Starting as dockworkers, they swept through Chongqing.

After the room quieted down, Xilun first checked the doors, windows, corners, under the bed, and roof beams.

There were no obvious hidden compartments, nor any extraordinary items for eavesdropping.

He placed the suitcase beside the bed, took out the black bone whistle, the medicine, Susie's necklace, the letters left by Lund, and several copies of the breathing technique, and sorted them out one by one.

Then, he stood by the window and looked out at Emerald Lake.

The lake was calm, and the thin mist was soothing.

"good."

Xilun commented in a low voice.

This was almost the first time since he left Victoria that he truly had a room to stay in temporarily.

Although it's only temporary.

He did not go out for the next few days.

Every morning, Carls would personally visit, bringing fresh fruits, vegetables, and soft bread unique to the island.

Those fruits were very juicy and had a slightly sweet taste, which helped Xilun recover her energy.

Carls was always polite and never sat down for long.

He only briefly asked if Xilun needed anything, and also brought some local news.

For example, a small sea creature came ashore at a certain reef last night; the Silver Shell Council is preparing to readjust the tax rates at several docks; the Miluo family recently recruited two outsiders who are second-tier extraordinary; and the Silver White Church is expanding its soup kitchen on the western island.

Xilun mostly just listened.

He meditates lightly during the day and practices deep breathing exercises at night.

Although the demonic energy of Emerald Lake is not abundant, it is stable and gentle.

With the help of the moist air from the lake, he could more delicately repair the old wounds between his lungs and ribs.

However, the remains of the evil god still occasionally cause trouble.

Sometimes, when he meditates deeply, he feels his right arm bones itch on their own, as if something wants to sprout from his bones.

At such times, Xilun would freeze that spot with his profound yin coldness until the black energy subsided again.

On the afternoon of the sixth day, Karls finally brought an old man to the door.

The knocking was very soft.

Xilun was looking at the lake from the window when he heard the sound and turned around.

After the door opened, Karls bowed slightly.

"Mr. Siren, this is Horn Ront, the patriarch of my Ront family."

The old man standing next to him had gray hair, was not tall, but had a very straight back.

He wore a dark green robe with grain ear patterns embroidered on the cuffs, and held a cane made of sea monster bone in his hand.

Xilun glanced over and immediately determined that the other party was a second-tier extraordinary being.

But it's very old.

The patient suffers from weakness of Qi and blood, stagnation of the lungs and internal organs, and old injuries between the joints.

In terms of combat strength alone, he is probably not much stronger than many first-tier extreme realm cultivators.

The old man showed no arrogance whatsoever, and bowed respectfully upon entering.

"Mr. Sir, I am late, please forgive me."

"sit."

Xilun didn't put on airs; he simply pointed to the chairs by the table.

Chief Horn sat down slowly, clearly having expended considerable energy even while traveling.

Carls stood to the side, pouring tea for the two of them.

Xilun glanced at the old man.

"Is the clan leader busy?"

Horn gave a wry smile, his wrinkles deepening.

"Please excuse my rudeness, sir. A few days ago, the sea was rough, and at night a sea monster crashed into the fishing grounds on the north side. I led some men to hold it off for a while."

Two members of the tribe died and more than a dozen were injured.

"We had just finished dealing with the casualties when the neighboring Silver Church came and occupied a section of our clan's old land. There they preached their doctrines and begged for food and treasure from passersby."

As he said this, a hint of weariness and annoyance finally showed in his tone.

"If we take action, it will cause trouble for the church; if we do nothing, it will be like letting them step into our doorstep. I have been troubled by this matter for half a day."

Xilun picked up his teacup and took a gentle sniff.

The tea has a rough flavor, but it has a refreshing aroma of island herbs.

"It seems the Ronte family is in quite a bit of trouble."

Horn sighed, "Yes, sea monsters are attacking, competitors are squeezing us out, the church is encroaching on our territory, and the assessment is approaching—one thing after another."

"If Karl hadn't met you on the ship, I'm afraid I wouldn't have been able to sleep soundly these past few days."

Xilun calmly said, "The sea beast invasion has caused considerable casualties. If this continues, even with a large population, it will be difficult to sustain our tribe."

"Sir, you are right."

Horn's expression was grave. "The waves have been extremely high these past few months, and the number of times sea monsters have come ashore has increased significantly. Our small families don't have large fleets, nor can we afford to hire too many extraordinary individuals. Every time we resist, we have to pay with our lives."

He paused, lowering his voice slightly.

"If you are willing to do so in the future, I hope you can help the clan resist when you are able. I will not let you do it for nothing."

Xilun did not agree immediately, saying only, "Let's see if the cooperation goes smoothly first."

Horn nodded quickly.

"Of course, of course."

He looked at Karls, who took out a booklet and placed it on the table.

"Power assessment begins tomorrow."

