Haoran City, Haoran Tower.
In the early morning, just after daybreak, the hall of Haoran Building was packed with dozens of immortal cultivators sitting together in groups of three or four, drinking tea and chatting.
Sun Yan was born as a casual cultivator. When she was twelve years old, her parents went out to hunt monsters and died in the mouths of monsters. She took the initiative to find Ding Yuancheng, the owner of Haoran Tower, and said that she would work for Haoran Tower as long as Haoran Tower provided three meals a day.
Ding Yuancheng kindly accepted her. Sun Yan worked diligently and treated people sincerely. When she was 22 years old, she married Ding Yuancheng's youngest son Ding Jiaming. With the help of Ding Jiaming, she successfully advanced to the foundation-building stage. She was filial to her parents-in-law and worked diligently. Ding Yuancheng, against all odds, handed over Haoran Building to Sun Yan.
Haoran Tower is the property of the Ding family. The Ding family has five Jindan cultivators in charge. It has been passed down for thousands of years and has a profound foundation.
After Sun Yan took over Haoran Tower, he worked diligently for decades, and Haoran Tower gradually became the most famous teahouse in Haoran City. Spies gathered here, and it had become a place to entertain friends and gather information.
"Take care, Brother Zhao! You are welcome to come again next time."
Sun Yan personally sent away a middle-aged man with a big belly, and a pretty girl in a red dress with two cute dimples on her face came over.
"Fairy Hu, good morning. Fellow Daoist Bai and his companions have arrived and are waiting for you."
Sun Yan said politely, with a smile on her face.
The other party was the second shopkeeper of the Golden Gourd Pavilion, who was proficient in weapon refining and was also an old customer of the Haoran Building. Sun Yan naturally did not dare to treat him disrespectfully.
"Morning, Shopkeeper Sun!"
Han Changying greeted with a smile and walked in. Sun Yan accompanied her in and the two chatted as they walked.
Not long after, Han Changying arrived outside a private room on the third floor.
"Fairy Hu, if you need anything, just give me a call. I'll go greet other guests."
Sun Yan tactfully said goodbye and left.
Han Changying pushed open the door and walked in.
There were four men and one woman sitting in the room. The one with the highest cultivation level was a gentle-looking man in a green shirt, who was in the late stage of foundation building. The one with the lowest cultivation level was a middle-aged Taoist priest in a blue Taoist robe, who was in the early stage of foundation building.
"Fairy Hu, you are here."
"Fairy Hu, long time no see."
The other cultivators greeted Han Changying one after another. Their tone was warm and from what they said, it was obvious that they knew him.
Han Changying smiled slightly and said, "Friend Bai, I'm really sorry. I'm late for some business in the store. I'll treat you this time."
She has a cheerful personality. She has stayed in Haoran City for several years and has made the acquaintance of many foundation-building cultivators. Every once in a while, they would hold gatherings to exchange cultivation experiences, information, and cultivation resources.
Among the five foundation-building cultivators present, two are captains of the monster hunting team, and the other three are from immortal cultivation families.
"Fairy Hu, you are too polite. We are old acquaintances. You have treated us more than ten times. I am embarrassed to let you treat me again. I will treat you this time!"
A tall man in white with a fair face said with a smile.
The man in white is named Bai Feiyang, and has reached the middle stage of foundation building. He comes from a family of immortal cultivators. The Bai family has two Jindan cultivators, and they mainly deal in raw materials, such as refining materials and alchemy materials. Han Changying buys from him regularly, and the quantity is not small. Today's gathering was initiated by him.
"Yes! Fairy Hu, we are embarrassed to let you treat us all the time, so let Brother Bai come this time!"
A plump young woman in a green skirt agreed with a smile. Her surname was Fang and her given name was Yue. She had reached the late stage of foundation building and was the captain of a monster hunting team. Whenever she got monster materials, she would sell them to Bai Feiyang first. She would occasionally sell some monster materials to Han Changying. It all depended on who offered a higher price.
