Starting as pearl divers, they have endless jobs.

Chapter 276 The strength surges
Inside the stone house, the dim flame of the oil lamp flickered gently, casting Chen Ye's long shadow onto the cold stone wall.

When consciousness was abruptly pulled back from the bizarre and fantastical river of heavens and returned to its cross-legged body, the intense tearing and weightlessness receded like a tide, replaced by an unprecedented sense of fulfillment and control.

Chen Ye slowly opened his eyes, a fleeting seven-colored light flashing in them before returning to a deep calm.

The Ark of the Other Shore has cooled down and can be activated again.

A familiar line of text appeared in Chen Ye's mind, and with a thought, the long-lost career panel was clearly displayed before his eyes.

Name: Chen Ye

【Occupation: Night Stalker (lv3)】

[Talent: Child of Shadows]

[Skills: Skillful Hands Lv10, Swift Blade Lv10, Leaping Steps Lv10, Shadow Steps Lv5, Throwing Lv5]

【Occupation: Tanka (lv3)】

[Talent: Cold Resistance, Body of an Ox or Horse]

[Skills: Diving Lv4, Spirit Clam Sensing Lv4]

[Grandmaster of Divine Encounters: Through martial arts, one attains the Dao, becoming indestructible upon encountering the divine. The physical body is a divine weapon, the will is the will of Heaven. At the pinnacle of martial arts, one man becomes an army, one man becomes a nation.]

[Talent: Martial Arts Heart - Heaven and earth are the furnace, all things are the ingredients, and the heart is the guide; one can refine all martial arts techniques, break through shackles, and advance bravely and diligently.]

[Martial Arts: Wind-Splitting Saber Technique lv10, Mountain-Splitting Force lv10, Formation-Breaking Fist lv10, Formation-Cleaving Stomp lv10]

[The Mirage Courtesan: As the singing begins, a pavilion rises from the ground; as the water sleeves fall, a mirage-like sea appears out of thin air. Your performance constructs a dreamlike realm where reality and illusion are indistinguishable, captivating the audience and turning their dreams upside down.]

[Talent: Prodigy of Illusion – Able to integrate one's own divine sense into the script, weaving illusions that are indistinguishable from reality, allowing viewers to feel as if they are there and experience the same emotions.]

[Skills: Stage Presence lv10, Loyal Judgment lv5]

[Occupation: Lord of Myriad Calamities (All things have their calamities, all laws have their destinies. You are both a walking calamity and a player in the game of fate.)]

[Talent: Eye of Calamity—Your eyes can see through the lines of calamity and destiny in all things. The lines of calamity represent destruction and end, while the lines of destiny represent life and fortune. You can not only sever the lines of calamity to trigger collapse, but also use your own true essence as a guide to manipulate and even weave subtle lines of destiny, influencing the course of things and the trajectory of fate invisibly.]

[Method: Star River Qi Refining Technique lv10]

[Martial Arts: Needle Blade Technique Lv10]

[Occupation: Lord of Desire—All emotions and desires are but fuel for your desires. You are no longer the catcher of people's hearts, but the king of desires! You sit upon a throne forged from greed, anger, and ignorance; your will is the irresistible law for all beings. All sentient beings with feelings will become slaves to your desires!]

[Talent: Throne of Desire—You will have direct access to the deepest, most primal desires of all living beings. You can also ignite, distort, and even create desires out of thin air, weaving them into your commands. The stronger the desire, the more terrifying your control!]

[Skill: Eloquent Tongue Lv7 - Your words have an extremely strong persuasive and infectious power over women, easily gaining their trust and favor! At the same time, your tongue has become exceptionally flexible and powerful on a physical level, bringing unimaginable pleasure.]

Looking at the last and newly acquired profession on the panel, Chen Ye couldn't help but feel a surge of excitement.

If the illusion of the Mirage Courtesan breaks through the opponent's mental defenses from the outside, and the Eye of Calamity of the Myriad Calamities Lord is a rule-based erasure that points directly to the source, then the ability of the Lord of Lust is to thoroughly corrupt and control the mind from within!

With this thought in mind, Chen Ye activated the Throne of Desire talent.

hum!
In an instant, the whole world seemed to shed its disguise, revealing its truest essence.

Chen Ye's divine sense penetrated the stone house and enveloped the entire Black Stone Beach island.

