At the foot of Cangmang Peak, Song Changsheng and Song Luhuai stood waiting along with a dozen or so Qi Refining clansmen. Aside from a banner representing the Song Clan, there were no other visible belongings.
Though the goods for this journey were numerous, they had all been stored within spatial artifacts and carried personally by Song Changsheng and the others. There was no need for a large escort, and each of the dozen companions had a specific role to play.
The Song Clan operated a shop in Luoxia City which, while not particularly profitable over the years, had served as a vital intelligence hub constantly monitoring the happenings in the city and remaining indispensable to the clan.
Most of the members on this trip were going to rotate out those who had held that post for over a decade. A few of the younger cultivators were among the clan's more gifted juniors, tagging along to broaden their horizons.
The group stood under the blazing sun, and as noon approached, Song Changsheng couldn't help but grumble, "Why isn't Granduncle Twenty-One here yet? Don't tell me the clan didn't prepare a birthday gift?"
Song Luhuai chuckled and replied, "He's probably just delayed by something. Celebrating the Great City Lord's birthday is an event of the highest importance there's no way we'd neglect it."
Song Changsheng smiled, clearly just venting.
After waiting another half hour, Song Xianyun finally arrived in haste, flying in on his sword. Upon landing, he pulled out an exquisite purple jade box and said, "Here is the birthday gift for the City Lord. Keep it safe and under no circumstances should you open it."
Song Changsheng quickly took the box, surprised by its hefty weight. He couldn't help but ask, "Granduncle, what kind of treasure did you pack in here? It took you quite a while to prepare it."
Song Xianyun smiled. "We couldn't afford to be careless for the Great City Lord's birthday. After much consideration, I decided on a Tier-3 demonic beast core."
"A Tier-3 core?" Song Changsheng was stunned. "Our clan still had something that valuable?"
"Isn't that a bit… excessive?" he whispered urgently.
Tier-3 beast cores were far more valuable than spiritual tools. Not only were they essential for crafting third-grade magic items, but they could also be used to refine Foundation Establishment Pills!
Though beast-core-based pills carried notable side effects, most cultivators would gladly accept them who would worry about minor drawbacks when they had the chance to form a foundation?
Given how the clan desperately needed such pills, using this core as a mere birthday gift felt like a huge loss. Song Changsheng struggled to accept it.
Before Song Xianyun could speak, Song Luhuai interjected, "Don't tell me… this is the core from the Golden-Horned Venomous Flood Dragon that Ancestor Yun Gui slew in the Ten Thousand Mountains back then?"
"That's the one," Song Xianyun nodded with a smile. "There's nothing more appropriate as a birthday gift."
It all made sense now.
Though it was true that a Tier-3 core could be used for Foundation Establishment Pills, this specific one was saturated with lethal poison fatal to most Foundation Establishment cultivators on contact.
No one would dare take a pill refined from such a core.
As for forging? The Song Clan didn't have any Tier-3 artifact refiners. Even the best among them, Song Xianming, only ranked as a top-tier Tier-2 refiner he couldn't work with this kind of material.
So in effect, the core was a chicken rib valuable, but useless to them. Giving it away was the most practical choice.
"Whew... this thing's dangerous," Song Changsheng muttered with a cold breath.
"Which is why I told you not to open it. Anyway, time's short to get going. The Wang and Li clans are probably tired of waiting by now."
"Then we'll be off. Please take care of things at home."
"Don't worry about the clan. Just remember to stay vigilant on the road. Don't place your trust in anyone easily. Understood?"
"Yes, Granduncle!"
After bidding farewell to Song Xianyun, the group quickly set off for the agreed-upon rendezvous point.
As expected, the Wang and Li clans had already arrived and had been waiting for some time.
"Brother Wang, Brother Li my apologies for the delay," Song Luhuai greeted them with a warm smile, bringing Song Changsheng along with him.
"No trouble at all," chuckled a slightly rotund middle-aged cultivator. "We've had nothing better to do anyway what's a few more minutes?"
"Indeed, no rush," added a thin, scholarly-looking young man with a beardless face.
After a few pleasantries, Song Luhuai turned to Song Changsheng and introduced the two men.
The rounder one was Wang Lizhou, the leader of the Wang Clan's delegation. He was at a mid-foundation Establishment and had a kindly demeanor.
