Chapter 508 - 479: Loose Cultivator Alliance

Chapter 508: Chapter 479: Loose Cultivator Alliance

Li Yuan slowly stopped cultivating.

He had mastered the basics of the Burning Wood Evergreen Skill, and there was much to do next.

Spiritual Power coursed slowly through his meridians, the synergistic cycle of fire and wood continuously replenishing the energy consumed in his Dantian.

The pure white light of the top-grade spiritual pill spun steadily within his Dantian, round and round.

After temporarily settling affairs at the Mist Forest Marketplace, Li Yuan departed for Shuizhou.

He followed the same trade route as before, transferring through the inter-prefectural teleportation network at Celestial Peak Marketplace before making his way to Nanyuan District in Shuizhou.

By the time Li Yuan walked into the marketplace, he had already adjusted his aura to that of a typical Early-stage Golden Core Cultivator.

When Zhou He saw Li Yuan enter, he glanced up, startled at first, and then his pupils contracted sharply.

"You formed your Core?"

"Yeah."

The surprise on Zhou He’s face turned to delight. He clapped Li Yuan on the shoulder, and not gently.

"So, when did you break through?"

"Not long ago."

Zhou He nodded, not pressing for details.

After catching up for a bit, the conversation turned to business.

"Nanyuan District has changed quite a bit since the Teleportation Array opened," Zhou He said, holding his teacup, a note of wistfulness in his voice.

"Before, when shipping materials from the mainland to Shuizhou, the costs and risks of the journey alone ate up most of the profits. Now that the Celestial Peak Sect’s Teleportation Array is open, the price difference for materials has been completely leveled out."

"However, Low Tier materials are still in short supply."

Zhou He shook his head. "It’s not cost-effective to move Low Tier materials through the Teleportation Array, and Shuizhou produces very few of its own, so we rely entirely on imports from the mainland."

Li Yuan mentally filed away this information.

Zhou He took another sip of tea, then suddenly set down his cup and looked at Li Yuan.

"There’s something I wanted to run by you."

"Go on."

"Now that you’re a Golden Core Cultivator and you frequently travel between the mainland and the sea, are you interested in joining the Loose Cultivator Alliance?"

Li Yuan looked at him.

Zhou He explained, "The Loose Cultivator Alliance is the largest independent faction in the sea region, with members on every island and in every marketplace in the outer seas. I’m a member myself."

"What’s the alliance’s structure like?"

"Overall, it’s not that unstructured; each tier has clear regulations and a mission system. But the constraints on Golden Core Cultivators are very lax. You basically just register your name to enjoy the alliance’s travel and intelligence privileges." Zhou He paused for a moment.

"But there are definite benefits to joining. The sea region isn’t like the mainland—the rules here are different."

"How so?"

"Travel at sea is a major issue," Zhou He said, his expression turning serious as he set down his cup.

"For Foundation Establishment Cultivators, flying alone over the sea makes replenishing Spiritual Power extremely difficult. There are no Spirit Veins on the ocean’s surface, and the Spiritual Qi is much less dense than on land. If a cultivator can’t replenish the Spiritual Power they spend on flight, they’ll get slower and slower, forced to take the risk of cultivating on or in the water just to recover."

"That’s why Foundation Establishment Cultivators always travel by ship in groups when they go to sea. The ships are equipped with Spirit Gathering Arrays and Defensive Arrays, people can take turns on watch, and they can support each other if they encounter Sea Beasts. One of the alliance’s most important functions is to provide Loose Cultivators with a platform for forming teams and sharing intelligence on sea routes."

"And Golden Core Cultivators?"

"Golden Core Cultivators have it much better than those at Foundation Establishment. They have ample Spiritual Power reserves and fly much faster, so ordinary Low Tier Sea Beasts won’t dare to provoke them. But it’s still not completely safe."

Zhou He continued, "The deep sea has Tier Three and even higher-tiered Sea Demons. It’s not unheard of for a lone Golden Core Cultivator to be surrounded and attacked."

