After several days of rest and recuperation, Li Guanqi's twelfth realm had completely stabilized.
He still practiced diligently every day, and Li Nanting would often share stories about the Cultivation World with him.
Every time he heard a different tale, Guanqi couldn't help but feel that the hearts of those in the Cultivation World were perilous and treacherous.
Li Nanting laughed and said, "These are all experiences your master went through in his youth."
Guanqi replied with a slight smile, "Master doesn't look old at all."
"Ha ha ha, sweet talker, I'm not old yet."
"Me? I'm already two hundred and sixty-seven years old. If I were down in the mortal world, I'd have been buried twice over."
Hearing this, Guanqi couldn't help but smack his lips.
"Indeed."
The old man slapped him on the head and laughed, "You brat."
Li Nanting tapped his pipe and said softly, "Lately, that little girl Sui'an has been sticking to you more and more."
Guanqi also smiled and touched his nose, "I quite like the little girl, she's so sensible it's heart-wrenching."
Anyway, my other courtyard is empty, it's nice to clean up a room for her to stay with me.
Li Nanting smiled and suddenly handed a jade slip to Guanqi, whispering, "I've noticed your aura becoming more and more stable lately, you must have reached a bottleneck."
"As for why you haven't broken through to Foundation Establishment, I suppose you have your own plans, and as your master, I won't rush you."
"I heard you've been seriously practicing Spirit Spells lately, so go and retrieve something for your master."
Guanqi took the green jade slip and saw it was inscribed with a Taoist temple.
"Master, what am I supposed to retrieve?"
Li Nanting's mouth curved into a mysterious smile, "A Thunder Spirit Spell."
"Go to the Taoist temple on Longhou Ridge and find an old man named Ling Daoran. Just say I sent you."
Guanqi asked softly, "Master, you're using all these favors for me, is it worth it?"
Drip-drop.
Li Nanting smoked his pipe, with wisps of blue smoke drifting from his mouth, blurring most of his face.
"Of course, it's worth it!"
"You are my disciple, Li Nanting. Why wouldn't it be worth it to use favors for you?"
"By the way, carry this Foundation Establishment Pill with you at all times, just in case."
Guanqi didn't refuse and took both the Foundation Establishment Pill and the jade slip.
Now he had three Foundation Establishment Pills, over five hundred low-grade Spirit Stones, and twenty mid-grade Spirit Stones.
Most of the mid-grade Spirit Stones were taken from the Storage Ring of the Beast Taming Sect's Sect Master.
Li Nanting glanced at the ring in his hand and said, "It's better to keep your Storage Ring hidden, wealth should not be flaunted."
"Use a Storage Bag instead, it'll save you a lot of trouble."
Guanqi nodded and then descended the mountain.
The next morning, he went to the Hundred Treasures Pavilion to buy a map of the Northern Region.
After all, he would be traveling a lot in the future, and it would be inconvenient without a map.
"What! A complete map of the Northern Region costs a hundred high-grade Spirit Stones! Are you trying to rob me?"
The female cultivator behind the counter covered her mouth and giggled, "Brother Li, you must not know how vast the Northern Region of the Qingyun Continent is."
"It's more than tens of millions of miles, and the difficulty of drawing the map is such that only a Formation Master at the Elemental Infant Realm can barely manage it."
"So… a map of a million miles is already sufficient, and it only costs five mid-grade Spirit Stones~"
Thinking of the Thunder Dragon Egg in his Storage Ring, Guanqi decided, "I can't afford it, just give me a map of a hundred thousand miles."
The female cultivator wasn't annoyed and took the two mid-grade Spirit Stones from Guanqi, then handed him the blue jade slip.
Guanqi walked out of the Hundred Treasures Pavilion feeling the pinch, looking back at the smiling female disciple, feeling like she was eyeing his Spirit Stones.
His Divine Sense entered the jade slip, and a vast map instantly appeared in his mind.
The jade slip detailed all the terrain and major Sect powers within a hundred thousand miles centered around the Great Xia Sword Sect.
When his Divine Sense touched the names of these Sects, various pieces of information emerged.
"Seven String Sect, known for its diverse weapons and hidden arms, Sect Master Cao Xinghua, mid Elemental Infant Realm peak."
Guanqi muttered, "Interesting, to think the map could be made so detailed."
"What kind of power is the Secret Pavilion that produces and sells these maps?"
After putting away the jade slip, Guanqi visited the Mission Pavilion.
While checking the missions, he happened to see one about investigating the turmoil within a dynasty in the territory of the Great Xia Sword Sect.
The mission was simply to investigate and report back, with a modest point reward.
But in Guanqi's nature, even a mosquito's leg is meat, so he took it on.
After all, the place was just behind Longhou Ridge, and it wouldn't take long to get there.
Then Guanqi returned to his courtyard and packed two sets of clothes.
Sui'an poked her little head out at the door and asked softly, "Guanqi, where are you going?"
"Out for a bit."
"Oh… When will you be back?"
Guanqi packed his clothes and rubbed the little girl's head with a smile, "Don't worry, it won't be long. I'll bring you back something tasty."
Sui'an's eyes lit up, and she stamped her foot, declaring, "Then I want the tastiest buns from there! Four! No… six!"
Guanqi laughed heartily and nodded, "Alright, I'll bring back six of the tastiest meat buns from there."
With that, Guanqi shouldered his Sword box and descended the mountain alone.
Along the way, many disciples from within the Sect stopped to bow respectfully to Guanqi.
Rumors about the recent events had spread from the other peaks.
Although people weren't sure if they were true or false, they still held respect for this top talent from the Great Xia Sword Sect.
Guanqi glanced at the map; the closest place he could catch a cloud boat was Minning Fort, merely a hundred miles away.
With his current speed, it would take less than an hour to get there.
If a Foundation Establishment Cultivator flew with a sword, it would take half an hour to travel a hundred miles.
After confirming the direction, Guanqi exerted force under his feet and sprinted southward like a cheetah.
Before long, Guanqi could see various cloud boats shuttling through the sky.
A five-hundred-meter-tall mountain peak had been transformed into a massive platform.
The platform was bustling with buildings and people coming and going.
Seven or eight cloud boats, each over ten meters long, were docked around, and the crowd was clearly wealthy.
Upon reaching the platform, Guanqi was captivated by the lively scene.
The platform had only one street, but both sides were filled with countless stalls.
The shouting was incessant, and suddenly Guanqi smiled slightly, gripping tightly a hand at his waist.
The immense force caused the skinny man to plaster a smile on his face.
"Sir, please be gentle, I was careless today, I apologize."
Guanqi released his grip and said softly, "You've tried to steal from me; if there's a next time… you might not want to keep those hands."
He then waved the Great Xia Sword Sect's jade slip in front of the man.
The man quickly bowed repeatedly, shouting, "This gentleman has sharp eyes, let's hope no one else is so blind!"
After that, with a sycophantic smile, the man led Guanqi onto a very luxurious cloud boat.
Guanqi didn't refuse and boarded the cloud boat directly.
The cloud boat would stop at Wangyue City, the closest to Longhou Ridge.
Proofreader & Editor: Lotas