Chapter 705: Transmitting the Method

Since Xiu Xiang returned to Beihuang City, he vanished completely; perhaps the humiliation inflicted by another merchant lord was too great, so he is now busy seeking revenge, but given his complete silence these past few days, his revenge is not going well.

If everything had gone smoothly, Xiu Xiang would already have returned with his enemy's head and thrown a banquet.

But Li Yi did not inquire further about this matter; he merely cultivated in his courtyard, and with daily meals of fine meat, the divine blood within him grew increasingly abundant, strengthening his entire body once more.

Previously, he possessed the strength of one dragon and one tiger; now, he had the strength of one dragon and two tigers.

Six of the final twelve major acupoints of the Five Qi Realm had also been filled, meaning his magic power had become even more profound and substantial.

"Within at most two months, I will become a direct descendant of divine blood, with the chance to awaken a divine art, and I will reach the peak of the Five Qi Realm," Li Yi thought to himself; he still needed to remain in the Wildlands for at least two more months.

The time was not long—in fact, it was already very short.

After all, without the support of incense and belief energy in this world, such rapid progress was already extraordinary.

"Master, I inquired with a local landowner in Beihuang City; another merchant lord heard you are a divine blood warrior and is willing to sell you his estate for only one hundred gold."

At this moment, Shan Guo stepped swiftly into the bedroom, her long legs moving with speed; she bowed her head toward Li Yi, seated upon the auspicious cloud, and delivered the news she had gathered.

During Li Yi's cultivation, Shan Guo—who had once been a slave, covered in scars—had recovered through treatment and rest, regaining her posture as a female warrior and reclaiming some of her former confidence.

Yet before Li Yi, Shan Guo remained deeply respectful.

"One estate won't satisfy future needs; are there other houses for sale nearby? If available, I'll buy them all together—gold is no issue," Li Yi opened his eyes and tossed ten crimson gold pieces to Shan Guo.

Ten crimson gold pieces were worth a thousand gold; in Beihuang City, this could easily buy two estates.

Shan Guo immediately took the gold and said, "Master, I'll go ask again."

"Go," Li Yi said.

Shan Guo bowed once more, then turned and left.

"E Ji, how is the Grand Priestess progressing with her study of the written characters?" Li Yi then turned to the side.

At this moment, E Ji knelt before a desk, holding a jade slip, frowning as she struggled to read it; every character was bitter and difficult to comprehend, and she had to fully grasp the meaning of each one.

She was also learning new characters, but unlike the Evolved Ones, she lacked perfect recall, so her progress was slow.

The characters Li Yi wanted them to learn were those of the Xuan Immortal Continent—he intended to transmit the cultivation methods.

On Earth, cultivation methods were commonplace; he had no reason to hoard such common knowledge as treasure, since the Wildlands and Earth were now connected, and other Earthlings crossing over was inevitable.

If that were the case, Li Yi might as well lay a foundation for those around him, teaching them cultivation first so they wouldn't fall behind others in the future.

In truth, the people of the Wildlands possessed astonishing physiques and immense potential; what truly suited them was martial cultivation, not immortal cultivation—but the martial arts Li Yi knew were too weak to significantly enhance their strength, and practicing them would only waste time, far inferior to immortal cultivation.

Yet to learn immortal cultivation, the first step was mastering the written characters of the Xuan Immortal World; during this time, Li Yi had been teaching them these characters.

"Master, the Grand Priestess completed her study of the characters yesterday. My wisdom is inferior to hers—I still haven't mastered them," E Ji said with a touch of shame.

"It seems the Grand Priestess's soul power is strong," Li Yi replied calmly. "This has nothing to do with intelligence; don't feel pressured. Study diligently—mastering these characters is merely the first step toward becoming powerful."

"Master, can I become a warrior too?" E Ji asked, surprised.

"Not a warrior—something only the Grand Priestess possesses," Li Yi said. "And this power will make you surpass many Grand Priestesses."

Upon hearing this, E Ji's eyes brightened with delight.

She had never imagined these new characters contained such unimaginable power—enough to grant someone like her, who lacked Grand Priestess potential, the very power of a Grand Priestess.

"Master, I will learn these characters as quickly as possible, so I may fight for you in the future," E Ji said at once.

Li Yi nodded slightly, encouraging her.

A moment passed.

Shan Guo, who had left moments earlier, returned again, her face smiling: "Master, another good piece of news—the merchant lord is willing to sell all four houses on either side of his estate for only three hundred gold."

"Oh, are all those houses owned by this merchant lord? He must be very wealthy," Li Yi said. "He's selling them so readily—is there a condition?"

