Cultivation is just so scientific! Chapter 1577 - 835: Scheming

Currently, the Northern Island falls under the control of Xiao Lu, a Nascent Soul Middle Stage cultivator. Because he refrained from launching an assault on the Beishu Continent and instead claimed the island for trade dealings with Beishu, he has preserved a state of harmony with Beishu's prominent sects.

Xiao Lu bears no connection to the Heavenly Inquiry Sect that dominated here a century back. Following the demise of a Nascent Soul Middle Stage expert from the Heavenly Inquiry Sect, Xiao Lu's Canglong Sect seized the opportunity amid the weakening of the Heavenly Inquiry Sect and swallowed it whole.

The Canglong Sect completely integrated the Heavenly Inquiry Sect. Faced with no alternatives, the cultivators of the Heavenly Inquiry Sect opted to yield.

As a result, nearly all assets of the Heavenly Inquiry Sect ended up in the hands of the Canglong Sect.

This included the vital trade path linking the Dongqi Continent to the Beishu Continent. Given Beishu's resource scarcity, bigger influences dismissed the worth of this commerce.

Yet, the Canglong Sect spotted lucrative opportunities. Beishu possessed certain exclusive resources, particularly the preserved lineages of Divine Skills, holding tremendous worth.

Such facts remained hidden from cultivators in the Dongqi Continent and across the entire Cultivation World.

The Canglong Sect assumed the Heavenly Inquiry Sect's dealings with Beishu and wisely opted to trade favors with the Nascent Soul cultivators there.

It's downright ridiculous; in Beishu, a Nascent Soul Early Stage cultivator boldly proclaims themselves an ancestor, while in the broader Cultivation World, not even a mighty expert would dare such arrogance.

Maybe only in the isolated Beishu Continent could this absurdity occur. Millennia of seclusion have severed this land from external influences, fostering its own distinct framework.

This isolation also explains why their Divine Skills lineages endure. In the Cultivation World, such Divine Skills heritages often invite peril. Protection demands overwhelming might.

Should power wane, rival factions will eye those Divine Skills lineages greedily.

Divine Skills lineages can doom an organization; countless such heritages have vanished with crumbling sects, explaining why Divine Skills are far scarcer in the Cultivation World compared to Beishu.

Naturally, securing the Divine Skills lineages stands as Xiao Lu's grand ambition. Initially, he must forge solid ties with Beishu's Nascent Soul Early Stage cultivators. Only by grasping the real foundations of these sects will he plot to claim the Divine Skills lineages.

Even in pursuing those Divine Skills lineages, a flawless strategy is essential to avoid severing ties with Beishu.

Xiao Lu possesses great patience. Across many years, he has steadily engaged with diverse Nascent Soul cultivators, amassing a web of 'friends.'

He perceives plainly that on Beishu, no single sect wields dominant force. Still, any outsider aiming to strike one sect must brace for a united counterattack from all.

Yet, this fails to discourage him. Just as he prepared schemes for the Divine Skills lineages, his 'friends' came seeking him out.

'What brings you all here at once?' Xiao Lu displayed no superiority. Such humility helped him win over many Nascent Soul cultivators.

He felt deep curiosity, as besides the ancestor from the Thousand Illusion Sect, representatives from every other sect included at least one elder, and some even dispatched two.

What urgent crisis could summon them? Usually, only one ancestor per sect attends while the rest remain in closed-door cultivation.

For these ancestors to abandon their sects—particularly those sending two—it signals a dire threat that could leave their groups vulnerable without elder safeguards.

'Senior Xiao, we seek your aid!' declared Ancestor Lu from the Senluo Sect.

Upon learning of Li Shiming's comeback to the Beishu Continent, especially via the Thousand Illusion Sect, they grew restless.

Previously, they rallied every Nascent Soul cultivator to hunt Li Shiming upon his vanishing. They stripped Yin Shilan of all magical artifacts and supplies, fully enraging Li Shiming.

At that time, allowing Yin Shilan's rise was unthinkable. Had they permitted her to advance using Li Shiming's assets and reach Nascent Soul Stage, disaster would follow.

They never foresaw that in curbing Yin Shilan, Li Shiming would reappear with vastly improved power.

The Nascent Soul Ancestors conferred and decided to consult Xiao Lu, the Nascent Soul Middle Stage powerhouse.

After they outlined Li Shiming's circumstances, particularly mentioning the Secret of Cave Heaven he possessed, a gleam sparked in Xiao Lu's eyes, stirring his interest.

A Cave Heaven would surely elevate the Canglong Sect to new peaks, offering far greater gains than laboring over plots in Beishu.

'Are you sure? That Li Shiming has attained Nascent Soul Middle Stage?' He directed his gaze at Venerable Huike and Elder Li.

'Indeed, Li Shiming's aptitude terrifies. Absent for a century, he now stands at Nascent Soul Middle Stage. Upon departure, he lingered at Late-stage Golden Core!' Elder Li affirmed with certainty.

'You label him a prodigy, yet in the Cultivation World, his name rings no bells!' Xiao Lu mused silently with a smirk.

Though distant from the Dongqi Continent, Xiao Lu stayed attuned to the Cultivation World's happenings.

He dispatched shipments back to the Dongqi Continent at regular intervals.

Should Li Shiming truly be a prodigy, word of him would have reached Xiao Lu without fail.

He leaned toward a different theory: Li Shiming had resorted to some taboo item to forcibly boost his cultivation to Nascent Soul Middle Stage, all to speed his vengeful return.