Southern Yue Province, Windward Harbor.
Government troops had cleared out the bystanders and stood guard around the temporary, brightly decorated pavilion, waiting for the ship from the North Sea.
To show the importance he placed on the Incense Path, Zhao Kong, a royal prince, had come in person and arranged a grand welcoming ceremony.
The Merchant Association's Treasure Ship arrived right on time, entering the harbor smoothly at noon. After a lively thunder of gongs and drums, the master of ceremonies called out the formal greetings, and the guests disembarked. At last, the soldiers and civilians of Great Qian saw the much-rumored cultivators from the Overseas Immortal Mountain.
This marked the beginning of the Incense Path's northward spread and the establishment of a new seat.
Zhao Kong and Zhu Lisheng exchanged formal greetings in an open space at the harbor, smiling at each other.
Although this was their first meeting, their past connections ran fairly deep. Now that their interests aligned as well, both felt a considerable sense of kinship.
"After all these years, I've finally returned to the Mystic Continent."
Just then, aboard the Treasure Ship, Li Ling gave a soft sigh, emotion rising within him.
He had not gone out to attend the welcoming ceremony. He was now a secluded expert, retired from worldly affairs and devoted to cultivation, and no longer needed to concern himself with such matters.
When there was work to be done, the disciples should shoulder it. He had spent over a hundred years and countless resources and treasures raising several True Disciples precisely so they could handle occasions like this on their own and fulfill their duties.
Thus, he had merely caught a ride here along the way and had no intention of involving himself in the particulars.
Li Ling sat upright in