114: Survival on a desert island and the first pot of gold

Outer Sea, southwest region, edge of the Coral Sea Archipelago.

The blazing sun beat down mercilessly on the gray-white rocky wasteland of an island. The sea wind, heavy with the scent of salt, brine, and humid heat, felt sticky and uncomfortable against the skin.

The island was no more than five li in circumference, barren of any vegetation, only jagged, strange rocks and bird droppings everywhere. Forget a Spiritual Vein, they hadn't even found fresh water yet.

"Respected... Old Man Han, can people really live in a place like this?"

Li Feiyu wiped the salt crust from his forehead, looking at the surrounding brothers from Tingfeng Tower who were already sunburned and peeling, barely clinging to life, his eyes filled with worry. Although they were also Cultivators, the days of fleeing had long since depleted their spiritual power. If they encountered even a single Second-Tier Yao Beast now, they would likely be wiped out.

Zhou Wannian sat under a shaded rock, holding the somewhat damaged thunder spirit pearl, slowly nurturing it with a trace of Pure Yang Qi from the sunlight.

"Whether we can live here isn't about the environment; it's about fate."

Zhou Wannian put away the thunder spirit pearl, stood up, and swept his gaze over the group. "In Zhenhai City, there were Spiritual Veins, grand Formations, fine clothes and delicious food. And the result? It became a mass grave. This place may be desolate, but it has the advantage of being clean."

He kicked the gravel at his feet.

"Besides, who said we're living on the surface?"

"Wangcai, lead the way."

The Treasure-Seeking Mouse, which had been lying in a rock crevice enjoying the cool, squeaked twice, then rolled out like a little golden ball and scurried straight into an inconspicuous fissure at the island's center.

"Follow."

Zhou Wannian took the lead.

The fissure was narrow and deep, only allowing one person to squeeze through sideways. The further down they went, the drier the air became. The suffocating, humid heat gradually faded, replaced by a faint smell of sulfur and a dry warmth.

They descended about a hundred zhang.

The path ahead suddenly opened up.

It was a massive underground cavern space, with passages branching out like a maze across the rock walls. Scattered on the ground were the petrified remains of giant ants, each the size of a wolfhound. Through the broken carapaces, a dark red metallic sheen could still be seen.

"This is... Ironfire Ants?"

Though fallen from grace, Young Master Ling's discerning eye remained. He couldn't help but exclaim in shock, "These are ferocious swarm insects! Once entangled, even a Core Formation Cultivator would be skinned alive!"

Upon hearing this, the group immediately grew restless. They summoned their Magical Artifacts, standing back-to-back, vigilantly scanning their surroundings.

"What's all the panic for?"

Zhou Wannian calmly walked over to an ant corpse and tapped its hard shell, producing a metallic clang. "Dead for at least a few hundred years. This is an abandoned, dead nest."

He pointed towards the faint red glow deep within the cavern.

"Ironfire Ants feed by devouring metal Ore veins, especially favoring those associated with fire copper and iron essence deposits. Since this was once their nest, it means beneath us..."

Zhou Wannian walked to the rock wall and slashed it with his turtle spirit brush.

*Crack.*

The rock layer flaked off, revealing dark red Ore veins inside.

"Fire copper Ore!" Steward Liu's eyes went wide. "And it's a rich vein! The quality is even better than the top-grade goods sold in Tianxing City's market!"

"Not just that."

Zhou Wannian channeled spiritual power to his fingertips and sliced off a piece of Ore as if it were tofu. He crushed it between his fingers. The Ore shattered, leaving behind only a few sesame-seed-sized metal particles that emitted a dark, lusterless glow.

"This is... iron essence!"

Young Master Ling gasped sharply.

iron essence was an excellent auxiliary material for refining Magic Treasures, typically requiring extraction from thousands of jin of ordinary iron, a time-consuming and laborious process. But here, it actually existed in granular form, accompanying the fire copper Ore!

This wasn't a desolate island; it was a gold mine buried underground!

"Stop standing around gawking."

Zhou Wannian clapped his hands, the disheveled, fugitive appearance completely gone, replaced by the sternness of a foreman.

"Since the heavens are handing us a meal, we'd better take it."

"Fei Yu, take the brothers and clear out this main chamber. Move those ant corpses to block off unnecessary side passages, leaving only three ventilation holes. This will be our new home."

"Steward Liu, you take the Ling Family guards and are responsible for mining these exposed Ores. Remember, keep it quiet. No explosive talismans—dig by hand!"

"As for the Young City Lord..."

Zhou Wannian looked at Ling Yunxiao. This once pampered Young Master was now staring at him with eager eyes.

"Can you set up Formations?"

Ling Yunxiao shook his head.

"Can you refine artifacts?"

Another shake of the head.

"Then do you have strength?"

Ling Yunxiao gritted his teeth. "Yes!"

"Good." Zhou Wannian tossed him a mining shovel he'd 'acquired' from Zhenhai City. "Go dig Ore with Steward Liu. If you want to eat in this team, you have to work. We don't keep idle people here, not even former Young City Lords."

Ling Yunxiao took the shovel, looked at the grime already on his hands, a complex emotion flashing in his eyes. But in the end, he said nothing, silently turning and walking towards the crimson Ore wall.

