Walker Of The Worlds

Chapter 3073: A New Companion

Lin Mu wasn’t here to show off. He was here to understand.

And what he saw... made his eyes narrow slightly.

’This... this is no ordinary body cultivator.’

The way her essence flowed wasn’t just powerful—it was refined. Battle-tested. Condensed over time. Like forged steel wrapped in silk.

And the depth of it—it reached deep into the marrow.

’Peak of the Immortal Realm... Her body cultivation has reached the equivalent of the Seventh Tribulation’s final threshold,’ Lin Mu concluded. ’That’s incredibly rare. Even in the Silent Lotus Temple, there were barely two or three elders who stood at that level. And even fewer outside who walked the path of pure body cultivation to such an extent.’

The vital energy faded a few seconds later as Cattaleya let her aura retract smoothly back into her core.

"Whew," she said, cracking her neck. "Been a while since I stretched it out."

Meng Bai was still catching his breath. "That... that’s the peak of the Immortal level?"

"Sure is," she replied. "And I’ve still got room to grow. But what do you say? Still want to hire me?"

Daoist Chu nodded slowly. "You pass the strength test."

Elyon chuckled and looked over to Lin Mu. "You didn’t even blink."

Lin Mu’s eyes remained on Cattaleya. "Strong. Rare. You’ve trained in multiple battlefields. But your essence... it’s not native to this world."

Cattaleya tilted her head at that. "You’re sharp."

Lin Mu simply turned away. "Just observant."

Despite her flippant demeanor, a faint look of interest passed through her eyes.

This group, clearly, was no ordinary party.

"Well then," she said, brushing the dust off her palms. "Looks like I’m hired?"

Elyon nodded. "We could use your strength. Just remember—we don’t trust easily. But we do reward loyalty."

Cattaleya grinned, her sharp teeth flashing. "Sounds like fun."

The fire crackled between them again, casting shadows that danced across the pale sands.

The journey into the depths of the corrupted sea and toward the mysteries of the Ephemera Sect was only just beginning—but now, they had another wild card in their hand.

And wild cards... always made things interesting.

The firelight dimmed slightly as the wind picked up, brushing along the coastline with a low whistle. With Cattaleya’s strength now laid bare before them and her presence more or less accepted, the next matter was as practical as it was inevitable—payment.

"So," she said, casually flipping a throwing dagger between her fingers that she had taken out from her storage pouch. "Before we set out chasing eldritch trees and corrupted sects, let’s talk compensation."

Daoist Chu looked at her, nodding. "Of course."

"Look, I get that calculating an exact rate is going to be tricky." Cattaleya sheathed the dagger, folding her arms. "You don’t even know what kind of horrors you’re walking into. So how about a bit of an advance to hold me over? You know... in case we all die and there’s no one left to pay me."

There was an amused puff of breath from Elyon, and even Meng Bai grinned.

Daoist Chu didn’t seem offended. "That’s reasonable."

"Besides," she added with a sly grin, "I’m sure a fine, upstanding sect like yours wouldn’t dream of short-changing a poor, hardworking bounty hunter."

Daoist Chu chuckled lightly. "No, we wouldn’t. I can assure you, you’ll be paid fairly. We’re not a back-alley outfit."

As he said that, he drew out a pair of jade tokens from within his sleeve and held them up.

The first glowed with the brilliance of a golden court insignia—an Immortal Court authority token, etched with flowing Dao script.

The second was darker, more profound. It bore the symbol of the Zenith Dao Sect, one of the upper-tier sects that ruled large swaths of the territories of the Immortal Court.

"These should be proof enough that we’re good for the payment," Daoist Chu said evenly.

Cattaleya leaned forward, inspecting both tokens with a neutral expression.

"Impressive," she said with a slow nod. "Most people would be falling over themselves seeing even one of these."

Lin Mu, standing behind the others, didn’t miss the subtlety.

She wasn’t impressed.

No wide-eyed awe. No sudden shift in tone. Just calm assessment and a nod.

That fact alone sent a ripple of thought through Lin Mu’s mind.

Most rogue cultivators, mercenaries, or bounty hunters—even veteran ones—would at least be shocked or respectful at the sight of an Immortal Court token. The Zenith Dao Sect token especially would silence even a mid-tier elder.

But Cattaleya? She didn’t blink.

’This woman’s not just strong,’ Lin Mu thought, narrowing his gaze slightly. ’She’s experienced. She’s seen things far beyond this continent. And... her name.’

He turned the syllables over again in his mind.

Cattaleya Duskthorn.

Not a common name in any of the worlds or regions he knew of. It wasn’t a traditional clan name, nor did it follow the naming customs of most cultivation families.

It felt foreign.

Magical, even.

Just like Ziran, who had come from a magic-centric realm rather than a qi-focused one.

’Could it be? Another wanderer from a different world entirely?’

Lin Mu didn’t voice the thought yet. He merely stored it away, his interest sharpening.

"I suppose," Daoist Chu continued, "now we just need to settle the upfront amount."

Before anyone could speak, Lin Mu stepped forward and calmly tossed a small, intricately inscribed pouch toward Cattaleya.

She caught it midair with one hand and raised an eyebrow.

"This—" she said, opening it.

The radiant glow of high-grade immortal stones poured out, pulsing with condensed qi. She squinted, eyeing the weight and energy inside.

"A hundred thousand?" she muttered. "That’s... quite generous."

But she hadn’t finished inspecting it.

Her hand dipped into the pouch again—and this time she paused, lifting out several glittering, nearly translucent crystals. Each one hummed faintly with power.

"Immortal Essence Crystals?" she said, genuinely surprised now. "Fifty thousand of them?"

Lin Mu simply nodded. "I figured those would be more useful to a body cultivator like yourself."

The gleam in her eyes sharpened.