Horn replied earnestly, "Sir, are you prepared? Weapons, armor, medicines, and the like—although the Langte family is not wealthy, we will do our best to provide what we can."

Xilun shook his head.

"No need."

His golden spear rested quietly beside the leather case.

Given the current situation, he will not easily reveal his full strength.

If the assessment is only a second-order confrontation, there is no need to even use a gun.

Horn breathed a sigh of relief when he heard the word "no need".

This shows that the foreign patron in front of us is confident in his own abilities.

The old man remained silent for a moment, then spoke with increasing respect.

"We hope that you will lend your assistance and help the Langte family achieve a good ranking, thus preserving Emerald Lake."

If this matter succeeds, I am willing to instruct my clansmen to build a quieter dwelling in the Demon Gathering Land for you to reside in for a long time.

"If you have any other orders, sir, as long as they do not harm the foundation of our clan, my Langte family is willing to assist you."

Xilun put down his teacup.

This is what he wants to hear.

Accommodation, Guiding Lands, local manpower, and material sources.

These are far more useful than gold pounds alone.

"I do lack some materials," Siren said. "I just don't know if you have any here."

Horn immediately sat up straight.

"Sir, please speak."

Xilun listed several common medicinal materials used on the mainland to replenish qi, blood, and spirit.

After listening, Horn frowned and thought for a long time, and finally shook his head with some shame.

"I haven't heard of most of these names before. You must be from the mainland, sir."

The island is quite different from the mainland. Trade routes are long, and many medicinal herbs are expensive and rare on the mainland.

If we're talking about replenishing qi, blood, and spirit, we usually use a few other things.

He then named several people.

Red-striped sea cucumber paste, bluegill fish marrow, clam powder, and gray narwhal blood salt.

"These are mostly taken from sea creatures."

Horn explained, "The Chaotic Sea is teeming with sea monsters, which is indeed very dangerous, but sea monster materials are also very suitable for making potions and weapons. Many local breathing techniques and potion recipes rely on sea monsters."

Xilun listened very carefully.

Marine mammal materials.

A unique talent.

This is precisely the direction he needs to delve deeper into next.

"Get some," he said. "I'll test its effects."

Horn immediately instructed Karl to prepare.

Soon after, several bottles of medicine in thick glass and several boxes of processed materials were delivered.

Xilun immediately took a small portion of red-striped sea cucumber paste and then mixed it with water and oyster shell powder.

The effects of the medicine spread quickly.

A warm sensation rises from the stomach, which can indeed replenish qi and blood, and is much better than ordinary food.

However, the medicine's effects were somewhat crude, containing many impurities, which was a bit lacking for a third-order aberrant like him.

But it's better than nothing.

More importantly, the local material system is completely different, and it may contain something suitable for the Storm Bloodline and the Stitching Power of the Evil God.

Xilun closed his eyes and felt it for a moment.

"good."

Horn and Karl both secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

After leaving the room, the two slowly walked back along the lakeside path.

After walking some distance, Horn asked in a low voice, "He seems to be injured?"

Karls hesitated for a moment.

"It should be true. I saw him cough several times on the ship, and his complexion was always very bad."

Horn paused.

"You dare to accept an evaluation when you're injured?"

Karls looked very serious.

"Chief, I witnessed Mr. Xilun take action with my own eyes. That night, the water ghost was on the ship, and no one on board dared to go into the water. He simply walked across the ship's side and waded through the waves, forcing the adult water ghost out of the sea and subduing it without using any weapons. Then he carried the corpse back to the deck, and his breathing was still almost normal."

He paused, then lowered his voice.

"That's definitely not an ordinary Tier 2."

Horn's eyelids twitched slightly.

"Even injured, he possesses such strength..."

The old man looked at the quiet house by the lake, his eyes filled with undisguised shock.

Although the Prisoner Star Islands are only a medium-sized island group, they have seen many extraordinary people.

Even the owners of some small islands are only at the third rank.

The Prisoner Star Islands consist of more than a dozen medium-sized islands, and each island lord is a fourth-tier extraordinary being.

However, even with a fourth-tier extraordinary being guarding this place, and even rumored to have a fifth-tier powerhouse stationed deep within, a third-tier being is still an extraordinary person.

Horn dared not presume to judge Xilun's true strength.

But he knew very well that the Ronter family might have actually found a lifeline this time.

The next morning, a thin layer of mist floated on Emerald Lake.

Xilun changed into clean, dark clothes, left the golden spear at his residence, concealed a Soul-Suppressing Nail in his sleeve, and carried an ordinary short blade.

He needs to conceal his true abilities now.

The Lonte family needs a patron who can win the assessment, not a third-tier outsider who will be feared by all forces.

Not at least not for now.

Carls was waiting outside the door.

Chief Horn also arrived, but his face was even paler than yesterday, clearly indicating that he had not slept well again last night.

