Too Eager to Advance

Beside the Wuyun Inscription, Qi Yuan sank into brief contemplation. He committed every mark carved upon it to memory. "Do you think Luo Bufan truly broke through the martial arts limit and shattered the void?" Han Xianyun asked blankly, gazing at the traces Luo Bufan had left behind. Luo Bufan was the most recent person in recorded history to transcend the martial arts limit. In his youth, Han Xianyun had admired Luo Bufan above all others, regarding him as an idol. It was fair to say that most martial artists in the martial circle held immense respect for Luo Bufan. "Maybe he shattered the void, or maybe... he died," Qi Yuan replied offhandedly. He recalled Yu Xiu, whom he had met in that execution space. Yu Xiu... was already a dead man. Which meant this world possessed an underworld of sorts. Did Yu Xiu come from the underworld? Qi Yuan thought of many things. As for breaking through the martial arts limit, he already had an idea. "Looks like I need to prepare to break through the martial arts limit as well," Qi Yuan said seriously. "??? Wait, Mr. Qi, you want to break through the martial arts limit?" Han Xianyun was bewildered. He had seen Qi Yuan fight. An immortal cultivator like him was practically a god. Yet here he was, running off to break through in martial arts. Was this... a hobby? He suddenly thought of Southern Lion Zhang Yang. Compared to Qi Yuan, Zhang Yang's pursuits couldn't even be called a hobby. "Could it be that looking at this Wuyun Inscription gave you an epiphany... that you discerned something from the marks Luo Bufan left behind? Are you going to emulate Luo Bufan to break through the martial arts limit?" Qi Yuan shook his head. "I won't emulate Luo Bufan. First of all, I don't have family; second, his path doesn't suit me. "The little darlings in the sea suit me much better." Han Xianyun was shaken to the core. An immortal cultivator was truly an immortal cultivator; just like that, he had figured out how to transcend the martial arts limit. "By the way, your family is so wealthy. Could you lend me a yacht? I plan to head out to sea to seek my opportunity to break through the martial arts limit," Qi Yuan said, stretching out a hand to borrow one. He was thick-skinned. When he lacked something, he simply borrowed it, without the slightest psychological burden. "Ahem... I don't have a yacht," Han Xianyun answered awkwardly. Although he was a second-generation heir, he was not the kind who lived in luxury. His father had died early, and supreme authority was held firmly in the hands of his elder brother. Compared to ordinary civilians, his life was paradise on earth, but compared to other heirs of his standing, his pockets were quite tight. "However, Princess Huansha definitely has one!" Han Xianyun said hurriedly. "You can borrow one from her!" "The paramecium princess has one?" Qi Yuan's eyes lit up. He mused, "I protected her so well. If I ask to borrow a yacht... she wouldn't refuse, right?" Qi Yuan felt this was a done deal. After all, his protection of Princess Huansha had been extraordinarily attentive and thoughtful—he had practically halted her cellular division. That had extended her lifespan by a good ten-odd minutes. Standing nearby, Han Xianyun was rendered speechless. *You call that good protection?* Of course, he dared not contradict Qi Yuan. "Let's go. We'll find the princess and borrow her yacht." Qi Yuan waved a hand grandly and headed back toward where they had come from. Han Xianyun followed with a sinking heart. He was terrified that the princess had turned into a paramecium and died. If he remembered correctly, paramecia didn't have very long lifespans. *** One day later. A luxury yacht glided slowly across the water. A man stood atop the yacht, his expression serene. Princess Huansha stood behind him, awe and reverence lingering in her eyes. Those ten-odd minutes yesterday had undoubtedly been the most miraculous experience of her life. Facing this astonishing man, she displayed none of the haughtiness befitting a princess, carrying herself like a servant instead. "Mm, steer a bit toward the southwest," Qi Yuan spoke up. Princess Huansha hastily commanded the smart robot to pilot the yacht according to Qi Yuan's instructions. At once, the yacht sped off toward the southwest. Standing on the deck, Qi Yuan kept his eyes glued to the surface of the sea. He was scanning for the mutated sea monster he required. Yet over the past half day, he had found practically nothing. Mutated sea monsters were not easy to encounter. What was more, it had to share a bloodline origin with Qi Yuan, which made it even rarer. At this moment, Qi Yuan had turned himself into a radar, sweeping the waters ceaselessly. Curiosity was written all over Princess Huansha's face. Countless questions welled within her, yet she obediently refrained from asking. Suddenly, Qi Yuan said, "Stop." Acting like a dedicated helmsman, Princess Huansha immediately had the smart robot bring the yacht to