Chapter 100: Heavenly Pillar Peak

At his speed, it took only a quarter of an hour to reach the main island of the Ascension Pavilion. This was a cluster of three giant islands, known respectively as Heaven Pillar Peak, Heaven Firmament Peak, and Heaven Gate Peak. Surrounding these three massive islands were 367 smaller isles and various scattered crags.

These islands were inhabited by both mortals and a large number of cultivators, living side by side. In the Chaotic Star Sea, the ratio of mortals to cultivators was roughly 20:1 or 30:1. In contrast, within the Yue Kingdom, that ratio was 500:1 or higher, as the islands in the Chaotic Star Sea were too small to provide much living space. To survive, the inhabitants were forced to fish in the open sea, where the constant threat of various demonic beasts led to a high casualty rate among common mortals. Conversely, on the mainland, mortals only faced the oppression of the upper classes and the threat of ordinary wild beasts, making their survival rate far higher than that of their counterparts in the Chaotic Star Sea. In the Yue Kingdom, even large-scale natural disasters were forcefully suppressed by the seven major sects using spiritual energy—droughts were mitigated by inducing rain, and floods were handled by carving mountain channels to divert water. Thus, aside from man-made strife, the mortals there were largely shielded from major natural catastrophes.

In the Chaotic Star Sea, however, a single large demonic beast thrashing in the surf could submerge an entire small island. Furthermore, the water was the home turf of these beasts, and many cultivators were unwilling to engage them in the depths; even if they tried, it was impossible to catch or kill them all. This was the primary reason for the lower ratio of mortals in these seas.

The three main islands were more like giant mountain ranges rising from the sea than mere islands. Lin Yang flew directly to the island marked as Heaven Pillar Peak, where the Pavilion Master of the Ascension Pavilion, True Monarch Wood Dragon, resided. The spiritual energy here was relatively abundant, but it paled in comparison to the spiritual veins of the spirit-gathering array Lin Yang had established, so this would only be a transit station. He planned to gather information here before heading to the Star Palace. The three Core Formation cultivators of the Ascension Pavilion were quite weak; without exaggeration, Lin Yang could take ten of them at once. The place held no value for him to occupy, so he only sought a teleportation array. If that failed, he would simply fly slowly toward the Star Palace at the center of the Chaotic Star Sea.

Upon landing on the island, he saw that the outskirts were occupied by mortals, with various crops under cultivation and a multitude of ships coming and going. The middle section was home to weaker families and various itinerant cultivators. At the core stood a city, its walls inscribed with the characters for "Heaven Pillar Peak," bustling with a massive flow of people.

This city was as large as a small town, with a population of tens of thousands, and the surrounding area held hundreds of thousands more, bringing the island's total population to nearly a million. It seemed that while the Chaotic Star Sea had sufficient resources and the cultivators were generally powerful, the population base was somewhat small.

Lin Yang flew directly over the city and into the market. With the pressure of a Golden Core stage cultivator radiating from him, no one dared to obstruct him. As he soared through, the people below looked up with a mix of envy and awe, bowing their heads and returning to their lives only after he had passed.

He flew to the tallest building—a shop established by an outside faction. Its golden, resplendent appearance suggested it was owned by a clan with Nascent Soul cultivators; otherwise, it would be impossible to open such a magnificent commercial pavilion in a place guarded by only three Core Formation masters. This pavilion was named the Star Palace Pavilion, suggesting that the Star Palace had extended its influence here.

Lin Yang cared little for that. He decided to head to the Star Palace, find a location, and either purchase it with spirit stones or simply claim it. He would open a Pill Fragrance Pavilion and begin accumulating wealth. To make money, one must share a portion, so he would need to get close to the "Twin Dukes" of the Star Palace. Paying protection money was nothing to be ashamed of in the world of cultivation, where strength was the only truth. He needed vast resources to assist his cultivation, not to engage in pointless battles.

If he could buy an island and set up arrays to fight on his own terms, perhaps even an early-stage Nascent Soul cultivator could not break through, or he could simply use the defeat of a powerful Core Formation cultivator to establish his prestige. With sufficient resources, he could become a Nascent Soul cultivator within forty or fifty years. That was not a long time for him—most Core Formation cultivators took more than fifty years to break through, even "Old Devil Han" had taken over fifty. For a Nascent Soul cultivator, forty or fifty years was merely the time spent in a couple of deep meditations. Once he reached the Nascent Soul stage, he would have no need to fear the Star Palace's leaders. Moreover, by paying protection money to focus on his cultivation, the pills he produced would enhance the strength of the Star Palace. As long as the leaders were not foolish, they would not move against him; they might even try to bind him to them, which would be mutually beneficial.

Lin Yang did not fear such entanglements. He was not a lone wolf; as long as he had time, he would steadily ascend to higher realms. While his descendants might not have such luxury, binding himself to a power would help form a large, complex organization. Once his strength was established, he would become the leader. After reaching the Nascent Soul stage, he would likely need even more resources, and these factions would improve the speed at which he could collect them.

Lost in thought, Lin Yang entered the pavilion. A shop assistant, noticing his powerful aura, hurried upstairs to summon the manager. Lin Yang walked to the counter, found it empty, tapped on it to make a sound, and sat on a stool to wait.

Shortly after, a rotund, chubby man came waddling down the stairs. He was so plump that, if he were bald, he would look exactly like the Maitreya Buddha.

"Senior, forgive my delay in welcoming you! I shall brew some tea for you at once."

The fat man hurriedly boiled water, produced a jade cup carved from jade marrow, and took out some precious tea leaves, sprinkling them into the cup with a pained expression. As the leaves touched the water, a fresh, crisp aroma instantly filled the entire first floor.

"Senior, please, have some tea."

The man poured only one cup for Lin Yang, not for himself, suggesting the tea was truly precious. Lin Yang was curious; although he rarely drank tea, he took a shallow sip. As the liquid entered his mouth, a wave of freshness bloomed, instantly clearing his mind. A warm current flowed into his abdomen, slightly strengthening his spiritual energy.

"Unexpectedly, this tea can even improve one's cultivation. Not bad, not bad at all. How much more of this do you have?"

Since it could sharpen his focus and slightly boost his cultivation, Lin Yang decided to buy it all.

"This... I do not have much, Senior. This was a reward bestowed upon me by a superior. I cannot spare any more; please forgive me." The fat man seemed terrified that Lin Yang might try to take it by force.

Lin Yang tossed a small jade bottle to him and gestured for him to open it.

"Senior, what is this?" The fat man sniffed the bottle, found he could not identify the pill, and asked curiously.

"This is a Breakthrough Pill I refined using several auxiliary materials and a thousand-year-old spirit herb. It can help a Foundation Establishment cultivator overcome a bottleneck."

Lin Yang said this casually, but the fat man was overjoyed and quickly stashed it away.

"Many thanks for your grace, Senior! I shall go and retrieve all the remaining tea to honor you at once."

The fat man ordered an assistant to wait on Lin Yang while he personally went to retrieve his hidden supply of tea.