While browsing around the network platform, Mo Xuan continued piloting the transport spirit ship. Before long, he arrived at Teacher Kong's immortal realm.
Mo Xuan frowned. Nearly half a year had passed, yet Teacher Kong's realm still looked just as listless. The spirit lake was low, and the spirit flowers and immortal herbs in the fields were sickly and weak. Mo Xuan felt awful about it. He lowered the transport spirit ship onto the plaza at the mountaintop.
"Xuan'er, you're back?" Kong Jian came out of the small palace, delighted.
"Teacher." Mo Xuan drifted down before Kong Jian and bowed deeply.
"With me, you still stand on ceremony?" Kong Jian chuckled, helping Mo Xuan up, then tugging him inside by the hand.
Kong Jian praised the poem Quiet Night Thoughts to the skies as well—his disciple's literary talent and mood had already returned to simplicity and purity. Wonderful!
Mo Xuan felt a bit embarrassed. After all these years his skin had grown thicker. He exchanged a few polite words, then deliberately steered the conversation toward the trading fair in half a month.
Kong Jian nodded.
"This one is only a small internal trading fair for the sect—once every ten years. A trading fair with all three sects together happens once every hundred years. And once every thousand years, there's an ultra-grand trading fair. The three Dao Lords and all the Heavenly Immortal elders attend, and the treasures traded are countless."
Mo Xuan nodded in realization. That really was a good system—trade away what you didn't need, and get what you did.
Mo Xuan couldn't help recalling Grand Steward Li's black Heaven-grade Second-tier meteor core. If he was willing to trade that for Mo Xuan's little sun, it only proved further that Mo Xuan's little sun was a real treasure.
"Teacher, this time I mined a few pretty good meteor cores." Mo Xuan took out two of the largest Grade A, First-tier wood-water mixed energy crystals. Crystal-clear, like two dazzling diamonds, they floated quietly in the palace.
Kong Jian was startled. He studied them closely, eyes going a little dazed.
This was exactly what his realm desperately lacked!
Mo Xuan smiled.
"Teacher, you've taken care of me for so long. I have no way to repay you. These two meteor cores are just a small token of my gratitude—please, you must accept them."
Kong Jian still shook his head and sighed.
"Xuan'er, having the thought is enough. Your teacher isn't poor to that extent. You need them more than I do. At the trading fair, you can trade these two cores for a lot of materials needed to establish your immortal garden. Hurry and put them away."
Mo Xuan shook his head too, then produced two more Grade A, First-tier wood-water energy crystals, slightly smaller than the first pair—answering with actions instead of words.
"Teacher, I still have my own. Don't be polite with me."
Kong Jian froze.
Staring at four great diamonds floating before him, his willpower finally wavered. His realm truly did need them.
"Alright… then this teacher won't stand on ceremony."
Kong Jian accepted the two slightly smaller crystals, feeling deeply uncomfortable about it. To him, their value was easily no less than two hundred thousand points—taking them felt burning-hot.
Kong Jian secretly swore to himself: In the future, I must help Xuan'er gather more materials for establishing an immortal garden.
Seeing his teacher accept at least two, Mo Xuan finally exhaled in relief, smiling as he put away the remaining pair.
"Teacher, I don't need the transport spirit ship for now, so I'm returning it to you."
Mo Xuan really couldn't keep occupying Teacher Kong's ship forever. Even if Teacher Kong didn't need it, Kong Ling would. Kong Ling was the Kong family's newly advanced immortal—thirty years younger than Mo Xuan, but she became an immortal ten years earlier. And she was fierce. Behind her back, Mo Xuan secretly called her a "night yaksha."
Kong Jian pondered, then nodded.
Mo Xuan stood and bowed in farewell. He didn't dare let his teacher see him off. Like a gust of wind, he swept out of the palace and stopped on the peak. He took out a sheet of spirit paper and folded it five quick times—into the pointed paper airplane he used to play with on Earth as a child. He breathed a mouthful of immortal qi into it and flicked it forward.
The paper airplane shot out—and instantly expanded.
Mo Xuan drifted lightly down onto it, hands clasped behind his back, and sailed away leisurely on the wind.
