After Lu Xueqi left, Shuiyue sat alone at the table, her brows furrowed. She recalled Lu Xueqi's words about how members of other worlds had all uploaded their cultivation techniques, and her heart was filled with turmoil.
The Qingyun Sect's cultivation techniques have been passed down for thousands of years, and they are never easily passed on. However, in the Chat Group shop, Lin Yu, Xiao Yan, and others uploaded their own cultivation techniques, which not only earned them points but also indirectly allowed them to exchange cultivation experiences.
If Xueqi were to upload the Supreme Purity Mysterious Purity Dao of the Qingyun Sect, she could both earn points and gain insight into cultivation methods from other worlds. However, this is, after all, a sect secret. Is it appropriate for her to make this decision on her own?
"The path to immortality is uncertain. If we miss our chance because we stick to the rules..." Shuiyue murmured to herself, her fingers lightly tapping the table as she fell into deep thought.
Leaving aside the plans of Lu Xueqi and her master in the Zhu Xian World.
Lin Yu had already traveled to Southern Border.
He gazed at the northern horizon and sensed that the aura of the Kujiku Sect's evil cultivators was gradually dissipating, possibly due to the tip-off from the Kujikuji Sect elder.
To avoid trouble, these evil Daoists have temporarily withdrawn from the Dragon Nation.
He could have followed the evil aura, but he wanted to travel all over the Dragon Nation first before going out to take a look. In addition, Lin Yu had a Buddhist-like personality, so as long as these evil Daoists didn't come to wreak havoc on the Dragon Nation, Lin Yu wouldn't go out.
As we traveled south, the weather gradually warmed up, and by the time we entered Southern Border, the scenery was completely different.
No longer the vast wilderness of the north, but the rolling mountains of the Hundred Thousand Mountains, with towering ancient trees blocking out the sun and vines coiling around the trunks like giant dragons.
Lin Yu ventured deeper into the mountains.
He followed his senses, heading towards places where the spiritual energy was abundant. As soon as he entered a bamboo forest, he heard a clear, silvery sound.
Lin Yu looked in the direction of the sound and saw several women dressed in Southern Border attire walking out of the woods.
They wore headscarves embroidered with intertwined floral patterns, with tiny silver bells hanging from the corners, tinkling as they moved.
Her skirt swept across the fallen leaves on the ground, revealing the brass rings on her ankles.
Lin Yu collided head-on with them.
"Outsiders?" The woman in the lead stopped, her hand subtly tightening its grip on the bamboo basket at her waist, her eyes filled with wariness.
The Hundred Thousand Mountains of Southern Border have always been isolated from the outside world, with very few outsiders. The people there are naturally more wary of strangers.
Seeing the wariness of these ethnic minorities, Lin Yu tried to appear more amiable, raising his hand to indicate that he meant no harm. "I am Lin Yu, from out of town, just passing through. I only wish to see the scenery of Southern Border and have no ill intentions."
He noticed the bamboo basket at the woman's waist, and from within that basket, Lin Yu sensed an aura he had never perceived before.
Unlike the Spiritual Power of cultivators, or the demonic energy of demonic beasts, these auras carry a touch of yin and agility. Being locked onto by these auras is like a small snake crawling across the skin, revealing a chill.
Seeing that Lin Yu had a refined and handsome appearance, without any trace of ferocity, and considering that he was young and dressed in blue, he didn't seem like a bad person, the woman slowly loosened her grip on the bamboo basket.
"This is the territory of our Flower Bamboo Village. The mountains are full of miasma and snakes and insects. If you want to go, you'd better follow our footprints and don't touch the grass or trees."
Lin Yu bowed in thanks and followed the women forward.
The deeper one goes into the mountains and forests, the thicker the fog becomes. A pale blue miasma swirls among the branches and leaves. If an ordinary person were to inhale it, they would definitely feel dizzy and disoriented, or even suffer from poisoning and fall into a coma.
Pale blue miasma permeated the forest like flowing gauze, making it difficult even for sunlight to penetrate.
