Jiang Wang did not need to rush to Crescent Island in the shortest time possible.

His decision to have Chong Xuansheng return to Winterless Island first was precisely to allow him to travel at a leisurely pace.

He wanted to slowly experience the customs and culture of the Near Sea Islands, personally feel the influence of the Fishing Sea Pavilion in this area, and seek out potential breakthrough points.

He now had the full support of Chong Xuansheng and Jiang Wuyou, but this combined power was still no match for the Fishing Sea Pavilion.

After all, the Fishing Sea Pavilion corresponded to a national force like the State of Qi.

The three of them combined were still insignificant compared to the Fishing Sea Pavilion.

Therefore, they needed a breakthrough point, a crucial entry point, to have a chance to leverage the rules of the Fishing Sea Pavilion and rescue Zhu Biqiong.

Seated in the dragon-bone skiff traveling between the Near Sea Islands, Jiang Wang silently pondered his affairs.

These dragon-bone skiffs could carry thirty people at a time and were the most common vessels in the Near Sea Islands.

Compared to the hundred-fin boats often seen in inland rivers, dragon-bone boats were better suited to the wind and waves of the sea, and came in different sizes.

Of course, they could only operate in the near sea.

The ships going to the Misty Sea Domain had a unique structure and belonged to the category of military equipment, which ordinary forces could not obtain.

The competition between the State of Qi and the Fishing Sea Pavilion in the Near Sea Islands was evident everywhere.

For example, when taking a dragon-bone skiff, the fare could only be paid with Dragon Coins issued by the Fishing Sea Pavilion.

In places like Haimen Island, however, various necessities such as food, clothing, and supplies could be paid for with either Qi’s Dao Coins or Dragon Coins, both of which were recognized by the islanders.

The special nature of the fare was due to the fact that the dragon-bone skiffs were made by the Fishing Sea Pavilion.

In earlier years, there were all kinds of strange ships in the near sea. Although there were still many types, the ships specifically carrying passengers between the islands had all been unified into dragon-bone skiffs, silently implementing the will of the Fishing Sea Pavilion.

In this world, ordinary people who could not cultivate were ultimately the majority.

Aperture Opening Pills were precious, and not everyone who took them could necessarily open their apertures. For example, Wang Changji was considered a “waste” of the Aperture Opening Pill back in Maple Forest City, and this was not uncommon.

Therefore, the Dao Academy had an outer sect system to select those who could withstand the medicinal power of the Aperture Opening Pill and successfully open their apertures. Most cultivation forces in the world also had similar systems.

Before anyone opened their apertures, they needed to condition their bodies and adjust them to a suitable state before taking the Aperture Opening Pill.

Some people would do so earlier, some later. For example, Jiang An’an had both good talent and the foundation laid by Jiang Wang himself, as well as proper training from the Lingxiao Pavilion and high-quality Aperture Opening Pills. That’s why she opened her apertures at such a young age.

Some people pursued a more complete physical state, while others simply couldn’t get their bodies in the right condition.

Apart from Jiang Wang, there were no other extraordinary cultivators in the cabin, and the passengers were all chatting loudly to pass the time on the bumpy journey.

“Yesterday, that sea beast of the Jade Toad Sect went mad and killed a lot of people!”

“If you ask me, they shouldn’t be raising sea beasts, they’re too ferocious!”

“That’s right! I don’t know what those people are thinking. With that much effort, they might as well explore the outer sea.”

Ordinary islanders rarely used the term “Azure Sea.” They generally referred to it as the outer sea.

The Misty Sea Domain was also known as the Sea of Death in folk tales.

The Misty Sea was the battlefield of extraordinary cultivators, and the opponents of the sea tribes were always extraordinary cultivators—until the cultivators guarding the sea frontier were all dead.

Like the people of Qi, ordinary islanders had no concept of sea tribes. They knew there was danger in the outer sea, but only a few knew what the danger came from.

Many people even lived their entire lives on a small island, knowing that other islands existed but never having visited them.

The voices of the people on the boat mingled with the sound of the waves, swirling around Jiang Wang’s ears.

He was thinking about the issue of “Mind Dust.”

Lin Youxie’s easy discovery of Wu Yiyu also made Jiang Wang aware of the Mind Dust secret art, and why he could never shake off Lin Youxie.

He didn’t know if there was any Mind Dust on him now, and didn’t know where to start checking.

