Today is April 30th, the last day of April, and it's my birthday. I had originally planned to relax and go out, but thinking of the eager anticipation of my fellow readers, I decided to stay at the computer and keep writing diligently.

This is a chapter I just finished writing; there's another one due tonight, which I'm currently composing, though the exact time isn't set yet.

The moment the dozen or so mid-to-high-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators from the Setting Sun Sect appeared, the aura of Chu Bai'er and the other three low-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators immediately diminished, and they retreated in panic. Shi Hanyang's cultivation was at the peak of the Foundation Establishment stage; apart from Golden Core cultivators and above, no one present could match him, and within the entire great hall, no one could be compared to him.

"Brother Shi, what are you doing here?"

Ye Qin's surprise was practically impossible to conceal.

"It's a long story. After we parted ways in the Southern Liang Kingdom, I originally planned to return to the Chaotic Lands. But there aren't many cultivators left in the Chaotic Lands, and the Spirit Mist Realm was no longer tenable. So, I came straight to East Fisher Town. I intended to head for the East Sea Archipelagos. I've wasted a lot of time here preparing the magical artifacts needed for crossing the sea. I was just coming to the Sea Sky Pavilion today to purchase a few suitable artifacts when I ran into Brother Qin."

Shi Hanyang explained with a wry smile.

His arrival here was naturally not as simple as he claimed; there were other, unspeakable reasons.

Back then, Shi Hanyang, Ma Dongyan, and over ten Foundation Establishment cultivators including Ye Qin had caused a major disturbance at the Lu Family Fort in the Southern Liang Kingdom, seizing three Five Spirit Fruits from the Lu Family. Two of these three Five Spirit Fruits fell into Shi Hanyang's possession.

However, Shi Hanyang was not proficient in alchemy. He possessed such rare spiritual fruits but lacked a Grandmaster-level alchemist, making it impossible to refine a Golden Core pill. Shi Hanyang dared not entrust the Five Spirit Fruits to any cultivator he couldn't fully trust for refinement, so the matter had been dragging on, delaying his breakthrough past the Golden Core bottleneck. He was already over one hundred and fifty years old, and his remaining lifespan was dwindling.

Regardless of whether the refinement succeeded or failed, he was determined to venture to the East Sea now. He had brought over ten trusted core cultivators from the Setting Sun Sect, preparing to travel from East Fisher Town to the East Sea. If the refinement failed and he couldn't achieve the Golden Core stage on the Central Earth Continent, he would risk the East Sea, seeking other opportunities to form a core. That was why he had come to East Fisher Town to prepare for the sea voyage.

But Shi Hanyang could not reveal these words to Ye Qin.

Ye Qin nodded slightly, inwardly puzzled. It seemed not only cultivators from the Spirit Mist Realm, Heaven Dome Primeval World, and Ten Thousand Moon Lake Realm were heading to the East Sea; cultivators from the Chaotic Lands were coming too. The situation here was truly chaotic.

"Brother Qin, why is the atmosphere so tense here? What are these people planning?" Shi Hanyang asked doubtfully, sweeping his gaze over Chu Bai'er and the four low-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators, his eyes gradually sharpening. It was clear that these few cultivators held hostility towards Ye Qin.

Ye Qin gave a cold laugh. "What else could it be? It seems these gentlemen are interested in the item I purchased."

Chu Bai'er's guards noticed that Ye Qin knew this group of Foundation Establishment cultivators. Those guards sensed something was amiss and showed panic in their expressions. But Chu Bai'er showed no sign of backing down; instead, his tone became even more aggressive, "My father is the Chief Shipmaster of East Fisher Town. You had better hand over that ore block and let me take it back. Otherwise, when my father arrives, he’ll make sure you regret it!"

Shi Hanyang suddenly burst into loud laughter. Abruptly turning, his tongue lashed out, and a surge of magic power erupted with a fierce roar, blasting towards Chu Bai'er, "Scram! If you don't leave now, this Sect Master will slay all of you!"

Chu Bai'er, arrogant and caught completely off guard, couldn't possibly withstand such a violent assault. He felt a ringing in both ears, dizzy and on the verge of blacking out. He was pulled away by his guards and fled the Sea Sky Pavilion in terror. "You just wait! I’m going back to get my father to deal with you!" Chu Bai'er’s piercing shriek echoed from afar.

"Trash. How can someone like this even manage to reach Foundation Establishment."

After startling Chu Bai'er away, Shi Hanyang revealed a look of disdain, then turned to Ye Qin with a smile. "Brother Qin, we've faced life and death together several times, and meeting again here is fate. Do you have other companions? Why don't we team up and head to the East Sea? If you are willing to travel with us and join the Setting Sun Sect, I, Shi Hanyang, will never mistreat a brother. If I am fortunate enough to reach the Golden Core stage in the future, I will certainly not forget you, brother."

"Thank you for your kind offer, Brother Shi, but I already have companions heading to the East Sea. Since we are both going to the East Sea Archipelagos anyway, perhaps we will meet there again someday," Ye Qin replied with a smile, declining the invitation.

Shi Hanyang had long noticed the small Azure Pill Sect mark on Ye Qin's sleeve; Ye Qin was clearly a cultivator from the Azure Pill Sect of the Spirit Mist Realm. He hesitated for a moment.

He hadn't really cared which realm or sect Ye Qin belonged to. He wanted to recruit Ye Qin into the Setting Sun Sect mainly to have Ye Qin help him refine the Golden Core pill. He still held some trust in Ye Qin. Back at the Lu Family Fort in the Southern Liang Kingdom, Ye Qin had not stepped forward to fight for the Five Spirit Fruits, which proved Ye Qin harbored no greedy desire for them.

