Chapter 3875: White Moon, Yang Shuo

Three days passed quickly.

As night fell on Lihuo Market City, the streets were bustling with throngs of people.

Wang Changsheng and Wang Ruyan strolled along the wide, clean streets, looking around. They had been in Lihuo Market City for several days, meeting many Immortal Artifact Masters and trading for various refining materials. The core crystals of colored Chaos Beasts were a hard currency, easily exchanged for rare materials.

After about the time it takes to brew a cup of tea, they arrived at a spacious bluestone plaza. There were many small stalls here, displaying a wide array of goods, most of which were common or even counterfeit. One could easily be deceived without keen discernment. They walked around, observing many strange and unusual items, but as they were not very useful, they didn't purchase anything.

A short while later, Wang Changsheng stopped in front of a small stall. The vendor was an old man in a green robe with a goatee, a square face, and small eyes. He possessed the cultivation of a mid-stage True Immortal. The stall displayed ores, spirit wood, beast hides, immortal medicines, and more. Wang Changsheng crouched down and picked up a black, millstone-sized object. It felt cold to the touch and was heavy in his hand.

"Fellow Daoist, what is this?" Wang Changsheng asked.

"It's a semi-finished immortal artifact," the old man in the green robe replied, his voice a bit hoarse. "If you're interested, it's fifty Immortal Essence Stones." Wang Changsheng didn't haggle. He paid the fifty Immortal Essence Stones and put the item away. Fifty Immortal Essence Stones were a trifle to him; even if the item turned out to be made of common materials, his loss would be minimal.

They browsed the plaza for a while, during which Wang Ruyan purchased some materials for refining first-grade immortal talismans. Leaving the plaza, they headed to a quiet residential street where there were fewer pedestrians. After a short walk, they arrived at the entrance of a secluded manor, flanked by two lifelike stone lions.

Wang Ruyan sent out a sound transmission talisman, and they waited quietly.

"You two must be the Azure Lotus Immortals! Your reputation truly precedes you." A gentle female voice sounded. A fragrant breeze wafted past, and a graceful young woman in a white dress approached. From her appearance, she was clearly a cultivator of the Snow Crystal Race. Beside her stood a burly man in a golden robe, emanating a powerful demonic aura. Both were True Immortal cultivators.

"May I ask who you are?" Wang Changsheng asked, puzzled. In his memory, he had never seen her, not even a portrait.

"My name is Bai Yue. I traveled extensively in my early years and haven't returned for over a hundred thousand years, so it's perfectly normal that Fellow Daoist Wang doesn't recognize me. However, I've long heard of your esteemed deeds," the young woman in the white dress bowed respectfully and said with a smile.

At that moment, the manor gates opened, and Chen Xin walked out. "Madam Bai, you're here too. Fellow Daoist Wang, please come in together!" Chen Xin made a welcoming gesture and invited them inside.

Passing through a long corridor and two small courtyards with arched gates, they arrived at a secluded small courtyard. Shen Liming and over twenty other True Immortal cultivators were seated in a stone pavilion, sipping tea and chatting.

"This must be Fellow Daoist Wang! I've heard so much about you." A burly man in a golden robe with a full beard stood up, grinned, and greeted him.

"So it's Fellow Daoist Yang. You flatter me," Wang Changsheng replied politely. The burly man in the golden robe was named Yang Shuo, a body cultivator heavily cultivated by Hundred Refinements Island, renowned for his immense strength.

"Flattery? I certainly can't kill a True Immortal-stage three-colored Chaos Beast with one punch. Fellow Daoist Wang is too modest," Yang Shuo said, his face filled with admiration.

Shen Liming invited Wang Changsheng and the other three to sit down. His gaze fell upon the burly man in the golden robe and he asked, "Madam Bai, who is this Fellow Daoist?"

"Niu Xin," the burly man in the golden robe answered, his voice booming.

