Given Jing Qian's current strength, with the advantage of favorable terrain, anyone below the great achievement of the Dragon Elephant Realm was simply no match for him.
Unfortunately, Crocodile Dragon Tooth could not be brought into the Destiny Stele Space, forcing him to fight barehanded. Without its sharp edge, the effectiveness of his attacks had been greatly reduced.
As a result, despite having possessed the Crocodile Dragon and Snow Woman's souls for so long, he had not even managed to scrape their outer skin.
However, as long as he could break through his opponent's defenses, he could almost instantly establish an overwhelming advantage and swiftly exterminate the soul.
In just half a day, he had completely swept away the five newly acquired souls.
An enormous amount of Destiny Essence and memories poured straight into his mind. It took him another half a day to sort through them and make sense of it all.
Jing Qian closed his eyes and focused his mind. He could only feel his sea of consciousness swelling, brimming with Destiny Essence.
Looking again at the Destiny Stele, he saw that his accumulated Destiny Essence had officially broken past ten and reached twelve.
As his cultivation rose, the speed at which his Destiny Essence increased had also slowed.
This was caused by the insufficient quality of the soul resources!
However, those four dazzling Destiny Forging Opportunities could not deceive anyone.
For many Rogue Cultivators, possessing ten White Fang Destiny Essences already gave them the foundation to advance to the Dragon Elephant Realm. They could begin studying how to refine and extract Magic Power so they could condense their first Azure Wing Destiny Essence.
But Jing Qian had only just set foot on the path of cultivation. He still had countless cultivation lessons to complete, making this the perfect time to solidify his foundation.
Of course, he would not place limits on himself in pursuit of a rapid breakthrough.
Continuing to accumulate Destiny Essence and forge his destiny constitution was what mattered most to him next.
The vast amount of memories he had gained from the five souls was also quite valuable.
After sorting through them, Jing Qian divided the memories into three major categories.
The first consisted of various secret arts and methods, including Destiny Constitution Refinement Methods and all kinds of Essence-Nourishing secret arts. They were the most precious cultivation knowledge of all.
From these souls, Jing Qian had reacquired the refinement methods for two destiny constitutions.
Aside from the Mind Ape destiny constitution he already possessed, he had gained another: the Ram Skull destiny constitution. Refining it would grant him the power of a Ninth-Rank Bronze Ram.
In addition, the Essence Extraction Art Wu Yan had contributed was rather interesting.
This Living Bone Art happened to match the Mind Ape destiny constitution. It was specifically used to accumulate vitality and condense Destiny Essence for Lifeform Destiny, and its effects were quite impressive.
The second consisted of all kinds of experiences, including cultivation insights, secret-art training, and accumulated expertise in various specialized fields.
The third consisted of common knowledge, including sea routes, terrain, and the ability to identify objects and treasures.
Although these memories could not directly enhance his combat strength, they could greatly deepen his knowledge. It truly was a moment of freeloading bliss, and endless freeloading meant endless bliss!
After this period of assimilation, Jing Qian's study of the Seal Talisman Art had finally reached perfection.
He was about to officially begin cultivating the Essence Extraction Art.
He gathered his spirits, then leaped out of the Void Realm and rose atop the waves, returning to the small boat.
He had upgraded from a wooden raft to a battered boat—a real case of trading an old musket for a cannon.
Jing Qian untied part of A Bao's silk bindings, freeing his hands and feet, then said:
"Fellow Daoist, take the helm. We're heading back to HunZhou Island."
The fat man did not dare slack off in the slightest. He hurried to the stern and took the helm before saying:
"My lord, this small boat requires two people to operate. If I take the helm, I won't be able to row, so we still won't be able to move!"
Jing Qian nodded and said:
"I'll handle the oars. You just steer and leave everything else to me."
With that, he gently activated the power of the Tide destiny constitution and infused it into the small boat.
The small boat suddenly began moving on its own!
Jing Qian did not even need the Magic Power-driven oars. Relying solely on the power of the tide, he could drive the boat forward.
The fat man, working the oars behind him, was dazzled by the sight and could not help showering him with flattery:
"The Jing Family's Tide destiny constitution is a rare Mountain-Sea Destiny. It truly excels at naval warfare!"
"My lord, once you advance to the Dragon Elephant Realm, there will certainly be a place for you in the Maritime Affairs Office's navy!"
"Of the navy's three core warships, the Hun Ling Number has already been destroyed. As for the remaining Hun Yi Number and Hun Liang Number, once their captains run short of Lifespan, you can rely on your Tide destiny constitution to take first place in the Dragon Boat Contest and fight for the position of captain!"
The fat man spoke with such fervor, as though commanding a warship were some extraordinary office.
Jing Qian knew almost nothing about HunZhou Island. For some reason, the memories he had obtained contained only objective knowledge, with no records at all concerning its society and culture.
The reason he had kept this fat man alive was precisely because he seemed articulate and eloquent, with the look of someone well-informed.
Jing Qian asked:
"Fatty, tell me everything you know about HunZhou."
A Bao paused, then said:
"My lord, I don't know where to begin."
Jing Qian thought for a moment. To understand a new world, even one possessing supernatural powers, one had to start with the basics: politics, economics, military affairs, culture, and so on.
He then replied:
"Given our current speed, how long will it take us to reach HunZhou Island?"
A Bao answered:
"My lord, we're less than eight thousand li from HunZhou. If we travel day and night without stopping, we'll arrive in about half a month."
Jing Qian nodded and said:
"Then let's set ten days as the limit. Today, start by telling me about the economy!"
"Tell me, what are prices like on HunZhou Island, and how do its residents make a living?"
"Right, first tell me: are there places that buy and sell storage treasures, and how much are they worth?"
Jing Qian did not care much about other things, but storage treasures were extremely difficult to find and were of immense importance to his Sumeru destiny constitution.
"My lord, storage treasures of this level are far too precious. Please forgive me, but my cultivation is insufficient, and I normally have no opportunity to come into contact with them."
"Such treasures only circulate among the major cultivation Aristocratic Clans, the cores of Destiny Islands, the largest legitimate merchants, and high-ranking officials of the government offices."
"At the very least, one must be a cultivator who has reached the great achievement of the Dragon Elephant Realm to have any chance of coming into contact with them."
"Still, I do enjoy joining in the excitement from time to time. I've attended the legitimate merchants' treasure fairs several times."
"I only remember one occasion when a great cultivator passing through from Yun Zhou exchanged a Ninth-Rank storage treasure for an Eighth-Rank dragon boat."
"That dragon boat is hard currency in HunZhou territory!"
"An empty boat alone is worth a thousand Yuan Gold Ingots!"
"If it were fitted with some ranked weapons and fishing gear, it could probably sell for three thousand Yuan Gold Ingots!"
"By that comparison, even the lowest-grade storage treasure would be worth a fortune!"
After listening, Jing Qian rubbed his fingers together and made the calculations.
If he counted only his ready cash, he had less than ten gold pieces!
It seemed that this third storage treasure would have to be contributed by some kind-hearted person!
Before you continue