"Not at all, not at all..."
Cui Xuanzi shook his head repeatedly, uncertain of Qin Sang's intentions. Stroking his beard with a smile, he said, "This old man would be only too delighted if the young lady joined the Five Insects Sect. I only fear our humble dwelling is too crude to catch her discerning eye."
To his surprise, Yagu rose directly to her feet, walked before Cui Xuanzi, and dropped to her knees in a formal bow. "This disciple pays respects to Master!"
Qin Sang did not stop her, sighing inwardly.
Yagu was sharp; she had already understood what he meant.
Taking Cui Xuanzi as her master in his presence was undoubtedly the best choice available to her. Her decisive action was truly commendable.
***
Having settled Yagu, Qin Sang turned to serious business with Cui Xuanzi.
"Following Senior's instructions, Junior contacted many friends to conduct an exhaustive inquiry on your behalf. However, most came up completely empty-handed..."
Cui Xuanzi looked somewhat embarrassed.
"I know a manager of a merchant guild. This guild has mysterious origins and conducts business across more than half of the Western Frontier, possessing exceptionally well-informed intelligence channels. According to him, over the past two hundred years, only a single Nascent Soul cultivator has ever emerged from the Western Frontier—and that was only after he left the Western Frontier, betrayed his sect, and joined a major sect beyond before steadily breaking through to achieve Nascent Soul formation. Few among our Witch Clan excel in the Dao of the sword, and they are even rarer in the Western Frontier. Not a single one matches Senior's description. Even beyond the Western Frontier, there is no word of any Nascent Soul Patriarch named Qingzhu."
Qin Sang frowned inwardly. Senior Qingzhu had been known as the Sword Demon in the Lesser Cold Domain, immersing himself in the killing Dao with sword techniques so unique. If he had also landed in the Western Frontier back then, appearing publicly even once would surely have left an impression on people.
Yet there was not the slightest news of him.
Cultivating the *Origin Soul Sword-Nurturing Chapter* required engaging in slaughter to comprehend the killing Dao; keeping a low profile was virtually impossible.
Could Senior Qingzhu have suffered a teleportation mishap back then and perished in an accident?
Qin Sang shook his head, finding the thought too preposterous.
"What about the rest?"
Cui Xuanzi said, "I also asked him to help acquire Everlasting Camphor and soul-attracting grass. My friend had indeed heard of them. But according to him, both are extraordinary wonders of the world; even his guild has never recorded purchasing either of these spiritual materials. Trying to find them in the Western Frontier is practically a fantasy. In fact..."
Pausing, Cui Xuanzi cautiously glanced at Qin Sang's expression. "As far as he knows, spiritual materials and medicines of this caliber are difficult to find anywhere across the Boundless Ocean. If Senior hopes to find them, I fear you can only rely on sheer luck."
Hearing this, Qin Sang's eyes flickered, profoundly astonished.
Everlasting Camphor was understandable, being an extraordinary wonder of the world to begin with.
But how could soul-attracting grass also be so scarce?
In the Lesser Cold Domain, although soul-attracting grass was uncommon, a stalk would at least appear from time to time at demonic sect auctions, used by demonic cultivators to aid their cultivation.
The Boundless Ocean was vast beyond measure; the Witch God Continent alone was as large as several Lesser Cold Domains combined.
Yet this guild manager dared to claim that soul-attracting grass was hard to come by in the entire Boundless Ocean.
Unless the man was an ignorant charlatan talking nonsense...
A foreboding feeling suddenly arose in Qin Sang's heart. He asked in a grave voice, "Your friend is knowledgeable, so his standing in the guild must not be simple. Does he have any avenues to procure pills that assist with Core Formation? I wish to purchase some for the juniors of my sect; price is not an issue."
"Assist with Core Formation?"
Cui Xuanzi smiled wryly again and again. "To be frank with Senior, Junior once harbored such thoughts as well. Only after inquiring with that manager did I learn the truth. Even among the Human Clan, whenever a miracle medicine capable of offering the slightest aid to Core Formation appears, countless factions fight over it tooth and nail. For our Witch Clan, they are even more exceedingly rare. How could such a thing possibly appear in the Western Frontier?"
