Rising from Small Cloud Rain Technique

Ji An’s thoughts scattered, perhaps he could explore a path to elevate the Silk Thread Spell to the Perfection or even Great Perfection Level.

If such a day truly came, he wondered what expression the cultivators of the Golden Puppet Sect would have.

At that moment, he was startled, fearing the cultivators of the Golden Puppet Sect might see him as an enemy and want to kill him quickly.

However, he calmed down quickly; the Silk Thread Spell is a Divine Sense Secret Technique, as long as he didn’t show it, outsiders wouldn’t know his level of mastery in the Magic Technique.

He shook his head gently and murmured to himself:

"In the future, I shouldn’t control too many puppets to attack enemies simultaneously."

Han Yan flew over on a cloud, wearing a green silk skirt, standing on a red auspicious cloud, presenting a unique charm.

"Is such an outfit alright?"

Ji An nodded slightly, "As long as it’s not the sect’s standard Daoist robe, it’s fine. Let’s fly over there on the cloud, as high as possible."

The width of Kuangsha River generally reaches a hundred miles, even in narrow areas, it’s seventy to eighty miles wide, teeming with water-dwelling demon beasts.

If flying too low, a Golden Core Stage Great Demon might swallow them in one gulp.

The two ascended a hundred feet on their clouds, each summoning a top-grade spiritual artifact from their dantian for protection, then crossed Kuangsha River without incident.

Han Yan spoke:

"We’re currently in the northeast part of the Southern Continent, this area doesn’t have many high mountains, and we still have to fly west along Kuangsha River.

We also need to find a marketplace, I need to purchase some fire element essence."

The essence she carried was running low, lasting just over half a month.

Ji An nodded, "I also need to buy some earth element essence."

His Void Realm Space was well-stocked with fire element essence, given that Red Flame Peak is abundant in fire element essence.

However, earth element essence was much scarcer, and if he opened the quantity, the Wuji Xinghuang Banner could consume over 2500 strands of essence daily.

The two of them retrieved their map jade slips, locating their current position.

Han Yan exclaimed with delight:

"Flying two thousand miles further west will bring us to a Rongman Immortal City, where we can rest for a few days."

According to the information, this Immortal City is even larger than Cyan Cloud Immortal City, serving as a hub for goods in the Southern Continent.

Ji An also showed joy, saying:

"If we fly with full effort, we can reach there in two days.

Sister, let’s stay there a few more days, I want to see if I can collect some good spirit seeds."

Collecting spirit seeds had become his habit; he did this whenever he reached a new place.

Han Yan readily agreed:

"Great, we’ve been rushing for so many days, a good rest would be nice."

...

Two days later, in the evening.

Ji An saw an Immortal City built on a black stone mountain, with a growing number of cultivators coming and going.

The cultivators here mostly rode fierce bird-like demon beasts—eagles, hawks, owls, and so on, indicating the local cultivators had a competitive and aggressive nature.

The two of them traveled on their cloud, and no cultivators dared to provoke them; most avoided them from a distance.

As they got closer to the Immortal City, Han Yan observed the continuous stream of cultivators and said with surprise:

"There are so many more cultivators coming and going here than in Cyan Cloud Immortal City."

Ji An frowned slightly, indeed this place felt much more prosperous than Cyan Cloud Immortal City.

The two landed at the Immortal City’s entrance, where the guarding cultivators respectfully presented jade tokens, speaking with a dialect accent:

"Welcome to Rongman Immortal City, may you have a wonderful experience here.

With this temporary Jade Token, you can stay for seven days. If you wish to stay longer, you’ll need to pay Spirit Stones or rent a grotto mansion at the city’s enforcement office."

The cultivators easily recognized that it was their first time at the Immortal City since Chao Origin Stage cultivators could fly directly into the city and land in a designated area.

Ji An took the jade token and said:

"I want to know the city rules, and also need a detailed map."

When arriving at a new place, it’s crucial to adapt to the local customs to avoid unnecessary trouble.

The cultivator pulled out two jade slips, smiling:

"The jade slips contain the information you need. Since you’re a Chao Origin Stage cultivator, they’re free for you."

Ji An took out two Spirit Stones from his Storage Bag and tossed them to the other party, saying:

"Here’s a reward for you."

He handed one jade slip to Han Yan and examined the contents:

"Sister, let’s find a place to settle down and rest, and explore the city tomorrow to purchase the necessary materials. How does that sound?"

"Sure, let’s head to a tavern first to taste some spiritual food."

Han Yan suggested; these days, they’ve been either consuming Qi or taking Fasting Pills, with no flavorful food.

"I was thinking the same."

Ji An smiled, and the pair went to the largest tavern, choosing to sit in the main hall instead of a private room.

Eating here might allow them to overhear some news.

As soon as they sat down, a clerk approached them, enthusiastically saying:

"What would you like to order, sirs?"

"Tell us about your signature dishes and their prices, and we’ll decide after listening."

"Sure, sir. Please listen carefully."

The clerk’s tone was even more enthusiastic, suggesting the guests were not short on Spirit Stones.

"Steamed Bear Paw, sourced from a Late-stage Foundation Establishment demon bear, costing one hundred twenty Spirit Stones.

Braised Eight-Treasure Fish, made from Foundation Establishment Stage Treasure Fish, one hundred and eighty Spirit Stones.

