Chapter 1758: Opportunity Has Come

Under normal circumstances, following the Battle of Baiyue, Three Realms Island should have enjoyed a boundless future. A well-planned, high-grade spirit island of such considerable size would naturally attract countless merchants eager to establish themselves there, even if Three Realms Island itself took no action.

However, during that very battle, Three Realms Island offended a Sun-Tier guardian, which directly led to the high-grade spirit island becoming completely deserted.

Many people had personally witnessed the scene where Yuan Du, initially appearing to protect Yu Huan, was instead forced by Lu Ye to kill him. This news rapidly spread, becoming common knowledge.

Faced with the choice, merchants were naturally unwilling to offend a Sun-Tier guardian at such a critical juncture, even for the prospect of settling on a high-grade spirit island.

This explained Three Realms Island's embarrassing predicament.

However, just a few days prior, this awkwardness was finally broken.

Five-Colored Island unexpectedly made a move, and news soon arrived that the Five-Colored Chamber of Commerce had decided to open a branch on Three Realms Island. The site had already been selected, and some cultivators from the Five-Colored Chamber of Commerce had already entered Three Realms Island to make preparations, with an opening expected in a few days.

This development surprised many cultivators who had been discreetly watching Three Realms Island, as no one had anticipated Five-Colored Island entering the scene at such a moment. For a time, many speculated about the true nature of the relationship between Five-Colored Island and Three Realms Island, concluding that a complete lack of connection was impossible.

Five-Colored Island made no attempt to conceal its involvement, and so, attentive individuals quickly uncovered the true reason: the Moon-Tier guardian of Five-Colored Island had a private friendship with the Moon-Tier guardian of Three Realms Island. This personal connection was why Five-Colored Island made its move, effectively giving Three Realms Island a helping hand.

Although Five-Colored Island's action improved Three Realms Island's predicament, it did not fundamentally alter the situation. In the days that followed, Three Realms Island saw no other merchants settle there besides the Five-Colored Chamber of Commerce, with most people adopting a wait-and-see approach.

Then, today, a star-vessel resembling a warship sailed unhurriedly from a distance and came to a stop alongside Three Realms Island.

At first, no one paid much attention to the star-vessel; after all, such vessels were unremarkable and countless similar ones could be seen across the Myriad Manifestations Sea.

However, it wasn't long before some observers noticed something extraordinary about this particular star-vessel.

A prominent character, "Che" (车), was distinctly visible on the vessel's hull.

Moments later, over twenty figures emerged from the star-vessel, all entering Three Realms Island, and the warship-like star-vessel was promptly stowed away.

More than a hundred li away from Three Realms Island, three figures stood on a small star-vessel: an elder with white hair and beard, and two young individuals, all at the Constellation cultivation level.

The elder possessed a higher cultivation, seemingly at the late-Constellation stage, while the two younger individuals were only at the early-Constellation stage. However, given the elder's advanced age, reaching the Moon-Tier was likely out of reach in this lifetime without extraordinary fortune, whereas the two young cultivators still had the potential for further advancement.

The trio hailed from the same realm within the same star system, consisting of a master and his two disciples. Their home star system was not powerful; although it possessed a wormhole directly connected to the Myriad Manifestations Star System, they lacked the inherent ability to claim any spirit island within the Myriad Manifestations Sea.

Cultivators from their entire star system, much like them, were scattered across the vast Myriad Manifestations Sea in small groups, each striving to survive.

Ever since the news broke that the Five-Colored Chamber of Commerce had established itself on Three Realms Island, the three of them had arrived and had been observing the situation.

The two young disciples, lacking sufficient patience, soon found their several days of waiting tedious and dull. Only the elder, however, harbored a quiet anticipation.

It was only at this moment, upon seeing the warship-like star-vessel, that a keen glint appeared in the elder's eyes. He promptly urged, "Quickly, to Three Realms Island!"

The two disciples were momentarily stunned, both failing to grasp the sudden urgency.

The elder, in a great rush, paid no mind to further explanations. He activated his spiritual power, piloted the star-vessel, and rapidly headed towards Three Realms Island.

"Master, why are we suddenly heading to Three Realms Island?" the male disciple inquired. Having waited there for several days, they were naturally aware of the situation on Three Realms Island, so he couldn't comprehend what had prompted his master's sudden decision.

"The opportunity has arrived!" the elder exclaimed, his eyes gleaming. As he swiftly piloted the star-vessel, he also scanned the surroundings, checking if anyone else had made the same determination.

"Could the opportunity Master spoke of be related to that warship?" the female disciple, evidently more perceptive, subtly inquired. "But what is so special about that warship? Which power do they represent?"

The elder, intending to impart more survival wisdom about the Myriad Manifestations Sea to his two disciples, explained, "That warship indeed represents a power. However, if it merely represented one of the major powers within the Myriad Manifestations Sea, it wouldn't be enough to reverse the current situation. But it is, in fact, a warship from the Cheling Realm!"

"The Cheling Realm!" The male disciple paused, then swiftly grasped the significance of those words. He suddenly recalled the large "Che" character indeed emblazoned on the warship's hull. Astounded, he blurted out, "What are people from the Cheling Realm doing on Three Realms Island?"

The elder shook his head. "I don't know," he replied, "but the fact that Three Realms Island has a connection with the Cheling Realm, and can leverage such a connection at this moment, is very intriguing. The people from the Cheling Realm are now making such a public display, clearly signaling their stance to the outside world: their cultivators have taken up residence on Three Realms Island."

