Cultivation is just so scientific!

Yet even on such a safe mission, Li Shiming had encountered trouble.

It was said that this was because of Li Shiming's fortune. Although False Infant Cultivators were not true Nascent Soul Ancestors, they were not so easily encountered either.

But this time, Li Shiming was attacked by a False Infant Cultivator. The odds of this happening were so small, no wonder Elder Su considered it an ill-fated result of fortune.

"After killing Fang Lu, I was restless, so I didn't tell anyone and left the cave dwelling arranged by Fire Cloud Valley, secretly hiding elsewhere. I didn't expect that it really saved my life!" Li Shiming half-truthfully explained the reason he had survived.

He did not tell Elder Su about resolving the issue with Supervisor Feng Yi. Such matters, if spoken of, were impossible to explain.

A Foundation Establishment cultivator killing a Golden Core Early Stage cultivator could be attributed to the effects of a treasure on his person.

Given his wealth as an Alchemy Master, it was perfectly normal for him to possess some life-saving means.

But to say a Foundation Establishment cultivator killed a False Infant Cultivator, let alone Elder Su not believing it, even if Li Shiming hadn't actually done it, he himself wouldn't believe it.

"I've also heard of that Feng Yi. He is incredibly astute, so why would he attack you just for a Fang Lu, resulting in a complete break with the Shushan Sect?" Elder Su asked gravely.

Li Shiming did not speak; instead, he handed over the jade scroll.

Elder Su took the jade scroll and his divine thought probed inside; soon, his expression changed dramatically.

"Where did this come from?" he asked solemnly.

The influence of Skywalk Trading Company in the Beishu Continent might not amount to much, but the Skywalk Trading Company was an intercontinental trading company that collected a lot of important intelligence unrelated to commerce, which was not a good thing.

"I killed Fang Lu, then found it on him!" Li Shiming recounted the excuse he had already prepared.

Elder Su nodded slightly as he once again probed the jade scroll with his divine thought, confirming its contents repeatedly.

"No wonder Feng Yi wanted you dead. With such important things falling into your hands, they must never be spoken of," Elder Su shook his head and continued, "Such significant items should have been reported to the sect the moment you obtained them. Why did you stay there and attend the Alchemist Convention instead?"

His tone was full of reproach and worry. If Li Shiming had not been alert, this time he might have really been in serious trouble.

To think that a False Infant Cultivator had made a move this time. Not even Elder Zhao, that Sword Cultivation Golden Core, had any power to resist and was knocked unconscious.

"It was only after seeing Feng Yi's False Infant attack my dwelling that I thought to thoroughly check the items left by Fang Lu, and that's when I found this jade scroll!" Li Shiming had to use a lie to explain.

"You should not undertake any more tasks recently; wait for the sect to deal with this matter first!" Elder Su looked at his disciple and wearily instructed.

Li Shiming was already at half-step Golden Core and needed to experience some things, but under the current circumstances, it was no longer feasible for Li Shiming to go out.

Elder Su even considered confining Li Shiming within the sect forever, never allowing him to venture out again as his fortune created too much influence; every trip brought troubles, each bigger than the last.

Of course, along with the trouble came rewards. The jade scroll in Elder Su's hand was part of Li Shiming's fortune.

If the information on the jade scroll were verified, then Li Shiming's contributions this time would be immense. Not just the Shushan Sect, but other major sects would also need to thank Li Shiming.

Elder Su went to discuss the matter with the higher-ups of the Shushan Sect, carrying the jade scroll, while Li Shiming returned to his own Sword Holding Peak.

Sitting in the cultivation room, Li Shiming felt the dense spiritual energy nourishing his body. The rewards this time were substantial, but the only thing usable was the "Heavenly Immortal Milk."

And since he was already at the half-step Golden Core, taking "Heavenly Immortal Milk" at this time was too wasteful, as his Body Refining Techniques had reached the highest bottleneck of the realm. Unless he advanced to Golden Core, taking "Heavenly Immortal Milk" would not significantly benefit him.

