An unknown amount of time passed.

The sky grew dim as night began to fall.

Seeing nothing new, Lin Hui led the other two into the ship’s cabin to eat and rest.

This pattern repeated day after day as the fleet sailed through the emerald sea, constantly shifting between high and normal temperatures. More than half a month passed in a flash, and they finally left the Jade Sea to enter the Crystal Sea.

"So this is the Crystal Sea? It’s beautiful..."

In the main hall of the cabin, Lin Hui and the others from the Lin Mansion gathered by a round porthole, marveling at the vast, shimmering white expanse of the Crystal Sea outside.

"The Crystal Sea is an ocean made of countless tiny crystals. It connects to the Jade Sea through the Baiyi Strait. We’ve just passed through the strait and are now at the edge of the Crystal Sea," the black captain explained. "The Crystal Sea is relatively safe. In a little while, you can all go onto the deck to pick up some sea crystals as souvenirs. But remember to wear your heat-resistant suits."

"Heat-resistant suits? Is it hot outside right now?" someone asked.

"Yes. The temperature outside is around 300 rings. If you go out without a heat-resistant suit, you’ll be burned to death instantly," the black captain nodded.

rings!!

A chill went down Lin Hui’s spine. ’Damn, that’s over a thousand degrees! Is the Crystal Sea really this extreme?’

’What kind of ship is this? It’s just plowing ahead through thousand-degree temperatures!?’

He found it a little hard to believe.

After hearing the captain’s words, the majority, fearing for their lives, decided against it. Only a few people requested to go onto the deck to pick up sea crystals. The rest chose to stay in the cabin and enjoy the view from there.

Fortunately, the journey was tense but safe. About two weeks later, they successfully crossed the calm Crystal Sea.

The outside temperature also dropped rapidly, returning to a normal range.

But Lin Hui understood that without the specially constructed hulls of the Heaven’s Gift Fleet, ordinary people couldn’t even dream of crossing these two seas.

From the numerous Sea Beasts, toxic acid rain, and high-temperature fog of the Jade Sea, to the scorching, ultra-high temperatures of the Crystal Sea.

On this journey, if they had been on one of the normal sea vessels from his previous life, it probably would have melted and disintegrated halfway through.

After stopping at a transit port for repairs and resupply, the fleet finally entered a stable region called the Fringe Sea. Two days later, they successfully arrived at Black Cloud City.

*

*

*

「On the coast of the Fringe Sea.」

A tall, straight, white lighthouse swept a pillar of pure white light through the mist.

Below and in front of the lighthouse was a semicircular bay, packed densely with a massive number of sea vessels.

Behind the lighthouse was a colossal city encircled by a white wall.

The towering white wall dwarfed the several-hundred-meter-tall lighthouse, making it seem like a miniature, insignificant toy.

Even its thick beam of light seemed as slender and tiny as an embroidery needle.

At that moment, the fleet, flying black Heaven’s Gift flags, was slowly sailing into the bay.

Soon, the fleet docked, the gangplanks were lowered, and people began to disembark one after another.

"So that’s Black Cloud City?" Lin Hui gazed at the enormous white wall. It looked somewhat familiar.

"Yep, this is Black Cloud. As for the white wall, the Federation has them everywhere. It’s standard for separating the Outer and Inner Cities. It’s only natural it looks familiar," the black captain said with a smile.

"Alright everyone, you can enter and exit the Outer City freely. For purchases, you can use Federation-issued gold notes and silver notes, though Feather Blood is best, of course. However, this place is much, much more prosperous and developed than where you came from, so remember—do not cause trouble here. The rules are more numerous and stricter."

"Don’t worry, Captain Li. Those of us who could afford a spot on this ship aren’t the reckless sort," one of the passengers said with a laugh.

The passengers of the fleet weren’t just from the Lin Mansion and the Qingfeng Dao; there were over ten ships in total, and the fleet captain had simply assigned them to two designated ships.

Now, everyone was disembarking and gathering together, forming a much larger crowd.

Lin Shunhe was pulling the fleet captain, Huang Dadan, aside to talk about something. The two even used a relic to prevent their voices from being overheard.