The female disciple asked skeptically, "But Master, while the Cheling Realm certainly has Sun-Tier powerhouses, they are not among the five great Sun-Tier guardians. Wouldn't their cultivators doing this break the rules?"

The elder scoffed, "So-called rules are established by the native Sun-Tier cultivators of the Myriad Manifestations Sea. Whatever they declare as a rule, is a rule. Furthermore, there has never been a rule, throughout history, stating that non-Sun-Tier guardians cannot dispatch their disciples to reside on a spirit island." After a slight pause, he continued, "I recall that Peerless Island was originally developed by a young master from the Cheling Realm, only to be forcibly attacked. Given this history, even if the Cheling Realm is now extending its influence somewhat aggressively by entering Three Realms Island, the other Sun-Tier guardians will likely have little to say."

The female disciple immediately understood. "So, Three Realms Island will be under the protection of the Cheling Realm in the future?"

"If nothing unexpected occurs, that should indeed be the situation," the elder said, his expression alight with excitement. "Peerless Island has fallen into decline, and Three Realms Island is now our best option. We cannot afford to miss this opportunity. As long as we can secure a shop here, you two will have no further worries about your future cultivation!"

"Let's just hope Three Realms Island doesn't end up like Peerless Island, flourishing only for a short while before declining..." the male disciple remarked, his tone indicating past losses.

They had indeed experienced losses. During Peerless Island's prosperous era, the elder and his two disciples had secured a shop there, specializing in selling local products brought from their home realm. While the profits weren't substantial, they did manage to earn something.

However, Peerless Island then suddenly collapsed. In just over a year, it degenerated from a top-tier spirit island into a desolate one. Consequently, its popularity plummeted, and it lost all value, leaving countless factions that had made significant investments there with total losses.

They considered themselves fortunate, as their initial investment had been modest, resulting in minimal losses.

Moreover, when factoring in the cultivation benefits the two young disciples had gained on Peerless Island, their venture wasn't even truly a loss.

Nevertheless, no one wished for such an experience to be repeated.

"Surely, one can't experience the same misfortune twice..." the female disciple murmured, also feeling a touch of apprehension. It seemed illogical that after Peerless Island declined following their choice, Three Realms Island would also decline now that they were choosing it. That would simply be unfair.

Yet, despite these lingering concerns, Three Realms Island remained their best option at present.

For cultivators such as themselves, establishing a business and securing a shop on Three Realms Island was secondary. The most crucial aspect was the accompanying qualification to reside on Three Realms Island long-term.

As managers of a shop, they would naturally be able to stay on Three Realms Island for an extended period, enjoying its superior cultivation environment.

Of course, if Three Realms Island truly became prosperous with a large influx of cultivators, the cultivation environment would undoubtedly change. Still, it would be far superior to cultivating solely with spirit jades.

"Oh no!" the elder suddenly exclaimed, for as he observed, several factions had abruptly begun to move, rushing towards Three Realms Island from various directions.

He could foresee that this was merely the beginning. As time passed, an increasing number of cultivators would realize that Three Realms Island's awkward predicament had been utterly resolved by the arrival of the Cheling Realm cultivators. This valuable location had become a coveted prize, and if their small faction didn't act quickly, it was questionable whether they would even secure a suitable shop.

Fortunately, they were among the first to take action, placing them currently closest to Three Realms Island.

The elder frantically piloted the star-vessel, managing to reach the outer defensive array of Three Realms Island just ahead of the others. He halted the vessel, immediately cupped his fists, and announced loudly, "Lu Mang of Shayuan has come to pay respects! Requesting an audience with the Guardian of Three Realms!"

No sooner had he finished speaking than another figure urgently arrived before Three Realms Island, a voice echoing, "Huo Chong of Sky Eagle requests an audience with the Guardian of Three Realms!"

"Su Yuhan of Golden Wheel requests an audience with the Guardian of Three Realms..."

Inside Three Realms Island, Lu Ye was leading a group of Cheling Realm cultivators, spearheaded by Chu Shen, as they searched for their accommodations in the island's cultivators' district. Luan Xiao'e personally accompanied them.

Having learned the origins of this group of cultivators from Lu Ye, Luan Xiao'e showed no hint of disdain despite their lower cultivation levels. She was especially courteous towards Chu Shen, who, after all, was the son of a Sun-Tier powerhouse and had come to represent the Cheling Realm's stance. From a purely positional standpoint, even as a mid-Constellation cultivator, Chu Shen was considered her equal, despite her being at the peak Moon-Tier.

Luan Xiao'e, being beautiful and now intentionally charming, naturally conversed very pleasantly with Chu Shen. Lu Ye, accompanying them, seemed somewhat idle by comparison.

Suddenly, a chorus of voices drifted in from outside. Lu Ye looked in the direction of the sound, observing numerous figures standing beyond the island's perimeter.

Luan Xiao'e also witnessed the scene and let out a long breath, her expression one of profound relief.

While Luan Xiao'e had anticipated that the arrival of the Cheling Realm contingent would completely open up Three Realms Island's prospects, she had never imagined the effect would be quite so profound.

Indeed, cultivators capable of surviving in the Myriad Manifestations Sea were all sharp and perceptive individuals. Upon seeing the Cheling Realm's warship, they immediately made the appropriate assessment and decisively acted.