Cultivators in the sea region continued the tradition of group travel by ship, not just for safety, but because resupplying at sea was heavily dependent on fixed outposts. Without the backing of an alliance or a major power, it was incredibly difficult for a Loose Cultivator to operate in the sea region long-term.

"I’m a land-based cultivator. Would that be an issue?" Li Yuan asked.

"Not at all." Zhou He waved his hand dismissively. "The alliance welcomes all comers; we have plenty of land-based cultivators. As long as you have a Golden Core cultivation, you just need to register on the main island. Besides, you’ve been doing business in Shuizhou for years, which makes you practically one of us already."

Li Yuan considered this for a moment.

’The alliance’s travel privileges and intelligence network would be a real help for my operations in the sea region, and the constraints on Golden Core members are minimal. The benefits of joining far outweigh the costs.’

"Alright."

Zhou He broke into a smile. "Excellent. I’ll send a message back to the alliance to get the internal process started. An application from a Golden Core Cultivator will almost certainly be approved quickly."

He stood up, retrieved a communication jade slip from behind a medicine cabinet, and infused it with Spiritual Power.

A moment later, the jade slip glowed, and a reply came through.

"All set," Zhou He said, putting the jade slip away. "The alliance replied quickly. They want you to report to the main island to formally register. I’ll take you there."

The two of them flew off immediately. Two days later, they were hovering above the main island.

The main island was several times larger than Nanyuan District. Buildings were scattered across it in a pleasing arrangement, and its harbor was filled with ships of all kinds. From a distance, a faint blue curtain of light enveloped the island—a Defensive Array that covered it entirely.

Li Yuan followed Zhou He as they landed, and they walked along a stone-paved road toward the island’s center.

The alliance’s council hall was housed in a three-story stone building at the island’s heart. The building’s exterior was plain, but its array-based Restrictions were extremely tight. The doors and windows of every floor were embedded with Spiritual Power-sensing Array Patterns.

Zhou He stopped at the entrance. A Late-stage Foundation Establishment Cultivator on guard duty glanced at Li Yuan and said respectfully, "Esteemed Golden Core Daoist, please follow me. The president is already waiting."

「Second Floor, Reception Hall」

An old man in a deep blue cultivator’s robe sat in the host’s seat. His face was gaunt and his eyes were sunken, but they were exceptionally bright, his gaze sharp. The Spiritual Power undulating around him was deep and heavy—he was at Late-stage Golden Core.

The President of the Loose Cultivator Alliance.

Seeing Li Yuan enter, the old man immediately rose and took two steps forward to greet him, an extremely warm smile on his face.

"Li Dao You, a Golden Core Cultivator from the mainland with your own trade routes in Shuizhou... you are exactly the kind of talent the alliance has been hoping for."

Lu Yuanxing got straight to the point.

"Frankly, Dao You, while the Celestial Peak Sect’s ultra-long-distance Teleportation Array is now open, the fees are exorbitant and the transport capacity is limited. Most of the Loose Cultivator Alliance’s members are local to the sea region, so our procurement channels for mainland materials have always been our weak point."

"So the president wants my help transporting goods?"

"I wouldn’t presume to call it ’help’," Lu Yuanxing said with a smile. "It’s a partnership. The Low Tier materials that Li Dao You brings from the mainland can be sold in the sea region for much less than what comes through the Teleportation Array. You earn a profit on the price difference, and our alliance members get access to affordable goods. It’s a win-win."

Li Yuan nodded but didn’t commit immediately.

"Tell me about the conditions and benefits of joining."

Lu Yuanxing began to list the points on his fingers.

"As for the conditions, they’re extremely simple for a Golden Core Cultivator. You register your identity, pay a symbolic entry fee, and then complete at least a few transactions each year in the alliance’s island marketplaces. There are no attendance requirements, no compulsory missions, and we don’t restrict our esteemed Daoists from joining other powers simultaneously."