In Qingyuan Minor Immortal Realm, most people folded paper cranes, which looked more elegant. But Mo Xuan preferred this simple paper airplane as a flying tool. Compared to a big paper crane flapping its wings, it was steadier and flatter underfoot. Riding the wind like a glider also consumed less immortal essence.
In Tai Academy, plenty of students had begun copying this paper airplane style too, competing to imitate it.
Of course… riding an immortal sword was the truly dashing way to fly.
Back on Earth, Mo Xuan had been insanely jealous of Bai Zihua in TV dramas—white robes fluttering, sharp brows and starry eyes, stepping on a sword as he moved through the clouds like a god.
Qingyuan Minor Immortal Realm really did have many sword immortals. After all, sword immortals were universally acknowledged as powerful—famed as combat immortals.
But… it came back to the same old problem: resources.
Most sword immortals didn't even have a real immortal sword. They used peachwood immortal swords only slightly better than wooden practice swords—slow, and with combat power severely discounted. Helpless.
If even proper sword immortals didn't have swords, Mo Xuan certainly wouldn't. So he could only step on a paper airplane to satisfy the craving.
Still, now that he had money, Mo Xuan planned to upgrade his transportation. The paper airplane couldn't handle long-distance travel—fly it too long and it would fall apart.
Buying a Crane
Mo Xuan glided on the paper airplane to an immortal realm—this was Uncle Qin Tai's realm of Taiyi Sect. It housed the only Beast-Taming House in the entire Qingyuan Minor Immortal Realm.
Immortal birds and rare beasts could be seen everywhere inside, strolling leisurely or dancing at a sound. Ordinary immortals really couldn't afford to raise such things.
Mo Xuan had worked here before. His main job back then was clearing the droppings of the immortal birds and beasts—plainly put: shoveling sh*t.
Almost no students were willing to do such dirty, exhausting work. Mo Xuan didn't want to either. On Earth he'd been the "little emperor" of the household—hands out for food, arms out for clothes. But what could he do? Life forced him.
Shoveling dung? Fine. I'll just pretend I'm an honorable sanitation worker.
"Senior Brother Mo, long time no see!""I really missed you!""Hehehe, you miss our smell here?""Fragrance of soil, the scent of nature—you deserve it. That's what you said, Senior Brother Mo."
Five students currently doing odd jobs cracked jokes without restraint. They knew Mo Xuan wouldn't get angry.
Their backgrounds were ordinary too. After all, a cultivation slot cost a million points—no way it could be bought and pre-decided every single year without fail. Among the thousand-plus commanderies of the realm, once in a while, one slot slipped through the cracks. These few had entered Tai Academy purely on ability.
In ancient times, they'd all have been top scholars. In other immortal realms, they'd be peerless geniuses fought over by every sect.
But here, in Tai Academy, they could only shovel dung and do odd jobs.
They were also all Gu Xin Sect disciples. Mo Xuan was older than them; as senior brother, he looked after them, so they were close.
Mo Xuan smiled faintly and said directly:
"I want to buy an immortal crane. Pick me the best one."
"The best? There happens to be one, but it was returned. Senior Brother, come take a look."
A student named Gao Shan led Mo Xuan into the crane pen.
Mo Xuan's eyes lit up. He spotted it instantly.
A divine, extraordinary crane—over three meters tall. Standing among the flock, it was truly a crane among chickens.
Good lord. What a specimen!
"I want that one!" Mo Xuan pointed.
The crane gave Mo Xuan an arrogant, slight nod.
Pretty spiritual.
Ha—Mo Xuan liked it even more.
Gao Shan frowned.
"This guy is really proud. It got returned. But I couldn't find any other issues."
"I want it." Mo Xuan made the call.
Riding such a huge crane would be so flashy. And Chinese people… all care about face.
"Normal cranes are five hundred points. This one is eight hundred," Gao Shan said, strictly business, producing a jade disk.
Mo Xuan took out his own jade disk and transferred 800 points.
Gao Shan stared at Mo Xuan's disk with unconcealed envy. His own disk wasn't personal—most functions were locked, and once the job ended he'd have to return it.
"Senior Brother Mo… you're really rich now," Gao Shan sighed.
Back then Mo Xuan had been the poorest among them. The moment he became an immortal, he flipped his fate completely.
