The people aboard the ships spotted the immortal cultivators riding cranes from afar. They naturally knew the visitors were cultivators from the Central Land, here to buy rare treasures from the South Sea, and kindly pointed them toward the treasure ships where spiritual treasures and immortal materials were traded.
There were naturally more than just Jiang Wangshu and Li Fan among the cultivators aboard. The market seemed to have opened only recently, yet many rogue cultivators had already arrived, drawn by the Divine Sense probing the area. They wore all sorts of clothes and traded aboard the ships.
Looking at the surrounding sea folk and boatmen, then comparing them with the people of the Human Dao in Li Country, Li Fan could clearly see that there were more low-level cultivators in the South Sea.
No, not just more—many more. That made sense. Ordinary people, such as their families, would likely stay on the islands rather than come along, and the South Sea had an abundance of spiritual energy, at least of Profound Yin True Qi. The market was also located near an undersea Spiritual Spring, where cultivators could dive down and practice. Perhaps the various fleets had come across one another by following the Spiritual Spring's currents?
As a result, most of the boatmen and fishermen who regularly went to sea with the fleets had some foundation in Qi Refining. The captain had to be at least at Foundation Establishment to command respect. And an ordinary fleet needed at least a Golden Core cultivator to keep the peace.
If they ventured into more perilous waters to mine resources and encountered sea beasts or monsters, going without a Nascent Soul cultivator would be tantamount to suicide. Thus, the Nascent Soul cultivators of the Ten Continents and Seven Islands were like chieftains