Zenxin Island, thousands of feet up in the air.
Deep within the thick clouds, a dim, grayish-brown Flying Ship, less than a hundred feet long, lay motionless, perfectly concealed.
Inside the cabin, eight cultivators in various attire sat in a circle, silently observing the scene through a Magical Projection Light Mirror.
The two in the lead were Foundation Establishnt Cultivators, while the others ranged from the Qi Cultivation 4th Layer to the 9th Layer.
This was a team of cultivators from the Mu Family of the Wilderness Islands. Their intentions were self-evident.
"...The Ling Family’s sudden surge in power is seriously interfering with our family’s expansion plans!"
After a long silence, a middle-aged Foundation Establishnt Cultivator with ice-cold eyes spoke up.
A younger Female Cultivator nodded slightly. "It’s true. Before this, there were very few powers in the Feiyu Sea Region that could compare to our family. I never expected the Ling Family to just pop up out of nowhere."
For the past century, the Mu Family’s primary strategy for expanding its territory had been to divide and conquer.
Once the ti was right, they would concentrate their family’s superior strength and use overwhelming force to annihilate their opponents in a single strike, absorbing their territory, all their businesses, and even their subjects.
This strategy had proven infallible against smaller powers with only one, or perhaps two or three, Foundation Establishnt Cultivators.
Even when facing alliances of smaller powers that banded together for mutual protection, the Mu Family could still employ tactics of sowing discord and political maneuvering to deal with them.
Tackling the easy before the difficult, growing from small to large, the Mu Family had expanded step by step in this manner.
However, when faced with a power of comparable strength, such as the Ling Family, the Mu Family’s leadership found the situation rather thorny.
The middle-aged man said, "If it were only a matter of their number of Foundation Establishnt Cultivators being close to ours, it wouldn’t be difficult to defeat them with our family’s hidden trump cards. The real concern is what other tricks they might have up their sleeve."
In the Feiyu Sea Region, six Foundation Establishnt Pills were an absolutely staggering fortune.
Even the current Mu Family couldn’t produce such a vast quantity of resources at once. This was a strategic asset capable of determining a family’s very survival.
So where did the Ling Family acquire such resources? Even if their Patriarch, Ling Qiyue, can perform alchemy herself, the ingredients are just as precious and difficult to obtain.
The Female Cultivator said, "They must have sothing else up their sleeve. I believe there are only two possibilities for how the Ling Family could suddenly produce so many Foundation Establishnt Cultivators."
"First, they’ve co across so special, fortuitous opportunity. Second, so unidentified major power has intervened, willing to support their rise to beco the rulers of this region of the sea."
Either scenario would be extrely disadvantageous for the Mu Family.
The only good news was that the Wilderness Islands were quite far from Zenxin Island, so their spheres of influence were not yet in contact.
But years from now, once the Ling Family has gradually absorbed the smaller powers around them, a direct confrontation with the Mu Family will be inevitable.
When that ti cos, an all-out war will be inevitable.
The war would not end until one side was utterly destroyed.
The middle-aged man fell silent for a mont before whispering, "Is there no way to stop the Ling Family’s rise now? We should at least cause them so trouble."
"We can try, but I can’t guarantee how effective it will be."
The Female Cultivator replied, "Our forces here are limited. We’ve only planted a few spies and established a handful of businesses. We can’t accomplish much with that."
The middle-aged man weighed his options and finally shook his head.
"If that’s the case, then it’s better not to act at all. We can’t sacrifice our people for nothing. Let’s return and discuss this with the Patriarch and the others first."
"Very well."
None of the other cultivators objected. A few breaths later, the Flying Ship changed course and vanished silently over the horizon.
...
「Deep Sea Region.」
Ling Changqing was currently behind a giant boulder. With his Snow Shadow Sword, he easily carved a large cave into the hard rock face and ducked inside.
Next, he took out twelve small, exquisite Array Banners and laid an Array Restriction around the cave’s entrance to block the terrifying pressure of the sea.
Then, Ling Changqing took out a Bronze Furnace he had prepared earlier from his Storage Pouch, along with a grill and various pots and pans, and got to work.
In just a few monts, the broth in the Bronze Furnace was roiling and boiling under the intense heat. A whole Tiger-striped Purple Starfish was stewing inside, its enticing aroma filling the cave.
These Second Rank Sea Beasts, about ten feet long, always travel in schools when they forage, so it wasn’t easy to find a straggler to target.
Of course, Ling Changqing’s luck was good today. He had spotted an opportunity to kill one with a sneak attack before making a high-speed escape, narrowly avoiding the pursuit of the other Tiger-striped Purple Starfish.
