Chapter 00154: The Emotionless Golden Core Cultivator
# The Emotionless Golden Core Cultivator
Chapter 154
Novel: Abandon The Universe
Chapter 154: The Emotionless Golden Core Cultivator
At this moment, Lan Xiaobu found himself in the Midnight Sea, sailing on a mid-tier spirit vessel.
His current destination was Zhaodao Island.
Back when he was still in the Condensation Dan stage, he had met Qin Mochai in the Mubei Market.
Qin Mochai had invited him to Zhaodao Island, but at that time, his cultivation level was too low, and he had turned down the offer.
Now, unable to advance further in his Golden Core stage, Lan Xiaobu decided to go to Zhaodao Island in search of opportunities, particularly for the rare Yungshen Fruit.
Qin Mochai had gone to Zhaodao Island for the Yungshen Fruit as well, a fruit that greatly enhances the success rate of cultivating Dan.
However, Qin Mochai knew that even if he acquired the Yungshen Fruit, he would not be able to transform it into a Yungshen Dan.
Although Lan Xiaobu's cultivation had not progressed much in recent years, he had achieved mastery as a fifth-tier Dan Master.
If he obtained the Yungshen Fruit, he wouldn’t simply consume it; he would turn it into Yungshen Dan.
Many cultivators knew of Zhaodao Island, but few could provide its precise location.
Lan Xiaobu had spent a long time in Mubei City gathering information, but the positions he collected were mostly vague rumors.
He could only head towards Zhaodao Island based on general directions and hoped to encounter one or two cultivators to guide him along the way.
Three months into his journey in the Midnight Sea, Lan Xiaobu's spirit vessel became completely lost after passing through a patch of sea fog.
Even though he was lost, he didn't mind.
With his cultivation at the Golden Core Perfection stage, he could not progress further, but he still had significant room for improvement in array formation techniques.
Aside from that, he could continue his studies in the path of alchemy.
The Midnight Sea was decorated with silver glimmering fish, creating a beautiful scene, especially at night.
Amidst this enchanting view, only Lan Xiaobu's small boat moved forward, evoking feelings of beauty mingled with a sense of isolation that was hard to describe.
At first, his companion, Ancient Dao, had been quite excited about their adventure, but after drifting in the Midnight Sea for several months, his spirit had waned, and he now lay on the front of the boat, head drooping.
Lan Xiaobu was currently attempting to refine the Silent Spirit Pill, a sixth-tier Dan.
If he succeeded in making the Silent Spirit Pill, it would signify his promotion to sixth-tier Dan Master.
The primary ingredient for the Silent Spirit Pill was the sixth-level Lingtička fruit, which Lan Xiaobu had a hefty supply of in his spatial ring, most of which he had obtained from the Primordial Ruins.
Although he believed in his alchemical abilities to create a sixth-tier Ling Dan, his flame seemed somewhat weak, causing minor issues during the final stages of the refining process.
This resulted in his pills either falling apart or ending up as barely acceptable low-tier pills.
While Lan Xiaobu was trying to refine the Silent Spirit Pill again, Ancient Dao suddenly let out a low roar.
Lan Xiaobu turned quickly, only to discover that Ancient Dao had caught a silver glimmering fish in its mouth.
This fish seemed different from ordinary silver fishes; its back had a golden stripe that almost entirely covered its body.
"High-grade silver glimmering fish?" Lan Xiaobu immediately recognized it.
Ancient Dao tossed the fish into the cabin, letting out a proud roar.
"Well done, Ancient Dao! You caught a high-grade silver fish, impressive!" Lan Xiaobu praised, patting Ancient Dao's head.
Unfortunately, Ancient Dao couldn’t speak.
Since its time in the washing pool, it had shown a noticeable increase in intelligence.
Although Lan Xiaobu hadn't tested its strength, he estimated Ancient Dao was now at least as strong as a third-tier monster.
Looking at the silver fish in the cabin, Lan Xiaobu's thoughts drifted to Liu Li.
Liu Li had fought with him over a high-grade silver fish.
That woman was astonishingly prideful.
But fortunate for him, she had helped him back then; without her, escaping from the Primordial Market would have been extremely difficult.
Not to mention others, even Zou Zheng from Jiuzhou Mountain would have found an excuse to prevent his departure.
When he had incapacitated Gui Haibing with a punch, Zou Zheng had approached him with a cold expression.
Thankfully, Liu Li had interjected before Zou Zheng could say anything persuasive.
If Liu Li hadn’t seen Zou Zheng approaching him, it would have been impossible, as she was right behind him back then.
Sighing, Lan Xiaobu thought that he and Liu Li should consider their old grudges settled.
He had helped her a few times, and she had helped him in return.
Her pride, raised by her sect, wasn't all bad.
Liu Li's poison had been addressed by the Cosmic Dimension Matrix, which provided an antidote formula.
He was still missing one ingredient, but that antidote might not be necessary now.
After all, Liu Li was the heir of the Western Kunlun Sect, and a mere poisoning should be easily resolved in a five-star sect.
Regardless, he still owed a thanks to that prideful woman.
While Lan Xiaobu's thoughts wandered, Ancient Dao roared again.
A three-masted ship approached them quickly, reaching Lan Xiaobu's little boat in no time.
Without panic, Lan Xiaobu put away the silver fish and turned his attention to the three-masted ship.
His spiritual sense had already scanned the vessel and detected nine people on board.
