116: Qiyuan Island and the "Understated" Art

Outer Sea, Qiyuan Island.

This is a giant island suspended in the deep sea, entirely composed of basalt as black as ink. From a distance, it looks like an ancient beast lurking on the sea surface. Above the island, a thick, light green light barrier covers the entire island, isolating the violent sea winds and omnipresent Demonic Qi.

As the largest human stronghold in the Outer Sea, it is not only a paradise for Loose Cultivators but also a hotbed of crime.

A tattered, even leaky, grayish-blue Flying Boat swayed its way into the busy port.

"So many people... so many high-level Cultivators."

Ling Yunxiao stood at the bow, already having changed into an inconspicuous gray cloth short jacket, his face also smeared with some yellow powder for disguise, making him look like a laborer who had toiled at sea for years.

He looked at the dense crowd of Cultivators in the port, secretly startled. Any one of them casually pulled out carried a strong aura of blood and evil, clearly experienced in dangerous livelihoods.

"Don't look around. Head down, chest in, shoulders hunched."

Zhou Wannian (now using the alias Han Li, nicknamed Old Man Han) hunched his body, leaning on a cane that looked like it would break at any moment, and reminded him via Divine Sense.

"Remember, we are now 'Green Robe Tower', a motley crew who just fled from another sea area and couldn't make a living. Our demeanor should exude 'poverty' and 'humility' so that we aren't mistaken for fat sheep."

Upon hearing this, Ling Yunxiao immediately bent his waist and his gaze became evasive.

After the changes in Zhenhai City and these few days of training, his acting skills had made a qualitative leap... Black Stone Hall, Demon Hunting Alliance Office.

This was the busiest place on Qiyuan Island, and also the core for all Demon Hunting Teams to register, accept missions, and trade intelligence.

Zhou Wannian led Ling Yunxiao, painstakingly pushing through the crowd, and arrived at a secluded counter.

Behind the counter sat a female Cultivator in the Early Foundation Establishment Stage, idly trimming her nails, without even lifting an eyelid.

"What do you want?"

"Greetings, Fairy, good fortune, Fairy."

Zhou Wannian revealed a mouth full of yellow teeth, a wide smile on his face, and handed over the newly recognized Demon Hunting Token. "This old man, Han Li, with a few good-for-nothing Juniors, wants to make a living here on Qiyuan Island. This is our token; we'd like to register."

The female Cultivator glanced at the token, then sized up Zhou Wannian's shabby attire, a hint of disdain flashing in her eyes.

"Newcomers? What's your name? What's your main direction? Hunting sea beasts? Or gathering Spiritual Plants?"

"Reporting to Fairy, we are 'Green Robe Tower'."

Zhou Wannian rubbed his hands, looking ashamed. "This old man's cultivation is low, and those Juniors are clumsy. We dare not hunt great demons in the deep sea. We just want to take on some... auxiliary tasks."

"Auxiliary tasks?" The female Cultivator frowned.

"Yes, like repairing damaged Formations, helping the lords clean up battlefields, or... transporting Yao Beast corpses and such."

Zhou Wannian pulled out a heavy Storage Pouch from his sleeve and subtly placed it by the female Cultivator's hand.

"This is a small token of my appreciation, please be accommodating, Fairy, and arrange an... inconspicuous spot for us."

The female Cultivator's Divine Sense swept over it; the Storage Pouch contained one hundred Mid-Grade Spirit Stones.

For an Early Foundation Establishment Stage Cultivator, this wasn't a huge sum, but it was certainly not small either.

Her expression instantly softened, even revealing a hint of a smile.

"Alright, Old Man Han, is it? You, as a Senior, truly understand the rules."

She swiftly imbued a Spiritual Light into the token and registered it in the roster.

[Green Robe Tower: Class D Demon Hunting Team. Specialization: Formation maintenance, logistical cleanup.]

"Done."

The female Cultivator tossed the token back, kindly reminding him, "Since you're doing logistics, just stay in the 'outer zone'. The Inner Sea hasn't been peaceful recently; I heard a few fourth-tier Yao Beasts are causing trouble, and many Class B teams have fallen. Your Class D small frames should stay far away."

"Yes, yes, thank you for the advice, Fairy! We'll just have a little soup on the side, definitely not greedy."

Zhou Wannian gratefully accepted the token, offering numerous thanks, and retreated with Ling Yunxiao.

Outside the great hall, Ling Yunxiao finally let out a long breath.

"Old Man Han, one hundred Mid-Grade Spirit Stones... just to register? Isn't that too exorbitant?"

"That's called a toll fee."

Zhou Wannian put away his humble facade, his eyes returning to their calm state. "Spending a small amount of money to buy the identity of a 'transparent person' is super worth it. From now on, in the eyes of Qiyuan Island's officials, we are a group of harmless cleaners. This identity can help us avoid 99% of troubles."

...Next was the fencing of stolen goods.

Zhou Wannian chose not to sell the items to a single shop. Instead, he took Ling Yunxiao and Li Feiyu, splitting them up like ants moving house, shuttling through the various markets of Qiyuan Island.

"Thunder Whale skin, cut into thirty pieces, sold in batches to five armor shops."

"Thunder Whale bones, ground into powder, sold to Alchemy shops."

"As for the Storage Pouches of those 'Blood Shark' team members..."

In a deserted alley, Zhou Wannian took out all the Magical Artifacts with obvious personal markings.