The other was Li Tianyou, leading the Li Clan's group. He was an early Foundation Establishment and looked more like a mortal scholar than a cultivator.
Just like the Song Clan, both groups had brought only a handful of younger cultivators, who were now peeking curiously at Song Changsheng from behind their seniors.
"I've long heard that the young head of the Song Clan is a true dragon among men," Wang Lizhou said warmly. "Seeing you today, the rumors didn't do you justice."
"Indeed there's no second like him in all of Lingzhou," Li Tianyou added, equally generous with his praise.
Although Song Changsheng appeared much younger than the others, neither Wang Lizhou nor Li Tianyou dared to show even the slightest hint of arrogance. After all, this was a man who had killed one mid-Foundation Establishment cultivator and gravely injured another a ruthless figure indeed.
Anyone who underestimated him now would have to be either brain-dead or kicked in the head by a donkey.
Hearing their compliments, Song Changsheng responded modestly with a cupped fist, "You flatter me, Daoist friends. I was merely lucky, that's all."
Though in terms of seniority, he was their junior, since all three were Foundation Establishment cultivators, calling them "Daoist friends" was perfectly appropriate no one could fault him for it.
After exchanging their fair share of mutual praise, Song Luhuai finally said, "It's getting late. Let's set out."
With a wave of his sleeve, a large wooden flying boat several zhang long appeared before the crowd.
"Well, well! I didn't expect you to bring the Feiyun Boat, Daoist Song. This will make our journey much smoother," Wang Lizhou said with a cheerful grin, gently stroking the vessel.
"Indeed, finally we don't have to trek the whole way. What are you lot still gawking at? Get on board!" Li Tianyou barked at a few younger disciples from the Li Clan.
Once everyone from the three clans had boarded, Song Changsheng and the elders followed suit. Song Luhuai retrieved a compass-like instrument and infused it with spiritual energy, causing it to glow faintly.
A transparent barrier quickly enveloped the entire vessel. With a low rumble and a slight tremor, the flying boat lifted off the ground and soared in the direction of Luoxia City.
At the rail of the boat, Song Changsheng looked down from above, watching as vast swaths of forest vanished beneath him. He roughly estimated that the Feiyun Boat's speed rivaled that of a late-Foundation Establishment cultivator a truly impressive feat.
"At this speed… how many spirit stones is this trip going to burn?" Song Changsheng thought with a wince.
He had long heard of the Feiyun Boat. A low-tier Grade-Two magical artifact, it was crafted entirely from second-grade spiritual wood. The design had been led by Song Xianming, with the combined efforts of all the clan's Grade-Two artifact refiners and formation masters.
Its value rivaled that of a spiritual weapon, and only two such vessels existed in all of Lingzhou.
Thanks to it, what would normally take ten days on foot had now been cut to just one week.
Along the way, the Foundation Establishment cultivators exchanged Daoist insights and had fruitful discussions, making the otherwise dull journey surprisingly pleasant.
As time passed, by the fourth day, they had already crossed the borders of Lingzhou and entered the Frontier Province.
Compared to Lingzhou, the Frontier was much more barren and wild hardly a trace of civilization could be seen. In contrast, spiritual beasts roamed freely, making it feel more like a beast domain than a human realm.
Song Changsheng had researched this beforehand. Originally, Lingzhou and the Frontier were one unified region the largest province in the Great Qi Empire.
But two thousand years ago, a rogue Golden Core cultivator rose to prominence and established Luoxia City in the Luoxia Mountains, near the Ten Thousand Great Mountains, singlehandedly fending off the beast tide invading Great Qi.
With the endorsement of the two great sects Golden Crow Sect and Heavenly Pulse Sect Lingzhou was officially split, and the southern half became the Frontier Province, governed independently under Luoxia City.
In the years that followed, although Luoxia City had not seen another Golden Core cultivator, its number of Purple Mansion cultivators steadily grew, and its power flourished. It evolved from a mere border town into the Southwest's hub of trade in the cultivation world, renowned and admired by many cultivators.
In the current generation, Luoxia City boasted three Purple Mansion Lords, with the Great City Lord, Mu Guibai, regarded as the person most likely to reach the Golden Core realm Luoxia City's reputation was at its peak and showed signs of returning to its former glory.
Song Changsheng had long admired the city, and now he was finally on his way to witness it for himself.
