At Giant Whale Harbor, countless cultivators bustled through the streets. Most of them were Qi Refinement cultivators and Initiates, and even Adepts were seen here and there. They moved with urgency and lacked their usual distant demeanor.

A tall, red-faced man in white robes with feather patterns walked along a wide pathway and swept his gaze across everything with curiosity. Behind him followed a woman who carried a long object wrapped in white cloth on her back. She did not appear especially graceful, and although she was quite beautiful, the arrogant air she gave off kept others away.

Suddenly, the red-faced man stopped by a seaside railing. He gazed toward a giant ship in the distance. "That disturbance just now was a bit too much. Good thing it only lasted a moment and we managed to get off the ship. If I hadn't seen it coming, it would've been troublesome."

Throughout the journey, Luo Chen had continued to remove the dark energy from the Soul-Nurturing Wood. Through this, he had gained a deep understanding of it. The source of that energy had to be from an extremely powerful being—most likely, a high-level Sage.

Even a trace of this lingering energy made Han Zhan avoid it like a deadly threat. The pressure exceeded even what Luo Chen had once felt from Azure Frost. Yet it did not seem to come from an Ascendant. Had that been the case, even that tiny remnant energy would have been beyond Luo Chen's ability to handle.

He shook his head and cast the thought aside. He turned around and looked at a hesitant man not far away. He beckoned. "You there, come here."

With Luo Chen's signal, the man hurried over, bowing. "Adept, what are your orders?"

Luo Chen looked at him with a raised eyebrow and said, "My orders? You're the one who wants something from me. You've been following me for a while now. Come on, spit it out."

The man bent even lower. "My name is Liu Fu. I run a small intelligence business at the docks, and I also work as a guide. You seem to be new here and curious about everything, so I thought I could be of service."

Luo Chen nodded. As expected, his earlier display of inexperience had not gone unnoticed by those observant. Now, he had returned to his original appearance. His complexion was no longer sallow, nor was his posture hunched. He revealed his true bearing once more and even openly displayed his cultivation. The spirit pressure of an Adept spread outward and made the low-tier cultivators step aside. Anyone who approached him under such pressure to do business was unlikely to be a fraud.

"Adept, are you heading to Divine Origin City? I've got some connections there. Lodging, shopping, black market dealings, selling resources, or renting a cave residence—I can handle it for you," Liu Fu spoke confidently.

Yet Luo Chen's answer caught him off guard. "Divine Origin City? Nah, not for now."

He gazed toward the distant north and tapped the railing lightly. "Do you have a way to get to the Myriad Immortal Society? Arrange a route that's fast and low-risk. Do it well, and you'll be well rewarded."

Liu Fu froze. It was the first time he had seen someone come all the way to Divine Origin City, only to pass it by. But he quickly reacted. "Adept... are you a rogue cultivator?"

"Yes. My name is Luo Hai. I've heard that the Myriad Immortal Society is like a Holy Land for rogue cultivators. I'd like to see it for myself."

"Holy Land?" Liu Fu felt a chill run down his spine, and his voice turned quiet. "That's no good place. Only ruthless people with real strength, or similarly ruthless people with nowhere else to go, dare to head there. It's a force that follows the law of the jungle to the extreme. Everything depends on strength."

Luo Chen glanced at him. "Hmm? Do you think I lack strength?"

Liu Fu's face turned pale, and he waved his hands frantically. "Not at all! That's not what I meant. I'm just worried you might not understand the situation and walk into danger... and then hold me responsible."

"Oh? In that case, tell me what exactly I should understand about the Myriad Immortal Society. I'll decide after that. Whatever happens, I won't hold you accountable," replied Luo Chen calmly.

Liu Fu let out a sigh of relief and began explaining everything he knew about the Myriad Immortal Society.

***

It was yet another merchant ship. This time, however, it was an ordinary one, with plenty of cargo and random passengers. Most of those aboard were rogue cultivators who had paid hefty sums to travel to the Myriad Immortal Society. Luo Chen stood on the deck and looked at the second-tier dragon whale pulling the ship. He was still processing the information Liu Fu had shared earlier.

Despite being the lowest-ranked of the four major forces in the Northern Sea, the Myriad Immortal Society was not to be underestimated. The Northern Sea was vast, its spirit veins scattered, and its resources not fully controlled by the major forces. As a result, powerful rogue cultivators emerged in great numbers. The society was founded by three such figures: Blood Hermit, Moon Hermit, and Mad Hermit, all mid-stage Sages. It was even rumored that one of them had already advanced to the late stage.

