Chapter 3471: The Khwanzim World

"Why is it that it was deemed as a less traveled place now and it’s hard to get to?" Lin Mu couldn’t help but ask.

"Well, you’re a spatial cultivator, so you should know that natural Spatial Channels can change over the years. That’s exactly what happened here." Elyon replied.

"Hmm... So once the natural channels changed, the travel paths changed to become more efficient." Lin Mu understood. "Makes sense."

"The Khwanzim World is also neutral," Elyon added. "Not aligned fully with any Immortal Court. It trades with all, hosts all, and rarely takes sides openly. That neutrality is enforced by power."

Lin Mu raised a brow. "How strong?"

Elyon paused.

"Strong enough that even the Immortal Court does not dictate terms here lightly."

That earned a low whistle from Meng Bai.

"The sea," Elyon continued, gesturing toward the horizon, "is called the Vast Resonance Ocean. It is home to ancient aquatic immortal beasts, some of which predate the Immortal Court itself. The land hosts dozens of major cities like this one, each governed by councils rather than sects."

"So no dominant sect?" Meng Bai asked.

"Many sects," Elyon corrected. "But none absolute. Formation guilds, merchant alliances, beast tamer conclaves, body cultivation halls, and research academies all hold influence."

Daoist Chu’s eyes lit up faintly. "Formation guilds?"

"This world is famous for its formation research. Much of what you saw integrated into the land originates here. Living formations. Adaptive arrays. Symbiotic constructs." Elyon nodded. "But that isn’t all. Though formations, they’ve also perfected the art of Puppets. You’ll probably see them soon enough." He added.

Lin Mu’s gaze sharpened.

This world was dangerous.

But it was also opportunity.

As they continued walking, Lin Mu sensed several non human presences observing from afar. Hidden races, perhaps living within the city under concealment techniques. He did not pry.

Not yet.

For now, they were travelers in a new world.

And the Khwanzim World had already made one thing clear.

It was not a place that tolerated weakness.

Nor was it a place that rewarded stagnation.

Meng Bai clenched his fists slightly as he looked around, his earlier fear replaced by something sharper.

Resolve.

This world would give him quite a bit to learn and it might forge something stronger from them.

And Lin Mu, watching the ocean and the city alike, knew that their journey had only just entered a new Chapter.

The decision to find a place to stay came naturally once the initial awe of the Khwanzim World settled into something more grounded.

They stood near one of the wide streets that sloped gently toward the inner districts of the city, the noise of commerce and movement washing around them like a living tide. Despite the bustle, Daoist Chu’s expression was already focused elsewhere, his fingers lightly tapping the jade slip in his hand as streams of information flowed through it.

"It will take time," he finally said, looking up. "Even with accelerated service."

Lin Mu raised a brow. "That long?"

Daoist Chu nodded. "The next destination is the Fifteen Ryze World. A minor world, low traffic, almost no commercial value. There have been virtually no outgoing or incoming transfers from Khwanzim to that world for years. Because of that, there is no permanent channel maintained between the two."

Meng Bai blinked. "Then how do people travel there?"

"They usually don’t," Daoist Chu replied dryly. "Or they go through several intermediary worlds, which is slow and costly. In our case, the Khwanzim World authorities are willing to open a dedicated slot, but that still requires coordination, stabilization, and energy allocation."

Elyon crossed his arms. "Even expedited, a month or two is optimistic."

Cattaleya shrugged. "Fine by me. I could use a break that doesn’t involve assassins and schemes."

Lin Mu smiled faintly at that, but his thoughts were already drifting elsewhere.

A month or two was not long.

Not for someone like him.

Especially not now.

In the six months they had spent traversing the Spatial Channel, Lin Mu had not wasted a single moment. The mobile courtyard had been saturated with elemental energy, formations cycling endlessly to refine and stabilize the environment. He had absorbed nearly every elemental material he had obtained from the Great Martial Fist King Tournament.

Earth.

Fire.

Metal.

Wood.

Even trace energies of wind and lightning.

All of his cores had grown.

Some more than others.

But one stood on the brink.

Water.

His Water Core pulsed quietly within him, vast and deep, like a boundless lake held behind a fragile dam. It had reached ninety eight point nine percent completion. The difference between that and perfection was vanishingly small, yet immeasurable in consequence.

And there was still one item he had not used.

The Dragon Pearl of the Flood Dragon.

Lin Mu’s fingers twitched slightly as he recalled it.

A pearl formed only when a Flood Dragon stood on the threshold of becoming a True Dragon. It contained not only pure Water elemental power, but also comprehension, instinct, and the lingering will of a being that had brushed against dragonic ascension.

He had deliberately refrained from using it while they were inside the Spatial Channel.

If the completion of his Water Core triggered something unpredictable, destabilized space, or caused a violent Dao resonance, the consequences inside a spatial corridor could have been catastrophic.

Now, however, they were anchored to a world.

A powerful world.

One with deep foundations, ancient formations, and an ocean vast enough to swallow continents.

It was time.

As Daoist Chu and Elyon discussed lodging options within the city, Lin Mu finally spoke.

"I do not want to stay in the city."

The conversation paused instantly.

Cattaleya tilted her head. "Why not? Good food, lots of people, plenty of places to smash if needed."

Meng Bai looked at Lin Mu with mild concern. "Master, are you expecting trouble?"

Lin Mu shook his head. "Not trouble. Change."

Daoist Chu’s eyes narrowed slightly. "A breakthrough?"

"Not cultivation in the usual sense," Lin Mu replied. "Dao."

Understanding dawned on Daoist Chu’s face almost immediately.

"Water," he said.

Lin Mu nodded.

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