Chapter 86: The Archipelago of Lingxi-Immortality: Unlocking New Abilities Through Farming(An old man with silver hair engages in lively conversation, laughter flowing effortlessly from his lips.)

The map in Qin Ming’s hand had been purchased from Gu Qingzhao. It had cost him a full hundred spirit stones. After all, such a comprehensive map was exceedingly rare on the market. Not only did it depict the terrain, but it also detailed the region’s culture, resources, climate, and the distribution of spiritual veins with remarkable clarity.

This map was the result of years of meticulous updates and improvements by the Mirror Snow Pavilion. It was vast, covering not only the territories of the Wei Kingdom but also the neighboring Jin, Wu, and Liang Kingdoms. The four nations stood as pillars in balance, with Wei positioned furthest to the south.

Qin Ming studied the map closely, his gaze falling upon a tiny mark at the southernmost tip of Wei: the Qingyang Market. Moving his eyes northward, he saw the borders of the four nations divided by a colossal, X-shaped mountain range. This was the Beastcall Mountains, said to be filled with perils and countless varieties of demon beasts, even home to fearsome tier-three monsters.

Every accessible mountain pass was guarded by fortresses and immortal cultivator markets along the way. These scattered markets formed a chain of waypoints, ultimately leading to a grand city at the crossroads of the four kingdoms. There, in bold red characters, was written: Canghai Immortal City.

This was the sanctuary of rogue cultivators.

Within the borders of Wei, Jin, Liang, and Wu, each kingdom was ruled by a Golden Core Patriarch, the supreme authority. All other forces had to bow to their dominance. Even the source of Foundation Establishment Pills was monopolized by these sects—great sects feasted while countless rogue cultivators struggled to even sip the broth, forced to eke out a living in the cracks between powers.

Canghai Immortal City, however, lay outside any jurisdiction. Backed by the resource-rich Beastcall Mountains, it swiftly became the hub for rogue cultivators to trade and exchange. Later, when the immortal Canghai achieved his Golden Core as a rogue and established the city, it attracted many factions, even tier-two alchemy masters. As long as the right materials were available, Foundation Establishment Pills could be refined here.

Thus, Canghai Immortal City became the only place where rogue cultivators had a real chance of acquiring Foundation Establishment Pills, earning its reputation as the holy land of rogue cultivators.

According to Gu Qingzhao, the Mirror Snow Pavilion’s largest branch was located in Canghai Immortal City, and she too was headed there. Having learned from his recent experiences, Qin Ming was determined not to visit such a place teeming with all sorts of unsavory characters. Moreover, the presence of Golden Core masters meant that their powerful divine sense could expose many secrets—hardly an ideal place for quietly cultivating ancient arts and developing his foundation.

His current principles for cultivation were to avoid conflict, to develop steadily, to farm and manage his resources, and transform them into true strength. Places where powers were entangled and strife was constant were best avoided.

Over the years, Qin Ming had collected much intelligence from Gu Qingzhao and had studied the lands of Wei in depth, forming a clear plan in his mind. His gaze continued north, finally settling on a place called the Spirit Perch Archipelago.

This was a vast cluster of islands, crisscrossed by rivers and lakes that formed a dense network of waterways, all converging at the four kingdoms’ intersection. The Spirit Perch Archipelago was under the jurisdiction of the Zhao family, an immortal cultivation clan. The Zhao family was one of the three great families among Wei’s seven major powers, each possessing a pseudo-Core master.

This region was renowned for its spiritual rice and spirit fish, delicacies often found in the finest immortal restaurants. Yet, the archipelago’s spiritual veins were mostly of the first rank, with only a few scattered second-rank veins, so the major powers had little interest in contesting for its resources.

For Qin Ming’s purposes, this made it an ideal place to develop steadily. He planned to wait until he reached the peak of the Qi Refining stage before heading to Canghai Immortal City to seek a Foundation Establishment Pill.

The waters of the Spirit Perch Archipelago flowed northward, eventually shrouded by a perpetual strange mist that even a Golden Core master’s divine sense could not penetrate—those who entered never returned. Legends said that beyond the mist lay the Great Jin Immortal Dynasty, the land that Su Yuqing had spoken of before leaving, where resources were more abundant, and Nascent Soul true lords, known only from books, ruled over the four kingdoms.

At present, Qin Ming had already fulfilled the requirements for both divine sense and blood energy. Only the final test remained—the test of magical power. With his four-element pseudo-aptitude, and without a perfected Wood Law Body or Foundation Establishment Pill, even with the Heavenly Fire Spirit Liquid he’d obtained from Friend Feng, his chances of success were slim.

His plan for the Spirit Perch Archipelago was to rent spiritual farmland above the second rank—sufficient for a second-rank spiritual planter like himself. He intended to plant his life-bound spiritual vine and cultivate the Ancient Wood Longevity Art, so the higher the rank of the spiritual vein, the better.

Since he could not find a more suitable place for the time being, he would have to make do with a second-rank spiritual vein. After all, his life-bound black vine was not particularly demanding; as long as it had blood pearls, it would thrive.

Of course, if the opportunity arose, he would still seek to improve its environment—a touch of refinement. Moreover, developing himself on the Spirit Perch Archipelago meant he would remain close enough to Canghai Immortal City to stay in close contact with Gu Qingzhao, who had become his key source of high-level information about the world of cultivation, as well as an important connection.

Having settled on his future path, Qin Ming took out a Spirit Nurturing Pill and sat down to cultivate.

The next day, Qin Ming found Gu Qingzhao to explain his intended destination.

“The Spirit Perch Archipelago?” she echoed, a hint of surprise on her face. But she quickly added, “That’s actually a good place for you, and it’s not far from me either. We can look out for each other. The land there is fertile, perfect for cultivating spiritual plants.”

She smiled slightly, her tone becoming slightly teasing. “By the way, do you know why it’s called the Spirit Perch Archipelago?”

Qin Ming smiled wryly. “Forgive my ignorance, I do not know the origin of the name.”

“It is said that when these islands first formed, a certain bird carried a spirit rice seed from who knows where and accidentally dropped it here. From that, a rare mid-grade, tier-two spirit rice grew, which greatly enhanced a Foundation Establishment cultivator’s power. It became famous for a time and was named Spirit Perch Rice. Unfortunately, nobody has been able to cultivate it since, and it has gradually disappeared from the archipelago, now nearly impossible to find,” Gu Qingzhao explained with some regret.

“So that’s the story. I had no idea,” Qin Ming said, suddenly enlightened.

She continued, “By the way, our pavilion’s flying boat will depart for Canghai Immortal City in two days. Is there anything you need to prepare?”

Qin Ming shook his head. “Everything is ready on my end. I can depart at any time.”

“This journey to Canghai Immortal City will take some time. The pavilion will hold an auction on board the ship. You are welcome to join us, and if you have any items you wish to sell, I can auction them on your behalf,” Gu Qingzhao said gently.