As expected, no matter how good the relationship is with the Celestial Human Ancestor of others, it’s never as convenient as having one’s own Celestial Human Ancestor. Now the Ping’an Wang Family has everything ready, all they lack is a true Celestial Human Ancestor of their own.

The one most promising, of course, is Ancestor Longyan.

Back in the day, due to an injury, her cultivation was stalled at the mid-stage Spirit Platform Realm for over fifty years. After recovering, she cultivated both Profound Ice and Yin Sha, biding her time, and in recent years her cultivation has advanced rapidly.

If she could obtain a suitable Yin Sha Technique to cultivate alongside the Profound Ice True Technique, her speed might increase even more. This is also one of the reasons why Wang Shouzhe is so keen to combat the hidden sponsors of the Yin Sha Sect.

There’s still a possibility that the hidden sponsor possesses a Yin Sha Attribute Technique.

His requirement isn’t high, as long as it reaches Middle Grade.

...

Hundred Islands Guard.

Geographically speaking, the Hundred Islands Guard is actually located at the southernmost edge of the entire Daqian map. Further south is the Outer Sea.

The Outer Sea, like the Outer Domain, refers to the sea regions that humans have yet to develop. The waters of the Outer Sea are deep, the waves are high, the climate is harsh with frequent hurricanes and tsunamis, not to mention the powerful marine ferocious beasts roaming about, making it a region fraught with peril, often more so than the Outer Domain.

Even with ample preparation, exploring the Outer Sea involves significant risk, and even with a Celestial Human Realm Cultivator in charge, one cannot claim to be foolproof.

However, within the Inner Sea, due to the shallow waters and small waves, powerful marine ferocious beasts rarely appear. Moreover, with the protection of noble families like the Hundred Islands Guard Zhong Family, it is gradually becoming more prosperous.

If someone were to conduct a population census of the Hundred Islands Guard, they would find that its population has nearly doubled compared to five hundred years ago, with even more fishing boats traversing the sea.

Large cargo ships laden with goods occasionally sail by, stirring up flying waves, proclaiming the prosperity of commerce in the Hundred Islands Guard.

At a certain southwestern location within the Hundred Islands Guard, there is a small private island.

This island is named "Zhongshan Island." Though small in area, its geographical position is exceptionally strategic, being not only easy to defend and hard to attack but also near important shipping routes; it’s currently the most crucial private island owned by the Zhong Family.

Here lies the main residence of the Zhong Family, also the place where the Zhong Family’s Celestial Human Ancestor cultivates.

Because of this, patrol boats of the Zhong Family patrol around Zhongshan Island daily. As such, it is considered one of the safest sea regions in the entire Hundred Islands Guard, and many fishermen are happy to live in, around, and fish in these waters, as it is much safer.

Liu An is one of the fishermen living in these waters.

On this day, he and his elder brother, along with a few other cousins, were sailing out to sea, net fishing in the nearby waters, when they noticed the Zhong Family’s patrol boat unusually appearing on the sea in front of them around noon.

"What’s going on?" Liu An’s elder brother was a bit uneasy, "Could it be something happened?"

As they spoke, the distance between the fishing boat and the patrol boat had already shortened significantly.

Noticing a familiar figure standing at the ship’s railing, Liu An quickly picked up the flag at the bow of their boat and waved it vigorously, cupping his hands around his mouth and shouting toward the distant patrol boat, "Eldest Cousin Han, what’s happening at sea?"

The figure on the opposite side was indeed his cousin from his mother’s side, Han Ying, one of the household generals of the Zhong Family, typically working on the patrol boat.

"Oh, it’s Little An." Han Ying also noticed the fishing boat on this side, and seeing it was a relative, he smiled warmly and explained, "A Tier Four Sea Beast has strayed into these waters, and we’re conducting a wide-scale hunt. It’s not safe around here right now, so don’t fish in this area and head back~"

Upon hearing this, Liu An’s brothers all became immediately tense.

Their fishing boat was bought by pooling resources from several families. Although sturdy and solid enough to withstand the near-sea winds and waves, it couldn’t handle an encounter with a formidable sea beast.

If they were unlucky enough to encounter the sea beast, or it happened to crash into their net, it would be bad news, with damaged fishing nets being the least of their worries, as they could easily lose lives.

"Let’s go, let’s go~ No fishing today. We’ll wait until the Tier Four Sea Beast is caught."

Liu An’s elder brother, who has always been timid, immediately thanked Han Ying and prepared to head back with his brothers. Fishing can always be done; missing a day or two wouldn’t matter. The safety of his brothers was the most important.

Just as their fishing boat was slowly turning away, suddenly, from the distant sea, a gigantic, large-sail merchant ship appeared.

The merchant ship was massive, with towering masts and enormous white sails billowing in the wind. From afar, it looked like a colossal deep-sea monster.

It cut through the sea surface, speeding past alongside their fishing boat. The huge waves surged behind the merchant ship, creating white splashes.

As the distance closed, the oppressive sense of that gigantic ship became stronger. The deck of their family’s fishing boat wasn’t even at the height of the merchant ship’s waist, making it appear like a toy for playing house, the contrast stark and severe.

Liu An, considering himself to have seen quite a few merchant ships, was still struck by it, feeling a sense of awe: "Whose ship is that? It’s just too big!"

"Did you see the flag at the bow?" Liu An’s elder brother, more knowledgeable, pointed out, "That’s the emblem of the Ping’an Wang Family. This should be a large merchant ship of the Ping’an Wang Family. Such ships need to be specially made; ordinary families can’t afford one."

Hearing his elder brother say this, Liu An’s eyes lit up: "Is it that Ping’an Wang Family? The one almost pushing the Celestial Person Huangfu Family of Changning Guard out?"

The distance between Changning Guard and the Hundred Islands Guard isn’t short, and typically, minor events are hard to pass along here. However, the meat price dispute between the Ping’an Wang Family and the Huangfu Family has been ongoing for three years, even causing meat prices in the Hundred Islands Guard to drop significantly, and the common fishermen like them have heard a lot.

Thus, he immediately caught on.

"Yes, it’s that Ping’an Wang Family."

Liu An’s elder brother nodded, continuously sighing and marveling internally.

He’s heard that under the Ping’an Wang Family’s jurisdiction, every household lives a good life, but he doesn’t know if it’s true?

Unfortunately, their family has been fishing for generations; apart from this sea, he knows nothing else. Otherwise, he would really like to see it for himself.

As they spoke, the gigantic merchant ship had already sped past the sea before them, heading in the direction of Zhongshan Island.

...