Chapter 172: Qiu Zhou Immortal Forest

He had seen his share of the world, having even stayed in the Tiange in Juzecheng City. However, the luxury of Juzecheng's Tiange was utterly vulgar compared to the Immortal Grove before him; it was merely a human indulgence of debauchery.

The Immortal Grove in Qiuzhou resembled a blessed land of immortals, with vast mists of spiritual energy swirling. Its gate, though a simple stone arch, was intricately carved, a masterpiece by a grandmaster of the Long Life Realm. Amidst the spiritual mists, towering spiritual trees reached for the sky, their branches laden with treasure-grade medicinal fruits.

The pavilions and towers of the Immortal Grove floated in the void, situated upon a vast expanse of formation-supported islands. Standing on the ground outside the gate, one could only glimpse a corner of a floating island, connected by a sky ladder. The cultivators inside, both men and women, each appeared as immortals, looking down upon the multitude of ordinary people in the city.

Li Wei was denied entry by the hybrid martial cultivator guarding the stone gate. The guard's cultivation was high; he was an elder of the Fifth Sea Realm, fifth stage, yet in the Immortal Grove, he could only stand guard at the gate, like a protective beast.

Li Wei understood the Immortal Grove's rules: "I don't intend to enter! I only ask the elder to inform them that a young man named Chi is outside the gate, seeking to meet Miss Qin Li. We have a close friendship; she will surely see me."

The polite gate-guarding martial cultivator smiled and said, "I do not possess a Pure Immortal Body and cannot enter myself, so I am truly unable to help."

How could Li Wei believe that? Even if he couldn't enter, there must be a way to contact those inside. Greed! Li Wei gritted his teeth, pulled out a handful of silver coins, and offered them. The gate-guarding martial cultivator didn't even glance at them, continuing to smile: "Young Master Chi, please return. Even we find it difficult to meet Miss Qin Li, let alone you."

"We truly have a close friendship, I'm not just boasting or cheating... Why can he enter if he doesn't have a Pure Immortal Body?" Li Wei pointed at a young figure, accompanied by a group of Pure Immortal Body men and women, walking through the Immortal Grove's stone gate. That young man was a mortal, without the physical build of a Pure Immortal Body, but his attire was luxurious, and his demeanor exceptional. Even Pure Immortal Body experts followed his lead.

The gate-guarding martial cultivator's expression changed. He immediately made a shushing gesture, signaling Li Wei to lower his voice: "That is Lu Cangsheng, a specially chosen prodigy personally selected by the Master of the Immortal Grove, and the successor of the Leixiao Sect."

"They can be specially chosen?" Li Wei asked. "What are the conditions?"

The gate-guarding martial cultivator had a headache, but patiently explained: "Don't even think about it! Among the younger generation, a name submitted to the Master of the Immortal Grove and then chosen is a rare occurrence, perhaps once every three to five years."

Even though their conversation was whispered, it still caught Lu Cangsheng's attention. He paused slightly and looked over. Qin Qian, a Pure Immortal Body woman cultivating the Sixth Sea of the Fifth Sea Realm, who was accompanying Lu Cangsheng, also glanced at Li Wei and chuckled softly: "There are countless amusing things and amusing people in this world, Senior Brother. Now do you understand? There's no need to be cautious about everything or overestimate opponents; not everyone is exceptionally intelligent. There are many mediocre people in the world who are unaware of their own mediocrity."

"Let's go," Lu Cangsheng said indifferently. The group disappeared into the spiritual mists.

The gate-guarding martial cultivator spread his hands helplessly, sighing, "See? You just make yourself a laughingstock."

Despite being inexplicably mocked, Li Wei felt no anger. He only lamented silently that being young and unknown in this world truly made one stand like a mere nobody. It was incredibly difficult even to get through a door or pass a message. Who would take you seriously? Who would think highly of you?

"Brother Tianshu!" A familiar voice reached him.

Li Wei turned around and saw the Little Fatty, Shi Shishi, standing by a distant street corner, waving at him repeatedly.

