In an instant, everyone's spirits lifted. Wang Guan scanned the sea surface but found nothing.

"It sank. Hurry up and bring the net," Wang Guan reminded them. Once the yacht had slowed to a halt, he immediately lowered himself onto the inflatable raft and, with a sweep of the long netting, easily hauled up a wooden plank.

"What is it? Just a broken piece of wood," Yu Feibai said, somewhat disappointed.

At that moment, Master Jiang, who had hurried over upon hearing the news, was overjoyed. "Wood is excellent! You have to realize, in modern times, how many ships sailing the seas still use wood for their…"

As he spoke, Master Jiang took the plank, examined it briefly, and his initial joy deepened. "Yes, exactly like this. The surface has a slight curvature, suggesting it's material from the hull of a wooden sailing ship."

"Shipwreck debris."

Suddenly, a complex expression of surprise and elation flashed in everyone’s eyes.

"Nine times out of ten…"

Master Jiang nodded affirmatively, then cautioned, "However, don't celebrate too early. After all, this fragment was likely tossed up by the recent storm and rough seas, so it might not be from the immediate vicinity. Still, regardless, standard procedure dictates we conduct a survey."

"I'll go take a look too," Wang Guan volunteered. Mainly, he was growing weary of the suspense. If there was something, there was something; if not, there wasn't. Whatever the outcome, at least it wouldn't waste any more of his time.

Master Jiang didn't refuse again. Through their interactions over the past few days, he had gathered from snippets of conversation with Yu Feibai, Qinghua, and the others that Wang Guan’s 'luck' had always been exceptional. Coupled with the matter of the Jiao Pearl, he felt increasingly convinced. Salvaging a shipwreck was fundamentally three parts skill and seven parts luck. Letting someone as lucky as Wang Guan scout the area might yield results.

"Dive in."

Soon after, seven or eight divers, including Wang Guan, plunged into the sea and dove down to examine the seabed.

Unlike the others, Wang Guan, upon reaching the seabed, didn't rush to feel around or probe. Instead, he immediately enveloped the entire area with his psychic ability, sweeping across it like an impossibly fine sieve.

For a time, apart from some fish, shrimp, and fossilized shells, he truly found nothing remarkable. Wang Guan was mentally prepared for this possibility and calmly expanded his search radius.

Search again, nothing found. Look again, still nothing. He continued to probe intently… Time slipped away unnoticed. Being so engrossed, Wang Guan didn't even realize his oxygen supply was dwindling until his breath hitched, signaling that something was wrong.

Startled by the sudden lack of air, Wang Guan urgently swam upward.

Of course, the ascent was smooth, devoid of cliché incidents like getting snagged on seaweed, being caught in an undertow, or being chased by sharks or sea monsters. Only upon breaking the surface did Wang Guan marvel at how familiar the surroundings looked.

Wang Guan blinked, confirming he wasn't mistaken. Not far off was a small island, lush with vegetation and featuring a long stretch of sandy beach—clearly the Su Family Island.

"How did I end up back here?" Wang Guan frowned, baffled. He had been chasing shipwreck fragments, collecting several broken pieces of wood along the way, all seemingly from the same vessel.

"Could it be that the wood wasn't from a wreck, but from one of the Su family's small boats they use for watersports?"

The thought surfaced only to be immediately dismissed by Wang Guan. The wooden planks had emitted a faint, precious light, fully proving they were ancient artifacts.

"Strange," Wang Guan mused, slightly confused. However, he didn't forget to send a safety ping to Bei Ye and the others, lest they suspect he had met with an accident.

After that, Wang Guan frowned in thought, then abruptly plunged back into the water. Even without oxygen, he knew he was skilled at swimming and could stay submerged for a while. That short duration was enough for him to use his psychic abilities to thoroughly scout the area around the island.

The shallow area next to the beach yielded nothing unusual, but in the reef zone where the small island met the main island, Wang Guan surprisingly discovered something unexpected. Before he could get a closer look, however, his lungs burned, and he scrambled back to the surface.

"Hah…"

Greedily gulping air, a flicker of surprised delight lit Wang Guan’s eyes. "I never would have guessed!"

After taking a moment to recover, he dove back in, fixed his gaze on a specific direction, and swam directly toward the jagged, haphazard cluster of submerged reefs near the island.

In that direction, the seabed was riddled with sharp rocks and shifting currents. Anyone with poor swimming ability, or any wooden vessel passing through, was guaranteed a watery grave.

Yet, Wang Guan, cheating with his special ability, fearlessly navigated around the obstructions of reefs and currents. With a slight flip of his body, he vanished beneath a massive submerged rock, remaining unseen for a long time.

Wang Guan wormed his way through the reef fissures, swimming deeper and deeper until, just as his face was turning crimson and felt ready to burst, he broke the surface with a splash, gasping wildly.

"Finally alive."

