Zhao Di had just recovered from the dizziness of transmission, and immediately felt the uniqueness of Island No. 1.

  In the huge stone temple with seven or eight teleportation arrays where he is now, it's very lively, and there are actually over a hundred cultivators here. Moreover, the vast majority of them have cultivation above the foundation-building period, and there are even three or four who are in the Nascent Soul period or higher!

  The number of high-ranking cultivators in this stone temple alone is far superior to that of a small sect like the Starry Sea.

  It seems that the extraterrestrial merchant fleet can control the entire galaxy, claiming to be the fourth major force in the Star Ocean, and it's not a name in vain!

  Not only that, but Zhao Di's divine sense also clearly sensed that this stone hall was covered by a powerful banishing formation. With his current strength, it was absolutely impossible to damage the array in a short period of time, and the power of the formation seemed not to have been fully activated yet.

  If all were triggered, wouldn't even the old monsters of the Yuan Ying period be able to keep them at bay? Zhao Di thought this way, and the defensive formation that could reach the level of a Yuan Ying period cultivator's protection, there were only a few ancient great formations passed down from the ancient classics, without exception, all required high-grade spirit stones to set up and activate, did this island have such an ancient great formation?

  Zhao Di had just walked out of the transmission array when two Outer Sea Merchant Alliance cultivators, also at the Initial Stage of the Congealing Dan Realm, came up to him with big smiles on their faces.

  One was a slightly thin old man with white whiskers, the other was a middle-aged man dressed as a Taoist priest, both had harmless and amiable expressions, and they simultaneously bowed to Zhao. The middle-aged man smiled and greeted: "Welcome, fellow Taoist, to Waihai Business Alliance Island No. 1! My surname is Meng, this is Director Lü, we are both administrators of the alliance. You look unfamiliar, I wonder how to address you, could it be your first time on this island?"

  Zhao Di cupped his fists and smiled, saying: "I am Zhao Di. I have met the two of you before! This is indeed my first time coming to your alliance's No. 1 island, and I didn't expect there to be so many fellow cultivators at the same level as me!"

  "Hehe, under our sect's banner, there are hundreds of Daoists in the Golden Core stage, most of whom are concentrated on this island. Therefore, fellow daoist will still see many fellow practitioners!" The old man also said with great enthusiasm: "I'm ashamed, my knowledge is limited. I've never heard of Fellow Zhao's name before, which sect does he come from?"

  "In the lower realm, I am just a lone cultivator, without any sect or school affiliation. It's not uncommon for Daoist masters to be unaware of me." Zhao Di replied with a calm smile. A lone cultivator reaching the Foundation Establishment stage was extremely rare, as it was difficult to succeed without the support of a sect or family. However, in recent decades, the appearance of large amounts of Three Flames Heaven Fire Liquid and Nine Cold Xuanming Water had led to the emergence of many new Foundation Establishment cultivators, including a small number of lone cultivators like Zhao Di. This was why he dared to openly acknowledge his identity as a lone cultivator without being overly shocking or surprising.

  "It's a loose cultivator? That's even better!" The middle-aged fat man said with excitement, the old man didn't say anything but also had an excited expression. The two of them seemed to be very satisfied with Zhao Di being a loose cultivator.

  Zhao Di felt a slight sense of curiosity in his heart, and a hint of unusual color flowed out from the corner of his eyes, but he didn't ask any more questions. He knew that the two would soon take the initiative to explain their intentions.

  "Don't be surprised, fellow daoist. Our Outer Sea Trade Alliance was originally established by recruiting high-level cultivators from the three major forces and loose cultivators. Especially those high-level loose cultivators, our alliance welcomes them with open arms. I wonder if you have any interest in joining our alliance?" The middle-aged fat man's smile squeezed out two dimples, looking expectant.

  The elder also advised from the side: "As a Dan period cultivator with the identity of a Taoist friend, as long as you join our Outer Sea Merchant Alliance, you will immediately become a manager-level existence. Not only will your tasks be relatively easy, but you will also have a large amount of spiritual stones to offer every year. In addition, the managers of our alliance enjoy priority rights in any store on the foreign star, not only are the prices slightly lower, but when encountering a coveted treasure, there is no need to worry about being snatched away by others at a high price! The manager can also apply to the alliance to purchase a rare treasure every year, and the alliance will go to great lengths to collect it within the entire Star Ocean range and deliver it to the applicant at cost."

  The old man said a few tempting conditions in one breath, then smiled and looked at Zhao Di, but Zhao Di still had a smile on his face, unable to tell if he was tempted.

  For Zhao Di, the large amount of spiritual stones offered by the old man had no attraction to him, but the priority rights and application rights for treasures on the extraterrestrial star were still exciting. To put it simply, if there was assistance from the Outer Sea Merchant Alliance, gathering the Seven Treasures of Buddhism that weren't particularly old wouldn't be difficult at all. But relying solely on Zhao Di himself, whether he could gather them or when he could gather them would depend on a combination of luck and circumstance.

  However, once you join this foreign merchant alliance, you will have to take on some miscellaneous tasks, and it is possible that you will be controlled everywhere. In this way, your practice may be greatly affected. Thinking of this, even with a hundred temptations, Zhao Di shook his head and said: "I'm used to being lazy, I'm most afraid of being restricted. The good intentions of the two Taoist friends can only be acknowledged in my heart, please don't mind!"