"As for the benefits, there are four main perks. First, access and mooring rights to all alliance islands, with no additional fees. Second, access to the alliance’s nautical charts and intelligence network, which includes information on Demon Beast distribution, Spirit Vein locations, marked danger zones, and so on. Third, you’ll receive an internal discount on all transactions in alliance marketplaces—five percent below market price. Fourth, if you need specific resources or rare materials, you can complete alliance missions to earn Contribution Points, which you can then use for exchanges."

"Do new members receive any starting Contribution Points?"

"They do." Lu Yuanxing retrieved a blue jade token from the table and handed it over. "Upon joining, Golden Core Cultivators are granted five hundred Contribution Points. That’s a fairly generous amount within the alliance, enough to exchange for a few mid-grade Magic or a batch of Tier Two Spiritual Materials."

Li Yuan accepted the jade token and probed it with his Spiritual Power.

’The token contained the alliance’s basic regulations and a list of items available for Contribution Points. The purchasing power of five hundred points was indeed substantial, which showed just how much the alliance valued its Golden Core Cultivators.’

"What’s the extent of the alliance’s reach in the sea region?"

"The entire outer sea," Lu Yuanxing said with a touch of pride. "The Loose Cultivator Alliance is the largest faction in the sea region by both membership and coverage. From the inner seas to the outer seas, from the Kunpeng Archipelago to the Southern Abyss Sea Region, the alliance has established trading marketplaces and supply stations on over a dozen islands. We have more than three thousand members in total, including over ten Golden Core Cultivators."

"Furthermore, the alliance has already formed partnerships with the Dragon Abyss Pavilion, the Coral Palace, and other Sects."

Li Yuan processed all this information.

’The Loose Cultivator Alliance was much larger than he had anticipated. Over three thousand members, more than a dozen island marketplaces, ten-plus Golden Core Cultivators, and a network of partnerships with various powers—it was already a force to be reckoned with in the sea region.’

"Alright. I’ll join."

Lu Yuanxing’s face lit up with pleasure, and he handled the joining procedures on the spot. Li Yuan imprinted his Spiritual Mark on the jade token, officially becoming a Golden Core Level member of the Loose Cultivator Alliance.

Once the formalities were complete, Lu Yuanxing poured Li Yuan another cup of tea.

"Oh, right, there’s one more thing I wanted to mention, Li Dao You."

"Please, go on."

"The deep sea has been restless lately." Lu Yuanxing’s expression grew a little more serious. "Over the past six months, Demon Beast activity in the deep sea has become increasingly frequent. Large numbers of Low Tier Sea Demons have surged from the depths into the shallows, and even a few Tier Three Sea Demons have appeared in waters they shouldn’t be in. The alliance’s patrols have been attacked multiple times and have suffered considerable losses."

"Has the cause been determined?"

"Nothing conclusive yet." Lu Yuanxing shook his head.

"Some speculate that a Spirit Vein somewhere in the deep sea has undergone some kind of mutation, destroying the Sea Demons’ habitat and forcing them to migrate. Others say the seal on an underwater ruin has weakened, releasing Spiritual Qi that has attracted them. The specific cause is still under investigation."

Lu Yuanxing paused, then continued, "The alliance is preparing a deep-sea clearing mission, scheduled to depart in half a month. The main objective is to eliminate several Sea Demon gathering points and restore the safety of our shipping lanes. The mission area is near a submerged Reef Group."

’A submerged reef group.’

Li Yuan’s heart stirred.

’The location of that reef group wasn’t far from the third fork’s Teleportation Array he had discovered in the underwater ruins.’

"Are there Contribution Point rewards for the mission?"

"Of course." Lu Yuanxing nodded. "Contribution Points will be awarded based on the number and tier of Sea Demons killed."

Li Yuan didn’t commit right away, simply nodding to show he had heard.

When he came out of the council hall, Zhou He was waiting for him.

"How did it go?"

"I’m in," Li Yuan said, stowing the jade token.

Zhou He smiled. "Good. With an alliance membership, things will be much more convenient for you at sea."

The two of them walked along the stone path toward the docks.

At the docks, the moored ships swayed gently in the sea breeze, and in the distance, the ocean’s surface shimmered with golden light under the setting sun.