Morning mist clung to the massive coastal city like a damp shroud. Shen Xian, dressed in a simple blue robe, walked slowly along the bustling streets.

He had been delayed on his return from the battle. A few minor disturbances had required his attention, but now he was back.

“Have you heard?”

At a roadside tea stall, a young cultivator’s voice trembled with excitement. “Those Black Tide bastards were wiped out in one go! Twenty warships, all burned to charcoal on Burning Heaven Island!”

Shen Xian’s steps paused slightly. A faint, almost imperceptible smile curled at the corner of his mouth.

He had altered his appearance again, adjusting even the micro-expressions of his face. To the world, he was just another passing stranger.

“More than that!” An old man selling spirit fruits nearby leaned in, lowering his voice conspiratorially. “My nephew is a merchant runner. He passed by Burning Heaven Island yesterday. He said the volcano crater was leveled! For ten miles around, the ground is scorched earth, covered in terrifying sword marks!”

Several loose cultivators at the street corner gasped.

One of them whispered, eyes wide. “I heard… it was a Sword Immortal who made the move! That Guijiao didn’t even have a chance to draw his weapon before his head was severed by a single stroke!”

“Nonsense!” A burly man at the next table slammed his hand down, rattling the teacups. “It was clearly a reclusive Nascent Soul Realm True Lord! Otherwise, who could have annihilated the entire Black Tide Pirate Group alone?”

Shen Xian continued walking toward the City Lord’s Manor.

The rumors were getting more outrageous by the minute, but that suited him just fine. The more mythical the assailant became, the less likely anyone would suspect a Golden Core cultivator.

…

In front of the City Lord’s Manor, two guards at the early Foundation Establishment stage were chatting idly.

The young guard on the left frowned, watching as an unfamiliar cultivator walked straight toward them.

“Halt! This is the City Lord’s Manor. Unrelated personnel are forbidden…”

His words died in his throat.

He stared, horrified, at the object the newcomer held in his hand.

A blood-dripping head. Eyes wide open in frozen shock. A fierce scar running across the face.

Who else could it be but the notorious Guijiao?

“This… this…” The young guard’s Adam’s apple bobbed. Cold sweat instantly soaked his back.

He couldn’t help but think of the rumors about the mysterious Nascent Soul True Lord.

Thud.

His companion dropped to one knee. “Senior, please forgive our offense!”

He yanked the young guard down by the shoulder, his voice trembling. “This fool is new here! He is blind and unable to recognize greatness!”

“Lead the way,” Shen Xian said calmly.

The two guards looked as if they had been granted amnesty.

Passing through a barrier formation, Shen Xian was led into a floating pavilion shrouded in mist and clouds.

Upon stepping inside, the aroma of high-grade spiritual tea wafted out, relaxing the mind and spirit.

Inside the pavilion, an old man in white robes was brewing tea. He appeared to be around sixty, with a kindly face like an ordinary wealthy patriarch.

But Shen Xian knew better. This was Li Canglan—the City Lord of Spirit Sea City, a man who commanded awe across the Eastern Sea.

A Nascent Soul Realm True Lord.

Crack.

A fine fracture appeared on the delicate teacup in Li Canglan’s hand.

“Young friend… do you know…”

The old man’s kindly smile gradually froze. A trace of blood-red malice appeared in his murky eyes.

“…that Guijiao was a dog I raised for several hundred years?”

As City Lord, there were many things inconvenient for Li Canglan to do personally. He coveted the immense profits of piracy, and the existence of pirates justified his own heavy-handed rule.

So, centuries ago, he had secretly fostered the Black Tide Pirate Group. They were his most effective black glove.

And now…

The tool he had painstakingly built over centuries had been utterly destroyed.

What infuriated him even more was the audacity of the man before him. The destroyer stood there openly, holding Guijiao’s head, brazenly demanding the bounty.

BOOM.

The pressure of a Nascent Soul Realm cultivator erupted. The tea set on the table instantly turned to dust.

The defensive arrays on the pavilion walls activated automatically, humming with strain.

Yet, Shen Xian didn’t even stir a corner of his robe.

“I know,” Shen Xian said casually, tossing Guijiao’s head onto the floor. It rolled to a stop at the City Lord’s feet. “A dog that bites deserves to be put down.”

Ever since obtaining the communication token from Guijiao’s storage pouch, Shen Xian had known Li Canglan was the mastermind.

But he came anyway.

“Audacious!”

Li Canglan laughed in extreme anger. He raised his hand and threw out a White Jade Ruyi.

The aura of a spirit treasure exploded outward. The jade scepter swelled to thirty feet long, transforming into a ferocious water dragon that pounced forward with a roar.

“State your sect!”

He released his Nascent Soul divine sense, intending to crush Shen Xian’s mind instantly. A mere Golden Core cultivator couldn’t possibly have annihilated an entire pirate group alone. He needed to know who stood behind this arrogance.