Meanwhile, a dozen or so members of the merchant fleet split off to brief the disembarking passengers on Black Cloud’s rules.

The rules were mostly the same as in Tuyue; the only difference was that the management of the Outer City here seemed more formal and much stricter.

After paying and seeing off Huang Dadan and his men, Lin Shunhe gathered everyone together. The pre-arranged carriages soon arrived to transport them, one after another, to the Outer City.

Inside the carriage, after patiently explaining the local situation to his family, he turned to Lin Hui.

"We’ll head to the residence I purchased here earlier, and the people from the Lin Mansion will settle in first. As for the Qingfeng Dao, Ah Hui, what are your plans? Things were too rushed, so I haven’t made arrangements for your people yet."

The carriage moved swiftly along the road. It was lined with neat rows of tall, straight, brownish-green trees. Beyond the trees was the endless, pale green surface of the sea, its waves rising and falling in endless layers.

Lin Hui pulled his gaze away from the carriage window and replied.

"First, I’ll find a place and get a feel for the situation here. I don’t plan on establishing a hall for the Qingfeng Dao and recruiting people just yet. We’re in an unfamiliar place; without establishing a self-sustaining cycle, opening a hall would just be a constant financial drain."

"Mm, that’s a good thought. Of course, with your level of strength, it’ll be easy to earn a good income. You could secure a high position by joining any of the major factions, but you need to figure out which one is the best to join," Lin Shunhe said, nodding in agreement.

"Do you have any suggestions, Dad?" Lin Hui asked.

"The situation here is similar to Tuyue on the surface, but the Inner City is very different," Lin Shunhe said quickly. "There’s no Martial Alliance here, nor are there Three Great factions in the Inner City. There are only two major blocs: the Rain Palace and the Government Office. The Federation’s control here is immense, so joining a faction directly under the Federation is the choice that will maximize your benefits."

"Makes sense." Lin Hui nodded. He had no desire to serve under the Fog People’s banner, becoming little more than a dog or a reserve food supply. Joining a Federation faction directly was indeed a good option.

The Rain Palace, for instance, was directly under the Federation and was, relatively speaking, more fair and just.

"So, you have two choices," Lin Shunhe said, raising one finger. "First: the Taixu Martial Academy. It’s an educational institution directly under the Federation, established in various places with the core purpose of cultivating Summoners and Martial Artist officials. Though it’s called a martial academy, many Original Blood Nobles actually hold positions there, because many noble families also send their own children there for advanced studies."

"I get it. That makes sense," Lin Hui nodded.

It was just like how Hong Ling had sent people to him to learn martial arts. Everyone has their own specialization. It was only natural for the Original Blood Nobility to absorb the cultivation experience of pure Martial Artists and Summoners to strengthen themselves.

"Therefore, the Taixu Martial Academy’s power and influence in Black Cloud are immense," Lin Shunhe said in a low voice.

"Second: the Hundred Seas Merchant Alliance. This is the Federation’s largest merchant alliance, which I have also joined, and its power is even greater. If the Taixu Martial Academy has great influence because it’s an official institution, then the Hundred Seas Merchant Alliance is the largest commercial organization in the entire Federation. If you bring your followers from the Qingfeng Dao and join, you can easily take the path of a guest Elder or a hired escort. The income is very high, and the potential for development is enormous. You should know that the top brass of the Hundred Seas Merchant Alliance are all high-ranking officials from the Federation’s Inner Court. In fact, many people believe the Merchant Alliance is just a ’white glove’ for the Inner Court to generate revenue. And they’re not wrong. The alliance is said to have the Federation’s most complete secret repository of ultimate techniques, containing a massive collection of secret manuals on both the Summoning System and the Martial Dao System."

’Dad really has done his homework,’ Lin Hui thought. ’He’s investigated all this in meticulous detail.’

"The Merchant Alliance... So which one is more strictly governed?" Lin Hui asked.