However, Lin Yu activated his inner energy cultivation technique, and a layer of pale golden Spiritual Power emanated from his body, isolating him from the surrounding miasma and leaving him completely unaffected.
These women from Southern Border were already used to this environment, walking briskly through the miasma, but when they encountered areas with dense miasma, they would still subconsciously cover their mouths and noses with their sleeves.
Although the miasma is not fatal, it can cause dizziness and weakness. Ordinary tribespeople need to carry specially made herbal sachets with them to walk safely.
But Lin Yu, who was following behind, seemed completely unaffected.
The young women walking ahead noticed something amiss and couldn't help but slow down, frequently turning back to look at Lin Yu with curiosity in their eyes.
"Sister Ayi, look at him... how come he's not afraid of the miasma?" A little girl with two braids tugged at the sleeve of the woman in the lead, her voice very low, but Lin Yu still heard her clearly.
The woman in the lead, Ayi, turned around and glared at the little girl, her eyes carrying a hint of warning.
The elders in the clan had long said that outsiders were often strange and should not be spoken to lightly.
The little girl stuck out her tongue, not daring to say anything more, but she still couldn't help but steal glances at Lin Yu out of the corner of her eye, curious about what kind of abilities this outsider had.
Lin Yu observed all of this but said nothing, simply following behind them, his gaze occasionally sweeping over the surrounding vegetation.
Some poisonous insects were hiding among them, but with the girl from the Southern Border in front of them, these insects only dared to stand and watch from among the leaves.
Furthermore, while many plants in Southern Border are poisonous, they also contain numerous rare and precious medicinal herbs.
Since entering, Lin Yu has picked many spiritual herbs. For example, a random purple flower by the roadside is a resurrection herb, which is an excellent material for refining healing pills.
What is treasured by many outside is like roadside weeds here.
After walking for about half an hour, the fog ahead gradually thinned, and a cluster of bamboo houses built against the mountain could be vaguely seen.
The bamboo houses are stacked one on top of another, spreading along the hillside. The roofs are covered with thatch, and colorful strips of cloth and animal bone wind chimes hang under the eaves. When the wind blows, the wind chimes make a tinkling sound, which makes people feel happy.
"We've arrived. This is Flower Bamboo Village." Ayi stopped and stepped aside to make way, but her eyes still held a hint of wariness.
"If you're just passing through, there are bamboo houses in the village specifically for outsiders to rest. Don't wander into other places, especially the back of the village."
Lin Yu nodded in agreement. As soon as he entered the village, he sensed several scents similar to those in Ayi's bamboo basket.
He followed the scent and saw that most of the villagers had bamboo baskets or pottery jars hanging from their waists.
A faint rustling sound came from some of the bamboo baskets, clearly indicating that they contained Gu worms.
After comparing them, Lin Yu found that the Gu worm in Ayi's bamboo basket had the strongest aura.
The worm seemed to sense his gaze, and the bamboo basket trembled slightly, as if in defiance.
Lin Yu understood. If he had shown even the slightest malice from the beginning, this Gu worm would probably have already pounced on him.
When the villagers saw Lin Yu's attire, they realized he was an outsider and gathered around, curiously examining Lin Yu.
For a moment, the crowd began to whisper among themselves, discussing Lin Yu in hushed tones.
After all, it's very difficult to meet outsiders in these deep mountains.
At this moment, an elderly man with white hair walked over, leaning on a cane. When the crowd saw the old man, they all respectfully stepped aside to make way for him.
The old man looked Lin Yu up and down, then glanced at the faint golden Spiritual Power lingering around him, and asked, "Young man, do you know how to cultivate?"
"I have a little knowledge of some basic magic," Lin Yu replied, bowing respectfully.
Judging from the respectful manner of the people around him, the old man must be an elder or village chief of this village.
He knew that the Gu Masters of the Southern Border were very wary of outsiders who came to cultivate.
That's why Lin Yu didn't make a high-profile arrival in a village.
Being too flamboyant will only attract trouble; it's better to keep a low profile and first get a good feel for this unique Gu Arts culture.