Behind the old man were seven or eight young members of the Langte family, some of whom were first-tier extraordinary individuals. They looked at Xilun with a mixture of curiosity and nervousness.

Most of them had heard of this visiting patron, but had never seen him in action.

Xilun was pale and thin, and his aura was so restrained that it was almost unremarkable. He was nothing like the legendary strongman who could go underwater alone to kill the water ghost.

Horn offered no explanation.

He personally led the way, taking everyone away from Emerald Lake and towards the central square of the main island.

The square where the power assessment was conducted was extremely large.

The ground was paved with hard, gray-white stone slabs, and in the center was a semi-circular arena surrounded by layers of stands.

Along the edge of the square were many shops selling dried sea monster meat, medicines, weapons, protective gear, and all sorts of strange and unusual trinkets.

The assessment has not officially begun, but the square is already bustling with people.

Some local residents came specifically to watch the spectacle, some merchants took the opportunity to set up stalls, and some family members gathered together to talk in hushed tones.

For ordinary people, this kind of assessment is like a public performance; but for various forces, it is related to the allocation of resources for the next six months or even a year.

Guiding Lands, dock share, hunting areas, tax reductions.

Each of these items is enough to make a small family risk their lives.

Siren followed Horn through the crowd and along a special passage into the palace in the center of the square.

The exterior of the palace is ancient, with many silver-white seashells and sea animal bone fragments embedded in the walls, but the interior is very spacious.

A large number of people had already gathered in the hall, divided into groups according to their families and business associations.

"The Ronte family has arrived."

The deacon at the entrance called out the names loudly.

A number of people in the hall immediately looked over.

"Lant?"

"Do they dare to come again?"

"Didn't they say that old man Horn was on his last legs? Besides him, does Langte have any other Tier 2 members?"

"Who is that young man? Was he hired from outside?"

The murmurs were not loud, but they were clear enough.

Horn remained expressionless as he led the group to the registration table and handed over the documents.

Xilun stood quietly to the side, his gaze sweeping across the hall.

Most of them are second-order extraordinary beings.

The patient's Qi and blood are weak, and the traces of breathing techniques are also very mixed.

Some had bulging muscles, clearly indicating they were purely flesh-based; others smelled of the sea and medicine, suggesting they had consumed a lot of marine animal materials; and several others had bluish skin and cloudy eyes, indicating a significant degree of mutation.

There are a few who can truly be called masters.

However, there is no second-tier extreme realm.

At least within his perception range, no one posed a real threat to him.

Given his current injured state, if he completely suppresses his third-tier power, he can probably reliably perform at a level comparable to or even slightly above the second-tier extreme realm.

If one uses the Xuan Yin Cold Intent and the Breath of the Styx River, it is enough to contend with an ordinary third-tier opponent for a short time.

That's unnecessary.

"Yo, Chief Horn."

A cheerful voice came from the side.

Xilun turned his head and saw a middle-aged man in a silver-gray long coat approaching.

The man was tall with a neatly trimmed short beard, and his chest emblem was a coiled white sea serpent.

Karls whispered to Siren, "The Miluo family, Baro Miluo, has a grudge against us."

Barlow smiled warmly, but there was no warmth in his eyes.

"I heard that the Lant family has recently lost even their fish farms, and I thought you would give up on this evaluation. I didn't expect the Horn family elders to be so capable and even bring in some help."

Horn said calmly, "The Ronter family is not at the point where we need others to worry about us."

"Of course, of course."

Barlow's gaze fell on Xiren, and after looking him up and down for a moment, his smile deepened.

"This gentleman looks unfamiliar. Is he from another island?"

Now, Ronte has also learned to spend money to hire outsiders, but it's unclear whether they're genuine patrons or just sickly people picked up off the street to put on a show.

The expressions of the young members of the Langte family changed.

Karls's eyes also darkened.

Xilun did not react.

He didn't even glance at Barlow, but rather seemed to be observing the old patterns on the walls of the hall.

This disregard caused Barlow's smile to freeze for a moment.

Horn calmly replied, "The outcome will become clear on the field."

Barlow chuckled and turned back to his own team.

As soon as he got back, the smile on his face disappeared.

In the Miluo family procession, an elder with gray hair and a burly build was resting with his eyes closed. Balo leaned down and whispered in his ear.

"Elder, if we go against the Langte family, please do not hold back. It would be best to cripple that outsider."

The burly old man opened his eyes.

His eyes were light yellow, and his pupils were more vertical than normal, clearly indicating that he had been fused with some kind of sea beast material.

"Just rendered useless?"

Barlow lowered his voice.

"Killing him would be ideal, of course. But with the Silver Shell Council watching, it'll be too obvious and cause trouble. As long as we can't prevent him from continuing to fight, Langte's spot in the Demon Gathering Grounds will be lost."

The clan elder nodded slowly.

"clear."