He was certain this merchant lord would never make a losing deal.

Shan Guo replied, "The merchant lord says he wishes to meet you."

"Meet me?" Li Yi's expression shifted; he paused, then nodded. "Very well. Since this merchant lord is so sincere, I, as the buyer, should meet him in person."

"Take me to him."

"Yes," Shan Guo said immediately.

Soon after.

The two left Xiu Xiang's home.

The merchant lord who wished to sell the three estates lived nearby, and along the way, the houses were all dilapidated, as if struck by an earthquake; Li Yi knew this was damage caused by his earlier battle with the divine blood warrior Dong Chong.

But the merchant lord Lie Hou had already compensated for the damage.

Yet many who received compensation had not rushed to repair their homes.

Soon after.

At another damaged estate, Li Yi met the merchant lord.

It was a woman, around thirty, with a full, mature figure yet an air of dignity; her beautiful face bore a blue marking, like a totem or a symbol of status.

Beside her stood several powerful warriors, wielding great swords and axes to guard her safety.

The woman studied Li Yi as he approached.

Her eyes brightened slightly.

She saw that this guest of Xiu Xiang was very young, with striking features, brimming with divine blood aura; silver lightning danced around him, as if draped in celestial clouds, surrounded by five-colored halos, and every gesture seemed to carry boundless power capable of shaking mountains and rivers.

"Truly a young divine blood warrior of limitless potential and immense strength—he will become a regional lord in no time," the woman thought in awe.

No wonder Xiu Xiang acted like a madman whenever he mentioned this man to other merchant lords—even she had heard rumors, but only now, seeing him in person, did she understand why Xiu Xiang was so obsessed.

A future regional lord stood before her—how could any merchant lord suppress the urge to act?

It was natural for Lie Hou, consumed by jealousy, to want him dead.

After all, Lie Hou and Xiu Xiang had long competed for profit; how could he allow Xiu Xiang's esteemed guest to one day become a regional lord and overshadow him?

"I am Merchant Lord Nü Heng. You must be Da Yi—I've heard your name, and I witnessed your battle with another divine blood warrior that night; that fight nearly destroyed the entire district. Your strength truly astonished me."

Merchant Lord Nü Heng smiled.

"I am Da Yi. My servant said you'd only sell me these three estates if I met you?" Li Yi asked. "I'm here now—do you have any other demands?"

He remained indifferent, unwilling to form too many connections in Beihuang City.

Nü Heng said, "Before I heard of Da Yi, I had no intention of selling. But after hearing your name, I was willing to sell one estate for one hundred gold. Now that I've seen you, I'm willing to gift you all three estates—please accept this offering."

She spoke with sincere earnestness.

"People from my homeland say that if someone gives you a gift without expecting anything in return, they're seeking something far greater. You're a merchant lord—you won't make a losing deal. So I'd rather pay you a high price to buy these three estates," Li Yi said.

Nü Heng was startled, but quickly regained her composure, then sighed: "Da Yi, your homeland must have a wise elder who can see through the hearts of men. But tell me, Da Yi—what is the most precious thing in this world?"

"Life," Li Yi said. "Nothing is more precious than life."

"Yes, life is the most precious thing in this world. If, in the future, you become a regional lord, will you protect me, this merchant lord?" Nü Heng asked.

Li Yi said, "I may not become a regional lord."

"Then I've merely lost three estates," Nü Heng smiled.

"I see," Li Yi said. "If I ever become a regional lord, I will protect you—but only once."

He had no objection to making such a promise—it was just a promise.

After all, he might not remain in the Wildlands for long.

After all, trade involves loss and gain.

"Thank you for your generosity, Da Yi. From now on, you are the master of this place," Merchant Lord Nü Heng said with a smile, then stepped forward and handed Li Yi three leather scrolls.

They bore special seals and inscriptions detailing ownership of the properties.

Li Yi understood—they were deeds in this world; whoever held them became the owner.

There was no transfer process.

Li Yi accepted them without hesitation: "I hope your future brings you great rewards."

"Meeting a warrior like you, Da Yi, is my greatest reward," Merchant Lord Nü Heng said. "I hope my actions today don't anger Xiu Xiang—but he's recently had little success in his revenge. If you need help, please come to me anytime—I live right next door to you."

"." Li Yi looked up.

He hadn't realized the neighboring estate also belonged to this merchant lord.

So many houses—she must be a property speculator in Beihuang City.

Yet after speaking, Nü Heng did not continue the conversation; she simply smiled and departed, clearly in high spirits.

(End of Chapter)