By the time the Primordial Devil Sect fell, a tremendous number of high-tier cultivators had perished, and these rare figures became even rarer. As far as Luo Chen knew, three of the four major forces of the Northern Sea had one late-stage Sage each. The fact that the Myriad Immortal Society could hold its place among them probably meant that the rumors were true and they also had one.

According to Liu Fu, the society had been established long before the fall of the Primordial Devil Sect, but it only rose to prominence after that event, when it seized a large portion of the fallen sect's territory. As for how it had survived under the watch of the Blue Sea Alliance and Devil's Snare... that was not something ordinary people were privy to.

"When the demon army broke the Primordial Devil Sect's walls, it wasn't without a cost. A lot of them died... and the rest got trapped in the Heaven of Northern Yama. There's a story going around about it. Back then, a great figure from the Soul Refinement Lineage used his life-bound enchanted treasure, the Million Fiend Soul Banner, together with the terrain to set up a massive formation that covered the entire Heaven of Northern Yama. He was trying to refine the whole demon army alive, all by himself. Whether he actually succeeded... no one knows. But demons at the fourth tier and above were indeed trapped inside. They could go in, but they couldn't get back out.

"That bought the Northern Sea cultivators a hundred years of respite. But that didn't mean everything was safe. The top-tier demons might be stuck, but the lower-tier ones weren't affected much. Every now and then, groups of them still come out of the Heaven of Northern Yama. And these aren't just any demons—they're the ones that survived fighting the sect's elites. Every single one is a vicious and experienced warrior. Once they get out, they pull in nearby low-tier demons and come straight for the human territory. And the first to take that pressure? The Myriad Immortal Society. Their Three Oceans Defensive Line is basically a meat grinder. Every year, who knows how many cultivators die out there."

Having learned this, Luo Chen finally understood how the society had managed to grow under the watch of the three others. They were essentially using it as a buffer against the demon races! The ones who died were rogue cultivators, so the three major forces felt no real loss. At the same time, they were able to take their time, develop, and compete among themselves for unifying the Northern Sea cultivation world.

Of course, that did not mean they could simply ignore it. Over the past century, the society had nearly collapsed several times under the overwhelming tide of demons. Thus, while the Penglai Immortal Sect remained uninvolved, both Devil's Snare and the Blue Sea Alliance had sent substantial reinforcements. Even the Heaven Origin Trade Alliance from Divine Origin City provided a large amount of resources as support. And because of all this, the Myriad Immortal Society ended up with only one real rule for rogue cultivators: when a beast tide attacked, they were to enter the Three Oceans Defensive Line to fight against the demons. No conditions, no exceptions.

That actually works pretty well for me. Luo Chen felt pleased. Fighting brutish and ignorant low-tier demons was far more straightforward than dealing with treacherous human cultivators. He preferred this approach, and other rogue cultivators likely felt the same. And sure enough, overhearing the discussions around him, he found that most of those on the ship who were heading to the Myriad Immortal Society shared the same thought.

Well... of course, there were also exceptions.

Luo Chen glanced quietly at an old man and a youth standing on the upper deck. They were from the Gao family of Divine Origin City, the owners of the ship. Though native cultivators of the Northern Sea, their ancestors had ties with the Heaven Origin Dao Sect, which allowed them to expand their business beyond Divine Origin City. At that moment, the two were speaking with each other, unaware that someone could hear every word they said.

"Grandfather, is the Myriad Immortal Society really that good? Why don't these rogue cultivators join families or sects like ours? Why go all that way instead?"

"Little Yuan, you don't understand what rogue cultivators go through. If they don't have some kind of special abilities of value, then even if they join families like ours, they're just treated like beasts of burden. And with the war going on... chances are they'd just end up as cannon fodder. Tell me, why would they want to join us?"

"I see! No wonder our family has only managed to recruit a few Golden Core retainers all these years. Even Foundation Establishment guests are rare."

"Haha, don't think too highly of the Myriad Immortal Society either."

"Grandfather, what do you mean?"

"People talk about the Three Oceans Defensive Line a lot, but they just don't know how terrifying it really is. That place is not called 'the meat grinder' for nothing. Very few rogue cultivators make it out alive. Because of that, the Myriad Immortal Society even worked with the three major forces to set up a ranking system to reward those who survive battle after battle."

