Upon learning that Lu Yang and his companions were disciples of the Five Elements Sect, many factions besides the Three Heroes of Fangshan Island extended olive branches, hoping the youths would visit their territories. Quite a few even dropped heavy hints about marrying off their daughters to forge marital alliances.
By comparison, Lu Yang and his group felt the Three Heroes of Fangshan Island were far more reliable.
Only when they reached Fangshan Island did Lu Yang discover that it was not a single island, but rather the name of an archipelago, where countless islets clustered around the main island like scattered stars.
According to the three heroes, the main island possessed a top-tier fourth-grade spiritual vein that made many Nascent Soul stage cultivators green with envy. Legend had it that a heavenly treasure lay hidden beneath the vein, though it was merely a legend, as no one had ever laid eyes on it.
Spiritual veins were another specialty of the East Sea. Lu Yang had heard of them before: a first-grade spiritual vein supported the cultivation of the Qi Refinement stage, a second-grade spiritual vein supported the Foundation Establishment stage, and so on.
Furthermore, veins of the same grade were subdivided into three tiers: top, middle, and low.
A top-tier fourth-grade vein was the very best a Nascent Soul cultivator could hope to secure.
The three heroes were the masters of Fangshan Island. Attached to them were several clans, rogue cultivators, and countless mortals, adding up to a million people in all. The mortals went about their daily labor, their primary role being to supply fresh seedlings for cultivation, while early-stage Qi Refinement cultivators had varied divisions of labor, serving as spiritual farmers to grow spiritual grain and the like.
Fangshan Island was like a miniature kingdom, leaving Lu Yang and his companions thoroughly amazed.
"Masters," the maidservants greeted them, having waited long on the island for the trio's return.
These maidservants had been meticulously selected and trained by the clans of Fangshan Island, and all possessed pleasant looks.
Hero Yan, the eldest of the three, invited the five guests into the main hall and instructed a maidservant to serve tea.
"Wait a moment," Lu Yang called out, stopping the maidservant. This made Hero Yan tense up, wondering if he had somehow offended him.
Lu Yang subtly blocked his identity jade pendant with his hand. The pendant bore the characters for "Dao Seeking Sect," which he could not let Hero Yan see.
"Brew this instead. We're more accustomed to drinking this," Lu Yang said with a smile, handing the maidservant a packet of tea leaves.
Catching the fragrance of the tea, Hero Yan's pupils contracted sharply. "This is..."
"Enlightenment Tea?"
"It really is Enlightenment Tea?!"
"Why? Has Hero Yan had it before?"
How could Hero Yan have ever been qualified to drink such tea? He had merely been fortunate enough to attend a banquet hosted by several Body Integration cultivators, where one of the great figures had mysteriously brought out a treasure—none other than Enlightenment Tea.
Even when the other Body Integration figures begged for some, the host refused, only agreeing after much cajoling to brew a single pot for them to share.
Yet the packet Lu Yang had just taken out was more than enough to brew not merely a pot, but an entire washbasin!
Lu Yang was never short on Enlightenment Tea. Not to look any further, there was an Enlightenment Tea Tree King growing right in the Herb Garden, and the tea Eldest Senior Sister drank was plucked directly from it. Given Lu Yang's rapport with the Little Medicine Kings, asking for a few packets of Enlightenment Tea was as easy as lifting a finger.
And that was even without factoring in the Immortal Fairy's innate suppression over spiritual plants.
Once the Enlightenment Tea was brewed, the three heroes lifted their teacups with utmost care, drinking as though taking immortal pills or divine medicine.
The aroma was even richer and more mellow than the Enlightenment Tea at that banquet!
Hero Yan looked at Lu Yang and the others with a few degrees more awe in his eyes.
"Could Hero Yan give us an overview of the factions in the East Sea?" Lu Yang asked, wanting to match them with the markers on their maps.
Having received such generosity, Hero Yan held nothing back. "The East Sea can be divided into two major powers: the Sea Race and the Human Race. Among the Sea Race, there are the ten paramount races, including the Dragon Clan, the Kunpeng Clan, the Kui Clan... All of these races possess Tribulation Transcendence stage Demon Emperors. The Dragon Clan in particular has unfathomable depth; no one knows how many Tribulation Transcendence cultivators they have, and it's said the Old Dragon Emperor has lived for nine thousand years.
"Beneath the ten paramount races are groups like the Dragon Horse Clan, the Mirage Clan, the Ao Clan, the Jiaoren Clan, the Yaksha Clan, the Dragon-Human Clan, and so forth. These sea races are all guarded by Body Integration stage Great Demon Kings."
Chapter 797