Cultivation is just so scientific!

Chapter 298: Chapter 195 Passing the Barrier_2

In the body of the black ox, one could feel the faint fluctuations of Spiritual Power Pattern.

This black ox possessed a spirit beast bloodline, though not substantially, but even so, its physical strength and power were incomparable to that of ordinary beasts.

“Fellow, follow me!” said the Mid-stage Foundation Establishment Shopkeeper, gesturing to Li Shiming after spotting him.

The two did not exchange names, as Xu Chuan had specifically mentioned this, expressing his concerns about the reliability of this channel.

Of course, what Xu Chuan was worried about at the time was not whether Li Shiming could be sent out of the Ten Thousand Great Mountains, but that someone within the channel might leak his information to the Senluo Sect.

Li Shiming was very cautious, he had even disguised his face.

...
“Fellow, sit inside here, make no sound. The truck will take you out of the Ten Thousand Great Mountains, it will take about fourteen hours, then you can come out,” said the Mid-stage Foundation Establishment Shopkeeper, opening a side panel of the truck.

Li Shiming discovered that at the bottom of this truck, there was a space big enough for one person, just enough for him to hide in.

Although there were Spiritual Objects used here to isolate the aura, he did not believe that this method could take him out of the Ten Thousand Great Mountains.

Bcause such a means was too simple, it simply couldn’t withstand an inspection, any slightly experienced cultivator could easily find the smuggled goods inside the truck.

“Fellow, rest assured, we have years of experience in transporting cultivators this way, and we’ve never failed. Not just us, but other shops belonging to other sects also use the same method to enter and leave the Ten Thousand Great Mountains,” the Mid-stage Foundation Establishment Shopkeeper explained softly, noticing Li Shiming’s hesitation.

After the explanation from the Mid-stage Foundation Establishment Shopkeeper, Li Shiming understood the trick behind it all.

First, the major sects needed to conduct some Spiritual Objects transactions with the Senluo Sect, which was not only a requirement for the major sects but also for the Senluo Sect.

On this basis, the shops run by the major sects in Jieshan City came into existence.

Secondly, the Senluo Sect could not completely prevent the other major sects from infiltrating the Ten Thousand Great Mountains. Instead of letting each sect try every possible way to break through the Formation, it was better to open a loophole, allowing passage under the surveillance of the Senluo Sect.

That was the reason for the current method, which was only used by Qi Refinement and Foundation Establishment Cultivators to pass the checkpoint, as Golden Core cultivators could ill afford to lose face this way.

Locked in the cramped space of the truck, the number of cultivators transported each time was limited, avoiding a massive influx and exodus of cultivators.

In fact, that the major sects used this method for smuggling was not only known to the merchants involved but also to the guards at the Senluo Sect checkpoints.

What everyone needed to do was make it look good superficially; smooth trading was a mutual need.

The resources of the Ten Thousand Great Mountains needed to be exchanged with the resources within the territories of the major sects, which was a necessity for multiple parties, and sometimes the Senluo Sect too needed to send sect disciples out of the Ten Thousand Great Mountains for missions, thus requiring the existence of such a channel.

Li Shiming sat inside the truck, which moved slowly but smoothly.

At first, he was somewhat worried, because at two hundred miles, they would enter the checkpoint area.

His worries turned out to be redundant, for the truck did not stop at all; it maintained its speed, and even the expected inspections were omitted.

He believed what the Mid-stage Foundation Establishment Shopkeeper had said, it seemed that this channel really was safe.

Leaving the Ten Thousand Great Mountains would take a long time; this road was not straight, due to the mountains, many of the roads were winding, significantly increasing the original distance.

Fourteen hours later, Li Shiming heard someone knocking on the side panel, followed by its opening.

He flipped out of the truck, which continued to move at a steady pace. Including the worker who had knocked to alert him, nobody looked at him, as if he did not exist.

He looked around, finding himself on a plain, with the Ten Thousand Great Mountains not far behind him.

He wanted to ask some things, but seeing the demeanor of the workers, he guessed that it might be a rule not to talk to smuggled cultivators, so he suppressed the urge to ask.