Smoked White Peacock, using Late-stage Qi Refining Spirit Bird, fifty Spirit Stones...

After listening to the clerk’s report, Ji An nodded slightly, thinking to himself that there were quite a few options.

"Senior Sister, you choose. We’ll be here for a few days anyway, so we’ll try all these specialties."

Han Yan smiled and said:

"Then I won’t hold back. Next time, Junior Brother can choose, and we’ll split the bill later.

Steamed Bear Paw, Smoked White Peacock..."

She listed six dishes, which the clerk noted down carefully before leaving happily.

Ji An took out two jars of Spirit Wine from his Storage Bag, just Tier Two Lower Grade Pine Nut Wine, as drinking higher grade Spirit Wine would draw too much attention.

He filled the cups and quietly listened to the surrounding conversations.

"Hey, Old Zhang, I’m really unlucky. I went to Lantao Mountain and found nothing good."

"Hehe, you got the news too late, of course the good stuff was taken by someone else.

I heard that Tiger Xinn from Qifeng Village got a Grotto Void Stone the size of an egg, I’m so jealous."

"What? How many Spirit Stones is that worth!"

"Spirit Stones? I heard Tiger Xinn wanted to offer the Grotto Void Stone to a cultivator from the Earth Evil Sect to join the Nascent Soul Sect.

But the news leaked, and he was ambushed on the way.

Now, he didn’t become a cultivator of the Earth Evil Sect, but he might become materials for them."

"I see, then I’m relieved."

Ji An listened around and found that most of the cultivators were discussing a place called Lantao Mountain, saying that last night there was a burst of treasure light, and many rare flowers, herbs, and Grotto Void Stones appeared out of thin air.

The first wave of cultivators at Lantao Mountain made a fortune or were killed by robbers.

Han Yan also heard the discussions, her eyes suddenly brightened, and she transmitted:

"Junior Brother, did you hear what they were discussing?"

Ji An nodded slightly to indicate he heard, then heard his Senior Sister’s transmission again.

"If I’m not mistaken, there should be an unknown Secret Realm near Lantao Mountain whose lifespan has ended and exploded, which is why so many Grotto Void Stones appeared."

Little Worlds and Secret Realms have lifespans, ranging from hundreds to thousands or even tens of thousands of years.

"These Grotto Void Stones and various Spirit Plants are not the most precious things. If the Secret Realm contains a World Core, that’s a priceless treasure."

"The World Core is a ’seed’ that can nurture a new Little World.

This World Core is the highest form of Grotto Void Stone, which can sustain living creatures inside.

Junior Brother, let’s find out the location of Lantao Mountain later, we must check it out."

Though it was a transmission, Ji An could sense his Senior Sister’s excitement, and he was equally excited, sparks igniting in his eyes.

"Senior Sister, the news will spread quickly, and when it does, the local sects of the Southern Continent will inevitably intervene, we don’t have much time."

Ji An transmitted, taking out the Map Jade Slip of the Southern Continent, placing it against his forehead, and searching around Rongman Immortal City.

But he didn’t find the name Lantao Mountain, not even a mountain with the word ’Peach’ in it.

’It must be an insignificant little mountain, not qualified to be named on the map.’

He stood up, picked up the wine jar, and went to the table of cultivators discussing Tiger Xinn being ambushed, and smiled:

"Fellow Daoists, I’ve traveled from afar and heard you discussing Lantao Mountain, and I’d like to ask where it is.

If you would kindly tell me, this jar of Spirit Wine is yours."

With that, he slapped the sealing mud off the wine jar, and the fragrance of the wine filled the air.

The quality of Spirit Wine from Red Flame Peak is top-notch.

"Good wine, but one jar is not enough."

Old Zhang’s face showed greed as he chuckled, grabbing the wine jar for himself.

Since this information-seeking cultivator is from out of town, he must extract more benefits.

Other cultivators who overheard them looked over with interest.

Ji An bared his teeth, releasing Chao Origin Stage level pressure.

He controlled the range of the Spiritual Pressure, and in an instant, Old Zhang’s chuckle froze, and he hurriedly stood up:

"Se-Senior, just a joke, please don’t mind it.

Lantao Mountain is over four hundred miles southwest of the Immortal City, it’s a small hill known for its peach grove."

Upon hearing Old Zhang address the outsider as Senior, others withdrew their gazes and quietly ate their meals.

Old Zhang dipped his finger in the wine and drew a simple map on the table, gesturing:

"Senior, here’s the Immortal City, and Lantao Mountain is in this direction."

"The Spirit Wine is yours."

Ji An returned to his seat, saying:

"Senior Sister, let’s set off now. Spiritual Food can wait, but the opportunity at Lantao Mountain is once in a lifetime."

Han Yan immediately stood up, "Let’s go."

The two of them walked to the restaurant counter, and Ji An placed two Middle-grade Spirit Stones on the table:

"Shopkeeper, we don’t want the Spiritual Food, consider these Spirit Stones a compensation."

The shopkeeper showed a helpless smile, having also heard Old Zhang refer to the other as Senior.

Old Zhang is a Late-stage Foundation Establishment Cultivator, greedy and arrogant, only compliant when facing a Chao Origin Stage Cultivator.

"Safe travels, Senior, there’s no need for compensation."

Ji An waved with a smile and then strode out.