Chapter 159: The Lou Clan Warships

Sensing the burly man's cultivation realm, the scar-faced cultivator instantly turned extremely apprehensive. By this point, how could he not realize that he had offended someone he shouldn't have?

Being at the third layer of Qi Condensation, he could be considered somewhat accomplished among rogue cultivators, a level that took him twenty to thirty years of harsh training and bitter struggle to achieve. However, compared to a mid-Qi Condensation cultivator at the fifth layer, he was not even worthy of carrying the man's shoes.

The scar-faced cultivator rubbed his face with his sleeve, revealing an ugly smile. "You jest, Brother. My strength is trivial; I am not worth your precious time."

"So you're just a cowardly rat? Then what were you babbling about just now? I've got a good temper and don't care to lower myself to your level, or else you wouldn't even know how you died!"

The big man's expression turned cold, his tone dripping with disdain. Yet, his right hand gripped tightly onto the spirit sword at his waist, ready to unleash a combat technique with full force at any moment.

Mo Ye couldn't help but glance at the burly man. For a rogue cultivator to reach the fifth layer of Qi Condensation in his prime thirties was by no means an easy feat. One must know that rogue cultivators possessed scarce financial resources, and every single increase in their cultivation had to be fought for with their lives, accumulating slowly day by day with just one or two spirit stones. Unless he was an exceptionally outstanding rogue cultivator, reaching the mid-Qi Condensation stage in his prime would have been utterly impossible.

The other cultivators on the boat looked at the scar-faced cultivator's retreat with absolute contempt.

At this moment, the fishing boat was out on the ocean, belonging to no immortal village, and there were no prohibitions against using force. In other words, killing someone here on the sea went completely unregulated. Of course, unless one was a demonic cultivator, no rogue cultivator dared to kill wantonly without reason. After all, rogue cultivators also had friends and relatives; accidentally provoking a stronger cultivator would only bring misfortune upon oneself. Even disinterested onlookers would sometimes step in to stop wanton slaughter.

The scar-faced cultivator's expression flickered between green and white. Though anger burned within his heart, he dared not show it. The other party was trying to provoke him, waiting for the slightest suitable excuse to strike and ruthlessly beat him down. The scar-faced cultivator had pulled similar stunts himself many times, so he knew the tricks of the trade all too well.

Apprehensive as he was, he could not bring himself to utter any more submissive words. For a time, the atmosphere became deadlocked, and the disdain on the burly man's face grew even thicker.

"Brother Wu, the cabin is cramped here. It would be bad if you accidentally injured other fellow travelers. If you have any grievances, you can settle them after going ashore. Why not head to the Martial Duel Arena of the Lou Family's Immortal Village and have some fun?"

The old man operating the boat suddenly spoke up to mediate.

Hearing this, the big man immediately withdrew his momentum, cupped his fists toward the old man, and laughed heartily, "Since Old Qian has spoken, I naturally must give you face. But while your senior self has the restraint not to lower yourself to the likes of this person, I certainly don't. When I encounter someone running their mouth like this, if I don't teach them a lesson, this frustration just won't clear out of my chest!"

The old man chuckled aloud. "You possess the Innate Metal Physique and are in the prime of your youth; naturally, you should act as your heart desires. On the monthly martial dueling arena of the Lou Family's Immortal Village, there will surely be a place reserved for you. As for me, I am old and frail, completely lacking that kind of sharp edge. If Brother Wu joins the Lou Family's Immortal Village and hitches himself to a high branch, please don't forget our impoverished friendship."

Innate Metal Physique?

No wonder he cultivated so fast, actually reaching the fifth layer of Qi Condensation!

The rogue cultivators in the cabin instantly erupted in an uproar, casting sidelong glances of awe and envy toward the burly man. This was a pure spiritual root constitution. Those who possessed it were exceptionally suited for cultivating pure metal-attribute techniques. If the potential of the metal spiritual root was high, the speed of cultivation would be astonishingly rapid. Even though the Lou Family's Immortal Village had extremely high standards for its villagers, this big man had an absolute certainty of being accepted.