"You've come to Qiuzhou City too?" Li Wei walked over, feeling a sense of meeting an old acquaintance in a foreign land. After the Earth Wolf Royal Army's sudden defection on the Lizhou battlefield, the two sides were no longer enemies but close allies.

Shi Shishi immediately pulled him along: "Let's talk somewhere else. Don't just stand here; it's a bit embarrassing."

"Why?" Li Wei asked, puzzled.

"Look over there!" Shi Shishi pointed to a cluster of buildings, varying in height, directly opposite the Immortal Grove's gate. Inside, it was bustling with noise, and young cultivators frequently entered and exited.

The two entered one of the buildings. Inside, it was like a spacious courtyard, with five-story pavilions on all sides. Servants and maids delivering food and drinks moved back and forth. Young martial cultivators and mind masters gathered in rooms with open windows, laughing heartily and discussing world affairs. Many martial cultivators also gathered by the window railings, gazing towards the Immortal Grove's gate, excitedly recounting the sight of Lu Cangsheng and others entering to newcomers. During their conversations, of course, they didn't fail to mention that embarrassing and comical mortal martial cultivator.

"That kid even wanted to meet Immortal Qin Li... Haha... The excuse he made up, I'm too embarrassed to repeat it..."

"He even tried to bribe the gate-guarding martial cultivator with silver coins. What a paltry sum! If it were me, I'd use Yongquan coins."

Li Wei and Shi Shishi ascended the bustling staircase to a table on the third floor, near the side facing the Immortal Grove's gate. Li Wei felt no shame. He observed the martial cultivators in the building and noticed quite a few Fifth Sea Realm experts. "Were you watching me here earlier too?" he asked.

Shi Shishi nodded, then chuckled: "Those gathered outside the Immortal Grove are all busybodies. Don't take what they say to heart; no one will remember you. See? Even when you came upstairs and walked past them, no one noticed you. They just want to catch a glimpse of the successors who come to the Immortal Grove. Pure Immortal Bodies are indeed flawlessly imbued with immortal essence; both men and women are truly beyond what we mortals can compare to. Moreover, these successors are all exceptionally brilliant, with countless legends surrounding them. Who wouldn't want to admire them?"

"The food on this table..." Li Wei began.

"Eat whatever you like, it's on me today," Shi Shishi said.

Li Wei was not polite. As he ate, he asked, "They're here to admire legends, but what about you?"

"I'm here to see beauties!"

When Shi Shishi laughed, his face became as round as a ball. Then, remembering something, he excitedly asked, "Brother Tianshu... no, let me call you Brother Wei instead. Do you really know Immortal Qin Li?"

Li Wei nodded.

"That's Qin Li, peerless in both qin and sword dance! In terms of beauty, she might even surpass Yang Qingxi," Shi Shishi said, "The stream murmurs, the Li river trickles..."

Li Wei thought this kid was asking for trouble. Setting aside Qin Li's terrifying cultivation, if these words reached Yin Jiu's ears, he would surely be axed. Though Li Wei had not interacted much with Yin Jiu and Yin Shi, he could tell their relationship was close, with a deep understanding and tacit agreement between them, which was definitely problematic.

"Shishi, you are a Dharma King of the Earth Wolf Royal Army. At such a young age, your cultivation has reached the pinnacle. How come you haven't managed to get a special selection and are just gazing enviously from outside the Immortal Grove?" Li Wei asked.

Shi Shishi immediately became modest: "Brother Wei, don't tease me. My cultivation speed and realm are indeed among the top for my age, but I'm still light-years away from the Immortal Grove's special selection."

"But Lu Cangsheng is also a mortal. How did he do it? Is he a mortal at his peak, possessing a hundred meridians?" Li Wei inquired.

Shi Shishi explained: "I don't know much about Lu Cangsheng, but it seems that cultivating thunderous techniques doesn't have an absolute connection to one's physique. That kid has very high attainments in thunderous techniques and has defeated a Pure Immortal Body with all one hundred silver meridians."

"Achieving heaven-defying feats as a mortal, impressive!" Li Wei secretly marveled, feeling that the world was indeed vast and full of outstanding individuals. Only after stepping out of Lizhou had he truly opened his eyes to the world.

