Due to the uncertain situation, Chu Nan chose to suppress his cultivation, trying to discreetly investigate the surroundings.

No one could discern his actual strength as long as their cultivation didn't surpass his.

Chu Nan quickly found the official road, and followed its direction to continue his exploration. As he had expected, before long, he saw a luxurious carriage being pulled by a Yang Wheel Demon Beast coming towards him.

Seeing this, Chu Nan was delighted. As long as he found someone, he could learn where he was and thus find the direction back to the Cyan Profound Mansion.

He quickly walked up, and soon faced the luxurious carriage.

Knowing that he needed help, Chu Nan politely said, "Fellow traveler in the carriage, I'm looking for directions. Could you please assist me?"

The carriage stopped, and the driver, an old man in a grey robe, looked at Chu Nan and asked, "Who are you, and where do you want to go?"

The old man appeared normal, yet strangely, his eyes were pitch black without whites, carrying an aura that felt eerie yet familiar to Chu Nan.

Without thinking too much, seeing the old man willing to respond, Chu Nan was overjoyed and said, "I'm Chu Nan, and I wish to know how to get to the Cyan Profound Mansion."

He didn't conceal his identity, as he felt it unnecessary; after asking for directions, they might never meet again.

But hearing Chu Nan's words, the old man was slightly stunned, his gaze towards him turning a bit strange.

He seemed hesitant to speak, finally asking, "Are you sure you want to go to Qingxuan Province by yourself?"

Chu Nan frowned, sensing something unusual in the old man's way of addressing.

The old man referred to the Cyan Profound Mansion as Qingxuan Province; if he were still within Qingxuan Province, no one would say it like this, implying that he was no longer in Qingxuan Province.

Chu Nan hadn't expected his first departure from Qingxuan Province to be in such a manner.

"I must go. Please guide me. If there's a map, I'm willing to exchange it with a gold ticket," Chu Nan said earnestly.

The old man shook his head and said, "Boy, we are five provinces away from Qingxuan Province. Even a Divine Illumination Realm expert flying non-stop for a year would barely make it."

"And the journey is fraught with hazards. Even a Divine Illumination Realm expert's life could be in danger."

"Are you sure you want to head to Qingxuan Province alone?"

Hearing the old man's words, Chu Nan was stunned.

The interaction among the lower-tier martial artists across provinces was relatively closed, they didn't know much about other provinces, but realizing he was in Liangshan Province still came as a shock.

Liangshan Province was considered one of the stronger prefectures in the Qin Kingdom, and the Spirit Corpse Sect, one of the strongest sects in the Qin Kingdom, was located here.

The Spirit Corpse Sect could sweep through the entire Cyan Profound Mansion with its power, let alone with the addition of Liangshan Province.

Hearing the vast distance, Chu Nan's expression immediately turned grim; he didn't want to spend more than a year traveling back.

At this moment, a young man peeked out from inside the carriage, with sword-like eyebrows and sharp eyes, exuding an overpowering aura.

He glanced up and down at Chu Nan, then asked, "Do you have to go to Qingxuan Province?"

"Yes." Chu Nan sized up the young man, discovering that despite his age, he had a cultivation at the second level of the Yang Wheel, which was quite impressive.

The young man got off the carriage and said, "I have an idea, though it's a long shot, you can give it a try."

"I am all ears." Chu Nan's face lit up with joy.

The young man then said, "You know, the Spirit Corpse Sect is the strongest force in Liangshan Province, even stronger than Liangshan Prefecture."

"And within the Spirit Corpse Sect, there is a rare cross-province teleportation array in the Qin Kingdom."

"You can join me in entering the Spirit Corpse Sect. If you advance to become an Inner Sect Disciple, you might have the chance to use the teleportation array to go to Qingxuan Province."

Chu Nan slightly frowned. Although the Spirit Corpse Sect's name was related to corpses, it wasn't an evil sect; otherwise, it couldn't openly recruit disciples in one province.

Being new to Liangshan Province and unfamiliar with everything, joining a sect might be a good choice.

Moreover, becoming an Inner Sect member could grant use of the teleportation array. Chu Nan was confident that after joining the Spirit Corpse Sect, he could easily become an Inner Sect Disciple.

He might be able to return to the Cyan Profound Mansion in less than a month.

Realizing this, Chu Nan said, "I'm willing to join the Spirit Corpse Sect, but I'm here alone without anyone to recommend me. I'm afraid…"

Chu Nan looked towards the young man, believing that since he brought it up, he must have a way.

Sure enough, the young man had been waiting for this. He slowly said, "Though I am an Outer Sect Disciple of the Spirit Corpse Sect, I have some connections within the sect and can recommend outsiders to join."

"However, this matter is somewhat complicated and requires some spirit stones to smooth things out. You see…"

Chu Nan instantly understood, and with a pat on his storage bag, handed a Royal Grade Spirit Martial to the young man, "I don't have any spirit stones, but I do have this Royal Grade Spirit Martial."

"You can exchange it for spirit stones to settle matters. If there's any leftover, it's all yours as a token of my gratitude."

Apart from the Blood Pattern Sword, other Royal Grade Spirit Martials were for Chu Nan to exchange for spirit stones.

But sometimes spirit stones couldn't be exchanged for a single Royal Grade Spirit Martial, so Chu Nan believed the young man wouldn't refuse.

After all, the young man was only at the third level of the Yang Wheel, and the lure of a Royal Grade Spirit Martial was irresistible.

"This is a Royal Grade Spirit Martial, and you're giving it to me?" The young man jumped off the carriage, accepting the spirit martial with both hands, and caressed it continuously, unable to put it down, trembling with excitement.

Despite being a Yang Wheel Martial Artist, he had only ever been beaten by Royal Grade Spirit Martials, never owning one.

"Yes, this is my gift to you as a token of appreciation," Chu Nan said.

The young man seriously glanced at Chu Nan; being able to casually give away a Royal Grade Spirit Martial wasn't something just anyone could do.

He believed Chu Nan's background was extraordinary, and immediately, he enthusiastically said, "Alright, leave this to me."

"Rest assured, if you can't enter the Spirit Corpse Sect, I'll write my name backwards."

Afterward, Zhou Xiaohao invited Chu Nan to ride the carriage together, and they traveled together.

Along the way, the two chatted, and Chu Nan claimed that he was an Independent Martial Artist, unknown in Liangshan Province.

Zhou Xiaohao didn't press further; he didn't care about Chu Nan's identity, but the Royal Grade Spirit Martial was real.

Through casual conversation, Chu Nan also learned a lot about Zhou Xiaohao.

He was originally the son of a prefect in one of Liangshan Province's counties and joined the Spirit Corpse Sect five years ago. Although his cultivation reached the second level of the Yang Wheel, he could only be an Outer Sect Disciple as he couldn't refine a Flying Corpse.

In the Spirit Corpse Sect, it's not cultivation that matters but what grade of Spirit Corpse you can refine.

The Spirit Corpse Sect has six grades of Corpse Refinement: Green Corpse, Purple Corpse, Flying Corpse, Wandering Corpse, Hidden Corpse, and the ultimate Undying Bone.

These six grades correspond respectively to the Martial Dao, Spirit Pill, Yang Wheel, Divine Illumination, Cloud Sea, and beyond Cloud Sea realms of Martial Artists.

But even within the Spirit Corpse Sect, no one to date has been able to refine a Spirit Corpse beyond a Cloud Sea Realm Martial Artist, at most a Hidden Corpse.

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