Within the Ninefold Star Domain, every few centuries, armies of cultivators from various sects would unite and journey to the Demon Sect to aid in the defense against the savage beasts pouring forth from the shrouded reaches beyond… Perhaps, before long, even Qianmei would join their ranks. Li Qianmei’s cerulean tresses danced in the cosmic breeze, a few strands entwined about her right hand as Zhan Ji smiled. Wang Lin remained silent, his gaze distant.

“If that day should dawn, Brother Lü must bid Qianmei farewell, no?” Li Qianmei blinked, her form ethereal as she drifted to her feet, her smile a blossoming orchid, a serene grace touched with otherworldly beauty.

Her exquisite countenance mirrored that of Lü Yanfei, when Wang Lin departed the Moruo Continent. He recalled her silent farewell from the pavilion atop the Yaobu Mountains, and the soft murmur that echoed in his heart.

“The Grand Sect Trials, a century hence, I hope Senior will not forget… nor forget the Guiyuan Sect…” In her wisdom, Lü Yanfei, a woman of few words, knew that Moruo Continent could not hold Wang Lin for long. It was but a fleeting Lilypad beneath his feet. He was, in truth, merely a passerby.

Once the affairs of the Guiyuan Sect were settled, he would depart. His current departure marked the fading of the Zi Dao Sect’s calamity. This departure… perhaps their reunion would not be swift.

Especially the blue-haired maiden at Wang Lin’s side as he departed… Her image burned within Lü Yanfei’s heart, and she slowly bowed her head.

Wang Lin saw, Wang Lin heard, but he turned not back, departing into the distance. As he crossed the threshold of Moruo Continent, his words, like the wind, whispered past Lü Yanfei, stirring her hair in a gentle dance. “I shall.” At that moment, Wang Lin beheld Li Qianmei, a woman whose cultivation had reached the late stages of Shattered Nirvana, yet possessed not a trace of arrogance, serene as a sister from a neighboring village.

He listened as she spoke of the Ninefold Star Domain’s veiled secrets, of her impending journey to the Demon Sect and the perilous battles against the savage beasts. He listened as she requested his farewell upon her departure. Wang Lin remained silent for a long while, before nodding softly, “I shall.” Li Qianmei smiled, her eyes crescent moons in the starlight.

On the second day of the market’s opening on Penglai Continent, Wang Lin and Li Qianmei arrived in the star-strewn expanse beyond. Through her mastery of Dao, Li Qianmei transformed her hair to raven black.

In this guise, they need not fear recognition. Black-haired, Li Qianmei possessed an even more classic elegance, and her presence beside Wang Lin drew the gazes of countless cultivators in the star-filled sky.

The Bao Yu Sect, custodians of Penglai Continent, had dispatched numerous disciples to greet visitors, collecting the entrance fees before opening the protective wards and granting access.

Since arriving in the Cloud Sea, this was the first time Wang Lin had seen a cultivation star, albeit only half of one. It was a rare sight, but while other cultivators marveled at its grandeur, Wang Lin remained serenely calm.

In the Cloud Sea, most cultivators never laid eyes upon a cultivation star in their lives, only the floating continents. The awe that gripped their souls when first witnessing such a star was invariably evident.

But for Wang Lin, a cultivation star held little mystique. He was born upon one, his place of tutelage was another, and in Luo Tian, he even possessed his own. Not to mention the vast star domain within the Vermillion Bird Sacred Sect.

The disciples of Bao Yu Sect, perhaps emboldened by their possession of a cultivation star, possessed a certain arrogance, but their pride was inconsequential in Wang Lin’s eyes.

As cultivators paid their spirit stones and entered Penglai, Wang Lin and Li Qianmei came to the fore. Before them stood a squad of Bao Yu Sect disciples, their cultivation mostly at the stage of Yin Void Yang Solid, led by a Nirvana Scryer.

“The Bao Yu Sect clearly seeks to enhance its reputation by employing a Nirvana Scryer as a gatekeeper, flaunting its strength,” Wang Lin thought, shaking his head inwardly. The Bao Yu Sect’s actions were transparent posturing. After paying the fee, Wang Lin and Li Qianmei entered Penglai Continent.

“This is nothing, I remember when I came to Penglai Continent with my fellow disciples, a Purification Nirvana cultivator served as gatekeeper! I thought I had arrived to some Ninth Grade Sect, forgetting this was just a Fifth Grade Star Domain.” Li Qianmei chuckled, covering her mouth as she spoke softly. Wang Lin shook his head in silence.

Though the Bao Yu Sect may be scorned, Penglai itself was breathtaking. The land was a tapestry of emerald green, with cities dotting the landscape. Mortals gazed reverently at the streaks of light in the sky, the passing cultivators eliciting their envy. The mountains and rivers possessed a majestic beauty, pleasing to the eye.

The marketplace was located in the eastern part of Penglai Continent, a sight to behold. Conical megaliths floated in the sky, each crowned with a city. Wisps of clouds drifted among the stones, creating an ethereal paradise. The size of each city varied with that of its stone mount.

These floating conical stones were many, revolving slowly about a central, colossal stone.

