After taking a deep breath, Lin Sheng stepped forward.
The moment he crossed the seemingly ordinary wall of vines, the entire world abruptly changed.
His footing vanished.
There was no earth beneath his feet.
No trees.
No forest.
Only an overwhelming sensation of weightlessness engulfed him as his body rapidly descended through complete darkness.
Lin Sheng's pupils contracted instinctively.
His Gang Qi surged throughout his body as he prepared to stabilise himself, only to discover that the surrounding space seemed to suppress flight itself. Even the Wind Riding Boots became strangely sluggish, as though an invisible force had severed their connection with the surrounding Spiritual Qi.
He simply allowed himself to fall.
Several breaths later...
A dull thud echoed through the darkness.
Lin Sheng landed firmly upon solid ground, his knees bending slightly to absorb the impact before he immediately spread his Mental Perception throughout the surroundings.
The darkness slowly receded.
Before him stood an enormous underground chamber whose ceiling could barely be seen. Ancient stone pillars surrounded the area, each covered with weathered runes that had long since faded with the passage of time.
Beneath his feet...
Was an altar.
It occupied nearly the entire centre of the chamber, its surface carved from an unfamiliar dark-grey stone that remained astonishingly intact despite countless years of erosion. Although numerous cracks spread across its edges, the altar still emitted an indescribable sense of solemnity.
Lin Sheng slowly crouched down, placing one hand against its surface.
Crystal immediately began analysing every inch.
•[Material composition unknown.
Estimated age exceeds current database parameters]•
His eyes gradually brightened.
"This..."
"...is a Dharma Altar."
That conclusion wasn't drawn from Crystal alone.
Rather, it originated from the countless ancient records he had spent the past month studying inside the Jiuding Merchant Alliance.
Compared to the current cultivation world...
The Ancient Era had developed along an entirely different path.
As far as recorded history described, the Immortal Cultivation Continent had experienced three recognised eras.
The oldest known was the Primordial Era.
After it came the Ancient Era.
Finally...
The current age, commonly referred to as the Modern Era.
According to the surviving records, every transition between eras had been accompanied by a catastrophic event that completely altered the course of cultivation.
No one knew what those calamities truly were.
The surviving descriptions were vague, mentioning only the collapse of civilizations, the disappearance of inheritances and the complete restructuring of Heaven and Earth itself.
Even cultivation...
Had changed alongside them.
The realms used by modern cultivators hadn't always existed.
The Fetal Breath Realm...
Never appeared within records of the Ancient Era.
Neither did the Purple Palace Realm.
As for the Primordial Era...
Even the Golden Core Realm itself had yet to exist. Then cultivators would directly refine essence then qi and then spirit and so on.
Every major catastrophe seemed to reshape cultivation, replacing old systems with entirely new ones while countless techniques vanished forever into history.
The Dharma Altar beneath his feet was one such relic.
In the Ancient Era, Dharma Altars served purposes that modern cultivators could scarcely imagine.
Meditation chambers...
Formation platforms...
Personal weapon enhancement arrays...
Even temporary cultivation residences.
Some historical records even claimed that high-grade Dharma Altars could assist cultivators during breakthroughs, stabilising their Spiritual Qi and protecting them from external disturbances.
Unfortunately...
The methods used to create them had disappeared long ago.
Modern cultivators instead relied upon formation flags, portable arrays and specially constructed cultivation chambers to achieve similar effects, though none possessed the same versatility.
Lin Sheng slowly walked across the altar.
His fingers gently brushed against the countless ancient carvings before he gradually released his Mental Perception.
An invisible wave spread throughout the structure.
The deeper his perception travelled...
The more complicated the internal construction became.
Several breaths later...
His expression changed.
Joy.
Curiosity.
Then...
Disappointment.
All three emotions appeared almost simultaneously.
The joy came first.
Beneath the Dharma Altar...
He discovered the outline of an enormous formation.
Its construction resembled the teleportation array he had previously used, though several times larger and considerably more sophisticated.
The countless interconnected formation pathways formed an intricate network unlike anything Crystal had previously analysed.
Curiosity naturally followed.
Within the centre of the formation lay several energy outlets.
Most had already crumbled with age.
Yet...
One remained partially intact.
Embedded within it rested a strange crystal unlike any Spirit Stone Lin Sheng had ever encountered.
Its surface appeared almost transparent while faint silver patterns continuously flowed within it like living streams of light.
Crystal immediately focused its analysis.
•[Unknown energy source detected.
Database comparison...
No matching records found]•
Lin Sheng frowned slightly.
Even after spending an entire month studying countless historical records...
Nothing mentioned such a crystal.
It clearly wasn't an ordinary Spirit Stone.
Unfortunately...
His excitement didn't last long.
The disappointment quickly replaced it.
The teleportation formation...
Was damaged.
Not merely damaged.
It was practically crippled.
Nearly half the primary formation pathways had collapsed entirely, while several important sections had been shattered beyond recognition. Even if he possessed every necessary material, rebuilding such a complex ancient formation would require painstaking repairs.
Lin Sheng slowly exhaled.
"At least..."
"...it still exists."
Crystal rapidly completed its calculations.
•[Estimated restoration time: 11.3 months.
Material acquisition difficulty: Moderate.
Primary limiting factor: Energy requirements]•
Lin Sheng silently nodded.
The formation materials themselves weren't the true obstacle.
Given sufficient Spirit Stones, the Jiuding Merchant Alliance could likely gather most of what he required.
The genuine difficulty...
Lay in activating the formation once it had been repaired.
