The waters of White Iron Island.

The enigmatic Jiuyuan, master of bizarre techniques, used the Water Escape Skill repeatedly to flee hundreds of miles away!

He cautiously checked his robes and body several times.

’No marks were left behind.’

’And Sikong Xin didn’t give chase.’

’For now, it seems my Jiuyuan identity has them fooled.’

’Whew... That was a real thrill, pulling a bluff and running for it... Hahaha!’

Once he was certain he was safe, an irrepressible grin spread across ’Jiuyuan’s’ face.

HUM.

A magnificent spiritual light surged around his body, and in the blink of an eye...

’Jiuyuan’s’ face dissipated like a soap bubble, revealing Su Ye’s features!

That’s right.

The so-called ’Jiuyuan’ was a persona Su Ye had crafted using the Illusion Spirit Pearl!

He had created it for the sole purpose of trading with Weiyuan Immortal City for resources.

After all, Su Ye could hardly use his true identity to trade with Weiyuan Immortal City.

Defeating a Late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator with a Secret Technique while only at the Mid-stage was already an astonishing feat!

Slaying a Tier-Three Demon King...

If word of that got out...

Even Golden Core Masters from distant seas might take an interest!

Besides, Su Ye was convinced that if he used his true identity to trade with Weiyuan Immortal City...

...there was a ninety-nine percent chance they would choose to kill him for his treasures!

The so-called ’reputation’ of the Immortal City was nothing but a pragmatic calculation, a balance of interests that only held as long as the prize wasn’t tempting enough.

’To trade with Weiyuan Immortal City as an equal, I need to be at least at the Crystal stage.’

This was precisely why Su Ye had gone to such great lengths to create the ’Jiuyuan’ persona!

A Divine Sense that surpassed Foundation Establishment Perfection, the concealing effect of the Illusion Spirit Pearl, the oceanic authority granted by the Heart of the Vast Sea, the Water Escape Skill...

All these things made it possible for Su Ye to masquerade as a Crystal-stage cultivator!

’Of course, this identity is good enough to fool those at the Foundation Establishment stage.’

’But if I came face-to-face with a real Crystal-stage cultivator, there’s a good chance my cover would be blown...’

’However...’ A smile touched Su Ye’s lips, and a confident, calculating gleam shone in his eyes.

He was over seventy percent certain.

...that when the time for the trade arrived, no Crystal-stage Master from Weiyuan Immortal City would be present!

Sikong Xin was still grievously injured; his condition was little better than the white whale’s had been.

From the Immortal City’s perspective, if ’Jiuyuan’ could slay the white whale, finishing off Sikong Xin would not be much more difficult...

’In truth, it would be pretty damn hard...’ Su Ye grumbled to himself.

After all, his soul-chasing, life-taking technique was still on cooldown.

Without that Quasi-Technique, it was virtually impossible for Su Ye to slay a Crystal-stage cultivator at his current level.

If Sikong Xin had actually shown up, Su Ye would have been in deep trouble.

’But... judging by my probing and Bai Xiuying’s reaction...’

’Sikong Xin is still grievously injured...’

’And given the situation Weiyuan Immortal City is facing, I’d say there’s a seventy-percent chance he won’t dare to risk it!’

Weiyuan Immortal City was on the brink of all-out war with the Cyan Profound Sect, the hegemon of this sea region!

At a critical time like this, Sikong Xin wouldn’t dare take the risk, if only for the sake of the faction he represented.

As for Canghai...

A man of his stature wouldn’t court needless danger.

The old man didn’t have much of his lifespan left to begin with, and he was preparing to break through the Golden Core bottleneck.

What if he tried to ambush ’Jiuyuan’?

What if Jiuyuan unleashed a Quasi-Technique before death and injured Canghai in the process?

How would he make his attempt on the Golden Core realm then?

’The older you get, the smaller your nerve.’

’When a peaceful trade is an option, the chances of Canghai risking an attack are minuscule.’

’Now... we’ll see what happens in two months...’

Su Ye was filled with anticipation.

In the jade slip, he had listed numerous demands.

