Mortal: Starting by looting Han Laomo's entire herb garden

Lu Yan cast another divination for himself, his lips twitched, and he obediently stayed in his cave for a while.

He hadn't been idle these past few days, turning Wen Tianren's storage bag upside down.

The spiritual materials were piled up like a small mountain, their high quality and abundance making him unable to help but curse inwardly: This rich bastard is really fucking rich.

These materials are just enough to forge a replica of the Eight Gates Golden Mirror.

Although it was a replica, he personally activated it, so trapping a Nascent Soul cultivator in the early stages was no problem.

The sword in the gourd was also refined again. Nine flying swords hung in front of him, their swords ringing out clearly. Most of the runes on the swords were now complete, and the spiritual light was more than twice as bright as before.

With everything in order, Lu Yan took out a communication talisman, whispered a few words, and with a flick of his hand, the talisman transformed into a stream of light and flew out the door.

Not long after, two streaks of light landed at the entrance of the cave. Yuan Yao and Yan Li walked in one after the other.

"Young Master, have you finished your seclusion?" Yuan Yao stepped forward, naturally taking his arm and leaning slightly closer.

Yanli sat down on the other side and reached out to straighten his collar, her movements light and practiced.

Lu Yan nodded: "I need to go on a long trip. This place has been targeted by Ji Yin. Although I'm not afraid of him, if he attacks you while I'm away..."

Yuan Yao tightened her grip, interrupting him: "Young master, there's no need to say anything more. We'll go wherever you go." Yan Li nodded repeatedly beside her.

Lu Yan shook his head: "This time we might be fighting against cultivators of the same level, and it will be difficult to concentrate on fighting if I bring you along. You should go to Tianxing City and stay for a while until I return."

He handed over a storage bag containing some spiritual materials and pills that he didn't need.

Yuan Yao took the storage bag, glanced at it, then leaned close to his ear, her warm breath brushing against him: "Young Master, who knows when we'll meet again? How about tonight..."

Lu Yan sighed, his face serious: "How can a cultivator be so engrossed in this?"

Then, several days later, he finally set off.

-----

Tianxing City.

Lu Yan rented a cave dwelling, rich in spiritual energy, enough for the two women to cultivate daily.

He handed the restriction token to Yuan Yao, gave her a few more instructions, and then boarded the Sky-Splitting Cloud Shuttle alone, soaring into the sky.

Magic Lake Island is an inconspicuous little island located on the edge of the Inner Star Sea.

The island is rich in copper, a material used to make ritual implements.

Although not a rare treasure, it has the advantage of stable production, and people occasionally collect it here.

When Lu Yan stepped onto the island, there were already groups of cultivators searching among the rocks.

"Brother Zhang, this piece of yours is of good quality. It should sell for at least ten spirit stones." A thin young man squatted by the crevice in the rock, holding a piece of greenish ore, and called out to the person next to him.

The man called Brother Zhang was a middle-aged man who was digging at the ground with a hoe-like magical tool without looking up. "Ten yuan? Last month I dug up one that was half the size of this, and the market charged me twenty. Your eyesight isn't good; don't get ripped off."

"Really?" The skinny young man's eyes lit up, and he leaned closer to take a look.

"Don't push, don't push, find it yourself."

In the distance, two young men in the Qi Refining stage were squatting on the beach, each holding a piece of freshly dug copper ore, examining it with delight.

"Senior brother, how much can this sell for?"

"Let's say at least 15."

Lu Yan stood on the highest rock at the edge of the island and glanced around.

This bearded man has been hiding his belongings under this island for so many years; he might have planted spies.

Among these miners, there might be someone who tipped him off.

It doesn't matter, he's going to take everything down today anyway.

He took a deep breath, channeled his spiritual energy into his throat, and shouted:

"Get out of here, all of you!"

The sound shook the surrounding area, like a thunderclap from a clear sky. Ripples spread across the sea, and pebbles fell from the reefs.

The skinny young man was so frightened that he sat down on the ground with a thud, and the copper ore in his hand rolled far away.

