Chapter 52

Liu Ming and the other three, upon hearing these words, could not help but stare intently at the wooden boat in front of them.

This was the legendary spirit artifact, and even more so, a rare flying spirit artifact; they had truly never seen one before.

Zhu Chi called out to them and then boarded the wooden boat with the Daoist nun Zhong.

For this journey, Gui Ruru did not need to follow but was left behind to guard Jiuying Mountain.

A moment later, after Liu Ming and the other three carefully boarded the wooden boat, Zhu Chi immediately made a hand seal, and a layer of greenish mist appeared, enveloping the entire wooden boat.

Then, Zhu Chi cast several spells at the wooden boat, causing it to slowly rise into the air.

With a single word, "Go," the wooden boat trembled and shot through the air, its speed so fast that Liu Ming and the other three spirit apprentices standing on the boat almost stumbled and fell.

Liu Ming exerted his feet to stabilize himself and looked out through the greenish mist.

The clouds outside the flying boat rapidly receded, and the mountains and ridges below turned into small black-green dots, making it impossible to see anything clearly.

The Green Spirit Flying Boat was already thousands of feet in the air, moving at an astonishing speed they could hardly imagine.

"Even with the Green Spirit Flying Boat, it will take about ten days to reach our destination. During this period, apart from stopping for a short rest at some places, you should rest well on the boat," Zhu Chi said, then walked to the front of the wooden boat, standing straight and fully focused on controlling the flying boat.

Liu Ming and the other three responded and sat down cross-legged.

The Daoist nun Zhong, since entering the wooden boat, had been sitting in a corner at the back, her eyes half-closed, ignoring everything around her.

Liu Ming was not really cultivating a technique but, placing his hands on his knees, the incantations of the Spirit Communication Technique appeared in his mind.

Although he did not have the help of spirit incense, after several days of effort, he had already grasped most of the content of this technique. Once he thoroughly understood it, he could seek out suitable ghostly creatures to communicate with and tame.

This was the main method used by the Ghost Spirit Sect disciples to fight enemies.

Yucheng, with his eyes slightly closed, had his red hair gently fluttering, and a warm aura emanated from his body.

This did not seem like the cultivation of a basic technique but rather the signs of practicing some secret art.

As for Xiao Feng, his body was enveloped in a faint green light, clearly cultivating the "Wood Spirit Technique" passed down by the scholar Gui.

Having just advanced to the middle stage of the Spirit Apprentice realm, like Liu Ming, he needed to consolidate his realm.

Time passed bit by bit, and the Green Spirit Flying Boat, carrying the five people, turned into a green light and continued to fly westward.

Along the way, except for stopping at remote wilderness areas for a few hours each night, they spent their time on the spirit boat.

Fortunately, nothing happened during the journey, and after about ten days, the flying boat finally arrived at the edge of a vast, boundless lake and flew into it without hesitation, heading towards the center.

At this point, the flying boat had descended to just a few hundred feet above the lake, and the waves stirred by the gentle breeze could be seen clearly by those on the boat.

After a moment, a black-green island became faintly visible ahead.

"Alright, we've finally arrived at Fojiao Island. Get ready, we're about to land," Zhu Chi said as he saw the island and stood up.

Liu Ming and the others responded, put away their cultivation techniques, and stood up.

The Green Spirit Flying Boat, transformed into a green light, arrived above the black-green island in a moment and stopped above the center of the island.

Liu Ming's gaze swept over the area below, where he saw a pile of grayish-white rocks, and about a dozen figures moving around below.

The Green Spirit Flying Boat trembled, and the surface light barrier dissipated, slowly descending.

"Ha ha, Daoist Zhu, Daoist Zhong, you've finally arrived. It's been a long time since we last met, and today, you both still look as radiant as ever," a white-haired old man, who had been waiting nearby, walked out from among the dozen figures, looking kind and smiling as he greeted Zhu Chi and the Daoist nun.

"Daoist Dazhi also looks as spirited as ever! However, why did you bring so many disciples this time? Are they all going to participate in the competition?" Zhu Chi walked out of the wooden boat first, glanced at the opposite side, and said calmly.

"How could that be? Since we've agreed to only three matches, we will naturally only send three disciples to participate. The other disciples have been here for seven or eight years, taking care of the fruit tree. Even if they haven't made great contributions, they have certainly endured a lot of hardship," a gray-haired old man with a wooden crown, who was among the people from Jiuying Mountain, said expressionlessly.