It also bore carved third-tier array patterns.
An array master capable of deploying third-tier formations might not necessarily be able to carve third-tier patterns; the two skills didn't correlate directly.
If it weren't for the Cosmic Dimension Matrix, even if Lan Xiaobu could set up fifth-tier formations, he wouldn't be able to inscribe first-tier patterns.
However, with the Cosmic Dimension Matrix, he could inscribe fifth-tier patterns as he advanced to fifth-tier array master.
Standing on the deck of the ship was a Golden Core cultivator, observing the silver fish in Lan Xiaobu's hand.
Inside the cabin, there were prohibitive barriers that blocked his spiritual sense; Lan Xiaobu didn’t attempt to breach these barriers.
Although he had become more ruthless since entering the cultivation world, he still found it uncomfortable to invade the privacy of unrelated individuals.
"Are you lost in the Midnight Sea, friend? How about boarding my ship for a chat?" the Golden Core cultivator suddenly called out.
"Then I shall bother you."
Lan Xiaobu collected his mid-tier spirit vessel and leaped aboard the ship with Ancient Dao.
Initially, Lan Xiaobu hadn’t noticed anything unusual with the ship, but now that he was aboard, he felt that something was missing.
Standing on this ship, there seemed to be a slight chill in the air.
The Golden Core cultivator spoke to Lan Xiaobu in a calm tone, "I am Shi Buxun. Are you lost in the Midnight Sea?"
The Golden Core cultivator before him also seemed to lack something? Lan Xiaobu frowned slightly but soon dismissed the thought and cupped his hands, saying, "I am Lan Xiaobu from Mubei City, indeed lost in the Midnight Sea. I aimed to reach Zhaodao Island, but I lost my way without a directional orb and can only drift to seek my chance."
Shi Buxun didn't seem surprised at all and continued calmly, "You wish to go to Zhaodao Island?"
Lan Xiaobu nodded, "Yes, I intended to go to Zhaodao Island, but after three months of wandering, I still couldn't find my way. Do you know where Zhaodao Island is?"
What puzzled Lan Xiaobu was that even after he mentioned Mubei City, Shi Buxun appeared not to recognize the name.
His face was calm, showing not a hint of fluctuation in his eyes.
This shouldn't be the case; most cultivators who wandered in the Midnight Sea were aware of Mubei City.
Despite the past two years, hardly anyone in the entire Yuan Continent would not have heard of it.
"I do know the name Zhaodao Island. You’re not the only one searching for it; I've seen many cultivators looking for it as well. If I’m not mistaken, you are also seeking the Yungshen Fruit there, are you not?" Shi Buxun said.
Lan Xiaobu nodded, "Exactly."
Shi Buxun continued, "I don't know who spread the word about Zhaodao Island existing in the Midnight Sea, but I’ve lived here for a hundred years and have never heard of such a place."
Lan Xiaobu frowned—was this false information?
However, Shi Buxun then asked, "Did you just catch a high-grade silver fish?"
"Yes, I was quite lucky to catch one," Lan Xiaobu replied.
Shi Buxun asked again, "Would you consider selling me that silver fish?"
Before Lan Xiaobu could respond, Shi Buxun went on, "If you are going to Zhaodao Island for the Yungshen Fruit, it's better to head to Daokou Wharf. There, you will definitely find Yungshen Fruit at a reasonable price."
Daokou Wharf? Lan Xiaobu thought, since he was out searching for the Yungshen Fruit, it didn’t matter whether it was Zhaodao Island or Daokou Wharf.
As long as he could find the fruit, it was good enough.
Just as Lan Xiaobu was about to say he would give him the high-grade silver fish, Shi Buxun immediately offered, "I’ll give you a hundred thousand high-grade spirit stones for this silver fish, along with several types of spirit herbs found in the Midnight Sea. What do you think?"
Lan Xiaobu was taken aback—one hundred thousand high-grade spirit stones? Based on his knowledge, a high-grade silver fish was worth just around one hundred thousand low-grade spirit stones, so why the sudden leap to high-grade?
Initially wanting to give away the silver fish, Lan Xiaobu suddenly changed his mind and said apologetically, "It took me over ten years to find this silver fish. Besides searching for Zhaodao Island, I also came out specifically for this silver fish. In these ten years, this is the only one I managed to find…"
The underlying implication was that after spending so many years to find just one, he should not ask to buy it.
After hearing Lan Xiaobu's words, Shi Buxun remained calm, saying, "That’s understandable."
Lan Xiaobu then took out several fifth-tier spirit herbs and handed them to Shi Buxun, "I also have some spirit herbs that are equal in value to the silver fish; consider them a gift."
Lan Xiaobu presented fifth-tier Ling Grass to him.
This herb was truly a great item, as it could be used to craft the Rainfall Pill, the best type of healing pill among the fifth-tier healing elixirs.
"Good."
Shi Buxun accepted the Ling Grass with an indifferent expression and handed Lan Xiaobu a directional orb, "Here, friend Lan, this is the position of Daokou Wharf in the Midnight Sea."
"Thank you."
Lan Xiaobu's intention in offering the Ling Grass was precisely to acquire this.
Once Lan Xiaobu obtained the orb, he didn’t linger on the three-masted ship that felt somewhat off to him.
As he sat back on his spirit vessel, he suddenly realized where the odd feeling stemmed from—the Golden Core cultivator seemed devoid of emotion in his words.
(End of Chapter)