Beast Taming: I Have an Immortal Mansion-Chapter 65: Floating Cloud Giant Ship

Half a month later, Fang Qingyuan, leading Silver Treasure, waited patiently with a group of Cultivators at the pier.

A while ago, after Fang Qingyuan had decided to go to the Desert of Death, Bao Xiao’Er introduced him to a merchant caravan. As an Inner Sect Disciple of the Beast Taming Sect, he was naturally accepted with ease.

If he had been a Loose Cultivator with an unknown background, they wouldn’t have just accepted him on the spot. They wouldn’t have even considered him without a background check lasting half a year.

After paying Bao Xiao’Er’s commission, the caravan leader told him that a Flying Boat would arrive in half a month and that they would rendezvous then.

So, during that half-month, Fang Qingyuan went around buying Water and Wood-type spiritual materials and Spiritual Objects until he had spent nearly all of the six thousand-odd Low-grade Spirit Stones he had left.

The Spirit Stones rewarded by Lechuan made up the bulk of this sum. He received five thousand Low-grade Spirit Stones for the first infant kidnapping case, and another two thousand when he reported the incident at Black River Square.

Combined with other Spirit Stones he had earned, Fang Qingyuan’s total wealth had once approached the ten-thousand mark. However, after more than a year of only spending and not earning, he was now left with only six thousand.

Still, the purchasing power of six thousand Low-grade Spirit Stones was quite substantial. Fang Qingyuan only bought spiritual materials and Spiritual Objects, and he specifically chose the cheapest ones available in large quantities. Now, in addition to the large pile loaded onto Silver Treasure’s back, he had a lot more stacked up inside his Immortal Mansion.

Silver Treasure had to come along this time because the Flying Boat only stopped at major cities. The oasis Fang Qingyuan was heading to with the caravan was still several thousand miles away from the Flying Boat’s docking point.

This part of the journey required Camel Beasts. Storage pouches were expensive, rare, and didn’t hold much. Even a five-cubic-meter storage pouch couldn’t carry as much as a single Earth-Split Lizard.

That was exactly what Fang Qingyuan did. He loaded over ten cubic meters of goods onto Silver Treasure’s back as a disguise, with his two five-cubic-meter storage pouches serving as a second layer of cover.

In reality, the vast majority of his wealth was in his Immortal Mansion. With this disguise, outsiders wouldn’t grow suspicious, let alone become greedy or murderous over the small amount of cargo he appeared to be carrying.

After a short wait, a colossal Flying Boat broke through the sea of clouds and slowly flew toward the Celestial Gate Mountain Pier.

This Flying Boat was one of the Treasure Pavilion’s signature vessels, its full name being the Floating Cloud Sea Relief Thunder Flying Boat.

The vessel was over a thousand zhang long and three hundred zhang wide. When it arrived at the Celestial Gate Mountain Pier, it didn’t touch the ground directly but hovered dozens of meters in the air to avoid damaging the foundation.

The giant boat was equipped with thirty-three Gang Thunder Crystal Cannons. An ordinary Early-stage Golden Core demon bird would be killed by a single blast if it failed to dodge in time.

However, firing a Gang Thunder Crystal Cannon consumed a tremendous amount of energy. Each cannon used Top-grade Spirit Stones, requiring ten per shot. In other words, firing a single blast cost over ten thousand Low-grade Spirit Stones.

With all thirty-three Gang Thunder Crystal Cannons firing in unison, under the command of the Golden Core Captain and amplified by the ship’s Arrays, even a typical Nascent Soul Cultivator would be in for a tough fight.

But while the Flying Boat’s destructive power was astonishing, its agility couldn’t compare to a Nascent Soul Great Cultivator. There were many past instances where a Nascent Soul Cultivator, wanting to take down such a vessel, simply had to wait until its Spirit Stones were depleted. After that, it was easy pickings.

Without Spirit Stones to power it, the massive Flying Boat was nothing more than a giant coffin with a thin skin, ready to be destroyed after a few hits.

Therefore, the Flying Boat could only dominate opponents below the Nascent Soul realm; against a Nascent Soul Cultivator, it was no match at all.

Even so, the Flying Boat before them could sweep away all the forces around Celestial Gate Mountain. Fortunately, it would only dock at Celestial Gate Mountain for half a day to let passengers on and off before continuing its journey.