Han Changying nodded in agreement, sat down, and the four of them began to chat.
"Did you hear? Master Wanlang was injured by a third-grade, top-grade poisonous dragon."
Bai Feiyang said casually that since there were two Jindan cultivators in the clan, he was more well-informed about the news.
"No wonder Fairy Qinglian is collecting third-level blue-eyed golden lizard beasts in the mainland. It is said that the price has increased again. It would be great if we could find a third-level blue-eyed golden lizard beast. Madam Fang, you hunt monster beasts outside all year round, so the chance of you finding a third-level blue-eyed golden lizard beast is relatively high."
Han Changying smiled and joked. She only knew that Han Zhangxiang took Han Benfu and four others to leave Haoran City and did not come back until more than two months ago. She asked Han Benfu about it, but Han Benfu just said that they were hunting monsters. Han Changying did not know about it and was still paying attention to the news about the third-level blue-eyed golden lizard beast.
The inner elixir of the third-level blue-eyed golden lizard beast is the main ingredient for refining the third-level detoxification pill. All major merchants are collecting the inner elixir of the third-level blue-eyed golden lizard beast, but Lingxiao Tower and Sanxian Tower have raised the purchase price.
"To be honest with you, Fairy Hu, we went out to sea this time to look for the blue-eyed golden lizard beast. Unfortunately, we did not succeed. However, we encountered a group of golden-backed turtles. This is the shell of a second-grade, top-grade golden-backed turtle. I would like to ask Fairy Hu to help me refine a defensive inner armor. The price is not a problem, but the quality must be good."
As Fang Yue spoke, she took out a piece of white tortoise shell about ten feet in size, with some golden lines on the surface.
Han Changying is proficient in the art of refining weapons. Fang Yue trusts Han Changying more and occasionally asks Han Changying for help in refining weapons. Han Changying does not charge much, and Fang Yue will sell some information to Han Changying from time to time.
"No problem, I'll take care of it. But it will take a month before you can get the goods. I'm quite busy recently."
Han Changying said somewhat tactfully.
Fang Yue agreed with a smile. She trusted Han Changying in the meticulous work.
"Oh, by the way, let me tell you something. The 19th-ranked Liehuo Sanren on the Hidden Dragon Ranking was being hunted by a fourth-rank monster bird. He is probably in great danger."
Fang Yue said somewhat mysteriously.
Han Changying's eyes flashed with surprise, and she asked curiously, "Madam Fang, where did you get the news? I heard that Liehuo Sanren is proficient in escape techniques, so he shouldn't be in any trouble, right?"
All the male cultivators in the Jindan stage on the Qianlong List are extremely powerful and have attracted much attention.
Liehuo Sanren is ranked 19th on the Hidden Dragon List. He is proficient in several escape techniques and has escaped from fourth-level monsters many times.
"Yes! Liehuo Sanren has reached the late Jindan stage. He was born as a casual cultivator, free from all ties. He has escaped from fourth-level monsters more than once, and this time should be no exception!"
Bai Feiyang asked with some confusion.
The reason why Liehuo Sanren can rank 19th on the Hidden Dragon List is not only because he is proficient in many kinds of escape techniques, but also because of his escape speed. It is said that he has an ancient flying treasure in his hand, which is incredibly fast. If he drives it with all his strength, even Nascent Soul cultivators cannot catch up with him. No one knows the specific situation.
"He didn't provoke an ordinary monster, but a member of the Ice Phoenix Clan. I think he was in great danger. At that time, the fourth-level Ice Phoenix was chasing Liehuo Sanren and ignored us. That's why we had a chance to escape. Otherwise, we wouldn't have been able to come back."
When Fang Yue finished speaking, an expression of lingering fear appeared on her face.
"The Ice Wind Clan? That Liehuo Sanren is probably dead. The Ice Wind Clan is one of the top three monster clans in the outer sea. It is said that the leader of the Ice Wind Clan has cultivated to the Spiritualization Stage and has completely transformed into a human form. Liehuo Sanren actually dared to provoke the Ice Wind Clan. He is too bold."
