In the days that followed, Wu Tao stayed there, teaching the siblings Ye Yu and Ye Qingyi.
Unknowingly, three years passed quickly.
Three years later.
In the early morning, sunlight shone on the island.
After three years, Ye Yu had changed a lot. At twenty years old, he was not only more robust and taller, but his entire demeanor had also transformed.
He appeared much more confident.
During these three years, Ye Yu’s cultivation had reached the tenth level of the Qi Refining stage.
On the other side!
Ye Qingyi, at sixteen years old, had also reached the ninth level of the Qi Refining stage.
…
"Sit down."
Wu Tao called the siblings Ye Yu and Ye Qingyi into his room and had them sit in turn.
"Master has to leave, but I cannot take you with me."
Looking at Ye Yu and Ye Qingyi before him, Wu Tao smiled and then spoke softly.
As his words fell, Ye Yu and Ye Qingyi immediately looked up.
"Master, where are you going?"
Looking at Wu Tao, the siblings Ye Yu and Ye Qingyi asked, their faces showing a hint of reluctance.
"To a place that is very dangerous for you, so I cannot take you with me now."
Wu Tao’s expression was gentle as he spoke softly.
"A dangerous place?"
Ye Qingyi asked with some curiosity.
…
"Yes, there are many conflicts there, and many powerful individuals. Conflicts can erupt at any moment..."
Wu Tao’s expression became serious without him realizing it.
"Master, I don't want to leave you."
Ye Qingyi said somewhat reluctantly.
Ye Yu, standing beside her, remained silent, only his face showing a similar hint of reluctance.
"This master also does not wish to leave you, but in this world, many things are beyond one's control."
Wu Tao reached out and gently patted Ye Qingyi's head.
After making arrangements for his two disciples, Wu Tao left Tianshui County.
…
Chu Domain.
Within Mingze Prefecture, a prosperous cultivation area situated between land and marsh.
A boat, a treasure-level vessel, drifted with the currents.
Wu Tao alone occupied the entirety of this hundred-zhang-sized ship.
Onboard, there was a pharmacy, an alchemy room, a meditation chamber, and a bath. Additionally, mechanical puppets were on standby.
Wu Tao held a spirit rod, casting it into the water. The bait was a potent spirit pill, brimming with spiritual energy.
Speaking of which, the fishing rod in Wu Tao's hand was also a treasure. Forged from the unique Blood Soul Stone of the Blood Clan, blended with thousand-year-old snow silkworm silk, it could cast a distance of a thousand zhang with a single swing.
This fishing rod was a spoil of war that Wu Tao had obtained after killing a Count-level Blood Clan member.
With his physical injuries mostly healed, and possessing these conditions, Wu Tao chose the most enjoyable and leisurely mode of travel!
To break through from the Core Formation stage to the Nascent Soul stage, the most difficult part was shattering the core to form the infant.
To temper one's golden core to its limit before shattering it into a nascent soul, in addition to the cultivator's own continuous efforts, required various heavenly treasures.
Especially top-tier heavenly treasures such as Ginseng Fruit and Dao Embryos!
…
Wu Tao had received news that such top-tier heavenly treasures were rumored to have appeared in Mingze Prefecture.
"Although the spiritual energy within Mingze Prefecture is more than ten times stronger than in Tianshui County, comparable to a blessed immortal land, it is indeed dangerous."
"Today, I even discovered the trace of an adult Golden-winged Great Peng..."
"Fortunately, such divine beasts possess intelligence no less than humans and are equally prone to bullying the weak and fearing the strong, otherwise, it would have been another life-or-death struggle..."
On the other side, in the sky, two streams of light approached from afar and circled above Wu Tao's head.
After circling once, they turned and descended onto Wu Tao's ship!
"This place is indeed worthy of being one of the great prefectures of Chu Domain. There seem to be many fellow cultivators traveling here!"
The owners of the two streams of light were a pair of sisters. The slightly elder sister possessed a mid-stage Core Formation cultivation.
Upon seeing Wu Tao's treasure-level, top-tier spirit ship, they let out a soft exclamation. The younger sister, who appeared delicate and cute, asked curiously, "Sister, look, look, why is that person so extravagant?"
"He's using so many treasures just to fish. How can I feel like he's richer than our Le family?"
"This area is close to the Demon Abyss, where all sorts of divine beasts frequently appear. Ordinary artifact-level ships would have been capsized long ago."
"However, for someone to be able to afford such a treasure-level grand ship, he must be a disciple from a first-class family, or even a royal family..."
"Since we've seen him, let's go meet him, after all, having more friends means more paths, right?"
…
"Using a high-grade spirit pill to fish?"
"I suddenly feel so angry. This man is too wasteful!"
Getting closer to the ground, the younger sister, Le Tao, with her sharp eyes, spotted a spirit pill, brimming with spiritual energy, tied to the fishing line on Wu Tao's hand.
"Sister, this must also be a fellow Daoist searching for Ginseng Fruit, right?"
"It's just that I'm familiar with most cultivators above the Core Formation stage from the third-tier families in Chu Domain. This Daoist friend before me seems unfamiliar. I wonder which esteemed family's direct descendant he is?"
"Let's land on the ship first, greet him, and then we'll know everything, won't we?"
"You're truly foolish! Despite living for so long?"
The elder sister, Le Qing, led her sister Le Tao and landed on Wu Tao's ship.
As soon as Le Qing met Wu Tao, she perceived some of his background and immediately signaled her sister to be cautious.
If things went south, without any hesitation, they should flee!
…
The reason for this was twofold.
One reason was that she discovered Wu Tao's cultivation was actually in the late stage of Core Formation, and the two of them might not be able to defeat him.
Another, even more significant reason, was that she couldn't find the family crest, the emblem representing his family, on Wu Tao's clothes!
Either Wu Tao was deliberately concealing his true identity, or he was a rogue cultivator, or perhaps a core elder of a major overseas sect!
…
On the other side!
Wu Tao, confident in his profound cultivation and bold spirit, knew that even if he encountered a Nascent Soul cultivator, he could still escape if he couldn't win.
Therefore, even though he had discovered the intentions of the Le sisters long ago, he did not stop them.
"Esteemed Daoist, this humble woman, along with my sister, has disturbed you..."
Le Qing bowed slightly to Wu Tao, speaking neither subserviently nor arrogantly.
…
Hearing this, Wu Tao moved his fishing rod, his expression shifted, and he slowly said.
"It's fine. I'm idle anyway. Having someone strike up a conversation will make things livelier and pass some of the boring time."
…
Upon hearing these words, Le Tao's bright eyes suddenly lit up. She bit her ruby lips lightly, and a hint of joy appeared on her beautiful face.
"Oh, you speak so interestingly, unlike others."
Following this, Le Tao let out a crisp exclamation.
On the other side.
Seeing Wu Tao's unusual expression, Le Qing felt that her sister's demeanor was truly lacking in upbringing, causing their Le family to lose face in front of outsiders. Her face immediately darkened.
However, in front of Wu Tao, she could not say anything, and merely pretended not to notice.
…