Hearing this, Qin Sang finally realized where the problem lay.
From the sound of it, the Boundless Ocean waters were actually far more barren than the Lesser Cold Domain!
The Lesser Cold Domain possessed the Ancient Immortal Battlefield, where ancient secret realms were unearthed from time to time. With good luck, one could even stumble upon an entire medicinal herb garden, frequently bringing precious spiritual items to light.
For instance, when it came to spiritual items that aided Core Formation, Shaohua Mountain alone could provide a Kanli Golden Pill for every False Core stage disciple in its ranks, and the other Eight Righteous Sects and the demonic sects were not much different.
Only heavenly treasures like the snow spirit lotus and iris flower were scarce to an extreme degree.
Qin Sang had originally assumed the storms beyond the Boundless Ocean waters were places similar to the Ancient Immortal Battlefield, and that across such a vast territory, the Boundless Ocean's resources would naturally be far richer than the Lesser Cold Domain's.
Only now did he realize how terribly scarce spiritual herbs and materials were in the Boundless Ocean waters!
Qin Sang had suffered through the ordeal of Core Formation and knew full well how arduous it was. Without even the spiritual medicines to aid Core Formation, just how abysmal were the chances of Human Clan cultivators in the Boundless Ocean waters achieving Core Formation?
The Witch Clan had their natal insect gu, but did the humans possess other means?
How bright could one's prospects be when cultivating in such an impoverished place? Qin Sang suddenly felt an overwhelming yearning for the Lesser Cold Domain.
Still, this was only Cui Xuanzi's side of the story; seeing was believing.
Though waves of turmoil surged in Qin Sang's heart, his expression remained impassive.
Cui Xuanzi continued, "The fire-repelling sparrow beast Senior inquired about is likewise absent from the Western Frontier. However, that manager mentioned rumors of fire-repelling sparrows appearing in the Storm Sea Area. Senior could go there to search..."
Speaking swiftly, Cui Xuanzi recounted all the intelligence he had gathered in detail before handing Qin Sang a jade slip.
Within the jade slip was a simplified topographical map covering more than half of the Western Frontier. It was sparsely marked with long-rumored perilous grounds and secret realms of the Western Frontier—precisely what Qin Sang desired.
*However, all these locations are in the heart of the Western Frontier. Could I really have drifted from somewhere so far away?* Qin Sang mused silently.
Apart from those, several sites rumored to be spirit insect nests were marked as well, compiled by Cui Xuanzi according to the Exotic Insect Registry Qin Sang had provided.
Qin Sang's eyes brightened. While resources were extraordinarily scarce here, there were quite a few exotic insects—species completely absent in the Lesser Cold Domain.
He was still undecided on which exotic insect to choose as his natal insect gu. Each possessed extraordinary divine abilities, and Qin Sang found them all quite suitable.
However, these exotic insects possessed peculiar innate talents and concealed themselves deeply. Their traces were elusive and difficult to track, and these leads were merely unsubstantiated rumors; whether any could actually be captured remained an unknown.
"Well done. You truly put your heart into this..."
Qin Sang nodded, but midway through his sentence, his brow furrowed as he turned to look outside the hall.
Beyond the Five Insects Sect, amid the surrounding mountains, dozens of escaping lights of various colors were hurtling straight toward the sect in an imposing, thunderous surge.
Only then did Cui Xuanzi sense the commotion outside. Flashing out of the hall, he caught sight of the aggressively arriving uninvited guests, and his face instantly drained of color.
"All disciples hear my command! Activate the mountain-protecting grand array!" Cui Xuanzi shouted urgently.
The disciples of the Five Insects Sect had also noticed the disturbance, taking flight from across the mountains in panic.
*Boom!*
All the peaks stirred in unison as blinding beams of light shot upward and converged in the sky, conjuring the lifelike form of a blooming lotus.
Just then, a burst of arrogant laughter echoed from outside. "Old man Cui Xuan, esteemed guests arrive at your doorstep, yet instead of coming out to welcome us, you activate your mountain-protecting grand array. Is this how you treat your guests?"
Qin Sang remained seated inside the grand hall, unmoving, and took a sip of clear tea.
Chapter 636