Translator: AnubisTL
Hua Wenyue truly lived up to her reputation as the Heaven's Chosen, adored by all. Even the Spirit Boat beneath her feet was enough to make Gu Feng envious.
The boat had its own internal space, equipped with over two hundred rooms and a cultivation chamber, making it nothing short of luxurious.
Although its speed couldn't match that of a flying cultivator, it was far more comfortable.
Standing on the deck of the Spirit Boat, Gu Feng watched the two figures darting across the sky, their intense collisions erupting from time to time. He couldn't help but shake his head.
He had thought that during the joint trial, Hua Wenyue and Dugu Ao would temporarily set aside their differences. Unexpectedly, they had been fighting all the way!
Fortunately, both of them had the unspoken understanding to battle outside, or else they might have destroyed the Spirit Boat.
After about half an hour of combat, Hua Wenyue emerged victorious with a slight advantage, her expression growing even more haughty. Dugu Ao, on the other hand, looked indignant, his stubborn eyes seemingly saying that he had held back because she was a girl, not because he couldn't defeat her.
And so, the Spirit Boat passed over countless cities, heading east.
A few days later, they felt the cool, slightly salty breeze.
The East Sea was within reach!
In truth, the Sea Demons of the East Sea weren't particularly strong, nor were they numerous. At least within ten thousand miles of the shore, it was rare to find traces of Sea Demons.
Historically, there had been no instances of Sea Demons wreaking havoc on humans. Instead, it was often humans—cultivators traversing the sea—who hunted Sea Demons for their precious bones and pelts, exchanging them for Spirit Stones.
As the Spirit Boat sailed above the sea, the azure waves stretched into the distance. Soon, the coastal cities became mere specks on the horizon.
Gu Feng took out the fishing rod he had used to catch the Black Evil at Swamp Fortress and began fishing in the sea.
"This thing is a great way to pass the time. Do you have another one, Benefactor Gu?" Monk Wu De approached with a flattering smile.
During this time, he had been subtly expressing goodwill toward Gu Feng, though Gu Feng often ignored him.
Undeterred, Monk Wu De sat cross-legged beside Gu Feng, quietly watching him fish.
After a long while, Gu Feng tossed a fishing rod out from his Storage Ring. "Find your own bait!"
"Got it!" Monk Wu De grinned, his face kind and amiable.
The two sat side by side, but after a long time, neither had caught anything.
"Benefactor Gu, the sea is a dangerous place. Where I come from, Sea Beast Tides often occur. When a tide strikes, entire cities are wiped out, and countless cultivators fall. It's truly terrifying!
My master and my uncle both perished in such a tide, so I have some lingering fear of the sea."
Monk Wu De rambled on, not caring whether Gu Feng was listening or not.
"Before coming to the Great Chu Dynasty, I faced two choices: cross the uninhabited wilderness or traverse the endless sea. Without hesitation, I chose the wilderness."
Hearing this, Gu Feng frowned. "What are you trying to say?"
"If we encounter danger on this journey, I hope Benefactor Gu will set aside past grievances and lend a hand. I would be eternally grateful," Monk Wu De said with a smile.
"There are many powerful figures on this trip. I myself will be relying on the Heaven's Chosen. How could I possibly save you?" Gu Feng replied with a shake of his head.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Large splashes of water shot into the air as the two figures fought from the sky to the sea and back again...
Gu Feng put away his fishing rod and chuckled wryly. "There's no way to fish like this."
"Since Benefactor Gu didn't refuse, I'll take it as a yes!"
"We'll see how I feel."
The vast sea seemed boundless and aimless, with not a single island in sight throughout the journey.
"What are you doing!" Seeing Gu Feng hammering and carving, with a pile of square objects beside him, Hua Wenyue walked over and asked curiously.
"Wait a moment, it'll be done soon!" Gu Feng glanced at her and sped up his carving knife.
In no time, 108 rectangular stones, divided into four stacks, appeared neatly on the deck.
"This thing is called mahjong. It can determine victory or defeat, and even decide the fate of the world. It's a hundred times more exciting than a duel!"
Gu Feng smiled mysteriously and then began to arrange the tiles, introducing the rules of mahjong to Hua Wenyue.
Soon, Monk Wu De also joined in, and the three of them started playing.
They played for an entire day, with Hua Wenyue and Monk Wu De losing so badly that they were gritting their teeth and blushing.
Gu Feng, with his Immortal Eye. Void Break cheating skill, found it hard to lose at mahjong.
