A month quietly passed.
Throughout that entire month, Lin Sheng seldom left the Jiuding Merchant Alliance.
Every day was spent buried amongst ancient scrolls, weathered beast-skin maps and countless jade slips that recorded the ever-changing geography of the Southern Archipelagos. Maps dating back one or two hundred years were quickly discarded, forcing him to continuously pay additional fees to consult older archives.
Fortunately...
The effort had not been in vain.
Crystal had compared thousands of maps before finally identifying one whose coastline bore an astonishing resemblance to the five-island pattern reconstructed from the protruding rocks within the Qian Family Ancestor's burial ground.
It wasn't an exact match.
Several islands appeared to have sunk beneath the sea while others had shifted considerably due to countless years of tectonic changes and violent sea currents.
Even so...
It remained the closest match Crystal had found.
•[Similarity with reconstructed island formation: 83.72%.
Recommendation: On-site investigation required]•
Naturally...
Such an investigation required preparation.
Over the past month, Lin Sheng had purchased an astonishing quantity of cultivation resources.
Rank Three lightning-attributed ores, spirit metals, formation materials, talismans and ancient maps.
Even several rare aquatic spiritual herbs whenever they appeared during the merchant alliance's auctions.
By the time he finished his purchases...
The amount of Spirit Stones he had spent had quietly surpassed one million.
Inside one of the alliance's reception halls, a middle-aged steward respectfully handed over a silver token engraved with the image of nine ancient cauldrons.
"Congratulations, Senior."
"From today onward, you are officially a Silver VIP of the Jiuding Merchant Alliance."
Lin Sheng accepted the token before briefly examining it.
The steward smiled.
"Our Merchant Alliance recognises six ranks of distinguished guests."
"Black Iron, bronze, silver, gold, platinum and Diamond."
"Those reaching Silver Rank must accumulate purchases exceeding one million Spirit Stones."
"From now onwards, Senior shall enjoy priority access to auctions, restricted archives, rare resource notifications and preferential pricing throughout every branch of the Jiuding Merchant Alliance."
Lin Sheng simply nodded.
He cared little about status.
The discounts...
Were considerably more useful.
After putting away the token, he immediately asked about another matter.
"The island I requested?"
The steward smiled knowingly.
"Everything has already been arranged."
"As requested, we've avoided the five islands themselves."
Lin Sheng naturally understood the reasoning.
Those five islands possessed no Spirit Veins whatsoever.
To ordinary cultivators...
They held almost no value.
Purchasing them outright would only invite unnecessary suspicion.
Instead...
He had chosen another island situated relatively close to them.
The steward soon retrieved a jade token before respectfully presenting it.
"This is Ridge Mist Island."
"It possesses a High Grade Rank Two Spirit Vein."
"Although not particularly large, it remains suitable for long-term cultivation."
"The lease period requested by Senior..."
"...has already been completed."
"Ten years."
Lin Sheng accepted the island token.
The moment his Spiritual Sense entered it, countless details regarding the island immediately flowed into his mind.
Terrain.
Protective formations.
Population.
Spirit Vein distribution.
Everything had already been recorded.
The steward continued explaining.
"As stipulated by the Thousand Isles Archipelago, every cultivator leasing an inhabited Spirit Island also assumes responsibility for its safety."
"The mortals residing upon the island are under your protection."
"Should Sea Beasts or rogue cultivators attack, Senior is obligated to intervene."
Lin Sheng wasn't surprised.
Such arrangements were commonplace throughout the Southern Archipelagos.
Spirit Islands weren't merely cultivation grounds.
Most also housed thousands of ordinary mortals whose livelihoods depended upon the surrounding seas.
Allowing those settlements to be massacred would ultimately damage the commercial stability of the entire archipelago.
Consequently...
Every island owner or tenant naturally became its guardian.
After confirming every detail, Lin Sheng departed the merchant alliance.
Several hours later...
His Rank Three flying boat once again traversed the skies above the endless sea.
This time...
Its destination wasn't Thousand Isle City.
Rather...
Ridge Mist Island.
By the time the flying boat gradually descended, the island had already appeared below.
Although considerably smaller than Thousand Isle City, it remained lively.
Fishing villages lined the coastline while several small cultivation markets occupied the central region surrounding the Spirit Vein.
As Lin Sheng stepped off the flying boat, storing it within his spatial ring, a young cultivator immediately approached before respectfully bowing.
"This junior greets Island Lord."
The young man appeared to be around thirty years old.
His cultivation had already reached the Foundation Establishment Realm, though only the Early Stage.
Lin Sheng observed him quietly.
"You are?"
The young cultivator immediately produced an identical jade token bearing the emblem of the Jiuding Merchant Alliance.
"My surname is Xu."
"The Merchant Alliance assigned me here upon Senior's request."
"My duty is to assist in managing Ridge Mist Island while handling all ordinary affairs."
Lin Sheng slowly nodded.
A Foundation Establishment cultivator was more than sufficient.