However, as soon as Shi Hanyang entertained this thought, he abandoned it just as quickly. In his view, Ye Qin was so young that even if he were an Azure Pill Sect cultivator, he wouldn't possess the strength of an Alchemy Grandmaster. Although he could trust Ye Qin, having Ye Qin refine the Golden Core pill was too risky, and it might ruin the Five Spirit Fruits instead.

"Very well. Since Brother Qin has companions accompanying him, heading to the East Sea will be safer. Let's meet again in the East Sea then," Shi Hanyang pressed no further.

Chu Bai'er was momentarily stunned. Carried out of the Sea Sky Pavilion by his guards, it took him quite a while to regain his senses, and he couldn't help but scream in anger. He pointed at the guards' noses, cursing them as useless sacks of flesh. A rage churned in his chest; it was utterly humiliating. He had always acted unchecked in East Fisher Town; people dared not give him trouble out of respect for his father. This was the first time he had suffered such a major slight, and today he had lost all face in front of a few outside cultivators.

The three guard cultivators who followed him dared not speak. They felt wronged too. If they had used softer words at the beginning, perhaps they could have spent some spirit stones to buy back that Golden Crow Radiance Crystal ore block. But their Young Shipmaster was simply too useless—er, too arrogant. In front of a group of high-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators, he dared to speak so recklessly.

"The Chief Shipmaster explicitly said we must bring that ore block back. Young Shipmaster, if we fail to secure the ore, and the Chief Shipmaster punishes us, you might escape unscathed, but we three brothers might not…" The guards dared not complain and were deeply worried.

"Damn it! If I don't snatch that ore block, my name isn't Chu Bai'er! Let's go, we'll tail him. He’s bound to come out. Once he leaves the Sea Sky Pavilion, we strike directly and rob him! Let that brat know who truly rules East Fisher Town." Chu Bai'er hardened his heart and fixed his gaze on the Sea Sky Pavilion.

"But, that person is a mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator. Can we take him on?" one guard worried.

"Trash! He’s only a mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator, and there are four of us. Do you really have to be so scared?" Chu Bai'er jumped up as if his tail had been stepped on, and smacked the guard across the face.

Since Shi Hanyang was purchasing artifacts at the Sea Sky Pavilion, Ye Qin took his leave first and walked through the market street within East Fisher Town.

Young Shipmaster Chu Bai'er immediately led his men to follow, tracking Ye Qin's movements.

After walking for only a short while, Ye Qin detected four shadowy cultivator presences tailing him. He knew who they were and gave a cold laugh. Some people in this world truly had no idea how to court death. In the Sea Sky Pavilion, he had already exercised enough restraint, yet they were still relentlessly eyeing his Golden Crow Radiance Crystal. Since they were delivering themselves up for death, he couldn't be blamed.

Ye Qin walked unhurriedly down the crowded street, then suddenly transformed into a fleeting shadow and sprinted towards the outskirts of East Fisher Town. After rushing for several dozen li, in a desolate, unpopulated field of rubble, he activated an Invisibility Talisman, concealing his spiritual aura.

"Hurry and chase!"

Chu Bai'er thought Ye Qin was fleeing in terror and immediately grew excited. Without a second thought, he urged his guards to chase desperately. They reached the spot where Ye Qin had vanished and stopped.

"Huh? Where did the person go?" Chu Bai'er peered around the jumble of rocks.

The guards, however, keenly sensed a wave of danger.

Just as they were searching for Ye Qin's traces, a sixth-tier Skeleton Demon burst from underground and lunged toward them.

"Ah! Hurry and block this dead thing for me!"

A little over half an hour later.

Ye Qin sat on a large rock, in excellent spirits. He flipped through several storage bags he had just seized, pouring out a mess of raw materials, spiritual artifacts, and magical artifacts, intending to pick out a few useful ones for himself and sell the rest once he returned to East Fisher Town.

In the field of rubble lay the corpse of one guard cultivator. As for Chu Bai'er and the other two guards, they had long since fled somewhere unknown.

It was almost laughable. This robbery had been surprisingly simple. A single Skeleton Demon had managed to send the three guards scrambling about like headless flies in the chaotic rock field. The flying swords and magical artifacts they hurled could not harm the Skeleton Demon in the slightest; instead, the corpse qi spewed by the demon ended up destroying their own artifacts.

Afterward, Ye Qin emerged from the rock pile, holding the newly purchased Heavenly Fire Black Thunder, and cut off Chu Bai'er's path of retreat. If you intend to rob others, you must be prepared to be robbed yourself. Ye Qin had lured them to this location for one simple purpose: robbery!

"Heavenly Fire Black Thunder!"

Chu Bai'er, who had been controlling a magic sword to strike Ye Qin, instantly turned deathly pale when he saw the dull, black lump in Ye Qin's hand. He recognized this magical treasure from the Sea Sky Pavilion. If his father hadn't refused to give him such a massive sum of spirit stones, he would have bought the Heavenly Fire Black Thunder long ago.

Yet Chu Bai'er’s tone remained aggressively defiant. "Hmph, who are you trying to scare? The destructive range of this Heavenly Fire Black Thunder is enormous. Once it explodes, even you will be caught in it!"

Ye Qin just smirked, held a Detonation Talisman in one hand, and casually launched the Heavenly Fire Black Thunder toward Chu Bai'er.

Chu Bai'er, terrified, spun around and fled. He was all bravado and empty threats; he truly had no intention of trading his life for someone else's. If he were actually struck by the Heavenly Fire Black Thunder, as a mere second-tier Foundation Establishment cultivator, not even ash would be left behind.