A long moment passed before Wang Guan could take in his surroundings. Everything was pitch black, yet a faint, dim light allowed him to vaguely make out the basic contours of the space.

This was surely a colossal cavern, and within it was water, pooled into a small lake. This pool naturally had a channel connecting it to the open sea; he had swum in through that passage.

Of course, these were secondary details, not worth dwelling on. What truly shocked Wang Guan, shaking him out of his composure, was in the pool—specifically, bobbing half-submerged beside him: a massive ancient sailing ship.

It was described as half-submerged because the wooden planks of the hull had been soaked for too long, causing some to rot and decay, forcing the bow to dip noticeably into the pool. However, due to the sheer size of the vessel and the fact that most of the hull remained intact and buoyant, it hadn't completely sunk to the bottom.

Though the cavern was dim, Wang Guan saw with a clarity greater than daylight, thanks to his abilities, fully grasping every detail around him. He immediately understood where he was and, more importantly, the origin of this colossal ship.

"Fate plays strange tricks."

After a long pause, Wang Guan wasn't sure whether to sigh or laugh. "I didn't find a shipwreck, but instead, I found a pirate vessel. I suppose that counts as a silver lining."

However, it wasn't just a pirate ship. As Wang Guan focused his gaze, brilliant beams of precious light completely saturated the cavern, filling him with conflicting excitement and a sudden headache. Yes, a headache. While a silver lining was cause for celebration, he couldn't forget where he was.

Others might not know, but Wang Guan clearly saw that this was the very heart of Su Family Island's mountain range.

The pool wasn't just connected to the ocean; it was also the source of the spring that fed the Su family villa's backyard fountain. Only after passing through the filtration of the mountain rock did the slightly bitter pool water transform into the cool, sweet spring water.

Again, these were secondary issues. The primary concern was that he was on someone else’s property, and taking the treasures from this giant ship was clearly not going to be simple. Based on his quick assessment, the cavern's exit was completely sealed by tumbled rocks. Unless they used explosives, there was no way out.

Alternatively, there was the channel beneath the pool leading to the sea, but it was too narrow. Moving the wealth from the giant ship through it would require the spirit of the Foolish Old Man moving mountains—piecemeal, inch by inch. Wang Guan roughly calculated that even working non-stop, twenty-four hours a day, with thirty to fifty people taking shifts, the task would take at least three to five days.

After all, moving objects underwater was exceptionally time-consuming and laborious. The problem remained that the Su family wasn't foolish; such activity would surely attract attention. Wang Guan mulled it over and realized that acquiring the treasure seemed impossible without somehow dealing with the Su family, leaving him momentarily torn.

"Indeed, people are inherently greedy."

After much deliberation, Wang Guan gave a wry smile. "Before finding the treasure, I was already thinking about how to divide it. Now that I've found it, I want to keep it all and get rich alone."

"Gao Zhuang was right; a person shouldn't be too greedy…"

Despite his words, Wang Guan mounted the ship via a slightly broken gangplank, ignoring the ghastly skeletons strewn across the deck, and headed straight for the cabin radiating the most intense precious light.

After some searching and rummaging, Wang Guan emerged. He had already stripped off his diving suit and was now using the waterproof garment as a makeshift bag, stuffing numerous items inside.

"I have no choice but to do this," Wang Guan justified himself somewhat righteously. "Even if I ate the meat, there are still so many bones left. That's quite generous, considering it's pure gold and silver…"

As he spoke, Wang Guan submerged back into the pool, clutching his bundle as he made for the tunnel. Passing beneath the massive hull, he instinctively looked up and saw several large cracks in the bottom, with numerous loose planks scattered nearby.

At that moment, Wang Guan understood the origin of the wooden fragments found on the surface. He also had a thoughtful realization: the piece of (tortoiseshell) marked with the longevity character must have also been lost overboard from this very ship. A pity he hadn't considered that earlier; otherwise, he might have discovered the pirate treasure on the island sooner.

"But it's not too late…"

Carrying a complex mix of emotions, Wang Guan left the cavern. Soon after, he swam out into the open sea, surfaced briefly to catch his breath, and then continued swimming.

Swimming like this, stopping and starting, Wang Guan spotted a small boat approaching rapidly in the distance and immediately broke into a broad smile.

"Are you dead or alive?"

Just then, Yu Feibai's voice, a mixture of complaint and concern, drifted from the small boat. "If you’re not dead, give a shout."

"Close enough. Just clinging to the last breath," Wang Guan chuckled. As the small boat drew near, he suddenly tossed a heavy object lightly toward Yu Feibai.

"What is this?"

Yu Feibai hastily caught it. Looking down, a flash of brilliant yellow light met his eyes. At that instant, as if afraid someone might snatch it, he immediately clutched the item to his chest.

"A small harvest," Wang Guan said with a slight smile. "Consider it your fare home…" (To be continued)