Chapter 1382: The Way to Generate Wealth

"There's one more thing you should know, fellow Taoist," Fang Wanli said with growing enthusiasm, swayed by the spirit jades, and willing to share more with Lu Ye.

"What is it?"

"Ordinary foreign cultivators need to pay a fee to enter Myriad Manifestation Island if they don't have a pass. Of course, it's not much, just five pieces; you should be able to afford it, fellow Taoist."

"Five pieces is not a small amount either," Lu Ye said calmly. While he had paid ten spirit jades for the fare without hesitation moments ago, not considering it much, that was due to his considerable savings. For a typical Constellation-level cultivator who had just entered the starry sky, even one spirit jade was valuable, and they wouldn't readily use it for travel. They would most likely prefer to fly slowly to Myriad Manifestation Island themselves.

"The main reason is the sheer number of cultivators traveling to Myriad Manifestation Sea. Without restrictions, Myriad Manifestation Island would likely be overcrowded. Charging five spirit jades as a passage fee significantly reduces the number of people entering the island."

That logic certainly holds true. People tend to flock to bustling places, and Constellation-level cultivators are no exception. Without restrictions, cultivators arriving here would likely all gather on Myriad Manifestation Island. With a passage fee in place, many who don't absolutely need to go to Myriad Manifestation Island won't bother.

"Additionally, some open spirit islands also charge varying amounts of spirit jades; you should inquire clearly before visiting, fellow Taoist. However, most spirit islands are not open to the public; they are private lands belonging to different factions. You need to be mindful of this and avoid entering rashly, or you might be treated as an intruder."

"How do I distinguish them?" Lu Ye asked humbly.

"Fellow Taoist, you can buy a star map at the trade association. These spirit islands are marked on the star map, but the markings differ. If they are red, they are private lands and not open to the public. If they are white, they are open to the public."

Only then did Lu Ye realize such distinctions were made on the star map. When he had examined the star map before, he had indeed noticed the spirit island names were in white and red, but he hadn't understood the subtlety behind it at the time.

With many cultivators traveling back and forth, Lu Ye noticed something else interesting: "The flying altitude of your ferry boats seems lower than that of cultivators?"

Fang Wanli quickly nodded. "Fellow Taoist, you observe meticulously; that is indeed the case. Although there's no explicit rule, everyone has been willing to abide by it for many years. This is mainly because ferry boats fly too fast, and if they mix with the crowds, collisions can easily occur. As you've seen, fellow Taoist, there are many cultivators moving about in the sky above Myriad Manifestation Sea, and that would result in harm and destruction."

"Do ferry boats not collide with each other? What about with other cultivators' star boats?"

"Whether it's a ferry boat or a star boat, they all have sensing formations. They can sense each other, allowing for early avoidance."

Lu Ye understood. This was similar to how star boats navigate the starry sky, using formations to sense obstacles ahead.

Looking more closely, Lu Ye noticed something else: star boats piloted by ordinary cultivators would not fly directly over a spirit island; most would take a detour, presumably to avoid any misunderstandings. However, the Myriad Manifestation Trade Association's ferry boats showed no concern, flying directly over both large and small islands.

The spirit islands on Myriad Manifestation Sea varied in size. From an aerial view, they looked like scattered chess pieces on the sea surface.

This reminded Lu Ye of the Chess Sea, where he and Hua Ci had their first pleasant collaboration, defeating countless enemies. It was also that battle that made him realize his own medical cultivator was not simple.

About half a day later, a massive spirit island appeared in view. Along the way, Lu Ye had indeed seen many large spirit islands, but none could compare to the one before him.

In terms of sheer size, this spirit island was undoubtedly the hegemon of the entire Myriad Manifestation Sea!

This was undoubtedly Myriad Manifestation Island!

The island's architecture was meticulously planned. A continuous cluster of palaces stood in the center of the island, with a colossal tower-like structure rising at its very heart. From this tower as its origin, streets radiated neatly outwards in all directions.

Fang Wanli steered the ferry boat to the edge of the spirit island, to what appeared to be a ferry terminal, and then stopped. He smiled and said to Lu Ye, "Fellow Taoist, we've arrived. Once you pay the fee and enter Myriad Manifestation Island, you can fly freely. However, disputes are not allowed within Myriad Manifestation Island; please remember that."

Lu Ye nodded slightly, then stepped out onto the ferry terminal.

There weren't many powerful cultivators guarding the ferry terminal. Only an elderly, white-haired man lay casually in a grand armchair, eyes closed in contemplation.

Next to him was a desk. On the left side of the desk were some sparkling, eye-catching spirit jades, while on the right were several dark, black tokens.

A few people were ahead of Lu Ye, having just arrived and preparing to enter Myriad Manifestation Island. They appeared to be a group.

One of the middle-aged men looked at the old man and said, "Old Bai, I'll just take it myself, then?"

From his words, it was clear he wasn't visiting Myriad Manifestation Island for the first time; he was very familiar with the process.

Old Bai, still reclined in the armchair, didn't even lift his eyelids. He merely gave a slight wave, appearing too lazy to bother with him.