"These things cannot be sold directly; they're too conspicuous."

He conjured his Pill Fire, erasing all Family emblems and special patterns on the Magical Artifacts, and even deliberately made nicks in several intact Flying Swords, aging them into "damaged Magical Artifacts."

"Sell these as 'scrap' to the black market's recycling station."

"Although the price is a bit lower, it's safer."

They were busy for an entire day.

As night fell, the pile of "stolen goods" in Zhou Wannian's hands had all transformed into tangible Spirit Stones.

After deducting the settlement fees and Cultivation resources for his brothers, he still had a net of fifty thousand Spirit Stones.

"This is the first pot of gold."

Zhou Wannian looked at the mountain of Spirit Stones piled in the Storage Pouch, feeling somewhat at ease.

Money gives courage. With this money, he had established a foothold on Qiyuan Island... The night was deep.

Money gives courage. With this money, he had established a foothold on Qiyuan Island... The night was deep.

Zhou Wannian rented a secluded Immortal Cave located on the edge of Qiyuan Island, right next to a cliff.

The Spiritual Qi here was thin, and usually no one came, but it was quiet, and the sea was right behind, making it convenient for escape.

Inside the Immortal Cave.

Li Feiyu and his brothers were cleaning, while Ling Yunxiao was organizing the newly purchased Formation Materials.

Zhou Wannian entered the innermost secret chamber alone and activated the newly arranged "Small Sumeru Obscuring Formation."

He sat cross-legged and took out the Heavenly Secret Dao Disk.

Throughout the day, although he was busy fencing stolen goods, his ears and Divine Sense were never idle.

Conversations in the market, gossip in shops, and even the whispers of beggars by the roadside were all collected by him, piecing together the current situation of Qiyuan Island in his mind.

"Outwardly prosperous, but with undercurrents surging."

"The pressure from the Yao Beast tide is growing, and Star Palace's control over this place is weakening. Various forces are engaging in increasingly frequent private skirmishes to compete for resources."

"But that's not the most crucial point."

Zhou Wannian recalled a sentence the female Cultivator had inadvertently mentioned in the Black Stone Hall during the day—"The Inner Sea isn't peaceful; there are fourth-tier Yao Beasts causing trouble."

Fourth-tier Yao Beasts are beings at the Nascent Soul Stage.

Normally, Yao Beasts of this level would be dormant in the abyss, so why would they suddenly come out to cause trouble?

"Unless... something is attracting them."

Zhou Wannian took a deep breath and injected Spiritual Qi into the Heavenly Secret Dao Disk.

The hour of Zi (midnight) had arrived.

"May I ask the heavenly secret."

"Are there any great Opportunities or great dangers on Qiyuan Island recently? What is the suitable entry point for 'Green Robe Tower' given its current strength?"

Buzz—

The Heavenly Secret Dao Disk rotated in the darkness, emitting a faint golden light.

A moment later, several lines of text appeared:

[Divination Result: Medium Auspicious (seeking wealth amidst danger)]

[Current Situation: A crack leading to the 'Ancient Underwater Battlefield' has appeared in the 'Abandoned Mining Area' on the west side of Qiyuan Island due to changes in the earth's pulse.]

[Opportunity: In the outer perimeter of the ancient battlefield, a large number of damaged Magic Treasures and Formation Flags left behind by ancient Cultivators are scattered. Due to being covered by 'Evil Qi', ordinary Cultivators cannot go deep or stay for long.]

[Entry Point: Green Robe Tower possesses 'evil warding talisman' and 'Pure Heart Formation' (Zhou Wannian's unique skill), which can ignore the outer Evil Qi. Contract the area under the guise of 'cleaning up trash' and secretly scavenge ancient treasure fragments.]

[Warning: Baleful Corpses wander in the depths of the crack; do not penetrate more than five li.]

"Ancient Underwater Battlefield? Picking up trash?"

Zhou Wannian looked at the divination result, his lips curving upwards uncontrollably.

This was practically a dungeon tailor-made for him!

In the eyes of others, it was a garbage dump, filled with Evil Qi, to be avoided at all costs.

But in the eyes of him, a Talisman Formation Master who possessed the Cloud Seal Heavenly Scripture (specializing in countering evil spirits) and a vast number of evil warding talismans, it was a treasure basin with gold everywhere!

"Contracting the Abandoned Mining Area..."

"It fits our 'cleaner' persona and allows us to make a fortune quietly."

"Moreover, that place is remote, so no one will compete for it."

Zhou Wannian put away the Dao disk, his eyes gleaming with shrewdness.

"Ling Yunxiao, don't sleep."

He walked out of the secret chamber and called out.

"Old Man Han, what is it?" Ling Yunxiao put down his work.

"First thing tomorrow morning, go to the Demon Hunting Alliance."

Zhou Wannian threw him a bag full of Spirit Stones.

"Go and rent that unwanted 'Abandoned Mining Area' on the west side of Qiyuan Island."

"Just say that our Green Robe Tower wants to build a... garbage recycling station there."

"Garbage recycling station?" Ling Yunxiao and Li Feiyu exchanged glances, completely unable to follow their lord's train of thought.

"Yes."

Zhou Wannian stood with his hands behind his back, looking at the dark sea outside the window, his tone bold and unrestrained.

"From tomorrow onwards, our Green Robe Tower's main business will officially launch."

"The name of this business is—"

"Antique Treasure Hunting, Fair to All."