"Fellow Daoist Niu is a True Spirit? Your blood energy is so vigorous?" A thin old man in a green robe asked curiously. Some cultivators practice special cultivation techniques that allow them to sense the strength of others' blood energy upon close contact.

"It's just a bit vigorous," Niu Xin replied. "I wish I were a True Spirit."

"That's true. Among us present, only Fellow Daoist Wang has cultivated into a True Spirit. If Fellow Daoist Wang could take another step forward, tsk-tsk, I doubt there would be many in the Tianchen Sea Region who could rival you," Yang Shuo concluded, his face full of envy.

"Another step forward? Is Fellow Daoist Yang referring to a Golden Immortal?" Wang Changsheng was slightly stunned.

"Not exactly. As far as I know, True Spirits are divided into three grades: ordinary, top-tier, and peak. If none of Wang Changsheng's ancestors cultivated into True Spirits, then you are a top-tier True Spirit, and your physical body can withstand low-grade immortal artifacts. The next step is the peak, but this step is extremely difficult. Even the Humanoid True Spirits that have appeared in the Tianchen Sea Region at the Golden Immortal stage could only withstand low-grade immortal artifacts with their bodies. A True Spirit cultivated to its peak can withstand mid-grade immortal artifacts," Yang Shuo explained.

"Not just Humanoid True Spirits, it's difficult for any True Spirit to cultivate to the peak. Most True Spirits are ordinary True Spirits, whose physical bodies can withstand Profound Heaven Treasures. Of course, if one cultivates body-refining techniques or consumes immortal medicines and pills for body tempering later in life, they can also withstand low-grade immortal artifacts. For instance, the descendants of Divine Beasts like Azure Dragons and Heavenly Phoenixes are top-tier True Spirits. If the bloodline purity of a top-tier True Spirit's descendant reaches nine, they become an ordinary True Spirit. If Fellow Daoist Wang's descendants cultivate into True Spirits, they would be ordinary True Spirits. To withstand immortal artifacts with their physical bodies, they would need body tempering, which is not too difficult; good body-refining techniques or pills can achieve it. The true difficulty lies in reaching the peak. Regardless of the True Spirit's form, cultivating to the peak is not easy," Bai Yue said slowly.

"So, if a peak True Spirit takes another step, they become a Divine Beast?" Wang Changsheng continued to ask.

Bai Yue nodded and replied, "That's right. Divine Beast refers specifically to demon beasts. If you cultivate to the peak and then take another step, you will achieve an Immortal Body. At that point, withstanding high-grade immortal artifacts won't be an issue. However, Immortal Bodies are extremely rare; at least, I haven't seen one."

"The physical bodies of Chaos Beasts are much stronger than those of demon beasts. The body of a three-colored Chaos Beast is slightly stronger than that of an ordinary True Spirit. You and Fellow Daoist Lu are top-tier True Spirits, capable of competing physically with four-colored Chaos Beasts, though still quite a bit weaker than five-colored Chaos Beasts. However, we Immortals have myriad cultivation arts and many ways to strengthen our physical bodies, such as cultivation techniques, treasures, immortal pills, immortal talismans, immortal wine, and so on," Yang Shuo concluded, his face full of envy.

Wang Changsheng suddenly understood; this resolved one of his long-standing confusions.

"A True Spirit cultivated to the peak would at least have the cultivation of a Golden Immortal, and their physical body would be comparable to a six-colored Chaos Beast at the Golden Immortal stage," Bai Yue said with a look of envy.

They were all elites of their respective forces, and though they also wished to cultivate into True Spirits, none had succeeded. Wang Changsheng, having cultivated into a True Spirit, had forged his own path, his own Dao. How far Wang Changsheng would go in the future was unknown to the cultivators present, but at the very least, Wang Changsheng was currently stronger than them.

"This is Blood Spirit Tea our Hundred Refinements Island trade caravan brought back from the Chaos Continent. It has the effect of strengthening blood energy. Please, everyone, have a taste."