Cultivation is just so scientific! Chapter 1511 - 802: Intelligence

After ten full days, Li Shiming made his return to the Ten Thousand Beast Sect, and in a bizarre twist, no events had unfolded.

In reality, it wasn't quite that no incidents occurred; rather, the three major sects remained busy probing into his background without launching any strikes against the Ten Thousand Beast Sect up to now.

His abrupt emergence, backed by two Spiritual Pets, had nearly wiped out multiple Nascent Soul Cultivators, and he had seized Guangling Great Venerable with his own hands.

The three major sects were bound to first delve deeply into this sudden Great Cultivator's origins before plotting their next steps.

If Luanyang Palace boasted even one male Great Cultivator, the three major sects might have mistaken that Red Gold Phoenix for aid from Luanyang Palace alone.

The boldness of the three major sects in targeting the Ten Thousand Beast Sect stemmed in part from Yuqing Sect and White Emperor Sect's readiness to keep Luanyang Palace occupied, blocking their meddling in Dongqi Continent's conflicts and their backing of the Ten Thousand Beast Sect.

Though the three major sects hadn't yet closed in on the Ten Thousand Beast Sect, Li Shiming had gotten word from Liu Ziyun.

Liu Ziyun wouldn't risk stepping foot in the Ten Thousand Beast Sect during these tense times, so he dispatched a transmission to Li Shiming from a close-by mountain, designating it as their rendezvous point.

As a representative of Central State Commerce on the Dongqi Continent, this trading giant steered clear of entangling in the grand sects' battles there, offering at most covert resource aid; an open visit was out of the question.

Upon getting the message, Li Shiming logged every key detail from the IBMz15's Book Collection Pavilion treasures into the database, said his goodbyes to Great Cultivator Zhang Dansheng, and soared beyond the Ten Thousand Beast Sect's entrance.

Just past the entrance, he noticed the absence of those lingering cultivators from rival sects who'd been hanging around earlier.

Evidently, his earlier rampage and slayings had left their mark, yet the three major sects' sluggish response puzzled him—no direct challenge had come his way.

He refused to believe the three major sects would cower into stillness merely from the deaths of some Nascent Soul Middle Stage Cultivators and the capture of a Great Venerable.

Once battle ignites, halting it proves nearly impossible, particularly after both sides endure losses that forge bitter grudges.

The prior skirmish might have drawn in Yuqing Sect and White Emperor Sect's influence, but should full-scale war erupt, it would rage on without those superpowers' involvement, only intensifying further.

As these thoughts swirled in his mind during flight, Li Shiming skipped using 'Reaching in One Step,' opting instead for standard cultivator flight to better scan the area.

Even at ordinary speed, he swiftly arrived at the mountain hosting Liu Ziyun.

Upon the peak, Liu Ziyun had set out a table flanked by two chairs, laden with Spirit Fruits.

"Mr. Li, please take a seat!" Liu Ziyun beamed and waved him over warmly.

"Mr. Liu, it's merely been ten days—why summon me so soon?" Li Shiming settled into the chair facing Liu Ziyun, his tone laced with mild bewilderment.

Liu Ziyun had mentioned the initial trade shipment wouldn't show for a minimum of eight months.

"Mr. Li, late stage Fourth Grade resources for the Dragon Phoenix Spiritual Beast are being gathered; one batch sits in the headquarters warehouse, hurried along and due to arrive in roughly a month.

I'm not here about that, though—it's a dispatch from headquarters; the ruling forces there caught wind of your slaying two Great Cultivators and plundering an expedition fleet, and they've sent Master Ren Mu to deal with it!" Liu Ziyun activated a protective isolating Array first, then laid out the meeting's true purpose for Li Shiming.

"Master Ren Mu?" Though Li Shiming had lingered at Central State Commerce's headquarters for some time, this name rang no bells for him.

Still, he knew that for headquarters to deploy someone after he'd felled two Great Cultivators, the individual's power had to be extraordinary.

"You've likely never heard of Master Ren Mu; he shuns the spotlight, forever in seclusion, pushing toward the half-step Mahayana Realm, and stands as Central State Commerce's mightiest Nascent Soul Cultivator!" Liu Ziyun dropped his voice even lower in the telling.

The weight of Master Ren Mu's presence clearly bore heavily on Liu Ziyun—even with the isolating Array active, he hesitated to raise his tone.

On the matter of undermining Central State Commerce's gains, without the trade pact signed with Li Shiming, Liu Ziyun might have kept this under wraps.

At the very least, Li Shiming couldn't drop before sealing the deal, or Liu Ziyun would face repercussions too; after all, Li Shiming had woven in safeguards against Central State Commerce headquarters' backlash during contract talks.

Thanks to the hefty rewards involved, Liu Ziyun had greenlit terms letting him tip off Li Shiming about headquarters' moves in scenarios like this.

"A Peak Great Cultivator makes for a real challenge; charging here at top speed, they'd cover it in about twenty days, right?" Li Shiming betrayed no worry, grinning as he posed the question to Liu Ziyun.

"Not quite that quick—Master Ren Mu must tie up some private affairs first, pushing back his start by around ten days!" Liu Ziyun had dug into the details completely.

"Thank you; this intel proves invaluable to me!" Li Shiming replied, pulling a jade box from his storage and setting it atop the table.

Liu Ziyun's gaze sparked with excitement; that jade box was the custom sort Central State Commerce crafted for Li Shiming's personally brewed Fourth Grade Spiritual Tea, bound to hold premium Fourth Grade Spiritual Tea.