Hua Wenyue, immersed in the game, even forgot about her daily battles with Dugu Ao. When the latter came to the deck and saw the three of them making noise, he was also surprised.
Before long, two hundred Heaven's Chosen gathered on the deck for some fresh air.
With their intelligence, they could learn the rules of mahjong just by watching for a while.
"Senior Sister Hua, play the One of Bamboo, they can't win!"
"No, no, Gu Feng loves to win with familiar tiles, play the Nine of Circles!"
"The Eight of Ten Thousand is missing, and the Nine of Ten Thousand has been played twice. No one would go for a single Nine of Ten Thousand. Just play whatever you draw, the Nine of Ten Thousand is safe!"
"..."
Amidst the chattering sounds, the usually decisive Hua Wenyue began to hesitate.
Strangely enough, she, who usually didn't care about ten or twenty million Mid-Grade Spirit Stones, was now indecisive over a hundred Mid-Grade Spirit Stones in mahjong, as if a single tile could decide her fate.
Dugu Ao, sitting across from her, looked disdainful and snorted lightly.
"What do you mean by that? You're affecting my game!" Hua Wenyue glared at him and shouted.
"Playing poorly and blaming others for affecting you, what a strange woman!" Dugu Ao retorted directly, and the two of them were at each other's throats.
"Can you two stop arguing? Why not settle it on the mahjong table!"
And so, Dugu Ao, encouraged by Gu Feng, also sat down.
"Four of Ten Thousand!"
"Four of Ten Thousand!"
"Five of Bamboo!"
"Five of Bamboo!"
"Six of Circles!"
"Six of Circles!"
Dugu Ao's face turned ugly, and he slammed the table, glaring at Hua Wenyue: "What's wrong with you? You play whatever I play!"
"None of your business, I like it this way, what can you do about it?" A hint of satisfaction appeared in Hua Wenyue's eyes. It was easier to provoke him at the mahjong table than in actual combat.
"Hmph, Eight of Circles, I'll split my three tiles and play them, let's see if you can still follow!" Dugu Ao placed the remaining two Eight of Circles on the table and sneered.
"Hu! All One Suit, with One and Nine!" Gu Feng pushed the long dragon in front of him and smiled, extending both hands. "Pay up."
"If you can't play, then don't play!"
"Hmph, I'm happy to feed you, what can you do about it?" Dugu Ao chuckled.
"Whatever, you're losing more than me now!" Hua Wenyue said proudly.
The onlookers found it amusing, and some were eager to try.
More sets of mahjong were made, and the Spirit Boat was filled with the sound of tiles clattering day and night.
Gu Feng, having achieved his goal unnoticed, could finally fish in peace.
"Gu Feng, help me see, which tile should I play!"
Sitting behind, Gu Feng turned his head and scanned the surroundings. He reached under Hua Wenyue's arm, picked up a mahjong tile, and tossed it out.
In the next move, Hua Wenyue declared a self-draw.
"Hahaha, pay up, pay up!" Hua Wenyue, breaking her usual demeanor, laughed heartily, a rare sight indeed.
She didn't get along with Dugu Ao, yet they sat at the same table every day, engaging in a unique form of competition. With Gu Feng as her strategist, Hua Wenyue drove Dugu Ao to the brink of fury.
"Hmph, your mahjong skills reflect your character. With such poor character, even after being exposed for cheating, you still refuse to admit it. No wonder you're losing so badly!" Hua Wenyue didn't stop at winning; she frequently activated her taunting skills.
This left Dugu Ao with a dark expression, his fingers gripping the mahjong tiles turning pale. Zong Shixuan and others, also playing mahjong nearby, could only shake their heads with a wry smile.
Dugu Ao's misdeeds had been exposed months ago, and they had long since let it go, not bothering to dwell on it.
"I'm done playing!"
After losing several more rounds, Dugu Ao finally lost control of his emotions, pushed the mahjong tiles in front of him, and stormed off.
Playing mahjong was more frustrating than fighting. He vowed to quit gambling for life and never touch mahjong again.
Boom—
A large fish, over ten meters long and covered in silver scales, leaped out of the water!
"Hahaha, finally, a big one!"
"Set up the fire, we're having grilled fish tonight!" Gu Feng laughed heartily.
The sea fish in this world, perhaps due to absorbing Spiritual Energy, were dozens of times more delicious than any seafood from his previous life.
"Brother Gu, you're amazing!"
"With Brother Gu here, we're in for a treat!"
"Brother Gu is truly impressive. The biggest fish I've ever caught was only about two meters long!"
"What kind of fish is this? Eating it actually makes me feel a surge of Spiritual Power, and my cultivation has improved slightly!"
