"Tea Appreciation Pavilion?"
Chu Xuan gazed at the plaque of this top-tier cave with a faint smile.
Chu Xuan took out the storage bag the beautiful woman had given him and retrieved an ancient sandalwood token from within. With a slight wave, the heavy stone door rumbled open.
Just as he was about to step inside, a figure quickly approached from the side, seemingly returning to the cave. Upon seeing Chu Xuan about to enter, the person immediately displayed an expression of surprise.
"This Tea Appreciation Pavilion has always been vacant. Fellow Daoist, have you rented this cave?"
Before Chu Xuan could respond, the man smiled warmly. "I am Ji Canghai, residing in the small pavilion next door. May I ask, Fellow Daoist, what is your name and where do you hail from?"
Chu Xuan looked at the man. He was tall, with a sturdy build—a broad back and a narrow waist. His attire was a vibrant blue martial outfit, with a jade belt around his waist, adorned with a dozen or so small jade bottles, their purpose unknown.
The man's face was not sharp or imposing, but rather gentle and approachable. One could not help but feel a sense of likability upon first glance.
Chu Xuan instinctively felt wary of such people. The more humble and courteous someone appeared, the more dangerous they might be. He had encountered many like this before.
However, he didn't reveal his caution and simply responded with a smile. "I am He Liang, a cultivator of the alchemical arts. I came to Neon Garment Island to engage in some small business."
He had already learned from He Zha that the Divine Sword Sect strictly forbade the sale of demonic talismans and evil elixirs. Therefore, he had not used the identity of Liu Zhenxiong, the demonic talisman master. Instead, he had adopted the identity of He Liang, a legitimate alchemist. At present, he was a genuine righteous alchemist, not a demonic cultivator.
Ji Canghai immediately nodded. "Ah, a distinguished alchemist! A pleasure to meet you! I just so happen to be in need of some medicinal pills. Would it be possible for Fellow Daoist to refine some for me?"
Chu Xuan shook his head. "I am new here and plan to rest for a while. Once my shop is open, I will send you a message, Fellow Daoist Ji. When the time comes, I hope you will come and support me."
Ji Canghai smiled and nodded. "Of course, of course!" With that, he took the lead and returned to his cave.
Chu Xuan entered the Tea Appreciation Pavilion. Though it was called a cave, it was not located within a mountain, but rather was a refined courtyard. Pavilions, towers, small bridges, and flowing streams—everything one could desire was present. The decorations were exquisite, crafted to perfection.
Chu Xuan had already examined it. The size of this top-tier cave was five times that of a mid-tier cave, and twenty times that of a low-tier cave!
"The array here is insufficient. I'll need to add a few more," he muttered.
After walking around the cave a few times, Chu Xuan immediately began enhancing the various defensive and early-warning arrays. The original formations within the Tea Appreciation Pavilion were not to his trust, especially for the training room, where he frequently traveled between realms. He would need to set up a small array to thoroughly block any detection. He could not allow anyone to learn of his secret ability to traverse between worlds.
This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.
Once the arrays were set up, Chu Xuan breathed a sigh of relief, took a step, and returned to Blue Star.
...
Blue Star, Water Curtain Cave.
Before Chu Xuan lay a row of barbecue grills. The meat of the Black Magic Whale was turning on the grill. Ordinary mortal fire could never roast meat from a Deity Transformation stage demonic beast. Instead, he used the Netherfire.
At this moment, golden oil droplets were beginning to drip down from the Black Magic Whale meat. The aroma of the grilling meat was like a gentle woman's hand, stirring the heartstrings with every whiff.
Beside the grill, Hu stood like an iron tower, motionless. In its hand, it held a large iron tray, filled with various seasonings. Chili powder, black pepper, salt, cumin powder… everything was there.
Chu Xuan sprinkled each piece of Black Magic Whale meat with different spices before picking it up and chewing heartily. It wasn't that he particularly enjoyed the food.
In fact, after eating so much, he had begun to feel a bit queasy. So, he had to change it up a bit. Today, stew; tomorrow, barbecue; the day after, dumplings.
Fortunately, with the cooking skills from his past life stored in his mind, he was able to handle it. Otherwise, he would truly be at a loss.
Lying on the reclining chair, Chu Xuan devoured the charcoal-grilled Black Magic Whale meat, his gaze drifting up to the azure sky.
"I've already reached the forty-second stage in body refinement. By rights, I should be able to cross the stars with my physical body now.
"However… the scientists of Blue Star have long explored the stars, and the solar system that Blue Star resides in only has three planets, and no signs of life on any of them except for Blue Star.
"At most, I could reach the edge of this star system, the Pegasus Star, or further still, the Soul Star. That would take an unimaginable amount of time."
Chu Xuan pondered for a moment, then dismissed the thought. He could use the Golden Dragon ship instead. But it would consume too many spirit stones. It would not be worth the cost. After much contemplation, only two matters remained for him to focus on.
First, he needed to monitor the situation in the cave world and manipulate the King of the Myriad Insects, Xiao Renjie, to obtain more Diamond-tier insect cultivation methods. Second, he had to push the mermaid corps to accelerate their search of the deep seas and uncover the origins of the giants.
The second task had yielded no news for a long time. Over a million mermaid corpses had already been dispatched, but decades had passed with no response.
"Hmm? The Myriad Insects Kingdom is making a move. Looks like that old fox, Xiao Renjie, can't hold himself back anymore."
Chu Xuan smiled faintly, and immediately linked his spiritual sense to the fragment of the mirror.
...
Cave World.
The King's Palace of the Myriad Insects Kingdom.
Xiao Renjie stared at his reflection in the mirror, his expression growing increasingly grim.
"My time is running out. The Diamond-tier insect cultivation method of the Heavenly Cave Kingdom must be mine!"
In the mirror, his face was haggard, his aging features all too evident. After obtaining the recipe for Earth Longevity Wine, he had ordered his entire kingdom to gather the necessary herbs. Within a year, he had crafted the wine. One bottle of Earth Longevity Wine could extend his life by twenty years.
But now, after consuming four bottles, the increase in his lifespan had grown progressively smaller. It was clear that Earth Longevity Wine could no longer satisfy his needs.
However, he was still far from reaching a higher realm. He did not believe that, in his current state, he could break through to a higher level above the Diamond-tier Insect Master. He could no longer hold himself back. He was ready for war. He would annex the other two major kingdoms!
But victory would not come simply by making grand declarations. Crushing the aristocracy, consolidating power, reforming the military, reducing excess personnel, increasing taxes, stockpiling supplies, gathering intelligence, sowing discord among enemy nations…
All of these required time. In the past, he had refrained from acting out of fear of offending the aristocrats and destabilizing his foundation. But now, he had no choice but to take action. For years, he had been gathering strength.
Moreover, he had taken the moral high ground. The small frictions and conflicts along the border between the Myriad Insects Kingdom and the Heavenly Cave Kingdom had all been intentionally allowed to escalate.
He had even ordered the Insect Masters of the Myriad Insects Kingdom to retreat, showing weakness in front of the Heavenly Cave Insect Masters, allowing their arrogance to grow unchecked.
Everything had been done to prepare for this moment. When the minor skirmishes eventually escalated into bloody incidents and sparked public outrage, his purpose would be fulfilled. Now, the Myriad Insects Kingdom had a mighty army, ready for battle!
Meanwhile, the Heavenly Cave Kingdom was plagued by disasters and public discontent.
If not now, when?