Lin Fei had returned to Fairy Mist Island. In the Ancient Origin Sect, especially in Tianqi Country, everyone was a martial artist. But what about Fairy Mist Island? Almost everyone was a Qi cultivator. For a while, Lin Fei was somewhat unaccustomed.

Regardless, Fairy Mist Island was not within the sphere of influence of the Ancient Origin Sect. It didn't even belong to any force. Fairy Mist Island was a group of overseas cultivators, primarily Qi cultivators. There were also martial artists. They all lived together on these overseas islands.

However, when Lin Fei returned to Fairy Mist Island, he found that something was not quite right. Fairy Mist Island seemed to be on higher alert. Lin Fei was detected as soon as he arrived.

Fortunately, Lin Fei was now a guest elder of the eight noble families. Therefore, he had a token with him. He passed the questioning of the patrolling Qi cultivators and smoothly entered Fairy Mist Island.

The entire atmosphere of Fairy Mist Island seemed somewhat heavy. There were noticeably fewer people coming and going.

Lin Fei did not inquire. Instead, he quickly went to the Shangguan family and met Shangguan Feiyun.

"Elder Lin, you're back? That's great. Where is Elder Shen?"

When Shangguan Feiyun saw Lin Fei, he seemed somewhat surprised. A smile appeared on his face.

"Brother Shen is busy cultivating and can't spare the time. This time I came back, I plan to take away ten juniors from the eight noble families to fulfill our agreement. Have the eight noble families settled on the people?" Lin Fei asked.

Together, Lin Fei and Shen Lianxin could recommend a total of ten people. There were only eight noble families. Each family could nominate one person, leaving two vacancies. Everyone wanted these two spots. Therefore, this definitely involved some wrangling among the eight noble families.

However, Lin Fei didn't care at all. This was an internal matter of the eight noble families. They could handle it themselves. He just needed to take ten people to the Ancient Origin Sect.

"Elder Lin, we have already arranged the spots. You can take them away anytime."

Lin Fei nodded. Shangguan Feiyun was preparing to notify the eight noble families.

Lin Fei then asked, "By the way, has something happened on Fairy Mist Island recently? A lot of Qi cultivators are on patrol. Also, the atmosphere on the island seems quite tense."

When it came to this matter, Shangguan Feiyun's expression also became solemn. He said in a deep voice, "Elder Lin, there have indeed been some changes on the island recently. Our Fairy Mist Island has many islands, three of which were raided by pirates a while ago. These pirates looted three islands and then fled. The defensive formations on the islands couldn't hold for long. By the time the Foundation Establishment True Persons arrived, it was already too late. Three islands were wiped clean. Therefore, all the islands of Fairy Mist Island are currently tense, preparing for the pirates' next attack."

"Pirates?"

Lin Fei thoughtfully considered this. Shangguan Feiyun explained in detail. Originally, the people of Fairy Mist Island were uncared for by both heaven and earth. Being overseas, they seemed to command the vast sea.

But in reality? The place was actually quite barren. Neither martial arts sects nor immortal sects cared about them. Therefore, though Fairy Mist Island was home to many people, including Qi cultivators and martial artists, no large forces intervened. Though this gave them some freedom, it also brought increased risks.

For instance, pirates. These pirates consisted of martial artists and Qi cultivators. They had fallen into piracy for various reasons, specializing in looting.

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In places like Fairy Mist Island, which lacked the backing of a large force, these pirates acted without restraint. Occasional raids on several islands were commonplace. This was not the first time such a thing had happened.

The pirates came and left without a trace. Even if the Foundation Establishment True Persons of Fairy Mist Island set up ambushes, once the pirates began to flee, the True Persons would not dare to chase after them.

Because pirates were desperadoes. They could venture into the open sea. But Foundation Establishment True Persons? They dared not!

The open sea was incredibly dangerous. Although it seemed that Lin Fei and Shen Lianxin who had sailed across the sea and survived several months of drifting in the open sea didn't face much danger.

