Chapter 267 - 262: Approaching Greed Wolf Island

Chapter 267: Chapter 262: Approaching Greed Wolf Island

The Seven Stars Association branch on each island, in turn, was under the jurisdiction of the local Island Master.

It was a pyramid of exploitation, one layer after another.

This was only the case on the main islands; because mortals from the Cultivation Clans made up a significant portion of the population, the oppression of common people didn’t seem as severe.

But on the main islands’ subsidiary islands, the lives of mortals were utterly miserable.

Most of these islands had claimants, and on the islands they occupied, they could be considered local tyrants.

Aside from Cultivators from the Seven Stars Association, no one could set foot on these islands—or even approach them—without permission from their claimants.

Aside from being under the jurisdiction of the Seven Stars Association, they were the undisputed masters of their own little fiefdoms.

It was worth noting that these island claimants weren’t exclusively Cultivators. As long as the Seven Stars Association gave its approval, even a mortal could claim one.

In fact, mortals made up a significant number of the island claimants.

However, a mortal claimant didn’t mean an easier life for the mortals living on the island.

Quite the opposite.

Since Immortal Cultivators generally spent a great deal of time advancing their Cultivation, learning Magic, and refining Magical Artifacts, they had little time to actually manage the islanders.

Mortal rulers, however, were another story.

With nothing but time on their hands, they could do little else but bully the men, take advantage of the women, and tyrannize the other mortals as they toiled.

Claiming an island required paying tribute to the Seven Stars Association in the form of Spirit Stones.

So where did the Spirit Stones come from?

They forced their islanders to excavate ore, harvest resources from the sea, and even hunt Demon Beasts.

Fortunately, Tier One Lower Grade Demon Beasts from the sea lost most of their combat strength out of water. With enough people and a few traps, even ordinary mortals could handle them.

Even so, when mortals faced Demon Beasts, casualties were inevitable.

The island claimants, however, couldn’t care less.

After nearly a month adrift at sea, the Dharma Ship carrying Jiang Xu finally entered the waters of Greed Wolf Island.

The journey had been smooth sailing. Aside from the suicidal attacks from those Tier One Demon Beasts early on, there had been no other incidents.

This stretch of smooth sailing made Jiang Xu feel as if all his prior worries and preparations had been unnecessary.

It was just as Master Fatty had said.

Out in these waters, avoiding danger was purely a matter of luck.

If your luck held, you could sail straight to the Demon Spirit State without a hint of trouble.

But according to Master Fatty, in his half a lifetime of experience, he’d only had a journey this smooth once.

All the others had been perilous to some degree.

During this time, Jiang Xu had been diligently studying the Water Dragon Roll Skill that Xiong Liangsheng had given him.

This Magic was recorded in a paper book, not a Jade Scroll, so Jiang Xu had to put in some effort to learn it.

Still, he learned it incomparably faster than the Thousand-Faced Illusion Body, succeeding after just a little practice.

This was largely because Jiang Xu was in the Youxian Sea.

The one thing this place had in abundance was Water Attribute Spiritual Qi.

Unlike on land, where he had to gather the limited surrounding Water Element to practice Water Element Techniques, here Jiang Xu was surrounded by endless turquoise waves. The incredibly rich Water Attribute Spiritual Qi made him feel like a fish in water, and his Cultivation of the technique progressed at lightning speed.

Whenever Jiang Xu tried to cast Water Attribute Techniques, all the Water Attribute Spiritual Qi seemed to scramble over itself to surge toward him. He could unleash the Water Tornado with ease, and its power was far greater than what the book described.

On the deck of the Dharma Ship, Jiang Xu flipped open the heavy book. The diagrams, spells, and hand seals for the Water Dragon Roll Skill were laid out clearly on its pages.

Jiang Xu focused his mind and calmed his breathing. Following the book’s instructions, he first regulated his breath and guided the Magical Power in his body to his fingertips. Then, with a specific hand gesture, he pointed lightly at the air and began to chant a long, rhythmic spell.

As the spell flowed from his lips, he established a connection with the surrounding seawater. An invisible energy began to form a vortex around him.

Soon, driven by the Spiritual Power within him, a subtle change appeared on the sea’s surface.

