Queue

After leaving the inn, Lin Xiao and his companions headed straight for the boat ticket office.

It was located right in the center of the city.

This place was originally a shop owned by the Yuan family, but it had temporarily suspended business to be lent out to the ticket sellers for the Talisman Masters Conference.

Fortunately, Lin Xiao and the others had left early in the morning. It was still early, so the queue wasn't too long yet.

Although the Talisman Masters Conference was a grand event held once a century, not everyone had both the time and the spirit stones to casually fork over two hundred spirit stones just to watch a conference that had little to do with them.

Still, there were about a hundred people waiting.

Lin Xiao and Jiang Youfu obediently went to the end of the line and waited.

Jiang Youfu, in high spirits, looked around with his dark, round eyes. Not knowing what he had seen, he was just about to joke with Lin Xiao when he suddenly remembered the mountain of advice Senior Liao had given him yesterday. He instantly pressed his lips tightly together.

He needed to be calm, steady, cautious, and value his life.

Lin Xiao turned his head and saw Jiang Youfu with his lips pressed tight, looking like a stuffed bun.

"What's wrong with you?"

Seeing him ask, Jiang Youfu opened his mouth to say something, but as soon as he did, a rush of air shot up his windpipe, causing him to let out a burp right at Lin Xiao.

Seeing this, Lin Xiao coughed lightly and patted his shoulder, saying,

"Take it easy on those snacks, don't stuff yourself too much. We still have to go to the Immortal Fragrance Pavilion later."

The line moved quickly.

Before long, there were fewer than twenty people ahead of Lin Xiao and his companion.

The ticket shop ahead only had a small door open. Perhaps due to an array formation, Lin Xiao couldn't see clearly what was going on inside from the back.

Of course, with his current Golden Core cultivation, he could see if he really wanted to.

But there was no need.

It wasn't like he'd see anything extraordinary, and it would only cause trouble if he drew unwanted attention.

Not long after, it was Lin Xiao and Jiang Youfu's turn.

Only then did he see clearly that inside the small door was a small counter, behind which sat a middle-aged cultivator.

His cultivation level couldn't be discerned, meaning he either had a higher cultivation than Lin Xiao or possessed some method to conceal it.

Lin Xiao didn't stare. He directly handed over four hundred spirit stones and said to the cultivator,

"Two boat tickets, please."

Whether it was his words or actions that aroused the middle-aged cultivator's curiosity, the man looked up at Lin Xiao.

But his movements didn't stop at all. With a wave of his hand, he accepted the spirit stones Lin Xiao handed over, and then held out two boat tickets.

From the shadows inside the small door, a soft young boy's voice suddenly called out,

"The boat departs at the hour of Chen in three days. I hope you fellow Daoists will not miss the time."

Hearing the sudden voice, Lin Xiao glanced inside the door in surprise but saw nothing.

The middle-aged cultivator also seemed quite surprised to hear the voice. He glanced behind him out of the corner of his eye before signaling that Lin Xiao could leave.

Pretending to put the boat tickets into his storage bag while actually placing them in his private inventory, Lin Xiao quickly led Jiang Youfu away from the area. On the way, he specifically used a purification spell to clear away any auras that might have clung to him and Jiang Youfu.

They also changed their disguises.

Only then did they casually continue their walk toward the Immortal Fragrance Pavilion.

Although this part of the city was bustling, it wasn't noisy.

Because there were almost no mortals or street vendors here. The shops here were mostly run by veterans of major families, giving the streets a sense of steady tranquility.

As Lin Xiao and Jiang Youfu walked down the busy but quiet street, Jiang Youfu would occasionally steal a glance at Lin Xiao beside him.

He really wanted to see what a boat ticket worth two hundred spirit stones looked like.

But he had to hold back.

He already knew why Brother Xiao had acted that way just now.

Never reveal your wealth.

Four hundred spirit stones was not a small sum.

The two of them looked quite young, and others would probably think they were easy targets.

Whether he and Brother Xiao could handle it or not, it would be a hassle.

When traveling away from home, save yourself trouble and avoid creating unnecessary complications. This was what Senior Liao had told him yesterday.

Jiang Youfu felt he had grown up a lot, becoming more and more like a mature and steady adult.

They even took a detour, taking advantage of the fact that it wasn't too late, to visit the Jiang Family Livestock Market to buy a spirit pig and have it delivered to the Immortal Fragrance Pavilion.

It wasn't until the two arrived at the Immortal Fragrance Pavilion, and after all the dishes were served and Lin Xiao had set up an array restriction in the room, that he finally looked at Lin Xiao with sparkling eyes:

"Brother Xiao, Brother Xiao, I want to see what the boat ticket looks like."

Liao Pantu also emerged from the Soul Nurturing Pendant. He grabbed Lin Xiao's small wine cup on the side, filled it up, and took a light sip while looking at Jiang Youfu with disdain:

"Look at how pathetic you are. What's so interesting about a broken boat ticket?"

Lin Xiao smiled and didn't say anything, taking out a boat ticket from his chest and handing it to Jiang Youfu.

Then the two young men sat at the table, their heads huddled together, carefully examining the boat ticket.

This boat ticket, though called a ticket, was actually a pale red piece of jade.

There was absolutely nothing on it.

Jiang Youfu flipped it back and forth, finding that there was indeed nothing there. Feeling a bit bored, he handed the boat ticket back to Lin Xiao.

"There's nothing on this boat ticket."

Lin Xiao put the boat ticket away and smiled at him:

"Fuzi, you need to get used to using your divine sense. Divine sense has many uses."

Unexpectedly, Jiang Youfu, who usually agreed with whatever Lin Xiao said, shook his head this time and said,

"Brother Xiao, using divine sense is too tiring. A few times before, when I subconsciously used my divine sense while cooking, I ended up dizzy afterward."

Hearing this, Liao Pantu, who was happily drinking his wine on the side, gave him a surprised look and asked,

"Then, every time you use your divine sense to cook, does it feel a little easier than the time before, or can you last longer, and is the quality of the dishes much better than usual?"

After he finished speaking, Jiang Youfu nodded in confusion.

Liao Pantu brought his wine cup to his lips and sighed with emotion:

"Not bad, little fatty. You can actually train your divine sense just by cooking. Tsk, you have to remember this, don't go telling anyone."

As he spoke, he used his chopsticks to pick up a large piece of meat to go with his wine.

Lin Xiao thought for a moment and asked,

"Isn't it like this for every spirit chef?"

"Of course not," Liao Pantu said.

"Many people's divine sense can only grow passively along with their cultivation. They can't find a very effective way to train it actively. Or rather, ordinary methods are highly inefficient for regular cultivators. You could train for a year or two and only see a tiny bit of growth. It's much faster to just focus on cultivating and raising your cultivation base."

"The method to train divine sense is different for everyone. I don't even know if everyone has one, or if it's only a select few. But finding this method is not simple at all."

Saying this, he glanced at Jiang Youfu, his tone a bit sour:

"Except for those whose luck is outrageously good."