In fact, they had encountered numerous perils. Luckily, they had the Sky Reaching Tower. After all, it was a magic treasure at the Golden Core level. It had a trace of heavenly thunder aura. This could deter some sea beasts. Thus, Lin Fei and Shen Lianxin were able to survive and reach Fairy Mist Island.

As for other Foundation Establishment True Persons and Martial Saints, venturing into the open sea would truly be a gamble with their lives. The pirates, too, often ended up in the bellies of sea beasts. But they were desperadoes. They could pay any price. Therefore, Fairy Mist Island was helpless against these pirates. They could only do their best to defend themselves.

Having understood the ins and outs of the situation, Lin Fei then quietly waited in the Shangguan family. Soon, the other noble families also arrived. Upon seeing Lin Fei, they all paid their respects. Lin Fei was no longer an ordinary Martial Saint. He was an outer sect elder of the Ancient Origin Sect. His status was revered.

"Greetings to Elder Lin."

"All right, you can leave the people here," Lin Fei responded indifferently.

Soon, the eight great families left behind ten family disciples. There were seven males and three females in total. They were all in their teens the right time to build their foundation. Moreover, all of them had strong martial arts talents. Once they were sent to the Ancient Origin Sect, they would likely make rapid progress and quickly reach the acquired level. They might even have a chance to reach the innate level! From the outer sect to the innate level, they could become inner disciples. Only then could they be truly carefree. Otherwise, as outer disciples, they could be expelled from the Ancient Origin Sect at any time.

"Elder Lin, please take good care of them," Shangguan Feiyun once again bowed in salute.

"The rules of the Ancient Origin Sect are clearer to you than to me," Lin Fei said calmly. "Whether they can stand out or not is up to them!"

The competition in the outer sect of the Ancient Origin Sect was extremely fierce. Lin Fei estimated that it would be good if half of these ten individuals could stay in the Ancient Origin Sect. If a third of them could advance to become inner disciples, that would be considered a great success. As an elder of the outer sect, his ability to help was quite limited.

"We are well aware of that. Thank you in advance, Elder Lin!"

The people from the eight great families also showed great respect for Lin Fei. Although their relationship with Lin Fei was essentially a transaction and it was now over, their relationship still was unusual. After all, Lin Fei was an elder of the outer sect of the Ancient Origin Sect. If he really wanted to help, he could. Now, it was not Lin Fei who needed the eight great families, but the eight great families that needed Lin Fei.

The people from the eight great families took their leave, and the ten disciples were left behind. Lin Fei did not immediately take the ten disciples back to the Ancient Origin Sect. Instead, he said to Shangguan Feiyun, "This trip down the mountain is not only for taking the disciples from your eight great families to the Ancient Origin Sect. I also need to kill sea beasts to aid my cultivation. So, I need to go to the open sea. Please let these ten disciples stay at Shangguan's house. After I come back, I'll take them to the Ancient Origin Sect."

Hearing that Lin Fei was going to the open sea, Shangguan Feiyun's face changed slightly. He said softly, "Elder Lin, it's not safe to go to the open sea at this time. There have been pirate invasions on Fairy Mist Island recently. And those pirates are drifting in the open sea. If you encounter them, wouldn't it be dangerous?"

Lin Fei's face remained calm as he said, "The open sea is vast, and the pirates are just a drop in the ocean. It's not that easy to encounter them. Besides, even if I do encounter them, I have my ways of escaping. If I can't even deal with pirates, how could I have crossed the sea?"

Although Lin Fei seemed a bit overconfident, when Shangguan Feiyun thought about it, Lin Fei was no ordinary Martial Saint. He was an enquirer who had comprehended the reverse side. He had drifted in the open sea for several months in the past. What kind of danger hadn't he faced? Lin Fei surely had some reliance.

"Regardless, Elder Lin, it's better to be cautious. If you encounter pirates, try to return to Fairy Mist Island. No matter how rampant the pirates are, they wouldn't dare to attack Fairy Mist Island," Shangguan Feiyun advised.

Lin Fei nodded. Then, he took a step forward, turned into a streak of light, and flew out of Fairy Mist Island, heading towards the vast sea.