Aboard the treasure ship at sea, Li Ling read a letter and pondered for a long while.
This time, leaving the Mystic Continent had merely meant moving from the open into the shadows, temporarily slipping out of the Dao Registry Bureau's sight.
Having once consumed a dragon soul fruit, he also knew that the Mystic Heaven Dao Venerable's plans encompassed the entire world. Even without any desire to intervene, he could only follow the greater tide and become involved.
This was no longer a matter concerning just him or a handful of others, but a grand game in which cultivators from every side participated.
Li Ling sighed softly. "In the end, I still have to plan for the Incense Path. I can't let mighty experts keep me like some little craftsman, making incense for them day after day."
What he was reading was a secret letter Yin Changming had sent through covert channels. It mentioned numerous resources required by the Dragon-Seeking Society and its subordinate forces, as well as proposed transactions.
The prices they offered tempted even him, a leading figure accustomed to great wealth. All of this could become support for the development of the Incense Path, and support for his own rise into the ranks of mighty experts.
Li Ling wanted to become the Incense Ancestor, not an incense craftsman. He understood another truth all too well: ordinary craftsmen would forever remain at others' mercy. Only by becoming a pillar his disciples could rely on could he secure the rights they deserved.
This journey to the Mystic Continent had given him a glimpse of several opportunities. Both for the Incense Path and for himself, there were openings to exploit.
"Elder Li, Sect Master Li has arrived."
Just then, someone knocked on the door and reported softly from outside.