"On the surface, the Taixu Martial Academy is. In reality, the Hundred Seas Merchant Alliance is stricter. Every so often, the alliance organizes a two-month-long special military training for everyone. The merchant caravans need to be ready to convert into an army at a moment’s notice, forming a highly effective fighting force. As for the academy, if you go there, you’ll just be teaching students, same as what you did in Tuyue. It’s your old line of work. It’s said that as long as you don’t beat too many students to death, no one will generally bother you."

"..." Lin Hui was speechless.

"Isn’t that a bit of an exaggeration?" Liu Shenglan, who was listening on the side, felt her scalp tingle. "An academy like that, and people still dare to enroll?"

"There are plenty, and a lot of them at that," Lin Shunhe shook his head. "Because for geniuses from ordinary backgrounds, this is the only channel to access top-tier resources. On top of that, the tuition is extremely cheap. If they perform well, they might even catch the eye of the higher-ups and ascend in a single leap. So even if many die, countless people still choose to enroll every year."

"In that case, I’ll choose the academy. What about my followers?" Lin Hui asked.

"Once you’ve successfully secured a nominal position, you can open a research hall outside the academy under the name of an academy instructor. That will attract many ambitious academy students to sign up, creating a positive feedback loop. Your followers from the Qingfeng Dao can then settle down in Black Cloud as members of the research hall. The income from a research hall in a place like this is nothing to scoff at. There are plenty of rich people who want their children to avoid being bullied at the academy, become masters, and eventually pass the exams to obtain an official post. So, Ah Hui, you just need to show off a little bit of your strength, and you’ll be able to earn a massive income," Lin Shunhe explained.

"Alright, then I’ll leave all the arrangements to you, Dad," Lin Hui nodded.

’Dad really is something else. No matter where he goes, he can arrange everything in perfect order in no time. His connections reach all the way into the Federation’s martial academy; he can talk about arranging a nominal post just like that. From Tuyue to Black Cloud, not even the Jade Sea and the Crystal Sea could get in the way of his resourcefulness.’

"Don’t worry, leave it to me!" Lin Shunhe said, patting his chest.

"And then there’s you, Xiao Xiao. Miss Han is no longer an option, and I think you and Ah Hui are a good match. How about you two get married a few days after we’re settled? If you have a few kids early, you can live and work here in peace. Having a baby here gets you Black Cloud residency status directly. It’s a great deal..."

"Ah!! Dad, what are you talking about!?" Liu Xiao’s face flushed a deep crimson. With a flash, she vanished from her spot in the blink of an eye, disappearing to who knows where.

Lin Hui was also at a loss for words. ’Dad’s change of topic was way too fast.’

"Sigh, don’t be so surprised. Your mother, your Second Mother, and I have all discussed this. We should keep the good things in the family. We’ve watched Xiao Xiao grow up. She’s upright, forthright, righteous, and fiercely protective of her own. She’s good-looking, has a great figure, and big hips—good for childbearing. All you do all day is cultivate, cultivate, cultivate. You don’t even have time to go out and date. Even if we forced you to go on blind dates, you can only judge outsiders by their appearance. Who knows what their background or true character is like? How could any of them compare to our Xiao Xiao? We know her through and through. Her aptitude is good, she’s a genius Priest at such a young age, and if you two get together, the kids you have will definitely be geniuses among geniuses..."

Listening to this long-winded lecture, Lin Hui felt exasperated. He simply closed his eyes and began to cultivate, treating it all as wind blowing past his ears.

In truth, ever since he had revealed his true strength and boarded the ship, his parents had nagged him with similar words quite a bit.

This was just the first time they had said it in front of his second sister, which was more than she could bear, causing her to flee on the spot.

’As for the Taixu Martial Academy and the Hundred Seas Merchant Alliance his father had mentioned, a faint sense of anticipation stirred within him. An academy teeming with talent had replaced Tuyue’s system of martial arts halls and the Martial Alliance, while the Hundred Seas Merchant Alliance boasted what was claimed to be the most complete repository of ultimate techniques. Such conditions would surely produce powerful individuals far surpassing those in Tuyue, and the great demand would also generate a massive amount of Treasure Medicine resources. This place, he was increasingly certain, could accelerate his path to power far more quickly than Tuyue ever could!’