At that moment, Tianxing City's Young Master Ling died.

What lived on was Outer Sea miner Ling Yunxiao... Three days later.

The underground nest had been completely transformed.

The former insect lair had been converted into a simple Immortal Cave. Zhou Wannian utilized the geothermal heat here to build a basic Artifact Refining furnace in the center of the main cavern.

"Hoo—"

Zhou Wannian sat cross-legged before the furnace, his hands forming a series of seals.

The furnace flames surged, enveloping a large chunk of freshly mined fire copper Ore. Under the intense heat, Impurities turned to smoke, and crimson copper liquid slowly flowed, finally coalescing into shape.

As for those precious iron essence particles, he carefully collected them, storing them in a special jade box.

"Three days, refined three hundred jin of scarlet refined fire copper, and two liang of iron essence."

Zhou Wannian looked at the results before him, calculating in his mind.

"This efficiency is acceptable."

"The scarlet refined fire copper can be used to repair and mass-produce 'palm thunder tubes.' These are hard currency in the Yao Beast Sea, a huge profit whether for personal use or future black market trade."

"As for the iron essence..."

He rubbed his chin.

"This stuff is too conspicuous to sell directly. Need to refine it into a shield or a Flying Sword, turn it into a finished Magical Artifact."

"Old Man Han."

Li Feiyu walked over, covered in dust, carrying a few seabirds and two strange-looking large fish. "The traps the brothers set at the island's edge yielded a catch. We can have meat tonight. Also..."

He lowered his voice. "Just now, a brother on lookout saw a streak of light flashing across the horizon. Looked like a Cultivator."

"Oh?"

Zhou Wannian's expression turned serious. "See clearly? Were they just passing by, or heading for the island?"

"Probably passing by. The light streak was moving fast, seemed like they were chasing some Yao Beast. Didn't look our way."

"Still, we can't let our guard down."

Zhou Wannian stood up, walked to the cave entrance, and pulled out over a dozen dull gray Formation Flags.

These were the 'Minor Illusory Obscurity Formation' flags he had recently refined using leftover materials.

"This island has no Spiritual Vein. The Formation runs entirely on Spirit Stones, so we have to use them sparingly."

"Fei Yu, plant these Formation Flags in the rock crevices around the island's perimeter. Only activate the 'Mist' and 'Qi Concealment' functions. From the outside, this island needs to look like a lifeless, spiritless rock."

"Also, tell everyone: no fires during the day, no activity on the surface. If you need fresh air, wait until night."

"Understood!" Li Feiyu accepted the order and left.

Zhou Wannian returned to the refining furnace, gazing into the flickering geothermal flames, lost in thought.

The Outer Sea was different from the Inner Sea. This was the Yao Beasts' domain. Human Cultivators could only huddle together in a few large stronghold islands.

Their group had no identity, no backing, not even a legitimate 'Beast Hunting Permit.' If they encountered another Cultivator team, they'd likely be slaughtered as easy prey.

"Need a legitimate identity."

"Also, need to get detailed nautical charts and maps of the Outer Sea's power distribution."

"Relying solely on mining won't carve out a future. This is just primitive accumulation."

Zhou Wannian's eyes gleamed.

He needed an Opportunity, a chance to make contact with the human factions in the Outer Sea without exposing his own background.

Right at that moment.

*Buzz.*

The Heavenly Secret Dao Disk in his chest suddenly vibrated slightly.

It wasn't him initiating a divination; the dao disk had sensed something on its own... an Opportunity, or rather, a pull of Karma.

Zhou Wannian's heart stirred. He immediately took out the dao disk.

The hour of Zi was approaching, but the divination symbols appeared early.

[Variable: Three hundred li southwest, 'Red Coral Trench.']

[Event: A beast hunting squad named 'Blood Shark' is encircling a 'Jadewater Golden-Eyed Beast' (Third-Tier, Low Grade). Both sides are mutually wounded.]

[Opportunity: The beast hunting squad is wiped out. The Yao Beast is severely injured, on the brink of death. Its lair contains a blank 'Beast Hunting Token' issued by the 'Star Sea Alliance.']

[Fortune: Moderately Auspicious (The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind).]

Zhou Wannian's eyes suddenly lit up.

A Beast Hunting Token!

That was a protective talisman for Loose Cultivators in the Outer Sea. With it, one could freely enter and exit major stronghold islands, trade supplies, even accept missions.

And it was 'blank,' meaning it could be directly bound by blood essence to register a new Beast Hunting Team.

This was like having a pillow delivered just as you were about to sleep.

"It seems our Wannian Talisman Array Shop will have to hang a 'Beast Hunting Team' sign first."

Zhou Wannian extinguished the furnace flames, stood up, and straightened his robes.

"Ling Yunxiao, stop digging."

He shouted into the depths of the mine.

"Bring your sword, and those guards who can still fight."

Ling Yunxiao, face covered in black soot, ran out holding his mining shovel, looking confused. "Old Man Han, where to? We're not mining anymore?"

"Not anymore."

A familiar, cold smirk belonging to 'Thunder Lord' curled at the corner of Zhou Wannian's mouth.

"Taking you to... pick up a license."

"And, incidentally, teach you the first lesson of survival in the Outer Sea."

"The lesson is called—"

"'Looting the Corpses.'"