Chapter 4078 — Five Elements Commerce

"Elder Hong, don't worry. I understand." Wei Zhao nodded. If he wanted to obtain the Life-Aspect Mushroom as soon as possible, he had no choice but to make this trip. If he delayed too long, who could say whether the forging session would end in failure?

Besides, during this period Wei Zhao had clearly begun to feel that life in Yingxin Pavilion was becoming far too comfortable. Ever since Xu Lingchong's disappearance, the remaining Kang Jingming and Meng Zhou were no longer his match at all; they offered him no challenge whatsoever. An environment like that was, in truth, hardly beneficial to cultivation.

Even if it were only for the sake of improving his strength, Wei Zhao had to go out and temper himself, seeking an opportunity to advance further.

This journey was not merely about finding the Life-Aspect Mushroom. Wei Zhao had another, even more important purpose: to seek the opportunity to break through to the Great Completion stage of Foundation Establishment and prepare himself to advance into the Golden Core stage as soon as possible!

"Actually, the only thing worrying me now is how I should explain my absence to Yingxin Pavilion." Wei Zhao frowned.

He certainly would not be gone for a short time. Without a suitable excuse, Yingxin Pavilion might well erupt into turmoil. After all, he was officially the reception steward for West Island. Abandoning Ning Xuefei and running off to undertake a mission on his own could, in more serious terms, be considered dereliction of duty.

"It's fine, Little Junior Brother. Just go ahead. Feifei and I can take care of things for you. We'll simply say you went out to buy something for us. Hee hee." Shangguan Lan'er giggled.

Buy something? What kind of absurd excuse was that? Wei Zhao could only smile wryly and nod. Still, since Shangguan Lan'er had already put it that way, even if the others wanted to seize the opportunity to stir up trouble, they would have no grounds to argue.

"Elder Hong, do you know roughly where the Life-Aspect Mushroom can be found?" Wei Zhao asked instead.

"Hucai Tianwu Mountain. That is where the Life-Aspect Mushroom has historically been found most often. It usually grows in cold, damp places sheltered from the light, so once you arrive, Young Hero Lin, you can try your luck beside some of the mountain streams. You ought to find something." Hong Zhong offered Wei Zhao his advice based on the information he possessed.

"Hucai Tianwu Mountain. I've got it. But where exactly is this mountain located?" Wei Zhao asked.

"Heh heh. It is a famous mountain, in fact, and its renown is no less than that of the rear mountains of Three-Storied Pavilion. As for its location, it lies between North Island and Central Island!" Hong Zhong replied with a laugh.

"What? Between North Island and Central Island? Could it be that the two islands are actually connected?" Wei Zhao was utterly astonished.

"Indeed. Did you think North Island and Central Island were separated by open sea?" Hong Zhong asked, puzzled.

"I did..." Wei Zhao scratched his head, a little embarrassed. Ever since arriving on Cloud Terrace Island, he had constantly heard people speak of the five great islands of the Heavenly Order. Since North Island and Central Island were also so difficult to travel between, he had naturally assumed that the five islands were all isolated from one another, each forming a world of its own.

Hong Zhong could not help smiling. "Your understanding is not entirely wrong, Young Hero Lin. Although North Island and Central Island are linked by a long, narrow mountain range, it is much like the rear mountains of Three-Storied Pavilion. The range is home to all manner of powerful spirit beasts, and it is frequently struck by natural disasters such as hurricanes from the sea. It is even more dangerous than the depths of the rear mountains. So even cultivators of formidable strength rarely attempt to cross it on foot. When traveling between the two islands, people generally rely on flying spirit beasts or treasure ships."

"Treasure ships?" Wei Zhao paused, slightly taken aback. It was yet another unfamiliar marvel he had never heard of.

"Sea beasts run rampant in the ocean, and natural disasters pose an additional threat, making the sea route even more dangerous than travel by land. No matter how advanced the sailing techniques, ordinary vessels simply cannot make the journey between the two islands. Only treasure ships can do so." Hong Zhong paused before explaining further. "Treasure ships were left behind by ancient forging masters who joined forces to create them. Their hulls are far sturdier and more reliable than those of ordinary vessels. More importantly, they are equipped with powerful formations capable of resisting attacks of extreme force and the devastation of natural disasters. They also possess a mesmerizing effect on the vast majority of sea beasts. Even if a treasure ship passed directly over their heads, the beasts would not notice it."

"That truly is a masterpiece of ingenuity." Wei Zhao clicked his tongue in amazement.

"It is a pity that the art of forging has been in decline for many years. Even an ordinary forging master is hard to come by, let alone a grandmaster. The peerless ancient craft of building treasure ships has long since been lost, and every treasure ship destroyed means one fewer remains. They have now become a measure of the strength of the great merchant associations. The stronger the association, the more treasure ships it commands." Hong Zhong sighed.

"Oh? And how does that work?" Wei Zhao asked, puzzled. Even if treasure ships were scarce, surely their number could not be directly tied to the strength of a merchant association. Every association had its own specialty. Take the Five Elements Commerce under Central Island's Pill Hall, for instance. It had always dealt exclusively in elixirs and never dabbled in other businesses, yet it was still universally acknowledged as the foremost merchant association.

"There is something Young Hero Lin does not know. Goods transported between the islands of Cloud Terrace usually have to travel by water, and water transport depends entirely on treasure ships. Treasure ships therefore determine a merchant association's most crucial transport capacity. They are the lifeline on which a major merchant association depends for its survival!" Hong Zhong said solemnly. "The other routes are not impossible, of course, but flying spirit beasts can carry only a small amount of cargo each time. Their transport capacity is nowhere near the same level as that of treasure ships."

"I see." Only then did Wei Zhao understand.

"As for crossing the mountain range, that is not impossible either. But there are too many uncertainties, the risks are far too great to control, and the mountain paths are treacherous. Unless someone travels that way regularly or has some special need, the cost is simply too high. Normally, no one is willing to try it." Hong Zhong continued.

"That makes perfect sense. Stability and reliability come first for a major merchant association. With the risks of land transport so high, if they placed their hopes on it and some mishap caused their goods to stop flowing, they would only ruin their own reputation." Wei Zhao nodded in deep agreement.

The last time the Hong Merchant Association had been targeted by several other associations acting together, they had made an issue of cutting off its supply lines. At the level of the top merchant associations, every advance and retreat depended on market reputation. One careless move could perhaps bring about total ruin.