On the dock, wisps of smoke, thick or thin, rising from the heads of the old pearl divers who had finished a day's work and were fast asleep, represented various desires.

There is the most primal desire for food, the hope of survival, and the confusion and fear about the future.

These desires intertwine to form a vivid picture of all living beings.

Chen Ye's gaze did not linger on them for long, but turned to the other side, to the dozen or so newly arrived prisoners.

Their desires were clearly much stronger than those of the old pearl divers.

The burly man named Shi Hu had a crimson aura of desire above his head, a mixture of anger, resentment, and a strong protective instinct to safeguard his companions.

This desire, though complex, is full of power.

The taciturn middle-aged man, Yan Bo, exuded a deep, earthy yellow aura of desire. On the surface, it appeared unremarkable, but hidden deep within this earthy yellow was a faint, barely perceptible, dark gold that represented ambition and lust for power.

This is a shrewd and calculating person who is unwilling to be subordinate to others.

What Chen Ye cared about most was the woman with the high ponytail named Qin Qing.

The aura of desire emanating from the top of her head was the strongest and purest.

It was a crimson red that was almost burning, representing hatred! At the core of this crimson red, there was a pale white representing fear of Chen Ye, and a wisp of light green representing the instinct for survival.

Hatred, fear, and the will to survive.

Three extreme desires intertwined within her, making her like a powder keg ready to explode at any moment.

Overall, Chen Ye was extremely satisfied with what he gained from this time travel.

Although his cultivation level remained at the early stage of the Sea Condensation Realm without any substantial increase, acquiring the profession of [Lord of Desire] brought about a qualitative leap in his overall strength, especially his methods of fighting against others.

He used to be like an assassin wielding a sharp blade, skilled in stealth and delivering a fatal blow.

Now he is more like a king hidden behind the scenes, manipulating people's hearts and playing the whole game without making a sound.

"It's time to address some of the immediate issues."

Chen Ye withdrew his divine sense, his gaze becoming profound.

The ability of the Lord of Lust opened a completely new door for him, and thus many bold and interesting ideas instantly popped into Chen Ye's mind.

For example, there was Senior Brother Zhou who took good care of him.

For example, there's Li Qingyan, who was branded with his soul and is now cautiously acting as a puppet in the inner sect.

For example... those high-ranking core disciples, and even elders, of the Blood Lotus Sect.

What unknown desires do they harbor?

The next morning, Chen Ye handed over all the affairs of Black Stone Beach to Zhang Wu and then sailed alone to Stone Island, where the management center was located.

His purpose in coming here was to hand over this month's share of the Spirit Pearl.

This was a routine task for every disciple in charge, and there was nothing unusual about it.

When Chen Ye arrived at the central stone hall, Senior Brother Zhou was leisurely sitting in that familiar armchair, sipping spiritual tea and flipping through an unknown storybook, looking quite content.

"Senior Brother Zhou, what a refined taste." Chen Ye walked into the hall with a perfectly respectful smile on his face.

"Oh? It's Junior Brother Lin. Please sit down, please sit down." Senior Brother Zhou raised his eyelids and, upon seeing Chen Ye, his smile immediately warmed up. He then casually closed the storybook.

"Did you bring all the money for this month's wedding gifts?"

"I've brought everything. Please take a look, Senior Brother," Chen Ye said, handing over a heavy storage bag.

Senior Brother Zhou took the storage bag, probed it with his divine sense, and his smile became even brighter.

"Excellent, excellent! I've always trusted Junior Brother Lin with his work. Not only is the quantity sufficient, but the quality is also excellent!" He didn't hold back his praise. "It seems that entrusting those troublemakers to you was the right decision!"

Chen Ye simply smiled and didn't reply.

Just then, a thought struck him, and he quietly activated the Throne of Desire.

hum!
The senior brother Zhou in front of me changed instantly.

Above his head, a dense aura of desire rose up, displaying a dark gold color mixed with greed and a grayish-brown color representing anxiety.

Within this aura of desire, Chen Ye clearly saw several scenes. In the scenes, Senior Brother Zhou was sighing and lamenting in front of a pill furnace. His cultivation had been stuck at the peak of the mid-stage of the Sea Condensation Realm for three years, and he was unable to break through.

In another scene, he was eyeing a pill on the merit hall's list with great interest—the pill was called the Blood Essence Breakthrough Pill, a top-grade pill for breaking through the bottleneck of the Sea Condensation Realm, but its price was also extremely high, requiring a full three thousand contribution points.