Bai Feiyang said with some surprise.
"I heard that Liehuo Sanren has an ancient flying treasure that can fly at an incredibly fast speed. It would be great if we could get this treasure, but it's a pity that it fell into the hands of the demon tribe."
Han Changying sighed, his face full of envy.
Bai Feiyang shook his head and said jokingly, "Nothing is absolute in this world. Maybe Liehuo Sanren escaped by luck, but he was also seriously injured and died. Before he died, he left behind a legacy bead for the destined person. Maybe Madam Fang and Fellow Daoist Lin have this opportunity. We have been staying in the market, so even if Liehuo Sanren left behind a legacy, it would be difficult for us to find it."
"Friend Bai, you are such a joke. It was a few years ago that we met Liehuo Sanren. With his speed of escape, we don't know where he went. Even if he really left behind a legacy, there are more than 100,000 islands in the outer sea, a small half of which are occupied by humans and monsters, and most of which are still ownerless. How could we be so lucky?"
Fang Yue said with a wry smile, it was just a joke.
In fact, she didn't know how many islands there were in the outer sea. She only knew that the outer sea was very large. It was said that there was once a Nascent Soul cultivator who flew on a flying tool, but after flying for ten years he still couldn't reach the end and had to turn back.
Han Changying smiled but said nothing. Bai Feiyang was naturally joking and no one took it seriously.
After chatting for a cup of tea, they dispersed and went back to their homes.
After returning to his residence, Han Changying took out the tortoise shell of the golden-backed tortoise and other refining materials to refine the inner armor magic weapon.
Turtle shells are an excellent material for refining inner armor magic tools, but they are difficult to handle and require the refiner to spend a lot of time using flames to calcine and remove impurities.
Han Changying opened her mouth and spurted out a stream of innate true fire as thick as two fingers, wrapping around the turtle shell.
The temperature in the room suddenly rose, but the turtle shell did not change at all.
Half an hour later, the tortoise shell showed signs of softening, and Han Changying was surprised to find that some special patterns appeared on the front of the tortoise shell, which looked like a topographic map.
"Ancient monk's inheritance?"
These five words emerged in Han Changying's mind, and his breathing became heavy.
In addition to inheriting magic beads, ancient monks would also use secret methods to carve the location of their cave of meditation on the bodies of monsters, which could only be discovered under the burning of fire.
"Could it be the Liehuo Sanren's sitting cave?"
Han Changying muttered to himself, looking excited.
According to Fang Yue, they encountered Liehuo Sanren being chased by a fourth-order ice phoenix several years ago. If Liehuo Sanren escaped, he would probably have been seriously injured. Could it be that what Bai Feiyang said was true
Liehuo Sanren was ranked 19th on the Hidden Dragon List, and he must have a lot of valuables on him. If she could get the valuables left behind by Liehuo Sanren, it would be enough for her to bid for several Jindan spiritual items.
Is this her chance
Han Changying swallowed her saliva and stared at the topographic map on the turtle's back with fiery eyes. She took a deep breath and carefully recalled how she got the turtle shell.
When the turtle shell was brought back, it was still stained with animal meat, so it shouldn't be fake.
She thought of the inheritance beads Han Changming had mentioned, and she was a little scared. She had to be on guard against others. What if Fang Yue had set her up? It was not impossible.
Han Changying retracted his magic spell, took back the innate true fire, and the tortoise shell slowly fell to the ground.
The turtle shell was burned red, and a topographic map could be clearly seen on its back. It looked like an island, but she didn't know where it was exactly. There were too many islands in the outer sea. She had been staying in Haoran City and had never seen other islands.
Half a quarter of an hour later, the color of the turtle shell faded and the topographic map disappeared, as if it had never appeared.
