Just as Qin Sang had expected.
He glanced at Lan Jingsi, then at the jade slip, falling into silent contemplation.
Lan Jingsi continued, "My senior brother will make arrangements in a renowned grand city within the Boundless Sea. Once you make contact with our informant there, Fellow Daoist, my senior brother will receive word and hurry over to meet you as soon as possible."
Valley Master Mu had arranged to meet within a city rather than anywhere else precisely to dispel as much of Qin Sang's suspicion as possible.
Everything else could be discussed in detail once they met.
Qin Sang weighed the situation inwardly.
He had already planned to make a trip to the Boundless Sea to investigate Pure Lake anyway, so meeting Valley Master Mu along the way posed no harm.
The other party was so eager for him to rush to the Boundless Sea; in all likelihood, he had encountered some trouble and needed to borrow Qin Sang's strength.
Otherwise, Qin Sang did not believe Master Feng possessed enough face to make Valley Master Mu bother with such a minor matter amid a busy schedule.
If the other party wanted something from him, that was precisely the opportunity to set terms.
Valley Master Mu had no idea that Qin Sang possessed the Heavenly Eye Butterfly and was determined to obtain the Spirit Ascension Rite. The initiative remained firmly in Qin Sang's hands.
Having thought it through, Qin Sang reached out, took the jade slip, and swept his divine sense through it.
Seeing this, Lan Jingsi broke into a smile and spoke with a touch of urgency, "The journey is long, and no time should be lost. Please set out as soon as possible, Fellow Daoist. If there was any lack of hospitality during these past few days, I hope you will be magnanimous and forgive us..."
It seemed Lan Jingsi would not disclose any further information.
Qin Sang stowed the jade slip, nodded to her, and immediately rose to take his leave.
He did not disturb the disciples of Hundred Flowers Valley.
Keeping a low profile, Qin Sang departed Hundred Flowers Valley. Once past the miasma, he summoned his escape light and streaked into the sky.
Before long, Qin Sang caught sight of the azure ocean in the distance.
However, he was in no hurry to depart immediately. Instead, he detoured to a nearby marketplace to buy another sea chart.
The sea chart Lan Jingsi had given him was very rudimentary, mainly marking out a single route. Naturally, Qin Sang would not obediently follow that path; he intended to chart his own course.
The agreed-upon meeting place was called Nine Precepts City—a peculiar name, shared with the island it stood upon.
Qin Sang bought several sea charts at the marketplace that claimed to be the most comprehensive available, but found no detailed information regarding Nine Precepts Island.
Comparing several charts, he mapped out an initial leg of his route, intending to refine it further after entering the Boundless Sea. That very night, he departed the Crescent Moon Realm.
The sea areas near the Crescent Moon Realm were still under the control of continental powers.
Farther ahead lay the true Boundless Sea!
Flying swiftly over the water, he saw islands of varying sizes dotting the vast, boundless surface here and there.
The familiar scenery evoked Qin Sang's memories of the Canglang Ocean, giving him an inexplicable sense of warmth and familiarity.
He had cultivated in the Canglang Ocean for over a century and had long grown accustomed to this state of drifting across the seas.
The various rumors regarding the Boundless Sea sounded terrifying, but it was not necessarily more dangerous than some of the perilous domains in the Canglang Ocean. Back then, he was only at the Core Formation stage, with far less ability to protect himself than he possessed now.
Along the way, Qin Sang occasionally encountered other cultivators. Whenever an opportunity presented itself, he would stop to gather information and purchase more detailed sea charts from them.
Gradually, a clear picture of the Boundless Sea took shape in Qin Sang's mind.
Amidst the chaos existed another set of rules.
The so-called core of the Boundless Sea at present was an island known to local cultivators as Hunmo Island, along with its surrounding waters.
The reason it had become the core was simple: the master of Hunmo Island was a great cultivator—Old Man Hunmo!
Although Old Man Hunmo occupied Hunmo Island, he placed no restrictions on other factions entering the area. On the contrary, he maintained a laissez-faire attitude, treating righteous cultivators, demon cultivators, and beast demons alike without discrimination.
