Vessel of Worlds

"Greetings, Senior! Is this your first time on West Star Island?" A youth barely twenty years old, at the sixth or seventh layer of Qi Condensation, with small but remarkably alert eyes, spotted Andy emerging from the stone chamber and stepped forward with a bow.

Most low-level cultivators who encountered a higher-ranked cultivator would tremble in silence, not daring so much as a loud breath—let alone approach uninvited. Andy's curiosity was mildly piqued. He replied without expression: "What of it?"

"This junior's surname is Xiao, given name Ye. Some seniors I'm acquainted with call me Little Leaf. I was born right here on West Star Island and grew up knowing every inch of it—along with the hundred-odd smaller islands that belong to it—like the back of my hand. If Senior needs a guide, I'm absolutely the best choice! If Senior is satisfied with my service, all I ask is two low-grade spirit stones per day!" The youth was entirely unfazed by Andy's coolness and maintained his cheerful grin.

Andy stared at the youth in silence for a long moment, saying nothing, which left the boy visibly uneasy.

"I do need a capable guide. Here's the arrangement: if you serve me well and I'm satisfied, I'll pay you five spirit stones a day. But if you lead me to disreputable shops and I find out afterward, I'll make you pay back every stone with interest—and then some." Andy delivered this warning in a tone that left no room for misunderstanding.

The youth showed no fear—quite the opposite. His face lit up, and he said eagerly: "Absolutely, Senior! You have my word—I'm not a shill for any shop. I make my living here as a guide. Offending a senior like yourself would be digging my own grave!"

"Good. Then start by telling me about the islands in this deep-sea region and how I might find a suitable cave dwelling for cultivation." Andy nodded and casually erected a sound-dampening barrier around the two of them.

This was the kind of question Xiao Ye fielded on nearly every guide job, so the answer flowed from him without a moment's thought:

"Senior, this deep-sea region is vast beyond measure—no one has ever charted its full extent. There are hundreds of thousands of islands containing spirit veins, scattered across the waters like stars in the sky. That's why everyone here calls this region the Star Sea."

"The Star Sea is divided into two main areas: the Inner Star Sea and the Outer Star Sea. The Inner Star Sea contains three enormous islands—Penglai, Yingzhou, and Fangzhang—collectively known as the Three Immortal Islands. These are the core of the Star Sea, each controlled by one of the three greatest cultivation powers. Each Immortal Island's sphere of influence spans tens of millions of kilometers, and every major island within that range falls under its direct jurisdiction. Each major island, in turn, administers anywhere from several hundred to several thousand smaller islands."

"Our West Star Island, for instance, is the westernmost major island in the Inner Star Sea, under the authority of the Immortal Island of Penglai. West Star Island has over a thousand smaller islands with spirit veins attached to it, all available for cultivators to claim as dwelling sites. Senior just needs to visit Farview Peak on the south side of West Star Island to handle the formalities. If Senior has a flying artifact, I can take you there."

As he said this, a flicker of anticipation shone in the youth's lively eyes. A low-level cultivator like him seldom had the chance to ride a flying artifact through the sky—he'd experienced it only three or four times in his life.

Unfortunately, Andy said flatly: "That can wait. First, tell me what you know about hunting beasts."

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"Ha, no need to worry, Senior! My cultivation may be low, but I'm no stranger to the Star Sea's beasts. Nearly every cultivator in the Star Sea makes their living hunting them!" the youth said brightly. This was probably the question he answered most often. Seven or eight out of every ten cultivators who came to the Star Sea from the coastal waters of the mainland were here to hunt beasts.

"The Inner Star Sea does have beasts, but they're mostly rank-one and rank-two—lower-level ones. Higher-ranked beasts are scarce and widely scattered, making them hard to find. The Outer Star Sea is a different story. Beast density is much higher out there, with large numbers of high-level beasts and several known gathering points where they can be located fairly easily. So even though the Outer Star Sea is far more dangerous, most cultivators still go there to hunt."

"If Senior plans to hunt beasts, I'd strongly recommend teaming up with other Foundation Establishment cultivators. You might earn fewer spirit stones that way, but it's much safer. From what I've heard, only a handful of late-stage Foundation Establishment seniors and certain formidable Core Formation elders dare venture into the Outer Star Sea alone. Even so, a considerable number of Core Formation cultivators die to beasts out there every year."

"Of course, running into ill-intentioned people during a team hunt can be even more dangerous than running into beasts. But there are several Foundation Establishment seniors on West Star Island with excellent reputations—seasoned veterans who regularly operate in the Outer Star Sea. They're known for dividing spoils fairly and have earned universal respect. If Senior is interested, I can point you toward them." With that, the youth rattled off more than a dozen names. Nearly all were late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators, with only two or three at mid-stage.

Andy committed every name to memory, then asked: "Does the West Star Island market sell pills that can advance a Foundation Establishment cultivator's cultivation?"

"Ready-made pills?" The youth seemed mildly surprised. "Foundation Establishment advancement pills are extremely rare on the market, and very expensive. Here in the Star Sea, most cultivators at Foundation Establishment and above refine their own pills."

"Refine their own? But wouldn't the success rate be terribly low? And what about detailed pill formulas—how would they obtain those? Without a formula, self-refining is impossible!" Andy was genuinely astonished. Back in the Golden Flame Kingdom, detailed pill-refining methods and ingredient ratios had been the hardest thing to find. Such formulas were passed down within alchemist lineages and guarded far more jealously than artifact-crafting techniques, talisman methods, or even formation texts.

He had considered learning to refine pills himself. Even failed batches producing inferior pills wouldn't go to waste—the Vessel of Worlds could enhance them into standard-quality pills. With sufficient raw materials, his pill supply would never be a problem. But despite extensive searching and considerable effort, he had never found a single formula for even a high-tier Qi Condensation pill like the Tendon-Transforming Pill, let alone Foundation Establishment level formulas. This was one reason why skilled alchemists were so sought after in the Golden Flame Kingdom's cultivation world.

So when the youth mentioned that most Star Sea cultivators refined their own pills, Andy found it almost impossible to believe.

The youth smiled. "The Star Sea's advanced pills are primarily made from beast cores as their main ingredient. The refining methods have been handed down since ancient times—no one knows how many generations—and have been improved by countless talented masters until they're nearly flawless. So the success rate is actually quite reasonable. As for formulas, they're sold openly in the larger markets, and they're not expensive. Right here on West Star Island, two or three text shops carry them. In fact, if Senior visits one of the shops specializing in beast cores and buys a certain quantity, they'll even throw in a formula or two for free."

"I see!" Understanding dawned on Andy. This was nothing like the mainland approach of using aged spirit herbs and grasses as primary ingredients.

Back in the Golden Flame Kingdom, he had searched high and low for pill formulas without success and had been thoroughly puzzled. A pill-shop proprietor had once explained it to him: in ancient times, a wide variety of mature, well-tested formulas with respectable success rates had been in circulation. But once these formulas spread, cultivators stripped the land of the rare spirit herbs and grasses they called for. Without the necessary raw ingredients, the formulas became worthless scraps of paper, and gradually most were lost.