function and material.
If not for the different environment, at first glance, it truly felt like a mundane marketplace, with rogue cultivators shouting their wares, among whom were many cultivators in the second realm or above.
Ji Yuan's current gains were already immense. Any single item taken out would be enough to drive second-realm cultivators crazy and make third-realm cultivators envious, so there was no need to take unnecessary risks and try his luck to find any good items.
He stood with Zhou Lianying in a conspicuous area and began to look around idly, his gaze subtly falling on three groups of people.
These people wore unified clothing, occupied strategically advantageous positions, and stared at the situation in the market with stern expressions. They were clearly members of the three sects that had taken over this place.
From the conversations of the people around, the three sects that had taken over this place were Jingxin Tang, Shanhe Bang, and Qingyang Sword Sect.
Ji Yuan was quite familiar with the Shanhe Bang. This was one of the top ten sects in Luoxia Commandery. He had put considerable effort into studying them back then when they plotted against the Li family of Mingxin Xuan.
This was considered the only sect in Luoxia Commandery that was extremely powerful but had no cultivators to preside over it. Ninety percent of its disciples and members were martial artists, and it enjoyed a great reputation in the martial world.
It was rumored that the leader of Shanhe Bang was a pure martial artist at the peak of the third realm, who cultivated no weapons and only mastered the fighting style of iron fists, possessing combat power not inferior to ordinary sword cultivators.
Even the Chief of the Mingjian Division of Luoxia Commandery, who was rumored to have a combat power that ranked among the top three in Lingyang Prefecture, had admitted that he was inferior to that person in terms of purity.
"Are you curious why so many cultivators have suddenly appeared here, and why three powerful sects are stationed here?"
A voice came from behind them, with a hint of a smile.
Except for Zhou Lianying's surprised expression, Ji Yuan, on the other hand, seemed to have already sensed it and was not surprised by the person who had appeared silently behind him.
He turned his body slightly and saw Li Buwei slowly approaching, holding a soundproofing talisman in his hand, hidden in his sleeve.
"What news do you have?"
Ji Yuan asked.
Hearing this, Li Buwei nodded slightly and swept his gaze over the disciples of the three sects. It appeared casual and ordinary, not attracting the attention of others.
"More than a month ago, a cultivator accidentally stumbled into a formation. Inside, it could be considered a world of its own, containing extremely abundant spiritual energy."
He coughed lightly and then slowly began to narrate.
Within that formation, the spiritual energy was unimaginably dense, comparable to a blessed land, and many ancient spiritual herbs grew there.
Most importantly, on a mountain peak in the center, there were two skeletons that resembled gold and jade, emitting extremely pure spiritual energy.
And within the bodies of the two skeletons, a golden core was suspended in each. Although they were extremely dim and the spiritual essence within had severely dissipated, they were still rare treasures.
If a peak third-realm cultivator obtained one, they might be able to comprehend and break through, taking the final step to enter the Golden Core Realm.
The usefulness of a Golden Core was far more than that. Whether it was used for alchemy, refining artifacts, or even as the core of a formation, it far surpassed ordinary spiritual objects in heaven and earth.
"After the news spread, it attracted a large number of cultivators to explore. Among them, someone successfully extracted a crimson token from one of the skeletons."
Li Buwei paused, his eyes flashing with brilliance. "It is said that this token is the symbol of a direct disciple of Daoist Chixin, and it is a top-grade spiritual artifact itself."
As soon as he said this, Ji Yuan's eyes burst with light, and he finally understood why the place that originally had only twenty or so people had attracted so many cultivators.
As the news of the underground dojo spread and after half a year of exploration by various cultivators, the situation of this place in ancient times was naturally well-known to most people.
Not to mention the original owner of the dojo, Daoist Chixin, who could contend with powerful beings with his Golden Core Realm cultivation.