Countless factions congregated on Hunmo Island. While the situation was intricate and convoluted, it possessed its own established order.
As long as one did not violate Old Man Hunmo's taboos, Hunmo Island was actually safer than other places.
However, Old Man Hunmo harbored no ambition to unify the Boundless Sea and paid no heed whatsoever to matters occurring beyond Hunmo Island.
There were several other places in the Boundless Sea similar to Hunmo Island, though none were as renowned.
Nine Precepts Island was one of them.
Nine Precepts Island was located in the southern part of the Boundless Sea. After leaving the Crescent Moon Realm, Qin Sang headed straight southeast.
Along the way, however, he deliberately took a wide detour and arrived at a place called the Nine Stars Sea.
The Nine Stars Sea was the territory of a Boundless Sea faction: the Nine Stars Association.
The Nine Stars Association was formed by nine merchant guilds active across the Boundless Sea. Structured as an alliance, it enjoyed considerable renown in these waters.
Merchant guilds had always been the most well-informed, and Qin Sang had come precisely to gather intelligence.
Nine Stars City.
Qin Sang altered his appearance, assumed the guise of an ordinary cultivator, and entered the headquarters of one of the merchant guilds.
Even though he revealed only a Core Formation stage cultivation, he was still treated as an honored guest and personally received by a guild deacon.
"This humble one is surnamed Luo, given name Chen. May I ask how to address our honored guest?"
Deacon Luo enthusiastically ushered Qin Sang into a quiet room.
Qin Sang had no intention of introducing himself and cut straight to the chase. "I would like to inquire about a few matters."
Seeing that Qin Sang had not come to purchase treasures, a trace of disappointment flickered in Deacon Luo's eyes, yet his warmth did not diminish. "Then you have come to the right place, Fellow Daoist! When it comes to matters within the Boundless Sea, nothing escapes the eyes and ears of our Nine Stars Association!"
"Do not boast so broadly!"
Qin Sang gave a cold snort. "Let me ask you: has anything major happened near Nine Precepts Island recently?"
Deacon Luo was taken aback, then frowned. "That is rather broad. Does Fellow Daoist refer to..."
"Anything that could draw the attention of a Nascent Soul," Qin Sang said, emphasizing each word. "Anything at all!"
"Nascent Soul?"
Deacon Luo felt a chill in his heart. He scrutinized Qin Sang briefly and replied with caution, "This exceeds this humble one's scope of authority. I shall send word to the guild elders right away. However..."
Qin Sang understood his meaning and tossed a pouch of spirit stones straight onto the table. "Is this enough?"
It was merely inquiring about news rather than unearthing top-secret lore, so paying spirit stones would suffice.
Beaming from ear to ear, Deacon Luo replied, "More than enough, more than enough! Please wait a moment, Fellow Daoist..."
"Wait!"
Qin Sang stopped Deacon Luo and tossed out another pouch. "While you are at it, look into whether there is a place called Pure Lake."
Puzzled, Deacon Luo asked, "Is 'Pure Lake' the name of an island, or...?"
Qin Sang shook his head. "Only the two words 'Pure Lake.' It might also be a name from several thousand years ago that has since changed."
Filled with doubt, Deacon Luo took his leave.
Qin Sang sat in the quiet room, closing his eyes to rest his spirit.
After more than half a day, Deacon Luo finally returned. "Apologies for the long wait, Fellow Daoist! 'Pure Lake' was far too broad, requiring an exhaustive search through various ancient texts, which delayed things somewhat."
Qin Sang's expression shifted slightly. "You found it?"
Deacon Luo nodded. "Fortunately, we did not fail your commission! Recently, everything around Nine Precepts Island has been completely normal, with no major events occurring—though it is also possible that someone deliberately concealed any incidents, preventing them from leaking out. As for Pure Lake, I had our people scour ancient records, and we truly did turn up a place named Pure Lake. Over the eons, seas transform into mulberry fields, and many landscapes change beyond recognition; Pure Lake is no exception. That name no longer exists today. After careful cross-referencing, we can only confirm that Pure Lake was likely located in what is now the Kongling Sea."
Chapter 1397