After all...
He had no intention of remaining upon the island every day.
His true objective still lay elsewhere.
Investigating those five mysterious islands would undoubtedly consume considerable time.
Having someone trustworthy to oversee the island's daily affairs would save him countless unnecessary distractions.
Looking towards the distant horizon where thick white mist concealed the endless sea, Lin Sheng narrowed his eyes slightly.
At long last...
The real investigation was about to begin.
...
After arriving at Ridge Mist Island, Lin Sheng wasted very little time settling in.
Under Xu's efficient management, the island's affairs were quickly handed over without requiring much of his attention. The Foundation Establishment cultivator had clearly been trained by the Jiuding Merchant Alliance, explaining every matter regarding the island with remarkable clarity, from the yearly collection of rents to the fishing villages scattered along the coastline.
Only after everything had been arranged did Lin Sheng calmly instruct him,
"I'm entering closed-door cultivation."
"If nothing important happens, do not disturb me."
Xu immediately cupped his fists.
"This subordinate understands."
Lin Sheng entered the cultivation chamber prepared beneath the island's Spirit Vein, activating the surrounding formations one after another until the room became completely isolated from the outside world.
To anyone observing...
The newly appointed Island Lord had truly entered seclusion.
Unfortunately...
The person sitting cross-legged inside the cultivation chamber gradually dissolved into countless tiny streaks of lightning before quietly disappearing.
Several hundred kilometres away...
Another Lin Sheng stepped out from the shadows of the nearby shoreline.
The substitute created through his Lightning Intent slowly dispersed into pure Gang Qi, while the real Lin Sheng gazed towards the group of barren islands hidden beneath layers of drifting sea mist.
Only now did he finally begin the true purpose of coming here.
Without delaying any longer, he crossed the sea in silence before landing upon the first island.
The moment his feet touched the ground, Crystal immediately began another complete scan.
•[Scanning surrounding terrain...]•
Lin Sheng slowly walked forward.
The information obtained from the ancient maps proved accurate.
Time had indeed been merciless.
Large portions of the island had already collapsed into the sea, while the remaining land was covered only by ordinary vegetation. Several common trees grew wildly without any sign of Spiritual Qi, their branches sheltering nothing more than birds and small woodland creatures.
Even the beasts roaming the forest were merely ordinary mortal animals.
No formations.
No hidden caves.
No unusual Spiritual Qi fluctuations.
After spending nearly half an hour searching every corner of the island, Lin Sheng quietly shook his head before leaving.
The second island...
Yielded exactly the same result.
Although slightly larger than the first, it contained nothing except dense forests and ordinary wildlife. Several deer fled deeper into the woods after sensing his aura, while birds continuously circled overhead before disappearing beyond the canopy.
Everything appeared perfectly natural.
Too natural.
Standing upon the shoreline, Lin Sheng looked towards the remaining islands.
His expression gradually became serious.
According to Crystal's reconstruction, the original formation should have consisted of five islands.
Now...
Only three remained above the sea.
The remaining two had already disappeared beneath the waves countless years ago, leaving only faint traces visible beneath the clear seawater whenever the tides receded.
"If the clue truly points here..."
His voice remained calm.
"...then this is my final opportunity."
Without hesitation, he crossed towards the third island.
The instant he landed...
His footsteps subconsciously slowed.
Something felt...
Different.
Unlike the previous two islands, the surrounding forest appeared unnaturally quiet.
The ancient trees still stood as tall as before, while vines hung from countless branches and lush vegetation completely covered the ground.
Yet...
There wasn't a single bird singing.
No insects.
No beasts.
Not even the faint rustling normally produced by small animals moving through the undergrowth.
The entire island seemed frozen in complete silence.
Lin Sheng's eyes narrowed.
His Mental Perception silently expanded.
Nothing.
No hostile aura.
No hidden cultivator.
Only an eerie stillness that made the forest appear increasingly unnatural.
Rather than retreating, he continued deeper into the island.
One step.
Then another.
The deeper he travelled, the quieter the surroundings became until eventually even the sound of the sea behind him completely disappeared.
Several minutes later...
The dense forest suddenly opened.
A small grove appeared before him.
Countless thick vines intertwined with one another, hanging between the ancient trees like a naturally formed wall that completely blocked the path ahead.
At first glance...
Everything appeared perfectly ordinary.
Lin Sheng, however, immediately stopped walking.
A trace of excitement flashed through his usually calm eyes.
Those...
Were not vines.
His gaze lingered upon the seemingly chaotic arrangement before Crystal rapidly completed its analysis.
•[Abnormal Spiritual Qi fluctuations detected.
Formation characteristics identified.
Probability of Illusion Formation: 99.87%]•
The corners of Lin Sheng's lips slowly rose.
An illusion formation...
On a Spiritless island.
No cultivator would expend such effort hiding an abandoned patch of forest unless something worth protecting existed behind it.
After searching for over a month...
He had finally found his first genuine clue.