Chapter 3042: Payment First - Walker Of The Worlds

Now, they had swollen to the size of large grapes, each one gleaming with radiant elemental light. His Earth Core pulsed with a deep amber brown hue, solid and unwavering, like the core of a mountain. His Fire Core burned bright crimson and gold, blazing like a furnace fed by divine fuel. And the Metal Core, which had long remained the most subtle of the trio, now shimmered with silver light laced with fine black veins—evidence of the dense mineral essence he’d drawn from the ash. More importantly, the three cores were now equal in development to his Wood Core, which had previously been the most advanced due to his prolonged use of the herbs and his time in the Cradle of the Urim Lotuses. But Lin Mu knew his advancement came with a cost. He could feel it clearly now. He had hit a bottleneck—not in comprehension, nor in cultivation base—but in the environment itself. The Earth Flame energy in this location had reached its limit in usefulness. No matter how much more he absorbed, his cores would not grow further unless he could find an even more potent and concentrated source. "This is as far as I can take it for now," Lin Mu muttered to himself, stretching slightly as he prepared to fly back up. He took one last look at the drained pit below him. The remnants of the Elders’ presence were still waiting to be uncovered in the ruins now revealed at the bottom. That part of the mission could now resume, thanks to his rather aggressive solution. As he leapt into the air and began to ascend back toward the surface, he spotted his companions waiting for him. Daoist Chu had a relaxed smile on his face, as if this were all within his expectations. Meng Bai waved and shouted, "Master, you look like you just finished a warm bath!" Elyon, however, remained silent, eyes narrowed as he scanned Lin Mu’s form once again. His instincts as a tracker, honed over decades across countless worlds, screamed at him that Lin Mu was far more than he appeared to be. The man’s sword intent at the Sword Heart stage was already startling—it made his fur bristle the first time he felt it—but now, seeing him shrug off the Earth Flame like it was nothing, Elyon found himself questioning everything he knew. "This man... he says he’s from the Xian Sword Sect," Elyon murmured under his breath, "but no ordinary sword cultivator can absorb elemental energy like that. That technique... that body... Is he really just a disciple? An elder? Or something more?" His instincts told him one thing. Lin Mu was dangerous. Not in the malicious sense—but in the way a divine beast or an untamed natural phenomenon was dangerous. A storm. A volcano. A celestial blade that had yet to be unsheathed. And Elyon thanked his ancestors that Lin Mu choose to talk instead of fight. The ash pit, once a roiling crucible of molten fire and earth, now lay calm and exposed beneath the group’s feet. The seething surface had been reduced to a dry, cracked basin, revealing tunnels and scorched ruins that had not seen the light of day in centuries or perhaps even millenia. The sight alone was enough to take one’s breath away—and yet, before anyone could step forward, Elyon raised a hand and planted it squarely in front of Lin Mu’s chest. "Payment first," the wolfkin said flatly. His tone wasn’t hostile, but it was firm. He looked up at Lin Mu with narrowed golden eyes and flicking indigo ears, his usual gruff confidence returning now that they were back in the business part of their interaction. "I’ve been burned before," he continued. "Not about to go diving into a potentially deadly ruin only to get left without a single immortal stone. If I’m going to die down there, I’d like to at least die rich." There was a tense beat of silence, then Lin Mu let out a deep laugh. "That’s fair." Even Meng Bai, who had been startled by the sudden interruption, relaxed at Lin Mu’s reaction. "I’ve dealt with worse clients," Elyon muttered. "Xian Sword sect elders vanish without a word, assassins pretend to be customers, and people try to kill me to avoid paying. Can’t be too careful." Lin Mu nodded, understanding. "Then let’s make sure this time is different." He tilted his head. "How much were the elders supposed to pay you, anyway?" Elyon’s ears twitched. "The original contract was for around one hundred thousand high-grade immortal stones." There was an audiblegaspfrom Meng Bai. "One hundredthousand? That’s more than some sects have in total wealth!" Daoist Chu raised a brow but said nothing, watching Lin Mu. To Meng Bai’s surprise, Lin Mu didn’t flinch. He simply reached into his spatial ring and pulled out a pouch, handing it to Elyon without a word. The wolfkin caught it, brows furrowing slightly at how light it felt for the supposed amount. He opened it and poured a small handful of the contents into his palm. Brilliant light flashed across his fingers as perfectly-cut high-grade immortal stones tumbled out—each one flawless and pulsing with dense qi. He quickly counted by habit, estimating weight and volume... and then blinked. "This... this is at least double the agreed payment," Elyon said slowly, tail swaying in uncertainty. "Why?" "It’s compensation," Lin Mu replied evenly. "For the delay in your payment, for the risks you took, and for the help you’re still going to give us. Consider it a bonus." Elyon stared at him, genuinely stunned. For someone like him—used to arguing with stingy clients, bartering for scraps, and threatening ungrateful employers—this sort of gesture was entirely foreign. He had prepared himself to bargain, maybe even threaten a little. But now... "I... I don’t even know what to say," he muttered. Daoist Chu chuckled from the side. "Don’t think too much about it, wolf. If there’s one thing Lin Mu doesn’t lack, it’s money."