The Feiyun Boat sailed safely for three more days through the Frontier Province, gliding over barren plains and vast forests. Eventually, a massive mountain range loomed ahead like a coiled dragon, stretching endlessly into the distance.
Brilliant multicolored clouds shone down upon the mountains, casting a dreamlike veil over them. The scene mirrored the glowing sunset clouds that stretched for ten thousand miles across the sky, forming a magnificent landscape painting come to life.
The younger cultivators on the boat gasped in awe, crowding to the rail and staring wide-eyed at the stunning sight.
Even someone as composed as Song Changsheng found himself shaken by the view. He stood still for a long time, dazed, before finally murmuring, "The Luoxia Mountains... truly live up to their name."
Song Luhuai and the others exchanged glances, smiling. They too had been speechless the first time they saw this view. Looking at the awe on the faces of these youths, they saw shadows of their younger selves.
"Even after all these years, I still can't take my eyes off the evening clouds over Luoxia Mountains," Wang Lizhou said with a touch of emotion.
"Indeed, nature's handiwork is nothing short of divine," Li Tianyou added.
"Alright, everyone," Song Luhuai called out, "if we keep staring, the night will fall. Let's head into the city first."
With that, he guided the flying boat steadily toward the vast mountain range up ahead.
In less than half an hour, on the other side of the mountain range, they finally saw a grand, majestic city built against the mountains, boasting towering, solid, and extensive city walls.
It was a true giant of a city, like a colossal beast lying in wait at the edge of the mountains.
"Flying is forbidden within Luoxia City. We'll land outside first."
Song Luhuai found an open patch of land outside the city and brought the flying boat down. Then, he led the group toward the city gate.
It was noticeably livelier here. Even though dusk was approaching, a long line had already formed at the gate.
Song Changsheng and the others waited patiently in line. Even though the person ahead of them was just a rogue Qi Refining cultivator with no background, they had no thoughts of cutting ahead.
After all, Luoxia City had its own rules, and if you wanted to act like a tyrant here, you'd better ask yourself if you had the power to back it up!
The inspection process moved quickly, and before long, it was their turn. Several Qi Refining guards in uniform held up a copper mirror and scanned them one by one with indifferent expressions.
Song Changsheng understood this was a magic artifact similar to a Demon-Revealing Mirror, at least Grade Three, capable of exposing any hidden demons or monsters in an instant.
As they were being inspected, Song Changsheng casually glanced around and was shocked to realize that just this one gate had no fewer than three Foundation Establishment cultivators stationed there and those were just the ones in plain sight.
"Impressive… Luoxia City is wealthy and bold," he thought, a bit envious. When will our clan be able to act this extravagantly?
They soon passed the inspection smoothly. After each paid one spirit stone as the entry fee, they were finally allowed inside.
Inside the city, the buildings were neatly arranged in rows, bustling with the noise of hawking and shouting full of lively, everyday atmosphere.
The broad avenues were crowded with people. With just a glance, Song Changsheng spotted three Foundation Establishment cultivators. Here, Foundation Establishment wasn't rare it was commonplace.
"Brother Luhuai, Young Lord Song, let's part ways here. We'll meet again at the agreed location tomorrow morning."
Wang Lizhou and Li Tianyou cupped their hands in farewell, then each led their clan disciples off in different directions.
"Let's head to our family's shop to settle in for the night. We'll handle the goods tomorrow."
"Yes, sir."
Following Song Luhuai's lead, the group made their way toward the eastern part of the city. Along the way, Song Changsheng's eyes were opened Luoxia City truly had everything: restaurants, taverns, brothels… even a beast-fighting arena!
It was already fully dark by the time they arrived at a general store called "Wangyue Pavilion".
The store was located in a decent district and had a respectable size. If properly managed, it could bring the clan a solid stream of revenue.
Unfortunately, the clan hadn't had the manpower to manage it over the years, so without a stable supply chain, the store had only been able to break even.
The Song Clan members and stewards stationed there were completely stunned when they saw Song Changsheng and his group frozen in disbelief.
"Uncle, everyone… these years have been hard on you," said Song Luhuai sincerely, addressing the white-haired elder Song Xiantu.
"Not hard at all, not hard. We've only done our small part for the clan," replied Song Xiantu, eyes brimming with tears, unable to contain his emotion.
But his tears weren't because someone had finally come to replace him.
They were because after all this time the clan had finally made it through the hardship.
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