Medical Sage

The middle-aged man at the peak of the Qi Refining Sixth Layer stared at Chen Fei’s face, a hint of surprise in his eyes. His gaze lingered for a moment before he finally shook his head with a disdainful snort. Tossing out a sentence as he turned to head back into the cabin, he said, ”The fare is five Low Grade Spirit Stone Fragments. There’s no space left inside, so you’ll have to stand outside.”

”Five Low Grade Spirit Stone Fragments... is it that expensive?” Chen Fei was slightly taken aback.

As the name suggests, a ”Spirit Stone” is a magical stone filled with nature’s spiritual energy. The spiritual energy it contains is almost no different from the energy cultivators refine themselves, making it a universally acknowledged tonic in the Cultivation World. It is used not only in daily meditation and cultivation but also in activities like alchemy, crafting, and array setting.

After all, directly extracting and using energy from Spirit Stones was a completely different matter from a cultivator absorbing and refining scattered spiritual energy on their own. Due to the multitude of practical and incredible effects of Spirit Stones, their value naturally soared.

However, as the Cultivation World developed, Spirit Stones were consumed in massive quantities day after day, month after month, and year after year. This, along with the over-mining and increasing scarcity of Spirit Stone veins, caused them to become exceedingly precious and luxurious.

Under such circumstances, given their unique and precious nature, Spirit Stones gradually became the hard currency for transactions and circulation among cultivators. They were even categorized into a detailed system of specifications and grades.

Based on the amount of spiritual energy they contained, Spirit Stones were divided into four grades, from lowest to highest: Low Grade, Mid-Grade, Top Grade, and Supreme Grade. Even a single Low Grade Spirit Stone was very useful to a Late Stage Qi Refining powerhouse, such as one at the Qi Refining Seventh Layer, so it was not easy for cultivators in the Early and Middle Qi Refining Stages to obtain them.

Given this situation, in some cultivation regions with scarce resources, people began to divide Low Grade Spirit Stones into Low Grade Spirit Stone Fragments to meet the needs of cultivators at the Early and Middle Qi Refining Stages. Generally, a pure and rich Low Grade Spirit Stone could be divided into thirty fragments. And now...

And now, a simple boat ride to an island actually cost five Low Grade Spirit Stone Fragments? Although Chen Fei could afford it, having casually robbed quite a few recently, the question remained: wasn’t the fare a bit too expensive?

”Hmph, you really don’t know anything, do you?”

Seeing Chen Fei’s hesitation, the middle-aged man at the peak of the Qi Refining Sixth Layer snorted coldly and said, ”Stop dawdling. If you don’t want to pay the fare, get off the boat! We don’t have time to waste on you.”

The man’s tone and attitude were quite rude and unpleasant. Chen Fei narrowed his eyes and silently scrutinized him for a moment before finally shaking his head. He casually tossed out five Low Grade Spirit Stones and sat down cross-legged on the deck. Since the fare was what it was, there was no point in being stingy.

After collecting the fare from Chen Fei, the middle-aged man waved his hand with an indifferent expression. He and the surrounding group dispersed, returning to the cabin.

”Friend, I hear this is your first time on Canglan Island. You must not be from around here, right? My name is Zhang Kui, from Verdant Perch Cave, over three hundred miles to the east. It’s a pleasure to meet you.” Shortly after, a chubby, middle-aged man with a scar on his face and wearing a grayish-white Dao Robe approached. He sat down next to Chen Fei, greeting him with a friendly smile.

Chen Fei was momentarily surprised. He glanced up at the man, whose Cultivation Realm seemed to be around the Qi Refining Fifth Layer, then nodded with a slight smile. ”Yes, it is my first time visiting Canglan Island, though I’ve long heard of its fame. Hello, I’m Chen Fei. I’m not affiliated with any sect or clan.”

Unaffiliated?

Hearing this, the short, stocky man named Zhang Kui narrowed his eyes, a faint glint flashing within them. He lowered his voice and said, ”Then, Daoist Chen, you were a bit reckless just now. These boatmen who run the ships up and down the Azure Blue River are all from the Three Great Families on the island. You’re lucky this one, despite his cold appearance, is reasonable. If it had been one of those other stuck-up guys, you might have been thrown into the river to feed the Bone-Eroding Fish, and nobody on this boat would have dared to say a word.”

”Bone-Eroding Fish? You mean in this river?” Chen Fei asked, slightly surprised.

”Yes, didn’t you know...” Zhang Kui smacked his forehead. ”Silly me, I forgot this is your first time coming to Canglan Island.”

He shuddered and gestured toward the water below. ”There are at least seven or eight schools of Bone-Eroding Fish living in the Azure Blue River, with each school numbering at least a hundred. Forget about us; even if a powerhouse at the Qi Refining Seventh Layer Realm fell in and got swarmed by them, they’d be lucky to escape with their skin intact...”

”So that’s how it is. No wonder the fare is so expensive at five Low Grade Spirit Stone Fragments,” Chen Fei said, thoughtfully stroking his chin.

If that was the case, with seven or eight schools of Bone-Eroding Fish in the river, the high fare wasn’t strange at all. One could even say it was cheap.

After all, compared to one’s life, Spirit Stone Fragments were just worldly possessions.

”Of course. The Three Great Families on Canglan Island aren’t fools. If they charged us five Low Grade Spirit Stone Fragments for a simple boat ride for no good reason, who would be willing to come here in the future?” Zhang Kui chuckled, the scars on his face twitching. He wore an expression that said it was only natural.

Without the patronage of cultivators coming from all directions, it was uncertain whether Canglan Island could continue to thrive. The Three Great Families weren’t foolish enough to commit such an act of self-sabotage for a bit of petty profit.

”The Three Great Families?”

Hearing the term again, Chen Fei frowned slightly and asked with confusion, ”Daoist Zhang, I heard that Canglan Island was established and supported single-handedly by Senior Taoist Cang Kun and Senior Blue Whale Elder. Who are these Three Great Families you speak of?”

”You don’t even know about the Three Great Families of Canglan Island?” This time, the short and plump Zhang Kui was genuinely taken aback, astonished that Chen Fei was unaware of the famous Three Great Families.

He shook his head and, with a serious expression, began to explain, ”It’s true that Canglan Island was personally established and supported by Taoist Cang Kun and the Blue Whale Elder. However, with their esteemed status, how could they possibly handle every little thing on the island themselves? In fact, from the very beginning, when the two seniors established Canglan Island, three powerful factions with deep foundations followed them... and those are the current Three Great Families!

”The Three Great Families are the Lin Family of Twin Rain Tower, the Zheng Family of Jinbao Pavilion, and the Henghe Sect. Among these three, the Zheng Family of Jinbao Pavilion is the most formidable. Its family patriarch is a Third-Level Alchemist, and they also boast several First and Second-Level Alchemists as retainers, effectively controlling Canglan Island’s economic lifeline...”

You can’t be serious. A mere Third-Level Alchemist is worth bragging about? Chen Fei’s eyes flickered with an odd expression as he murmured to himself.