Han Changying's face was uncertain for a while. After thinking for a while, she let out a long breath and said to herself, "Forget it, let's leave it to the clan leader to deal with it! If it is a trap set by the evil cultivator, it will be troublesome."
Han Changming and others almost died in the trap set by the evil cultivator, so she really couldn't be careless.
She put away the tortoise shell, took out the communication disk, and contacted Han Zhangxiang: "Patriarch, my grandson has something very important to report to you. It's urgent."
"Come here! I don't have anything to do right now."
"Yes, Patriarch, I'll be there right away."
Not long after, Han Changying came to Han Zhangxiang's residence. She took out the tortoise shell and told him what had happened.
Han Zhangxiang looked at the blackened turtle shell in his hand and frowned slightly.
He had been in the world of cultivating immortals for so long, but he had never discovered any ancient cultivators' caves. After all, he had a family to rely on, and he spent most of his time cultivating in Huludao.
He opened his mouth and spurted out a stream of red fire as thick as a finger, which hit the turtle shell.
The Dan fire of a Jindan cultivator is naturally more powerful than the innate true fire of a foundation-building cultivator, and the map soon appeared.
Han Zhangxiang looked reminiscent and said to himself, "I seem to have seen this island somewhere."
This island is very similar to the island where they found the blue-eyed golden lizard beast. It can't be such a coincidence! Is there an ancient monk's cave on that island
At this time, four or five months had passed since they killed the blue-eyed golden lizard beast, and the probability of someone setting a trap against them was extremely low.
He took out a topographic map and drew the map written on the turtle's back.
"Changying, you did a great job. I remember there is a golden tortoise armor in the storeroom, which is also made from the shell of a second-grade top-grade golden tortoise. You give the golden tortoise armor to her, and I will accept this tortoise shell."
Han Zhangxiang ordered that he planned to study the tortoise shell carefully to see if there were any other secrets.
"Yes, Patriarch."
Han Changying agreed. She suddenly thought of something and hesitated for a moment before saying, "Chief, if you go treasure hunting, can you take me with you? I also want to go out and gain some experience."
"Even if we go treasure hunting, I will invite other Taoist friends to go, so you don't have to go with me. If you run into danger, I'm afraid I won't be able to take care of you."
Han Zhangxiang frowned, he was worried that it was a trap. The Zhu family also knew about the existence of the island, so who knew if this was a setup by the Zhu family.
One must always be on guard against others. Han Zhangxiang has always been cautious. Even if the Zhu family was not there, he would not go there privately, but would invite other fellow Taoists to go and obtain the treasure, in order to reduce the risk.
Han Changming encountered an evil cultivator in the Foundation Establishment Stage. Who could guarantee that there were no evil cultivators in the Core Formation Stage setting up a trap
It is better to be cautious. Han Zhangxiang would rather reduce his income to reduce the risk and find other Jindan cultivators to go treasure hunting with him. If he really encounters evil cultivators, they can also share the pressure with him.
Compared with one's own life, property is just external things.
"Clan leader, you are too cautious! If it was an evil cultivator who set up this trap, it might not be an evil cultivator in the Jindan stage. You are too cautious."
Han Changying disagreed. She heard from Han Changjiong that Han Changjiong had obtained the inheritance stone in his early years, but Han Zhangxiang asked Han Changjiong to sell it. She didn't expect it to be a trap. She thought Han Zhangxiang was too cautious.
Han Zhangxiang sighed lightly and said earnestly: "Changying, as the head of the clan, there are many things to consider. Our family has just established a foothold in the outer sea, and Changming is striving for the Jindan stage. Now I just want to be safe. If it is a trap, our family will regress decades. If it is not a trap, our family will not become rich overnight."
"The road to immortality is long and winding. You must keep your feet on the ground. Don't always dream of getting rich overnight or making rapid progress in your cultivation. It's better to take steady steps."
Han Changying's face condensed, and he nodded and said, "Yes, Patriarch, my grandson will remember it."
Han Zhangxiang gave Han Changying a few instructions and asked him to leave.