Melodies of celestial music echoed throughout the heavens, emanating from the stone cities. Graceful, ethereal beasts danced amidst the stones, weaving through the clouds, disappearing only to reappear in the distance. Wang Lin’s expression remained impassive, but within, he marveled. Each conical stone housed a colossal suspension array, requiring vast quantities of spirit stones to maintain.

“The Bao Yu Sect is known for its extravagance,” Li Qianmei smiled, “But since it’s all supported with spirit stones, it has the form of a Celestial Realm without the essence. It may look like paradise, but it is just affected. Even the Bao Yu Sect can’t afford Celestial Jade, never mind Primal Crystals!”

Hearing Li Qianmei mention Celestial Jade, Wang Lin’s expression grew somewhat odd. He had learned at Guiyuan that Celestial Jade was extremely rare in the Cloud Sea Star Domain.

This was largely due to the Wind Celestial Realm being overrun by mosquito beasts. Unable to enter, naturally no one could acquire Celestial Jade. Thus, even the Bao Yu Sect only dared to squander spirit stones and was extremely stingy with Celestial Jade. Even that young sect master of the Jiu Dao Sect had less than a hundred pieces in his storage pouch.

Similarly, there existed another type of crystal in the Cloud Sea Star Domain, even rarer: the Primal Crystal. Like Celestial Jade, needed to ascend to the Yin Void Yang Solid realm and to create immortal arrays, divine abilities, and immortal treasures, the Primal Crystal held even greater value for Cloud Sea’s Second Step cultivators.

These Primal Crystals were unique to the Cloud Sea Immortal Domain, highly sought after by Second Step Divine Power cultivators. Absorbing them could rapidly replenish strength, and their presence during cultivation could accelerate breathing. Even when refining treasures or setting up arrays, their presence would double the power.

However, the quantity of Primal Crystals, like Celestial Jade, was extremely scarce, but unlike Celestial Jade, which existed in the Wind Celestial Realm and was inaccessible, Primal Crystals were monopolized by sects in Eighth Grade and above Star Domains, mostly held by the Ninth Grade Star Domain.

This was closely tied to the formation of Primal Crystals. Primal Crystals weren’t mined but formed within the bodies of savage beasts that had reached the Twelfth Order and possessed the ability to transform into mist. These beasts, raised within the mists, would gradually accumulate Primal Crystals. Only sects or cultivators possessing Twelfth Order savage beasts could nurture such crystals.

Twelfth Order savage beasts were already rare, and even rarer were those that could transform into mist. Thus, only sects of the Eighth Grade or higher had the power to possess them.

If a Primal Beast appeared in a lower Star Domain, it would immediately cause a frenzy. After all, these Primal Beasts were practically a guarantee of Primal Crystals!

Together, Li Qianmei and Wang Lin stepped onto one of the conical stones, its city the site of the market. The market was already open, the city bustling with cultivators. Some individuals, after paying the Bao Yu Sect a fee, had set up stalls to conduct their trade.

“This is just the outer rim, though it seems lively enough.” Li Qianmei followed Wang Lin, observing their surroundings.

The city was abuzz with chatter, the sound of bargaining filling the air, more akin to a mortal market than a gathering of cultivators.

It had been long since Wang Lin entered a market like this. After wandering for a time, his eyes fell upon a stall in the distance.

“Fellow Daoist, I don’t have that much Celestial Jade. How about I add a medicinal pill?” Seated cross-legged at the stall was an old man, his expression grim as he addressed a middle-aged man before him. Those words had just come from the middle-aged man’s mouth.

“I can refine pills myself; they’re useless to me. Seventy Celestial Jade for a Primal Crystal is already my limit,” the old man said, his voice cold.

In the Cloud Sea Star Domain, Celestial Jade and Primal Crystals could be exchanged at a fixed rate. Hearing these words, Wang Lin instinctively touched the spot where he used to keep his storage bag. Though his hand met empty air, Wang Lin’s expression was very strange. He didn’t even remember how much Celestial Jade he possessed within his storage crack…

Just then, a joyful cry rang out nearby.

“Qianmei! Is it really you?”

With the voice came three cultivators. The leader, a man of about thirty, handsome and slender in a green robe, approached with clear delight. His two companions were also talented individuals, their cultivation indicating that they were no weaklings. Li Qianmei’s brow furrowed before smoothing. “So it is, Yang Daoyou.”

Ignoring Wang Lin, the green-robed man said, “Since our parting months ago, I have thought of nothing but you. Heaven has blessed me to meet Qianmei here. This place is too crowded; let us move to the inner city.” His voice was gentle, full of charm.

“I appreciate Yang Daoyou’s kindness, but I must decline.” Li Qianmei’s voice was even, yet tinged with coldness.

“Qianmei, you…” The green-robed man froze, taking a few steps forward, about to say something else.

“Yang Daoyou, please conduct yourself with more respect! The name Qianmei is not yours to speak!” Li Qianmei frowned again, showing evident irritation. Yang Yu was someone she had asked for directions along the way, but his answers had not satisfied her.

Yang Yu’s eyebrows rose. He had noticed Wang Lin next to Li Qianmei and turned his cold gaze. He dared not provoke Li Qianmei, but the others he didn’t put in his eyes. “Who are you?” Yang Yu demanded, his voice harsh.