An ancient teleportation array of this scale consumed energy far beyond ordinary imagination.
Low-grade Spirit Stones...
Would be utterly useless.
What the formation truly required...
Was an enormous quantity of Mid-grade Spirit Stones.
Enough to make even ordinary Golden Core cultivators hesitate before paying such a price.
Lin Sheng slowly approached the damaged energy outlet before bending down.
The strange crystal remained firmly embedded within the formation despite countless years having passed. Unlike Spirit Stones, whose surfaces were usually rough and filled with naturally formed spiritual veins, this crystal possessed a smooth texture that almost resembled polished jade.
"Like jade..."
He gently placed his palm upon its surface.
Closing his eyes, he carefully extended his Mental Perception into the crystal.
At first nothing happened.
Several minutes passed before his perception finally penetrated its outer layer, revealing an interior unlike anything he had previously encountered.
A faint strand of Spiritual Qi quietly flowed within the crystal.
It was astonishingly pure.
Compared to the violent Spiritual Qi contained within ordinary Spirit Stones, the energy inside this crystal felt remarkably gentle, almost completely devoid of the usual instability. Although the quantity was minuscule, its quality seemed considerably higher than even Mid-grade Spirit Stones.
Lin Sheng remained motionless for a long time.
Only after thoroughly examining every corner of the crystal did he slowly withdraw his perception.
Crystal immediately produced its conclusion.
•[Unknown mineral.
Energy purity slightly exceeds Mid-grade Spirit Stones.
Insufficient samples for complete analysis]•
Lin Sheng quietly memorised every characteristic.
Whatever this crystal was...
It clearly belonged to a cultivation system that no longer existed within the current era.
If he wished to repair the ancient formation properly, discovering its identity would become unavoidable.
...
Several hours later...
Lin Sheng had already returned to Ridge Mist Island.
He immediately contacted Xu through the communication talisman issued alongside the island token.
Not long afterwards, the Foundation Establishment cultivator hurried over.
"Island Lord."
Lin Sheng didn't waste any words.
"I need a shop."
Xu blinked in surprise.
"A shop?"
"Yes."
"I want one in Thousand Isle City."
Xu naturally assumed Lin Sheng intended to establish a business.
"The Jiuding Merchant Alliance manages most commercial districts."
"I can immediately begin negotiating the rental procedures."
Lin Sheng nodded.
"Proceed."
"Purchase whichever location is suitable."
"As for manpower..."
"We'll recruit gradually."
Xu respectfully accepted the order before asking one final question.
"What exactly will Island Lord's shop specialise in?"
Lin Sheng smiled faintly.
"Alchemy."
"And perhaps a few formation products."
Truthfully...
He had already considered this matter while studying the ancient maps.
Repairing the teleportation formation wasn't difficult because of its materials.
The truly terrifying expense came afterwards.
Power.
The formation consumed far too much energy.
Even if he successfully restored every damaged formation pathway, activating it would require an enormous quantity of Mid-grade Spirit Stones.
That was only one side.
The opposite formation...
Would require energy as well.
Fortunately, before leaving the unknown world previously connected by the teleportation array, Lin Sheng had already consumed a fragment of the Void Stone to activate a diagnostic scan through Crystal.
The results had surprised him.
The formation over there remained in considerably better condition.
Although damaged...
Nearly seventy percent of its structure still functioned normally.
The remaining deficiencies could likely be compensated using another large portion of the Void Stone together with sufficient Spiritual Qi.
Even so...
The energy consumption remained astronomical.
That meant one thing.
He needed a stable source of income.
Fortunately...
The cultivation knowledge stored inside Crystal's database far exceeded what currently existed within the Southern Archipelagos.
Countless pill formulas had already been proven successful elsewhere.
After comparing local market prices and demand over the past month, Crystal had quickly identified several opportunities.
The first was the Dragon Lock Pill.
Back in the Eastern Region, this pill had become one of Lin Sheng's greatest sources of wealth because of its consistently high demand. Since no equivalent appeared within the Southern Archipelagos, introducing it here would almost certainly attract considerable attention.
The second was the Lingzhu Pill.
This medicinal pill was refined primarily from the underwater Lingzhu Herb and proved exceptionally effective for Foundation Establishment cultivators and those below possessing Water Spiritual Roots.
Considering that the Southern Archipelagos possessed abundant Water Qi, cultivators with Water Spiritual Roots appeared far more frequently than elsewhere.
Its market would undoubtedly be enormous.
The third was the Clear Spirit Pill.
For Qi Refining cultivators, it greatly assisted the condensation of Divine Sense before Foundation Establishment. Higher-quality versions could even help Foundation Establishment cultivators steadily strengthen their Divine Sense.
Finally...
There was the Crystal Pure Pill.
Its primary function lay in continuously purifying a cultivator's Magical Power, removing accumulated impurities while steadily improving the quality of one's foundation.
Each possessed tremendous commercial potential.
Yet...
Lin Sheng remained remarkably cautious.
Every pill he intended to release targeted only Foundation Establishment cultivators and those beneath that realm.
Purple Palace cultivators would not become his customers.
At least...
Not for now.
The reason was simple.
The greater the benefits a treasure provided, the more easily it attracted greed.
Foundation Establishment cultivators remained manageable.
Purple Palace cultivators...
Were another matter entirely.
Lin Sheng possessed confidence in defeating one.
Perhaps even two.
But he had no intention of provoking an endless stream of powerful cultivators simply because of several pill formulas.
His current strength...
Still wasn't enough to suppress everyone who might covet them.
For the time being...
Slow and steady accumulation remained the wiser path.