As the sun set, the cultivators gathered at the Deepwater City tea house finally dispersed in twos and threes.
The tea house proprietor, an elderly cultivator with a grizzled beard who was still stuck at the early Foundation Establishment stage, stepped forward and asked respectfully, "Senior, the day is growing late. Would you like this junior to arrange accommodations for you?"
The young scholar stretched lazily, picked up the folding fan on the table, and said, "I was just about to look for a place to stay. I'd be grateful for the trouble."
"It's no trouble at all, no trouble at all," the proprietor quickly made way. "Your guidance earlier opened this junior's eyes. To be able to do something for you is an honor."
The proprietor was so respectful precisely because when this senior had arrived, he had offered some pointers, allowing this cultivator with dwindling lifespan to once again feel the meaning of cultivation.
For a cultivator, even if one's lifespan is nearing its end, any progress in cultivation is a good thing. Who knows, a sudden moment of enlightenment, coupled with some opportunity, might just lead to a breakthrough in realm.
"Our tea house has lodgings for honored guests. If you don't mind, Senior, you could rest here. How does that sound?"
The young man smiled and nodded in agreement.
Seeing this, the proprietor respectfully ushered him into the rear courtyard, saying as they walked, "Senior, we have a small courtyard in the back, usually reserved for honored guests. You will absolutely not be disturbed here, Senior."
The young man smiled. "That would be best."
After leading the young man to the innermost courtyard and giving a brief introduction, the proprietor only felt at ease and withdrew after seeing his evident satisfaction.
Retreating to the courtyard gate and seeing an extremely powerful restriction swiftly laid down within, the proprietor wiped a bead of sweat from his brow. "This senior looks quite young, yet his cultivation is so profound. Truly a heaven-endowed talent."
Once the surrounding restrictions were fully activated, the young man tapped his glabella, summoning a crystal-clear pearl. A few breaths later, he vanished abruptly from within the room.
This young man was, of course, Mo Tiange.
Entering the Void Heaven Realm, she dispelled the Disguise Art and restored her original appearance. Leaning back on a meditation cushion, she closed her eyes to rest.
Nie Wushang's Disguise Art was indeed extraordinary. After transformation, not only could these low-level cultivators not recognize her, even she herself couldn't. Coupled with the amplifying effect of the Spirit-Hiding Pendant, she estimated that aside from Late-Nascent Soul cultivators who might possibly see through it, even Mid-Nascent Soul cultivators probably couldn't penetrate the disguise.
This level was sufficient. Late-Nascent Soul cultivators were not easy to encounter.
After resting for a while and feeling her spirit refreshed, Mo Tiange took out a small pouch and poured out a pile of items with a clatter.
These were her gains for the day—a miscellaneous assortment. Though not particularly valuable, some of the peculiar items were quite interesting. Strange tales and unusual occurrences were, after all, not plentiful. Many low-level cultivators had exchanged some rare and uncommon items with her. Seeing that the items were rather intriguing, she had agreed to the trades. In any case, what these cultivators wanted were mostly Qi Refining or Foundation Establishment pills, or low-level magical tools and artifacts—things that were the least useful to her. Selling them would be more trouble than it was worth, so exchanging them away actually saved her effort.
From this pile, Mo Tiange picked up a fiery red stone. This was the Fire-Sun Stone she had obtained from a low-level cultivator. It was precisely because this transaction had set a precedent that those low-level cultivators, regardless of whether they had valuable items or not, had all brought things to exchange with her in a rush.
Actually, this Fire-Sun Stone wasn't particularly special. Stones of this quality would sell for only about a hundred Spirit Stones in the Tianji Region—not cheap, but not rare either. The reason she had exchanged for it was that since arriving in Yunzhong, she had never seen this item before. Once, while shopping in Guifang City, a shop assistant had told her he had never seen such a thing. Only then did she realize that the Fire-Sun Stone might be a specialty of the Tianji Region, not found in Yunzhong.
But now, she had actually seen this item in the hands of a low-level cultivator, and these cultivators didn't even know what it was. This was somewhat strange. This was a coastal area, and this sea region was the natural chasm between the Tianji Region and Yunzhong. If the Fire-Sun Stone was truly a Tianji Region specialty, did that indicate that someone had crossed the South Sea and lost the stone here?
Of course, this was merely speculation. The actual facts were something she had no way of knowing.
Additionally, today hadn't been entirely without other gains.
Although most of the so-called strange events in this small city were trivial matters, with so many people gathered, there were always some who had heard ancient legends.
For example, an old Qi Refining cultivator whose lifespan was nearly exhausted told her that when he was young, he had heard from his elders a story about an Immortal Mountain appearing in the sea.
Mo Tiange had initially thought it was a mirage and hadn't paid much attention, but as she listened to the old cultivator continue, she realized it wasn't that simple.
The old cultivator said that at the time, all the fishermen and cultivators who made a living hunting sea beasts had seen that Immortal Mountain. It had appeared suddenly like a small island, and people had crossed the sea from it to trade some items. However, the coastal residents couldn't approach this Immortal Mountain; it seemed to be surrounded by a mist that blocked others from advancing. Experienced cultivators said it was an illusion formation. This Immortal Mountain existed for about half a month before disappearing, as if it had never appeared.