Because it only manifested as a thought.

Thinking of something constantly, and that thing actually resides in the heart.

Therefore, it was invisible and intangible, imperceptible and unknowable.

So, how to isolate it?

Jiang Wang suddenly remembered the mysterious man he met in Wenxi County, who said that “even a gaze has weight.” Jiang Wang had only glanced at him a few times, and he was immediately noticed.

Then, was the principle of Mind Dust similar to this?

If one could perceive the weight of a gaze, accurately perceive the gazes of others, could one also perceive the constant thoughts of others?

These all belonged to the application of divine soul power, and should be in the domain of spiritual sense.

Or perhaps it could only be developed in the Divine Proximity Realm.

This showed how remarkable the secret art used by Lin Youxie in the Tenglong Realm was. And how outstanding the person who created this secret art was.

Jiang Wang asked himself that his divine soul power was considered strong. After multiple enhancements, its strength should not be inferior to that of the mysterious man he encountered in Wenxi County. But in terms of application skills, he was far inferior.

Using the Lovesickness Sword Spirit provided some ability to kill with the divine soul. But when it came to subtle and profound secret arts like Mind Dust, he was at a loss.

After thinking for a while, he didn’t come up with a good solution, so he had to temporarily gather his mind.

“Are sea beasts commonly seen?” Jiang Wang casually found a topic and joined the passengers’ conversation.

His clean and handsome appearance, without much aggression, and his neat and upright posture, easily left a good impression on people he met for the first time.

He was not met with coldness.

A burly uncle replied, “Not many here. The closer you get to Huai Island, the more there are. They’re basically caught from the outer sea and tamed. They’re very dangerous things, young man, don’t be too curious.”

“Aren’t they tamed by cultivators? How are they still dangerous?” Jiang Wang asked.

The uncle spoke in a tone that implied he thought Jiang Wang was hopeless: “They say they’re tamed. And generally, they don’t attack the islands. But any sea beast is several stories tall, and if it just twitches, you’re done for! How do you think that’s dangerous?”

Someone next to him ridiculed, “That’s enough, Old Zhao, you’re talking like you’ve actually been to Huai Island!”

Old Zhao wasn’t annoyed, he just chuckled twice: “Hearing is as good as seeing!”

The person next to him was probably his friend, also a weathered man, and continued to needle him, “That depends on who you hear it from. Some people talk nonsense, how can you believe them?”

“Why can’t I believe them? My cousin’s son’s neighbor’s daughter is a cultivator of the Five Immortals Sect. She told my cousin’s son’s neighbor, how could that be false?” Old Zhao glared.

Jiang Wang only asked two questions and hadn’t had time to say anything else, but these two had already started arguing.

However, the name Five Immortals Sect caught Jiang Wang’s attention.

As the new master of the Cloud Peak Immortal Palace, he was inevitably sensitive to the term “Immortal.”

People dwelling in high mountains are called immortals. In ancient times, extraordinary cultivators were regarded as immortals, and it’s still so today.

But after the recent ancient era, as far as the cultivation world was concerned, when one spoke of immortals, they were referring to cultivators from the Nine Great Immortal Palaces.

The Nine Great Immortal Palaces even claimed to have their own system of Immortal Arts that transcended Dao techniques, and once dominated the world.

“What kind of sect is the Five Immortals Sect?” Jiang Wang asked curiously, “This is my first time here, I’m not very clear.”

It was still the outwardly fierce but warm-hearted Old Zhao who replied to him, “Then you have to remember this. The next island this ship stops at is Youxia Island. The Five Immortals Sect is the strongest sect on Youxia Island, and you must never provoke their people.”

“What do you mean the Five Immortals Sect is the strongest?” Old Zhao’s friend was obviously unconvinced, “Will the Rage Whale Gang, with thousands of members, agree to that?”

“Most of those thousands of people only know some basic martial arts.” Old Zhao dismissed him with a look, “Besides, extraordinary cultivators don’t rely on numbers. A strong one can beat thousands of weak ones, do you know that?”

After saying that, he nudged Jiang Wang with his stout arm, “I see you young man carrying a sword, you’re a martial artist, you should know. Am I right?”

Jiang Wang was very supportive and chuckled, “Uncle Zhao is right.”

Not everyone flew to the heavens and escaped the earth, bravely climbed peaks, schemed against each other, or fought for power and profit.

For most ordinary people, life was just about bragging.