Chapter 5 Setting Sail
After leaving Myriad Treasures Tower, Yang Ji didn't stay in the city and bought two Regular Grade Swords with silver taels before he left through the city gates.
To conveniently practice his techniques, he found an uninhabited cave on a nearby mountain.
Three days' time, neither long nor short, was perhaps not enough to advance his cultivation, but sufficient to take his Light Body Skill and Water Tracing Sword Technique a step further.
[You keep practicing the Water Tracing Sword Technique, proficiency +1.]
[You keep practicing the Water Tracing Sword Technique, your Sword Qi becoming sharper, and your moves more fluent, proficiency +1.]
[You keep displaying the Light Body Skill for flight, proficiency +1.]
[You keep displaying the Light Body Skill for flight, proficiency +1.]
[You have understood the true essence of being light as a feather from stepping on the wind, and your Light Body Skill has broken through, reaching mastery.]
[You keep practicing the Water Tracing Sword Technique, proficiency +1.]
[You keep practicing the Water Tracing Sword Technique, with the sword body shifting like a whirlpool stirring countless sword shadows and blossoming sword flowers, within the illusion lies a fatal strangle hold, your Water Tracing Sword Technique has broken through, reaching mastery.]
...
[Light Body Skill (Mastery): 5/50]
[Water Tracing Sword Technique (Mastery): 5/50]
"The Light Body Skill has progressed from stepping on clear winds to being light as a feather, and from now on, standing in the sky won't consume too much spiritual power,"
Yang Ji stood in the high skies, quite satisfied.
Suddenly, he drew his sword, its spiritual power burst forth like an angry river flowing, propelling the blade violently forward – a flash of white light appeared and burst through the sky, leaving behind two trails of blue smoke.
This is the ultimate in speed and sharpness, known as the Smooth Water Sword.
Then he twisted his wrist, stirring the sword body clockwise.
In an instant, the sword's shadow multiplied, turning into an underwater vortex, where the flow of light was visible but not the blade, and the blooming sword flowers concealed the wielder.
Among this illusion, the clouds shattered and the air split apart, a technique known as the Sword Shadow Strangling.
"With my Longsword stirring, the sword shadows form a vortex of Sword Qi, serving as both defense and offense. Anything falling into my sword vortex will be strangled by the Sword Qi, crushed into dust,"
Yang Ji's sword-holding hand abruptly paused, and with a clang! The vibrating blade stilled its tremors and the sword shadows dispersed returning to a straight line.
Looking at the Radiant Longsword in his hand, he expressed a touch of regret, "If the sword in my hand were a Magic Artifact, its power would be increased by many times."
"Three days of hard practice, and the progress has been enormous."
Yang Ji looked up, as the sky was just beginning to brighten, he sheathed his sword with a reverse grip and then used the Light Body Skill to fly back to Nanfeng City.
...
The sound of the waves lapping gently against the shore echoed.
The chilly morning air by the seaside was damp, carrying a salty tang, the essence of the ocean.
The magnificent seascape with rolling waves stretched far into the horizon, blending with the sky, its vastness unknown, as were the secrets and perils hidden within its depths.
Yang Ji stood on the shore looking out, and although dawn was just breaking, the place was already bustling with activity.
People were coming and going; many ships had already set out to sea.
Some were fishing for Spirit Fish, some were diving for Sinkstone materials, and others were sailing to other islands to do business. Over a dozen vessels were slowly heading out to the deep seas.
These large ships, built from a mix of hard wood and fine iron, had sturdy bodies and high durability to withstand the erosion of seawater.
The sea was perilous, and while cultivators could fly, most would choose to sail when going out to sea to conserve strength and prepare for unexpected crises.
"Come on, everyone, get on board!"
On a metal ship over a hundred zhang long, Jin Dafu shouted loudly.
In no time, more than a dozen figures leapt up and flew onto the ship.
Yang Ji, employing his Light Body Skill, also landed on the deck along with them.