For an inner disciple like Senior Brother Zhou, who has no background, this is an astronomical sum.

"So that's how it is, it's because of his cultivation level." Chen Ye understood.

Once you've identified the other party's weakness, everything else becomes much easier.

"Senior brother, you flatter me. It's mainly because of your excellent leadership that I've been able to achieve this small success." Chen Ye's tone became even more humble, while his silver tongue skill was quietly activated.

His voice seemed to possess a unique magnetism, each word striking precisely at Senior Brother Zhou's heart, making him feel completely at ease.

"Haha, Junior Brother Lin knows how to talk." Senior Brother Zhou was in a great mood and waved his hand. "Speak, what else do you need besides handing over your contribution? As long as it's something I can do, I won't refuse."

This is exactly what Chen Ye was waiting for.

Instead of immediately making his request, he took out a small brocade box from his pocket and presented it with both hands.

"Senior brother, I was lucky enough to get a little something from this dive. It's nothing but a small token of my appreciation, and I hope you won't find it offensive."

Senior Brother Zhou was taken aback, then laughed and scolded, "You little rascal, you're still trying to pull this on your senior brother."

He spoke politely, but his hands honestly accepted the brocade box.

When he opened the brocade box and saw the sixth-grade spirit pearl lying quietly inside, emitting a faint blue light, his breath hitched and his eyes widened instantly.

"A...a sixth-grade spirit pearl?!"

Although he was an inner disciple, his monthly allowance was limited, and his daily cultivation consumed a great deal of energy, so he couldn't accumulate much wealth.

Therefore, a sixth-grade spirit pearl was definitely a considerable fortune for him.

"Junior Brother Lin, this...this is too precious!" Senior Brother Zhou's Adam's apple bobbed, his eyes filled with greed, but he still pretended to refuse.

"Senior brother, you flatter me." Chen Ye's voice was gentle yet persuasive. "I am a newcomer here, and I was able to gain a foothold in Blackwater Lake entirely thanks to your guidance and support. If you do not accept this small token of my appreciation, it would be disrespectful to me."

With his silver tongue, these words struck a chord with Senior Brother Zhou.

He felt that Lin Xun in front of him was not only sensible and capable, but also grateful and loyal, definitely a person worth getting to know better.

"Then...then I, your senior brother, will accept your offer without hesitation." Senior Brother Zhou happily put away the brocade box, and his gaze towards Chen Ye became more affectionate than ever before. "Junior Brother Lin, if you need anything in the future, just let me know! In this small area, my words still carry some weight!"

The fish is hooked.

Chen Ye chuckled inwardly, but his face showed a grateful expression: "Thank you, Senior Brother!"

He paused, then said hesitantly, "Actually, Junior Brother has something he wants to ask Senior Brother this time."

“Speak!” Senior Brother Zhou said, patting his chest.

“Although the martial artists under my junior brother are quite strong and highly efficient at pearl harvesting, the yield in the waters we often visit has decreased significantly.” Chen Ye revealed a hint of distress at just the right moment. “Junior brother wants to take them to deeper and more dangerous waters to explore, but he is afraid of encountering some insurmountable dangers. Losing manpower is a minor issue; delaying the payment of our share to the sect is a much bigger problem.”

He didn't ask for anything directly, but instead laid out his difficulties.

Senior Brother Zhou nodded in deep agreement upon hearing this.

He naturally hoped that Chen Yecai would have as many spirit pearls as possible, so that he could make more money.

Therefore, after pondering for a moment, he lowered his voice and said, "Junior Brother Lin, your concern is correct. The depths of the inner waters are indeed extremely dangerous. Not to mention you, even we inner disciples dare not venture in lightly. However..."

Senior Brother Zhou then changed the subject, a mysterious smile appearing on his face: "In two months, it will be the sect's triennial outer sect competition."

"The outer sect competition?" Chen Ye feigned surprise.

“That’s right,” Senior Brother Zhou explained. “All outer disciples, regardless of whether they are new or old, can participate. The rules of this competition are very simple: it’s a free-for-all. The ten people who fight to the end will not only receive a generous reward from the sect, but will also be directly promoted to inner disciples!”