"How many Dyed-Cloud Rare Medicines did you collect in Immortal Burial Town?" Li Wei asked. "Didn't you complete the Pure Immortal Body transformation?"

Shi Shishi scratched his head, replying bitterly: "The higher the cultivation, the harder the Pure Immortal Body transformation becomes. A difference of one realm means two or three times the difficulty. With my cultivation at the time, I calculated that I might need fifty Dyed-Cloud Rare Medicines to have a chance at transforming into a Pure Immortal Body, so I had to give up. However, it wasn't a total loss! The Dyed-Cloud Rare Medicines collected in Immortal Burial Town helped my cultivation break through. I've now started cultivating the Sixth Sea."

"As expected of a Dharma King, your cultivation speed truly surpasses your peers," Li Wei praised without hesitation. Shi Shishi's age was similar to Yin Twenty-Four and Li Ling's, around sixteen or seventeen. While those successors were already cultivating the Seventh Sea, a realm higher in cultivation, most of them were over twenty-five years old.

Shi Shishi suddenly sent a telepathic message: "You're from the Nine Li Hidden Gate, you must know the inside story, right? Why did our Earth Wolf Royal Army suddenly switch sides and fully assist your Nine Li Clan?"

Li Wei paused his chopsticks and telepathically replied: "You're a Dharma King, and you don't know. What could a mere Hidden Person like me know?"

Shi Shishi sighed: "Old Nine and Old Six definitely know, but they're tight-lipped and won't say anything."

Li Wei's heart stirred: "Your Earth Wolf Royal Army shouldn't just have one Fifth Sea Realm expert, right? Didn't any Fifth Sea Realm Pure Immortal Bodies come to Qiuzhou City?"

Shi Shishi replied: "Since our two families are now allies, I won't hide it from you! Below the Ten Dharma Kings, there are indeed some powerful third-generation disciples who came to Qiuzhou City with me. They are all successors of various Dharma Kings, and of course, some of them possess Pure Immortal Bodies."

"How about doing me a favor? Send a trustworthy Pure Immortal Body into the Immortal Grove to deliver a message for me," Li Wei said.

Shi Shishi narrowed his eyes: "Deliver a message to that Immortal Qin Li? She's not one of your Nine Li Hidden Gate members, is she? Otherwise, how could a mere mortal martial cultivator who just broke through to the Fifth Sea Realm know someone of that caliber?"

Li Wei met his gaze and smiled: "Even your Heavenly King and Grand Master have to follow the Nine Li Clan's orders. Aren't you asking too many questions?"

Shi Shishi frowned, deep in thought, even suspecting that the Heavenly King might be a high-ranking member of the Nine Li Hidden Gate.

A group of young martial cultivators nearby began to clamor: "Yang Qingxi has arrived, and Chen Wenwu too!"

Shi Shishi immediately rushed over, pressing himself against the window, gazing towards the Immortal Grove's gate. When Li Wei walked over, the group of Pure Immortal Body cultivators from Xuanhe and San Chen Gong were already just disappearing backs. He whispered into Shi Shishi's ear: "Seeing you so excited... how about we team up and capture Yang Qingxi?"

Shi Shishi was very interested in this but quickly shook his head: "Brother Wei, Yang Qingxi is not simple. With your cultivation, absolutely do not have ideas about her. You should be in the first stage of the Fifth Sea Realm now, right? You might not have a clear understanding of Fifth Sea Realm experts yet. Yang Qingxi only needs to move one finger to kill you!"

Li Wei would not forget his grudge with Yang Qingxi: "No matter how strong she is, there's always someone stronger in this world."

Shi Shishi saw the calm look in Li Wei's eyes, not like he was joking, and exclaimed: "Are you serious? If you can enlist experts from the Nine Li Hidden Gate, plus the third-generation disciples of our Earth Wolf Royal Army, we could actually pull it off! The stream murmurs... just thinking about it makes me a little excited, haha!"

"No rush, wait a few more days." Li Wei decided to at least break through to the third stage of the Fifth Sea Realm before taking action. "First, find someone to help me contact Qin Li."