A Mortal's Start in the Spirit Beast Mountain

Lingzhu Island is a small island located in the southwest region of Kuixing Island. It is named after a type of clam that is abundant in the area.

Because these spirit clams develop a spirit pearl within their bodies after a hundred years, which can be inscribed with runes and made into magical artifacts, this sea area is often frequented by rogue cultivators who gather here to fish for them. Spirit Pearl Island has also gradually developed, and now there are tens of thousands of mortals on the island, most of whom make a living by collecting spirit clams. If one is incredibly lucky and finds a hundred-year-old spirit clam, then one can live a life free from worries about food and clothing.

At this moment, dozens of miles away from Lingzhu Island, the blue waves shimmered like silk under the sunlight, and the sea breeze, carrying a strong salty and damp smell, rushed towards us, making the sails of the fishing boats flutter loudly.

The outline of Lingzhu Island in the distance was hidden in a light blue mist, with only the fishing lights along the coast flickering. In the surrounding sea, tiny silver scales occasionally leaped out of the water as sea bass swam past the bottom of the boat and then quickly plunged back into the clear water.

An old, large ship was steadily moored in this sea area, and the sailors on the deck, barefoot, stepped on the wooden planks that were shiny from being soaked in seawater, and shouted in unison, relying on the creaking wooden windlass and thick hemp ropes on the ship, to slowly and laboriously pull in the net.

"Boss, did this net catch something big? It's so heavy!" A shirtless, well-dressed man laughed, then looked at a middle-aged man next to him.

"Don't be too happy yet. Until the very end, no one knows what's next." At this moment, the middle-aged man with a weathered face said not to be too happy yet, but the curve of his lips revealed his excitement.

He's been a boat captain in the area for decades, so he has plenty of experience knowing where there's cargo to be had.

As the large net was slowly pulled up, the bluish-brown seaweed tangled in the mesh swayed with the waves. Seawater dripped down the net, splashing fine droplets on the side of the boat, reflecting the blazing sun overhead. Dark shadows could be vaguely seen rolling underwater, and occasionally a few startled groupers struggled near the net, their tail fins slapping out ripples. Seeing this, the crew became even more excited, their palms sweating as they gripped the rope tightly, working together to drag the heavy cargo into the boat.

Anyone who makes a living at sea knows that what's caught in the net isn't necessarily yours; it's only when it's actually pulled onto the boat that it counts.

"Boss, something's wrong! A group of red-tailed sharks are coming over there!" A young sailor suddenly pointed to the left front, his voice filled with panic. The previously calm waves suddenly became turbulent, and a low, rumbling sound could be faintly heard from beneath the surface. The wind also inexplicably picked up, making one's cheeks sting.

Everyone quickly looked in that direction and saw a dark red ripple appear at the waterline in the distance. More than a dozen sharp dorsal fins sliced ​​through the azure sea and rushed toward the fishing boat like swords. The tail fins left fleeting streaks of water wherever they swept across.

This is the Red-tailed Shark, the most troublesome monster for fishermen in this sea area. Its speed is incredibly fast, like an arrow, and ordinary fishing boats can hardly dodge it. What's even more terrifying is the hard scales covering its back, which gleam with a cold bluish-black light. Even if the heavy crossbows on the boats shoot at close range, they can only leave shallow white marks and cannot penetrate them at all.

The captain's expression changed drastically, and he hurriedly ordered his crew to quickly haul in the net, hoping to get it onto the boat before the group of red-tailed sharks arrived.

The more anxious they were, the more mistakes they made. One of the pulleys on the ship broke down. With such a large net, it would take a lot of effort to pull it up, as it relied entirely on the strength of the crew's hands.

Just as everyone was in despair, a long roar came from afar. Then, the group of red-tailed sharks that had come with great momentum suddenly scattered, as if they had encountered something terrifying.

"What's that noise? Could it be a demon coming?" Everyone's expression changed drastically at the thought.

These red-tailed sharks were only after their catch; if they encountered a monster, everyone on the boat might be swallowed up.