"It's probably a juvenile Sea Demon; otherwise, it wouldn't have such an effect!"
"..."
As they ate the grilled fish and drank Spirit Wine, the relationships among them grew more harmonious.
Gu Feng realized that these Heaven's Chosen were actually quite decent, with no ulterior motives. Even Dugu Ao, after getting drunk, poured out his grievances to Gu Feng, claiming he was more wronged than Dou E and insisting he wasn't the thief in the examination hall.
Gu Feng smiled and shook his head, offering a few words of comfort and expressing his belief in Dugu Ao's character.
This moved Dugu Ao deeply, who kept calling Gu Feng "brother" and "soulmate," almost dragging him into a sworn brotherhood.
"The storm is coming, a Spirit Energy Whirlwind! Everyone, channel your Spiritual Power into the Spirit Boat to maintain stability!"
One moment it was calm, and the next, the waves surged violently.
Lightning flashed and thunder roared in the sky as the heavens vented their fury. The sudden Spirit Energy Whirlwind swept everything on the deck into the endless sea.
Waves thousands of meters high tossed the Spirit Boat into the air like a piece of paper, flipping and swaying.
In such conditions, even Spirit Nurturing Realm cultivators couldn't maintain flight.
The Heaven's Chosen felt the power of the sea for the first time, overwhelmed by a sense of insignificance. They could only sit cross-legged in the central area of the Spirit Boat, channeling their Spiritual Power with all their might.
"Brother Gu, let me take over!"
Gu Feng, recognized as the weakest, was well taken care of. Fearing he might exhaust himself, they only let him channel his power for an hour before someone else took his place.
Through the Spirit Boat's window, Gu Feng saw countless sea fish being swept up into the sky by the Spirit Energy Whirlwind, only to be crushed at an altitude of ten thousand meters.
The sky was tinged with an eerie crimson, as if it might collapse at any moment.
Only then did Gu Feng understand why Monk Wu De had chosen, without hesitation, to forcefully cross the uninhabited zone between the two paths.
Any slight hesitation would have been a sign of disrespect toward the sea.
Roar—
A sea demon, hundreds of meters long, covered in terrifying tentacles, leaped out of the water, its gaping mouth devouring the fish swept up from the sea before plunging back into the depths, stirring up massive waves.
"This is a sea demon equivalent to a human at the sixth level of the Spirit Nurturing Realm!" Gu Feng was momentarily stunned.
"Indeed, this is what we call a sea demon. Don't be fooled by its seemingly low intelligence. For an ordinary cultivator at the sixth level of the Spirit Nurturing Realm, defeating it in the sea is no easy task.
If one is accidentally dragged into the depths by it, even I might not be able to break free," Hua Wenyue said softly as she approached.
After a day and night of struggle, the Spirit Boat finally passed through the Spirit Energy Whirlwind and gradually stabilized.
Gu Feng nodded slightly. Before coming here, he had read relevant books. The first rule of survival in the sea: Do not think that your skills and courage make you invincible. Charging into the depths to fight demon beasts is a foolish act.
Because the pressure in the sea is immense, your agility and the power of your martial skills will be greatly diminished. Fighting alone might still leave a chance of survival, but encountering a group of sea demons would mean certain death.
"A thousand miles away lies the sea area that is the destination of our training..."
About half a year ago, a cultivator spotted a large number of sea demon corpses floating in this area. Experts at the Soul Core Realm came to investigate.
After analyzing the traces, it was concluded that a major battle had occurred among a group of sea demons, and all the experts above the Sea Condensation Realm had perished.
Only a small group of sea demons at the Spirit Nurturing Realm, carrying the treasures of their clan, had hidden in this sea area.
The purpose of this training was to search for these treasures.
"In this vast sea, where do we even start looking?" Gu Feng chuckled wryly as he stepped onto the deck, gazing out at the endless expanse of blue water.
"This is training, not a mission. If we can't find anything, we'll just head back," Zong Shixuan said, seemingly not holding out much hope either.
The Spirit Boat hovered two hundred meters above the sea, moving swiftly. After two days of circling around, they had found nothing.
"Look! There's a sea demon corpse below, still bleeding. It looks like it just died!"
Someone shouted, and everyone's eyes turned downward.
There, floating on the surface, was a large fish with a white belly, nearly five to six hundred meters long. Its dark, glossy scales gleamed coldly, and its pair of bell-like eyes had completely lost their light.
"Let's go down and take a look!"
Now, everyone was energized.
(End of the Chapter)
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