His gaze swept across, and he had taken in the dozen or so unfamiliar cultivators on board.
There were middle-aged scholars of ordinary appearance, a charming woman in her forties, an old man with grey-white eyes, a youth with flaming red hair, a burly man with a long saber on his back, a man with a fierce look and a scar across his face…
The aura emanating from these people was exceptionally strong; the weakest among them was at the Fifth Layer of Qi Refining, and there were even grandmasters at the Tenth Layer of Qi Refining.
Among them, a middle-aged man with a refined appearance and eyes brimming with wisdom had the most obscure yet powerful aura— a cultivator of the Foundation Establishment Realm.
Yang Ji listened to his conversation with Jin Dafu and learned that his name was Chen De, one of the well-known Foundation Establishment experts of Nanfeng Island.
It seemed that none of the people was on board for the first time; after getting on deck, they went straight into the cabin.
They sat cross-legged, without uttering a word, cold as deep well ice—Yang Ji had wanted to listen to their exchange to learn some experience, but this was the result?
Out of sheer boredom, he left the cabin.
"We're departing, we're departing!" someone on the ship shouted.
Yang Ji turned his head and saw dozens of sailors hoisting the large sails.
The great ship soon started moving, slowly sailing into the depths of the sea.
Their destination this time was Heavenly Water Island, thousands of miles away, to purchase Spirit Fruit and exchange some items.
…
Whoosh~
The sea was a deep blue, the large ship cutting through at high speed, water splashing and churning, giving off bursts of the sea's fishy scent.
Yang Ji stood on the deck, gazing into the distance.
Besides him, there was one other person on the deck—Jin Dafu.
Jin Dafu lay on a large chair, drinking Spiritual Wine, eating Spirit Fruit, and basking in the early morning sunlight—it was quite pleasant.
Yang Ji glanced at him and asked, "Elder Jin, the journey to Heavenly Water Island is over ten thousand miles. How long will it take to get there?"
"Our great ship is reinforced by formations, faster than the average cultivator's flight. As long as we do not encounter wind and waves, at this speed, we will arrive in a day's time."
"We will rest for a day on Heavenly Water Island, handle affairs, and then return."
"It's just a three-day trip, and you can earn fifty Spirit Stones—isn't that an easy profit?"
Jin Dafu laughed as he spoke to him.
"Thanks to Elder Jin for looking out for me!" Yang Ji smiled slightly, cupped his hands in gratitude, his face showing no signs of trace.
People always appear hypocritical during their performances; living long enough, it's inevitable to become worldly.
Yang Ji responded and then turned back to the sea.
It was his first voyage, and he was curious, so he sat cross-legged on deck, silently watching the rolling waves.
It was written in books that the Endless Sea was extremely dangerous, with numerous Demonic Beasts and frequent natural disasters.
Such as deepwater whirlpools, Death Mist, deathly hurricanes, heavenly thunders, torrential rains, hail, underwater volcanoes, tsunamis, rip currents, counter waves, and so on.
According to the books, the hail that fell from the sky could be as large as grindstones, covering the sky like a collapsing heavens, terrifying beyond measure.
Many Qi Refining cultivators have died under such natural disasters.
Also, there were those counter waves that suddenly rose out of a calm sea, as high as the skies, crashing down with the force of nature, leaving no chance of survival for Qi Refining cultivators. Even if one dived into the water, their body would be shattered by the impact.
Of course, the most terrifying were the heavenly thunders.
If those covering hundreds of miles of Extreme Purple Heavenly Thunder appeared, even Golden Core True Persons would perish, and Nascent Soul True Monarchs would be half dead.
Luckily, the weather today was fine, with gentle breezes and bright sunshine, and the sea was relatively calm.
The great ship continued its steady journey forward, and now they were only half the distance away from Heavenly Water Island.
But at this moment, Yang Ji's expression changed; he saw unexpected information appear on the sea surface ahead.