At that moment, Li Xiaoya had no idea that the Three Immortals of the Heavenly Dao were already scheming against him. Instead, he was peppering Lin Xuandao with an endless stream of questions. The Flying Sword Lin Xuandao rode was much slower than Fairy Qingxia's, and all the strange people and sights along the way truly opened Li Xiaoya's eyes.
Take the immortals flying through the air, for instance. Although they belonged to the same sect, they rode all sorts of things-almost anything imaginable. Immortal Cultivators flew on enormous gourds, little golden boats, snow-white ruyi scepters, and more. The strangest flying treasure Li Xiaoya saw along the way was an enormous smoking pipe, while the prettiest was a giant butterfly-shaped treasure that actually flapped its wings, with a beautiful female Immortal Cultivator sitting on it. From Lin Xuandao, he learned that these things were flying Dharma Artifacts and Spiritual Artifacts used by Immortal Cultivators. Almost all the flying treasures he had seen along the way were Dharma Artifacts, with only two or three Spiritual Artifacts among them. That butterfly-shaped treasure was a rare flying Spiritual Artifact.
"Senior Brother Lin, where did you get the Flying Sword Spiritual Artifact you're using?" Li Xiaoya finally asked the question he had wanted to ask all along. Only by finding out where it came from could he get a flying Spiritual Artifact of his own and soar freely wherever he pleased. Always having someone else carry him around was no fun at all.
"Oh! This Flying Sword was bestowed on me by an elder of my lineage! It isn't a Spiritual Artifact yet, just a high-grade Dharma Artifact!" Lin Xuandao said, a trace of pride appearing on his face.
"Oh, is that so? Does your lineage have a lot of Flying Swords, Senior Brother Lin? Even disciples at your cultivation level can be given Flying Sword Dharma Artifacts?" Li Xiaoya continued. Although he did not know exactly how high Lin Xuandao's cultivation was, he had noticed that all the Immortal Cultivators they encountered ignored him. Sometimes, when cultivators flew toward them, he even had to give way.
It was just like Treasure Immortal Town, where ordinary people always gave way to officials and wealthy landlords. In the mortal world, whoever had money and the biggest fist was the boss, and the world of Immortal Cultivators was probably one where the strong ruled too. Clearly, Lin Xuandao's standing in the Heavenly Dao Sect was nothing special, and naturally, neither was his cultivation.
"Well... our Lin Family of Peaceful Valley is one of the foremost lineages under the Heavenly Dao Sect. Of course we have plenty of Flying Sword Dharma Artifacts and Spiritual Artifacts. But not every disciple receives one from an elder. I earned this high-grade Flying Sword by rendering considerable service to the lineage!" Lin Xuandao said with an arrogant expression.
"So you're a core disciple of the Lin Family, Senior Brother Lin! Your junior brother truly had eyes but failed to recognize Mount Tai. Hehe!" Li Xiaoya promptly delivered a bit of flattery. His eyes shifted as he asked another question. "Then there must be somewhere in our Heavenly Dao Sect where we can obtain flying Dharma Artifacts like Flying Swords, right?"
"Of course. Disciples of our Heavenly Dao Sect can go to the sect's Bounty Hall and accept bounty missions to obtain Flying Swords or other Dharma Artifacts and Spiritual Artifacts. Once you complete a mission offering a Dharma Artifact or Spiritual Artifact as payment, you can collect the reward from whoever posted it. Of course, those are all high-level missions. Cultivators at my level can't complete them. You have to be at least at the peak of the true cultivation stage or in the core condensation stage." With that question, how could Lin Xuandao fail to realize that this mortal also wanted a flying Dharma Artifact? Inwardly, he thought with utter disdain, You're nothing but a mortal. Do you think you can even operate a Dharma Artifact or Spiritual Artifact? But remembering that the Three Immortals of the Heavenly Dao seemed to place great importance on this mortal, he still put on a willing air and explained.
"Ah! Doesn't that mean cultivators with low cultivation can't get flying Dharma Artifacts at all?" Li Xiaoya sighed and asked, somewhat disappointed. He was a mortal without the slightest magical power. Dreaming of a Flying Sword now was simply a fool's dream, but he still committed the Bounty Hall to memory.
"Not necessarily. If you have enough spirit stones, you can buy the Dharma Artifacts or Spiritual Artifacts you want from Immortal Cultivators who have flying Dharma Artifacts to spare. You can also use spirit stones to buy any Dharma Artifact or Spiritual Artifact that catches your eye at the sect's Trading and Auction Hall. Of course, the Trading and Auction Hall also sells plenty of other treasures, such as materials and pills! Here! This is a spirit stone, which we Immortal Cultivators use for trading!" As he spoke, Lin Xuandao took a yellow stone glowing with a faint yellow light from inside his robe.
"Oh! A glowing stone!" Li Xiaoya took the glowing yellow stone and held it curiously, blinking as he examined it from every angle. Suddenly, out of the corner of his eye, he spotted a burly man in black approaching from the distant left on a long spear that shone with a lustrous green light.
"Senior Brother Lin! Watch out! Someone's flying toward us from the right!" Li Xiaoya suddenly shouted.
"Ah!" Without thinking, Lin Xuandao hurriedly swerved left.
"What are you doing? Are you blind?" the burly man roared. Lin Xuandao was badly startled by this sudden development, and it was already too late to dodge. But brilliant green light flared around the man in black, and with a sharp turn beneath his feet, he evaded Lin Xuandao, who had abruptly changed direction and veered into his path. He came to a sudden stop two zhang away.
"Ah! That stone fell!" Before Lin Xuandao could say anything, Li Xiaoya suddenly cried out, his hand only just emerging from his trouser pocket.
"What? The spirit stone fell?" Lin Xuandao said anxiously, preparing to fly down and look for it.
"Hmph! You think you can just leave like that, junior?" the burly man in black said with a cold snort.
"Ah! Senior Jiang Lingzi! I-I am Lin Xuandao, your junior. I truly failed to notice you just now. Please don't hold it against me!" Taking a closer look, Lin Xuandao's expression changed drastically, and he hastily cupped his hands, stammering meekly.
"Oh! Your surname is Lin? Are you from the Lin Family of Peaceful Valley?" Jiang Lingzi's expression eased slightly as he asked in an indifferent tone.
"Yes, I am from the Lin Family of Peaceful Valley! Please forgive my mistake, Senior!" Lin Xuandao hurriedly replied.
"Mm! Be more careful next time. Hm? Who is this mortal? Why is he with you? Don't you know the rules of Immortal Cultivators?" Jiang Lingzi was about to leave, but his gaze swept over Li Xiaoya behind Lin Xuandao. His expression darkened, and he fired off a series of questions.
"Oh! This is Junior Brother Li, Li Xiaoya. Supreme Grand Patriarch Daoling asked me to take him to attend to something!" Lin Xuandao said respectfully.
"Ah! So these are Grand Patriarch Heavenly Venerable Daoling's instructions! Then hurry along and see to them! Haha!" Jiang Lingzi's expression shifted at those words, and he hurriedly gave an awkward laugh.
"Then I'll take my leave, Senior!" With a movement beneath his feet, Lin Xuandao slowly flew away.
As Jiang Lingzi watched their figures recede into the distance, a trace of puzzlement flashed through his eyes. Then, with a movement beneath his feet, he turned and swiftly flew away into the sky.