Chapter 703: The Immortal Mansion's New Project

Pushing back a swarm of Foundation Establishment Sea Beasts was no simple matter. Considering Lou Yuan was only an Early-stage Foundation Establishment Cultivator, his words were hard to take seriously.

However, because of Jiang Wanqin’s striking presence and her Great Zhou Academy medallion, the captain and the other Cultivators didn’t reject Lou Yuan’s offer outright.

After all, if they could trade the item for resources *and* repel the swarm of Foundation Establishment Sea Beasts, the captain was naturally willing.

All that was left was to see what Lou Yuan could do.

“Sir,” the captain began, “if you can truly repel this swarm of sea beasts, then I am naturally willing to sell this item to you. I feel ashamed; I should be gifting it to you. However, this fishing vessel is the collective property of our Zhou Family. Everything we salvage is divided proportionally, and I don’t have the authority to make such a decision on my own. I hope you can understand.”

Seeing the captain speak so frankly, without the roundabout manner of inland Cultivators, Lou Yuan replied just as directly.

“That’s perfectly fine. Different customs, different rules. It’s only natural.”

The high-pressure environment of the Outer Sea—where failure meant the annihilation of an entire clan—resulted in a strict, rule-based distribution of cultivation resources. Unlike elsewhere, the well-born but less capable children of influential figures received no special treatment or disproportionate share of resources.

To survive, smaller sects and clans automatically funneled their resources to the Cultivators with the greatest aptitude. Once it was determined that someone’s talent was lacking, they were assigned a new role, typically as a resource gatherer, and were expected to accept their place.

At the same time, fairness was highly valued here. After all, whether Cultivator or mortal, everyone instinctively craves fairness.

You would receive exactly what was yours, not a fraction less. Even if the resources were scarce, the terms were clearly laid out in advance, making the system acceptable to all.

Conversely, a clan that relied on unequal distribution and back-door dealings would never last. It might enjoy a moment of glory—perhaps prospering for a century, the maximum span a Foundation Establishment Cultivator could hope to control it—but once its strongest member died, the clan would immediately fracture and collapse.

The old captain’s refusal to generously gift the item to Lou Yuan was a direct result of these binding rules. The item was the property of the Zhou Family. To avoid greater losses, he could return it to the sea beasts, but he was forbidden from simply giving it to Lou Yuan in exchange for gratitude.

The two of them settled the matter in just a few words. By now, the swarm of sea beasts was rapidly approaching. A single one had been difficult enough for the fishing vessel to handle; faced with an entire swarm, even the Zhou Family’s Patriarch, a Late-stage Foundation Establishment Cultivator, would have no choice but to lead his people to abandon ship and flee.

Under the hopeful gazes of the crew, Lou Yuan calmly walked to the ship’s rail and leaped over the side.

This act stunned every Cultivator except for Jiang Wanqin. ‘Fight the sea beasts *in* the sea? This is their home turf! How could he be so reckless?’

In truth, Jiang Wanqin was also surprised by Lou Yuan’s move, but she gave no sign of it, maintaining her quiet and graceful composure.

She hadn’t known much about Lou Yuan, this new Inner Sect Disciple who had just reached the Foundation Establishment Stage. But after spending the last few years with him, Jiang Wanqin understood that he was a man who planned his every move. He would never make a reckless promise just to show off.

Ignoring the reactions of the Cultivators above, Lou Yuan’s expression turned grim the moment he entered the water. This swarm of Foundation Establishment Sea Beasts couldn’t be dealt with casually. He had entered the water for the express purpose of concealing his next move from prying eyes.

At that moment, the Master of Ten Thousand Spiders had already scrambled to the top of Lou Yuan’s head, where he clung to his topknot, settling into his favorite spot.

Sensing the immense qi and blood of the approaching Qi Deficient Fish Sea Beasts, the fist-sized Wanzhu began to rub his forelegs together like a fly.

“They look so delectable,” Wanzhu said. “Should I go eat one or two of them and scare the rest away?”

Lou Yuan immediately shook his head, jostling Wanzhu in the process. Wanzhu tapped on Lou Yuan’s skull, signaling him to hold still.

Lou Yuan sent a mental message to Wanzhu.

“I’m only at Early-stage Foundation Establishment. If I actually kill one or two of them, it’ll be completely out of character for me. I know you’re a mighty expert, you old fiend, but can we just hold back for now? Don’t be so eager to show off just because you’ve recovered a sliver of your power.”

As for the Master of Ten Thousand Spiders, Lou Yuan could only sense that his true combat strength was immense—unimaginably so. Although Wanzhu had never told him the full story, based on tidbits he had unintentionally let slip, his realm before reincarnation was most likely Divinity Transformation.

Wanzhu’s current body, a White Jade Bone Spirit Spider, was only at the Foundation Establishment Stage in terms of cultivation. However, its innate talent and pedigree were of the Heaven-tier. It could hold its own even against a Golden Core expert.

So, no matter how physically powerful these sea beasts were, in Wanzhu’s eyes, they were nothing more than a delectable meal of blood and flesh.

“Then what’s your plan?”

“Just scare them off. Let’s not cause any unnecessary trouble. Of course, if you want to eat, wait until after we’ve left to have your meal. Oh, right. What’s the deal with that piece of wood? Why are you so interested in it?”

Wanzhu’s body flickered, and he shot toward the approaching sea beasts. His voice echoed in Lou Yuan’s mind:

“It’s Ten Thousand Years Soul Nourishing Wood, a fourth-tier material. It’s quite useful to me. These people don’t know its true value. Buy it from them at the price of a high-grade, second-tier material. If you reveal its actual worth, they’ll ask for an exorbitant price, and I might have no choice but to silence them. That would put you in an even more awkward position.”

Wanzhu was also a little frustrated. Lou Yuan was always running around with Jiang Wanqin, which meant he never got a moment’s peace either.

If he weren’t bound to stay close to Lou Yuan, he would have found a place brimming with death qi to cultivate in seclusion for a few decades, only emerging after Lou Yuan had finished his business.