Mo Tiange thought carefully and felt that this so-called Immortal Mountain was very likely a high-level cultivator's magical treasure. While independent spaces like the Void Heaven Realm were indeed heaven-defying existences, difficult even for Deity Transformation cultivators to obtain, portable cave abodes were not so rare—they were just extremely expensive, so few possessed them.
These portable cave abodes were often crafted to resemble magical treasures. When used, they would transform into an object—perhaps a mountain, a pagoda, a boat, or simply a house. After transformation, their owner could reside within.
The principle was also simple. Many cultivators above the Core Formation stage used flying magical treasures that were inconspicuous when taken out but would transform into a carriage or boat when activated. For example, Dao Lord Jinghe's Cloud Carriage was such a magical treasure.
However, a portable cave abode like this was far more costly to construct than a Cloud Carriage. Even for a sect disciple like her who didn't lack Spirit Stones, it was an astronomical price. Even Dao Lord Jinghe probably wouldn't be willing to spend that much. Furthermore, the required materials and techniques were also exceedingly difficult to obtain. Even if one could afford the price, there might not be anyone capable of crafting it. Thus, while many high-level cultivators knew of such things, few actually owned them.
Wouldn't the Spirit Stones needed to make a portable cave abode be better spent on something else? Buying pills or materials could greatly enhance one's cultivation. And what use was a portable cave abode without the support of a spiritual vein? It would still require a lot of Spirit Stones to maintain daily. Its only function was to provide convenience when traveling.
In short, this thing cost a fortune but didn't offer high returns. Unless one's wealth was incalculably vast, few would go to the trouble of making such an item.
And the Immortal Mountain mentioned by the old cultivator was very likely a high-level cultivator's portable cave abode, traveling to this place, staying for a few days, and then departing.
But whether this high-level cultivator came from the South Sea or was a local Yunzhong cultivator passing through was unclear.
After organizing the information heard today, Mo Tiange regretfully discovered that there wasn't anything of great value.
However, she had been mentally prepared for this and wasn't too disappointed.
If clues for returning to the Tianji Region were so easy to find, how could there have been no contact between the Tianji Region and Yunzhong for so many years?
Moreover, a shortcut back to the Tianji Region wasn't necessarily by the coast. One must understand that teleportation formations, spatial rifts, and the like had no concept of distance. Something like the undersea path Mo Yaoqing had found could be said to be a creation of heaven. Finding even one such path was already difficult.
Thinking this, Mo Tiange decided to stay in Deepwater City for three to five days before heading south. She would travel through the major cultivation cities of Dongtang Country, then go take a look at Nanzhou Country, and also the west. The western part of Yunzhong had never been incorporated into any sphere of influence because it consisted of barren mountains and treacherous waters with almost no spiritual veins, only scattered small countries of indigenous peoples. However, Mo Tiange didn't want to miss any opportunity. If she still couldn't find clues after traveling through Nanzhou Country, she could indeed go take a look at the west. After all, the more backward the place, the more legends it tended to have.
Thus, after meditating and regulating her breath in the Void Heaven Realm for a night, the next day, Mo Tiange once again transformed into the appearance of the young scholar. She left the temporary courtyard, set up a table and chairs in the tea house, and began collecting strange tales and unusual occurrences.
After the spread of word from the first day, even more people came on this day. However, most of them didn't have anything valuable in hand. Although Mo Tiange didn't mind exchanging with low-level cultivators, she wasn't going to accept just anything. She declined ordinary items one by one, only accepting some novel and interesting curiosities. These cultivators had mostly come to try their luck anyway. Though somewhat disappointed, they didn't take it too hard and still stayed to watch the spectacle.
Aside from these low-level Qi Refining cultivators, there were also some Foundation Establishment cultivators who, hearing the rumors from yesterday, came seeking guidance. Most of these people would offer one or two quite valuable items or share some knowledge, which indeed allowed Mo Tiange to reap considerable gains. She also knew that these Foundation Establishment cultivators were mostly loose cultivators with mediocre aptitude who had arduously advanced to Foundation Establishment. Usually having no one to guide them, they had taken many detours, just like her Second Uncle. Thinking of Second Uncle, she was even more amiable toward these Foundation Establishment cultivators, not stinting on offering a pointer or two where she could.
After several days like this, although the number of onlookers remained high, the Qi Refining cultivators coming to exchange items decreased. Instead, more and more Foundation Establishment cultivators came.
In such a small city, there naturally weren't many Foundation Establishment cultivators among the loose cultivators. Most of these people were disciples from nearby minor sects and clans—some with only one or two Core Formation elders, some whose sects had no Core Formation cultivators at all. Usually having no one to guide their cultivation, upon hearing that a senior had come to Deepwater City, they all seized the chance to come seeking guidance. Some even prepared generous gifts, hoping to invite her to visit their sect.
Mo Tiange naturally refused such invitations. She wasn't here to make money by leveraging her high cultivation. These Foundation Establishment cultivators also understood that it was rather unrealistic for such a profoundly cultivated senior to visit their sect, so they didn't insist. They still presented generous gifts, asking only for a pointer or two. Mo Tiange didn't stand on ceremony about this, nor did she hold back. She accepted the items and did her utmost when offering guidance.
Later on, even Core Formation cultivators came to invite her. Mo Tiange still refused to visit their sects, but she politely conversed and exchanged items with these Core Formation cultivators in the tea house's VIP room, thus making many new acquaintances.
Thus, after staying in Deepwater City for seven or eight days, she finally concluded all her affairs and set off once more.