a halt. She looked at Qi Yuan with intense curiosity. A longsword had materialized in his hand. "Go!" At Qi Yuan's command, the blood-red longsword shot straight down into the depths of the ocean. Princess Huansha's eyes widened at the sight. She was finally witnessing Qi Yuan make a move once more... and that blood-red sword... wait, wasn't that...? The way she looked at him shifted entirely again, gazing at him as though he were a deity. After dispatching the sword from its sheath, Qi Yuan sat cross-legged on the yacht. "It's actually over ten thousand meters down. Looks like I'll have to wait a bit." The mutated sea monster he had detected lay a full ten thousand meters deep on the ocean floor. Such a depth was utterly terrifying. Back on Blue Star, the colossal pressure would have been enough to tear any human submarine to shreds. Even though Arch Star's technology was a notch above Blue Star's, diving past ten thousand meters remained an enormous hurdle. To put it into perspective, even if Princess Huansha's Liulisi Kingdom rallied the entire nation's resources, they still could not construct a submarine capable of diving ten thousand meters. Yet Qi Yuan's target lay precisely ten thousand meters beneath the sea. Down in the oceanic abyss, shards of shattered wood were still strangely stained with blood. Peculiar stones bore the residue of various foul bloodstains, as if not even the washing of countless years could purge them away. A bloated corpse of a mutated sea monster lay quietly on the sea floor, encased within a transparent crystal. It looked as though it were sealed inside. Just then, the blood-red longsword flashed. Carrying the transparent crystal and the corpse within, it rose from the ten-thousand-meter abyss toward the surface. Back on the yacht, Qi Yuan showed a look of surprise. "Looks like my luck stat in this game is pretty high. Right off the bat, I run into an extraordinary sea monster." "Game?" Princess Huansha asked curiously. "What game?" "I mean that your world is a casual game I enjoy, and I'm a player." Princess Huansha froze for a moment, then laughed softly. "Mr. Qi, you truly know how to joke." Even if Mr. Qi was an immortal cultivator, that didn't mean everything he said was literal. "I never joke." Qi Yuan smiled faintly, letting the topic drop. To him, the people of this world were merely NPCs. Soon, ripples surged across the sea ahead. A streak of blood-red light flashed, and the crimson sword dropped the transparent crystal onto the deck. The crystal was roughly one meter tall, one meter long, and one meter wide—a neat cube. Inside lay the corpse of a bizarre creature with three legs, two fins, and three eyes. The monster fish's eyes remained wide open, displaying humanlike emotions: rage and indignation. [King of the Moli Fiendfish. A Wuying-level fish possessing a terrifying bloodline. Once swallowed two thousand people from a town alive; sealed here.] All manner of information surfaced instantly before Qi Yuan's eyes. His throat bobbed with a sudden pang of thirst. He had a strong urge to pry the crystal open and drink the Moli Fiendfish's blood. Princess Huansha looked at the grotesque fish, a trace of dread appearing in her eyes. "This is a mutated sea monster... It looks so repulsive." As the old saying went, even if one had never eaten pork, one had surely seen a pig run. Nowadays, that saying was outdated. Princess Huansha had never seen a mutated sea monster, but she had certainly eaten one. Just like many city dwellers on Blue Star who had eaten pork without ever seeing a live pig. "This is quite a haul. And what's more..." Qi Yuan smiled. "It makes the best bait." With that, Qi Yuan produced fishing line and wrapped it around the transparent crystal. Qi Yuan was greedy. This single mutated sea monster would likely suffice to push him across the martial arts limit. Still, since he had gone through the trouble of heading out to sea, shouldn't he make the most of it? After all, along the path of blood martial arts, one needed a never-ending supply of bloodlines. As he spoke, he bound the transparent crystal tightly with the line, then used his blood sword to pierce a tiny hole through it. The fishing line threaded through the crystal and impaled the corpse within. Even now, the mutated sea monster had not awakened, appearing trapped in an endless slumber. "All set. Time to fish!" Delighted, Qi Yuan hurled the mutated sea monster straight into the ocean. "With your ancestor as bait, you guys will have to bite, right?" The path of blood martial arts lay in devouring. With an unconscious ancestor serving as bait, how could the other mutated sea monsters resist flocking here? After all, they were far too eager to advance. Having cast his bait, Qi Yuan sat down to resume cultivating. Now, all he needed to do was wait for those sea monsters dying to get ahead to deliver themselves to his door. "An illusory world, a boring casual game... Slaughtering things really is much more satisfying," Qi