"What's going on?"

The middle-aged man, his face ashen, grabbed him and yelled, "Stop talking nonsense, run!"

The two young men in the Qi Refining stage were so frightened that their faces turned pale, and they scrambled towards the spirit boat.

One of them lost his shoe while running and didn't dare to turn back to pick it up, so he ran barefoot on the rocks.

The island was thrown into chaos.

Several spirit boats took off in the blink of an eye, their escape lights scattering in all directions, moving faster than rabbits.

Lu Yan's lips curled up slightly.

I guess it won't be long before the bearded man receives the news, right?

It's better that he's here; he's been waiting for that bearded man.

His true purpose for this trip was to acquire the Heaven-Supporting Demonic Art. The spiritual materials, demon cores, and Gengjin were merely incidental.

Lu Yan jumped off the reef and walked towards the center of the island.

We arrived at the treasure cave.

The voice of Master Tianfu echoed in his mind: "This restriction is quite interesting. It's based on the reversal of the five elements and supplemented by the Seven Killings Locking Yuan Formation. If Barbarian Beard set it up himself, this guy's skill in formations is truly remarkable."

Lu Yan asked, "Can it be broken?"

"This is nothing to me," Master Tianfu said calmly. "Just do as I say."

Lu Yan did as instructed, channeling his spiritual energy into several nodes on the stone wall.

In less than the time it takes to drink half a cup of tea, the light of the runes on the stone wall dimmed, and a crack split open from the middle, revealing a dark hole.

Lu Yan slipped inside.

The cave dwelling wasn't large, but it was crammed full. Spiritual materials, demon cores, and magical artifacts were neatly arranged on shelves, and a quick glance revealed their value to be at least several million spirit stones.

The innermost jade box was placed separately. When it was opened, a piece of Geng gold the size of a fist was found lying inside.

Lu Yan's lips curled up, and with a wave of his hand, he stored everything in the cave into his storage bracelet.

These items could probably fetch over ten million yuan if sold in Tiannan.

In Tiannan, a level seven demon core can sell for 100,000.

However, in the Chaotic Star Sea, when Han Li offered a bunch of level-seven demon beast materials to redeem Wen Siyue, Yun Tianxiao estimated the value at only seventy or eighty thousand, and was still not happy about it.

The price difference between the two places is indeed quite large.

A few days later, a golden streak of light pierced through the sky, its momentum overwhelming.

As the light dissipated, a burly old man in a blue robe landed on the island. His beard and hair were bristling, and his eyes were wide open as he stared at Lu Yan, scrutinizing him from head to toe.

"So it was you who smashed up my cave and stole my things?"

Lu Yan stood with his hands behind his back: "Demon Lake Island has always been my territory, and today it is time to return it to its rightful owner."

The bearded man was taken aback, then laughed angrily, "Your territory? I've been in the Chaotic Star Sea for hundreds of years, how come I've never heard of you? I know every Nascent Soul cultivator in the Chaotic Star Sea. What's your name, and which sect are you from?"

"Lu Yan, Yellow Maple Valley."

The bearded man frowned and thought for a moment: "Yellow Maple Valley? Which Yellow Maple Valley? I've never heard of it."

He abruptly changed the subject, sneering, "I don't care what your name is, you smashed up my cave dwelling and stole my possessions accumulated over hundreds of years. How do you intend to settle this?"

Lu Yan said calmly, "I've already said that this island belongs to me. Your things are on my island, and I'm already being lenient by not charging you a storage fee."

The bearded man, his mustache bristling with rage, shouted, "Bullshit! I've been operating on this island for centuries. You think you can just claim it as yours? What proof do you have?"

"No proof is needed," Lu Yan said calmly. "If I say it is, then it is."

The bearded man stared at him for a long while, then suddenly took a deep breath, suppressed his anger, and said coldly:

"Fine, fine, fine. I won't argue with you over these words. You're just a Nascent Soul cultivator, yet you dare to be so arrogant in front of me. You must have some skill. I'd like to see just how much you're worth."