While Li Shiming had been in the isolated compartment of the truck, he hadn’t felt the outside world, but after coming out, he sensed the aura of Golden Cores at the boundary between the Ten Thousand Great Mountains and the plain behind him.

And there were not just one Golden Core; there were at least two. The two Golden Core cultivators did not hide their aura, letting it permeate freely in the space.

However, this Golden Core aura could not be sensed by mortals; it was aimed solely at cultivators as a form of intimidation.

Li Shiming had no understanding of his surroundings, so he dared not linger longer. He transformed into a beam of Sword Escape light and flew off into the distance.

After flying several hundred miles, he discovered a city, where the presence of a city suggested the presence of cultivators.

He changed his clothes and transformed from a cultivator to a young scholar, entering the city with a smile.

Once in the city, Li Shiming released a Spiritual Thought, which after scanning, detected no traces of cultivators.

He activated the ‘Invisibility Technique’, shielding himself from mortal eyes, and swiftly moved through the city. His Spiritual Thought scanned every corner of the city, confirming it to be devoid of cultivators.

Not even a single mortal conversation mentioned anything about cultivators.

It should be noted that in the Ten Thousand Great Mountains, although cities might lack cultivators, there were still plenty of rumors about them.

Especially deep within the belly of the Ten Thousand Great Mountains, mortals almost relied on cultivators for survival.

Li Shiming spent some gold and silver to purchase a map and some biographical books, which he quickly skimmed through.

He found himself in Tiantang Country, one of the many countries on the Beishu Continent, which was home to two hundred and sixty cities.

He left the city, using Sword Escape to reach the next city. This time, he didn’t enter the city but used the ‘Invisibility Technique’ to fly over it. His Spiritual Thought still detected no presence of cultivators.

He roughly guessed the situation here. It was somewhat similar to the management of mortals by the Sky Sea Sect.

Mortals had no understanding of cultivators whatsoever. Inside the country, only a very few who were needed to assist in the search for spirit root seeds knew of the existence of cultivators.

Moreover, the Spiritual Energy was significantly thinner in these mundane places, similar to during the time with the Sky Sea Sect.

He was now no longer the ignorant cultivator he once was. He understood that the sparseness of Spiritual Power in mundane lands was partly due to the mortals’ lifestyle, which reduced the quality of Spiritual Energy, and partly due to the formations set up by the sects, which had a Gathering Spirit effect. This was guided intentionally to draw away the already scarce Spiritual Energy from the mundane lands.

This was a good thing, as living in an environment rich in Spiritual Energy long-term not only does not prolong life for mortals but rather leads them to age prematurely and die.

The thinner the concentration of Spiritual Energy, the more beneficial it is for the survival of mortals.

Among the Spiritual Energy, only a rare few types focused on nurturing life are beneficial for mortals.

However, such Spiritual Energy is extremely rare in nature and mostly needs specialized cultivators to activate it.

The maps for mortals contained no information about cultivators, making it somewhat troublesome for Li Shiming to find cultivators.

Looking at Tiantang Country alone, which covered a vast area, he knew randomly searching for cultivators this way was too time-consuming.

He shifted his focus to the Imperial City of Tiantang Country, where there definitely would be sect cultivators stationed. It would be a good opportunity to inquire about the local influences.

“Had I known, I would have asked Xu Chuan for a map!” Li Shiming thought to himself as he flew towards the Imperial City.

Xu Chuan probably hadn’t anticipated this either, thinking any cultivator could easily be asked for information, given how renowned the major sects were.

But who would have known that upon leaving the Ten Thousand Great Mountains, Li Shiming would plunge into the mundane world, unable to find a single cultivator?

In fact, he had taken the wrong path. If he had known the correct route, he would naturally have taken a different direction, where the world of cultivators lay.

Fortunately, his speed was fast enough; he reached the Imperial City in half a day.

Using the ‘Invisibility Technique’ to enter the city, he smiled as he approached the center of the Imperial City. It seemed like the style of mundane administration by the major sects was consistent, whether it was on Sky Sea Island or in Beishu Continent.

Probably only sects like the Senluo Sect from the Ten Thousand Great Mountains would mingle mortals and cultivators together.

Vote

3 left

SEND GIFT