Fang Qingyuan guided Silver Treasure, following the long queue and slowly moving toward an entrance at the bottom of the Flying Boat.

After forty-five minutes, it was finally Fang Qingyuan’s turn. As he reached the entrance, a Steward from the Flying Boat spoke coldly.

"Do you have your travel permit, ticket, and cargo manifest ready? Don’t let us find any contraband, or you’ll be lucky if we just kick you off. If it’s serious, we’ll arrest you and report you directly to the Great Zhou Academy."

Hearing this, Fang Qingyuan took the items from his storage pouch and handed them over for inspection.

Fang Qingyuan had obtained the travel permit from his sect. It served to prove his origins and identity, as the Great Zhou Academy stipulated that all passengers on their Flying Boats must have a clean background.

"Oh, you’re a disciple of the Beast Taming Sect. I didn’t recognize you since you’re not wearing the sect’s attire. My apologies."

After seeing Fang Qingyuan’s travel permit, the Flying Boat Steward’s tone immediately softened, and a hint of a smile appeared on his face.

Fang Qingyuan understood. ’It’s better to be low-key when traveling,’ he thought. Wearing the Beast Taming Sect’s attire within its own Land Realm offered many conveniences, but it was better to take it off when heading to the Desert of Death. After all, the Beast Taming Sect had its share of enemies.

Fang Qingyuan had no desire to invite disaster upon himself just because of his clothes.

Once he knew Fang Qingyuan was a disciple of the Beast Taming Sect, the Steward’s movements became much quicker. After a brief inspection, Fang Qingyuan paid a cargo tax of over one hundred Spirit Stones and a stabling fee of over two hundred for his Camel Beast, then walked inside.

The price wasn’t exorbitant; his own ticket had been the most expensive part. Besides, the bulk of his cargo was in his Immortal Mansion, which was not subject to tax.

The lowest level of the Flying Boat was the Beast Cage. Fang Qingyuan unloaded his goods into a nearby warehouse, received a claim ticket, and then went to settle Silver Treasure.

The Flying Boat would fly continuously for a month to reach the Desert of Death. During this time, Fang Qingyuan would stay in a guest room on an upper level and could even go out on deck for fresh air. But poor Silver Treasure and the other Camel Beasts would have to remain in the Beast Cage.

There was nothing Fang Qingyuan could do about it, so he could only ask Silver Treasure to endure it for now. He decided he would come down to keep Silver Treasure company every day, since it would be boring in his cabin anyway.

Besides large-bodied Camel Beasts like Silver Treasure, the Beast Cage also housed many other breeds. Stepping inside, Fang Qingyuan felt as if he had entered a zoo; it was quite an eye-opening experience.

After leaving some snacks for Silver Treasure, Fang Qingyuan went up to the first deck of the Flying Boat. The first deck held the common cabins, the second held the premium cabins, and the third was reserved for the most distinguished guests.

Fang Qingyuan had originally considered staying on the second deck, but on second thought, he decided it wasn’t necessary. ’Every Spirit Stone I save now can buy me more spiritual materials. Why should I spend my capital on a moment’s comfort?’

So, Fang Qingyuan chose the most common type of cabin. Fortunately, even the most common cabins were private single rooms of over ten square meters, so the space wasn’t too cramped.

After entering his cabin, Fang Qingyuan tidied up a bit, then closed his eyes and began to meditate.

’I can’t neglect my cultivation just because I’m traveling,’ he thought. ’Unless absolutely necessary, I won’t skip my daily practice.’

When Fang Qingyuan finished his meditation, he felt the slight increase in his Spiritual Power and a smile spread across his face.

After his Wood Spirit Root had risen to twenty-seven points, a mere four-point increase had sped up his cultivation by nearly a quarter compared to his starting speed.

The higher the Spirit Root, the faster the cultivation speed. The aptitude limit for a Celestial Spirit Root was only sixty, but its cultivation speed wasn’t just two or three times faster than a Middle-grade Spirit Root—it was over ten times faster.

At this rate, the single point his Spirit Root aptitude had increased by would save him more than two months of arduous cultivation. In about two and a half more years, he would be able to advance to the Sixth-Layer Qi Cultivation.

’I’m really looking forward to that day,’ Fang Qingyuan mused. Just as he was lost in thought, he felt a gentle vibration from beneath him. The Flying Boat’s docking time was over; it was about to depart.