Gao Shan swallowed hard, his resolve to become an immortal as soon as possible growing even firmer.
Mo Xuan walked up and patted the crane's massive body.
Tsk tsk—so majestic. So handsome.
The crane lifted its head high, smug as hell.
Gao Shan removed the small pouch tied around the crane's neck.
Now this crane belonged to Mo Xuan.
Mo Xuan circled it once, extremely satisfied. He pondered.
"I'll give you a good name. 'Little White' and 'Little Crane' are too tacky… hmm. I'll call you One Stripe."
The crane resembled the crane on the "One Bamboo" tile in mahjong.
One Stripe nodded slightly. To it, a name was only a label—nothing special.
"Let's go. Home."
Mo Xuan slapped One Stripe lightly.
One Stripe spread its wings and shot into the sky.
When fully extended, its wingspan exceeded eight meters!
Mo Xuan nodded to Gao Shan, flicked his sleeve lightly, and drifted up to land on One Stripe's broad back. After pointing out the direction, he sat cross-legged on its back.
One Stripe was incredibly fast. One flap carried it a great distance. Before long it broke the sound barrier, slicing through the sky like a jet.
Mo Xuan was even happier.
He'd truly scored this time—such a fine crane! Eight hundred points was a steal!
Mo Xuan beamed as he stroked the silky, smooth feathers on One Stripe's back.
In under an hour, Mo Xuan had already entered Qingshan Commandery's territory.
He thought silently: that exam question he'd left behind… how had Little Que'er done on it? In a few months it would be the grand exam again. A slot wouldn't be easy to obtain.
Mo Xuan's head began to ache. No matter what—he'd check on Little Que'er first.
Back to Huánxī Village
It was still the familiar Huánxī Village.
Only now, beside the cluster of Mo family courtyards, there stood an enormous stone building, with a tall chimney reaching into the clouds and belching thick black smoke.
What was that?
Mo Xuan had One Stripe slow down and descend.
"Wow, what a huge bird!""Look!""There's a person sitting on it!""It's the immortal grandpa!" …
The children playing leisurely were the first to spot the crane and Mo Xuan. They chased after them in glee. The memory of riding the flying ship last time had been so wonderful, it still felt fresh.
This giant bird looked so cool—was it the legendary immortal crane?
Riding an immortal crane must be insanely fun!
Mo Xuan had One Stripe land directly on the open ground outside the stone building. He clicked his tongue, sizing it up. He could feel waves of heat rolling from inside, and the noise of a crowd.
Were they… smelting iron on a massive scale?
Mo Xuan only had Earth middle-school knowledge. He could build waterwheels and such because as a kid he liked assembling toys. Originally, he'd planned to rely on those patents to earn more money. He never expected to gain Immortal Kong's favor and head straight into cultivation. After that, he never tinkered further with waterwheels and the like.
Large-scale steelmaking wasn't that he didn't want to do it—he simply didn't have the ability.
Steelmaking in Qingyuan Minor Immortal Realm was actually very advanced—far beyond Earth's steel industry. After all, immortals' dao-flames could easily melt meteors and meteor iron that were unbelievably hard. The immortal swords they forged were top-tier divine weapons.
Speaking of it—almost all famous "ancient Chinese" swords that truly existed were forged from metal fallen from the heavens: meteor iron. In other words, the metallic core of meteors that landed on Earth.
The rustless Yue King Goujian Sword's material was a Grade B, First-tier meteor core. Higher-grade cores were beyond what ordinary fire could handle.
Earth's "experts" researched it and concluded its material was unremarkable—just bronze and iron and the like. As for why it didn't rust, they eventually summed it up as "a protective anti-rust coating."
Ridiculous.
Meteors had endured endless ages. Even if the raw material wasn't special, anything that survived the repeated grinding of time was the pure essence of essence. How could Earth's mundane iron compare?
Not rusting for a thousand years? Even ten thousand years later, it still wouldn't rust.
For mortal craftsmen in Qingyuan Minor Immortal Realm, however, steelmaking was relatively average. Some iron workshops had crude processes, utterly incomparable to immortal forging arts.
After all, this minor immortal realm had no nations—no need to wage wars. Steel was mostly used for kitchen knives, woodcutting blades, and such. Its use wasn't that broad.