Ling Changqing opened his Storage Pouch and sorted through a pile of harvested items. He selected six or seven types of suitable Grade Two Spirit dicine and Spiritual Herbs—about a hundred plants in total—washed and prepared them, then tossed them all into the large Bronze Furnace to stew.
As for the Rank One resources like Moonlight Vine Gourds, Rainbow Shadow Shrimp, and Qingling Sea Flowers, Ling Changqing was now eating them like snacks, leaving only a small portion to take back and report.
More than half an hour later, seeing that the fish in the Bronze Furnace was cooked through, Ling Changqing picked up a brass ladle and a sea-jade bowl. He served himself a heaping portion and began to feast.
As a mber of the gluttonous empire in his past life, Ling Changqing had an extraordinary fondness for all sorts of delicacies. Now that he had the ans to do so at the bottom of the sea, he was naturally going to eat his fill.
The fresh, tender fish lted in his mouth, and along with the scalding broth, it transford into a surging wave of heat that spread through his body, leaving him feeling warm and indescribably comfortable.
Compared to treating himself at Xianwei Pavillion on Zenxin Island, where the prices were exorbitant and the portions were limited, this was far more satisfying.
But here in the Deep Sea, all sorts of high-end seafood ingredients were readily available—and free, as long as one had the skill to catch them.
With each bowl of fish soup he consud, Ling Changqing felt the Spiritual Power within him grow denser and purer. The effect was almost equivalent to taking three to five Profound Yin Blood Essence Pills.
The only downside was that his entire body grew hot and his skin turned red. As the Spiritual Power churned within him, he felt as if his physical body and Divine Soul were about to burst.
Fortunately, the Era Star Palace in his sea of consciousness reacted just in ti. A soft, clear light scattered down, enveloping his entire body and effortlessly calming the restless Spiritual Power, allowing him to smoothly digest the rich energy contained in the fish.
Before long, the nearly man-high Bronze Furnace was empty. Ling Changqing had devoured every last bit of the ingredients, right down to the last drop of broth.
He sat down to ditate and regulate his breathing. Once the Spiritual Power in his body had completely stabilized, Ling Changqing dismantled the Array, collected the Array Banners, and left the cave.
A quarter of an hour later, Ling Changqing rode his Escape Light to the surface. He didn’t need a small boat to pick him up, flying directly back to the foredeck of the Sea Boat.
"...Young man, you’re back?"
Steward Tian Wenhua greeted him with a wide smile.
Ling Changqing nodded and exchanged a few pleasantries with him before opening the several Storage Pouches at his waist and emptying their contents.
An expectant Tian Wenhua imdiately called over a group of servants to help sort and tally the haul.
Before long, the entire haul had been tallied. In the end, Ling Changqing received 150 Spirit Stones and two hundred family contribution points.
"Now that business is taken care of, co have a drink with !"
Ling Zifeng, who had been sitting at a table drinking by himself, smiled and called out when he saw Ling Changqing was finished.
Ling Changqing agreed, put away his Storage Pouch, and went to sit across from him. A nearby Maid imdiately ca over to pour him a drink.
Steward Tian Wenhua watched with a good-natured smile. ’To think this young man once relied on the patronage of a Lord Steward. In just a few short years, he’s already reached the Qi Cultivation Seventh Level and beco an important figure deeply trusted by the Patriarch.’
"...Changqing, you’ll definitely reach Foundation Establishnt soday, right?"
Ling Zifeng raised his cup, studying the purple-robed youth across from him, a hint of emotion welling up inside.
Ling Changqing nodded, not shying away from the question. "It should only be a matter of ti."
"That’s good,"
Ling Zifeng sighed, his expression turning sowhat wistful.
"It’s a sha my own aptitude is so poor. Foundation Establishnt is hopeless for . Reaching the late stage of Qi Cultivation is the absolute limit for in this lifeti."
Ling Changqing fell silent. ’With Ling Zifeng’s status, getting ordinary Cultivation Resources shouldn’t be difficult. But his innate aptitude is just too poor. There’s nothing that can be done about that.’
"Changqing, my friend, could I ask a favor of you?"
Ling Zifeng’s expression grew serious as he spoke in a low voice.
"None of my children have outstanding aptitude, but I have a niece who is quite decent. In the future, if it’s convenient, could you perhaps look out for her a bit?"
"That’s no problem. I promise," Ling Changqing said solemnly. ’He was, after all, the first Noble I t after arriving in this world. It’s only right that I repay him for our past friendship.’
"Then I’ll be counting on you."
Ling Zifeng looked relieved. ’I didn’t misjudge him, after all.’
’He had originally thought about introducing his niece to Ling Changqing as a potential Dao Companion, but it was clear now that she was out of his league. Still, this was good enough.’
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