"A fairy is flying over there! We're saved!" a sharp-eyed sailor shouted.

A figure appeared in the distance, riding a sword, and slowly came to a stop above the ship. It was Luo Ming, who had been in the Chaotic Star Sea for several months.

After being teleported here, just like the original story, he relied on helping others obtain merchant qualifications and residence permits for Kui Xing Island. Then the two parted ways. Han Li went to Xiao Huan Island to cultivate in seclusion, while he came to Ling Zhu Island here.

Luo Ming glanced at the azure dragon happily chasing the group of sharks underwater, shook his head and smiled bitterly. Ever since he released the dragon into the sea halfway through the journey, it had refused to return to the spirit beast pouch and was curious about everything it saw.

He understood, after all, this beast had never seen such a vast body of water before. Everything here felt very familiar to it, as if this were its hometown.

Ignoring the Azure Dragon playing with the Red-tailed Shark underwater, Luo Ming asked the people on the boat, "Is that Lingzhu Island ahead?"

"Reporting to the Immortal Master, we will reach Lingzhu Island a few hundred miles ahead," the middle-aged man said respectfully.

"Hmm, it seems we haven't gone astray." Luo Ming nodded, then called out to the Azure Dragon and continued flying towards Spirit Pearl Island.

The Azure Dragon roared and leaped out of the sea to follow, leaving everyone looking at each other in bewilderment.

"That...that's a dragon? It's even blue! I've never seen one like it before in my life." A dark-faced man stared in disbelief at the blue dragon leaping out of the sea, his face full of shock.

The middle-aged man knew that the azure dragon must be the spirit beast of the young man from before, and he was very envious. It was quite normal to see cultivators in this sea area, so he was not surprised. Although he had dreamed of cultivating immortality when he was a child, decades of life had worn away that idea.

"Don't just stand there, hurry up and haul in the net..." The middle-aged man then noticed that several red-tailed shark carcasses had surfaced where the azure dragon had been, clearly killed by the azure dragon. His eyes lit up, and he quickly ordered his men to retrieve them, since red-tailed sharks were worth a lot of money.

"Great, great! From now on, I'll be the island's owner!" Luo Ming said excitedly, looking at the small island that was dozens of miles in size.

Looking at the numerous boats and buildings along the island's shore, and the busy fishermen, he had never felt so relaxed.

They had taken control of the island's only protective array. This "Water Ripple Array" was not of high grade, only a simple level two array, but it was sufficient to defend against ordinary sea beasts and low-level cultivators.

The island's original administrator—an elderly cultivator at the fifth level of Qi Refining—respectfully handed over the island lord's token, account books, and all the stored spirit pearls, showing great obedience to Luo Ming, the new island lord.

There are many islands in the Chaotic Star Sea, and the change of island lords is quite common. As long as the island is safe and the offerings are paid on time, it makes no difference to these low-level cultivators and mortals who are the island lords.

Luo Ming carved out a cave dwelling on a small hill in the center of the island and set up an array he had purchased from Kui Xing Island, finally settling down completely.

"Finally, we can have some peace and quiet for a while."

Back in Tiannan, under the pressure of the demonic invasion, he had been seizing every moment to cultivate, finding it difficult to relax. Now, in the Chaotic Star Sea, although there was a great battle between the Chaotic Star Alliance and the Star Palace later, that would be nearly a hundred years from now. By then, he would have already formed his core, and as long as he didn't get involved with the Nascent Soul cultivators, he believed there wouldn't be any problems.

Besides, he still had a way out. If all else failed, he could return to Tiannan immediately after advancing to the Core Formation stage. Surely there wouldn't be a few Core Formation cultivators stationed there forever? Although it might lead to Tiannan and the Chaotic Star Sea being connected, he couldn't care less about that now.

"Once you reach the mid-Foundation Establishment stage, accumulating mana is more than twice as difficult as in the early stages. Even with a constant supply of spirit stones and pills, it will probably take nearly ten years," Luo Ming said with a sigh as he slowly rose from his meditation.