The emotions of the rogue cultivators instantly grew complicated, as envy and jealousy sprouted in each of their hearts.

Mo Ye was also tempted, wondering whether he should try to recruit this burly man to his own Ye Family's Immortal Village. However, the moment he thought about how this big man had his sights set on the Lou Family's Immortal Village, even if he were forcibly recruited to the Ye Village, his heart might not necessarily remain there.

Mo Ye pondered for a moment and ultimately dismissed the thought.

Upon hearing this, the scar-faced cultivator wished he could slap himself across the face. For a moment of verbal bravado, he had inadvertently provoked an elite among rogue cultivators. Fortunately, the old man had let bygones be bygones and extricated him from the predicament.

"Heh, you jest, Old Man! You're at the sixth layer of Qi Condensation, even more formidable than me. With Old Qian's strength, you'd rank quite high even within the Lou Family's Immortal Village," the big man repeatedly shook his head and said.

"At my advanced age, the Lou Family's Immortal Village certainly wouldn't take me," the old man said with a hint of helplessness. Once a cultivator grew old, their future prospects in cultivation were already limited, and the Lou Family's Immortal Village was unwilling to waste resources on someone like him.

A young cultivator, around fifteen or sixteen years old, suddenly chimed in, his face turning red as he asked, "Um, what is the Martial Duel Arena?"

The old man glanced back and chuckled heartily, "The Martial Duel Arena is a martial arts arena in the Lou Family's Immortal Village. Capable rogue cultivators can take the stage to challenge others; it's the place where the Lou Family selects talent from among the rogue cultivators. Rankings are posted daily, and as long as you catch the eye of Village Lord Lou, you have the opportunity to join the immortal village and become an immortal guard. However, they only recruit young rogue cultivators."

Many of the newly arrived cultivators nodded secretly, instantly understanding the purpose of the Martial Duel Arena.

The young man frowned slightly. "Does that mean the Lou Family's Immortal Village only recruits cultivators with formidable combat power?"

The old man looked at the youth and said, "The Lou Family's Immortal Village values combat prowess above all else. However, if someone possesses special talents in other areas, they won't be turned away either."

The young man patted his chest and let out a sigh of relief. "That's good then. I know how to refine pills; I was worried they wouldn't take me!"

"Alchemy?"

The old man burst into laughter. "If your talent for alchemy is exceptional, the Lou Family will certainly accept you. However, when it comes to alchemy, the Bai Family's Immortal Village, located a thousand miles away, is the undisputed supreme authority! Although the Bai Family's Immortal Village cannot compare to the Lou Family's Ao Lai First Village, it is still an absolute powerhouse of an immortal village. Coming to the Lou Family's Immortal Village means you've come to the wrong place; you might as well try the Bai Family's Immortal Village, as that place is far better suited for the development of alchemists."

"The Bai Family? Could this be Bai Xijun's immortal village? Bai Xijun comes from an alchemy lineage, so this Bai Family's Immortal Village must definitely be his!"

Mo Ye's gaze involuntarily narrowed, and a ripple stirred in his heart.

Mo Ye had already begun to feel the immense pressure brought upon him by descendants of great clans like Lou Jiejun and Bai Xijun. Such clan descendants possessed extremely profound foundations and could bring vast numbers of clansmen along to establish a village.

Take alchemy, for instance: the Ye Family's Immortal Village had to spend thousands or tens of thousands of spirit stones to purchase various alchemy blueprints from the Qingyun Main Immortal City, allowing the village alchemists to study them before they could manage to produce Vitality Pills. But Bai Xijun didn't need to do any of that. Among the clansmen he brought with him, many already possessed mastery of alchemy techniques, allowing them to rapidly refine all kinds of spiritual pills.

Lou Jiejun was even more formidable than Bai Xijun. His father was a Golden Core-tier city lord, and his subordinates were brimming with talent across almost every discipline. He could even bypass the cultivation process entirely—any Qi Condensation cultivator under his command could be put to immediate use. In this way, they saved a massive amount of initial startup costs for their new immortal villages, and naturally, their growth rates were astonishingly rapid.

