Chapter 331: The Canglan Sea
He’d known Tie Zhu for years. The man had long since reached the peak of Qi Condensation, but the breakthrough to Foundation Establishment still eluded him.
From a distance, Tie Zhu spotted him and waved. “Senior Brother Jiang~”
As he drew closer, Jiang Chen offered a light smile. “I’ve been a bit busy lately. Sorry I forgot to talk to you about tilling the soil.”
Tie Zhu nodded in understanding. “You’re a Spirit Nurturing Emissary now. It’s only natural you’d be busy.”
Jiang Chen glanced over the five acres of spirit farms. With all the valuable plants now safely transplanted into his portable dimension, he had no fear of his secrets being exposed. “I’m not in a hurry to plant anything. Just take your time and work on these fields one by one.”
Tie Zhu, thinking Jiang Chen was worried about overworking him, felt a flicker of warmth.
While the man began to loosen the soil, Jiang Chen considered for a moment before asking, “We’re heading to Mystic Heart City for a bit. Want to come along?”
The sudden invitation caught Tie Zhu completely off guard, but his surprise quickly turned to delight. “Mystic Heart City? I’ve been wanting to go there for ages!”
Green City had been thoroughly explored. They had seen all the sights and done all there was to do. At the end of the day, it was just a small town. Its main draws were the monster cores from the Dark Forest and the bustling Loose Cultivator market. Without those, the only other point of interest was the Fragrance Pavilion, and that was it.
Mystic Heart City, however, was in a different league entirely. It was a true metropolis, a nexus for cultivators, and it dwarfed Green City in every conceivable way.Take hunting grounds, for example. Green City had the Dark Forest. Mystic Heart City had the vast Canglan Sea.
Or entertainment. Green City had the Fragrance Pavilion. Mystic Heart City boasted the Sea Demon Pavilion, an establishment far superior.
As for trade, auctions, and commerce of every kind, the opportunities were countless. Mystic Heart City wasn’t just home to Loose Cultivators; it was a gathering place for powerful cultivation families and sects of all stripes. The sheer scale of its prosperity and activity made Green City look like a sleepy village by comparison—it was at least ten times grander.
With the decision made, Jiang Chen returned to his stone house to discuss the upcoming opening of the Return to Ruins Secret Realm with Jin Fugui and Mo Yu. They had all made immense sacrifices for the venture, scrimping and saving, putting everything on the line.
Jin Fugui had lost his spirit beast.
Mo Yu, his prized fishing gear.
And Jiang Chen… he’d nearly lost a kidney.
Time flew, and the day of their departure for Mystic Heart City arrived. The traveling party consisted of Jiang Chen, Long Ao, Jin Fugui, Mo Yu, Chen Bo, Li Xianglin, and Tie Zhu.
“There are too many of us for Storm Crane 7,” Long Ao suggested, a smirk playing on his lips. “We should use Jiang Chen’s new ride instead.”
Jiang Chen shot a look at Long Ao. The bastard was visibly struggling to contain his laughter, a sure sign he was up to no good. Rolling his eyes, Jiang Chen summoned the Calyx Boat. Unlike the Demon Dragon’s Water-Parting Ship, which was bound by both blood essence and spiritual sense, he’d only left a spiritual sense imprint on this vessel—a temporary mark he could erase at will.
As the enormous, jade-white flower materialized before them, a stunned silence fell over the group.
Only Li Xianglin, the sole woman in their party, looked upon it with delight. She examined it from top to bottom, even reaching out a hand to stroke its petal-like hull.
Chen Bo pondered for a long moment before asking, “So, are you Junior Brother Jiang or Junior Sister Jiang?”
Jin Fugui sucked air through his teeth. “Old Jiang, you’re a quiet one. I never would’ve pegged you for having such… flamboyant tastes.”
Mo Yu and Tie Zhu remained silent, their lips pressed into thin lines, faces taut. They stared straight ahead with a vacant, thousand-yard stare, as if trying to mentally distance themselves from the scene.
Jiang Chen felt the urge to explain, but he knew it was useless. No one would believe him. Instead, he decided to just lean into it. “This is the ride. Take it or leave it.”
“I don’t care what you guys do, I’m definitely riding it!” Li Xianglin declared immediately.
Chen Bo and the others exchanged a look. “Seems we don’t have another choice.”
Resigned, they all boarded the garish Calyx Boat. Once inside, they were surprised to find it was quite spacious, with room for at least seven or eight more people. After a few moments, they even began to feel it wasn’t entirely unacceptable.
“You know, it’s actually pretty comfortable in here!”
“The exterior might be a bit… much, but the inside is actually pretty nice!”
“We’ll just have to get used to it, Junior Sister Jiang!”
The jab from Chen Bo made the corner of Jiang Chen’s eye twitch uncontrollably. Who would have thought? Even the ever-serious Senior Brother Chen had learned to be a scoundrel. He desperately wanted to bring out the Demon Dragon’s Water-Parting Ship, but the vessel was simply too extraordinary. Anyone with a discerning eye would recognize its quality and capabilities instantly. Without the absolute strength to defend it, showing it off would be an open invitation for disaster.
With a soft hum, the Calyx Boat slowly lifted into the air. At the same time, a powerful, heart-penetrating floral fragrance wafted through the air.
Jin Fugui and the others froze, their eyes widening as a horrifying realization dawned on them. They stared at the boat’s interior with expressions of pure disbelief. If they weren’t mistaken, the fragrance was emanating from the boat itself.
Long Ao finally broke, clutching his stomach as he roared with laughter. “Hahaha!”
A wicked grin spread across Jiang Chen’s face. “Well, we’re all in this ridiculous boat together now. Might as well share the embarrassment!”
At that, the teasing died on their lips. The comfortable seats suddenly felt like they were made of thorns, and a profound sense of mortification settled over them.
Only Li Xianglin was thoroughly enjoying herself, already wishing she had a Calyx Boat of her own.
Fortunately, the vessel was surprisingly fast. A trip to Mystic Heart City on a large flying sword would take between two to four hours. The Calyx Boat was comparable, easily capable of making the journey within that timeframe.
As they drew closer to their destination, the landscape below began to transform. The cluttered inland terrain gave way to a sudden, breathtaking expanse. An endless ocean stretched out to the horizon.
But the water wasn’t the familiar azure blue of a normal sea; it shimmered with a faint turquoise sheen. The reason for this was a dragon vein, more than ten thousand years old, that lay dormant on the seabed of the Canglan Sea. It was a vein of power far superior to a mere spirit vein, containing a nearly infinite reserve of Spirit Qi.
As sunlight pierced the surface, they could see faint threads of golden light swirling dozens of feet below—Spirit Qi seeping from the dragon vein. When small fish swam through these currents, their scales would momentarily glitter with a fine dusting of iridescent light.
The coastal waters were dominated by vast forests of coral. There were white corals as translucent as jade, pink corals that glowed with a pearlescent luster, and even a peculiar ink-black coral whose branches wept viscous, transparent beads. When these droplets touched the water, they would burst into ephemeral motes of white light before vanishing.
With the exception of Long Ao, it was the first time any of them had seen this place. They were left utterly awestruck by the majestic vista of the Canglan Sea.
After a long silence, Jiang Chen finally spoke. “Senior Brother Long, you come to Mystic Heart City often. Why don’t you give us an introduction?”
Long Ao nodded. “Mystic Heart City is built on an island right here in the Canglan Sea. Much like Green City, its economy revolves around hunting—only here, they hunt sea demons. Cultivators also dive for all sorts of rare and precious materials from the seabed, including heavenly treasures. Among them…”