  Zhao's tone of refusal was unmistakable, and although the middle-aged fat man still had a hint of a smile on his face, his disappointment was evident. He said regretfully: "Fellow Daoist doesn't have to make a decision so quickly, many of our alliance's Dan-stage managers are people who have considered for a long time and have a deep understanding of our alliance before joining. Here is a jade slip, which not only records the various auction houses on Island No. 1, the types of goods in each large shop, but also explains the situation of our Outer Sea Trade Alliance. Fellow Daoist can take a look and then make a decision, it's not too late!"

  An old man with white whiskers beside him took out a cyan jade slip very cooperatively and gently tossed it to Zhao Di.

  Zhao Di's divine consciousness swept across the jade slip, then copied it into his hand. With both hands clasped in a fist, he said: "Thank you two fellow Taoists, I will carefully consider this matter!"

  "In that case, we two won't disturb Daoist friends anymore! I hope that in the near future, we can work together with Daoist friends in the Outer Sea Merchant Alliance and explore our cultivation experiences together! Haha!" The middle-aged fat man and the old man both made a fist and bowed, and they retreated to the side, clearing a path for Zhao.

  Zhao Di smiled and nodded at the two of them before quickly leaving the grand hall.

  As soon as he came out of the grand hall, Zhao Di realized that this was only the first floor of a huge jade stone palace, and above it, there were more than ten layers, each with dozens of feet high. The entire palace was no less than hundreds of feet high and thousands of feet wide, like a mountain peak piercing through the clouds, with an extremely majestic momentum. Especially at the entrance of each layer, seven or eight huge white jade pillars stood upright, showing off the solemn and magnificent atmosphere.

  Zhao Di infused part of his divine consciousness into the green jade slip in his hand, along with the graphic information within.

  "Starry Pavilion!" This is what the Jade Scribe calls this massive palace building, and indeed its momentum is extraordinary. The Starry Pavilion is built on the top of the highest peak of Island No. 1 - Mount Tailei, overlooking the entire Island No. 1. This Starry Pavilion is not only the most important power center of the Outer Sea Merchant Alliance but also the venue for several auctions that are only open to high-ranking cultivators on Island No. 1.

  Zhaodi's most concern is the auction of Waihai Business Alliance, which can only be attended by cultivators above the Dan stage. It will be held on the third floor of Xingchen Pavilion, and it will take place as scheduled in half a month!

  As soon as he left the Starry Pavilion, there was no more restriction on flying. Zhao Diteng soared in the air and looked down at the entire No. 1 Island. Although he had already reached the Foundation Establishment stage of cultivation, his field of vision could reach unimaginable heights for ordinary people, and his location also offered a great view, but he still couldn't see the edge of this vast No. 1 Island, only seeing the Tai Lai Peak below him and several nearby mountain peaks that were slightly shorter, as well as several places in the mountain valleys that seemed to be densely populated with buildings, like human settlements.

  According to the records, this island is a basin with high outer and low inner sides, surrounded by mountains over 1,000 zhang tall on three sides, with only the eastern side being relatively flat for hundreds of miles. Except for more than a dozen not-too-tall mountain peaks in the middle of the island, it is all flat farmland.

  Island No. 1 is home to over a billion ordinary people, all of whom live on this vast basin, with a population density that is much higher than anywhere else in the Inner Star. These numerous ordinary people provide an ample source of low-ranking cultivators for the Outer Sea Trade Federation.

  The high-ranking masters of the Outer Sea Merchant Alliance mostly come from various sects and scattered cultivators, all of whom are attracted by the alliance's generous conditions and voluntarily join the alliance to take on certain responsibilities. Each master has a fixed term, ranging from decades to hundreds of years, and after the term ends, they can choose to continue serving or resign. The Outer Sea Merchant Alliance not only does not punish high-ranking masters who request resignation but also rewards them with a large sum of spiritual stones as compensation for their many years of service.

  But the lower-ranking cultivators of the Outer Sea Merchant Alliance, except for a limited number of small and medium-sized immortal families on Island No. 1 that provide some external support, are mostly born in the vast mortal world. Every three years, the Outer Sea Merchant Alliance sends out a considerable number of foundation-building cultivators to detect whether each newborn child on the island has spiritual roots. Once discovered, the Outer Sea Merchant Alliance will concentrate on nurturing and educating them, becoming a continuous source of low-ranking cultivators. If the mortals on the island know that their offspring have spiritual roots, they usually voluntarily hand them over to the Outer Sea Merchant Alliance for upbringing, lest their innate talents be wasted.

  There are also extreme cases where ordinary people, having heard rumors from unknown sources about the cruel reality of the immortal world, refuse to let their children with spiritual roots enter it and vow to die rather than hand them over. At this time, the Outer Sea Merchant Alliance will not force them, but will allow them to choose. Of course, if the child's spiritual root talent is one of the extremely good ones, the Outer Sea Merchant Alliance will also offer conditions that ordinary people cannot refuse, and take the child into the alliance. However, the probability of such things happening can almost be ignored.

  (3000 words!)

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