"As for the races below that, they are far too numerous to count—take the Sea Spider Clan and the Spirit Fish Clan, for instance. These races have Soul Formation stage cultivators holding the fort, but whether they have any in the Void Refining stage is anyone's guess."

Here in the East Sea, anyone who cultivated to the Void Refining stage kept as low a profile as possible, concealing the news of their breakthrough to prevent old enemies from learning they had reached the stage and coming knocking. "Compared to the Sea Race, the Human Race here is considerably weaker. To protect ourselves, we formed the East Sea Cultivator Alliance. The ones who spearheaded its creation were the three immortal islands of Penglai, Fangzhang, and Yingzhou, which also hold the greatest sway in the alliance. Each is backed by an ancestor at the Tribulation Transcendence stage, and they hold the posts of alliance leader and vice alliance leaders." "The factions in the alliance that possess Body Integration cultivators are..." "The threshold to join the alliance is the Foundation Establishment stage; cultivators at that level are ordinary members. Once they reach the Golden Core stage, they are considered senior members." "The three of us brothers are deacons in the alliance, and above us are hall masters, elders, and so forth." After this rundown, Lu Yang developed a basic impression of the East Sea's factions: The East Sea really loved their tiers and ranks. And after hearing all that elaborate hierarchy, their alliance leader wouldn't even qualify for one of the Four Sovereigns in the Heavenly Court Cult. Taking advantage of the casual conversation, Hero Yan asked a few questions about cultivation. Truth be told, the brothers felt rather sheepish. They had initially hoped to treat their guests with prized treasures in exchange for cultivation insights, but once Lu Yang brought out Enlightenment Tea, none of their good things could measure up. That single packet of tea leaves could purchase several Fangshan Islands. All they could do was thicken their skin and ask anyway. Although the Nascent Souls Lu Yang and his companions had cultivated were bizarre in every way, they were thoroughly versed in traditional cultivation methods. Conundrums that had plagued the three heroes for decades were resolved by Lu Yang in just a sentence or two, clearing away their confusion with effortless ease and filling the three heroes with boundless admiration. The only truly difficult question came when Hero Yan asked, "How ought one to utilize a Nascent Soul in combat?" Lu Yang gave it some thought: he was still busy being beaten by his Invincible Nascent Soul; Meng Jingzhou's twin Nascent Souls were unprecedented in history; Man Gu's ancestral apparition Nascent Soul clearly offered zero reference value; and Li Haoran's dismembered Nascent Soul was hardly any better. Running down the list, only Tao Yaoye's Nascent Soul was remotely normal. "By the way, having resided in the Central Continent for so long, we have yet to see a spiritual vein in person," Meng Jingzhou chimed in. "Would Hero Yan be willing to indulge our curiosity?" Among the five of them, only Li Haoran had seen a spiritual vein before, relying on the memories of his past life. "That is easily done," Hero Yan agreed with a smile. Normally, a spiritual vein was the lifeblood of an island, a forbidden area never shown to outsiders. Yet Lu Yang had already shared Enlightenment Tea, which meant they could hardly be treated as outsiders. "This way, please." The three heroes personally led the way, guiding the five into a cave. The trio held lanterns aloft to light the path ahead. The cave was winding. The deeper they went, the more pronounced the rise in spiritual energy became. After walking for roughly ten minutes, the cavern gradually grew brighter, outshining even the lanterns held by the three heroes. "We have arrived." The three heroes extinguished their lanterns and gestured forward invitingly. Before them lay a pool of azure spring water, protected by an array formation. The spring glowed with lustrous spiritual energy, flowing through subterranean channels to every corner of Fangshan Island, its branching trickles giving rise to second- and third-grade spiritual veins. Suddenly, the ground began to tremble, and the spiritual vein churned into a boil. Surging spiritual energy breached the great array, sending jade-green ripples spreading across the sky above. Hero Yan's expression changed abruptly. "A phenomenon of heaven and earth—a heavenly treasure is about to be born!" Lu Yang quickly threw up his hands to prove his innocence. "This has nothing to do with me!"