A large flying boat was sailing through the sky, marked with the insignia of the Shushan Sect, its interior was the epitome of luxury.
On the first floor of the flying boat were two high-level alchemists and a dozen mid to low-level alchemists, while on the second floor there were only two people: Li Shiming and Golden Core Sword Cultivator Elder Zhao from the Shushan Sect.
Elder Zhao's task was to protect Li Shiming, for this trip was a mission arranged by the sect for Li Shiming.
The mission was quite simple, to head to the Fire Cloud Valley and serve as the arbiter for this session of the Alchemists' Conference.
Speaking of the Alchemists' Conference, it was an important exchange meeting within the alchemist community.
Alchemists needed to continuously learn and accumulate experience as they grew, which required extensive communication.
Under normal circumstances, alchemists were scattered across various sects and forces, and even within the same sect, alchemists who were not from the same lineage rarely exchanged insights.
Therefore, such an Alchemists' Exchange Meeting was an extremely important networking opportunity for every alchemist, and those who could participate were eager to do so.
More importantly, the winners of the Alchemists' Conference competitions would receive substantive rewards and be reviewed by Alchemy Masters, which had a tremendous promotional effect on their self-improvement.
Li Shiming had never participated in an Alchemists' Conference, not because it excluded him, but because it was held only once every ten years, and ten years ago he hadn't even begun to dabble in alchemy.
Of course, that was not the main reason; the Beishu Continent had not only this Alchemists' Conference in Fire Cloud Valley but also other gatherings hosted by different forces.
Li Shiming had not attended any such gatherings before, and they had never extended an invitation to him.
Key to this was his level of alchemy; ever since he went public with his alchemy practice, he had never failed, producing full batches of high-quality pills every time.
Even Alchemy Masters wouldn't dare claim they could achieve the same level as him.
If he were invited, other alchemists would likely be too intimidated to participate in the competition, and even Alchemy Masters would be hard-pressed to critique.
"This flying boat of yours is really not bad!" Elder Zhao, relaxed and casually enjoying his Third Grade Spiritual Tea, enviously scanned the luxurious large flying boat.
This large flying boat belonged to Li Shiming; originally a trophy of war he acquired from Elder Lv of the Senluo Sect, it was a treasure-class large flying boat.
It was precisely because this treasure-class large flying boat had its own energy supply that, without the need for a Golden Core Stage strength, Li Shiming could control it.
Li Shiming greatly liked this large flying boat; given his current identity and status, he no longer had to worry about attracting unwanted attention while using such a treasure-class large flying boat.
This time, attending the Alchemists' Conference and having to bring some of the sect's alchemists with him, he decided to utilize the treasure-class large flying boat.
Although Elder Zhao was a Golden Core Elder from the Shushan Sect, he couldn't afford such a treasure-class large flying boat on his own wealth.
The treasure-class large flying boat of Elder Lv from the Senluo Sect was the sect's property, not Elder Lv's personal possession; his personal possession was another smaller treasure-class flying boat.
Only large sects possessed the financial power to build such massive treasure-class flying boats.
"Elder Zhao is jesting," Li Shiming, accustomed to luxury, replied nonchalantly with a smile.
"Shiming, I really lucked out by coming along this time. Look at this flying boat, and then the Spiritual Tea we're drinking; had I known earlier, I would have studied alchemy too!" Elder Zhao said with a chuckle, shaking his head.
Of course, he was joking; being a Sword Cultivator, any material possessions he acquired would be quickly sold to acquire materials beneficial to his Lifebound Flying Sword.
The Lifebound Flying Sword of a Sword Cultivator was like a bottomless pit that could swallow up all the wealth one could muster.
Luckily, the Lifebound Flying Sword of his other self, Li Yuanba, which was Golden Core Sword Cultivator Yun Xingyi's Lifebound Flying Sword, had been nurtured for hundreds of years, meaning that, at least for the short term, there was no need to prepare materials beneficial to Li Yuanba's Lifebound Flying Sword.
"Having Uncle Zhao accompany me on this trip, it's proper for me to see to your comfort," Li Shiming said with a smile, pouring more Spiritual Tea for Elder Zhao.
Elder Zhao had always treated him very well, having saved his life in the past, and now he was tasked with his protection; how could he possibly shortchange the elder?
The Spirit Fruits on the table in front of them were Third Grade, and the Spiritual Tea was also of Third Grade quality.
"I see your Sword Intent has grown; you haven't experienced combat, yet your Sword Intent can still strengthen so quickly. You really should have specialized in Sword Cultivation!" Elder Zhao straightened up and once again tried to persuade Li Shiming to switch his main cultivation technique.
This wasn't the first time he had made such a suggestion; almost every time they met, he would urge Li Shiming to consider it.
Now that Li Shiming had reached the Half-step Golden Core Realm, he still didn't give up on this idea.
Li Shiming understood his meaning, which was for him to switch to the Sword Cultivation Technique as his main discipline after becoming a Golden Core.
But Li Shiming had his own considerations; his Sword Intent was indeed strengthening continuously, which was a benefit from his other self, Li Yuanba.
Li Yuanba's Sword Intent had grown through several battles with Golden Core cultivators, and if it were to be quantified, with Li Yuanba's Sword Intent increasing by a hundred points, then Li Shiming's Sword Intent would correspondingly rise by thirty points.
Additionally, since Li Yuanba had become a Golden Core cultivator, his Sword Intent was growing rapidly each day, which also led to continuous growth for Li Shiming.
Since Li Yuanba was at the Golden Core Stage, with Sword Intent that could be considered rapidly strengthening, Li Shiming, while only benefiting from a tenth of that growth rate, saw even more remarkable progress since he was at the Foundation Establishment Stage.