Chapter 543: Transition

Stone, lacking ordinary senses like eyes, actually possesses incredibly wondrous senses, rooted in its 'consciousness'.

As a Anomolus Spirit formed from a piece of Jade Rabbit, it could naturally perceive the existence of 'pure consciousness', because its body was pure spirit, completely unlike material organs and flesh.

This was a 'Dao Principle Reader', and a natural one at that.

However, in reality, if the Jade Rabbit shattered, Stone would still die; after all, while spirit is pure consciousness, it still has its own material basis and cannot exist independently.

But this also led to a small thing: Stone's 'gaze' could be perceived. When 'watched' by Stone, one would feel a 'subtle' sensation, as if something was looking at them.

This was actually some interference caused to other people's consciousness when the Dao Principle Reader performed a scan.

Therefore, Li Shiwei felt Stone's gaze at that moment.

"Hm? Is something wrong?" Li Shiwei asked.

"Nothing, Boss. Let's go. Daoist Master Chizhong should be ready by now. Then we can head to Star-Mansion Array," Stone directly suggested they depart.

"Okay, good! Let's go!" Li Shiwei excitedly put her sword back into its sheath, then rode on a cloud, soaring through the strong winds towards their predetermined destination.

According to the original plan, she would first find Yang Ning, then follow Yang Ning's next group of people to the Holy Flame World.

After that, she would part ways with the others and travel alone through the Holy Flame World's large vessels to the edge of the world cluster, participating in a seventh-grade world temporarily named 'Hunter Sea World'.

The indigenous people of this world had already agreed to cooperate, but the local natives had not yet occupied the entire world. Hunter Sea World still contained a large number of savage beasts—powerful, wild beasts without intelligence or civilization.

These savage beasts occupied the entire ocean and most of the land.

And all of these were excellent materials.

However, they couldn't be completely wiped out; if they weren't left to breed, it would be equivalent to losing a natural savage beast farm.

But for Hunter Sea World, these savage beasts were extremely dangerous, and every so often, 'beast tides' would appear, sweeping through the already limited civilized territories and causing immense losses.

Therefore, the Mount Luofu cultivators reached an agreement with Hunter Sea World: they would not overly interfere with Hunter Sea World's natural development, but they would send people to regularly clear out the Hunter Sea World's beast tides.

However, all the materials and resources collected after the beast tides were cleared would be taken away and stored as goods. Approximately every twenty years, a large ship would arrive to collect these resources, deliver supplies, and then continue on to the next cargo cycle.

The large ship Li Shiwei was boarding was the twenty-year shipment, coming to collect goods and deliver supplies.

Li Shiwei's task was also very simple: she was to board the ship in the Holy Flame World, travel with it, work as an ordinary crew member, specifically responsible for the ship's security, and after landing in Hunter Sea World, carry a public Mustard Seed Pouch to deliver supplies to various bases and collect materials from those bases.

The arrangement was very good; in fact, it was just a social practice.

But even so, it was enough to make Li Shiwei ecstatic.

Don't you see how many university graduates become intern laborers after graduation, working enthusiastically for meager wages? Li Shiwei was currently in this stage.

However, Li Qi still paid her wages normally. All her expenses outside could only rely on her own wages.

Because at home, she had no concept of money at all; everything was simply taken and used. Only after going out did she need 'money' as support.

But in fact, she wasn't that short of money. Li Qi and the Mount Luofu cultivators highly respected the labor of those below them; they almost paid them as much resources as the value they created. Li Qi only took his rightful share, so most people were not short of money.

However, the share Li Qi took was still quite substantial. After all, the world cluster's Formation belonged to him, and the entire organization was named after him. Although he didn't actively participate in its operation, the entire framework basically had to be built by him, so Li Qi was not really short of resources.

Furthermore, Shaman Dao itself didn't require much cultivation resources. Most of the money Li Qi and his wife earned was actually for Shen Shuibi's use. Shen Shuibi couldn't use that much either; generally, the excess was given to Yang Ning to continue maintaining the organization's existence.

Taking so much and not being able to use it all, it was better to distribute it to the people below, which could also expand the organization and earn more in the future.