On the other hand, Li Yuanba's avatar was in need of "Heavenly Immortal Milk," such a treasure.

Regrettably, it was impractical either for Li Yuanba's avatar to come over or for Li Shiming himself to go there; they could only wait for an opportunity.

Li Shiming felt helpless, possessing treasures that could enhance his strength while his realm limited his ability to use them.

He sat down cross-legged and activated the IBMz15 to start studying the "Five Rhymes Qi Cultivation Technique." Since he couldn't go out now, he could only try to achieve pill formation by continuously enhancing his understanding of the "Five Rhymes Qi Cultivation Technique."

Li Yuanba's avatar had already taken over the defense of Northern Island.

Northern Island was a large island, and the formations laid out were extremely ingenious. Besides being defensively secured, it also provided communication isolation within a five hundred li radius.

Such a large island naturally housed more than just three Golden Core cultivators; there were also twenty Foundation Establishment Cultivators and many Qi Refining Cultivators.

Moreover, Northern Island was the largest resource exchange and safety rest area in this sea region. The Senluo Sect provided shelter for cultivators living in this sea region; these cultivators would extract resources from the sea and sell them nearby on Northern Island.

Of course, the primary function of Northern Island was to guard against the sea beasts in the ocean. Though there was a peace treaty, not all sea beasts were entirely controllable.

There were always some sea beasts, granted the opportunity, that became Great Demons and, unrestrained, would instinctively invade the continent.

Northern Island was tasked with defending against the chaos of the Great Demons in this sea region and protecting the coastline of both the sea region and the Beishu Continent.

This task was not heavy; mainly, the time commitment was quite lengthy. Seeing that the Senluo Sect had only sent three Golden Core Early Stage cultivators, like the previous three stationed Golden Core cultivators at the early stage, showed the high security level here.

Sea beasts would not deploy in large numbers; one or two Great Demons were manageable with the three Golden Core Early Stage cultivators and the grand formation of Northern Island.

The three Golden Core Early Stage cultivators were not Loose Cultivators; all were Golden Core cultivators from large sects, none weak in strength.

However, among cultivators, strength was respected, which was also the case on Northern Island.

He Wei and Liu Gang, two Golden Core cultivators, were very respectful toward Li Yuanba, a newly ascended Golden Core cultivator, placing their standing behind him.

"Junior Li, Northern Town Square on Northern Island needs someone to preside over it; why don't you go?" He Wei suggested with a smile.

Northern Town Square was very important; there, multiple trading companies purchased various resources and also sold everything a cultivator needed. Due to the richness of this sea region and being the only market nearby, even cultivators from a vast area along the coast traded there, making Northern Town Square's outputs quite high.

Presiding over Northern Town Square then became a lucrative post. Although the outputs of Northern Town Square would be divided among the three Golden Cores as a perk of guarding the island, the benefits obtained from directly managing Northern Town Square would be even greater.

"There's no need for that; you all decide among yourselves who will preside. I've just formed my Golden Core recently and need to seclude myself for a while. Should a Great Demon attack, I will definitely contribute!" Li Yuanba waved his hand and declined.

He truly did not care for those benefits.

For just a bit of profit, he had to diligently guard the market. Such an assignment might be an attractive extra income for an ordinary sect cultivator, but he was not in need of such petty cash; what he lacked was time for cultivation.

He Wei and Liu Gang exchanged glances, with joy apparent on their faces.

"Since Junior Brother has plans, then we won't bother you. Rest assured and focus on your cultivation. The profits that belong to you will not be short, and except for a Great Demon that we cannot hold off, we will definitely not disturb your cultivation!" He Wei said with a smile.

Who wouldn't like a companion like Li Yuanba, who did not vie for power or profit and yet was powerful?

After a straightforward exchange, order on Northern Island was established, and Li Yuanba also found a place, unleashing the treasure of Ten Thousand Sword Peak.