At first, it was just a gentle breeze that sent ripples spreading across the water. Then, the ripples gradually widened, intertwining and merging to form a swirling, ascending current.

With a continuous injection of Jiang Xu’s Spiritual Power, the current spun faster and faster, growing larger and larger. It finally formed a small Water Tornado, hovering in the air like a miniature blue dragon soaring through the sky.

Thanks to the abundant Water Attribute Spiritual Qi in the Youxian Sea, the Water Tornado Jiang Xu conjured was not only well-formed but also far more powerful than the beginner-level version described in the book.

’He could clearly sense that when he marshalled the Spiritual Qi, the surrounding water molecules gathered as if drawn to a magnet, allowing him to maintain the magic’s duration and intensity without expending much of his own Magical Power.’

As Jiang Xu practiced, he would occasionally glimpse the silhouettes of islands in the distance.

The frequency of these sightings was slowly increasing.

’By his rough estimation, the Dharma Ship would make landfall on Greed Wolf Island in a day or two.’

The thought made Jiang Xu a little nervous. It was, after all, his first time on an island like this. Adapting to an unfamiliar environment and its customs wouldn’t be easy.

Jiang Xu glanced around the deck and saw that many other Cultivators seemed just as nervous as he was.

’They were probably just like him,’ he thought, ’leaving the State Domain for the first time because of the war in Dinghai State.’

Since there had been no further incidents after the Tier One Demon Beast attack, the Cultivators on board had grown bolder. Coupled with the stuffy boredom of their cabins, they frequently came out onto the deck for fresh air.

He looked to the other side of the deck, where Master Fatty was laughing merrily with a flock of seven or eight pretty young women.

Although Master Fatty was remarkably fat, appearance was never the primary standard for judging someone in the Cultivation Realm.

The man’s Cultivation had reached the Foundation Establishment realm, which was nothing to scoff at.

He was also quite wealthy, as evidenced by his Magical Artifact.

Most importantly, he had a deep understanding of the Youxian Sea and the dangers of the journey. Even Jiang Xu wanted to get more information out of him, to say nothing of everyone else.

"Master Fatty~, it’s the first time for all of us on Greed Wolf Island. Can you tell us if there are any fun places there?" one of the women, a Female Cultivator in a rather revealing outfit, asked.

"Oh, yes!"

"Please tell us, Master Fatty!"

Surrounded by the adoring Female Cultivators, Master Fatty was walking on air.

"Alright, I suppose I could tell you a thing or two?"

"Hurry up and tell us!"

"Don’t keep us in suspense! We’re dying to know!"

Hearing that Master Fatty was about to hold court again, Jiang Xu and many other nearby Cultivators pricked up their ears.

"Have you all heard of... Purple Star Divination?"

The Female Cultivators all shook their heads, and the other Cultivators were completely lost, but Jiang Xu looked thoughtful.

"Purple Star Divination is a method of calculation within the art of astrology, one of the Hundred Skills of Cultivation. It’s a form of fortune-telling."

"The Greedy Wolf Star’s energy manifests as ’peach blossom luck’—romance and relationships. It is the master of fortune and calamity. In the Five Elements, it corresponds to Jia Wood and Ren Water. It is a star of acquisition, representing greed and desire. Its nature is fickle, like that of a romance, and it governs both fortune and disaster."

"In Purple Star Divination, the Greedy Wolf Star has three key aspects. The first is romance and relationships, the ’peach blossom.’ The second is a wolf-like, greedy desire. And the third is its command over fortune and disaster."

Speaking of which, Master Fatty chuckled, a sleazy grin spreading across his face.

"Speaking of romance, I have to mention the island’s ’Peach Blossom Valley.’ It’s like spring all year round there, with a brocade of beautiful flowers. The scenery alone is enough to make you want to stay forever, but the real treasures are the beauties in the valley. Ah, the taste of it... Ahem." He coughed. "There are ladies present, so I’ll stop there. If you’re interested, you can go see for yourselves."

"Second is the place on the island called the ’Greed Wolf Arena.’ All year round, it hosts all kinds of challenges and competitions. Countless people fight to the death there, all for a chance to win fame, fortune, and even change their destiny."

"As for the third..."

Master Fatty’s smile vanished. He hesitated, unsure if he should continue.