"You mean the star-ranked demon hunters?"

"Exactly. For them, strength isn't judged by cultivation but by star rank. If an early-stage Adept earns a nine-star title, even late-stage Adepts have to show some respect."

The youth's eyes filled with admiration upon hearing this. "Nine-star... But is there anyone with that title now?"

"There was one before, but not anymore."

"Ahhh... Dead?"

"No, advanced to the Nascent Soul Realm. It happened fifty years ago, I think. Once people break through, they relinquish the title."

"A Sage!"

The old man stroked his beard and said solemnly, "That's exactly why I said this star-ranked system was set up jointly by the society and the three major forces. From what I've heard, those who reach nine stars and Perfected Mastery of the Golden Core Realm will receive a massive reward from all four forces. That includes the necessary resources to form a Nascent Soul. In the end... you could say it's a special kind of compensation for rogue cultivators who've made great contributions to humanity."

"They deserve it!" The youth looked both envious and resolute. "I also want to see the Three Oceans Defensive Line. If I could earn a star-ranked demon hunter title..."

"As if! That's not something for you to be thinking about. You're the pride of the Gao family. This trip is just to broaden your horizons, not to throw your life away."

***

Luo Chen paid little attention to the rest of their conversation. He focused instead on the key points and repeated them silently to himself: star-ranked demon hunters and Nascent Soul resources. Liu Fu had mentioned something about the former part, but not about the latter. Perhaps Luo Chen also had a chance to enjoy these incredible benefits.

After obtaining the full Nascent Soul Pill formula, his confidence in refining it had grown. However, he still had no clue where to find a suitable place for Nascent Soul formation. If he could gain support from one of the four major forces, everything would fall into place.

Looks like things won't quite go according to the initial plan. I'll have to rethink my strategy once I get there.

As Luo Chen thought this, his gaze fell upon a man and woman on the ship. They appeared relaxed, occasionally looking at nearby rogue cultivators heading to the Myriad Immortal Society with disdain. After a moment of thought, he walked toward them. They noticed his approach at once, and their expressions shifted with reluctance. "Fellow Daoist..."

Before they could say anything to drive him away, Luo Chen spoke directly, "I'm Luo Hai. I am feeling a little bored, so how about we have a chat to pass the time?"

A trace of Golden Core pressure subtly spread, just enough to make them stiffen. The male cultivator took a deep breath. "I'm Zhang Jiadi. This is my Dao companion, Wen Xiu. What can we do for you, Senior?"

"No need to be so formal." Luo Chen smiled and observed them closely for a moment, then nodded. "I'm guessing... you're star-ranked demon hunters?"

Zhang Jiadi denied at once. "No, I'm not! Please don't go around saying things like that."

The woman beside him also looked nervous, which made Luo Chen pause in surprise. According to Liu Fu and the duo from the Gao family, star-ranked demon hunters held a high status. They were respected not just within the Myriad Immortal Society, but across the entire Northern Sea. As for why he thought these two Initiates were such demon hunters, that was because they emitted a strong blood fiend qi. It was the kind that only arose as a result of massive slaughter. The fiend qi also held many different energy signatures that clearly belonged to various demonic beasts. In other words, either they were traveling around killing demonic beasts every day, or...

After this brief assessment, Luo Chen smiled faintly. "Well, let's say you aren't. But you see, I've never been to the Myriad Immortal Society, so I'm not familiar with the place. You wouldn't mind telling me a bit about it, would you?"

Under his gaze, sweat appeared on Zhang Jiadi's forehead, and his expression turned strained. The woman tightly gripped her companion's hand.

At that moment, the elder of the Gao family noticed the situation and intervened. "Fellow Daoist, fighting isn't allowed on our ship. I hope you'll give us some respect."

Luo Chen turned and cupped his hands. "My apologies. I'm not planning to fight, I just wanted to speak with this experienced star-ranked—"

"Senior, whatever you want to know, I'll tell you everything!"

Luo Chen chuckled and lowered his hands.

The old man frowned slightly at the sight. But the red-faced young man set up a sound isolation barrier, then used his mana to further blur the barrier, to prevent even their lip movements from being read. At last, the old man could only look away.

"Grandfather, they..."

"Little Yuan, this is your first time out. Let me teach you the first rule of traveling around: Mind your own business!"