Li Shiwei had some preliminary understanding of these things, but she didn't pay much attention to them.

Like her parents, she didn't value cultivation resources much.

Money, well, enough to spend is fine.

Only those who lack money treat it as a treasure.

Those who have never lacked money don't care much about it.

Li Shiwei was a typical Little rabbit who had never lacked money, had never been beaten by society, didn't know the immensity of heaven and earth, and rushed into society with great enthusiasm.

And she was indeed a Little rabbit, but she didn't inherit the characteristics of a rabbit, after all, Shen Shuibi was not a real rabbit, but merely a Moon Essence manifesting in the form of a Jade Rabbit.

Li Shiwei had some characteristics of a Moon Essence, such as her pupils changing color with the waxing and waning of the moon, her ability to easily control Yin Qi, and even her gender being influenced by Yin Qi.

In short, this Little rabbit enthusiastically reported to Yang Ning's team.

However, Yang Ning was too busy to see her personally and directly assigned her to the team.

Next, Li Shiwei would follow this team to Star-Mansion Array, and then to Hunter Sea World.

And this current team would use a transport Spiritual Artifact to transport approximately two thousand people to Star-Mansion Array, where Star-Mansion Array would distribute them to different world clusters.

The enthusiastic Little rabbit, with her sword on her back, filled with curiosity, stood among the crowd, observing the transport Spiritual Artifact she was about to board.

"Wow... Is this the Treasure Gourd?" Li Shiwei curiously looked up at the Spiritual Artifact she was about to board.

Because it was an organization led by the Mount Luofu cultivators, the transportation tools were also commonly used by Daoists. At this moment, they were using a Spiritual Artifact Gourd.

The gourd was about seven or eight zhang long, looking like a small boat. A Daoist stood on top of the gourd, responsible for opening and guiding. The entire area was on a mountain, and everyone lined up along the mountain path.

When they reached the mouth of the gourd, they just had to wait for the Daoist to call their name, and when they responded, a suction force would emerge from the gourd's mouth, pulling them inside.

Li Shiwei knew this; she had read books. The Immortals' Biography said: "There was an Daoist Master Fei Changfang, who once served as a market official. In the market, there was an old man selling medicine, who hung a gourd at his stall. When the market closed, he would jump into the gourd. No one in the market saw him, only Changfang, who was on an upper floor, witnessed it and found it extraordinary. He then went to him, bowed twice, and offered wine and dried meat. The old man knew Changfang understood his divine nature and said to him: 'You can come again tomorrow.' Changfang visited the old man again the next day, and the old man took him into the gourd together. Inside, they only saw a magnificent Jade Hall, with delicious wine and sweet delicacies overflowing within. They drank together and then came out."

There was a person named Fei Changfang who saw an old man selling medicine. After selling his medicine, the old man would directly enter his gourd. So, he went to visit, and the old man also brought him into the gourd. Upon entering, he found that it was no longer a gourd, but an Immortal Palace World, with towers, gates, and corridors. The small gourd was like a grotto-heaven.

This Spiritual Artifact was similar; once inside, there were pavilions. A gourd seven or eight zhang long could accommodate these thousands of people going to Star-Mansion Array.

Li Shiwei dutifully stood in line. The people around were very quiet; everyone knew what they were going to do, and cultivators had a certain level of self-awareness. There was no noisy market-like atmosphere, as they still very much needed this gourd.

From here to Star-Mansion Array was at least hundreds of thousands of miles, which was very, very far for these highest eighth-grade laborers. Without this gourd, they couldn't get there at all.

Soon, the line reached Li Shiwei's position. Li Shiwei quickly stood firm, waiting for the Daoist to call her name.

"Are you Li Shiwei?"

"Yes!" the Little rabbit responded.

A suction force came from the gourd's mouth. She involuntarily flew up. From her perspective, the gourd suddenly grew larger and larger, and she was directly sucked into the gourd's mouth by the suction.

Immediately after, her vision was filled with a dazzling, bizarre spectacle, like a passage made of countless rainbows and glass, and she slid through it, unable to control herself, feeling like bungee jumping.

Stone kept humming, clearly scared; this was actually his scream.

Li Shiwei, however, found it very exciting and couldn't help but cheer.

