56: Gathering Intelligence

“Thank you, Senior!”

After these Jianghu individuals were seated, they once again thanked Gu Chang.

“Gurgle~”

On the table of the Ship, the clay stove and charcoal fire burned, and the water in the teapot on the clay stove was boiling, rapidly filling the air with a clear fragrance after good tea leaves were added.

After becoming an Innate Expert, Gu Chang naturally could not continue to force himself to drink foamy tea.

In fact, even if he didn't say anything, Xie Wanling would proactively handle many things for him; she personally brought various daily necessities and trivial matters to him at regular intervals.

In this regard, as a woman, she was much more meticulous than Gu Chang, the big man.

“Swish”

After the tea was brewed, Gu Chang poured a cup for each of them.

“Thank you, Senior, for the tea!”

The Jianghu individuals present naturally felt flattered by Gu Chang's action of pouring tea, and immediately stood up one after another to thank Gu Chang.

“It’s just a cup of tea!”

“Sit down, all of you. Tell me, what have you gained this time?”

Gu Chang picked up his teacup and took a light sip, then said indifferently.

“Yes!”

“Reporting to Senior, this time, according to Senior's instructions, we explored deep into Qingyun Mountain and found that it was indeed unusual. Ordinary personnel simply couldn't get close, and if they forced their way in, they would only get lost in a daze.”

“According to the information we gathered, people have indeed seen Immortals appearing there, so it should be where the Immortals reside.”

After they sat down again, they didn't even bother to drink tea. One of them immediately reported their experiences to Gu Chang.

After pledging allegiance to Gu Chang, their main tasks were errands and gathering information.

After all, the records of the Divine Image Sect were hundreds of years old, and much of the information might not be exactly the same as it was then. Gu Chang needed to confirm it.

“Hmm, well done!”

Gu Chang was quite satisfied with this intelligence. He didn't expect these people to explore the Cultivator market; the difficulty was too high, making it somewhat unrealistic.

However, even so, based on this information, Gu Chang could still deduce many things, such as the market in Qingyun Mountain was still operating, and the Formation outside the market was still active.

Coincidentally, he had that waist token, which should still be useful when he goes there in the future.

“Thank you for your praise, Senior. These are all things we should do!”

Seeing Gu Chang's satisfaction, the hearts of these people, which had been somewhat uneasy, immediately settled down considerably.

“Senior asked us to search for Cultivator-related items. Based on our search during this period, we found that most of these items are concentrated in the hands of various forces, with only a small portion flowing out.”

“Aside from some specially-made items that are regarded as treasures by Jianghu individuals, there are also some things whose purpose is unclear. After careful screening, we only found these items.”

Following that, another Jianghu individual began to report the situation to Gu Chang.

However, compared to the person who had reported the information earlier, this person was clearly more nervous, as he himself didn't know what the items he brought were, and it was highly possible that they were all worthless junk.

With that, he carefully untied a package and placed it on the table, revealing various old objects inside.

There were broken incense burners, jade pieces with a patinated sheen, tattered cloths of unknown origin, and even a few yellowed bones. Just looking at these things made one feel speechless.

The others looked at this Jianghu individual with strange expressions, as if to say, 'Could this guy have just found a pile of trash and brought it here to hand in?'

“Ahem, alright, leave these things here for now. I will inspect them carefully later. If they are truly useful, I will certainly reward you. If they are useless, then it can only be considered a wasted effort.”

Gu Chang's gaze swept over these objects. Even he couldn't tell in a short time whether these items belonged to Cultivators.

Of course, there was a way to check. The Mixed Origin Skill came with a basic Spell called Spirit Eye Technique. Once learned, using it could directly determine whether an item possessed spirituality.

“Yes, yes, yes, thank you, Senior, for your grace!”

The Jianghu individual immediately agreed. To be honest, he was really afraid that Gu Chang would punish him for his incompetence.

“Hmm, then how about the last matter?”

Gu Chang's expression remained unchanged as he continued to question them.

“Senior, there seem to have been several battles over Taihu Lake, but with most people gaining nothing, and the weather outside becoming increasingly cold, things have basically quieted down now.”

It was Xie Wanling who spoke. The last matter was Gu Chang asking them to inquire about the movements over Taihu Lake.

“Continue to monitor the situation. If there are any special circumstances, inform me immediately.”

