"That is indeed somewhat difficult to handle."

Ji Yuan pondered as he spoke.

"Dare I ask Daoist, is there any solution?"

Daoist Xing asked thoughtfully.

"You came to seek me, so I presume you don’t have any objects to resist the Illusion Realm."

Ji Yuan stood up with his hands behind his back, and slowly paced.

"No, treasures that can resist the Illusion Realm are too precious, generally only found in the Eight Holy Lands. For us Loose Cultivators, it’s too hard to possess such things."

Daoist Xing shook his head.

"If that’s the case, next time Daoist Xing enters this Array, head straight northwest. It doesn’t matter what is in the northwest, just press forward without hesitation."

When Ji Yuan finished speaking, Daoist Xing was about to speak, but he interrupted, "In the Illusion Realm, directions are generally inverted, so you need to find something that can discern direction within the realm. As for the northwest position... I am ninety percent sure of it!"

Daoist Xing thought for a moment, and a path opened in his mind, immediately nodding in agreement:

"Good, then I must thank Daoist Changgeng for this matter."

As she spoke, she stood up and handed over a Storage Bag with both hands.

Before she could speak, Ji Yuan waved his hand to decline.

"If Daoist feels it’s insufficient, you can supplement it when I return from this Secret Realm."

"No, no, I don’t mean it like that. I do have some matters I wish to inquire about with Daoist Xing."

Ji Yuan smiled awkwardly.

"Oh?"

Upon hearing this, Daoist Xing looked down at the Storage Bag in her hand and didn’t rush to put it away but instead asked, "I wonder what Daoist Changgeng wants to ask?"

Ji Yuan pondered for a moment before he smiled awkwardly.

"I recently achieved Core Formation, which exhausted a lot of resources. Now I have to craft my Lifebound Magical Treasure, constantly running around, and I’m quite in debt."

"So I’m thinking of crafting my Lifebound Magical Treasure, then heading to the Yanzhou Bay to train, setting up some Arrays to try and slay a few Tier Three Demon Beasts."

"But I’m not very familiar with that area. I heard Daoist Xing is unrivaled in combat and often hunts demons there, so I wanted to consult you. I hope Daoist won’t mind sharing your insights."

Having said this, Ji Yuan cupped his hands towards her.

Daoist Xing naturally returned the courtesy, then confidently put away the Storage Bag with a smile, "If it’s about this, then rest assured Daoist Changgeng. I might not know other places well, but Yanzhou Bay, I am familiar with."

With that, she took out a Sea Map from the Storage Bag, spreading it out on the stone table.

"Daoist, take a look, this is Yanzhou Bay..."

"..."

Over the next half-day, Daoist Xing provided Ji Yuan with a detailed introduction to Yanzhou Bay’s situation.

She even mentioned which areas had Tier Three Peak Demon Beasts, which islands were suitable for Array setups, and where lone Tier Three Sea Beasts could often be encountered.

After finishing, she further gifted Ji Yuan the Sea Map.

The map was clearly explored and drawn by Daoist Xing, making it no small compensation.

Ji Yuan, unable to decline, accepted it.

"If Brother Changgeng isn’t assured, you can wait for me to return from the Secret Realm. I will personally take you to familiarize with it, and afterward, you can act independently."

Daoist Xing is quite generous.

Ji Yuan was naturally smiling as he accepted this kind offer.

After bidding farewell to this neighbor, it took only a month for her to depart on her exploration of the Secret Realm with a few friends.

Ji Yuan resumed his life of alchemy, talisman painting, and sword refining.

Another half year passed.

Once Ji Yuan refined six Canglan Swords, he finally chose to set sail to Yanzhou Bay to adapt to his rapidly improving strength.

Or, one could say, to embark on his demon-hunting career.

But this demon-hunting, while seemingly simple, was extremely challenging.

Especially Tier Three Demon Beasts, which already possess some intelligence, making them very cunning. Finding a lone Tier Three Demon Beast and luring it into an Array was even harder.

Ji Yuan didn’t have anything to lure Demon Beasts, so he simply gave up on Arrays.

Instead, he began a frenzy of hunting within Yanzhou Bay with two Tier Three Frost Serpents.

The two Frost Serpents mainly played a supporting role, preventing Demon Beasts from escaping, while Ji Yuan abandoned other methods like body cultivation, Spirit-Devouring Bees, Corpse Puppets, and so on.

Relying entirely on his left hand, Mountain of Mind and Heart, and right hand, Canglan Sword.

He killed any demon he encountered.

Tier Three Early-stage was manageable, Tier Three Mid-stage was a challenge, and Tier Three Late-stage required fleeing.

As for Tier Three Peak, Ji Yuan couldn’t even get close.

After all, once at Tier Three peak, one is a step away from becoming a legendary Tier Four Great Demon.

Killing demons is a temporary thrill; continuously killing demons is a continuous thrill.

The key is that whenever Ji Yuan finally adapted to his new strength, he would often refine another Canglan Sword.

Despite his current mana cultivation allowing him to only wield three Canglan Swords simultaneously.

Yet those crafted must be familiarized with.

Nine Canglan Swords, each with different effects suitable for varied situations.

The Canglan Sword is the primary sword, no matter how it’s fused, having the main sword in hand is essential.

Dragon Luck Flying Sword is most suitable for demon-slaying, as it inherently has a slight restraining effect on Demon Beasts.

Cloud Palace Sword and Stream Firefly Sword are ideal for simultaneous use, creating a fog illusion to trap Demon Beasts, making Array setups possible then.

Blood Killing Sword is primarily for slaughter; deploying this sword usually indicates having the upper hand, beginning to forcibly suppress.

Flame Sword isn’t suitable for aquatic environments.

Thunder Strike Sword is undeniable.

Giant Que Sword transforms into a great sword, invincible, extremely powerful.

The last Evergreen Sword protects around oneself, always prepared to heal. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

Thus, when all nine Flying Swords were refined and familiarized with, it had already been three years.

Throughout these three years, apart from refining and wielding swords.

All demon-slaying and alchemy outputs were traded with the Zhou Family.

Of course, it inevitably involved inquiries from Zhou Jin, and in situations where Ji Yuan had no choice, he revealed his true details.

Originating from Tiangong Valley, he informed Zhou Family of the matter, which was currently being discussed within the sect. Elders were divided, so in the end, the decision was deferred to the Supreme Elder.

Naturally, the Supreme Elder refers to those Nascent Soul Monsters.

Unfortunately, the Supreme Elder was in seclusion, and they as disciples dared not disturb.

Thus, they could only wait.

Waiting aside, but business still needs to proceed, right?

Therefore, during these three years, Ji Yuan sequentially absorbed 30 pounds of [Chaotic Burial Mound] and 20 pounds of [Beehive].

Remaining constructions were still a work in progress.

After merging those two constructions, Ji Yuan’s manipulation of Mountain of Mind and Heart also became rather challenging.

To continue merging, breakthroughs seemed necessary.

Though constructions couldn’t be further merged, the Void Nether Stone couldn’t be halted.

Thus, on just another unremarkable afternoon, having gathered ten thousand Spirit Stones, Ji Yuan sought another meeting with Zhou Jin.

Only during this meeting did Ji Yuan find this Young Master Zhou...seemed somewhat different.