"These two people I haven't seen before. They must be passengers from the middle class or above!"
The general, though not high in cultivation, had sharp spiritual senses.
He had also noticed the two people watching them. Seeing Chu Tian's discovery, he spoke up immediately.
"What's the benefit?" After the man finished speaking, Chu Tian suddenly curled his lips and asked.
Chu Tian hadn't felt much about this matter initially, but he suddenly noticed that the steward who had stopped them upon boarding had secretly slipped something to the two men as he passed by.
The object resembled a jade token, etched with intricate runes.
One of them glanced at it, then put it away, and the two then left the crowd.
Their direction of travel was towards the lower deck.
Although he didn't know what that thing was that the steward had handed to the two men, Chu Tian felt a surge of anger whenever he saw that steward.
Few people who had offended him, Chu Sanye, could still prance around.
Since you want to play some tricks, I'll play along and vent my anger at the same time.
"Benefit..." The burly man's eyes moved when he heard Chu Tian's question.
With a flip of his hand, a bottle the size of a thumb appeared.
"Didn't you say you didn't bring any treasures out?" Chu Tian frowned upon seeing the item.
"This doesn't count as a treasure; it wouldn't fetch much money even if sold. However, it can be useful at this time. I believe young brother will surely need it. Don't let my bottle's unremarkable appearance fool you; it's an heirloom from my ancestors. Because it sacrifices all defensive capabilities, its spatial capacity is even larger than mid-grade spiritual treasures."
As he spoke, his gaze shifted towards the ship's bow.
The so-called Nether Mist was only about a thousand meters away from them.
The closer they got, the more oppressive it felt.
"What is the use of this thing?" Chu Tian also looked forward.
"You don't even know this?" The burly man was taken aback, but seeing Chu Tian remain silent,
He quickly explained, "Nether Mist only appears on the Sea of Nether Purgatory. Absorbing it into the body can greatly enhance meridians and physique. It is said that sects in the Central Continent acquire large quantities of Nether Mist to improve their disciples' aptitudes!"
"Can it be absorbed directly?" Chu Tian's brow furrowed slightly.
"Yes! But..."
"But what?"
"But rumor has it that the degree of pain is no less than scraping bones and cutting flesh!" The burly man chuckled wryly.
"This thing shouldn't be that rare, right?"
Chu Tian meant that this thing should be everywhere on the Sea of Nether Purgatory, so why were those people willing to pay a high price for it? Couldn't they just send some people to collect it?
"Young brother, you don't know this. Although the Sea of Nether Purgatory is full of Nether Mist, it's not found only in the near seas. Areas with Nether Mist are considered dangerous zones within the Sea of Nether Purgatory. Even the closest appearance of Nether Mist is fraught with peril. Only these massive ferry ships can travel on safe routes. This ship takes ten months for a round trip, and not all spiritual treasures can contain Nether Mist. Furthermore, those who can resist the mist entering their bodies must have cultivation at least at the mid-stage of the Venerable level. And the consumption of this substance is also considerable. It is said that the disciples of the sects in the Central Continent are tormented daily by this substance to the point of losing their humanity. This is why Nether Mist, while not rare, is expensive."
Having said that, the burly man handed the bottle in his hand to Chu Tian and continued,
"Young brother, I have to go down. I can't withstand the Nether Mist entering my body. I want to live a few more years with my old bones!"
As he spoke, the bow of the giant ship had already entered the Nether Mist.
That man also scurried back to the cabin, along with others who had the good sense to retreat quickly.
Of course, there were still some who were bold, or those who wanted to risk making money. Their strength was not great, and they let out roars, enduring the excruciating pain of the Nether Mist scraping their bones and flesh, but they gritted their teeth and did not retreat.
Chu Tian was very curious about what this thing was.
However, when the mist reached him, he finally understood how potent this substance was.
The purple mist, the moment it touched Chu Tian, seemed to possess intelligence, instantly adhering to his body and drilling into it through his pores.
"Damn it, this isn't mist at all; it's clearly a蛊虫 (gu蟲)!"
With his God-tier cultivation, even without actively resisting, a significant amount of Nether Mist surged into his body in an instant.
"Pain... it really is painful!"
Chu Tian couldn't help but gasp. Knowing that the Nether Mist was not mist at all but a swarm of insects, he no longer wanted it to enter his body. A protective light shield appeared, directly blocking the mist.
Looking at those diligently collecting the mist, Chu Tian lost interest and focused his attention inward.
"Cultivating the body with蛊蟲 (gu蟲)?"
He discovered that the purple, dust-like蛊蟲 (gu蟲) that entered his body indeed had extraordinary effects.
As soon as these tiny insects entered his meridians, they acted like ferocious beasts, attaching themselves directly to the meridians and biting.
The meridians of the human body are the foundation of cultivators. With tens of thousands of these creatures biting down, describing it as scraping bones and cutting flesh would not be an exaggeration.
However, marvelously, these蛊蟲 (gu蟲), after entering the meridians, seemed like aimless wanderers. They could not survive for more than a few seconds before becoming motionless.
The purple mist on their bodies would dissipate, and their bodies would transform into pure spiritual energy, attaching themselves to the meridians and bones, shining brightly.
All the蛊蟲 (gu蟲) turned into something like golden beans, constantly emitting spiritual energy, directly replenishing the meridians.
Even Chu Tian needed more than ten seconds to refine and dissipate the concentrated golden beans.
It actually gave him a slight opportunity for improvement in his cultivation, which had been stagnant for a long time.
Instantly, Chu Tian's eyes lit up.
Since reaching the God tier, he had made no progress whatsoever.
Any spiritual energy absorbed into his body seemed to have no effect, as if his body were an infinitely storing jar.
He couldn't store it before; now he couldn't fill it!
Yet, these dust-like蛊蟲 (gu蟲)... this Nether Mist, could give him a feeling of improvement.
How could Chu Tian not be tempted?
However, he still felt a bit uncomfortable having insects enter his body.
He stood there pondering for a long time, then gritted his teeth.
"Come on!"
It was a rare opportunity to improve his cultivation. If he missed it, who knew when he would have such a chance again.
He forcefully released his defenses!
Buzz...
The Nether Mist, like flies encountering dung, instantly swarmed Chu Tian.
The commotion he caused immediately drew the attention of those around him.
"Look at that fool, absorbing the Nether Mist directly with his body!"
These people pointed and gestured at him, and someone immediately said with disdain.
"There are too many people like this. We encounter a few every time. This time, it's quite few, with only one idiot like this."
These people had been running ships for years, specifically to collect Nether Mist. Besides the ship tickets, they could also earn a considerable income.
Of course, these people all had grim expressions because their cultivation was not high.
However, each time they ascended to the deck required the price of a mid-grade soul crystal, so these people tried their best to endure, only returning to the cabin when they could no longer hold on.
After resting and recovering their spiritual power, they would come out again.