"Hmph, I remember that when we discussed this, Daoist Gui also planned to leave several disciples to guard the tree, but you two came up with many reasons to refuse. Cultivating near the spirit tree can speed up cultivation more than taking ordinary spirit rice. The spiritual power can also be refined to some extent. Look at these disciples, they all seem to have made great progress," the Daoist nun Zhong said coldly.

By this time, she had already led Liu Ming and the other three off the flying boat.

"Daoist Fairy, that's not quite right. If it weren't for this, the spirit fruit wouldn't have agreed to share with you two. The cave of Fojiao Zhenren was discovered by us two first, and we also put in a lot of effort to break the seal. Let's not bring up old matters. We have been friends for many years, and we shouldn't really fall out over some spirit fruits. Besides, Daoist Zhu has already agreed to decide the distribution of the spirit fruits through a competition, which shows that your lineage has some confidence. By the way, I heard that Daoist Gui has recently taken in a disciple from the Nine Spirit Lineage. Which one is it?" The white-haired old man did not get angry but explained casually and then looked at Liu Ming and the other three.

"Daoist Dazhi is right; there's no point in bringing up old matters. Xiao Feng, come and meet the two seniors," Zhu Chi thought for a moment and then waved his hand.

"Disciple greets the two seniors!" Xiao Feng did not dare to be negligent and hurriedly came forward to bow.

"Hmm, already at the middle stage of the Spirit Apprentice realm, indeed a fine talent," Dazhi and Dashang looked at Xiao Feng up and down and couldn't help but praise him.

Zhu Chi waved his hand, signaling Xiao Feng to step back, and then asked with a serious expression:

"I also heard that you two took in a disciple with excellent talent during the last spirit opening ceremony of your sect, possessing the ability to multitask. Could I meet him as well?"

"Multitask?" Liu Ming's heart suddenly trembled upon hearing this.

"Oh, you mean Yu'er. Yu'er, come and meet the two seniors from Jiuying Mountain," the white-haired old man Dazhi smiled and similarly waved his hand at the disciples behind him.

A young man in a blue robe, with a somewhat sullen face, walked forward a few steps, gave a slight bow to Zhu Chi and the others from a distance, and then walked back to the crowd without a word.

This left Zhu Chi and the others slightly stunned.

"Daoist Zhu, Daoist Zhong, please don't misunderstand. Jin Yu grew up alone in the mountains and has focused all his attention on cultivation, so he's not very good at socializing. He absolutely did not mean to be disrespectful to the two of you," the white-haired old man quickly explained, but the indulgence in his voice was evident.

Zhu Chi frowned upon hearing this, but after a moment, he smiled and said:

"It seems this child's multitasking ability really suits the two of you. Otherwise, you wouldn't have said such things. Forget it, my sister and I are well-known spirit masters and wouldn't quarrel with a junior. Let's go see the spirit fruit tree first, and then we can decide the specifics of the competition, how about that?"

"Seeing the spirit tree is no problem. Ye Feng, lead the way," Dazhi agreed without hesitation and immediately gave an order.

A young man in his twenties immediately stepped forward, agreed, and turned to walk towards a large stone pile.

Seeing this, Zhu Chi flipped his hand to reveal a light yellow talisman, waved it at the Green Spirit Flying Boat, and a white light spurted out.

The Green Spirit Flying Boat became blurry and disappeared in the white light.

Zhu Chi then put away the talisman and calmly led Liu Ming and the others to follow.

The large stone pile, which seemed to be over a dozen feet high, as the group approached, the young man leading the way raised his hand and cast a spell.

After a strange fluctuation, the stone pile in front of them vanished, replaced by a large, dilapidated stone house.

Next to the stone house were several tall, broken stone pillars, their surfaces scorched yellow with some indistinct patterns, suggesting they had been there for a long time.

"Who would have thought that after several years, this place is still the same as when we broke the seal," Zhu Chi said, coughing lightly after seeing the stone house.

"Of course, we specifically instructed the disciples left behind not to damage anything here," Dazhi replied with a smile.

"Hmph, it seems you haven't given up on that thing," the Daoist nun Zhong said coldly.

"According to our previous investigations, this should indeed be the last secret chamber built by Fojiao Zhenren. Logically, that thing should be hidden here," the white-haired old man hesitated for a moment before saying somewhat reluctantly.

"Heh heh, that's not necessarily true. Although we gained a lot last time, we didn't find Fojiao Zhenren's remains. Perhaps this is just an important secret chamber of his. Moreover, after so many years, the two of you must have explored this place countless times. If there were any hidden treasures, how could they have remained undiscovered?" Zhu Chi said calmly.