For each demand they met, Su Ye would provide a corresponding portion of Whale Brain Oil, enough to produce one Heart Guarding and Calming Candle!

Among these demands were things like ’breakthrough pills for the Mid-stage Crystal realm’ and ’Crystal-grade Spiritual Objects’. 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

Items that befitted ’Jiuyuan’s’ status, but were extremely rare and precious!

Even for an organization with the capabilities of Weiyuan Immortal City, collecting these Spiritual Objects would be exceedingly difficult.

In truth, Su Ye never expected to obtain these Spiritual Objects.

’The items are great, but I have no use for them right now...’

Su Ye had hidden his true objectives behind these high-value decoys.

For example...

’A million living souls, and the Key of Earth!’

...

「Two months later.」

Su Ye transformed into ’Jiuyuan’ and approached White Iron Island.

He activated the Heart of the Vast Sea, amplifying his Divine Sense Perception, and swept it carefully across the entire sea region.

Sikong Xin and the Immortal City Fleet were gone.

On the island, only Bai Xiuying stood waiting on the shore.

’Excellent. Just as I predicted, no Crystal-stage Master arrived...’

Su Ye felt a wave of relief.

Even though he had been highly confident, reality, unlike fiction, doesn’t always follow logic.

It was entirely possible for Weiyuan Immortal City to do something completely irrational.

Fortunately, that didn’t happen.

No Crystal-stage Master was present.

The mysterious ’Jiuyuan’ prepared to make his entrance.

Using the Water Escape to shape his form, the androgynously handsome Daoist appeared before Bai Xiuying.

"Have you brought what I asked for?" Su Ye asked coolly.

"Greetings, Senior Jiuyuan... Please, inspect the items."

Bai Xiuying’s heart tightened. She bowed and presented a Storage Ring.

Su Ye’s Divine Sense stirred, sweeping over the Storage Ring.

’What a large Storage Ring...’

This Storage Ring contained hundreds of cubic meters of space, vast enough to hold several small spirit-powered boats!

And the items within made Su Ye’s heart leap with delight!

The Pioneer Certificate: the Key of Earth.

It was right there among the items!

Besides that, there was also a piece of Formless Cloud Smoke Jade.

It looked like jade but was in fact ethereal and formless like mist—a rather rare Tier-Three material for Artifact Refining!

Incorporating this jade into a magical artifact during the refining process could significantly enhance its quality!

’Not bad. The Formless Cloud Smoke Jade, the Yunshan Sacred Object...’

"Hm? Why are there only 240,000 living souls? This paltry amount is not nearly enough for my refinement needs..."

Su Ye raised an eyebrow, his cold gaze sweeping over Bai Xiuying and making her tremble.

"Senior, a million living souls... it was truly impossible to gather that many..." Bai Xiuying said, her voice trembling.

"Impossible? I’ve heard your Nine Nether Blood Sea Array contains tens of millions of souls, does it not?"

Su Ye feigned displeasure.

To be honest, he understood. The war between Weiyuan Immortal City and the Cyan Profound Sect was on the verge of breaking out.

At such a critical time, they would never draw souls from the Nine Nether Blood Sea Array and weaken its power.

He was already mostly satisfied with getting 240,000 souls.

He was simply playing the part of an unorthodox master to prevent her from growing suspicious.

"Senior, please consider these 240,000 souls a free gift, a bonus for this transaction."

Bai Xiuying explained softly, her sharp brows lowered.

"A bonus, you say? Not bad..."

"In that case, I will count this trade as fulfilling the requirements for two portions of Whale Brain Oil."

With the transaction complete and the Whale Brain Oil secured, Bai Xiuying’s expression relaxed, and she let out a sigh of relief.

"Thank you, Senior... I wonder if you would be willing to part with any of the other spoils from the white whale, for example... the Tier-Three Demon Pill?"

"Our offered compensation will absolutely be to your satisfaction, Senior..."

Bai Xiuying asked respectfully.

"If I am interested, I will contact you."

Su Ye’s expression remained cold. He took a single step, activated the Water Escape, and his figure vanished.

...