Wang Changqing added, "The ordinary mortals residing on the various islands—like myself—either serve labor duties or pay spiritual stones, since the immortal masters have cast magical spells over these islands, protecting us from incursions by demonic beasts and the winds of heaven. This allows us mortals to live with peace of mind. Moreover, the immortal masters are so capable that when we mortals travel far by sea, we usually manage to hire one or two of them to accompany us. In case of encounters with sea-dwelling demons, this greatly increases our chances of survival. Of course, these willing masters are typically those with greater freedom in their status." "Wind of Heaven?" Han Li, upon hearing the term, frowned slightly. He was familiar with demonic beasts! But what exactly was the "Wind of Heaven"—he had never heard of it before. "Hasn't the Wind of Heaven ever attacked the places where the immortal masters previously resided?" the elder asked, looking puzzled. "At my former place of cultivation, I never witnessed the Wind of Heaven. How could it be compared on equal footing with demonic beasts?" Han Li spoke calmly, as if completely unconcerned. Hearing Han Li's explanation, Wang Changqing, though somewhat doubtful in his heart, simply explained in good faith: "The Heavenly Wind, the Spirit Beasts, and the Ghost Mists are known as the three great natural disasters of our Luan Xing Sea. As for the Spirit Beasts, no doubt the Master knows even more than I do. Most of the sea-dwelling Spirit Beasts are colossal in size and master water-based spirit arts. We ordinary mortals simply cannot stand against them—only the Immortal Masters have any chance of defeating them." Han Li asked calmly and continued. It would be better to understand these three great calamities thoroughly—just in case they ever occurred! But upon hearing Han Li’s question, the elder finally confirmed that the current immortal master was completely unaware of maritime affairs, not even knowing about the most mysterious of the three—the Ghost Mists. It was truly puzzling—where had this master been practicing all along? Had he come from the land? Yet here was the Land of Chaotic Stars, and beyond the surrounding seas, where could there be any continents? Suppressing his curiosity, Wang Changqing proceeded to explain to Han Li: Yet though this mist was formidable, it only appeared at certain spots and never approached larger islands. As long as one avoided it in time, one could easily survive. Therefore, although it was terrifying, it was actually the one causing the fewest deaths among the Three Great Calamities." The elder spoke with a touch of relief in his tone. Han Li, however, found himself pondering. "What kind of place is this? If this is true, then his plan to simply find a small, spiritually vibrant island and cultivate alone will surely come to nothing. Otherwise, if he encounters these winds and mists, wouldn't he be utterly ruined?" Han Li felt rather disheartened. Upon hearing his words, a slight displeasure crossed Han Li's face, causing the elder to grow uneasy. "Could it be that he has offended the Master?" Just as the elder was beginning to murmur, Han Li paused thoughtfully and then asked: "Why, then, did the Master Gu specifically wish for me to reside on the Kuixing Island?" And now, is this ship heading toward the island?" Han Li stared intently at the elder's face, showing no discernible expression of joy or concern. Seeing Han Li's composed demeanor, the elder felt a sudden pang in his heart and hesitated slightly. Observing this, Han Li immediately sensed that there was indeed something amiss. With a relaxed expression, he added, "Master Wang, please don't mind me asking this. I simply wish to clarify the full circumstances—after all, I can't just accept Lord Gu's request without knowing anything about it. If there's any small favor I can assist with, I'd certainly be happy to make a trip to the Kuixing Island." Upon hearing Han Li's words, Wang Changqing realized that he had no choice but to be honest, or else he would seriously offend this immortal master and face serious consequences. Thus, he cleared his throat and, with a trembling smile, said, "Master, please don't blame me. The truth is, there's not much to conceal—only that you never asked before." Hearing this excuse, Han Li couldn't help but roll his eyes. But the elder promptly explained the situation. It turned out that the ship had just completed a business run and was en route back to Kuixing Island. The guest, Gu Dongzhu, was not originally from Kuixing Island but was born on one of the subsidiary islands affiliated with it. After establishing his business and growing prosperous, he had recently moved to live on Kuixing Island. The truly profitable ventures involved long-distance trade between the major islands—a practice that could only be carried out by ordinary people from Kuixing Island itself, thus highlighting the distinction between the island's native inhabitants and those from the subsidiary islands. Gu Dongzhu had previously specialized in trade between the subsidiary islands. Upon relocating to the main island, he naturally hoped to expand his business further. Yet, after the entire family had moved, he found himself unexpectedly surprised. It was no ordinary matter to enter into such long-distance trade between the great islands—this business had long been established and allocated by the island's immortals, reserved exclusively for ten families. These ten families were not fixed; instead, they were determined every three years through a competitive magical duel. Any family wishing to participate would need to invite an immortal to undertake a magical challenge. Only those who successfully challenged the immortals of the previously qualified families would gain the right to engage in inter-island trade. Upon hearing this news, Master Gu was immediately alarmed. Until now, he had only engaged in short-haul trade, encountering no mythical beasts and thus never hired any immortals—his acquaintance with such practitioners was extremely limited. Originally, he had planned to hire one gradually once the business opportunity arose. But now, it was too late, as he received the news just as the three-year duel cycle was approaching. How could he find time to slowly reach out and search for them! After all, although there are many immortal masters on Qiuxing Island, most of the cultivators are proud and high-minded, and only a few are willing to accept appointments from ordinary mortals—most of these are even those who have some close or distant ties to the mortal hosts. Furthermore, among the few immortal masters who could potentially step in, many hesitate due to their varying degrees of acquaintance with these ten cultivators, making it difficult for them to step forward and challenge. Thus, within a short period of time, Master Gu was unable to find any willing cultivators on Qiuxing Island. In desperation, he had to return to his birth island, taking advantage of the opportunity to deliver goods, hoping to enlist the help of an immortal master with a somewhat distant familial connection. But to his surprise, this very master had just departed on a distant journey. Now, Master Gu truly stood dumbfounded. And now, with this external cultivator, Han Li, firmly settled on his ship, how could the master not be delighted—especially when he had been so desperately searching for cultivators all along? Although he didn't know exactly what level of cultivation Master Han had achieved, it was still better than simply wasting the opportunity and waiting another three years. That's why he had made such strong efforts to attract Han and hoped Han would step in to advocate on his behalf. Han, after listening to all this, was completely at a loss. When he first heard that cultivators could be hired by ordinary people to go out at sea, he found it already incredible. Now, to engage in spontaneous combat merely for the sake of business qualifications between two ordinary island settlements—this truly proved difficult for him to accept. It seemed that although cultivators still held a high status in this region, they no longer treated ordinary people as entirely indifferent, as they did in Tiannan, but rather maintained a complex and intertwined relationship. Still, he would hardly agree to step in and fight against others just to secure Master Gu's business qualification. He hadn't quite reached that level of desperation yet! Nevertheless, one question remained in his mind. With a gentle smile, he slowly asked, "Mr. Wang, my experience and insight are rather limited." There's another matter I'd like to inquire about." "Please feel free to ask the Master any questions you may have. I shall do my utmost to answer them!" the elder hurriedly and respectfully replied. "I'm still a bit unclear. If goods are being transported between the islands, why should this task be entrusted to ordinary people? Shouldn't each Master have storage containers or similar magical items that allow them to fly and carry the goods efficiently—both swiftly and safely?"