Previously, Mo Ye had felt somewhat proud of himself for defeating the Ten-Village Alliance. But now, merely hearing the rogue cultivators excitedly discuss the Lou Family and Bai Family immortal villages made his palms sweat and filled his heart with a profound sense of powerlessness. Competing against immortal villages like these was simply too difficult!

By establishing an immortal village in the Ao Lai Sea Region, his competitors were not merely newly rising city lords like Lou Jiejun and Bai Xijun, but the centuries-old immortal cultivation families standing behind them.

In this vast Ao Lai Sea Region, powerful immortal villages were numerous. For now, the Ye Family's Immortal Village was merely ranked among the top thirty, still far behind the absolute pinnacle.

The moment this wave of frustration rose within him, Mo Ye instantly caught himself and forcefully suppressed it. He could not afford to yield before a battle even began and let such negative emotions take root.

Although he lacked a centuries-old family backing him, he possessed a mysterious magical artifact in the form of the ancient painting scroll. He was not necessarily destined to lose to Lou Jiejun and Bai Xijun.

A-Shui glanced at Mo Ye's solemn expression, a look of worry inadvertently surfacing on her usually cold face. Yet, she did not know how to ease his burden.

The small fishing boat gradually approached the Lou Family's spirit island, slowing its pace.

Mo Ye collected his thoughts and concentrated on appraising the spirit island before him.

This was a spirit island roughly seventy or eighty miles in size. The thin layer of spiritual mist visible from afar completely vanished as they drew closer. What came into view was a row upon row of towering spirit-wood walls and a bustling, orderly harbor.

No less than dozens of sea-going vessels of all sizes were docked at the pier, with cultivators and martial artists moving in and out in a constant stream. These were all passing merchant ships and transport vessels.

Next to the pier stood a dedicated dockyard. Mo Ye saw that neatly lined up within the dockyard were more than a dozen warships—all of them large-scale vessels. On the shore, numerous shipwrights were busy crafting the keels and decks for ten Wolf-class warships, which would likely be launched into the water soon. The production capacity of the Lou village's dockyard was astonishingly high, capable of launching ten ships simultaneously in a single breath.

The prows of these warships strongly resembled the heads of wolves, with ferocious exteriors that made them exceptionally striking.

Mo Ye possessed a fair understanding of warships as well, and at a single glance, he could tell these vessels were extremely well-suited for maritime warfare, boasting stellar performance. They were likely even stronger than the light armor warships of the Ye Family's Immortal Village.

"Wolf-class warships? There are actually over a dozen of them here! These must be specialized combat vessels—this is the maritime military might of the Lou Family's Immortal Village!"

Mo Ye drew in a sharp breath, his heart shaken with shock.

Lou Jiejun had brought three warships with him to the Ao Lai Archipelago, and coupled with the ten new vessels being built here, that made thirteen in total. Before he had even set foot inside the Lou Family's Immortal Village, he was already struck with awe by this massive fleet of Lou Family warships.

No wonder the Lou Family's Immortal Village was universally acknowledged by rogue cultivators as the premier immortal village in Ao Lai. Such a massive fleet alone was enough to inspire awe and dread. No wonder the Lou Family's Immortal Village had encircled more than twenty resource-rich surrounding islands in one fell swoop, yet not a single immortal village dared to question it.

This force was likely already strong enough to strip many weaker immortal village lords of any will to resist.

Lou Jiejun was indeed striding far ahead of everyone else.

The moment he imagined this fleet of Lou Family warships besieging the Ye Family's spirit island in the future, Mo Ye couldn't help but offer a wry, bitter smile and shake his head. If that day truly came and his immortal village was surrounded by Lou Family warships, he would likely know the battle was lost before it even began.

"It seems making a trip to visit the various villages was well worth it. Otherwise, if I had simply remained hoved up in Ye Village, playing the king within a thousand-mile radius over a dozen villages, I would have foolishly thought I was actually strong."

Mo Ye smiled bitterly at himself in self-derision.

Just as he was deep in thought, the small fishing boat finally docked at the pier.