But this feeling only lasted for a dozen seconds. The scenery around suddenly changed, and she suddenly found herself in an boundless sky, falling from it.

She immediately stabilized her body, forming hand seals to cast a Cloud Soaring Art. The cloud Qi in the surrounding sky was drawn to her feet, stopping her downward momentum.

After stabilizing herself on the clouds, she immediately leaned out to look down.

Below, there were thousands of pavilions, and many people were falling from the sky into the pavilions. Some, like Li Shiwei, flew up on their own, while others, either panicked or composed, waited for the pavilions below to light up and lift them one by one.

It seemed this was their 'cabin'.

Upon landing, Li Shiwei found an empty pavilion and moved in. There was plenty of food and water, enough to live there for decades without issue.

She curiously walked out of the pavilion and strolled around this small city, observing.

There were no vendors or anything here; it should just be a pure transport Spiritual Artifact, responsible for taking people to Star-Mansion Array.

Besides Li Shiwei, there were also some first-time laborers who were also looking around the streets. They were all as curious as Li Shiwei, after all, for an eighth-grade cultivator, this world within a gourd was truly too wondrous for them. Many were trying to figure out how this grotto-heaven within a gourd operated.

Li Shiwei was clearly one of them, and she didn't find anything strange about it.

She wasn't proud of her identity, or rather, for her, who was only seventeen, she hadn't fully realized the difference between her identity and those around her.

She just felt that everything was fair; whatever others did, she did too, which was a matter of course.

This atmosphere and mindset were what she had always been exposed to in Mystic Radiance Mountain. At least to this day, the Little rabbit didn't feel that she was superior to anyone, nor did she feel inferior to others. This humble yet confident, equal, and natural mentality could be considered a benefit of her excellent upbringing.

After a while—

"Boss, stop looking. The runes here are encrypted. You'll have to decipher them to see what's inside. With your usual level, breaking this encryption is simply a dream," Stone vibrated, making a sound.

Li Shiwei had been studying a chain of runes exposed in the grotto-heaven for a while, gaining nothing. Stone couldn't help but speak up.

But Li Shiwei didn't think so. She moved her gaze away from it and said unhappily, "How do you know I can't figure it out? Are you underestimating me? I'm telling you, I've already learned something from it."

"Boss, my grades are better than yours," Stone vibrated, making a sound. "I've already seen these runes. They are harder than the test Daoist Master Yang Ning gave you a few days ago. You didn't pass that test."

"If I didn't pass, I didn't pass. Those two aren't related! I've already figured it out, look, although it's encrypted around here, it's clearly divided into Yin and Yang paths."

"There is clearly the essence of Qiankun within it. Qiankun forms images, illuminating all around, ending in Kun and returning to the beginning, like following a continuous ring. This cycle is formed by the method of five-six-thirty cycles of rebirth. Although I can't break it temporarily, I can still see the general operation inside," Li Shiwei said, giving her judgment on this rune.

Stone, however, said, "If it were truly as you say, then it couldn't be like this. The twenty-four solar terms of a month cycle through twelve, and the twelve are divided into twenty-four, and the twenty-four terms complete a year's process. The twenty-four terms shift and move, so where does the method of five-six-thirty cycles of rebirth come from? Boss, I suggest you stop thinking."

It was clear that Stone's learning was not bad either. Ever since it broke free from its stone body, it had been hanging on Li Shiwei's waist and must have received the same education as her.

At least, when Li Qi and his wife taught Li Shiwei, they never avoided it.

As the person and the Jade Rabbit argued about how this place was built, they suddenly heard a voice from behind them.

The voice said, "The first three-five, the latter three-five, all phenomena are here. True Lead divides into two, transforming Yin and Yang. Thus, there is a heaven and earth within the gourd. With heaven and earth as parents, and Kan and Li as husband and wife, divided into three hundred eighty-four hexagrams, following the circulation of fire. Neither of you is wrong, but you've only said half of it. It requires the separation of three-five for both conclusions to hold true simultaneously."

Hearing this, Li Shiwei turned to look at the source of the voice.

Standing there was a girl who looked to be about the same age as Li Shiwei, but her demeanor was much calmer.