Fantasy World: I Can Travel To Cultivation World

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"Commander," Lei Zhen began cautiously after some thought. "Part of our military expenditure goes toward the soldiers' salaries."

"I know!" Luis replied, glancing at him with a smile. "Don't worry—I'll ensure the soldiers are paid in full."

In both the Izumo Province front line and the current Guang'an Prefecture coalition forces, monks who enlisted in the army received military pay.

However, there was a distinction: on the Izumo Province front line, military pay was issued as military merit, while in the Guang'an Prefecture coalition forces, it was distributed in the form of spirit stones.

Although the pay wasn't particularly high, with 100,000 soldiers in the Western Defense Zone, the total cost was staggering.

Still, the idea of embezzling military pay never crossed Luis' mind.

To him, even if the money ended up in the hands of independent soldiers, it would eventually circulate back to the Hartmann family through purchases. Why tarnish his reputation and give others a reason to take advantage?

Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, half a month had passed.

At Sea View Pavilion on Redwood Island, waves crashed against the stone benches, creating a rhythmic, thunderous sound.

A figure, her upper body human and her lower half a shimmering fish tail, emerged from the water.

With her alluring upper body exposed, she gazed at the bustling harbor, where ships constantly sailed in and out. She sighed, "I never imagined this place could change so much in such a short time."

Luis followed Luo Li's gaze toward the distant harbor.

White sails dotted the horizon, most belonging to clans and families from across the region, all flocking to Redwood Island. As the headquarters of the Western Defense Zone, it was regarded as one of the safest places in Guang'an Prefecture.

In just half a month, with the collective effort of the monks, the prototype of a thriving city had begun to take shape on the island.

As mortals began to arrive, the city buzzed with life, its streets becoming increasingly vibrant and lively.

Luo Li continued to study the growing port city. After a moment, she turned and asked, "What's it called?"

"Sea View City," Luis replied.

"Sea View City," she murmured, rolling the name on her tongue as though testing its weight.

Her gaze shifted to the modest pavilion they stood in. Amusement danced in her eyes as she chuckled, unable to contain her laughter.

"What's wrong?"

Luis gave her a curious look.

"Nothing, just thought of something interesting," Luo Li replied, shaking her head. Then, with a hint of reluctance, she added, "I think I should leave. It seems I can't trade with you here anymore. There are too many people now."

As she spoke, a flash of fear crossed her eyes.

Luis smiled and said, "Why can't you trade with me here? I'm not afraid, so why should you be?"

Luo Li frowned and replied unhappily, "It's not about you. I don't want to cause you trouble."

"Trouble? What trouble?"

Luis' tone was calm as he continued, "The so-called 'trouble' is just an excuse for lack of strength. Since all the major clans have subordinate races in the Ten Thousand Underwater World, isn't it only natural for my Hartmann family to have one as well?"

"But..." Luo Li hesitated, unable to find a counterargument.

Seeing her uncertainty, Luis smiled and asked, "Who do you think built that city?" He gestured toward Sea View City in the distance.

"Your Hartmann family?" Luo Li asked, her pretty face full of doubt.

Though the mermaids didn't know the full extent of the Hartmann family's strength, they had heard enough rumors to recognize its unfathomable power, bolstered by the existence of a mysterious world behind them.

In Guang'an Prefecture, apart from the Zhou family, only three other families—the Yang, Wu, and Zhao families—were considered major powers.

Luis smirked. "Let me tell you something about the Zhao family."

"What about them?" Luo Li asked, still skeptical.

"They're gone."

"Gone?" Luo Li repeated, her expression blank for a moment. "What do you mean by 'gone'?"

Luis explained what had happened on Lotus Island.

As she listened, fear spread across Luo Li's face.

"Are you saying that Master Shen Jue is not dead?" she asked, her voice trembling slightly.

"Right," Luis confirmed with a frown. "Does Master Shen Jue scare you that much?"

Luo Li took a deep breath, trying to steady her emotions. She then said seriously, "You don't understand. According to my clan's records, Master Shen Jue didn't just cause chaos in the nearby states; he also brought destruction to our underwater world.