He looked at Chen Ye, his eyes gleaming: "With your strength, Junior Brother Lin, you are definitely one of the top in the outer sect. If you can stand out in the competition and become an inner disciple, the resources and information you will have access to will be far greater than what you have now."

"Moreover," Senior Brother Zhou leaned even closer, lowering his voice, "I heard that the sect will reward the top prize winner of this competition with a third-grade magic artifact, the Mysterious Water Poison-Avoiding Pearl! That's a real treasure; it can ward off water and fire, and neutralize all poisons. In Blackwater Lake, it's practically a life-saving artifact!"

A Grade Three Magical Artifact!

Chen Ye's heart stirred; this was indeed a good thing.

"Thank you for your guidance, Senior Brother!" Chen Ye immediately stood up and bowed deeply to Senior Brother Zhou. "Junior Brother understands now!"

"Hey, we're brothers, no need to be so polite." Senior Brother Zhou accepted the gift without any qualms, feeling that he had not only received a generous gift today, but had also demonstrated his foresight to his younger brother, which pleased him greatly.

He then offered a few more words of advice regarding the competition, mainly warning against disciples with powerful backgrounds and advising against making enemies easily.

Chen Ye noted everything down, and after a few more perfunctory exchanges, he took his leave.

Watching Chen Ye's departing figure, Senior Brother Zhou stroked the brocade box in his arms, a hint of appreciation appearing on his face.

"This Lin Xun is capable, knows the rules, and is so sensible. I should try to befriend him in the future."

He was completely unaware that just moments before, Chen Ye had quietly planted a seed deep within his consciousness. As a result, his thoughts and decisions were being gently propelled in the direction Chen Ye desired by the invisible hand of desire.

The reason Chen Ye didn't use his Lord of Desire talent to forcibly control it right away was because he was worried that another powerful being who was proficient in the art of soul manipulation would notice something amiss. After all, if the Blood Lotus Sect could create something like the Heart-Searching Mirror, there must be some great experts within the sect who specialize in the art of soul-searching and spirit-seizing.

Therefore, Chen Ye decided to adopt this gradual approach. Although it was slower, the advantage was that it was more discreet and less likely to arouse suspicion.

At the same time, Chen Ye steered the small boat through the water and returned to Black Stone Beach.

On the distant dock, Zhang Wu was leading several convicts in repairing the pier damaged by the wind and waves. The clanging and banging sounds carried far and wide, adding a touch of life to the desolate island.

Upon seeing Chen Ye's boat dock, Zhang Wu immediately put down his work and hurried over, his face showing a hint of worry he couldn't hide.

"Manager, you're finally back."

"What happened?" Chen Ye asked casually, tying the cable to the wooden stake.

“Nothing serious happened,” Zhang Wu scratched his head and lowered his voice, “but after you left, that woman named Qin Qing got into a conflict with someone and almost caused a death.”

Chen Ye's eyes flickered slightly as he looked in the direction Zhang Wu indicated.

Qin Qing was sitting alone on a rock, with his back to the others, gazing at the boundless Blackwater Lake.

Her figure appeared particularly slender in the sea breeze, but her straight back revealed an unyielding stubbornness that would rather die than bend.

Not far away, a group of criminals were gathered together, pointing and whispering about her, their faces showing undisguised fear and disgust.

One of the men, with a newly added scratch on his face, had eyes filled with resentment.

"What happened?" Chen Ye asked.

"Sigh, it's the same old problem." Zhang Wu sighed. "That woman has too fiery a temper, like a firecracker, she'll ignite at the slightest provocation."

"This morning, Wang San said something to her while distributing the food, and without saying a word, she picked up a rock and threw it at him. If I hadn't stopped her in time, Wang San's head would probably have been cracked open."

Speaking of Zhang Wu, his tone was full of helplessness: "Manager, this woman is too domineering and doesn't fit in at all."

Chen Ye remained silent, his gaze fixed on Qin Qing's retreating figure, and the Throne of Desire talent quietly activated.

In an instant, in Chen Ye's vision, the scarlet aura of hatred and desire above Qin Qing's head was even more intense than yesterday, almost solidifying into a blazing flame.

At the edge of the flames, the pale white representing fear and the pale green representing survival were squeezed down to a thin layer, as if they would be swallowed up by the scarlet flames at any moment.

Her heart was on the verge of collapse.

Hatred is her only pillar of life, but it is also this hatred that is pushing her toward the abyss of destruction.

(End of this chapter)