But with the Void Reflecting Spirit Mirror, Shen Xian remained completely unaffected. His expression didn’t even flicker.

“My sect?”

Shen Xian repeated the words thoughtfully.

Suddenly, a token flew out from his sleeve and landed on the table with a heavy clack.

The token was verdant green. Its pattern depicted an upright divine tree surrounded by winding golden threads that shimmered with spiritual light.

The water dragon froze abruptly, three feet from Shen Xian’s face.

Li Canglan’s face darkened. “Divine Wood Sect!”

The other party hailed from the Azure Province’s number one major sect. However, judging by the token’s style, it belonged to an inner sect disciple—not a core disciple.

Did he act alone? Or is this a message from the sect?

Before he could decide whether to kill him, Shen Xian tossed out a second token.

This time, Li Canglan’s pupils constricted violently.

A single gilded character shone on the surface.

“A Shen Family Direct Lineage Token?!”

The Nascent Soul True Lord was shaken to his core. He hurriedly formed hand seals to recall his spirit treasure.

The water dragon shrank back into the White Jade Ruyi and fell to the floor with a clatter.

Spirit Sea City was an independent power, but it existed in the shadow of the Azure Province’s giants. It couldn’t afford to provoke the number one great clan.

Especially now. The Shen Family had sent envoys numerous times to negotiate incorporating Spirit Sea City into their territory. Li Canglan’s paranoia spiked. Is this their answer to my delays?

Shen Xian watched him calmly. “Now… what does the City Lord intend to do?”

He knew Li Canglan was the mastermind, yet he stood here fearlessly.

Looking across the entire Azure Province… there were few powers who dared to ignore what these two tokens represented. Even if Li Canglan was reckless enough to try, Shen Xian had other life-saving trump cards.

“Misunderstanding! All a misunderstanding!”

Li Canglan’s face changed faster than flipping the pages of a book. His smile returned, bright and ingratiating.

“What I meant was… good kill! That dog should have been dealt with long ago!”

Fine beads of sweat appeared at his temples. His mind raced, calculating the pros and cons.

The identity of a Shen Family direct descendant hung over his head like a guillotine. Spirit Sea City was his foundation, built over three hundred years. Offending the Shen Family over a momentary impulse would bring ruin.

He looked at Shen Xian with fawning respect. “Might I ask… are you perhaps Young Master Shen Li?”

News of Shen Li’s death hadn’t spread completely yet. Since there were only three direct sons, the City Lord naturally assumed the powerful figure before him was the famed second son.

Shen Xian neither confirmed nor denied it.

“That jade ruyi of yours is quite nice,” Shen Xian said, his gaze falling on the spirit treasure lying on the floor.

It was a Nascent Soul-grade artifact, pulsing with surging water spiritual power. It would be a perfect fit for Wei Zhaoli.

Since his identity was exposed, he might as well squeeze the City Lord for everything he was worth.

Li Canglan stiffened for a moment, then immediately understood. He picked up the item respectfully and offered it with both hands.

“This White Jade Ruyi has accompanied me for many years. It is a top-grade spirit treasure. If Young Master Shen likes it, please, take it.”

“Oh?”

Shen Xian took it. His fingertips lightly traced the flowing spiritual patterns, feeling the power within. “Indeed. Quite a nice plaything.”

He stowed it away without a second glance. Then, he shifted the topic.

“What about the bounty?”

Li Canglan’s eyes flashed. He waved his sleeve, and three streams of light landed on the table.

First, an azure blue treasure pearl, swirling with the image of turbulent waves inside.

Second, a storage pouch, bulging with spirit stones.

Third, a purple jade token engraved with the characters ‘Spirit Sea’.

“The Mystic Water Bead, one hundred thousand spirit stones, and a token only the honored guests of Spirit Sea City qualify to possess,” Li Canglan said respectfully. “Is Young Master Shen satisfied?”

Shen Xian’s divine sense swept over the items, confirming the count. He stored them away and looked at the City Lord with a smile that didn’t reach his eyes.

“The City Lord is truly generous.”

“I wouldn’t dare,” Li Canglan said, bowing lower. He hesitated, then asked tentatively, “Then, regarding today’s matter…”

“Today?”

Shen Xian raised an eyebrow, drawing out the word. “…I merely came to collect a bounty. Nothing more.”

He turned to leave.

Li Canglan secretly sighed in relief. He hurried to see him off. “If Young Master Shen has any needs whatsoever, please feel free to find me anytime!”

Without turning back, Shen Xian waved a hand. His blue robe fluttered as he vanished outside the pavilion.

Li Canglan stood in place, his ingratiating smile slowly freezing on his face. A flicker of sinister gloom appeared deep in his eyes, but it was soon replaced by profound apprehension.