"Back then, the monks from Cangzhou, Taizhou, and Jingzhou formed a coalition army to take him down, but they couldn't kill the True Man Shen Jue. In the end, it took the Qianyuan Sword Sect sending three Nascent Soul True Lords to suppress the Shen Jue Rebellion."

Luis frowned deeper. "Is a late Golden Core cultivator really so difficult to deal with?"

Luo Li nodded. "The most difficult thing about Master Shen Jue isn't just that his strength far exceeds other cultivators of the same level—it's his ability to escape."

"Oh? How did he escape?"

Luis had read in the Zhou family's ancient books that Shen Jue was exceptionally skilled at evasion, but the details of his methods were never recorded.

"You know that Master Shen Jue inherited the legacy of an immortal from the upper realm, right?"

Luis nodded. That rumor was widely known.

The reason casual cultivators were so fascinated with Master Shen Jue was his legendary story.

An ordinary cultivator who stumbled upon an immortal's inheritance rose to dominate the world.

In many ways, Shen Jue's story was the archetype of a protagonist in an online novel.

Of course, his defiance of the heavens ultimately failed. He was killed by the three Nascent Soul True Lords sent by the Qianyuan Sword Sect.

But the devastation caused by the Shen Jue Rebellion in Cangzhou and the surrounding states was unparalleled.

Luo Li, unaware of Luis' thoughts, continued, "Legend has it that Shen Jue obtained the immortal's inheritance in a secret cave created by an immortal."

"A cave?"

"Right!" Luo Li nodded. "A cave opened up by an immortal!"

She paused briefly before adding, "In this immortal's cave palace, Master Shen Jue acquired several key inheritances and magical artifacts. One of them was called the Mi Chen Banner, which could instantly carry him 100,000 miles away."

"One hundred thousand miles?"

Luis stared at her blankly, almost wondering if she was joking.

What does it mean to travel 100,000 miles in an instant?

Even if Luis flew with all his strength, it would take him nearly a full day to cover such a distance.

For a Nascent Soul cultivator, it would still take nearly half an hour.

In other words, even for a Nascent Soul cultivator, it would be almost impossible to catch Shen Jue if he was wielding the Mi Chen Banner.

"I wonder how the three Nascent Soul True Lords from the Qianyuan Sword Sect managed to trap Shen Jue," Luis murmured, still pondering the artifact's power.

But on careful thought, it's likely nothing more than using formations or special magical tools to block the space, leaving Master Shen Jue with nowhere to escape.

"Not only that," Luo Li added, "it's said that Master Shen Jue's Michen Banner can pre-set space nodes for transmission."

"You mean he placed the transmission node in the Immortal Cave Heaven?"

"Exactly!" Luo Li nodded.

What a cowardly move!

Luis finally understood why the Qianyuan Sword Sect had to send hidden forces to deal with Master Shen Jue.

To some extent, the Immortal Cave Heaven was nearly untouchable. As long as Master Shen Jue didn't reveal its location, no one in this world could discover its spatial coordinates.

The Qianyuan Sword Sect might have known he was hiding in that cave, but they were powerless to do anything about it.

Moreover, Shen Jue was extremely cautious by nature. Instead of acting directly, he sent a group of corpse servants to cause chaos while keeping himself hidden behind the scenes.

It seemed that his failure four hundred years ago had taught him a valuable lesson: there is always someone stronger.

For the Qianyuan Sword Sect, this wasn't good news.

Indeed, with Shen Jue's current strength, he posed no direct threat to the Qianyuan Sword Sect.

But having someone like him constantly lurking in the shadows was unsettling.

Even if they couldn't eliminate him, his presence would force the Qianyuan Sword Sect to remain on guard, unable to focus their full strength on attacking the Izumo Kingdom.

Shen Jue could ignite chaos in the Qianyuan Sword Sect's backyard at any time.

As Luo Li left, Luis sank into deep thought.

He was now certain that the war with the corpse servants on Lotus Island was insignificant in the grand scheme of things.

Neither Shen Jue nor the Qianyuan Sword Sect likely cared about the outcome of this conflict.

For the Qianyuan Sword Sect, the top priority was capturing Shen Jue.