The middle-aged man then took out twenty spirit jades and placed them on the desk. He then picked up four tokens, distributing them to the people beside him. After cupping a hand in greeting to Old Bai, he led his companions into Myriad Manifestation Island, soared into the sky, and vanished in an instant.

Seeing this, Lu Ye followed suit. He took out five spirit jades and exchanged them for a token.

Just as he was about to go inside, Old Bai suddenly opened a slit in his eyes, glanced at him, and said calmly, "The token must be worn on your person; it cannot be stored in a storage ring or any other storage space. It becomes invalid upon leaving the island. You can leave the island from any location, but you must enter through the ferry terminal!"

It was clear that the old man had noticed Lu Ye was a newcomer and was explaining the rules. Lu Ye had already learned about this while chatting with Fang Wanli and naturally understood.

He cupped a hand slightly in thanks for the guidance, then stepped onto Myriad Manifestation Island.

Instead of leaving immediately, he turned to observe.

Behind him, more people arrived one after another. All of them took tokens themselves. Old Bai remained with his eyes closed, resting, neither asking nor inquiring, and no one dared to withhold the five spirit jades for the passage fee.

Lu Ye watched, feeling envious. Five spirit jades, taken individually, were indeed not much. A Constellation-level cultivator could easily find five spirit jades anywhere in the starry sky, provided they found a suitable spot.

But that's five for one person. What about ten, a hundred, or ten thousand?

This small ferry terminal was practically a treasure trove where spirit jades flowed like water!

Just from the frequency of cultivators coming and going, this single ferry terminal must bring in tens of thousands of spirit jades, or even more, in revenue for Myriad Manifestation Island every day. And there were certainly more than just one such ferry terminal—perhaps a dozen or twenty.

However envious he felt, this was still their way of making money.

Lu Ye suddenly had a thought: if he could seize a spirit island here, then find a way to attract cultivators, making his own island a place where cultivators constantly streamed in, and then charge a certain passage fee, wouldn't he be able to make a fortune effortlessly? This idea only flickered in his mind before disappearing. Setting aside the immense difficulty of seizing a spirit island, even if he did manage to acquire one, he might not be able to keep it. Even if he could keep it, what would he use to attract cultivators?

So many top-tier realms already possessed their own spirit islands here; they must have entertained such thoughts themselves.

A moment later, Lu Ye walked further into the island.

A short while later, he stood on an exceptionally wide street. Observing the rows of shops packed tightly on either side, he suddenly had the illusion of being back in Kyushu.

The Heavenly Secret Cities in the Cloud River Battlefield were similarly lively. However, in terms of scale, Heavenly Secret Cities could not compare to this place. The value of goods sold in shops in the Cloud River Battlefield also couldn't compare to the merchandise here.

The forces behind these shops encompassed realms from many star systems in all directions. It could be said that any cultivator could buy items from across the entire star region here. The only fear wasn't a lack of goods, but a lack of sufficient spirit jades.

Being new to the place, Lu Ye wanted to broaden his horizons, so he casually entered a shop with a sign that read 'Marvelous Pill Pavilion'.

This was clearly a place selling spirit pills.

Due to the limitations of Kyushu's world foundation, it was currently difficult to refine spirit pills that could aid Constellation-level cultivation. However, this situation would gradually improve. Once Kyushu could cultivate higher-quality spirit flowers and rare herbs, it would naturally gain the qualification to refine corresponding spirit pills. Of course, the alchemists of Kyushu would first need to solve the issue of pill recipes.

The Marvelous Pill Pavilion was extremely spacious, and its interior decoration was very neat and tidy. When Lu Ye entered, a young, beautiful woman was there to greet him.

To his surprise, this woman only had a Divine Sea cultivation!

He had assumed that all cultivators coming and going here were above the Constellation level, as the environment of Myriad Manifestation Sea was not suitable for cultivators below the Constellation level to survive.

This place was no different from the starry sky, with free-floating starry sky energy everywhere. A Divine Sea realm cultivator's physical body was not yet strong enough to withstand such energy.

Yet, there were Divine Sea cultivators here!

After a brief perception, Lu Ye belatedly realized that there was no starry sky energy present here at all.

He understood then that Myriad Manifestation Island must be covered by an extremely ingenious grand formation. Under the isolation of this formation, starry sky energy could not penetrate the island, allowing beings below the Constellation level to survive there.

It made sense. This woman was only responsible for greeting guests and helping sell her shop's goods. To have a Constellation-level cultivator do this would be overkill.

Using a True Lake cultivator would seem to show insufficient respect, so Divine Sea was just right. It had to be said, the force behind this shop was very thoughtful. They neither wasted manpower and resources nor made guests feel slighted or have other unpleasant experiences.

The woman's attitude was very enthusiastic, and she introduced Lu Ye to a wide variety of miraculous spirit pills.

About an incense stick's time later, Lu Ye walked out of the Marvelous Pill Pavilion. The woman courteously saw him off. Although Lu Ye hadn't bought a single spirit pill, those who dealt with customers in this manner had their own professional integrity and would not easily look down on any guest.