Although the fish and shrimp resources in Taihu Lake were no longer significant to Gu Chang, it was the place where he had lived since childhood, so he couldn't truly be unconcerned.

“Yes, Junior will definitely pay attention to this information!”

Xie Wanling immediately agreed upon hearing this. With her current strength, while she couldn't intervene in the situation, obtaining relevant information was no problem at all.

“That's all for today then. Wanling, stay. The rest of you may leave first.”

“If anything comes up later, I will have someone inform you. Your current strength is still too low, so you should focus more of your thoughts and energy on practicing Martial Arts.”

Having obtained this information, Gu Chang already felt satisfied. Although there wasn't much, it saved him a lot of effort.

“Yes! We shall take our leave!”

Hearing Gu Chang say this, these Jianghu individuals dared not stay any longer and immediately stood up to bid farewell.

After they left, Gu Chang then began to inquire Xie Wanling about the recent situation of the Divine Image Sect and her recent difficulties in Martial Dao.

Although Xie Wanling had already become a First-rate Expert, she alone still seemed somewhat unable to support the sect.

Since he had decided to help the Divine Image Sect, Gu Chang naturally wouldn't just leave it at that.

“Recently, the Senior Brothers have recruited many new Disciples, some of whom have decent Aptitude. Coupled with the compensation from forces like Silver Sword Villa, we do not lack Martial Arts resources, so I imagine we will be able to recover some Origin Qi in a few years.”

“Perhaps my Aptitude is limited. After advancing to the Golden Image Body, I felt that the difficulty of practicing Martial Arts was much higher than before. Now, to make further progress, it not only requires more time and energy but also a large amount of Martial Arts resources.”

“Back then, Master, he probably chose to Cultivate the Disciples as much as possible for this reason, which led to his own Realm being unable to advance further…”

Without others present, Xie Wanling's expression relaxed considerably. Although her tone was still respectful, she showed closeness towards Gu Chang.

Speaking of which, Gu Chang was actually a few years younger than her, but perhaps because of his higher Martial Arts and stronger strength, he truly seemed like a Senior expert in front of her.

“From now on, you will still come over every day to have a bowl of meat soup. I should be staying here for the next few months. Disciples with good talent in the sect can also be brought over once their Foundation is solid.”

Gu Chang didn't feel anything about this. Not to mention his two lives, even his experiences in the Reincarnation World were enough for him to face most things with a calm mind.

“Yes, thank you, Senior!”

For Gu Chang's preferential treatment, Xie Wanling could only offer her most sincere gratitude. Unfortunately, her strength was ultimately limited; otherwise, she would certainly be able to do more for Gu Chang.

Soon, Xie Wanling also left, leaving Gu Chang alone on the Ship facing the vast, white world of mountains and rivers.

“During the day, the focus will still be on Cultivating the Mixed Origin Skill. Also, some basic Spells should be learned.”

After relaxing, Gu Chang once again began to focus on Cultivation. However, breaking through to the second layer of Qi Refining was still extremely difficult. Gu Chang felt that this time it would take at least half a year to potentially Break through.

And the further he went, the greater the difficulty would only become, and the longer it would take. If he didn't have auxiliary Cultivation items, he might spend decades on the first six layers of Qi Refining.

In the Reincarnation World, in the valley encampment, Gu Chang, after having interacted with all the Refining Spirit Experts in this world, returned here again.

“Spirit Refining! Spirit Refining! What is refined is the Martial Dao Divine Intent, and what is achieved is one's own Martial God body!”

“To refine the Spirit, one must first possess an incomparably strong physique, an unyielding will, and abundant inner Qi. Finally, using oneself as a furnace, Qi and blood as fuel, inner Qi as the kindling, and combining one's own consciousness, one refines one's own Martial Dao Divine Intent!”

“Now I have completed the first step: I possess Martial Dao Divine Intent and have fused inner Qi to form Zhengang Strength!”

“This has transformed the originally loose and formless inner Qi into a tangible substance, imbued with my will, giving it extremely powerful destructive force and durability.”

“By combining my Zhengang Strength with the Divine Image Body, I have ultimately forged a Martial Dao Divine Paragon. In this way, I possess a Foundation far surpassing other Innate Martial Artists. My entire body of Zhengang Strength is my weapon, armor, and tool!”