Yuan mused. Right now, he was just playing the daily routine. Yet after meeting Yu Xiu, he had a hunch that very soon, he would unlock a new map and get down to some real slaughter. About an hour later, Qi Yuan's eyes curved into a smile. "Finally here." His gaze seemed to pierce through the ocean surface as he thrust a finger forward. From the seawater, a fish-like mutated sea monster was yanked violently into the air, crashing down onto the yacht's deck. A smug smile surfaced on Qi Yuan's face. "Seeing how eager you were to advance, once you're dead, I'll scatter your ashes into the sea so you can return to your homeland." Qi Yuan felt more and more like a benevolent man. Toward those who strove to better themselves, he was always generous. With a firm squeeze of his hand, the ambitious mutated sea monster detonated. A single drop of blood was squeezed from its body, while the rest turned to paste. Qi Yuan flicked his fingers, igniting a burst of flame. Under the roaring heat, the paste was reduced to fine gray powder. "I'm a man of my word. I never lie to sea monsters." With that, Qi Yuan scattered the ashes into the sea. Then, he swallowed the drop of blood into his belly. "Mm... My martial arts aptitude increased a bit more. But the bottleneck... is still somewhat distant." Qi Yuan wished he had a status panel. That would make things so much more convenient. He felt that if he had a panel allowing him to track his progress at any moment, his cultivation speed would surely skyrocket. Over the hours that followed, more and more of the mutated sea monsters Qi Yuan needed gathered. On the first day, eighteen showed up. On the second day, their numbers surged dramatically, reaching one hundred and thirty. This prompted Qi Yuan to sigh in wonder. "There really are plenty of folks in this world who want to get ahead." As time passed, Qi Yuan captured more and more mutated sea monsters. What was more, the rate of their arrival kept climbing. Meanwhile, across the waves, a massive yacht came into view. The vessel belonged to an elder sister and younger brother, carrying roughly a dozen second-generation rich heirs. At that moment, a man clad in black leaned against the railing, staring out over the water as if lost in memory. Just then, the yacht's owner, Liu Yu, walked over gracefully. She looked at the black-robed man, curiosity gleaming in her eyes. They had found this man adrift in the ocean. According to him, he had been swimming when an unexpected mishap occurred. In the end, the siblings had pulled him aboard, and only then had he regained consciousness. "Chen Fan, seeing your brow furrowed, are you upset about something?" Liu Yu asked curiously, studying Chen Fan's handsome features. The man before her looked young, yet he carried an air of weathered maturity. Liu Yu, who had always harbored a soft spot for mature men, was utterly charmed by it. "I have some business... Miss Liu, could you steer the yacht in the direction I specify? Once this is over, I will reward you handsomely!" Chen Fan's eyes seemed to see straight through the ocean floor, spotting a mutated sea monster. Over this period, he had already seen more than one mutated sea monster heading toward a single destination. An ominous premonition stirred in his heart. "This..." Liu Yu hesitated. They had a planned itinerary for their pleasure cruise. To alter their course now on Chen Fan's word alone... However, looking upon Chen Fan's handsome face, Liu Yu broke into a sweet smile. "No problem at all." "Thank you." Chen Fan cupped his fists in gratitude, carrying an upright, righteous demeanor. Roughly three hours passed. Back on his yacht, Qi Yuan sat with satisfaction written across his face. Today, he had caught another two hundred mutated sea monsters. The blood he had gathered was piling up. He couldn't help but sigh, "Sigh, even sea monsters work so hard, so desperate to advance. What right do I have to slack off?" Just then, Princess Huansha stepped forward. "Mr. Qi, that yacht nearby signaled us. They want to board our ship, claiming they have an urgent matter of utmost importance." "Oh?" Qi Yuan looked up, immediately spotting the nearby vessel. With a single glance, he locked onto the man in black standing upon its deck. Instantly, he caught the scent of death qi. "Someone... like Yu Xiu?" Qi Yuan grew intrigued. Had it been anyone else, he might have refused outright. Yet toward people like Yu Xiu, he was exceptionally curious. "Let's meet." "Understood." About ten minutes later, Liu Yu and her brother accompanied the black-clad Chen Fan onto Princess Huansha's yacht. A pistol was tucked into Liu Yu's waistband just in case anything went awry. When she saw only a single young man and woman aboard, her vigilance dissolved. This pair looked just like some wealthy heir and his girlfriend out on a romantic honeymoon cruise. At that moment, Chen Fan spoke. Looking at Qi Yuan and then out across the water, his gaze turned stern. "Are you fishing?" Qi Yuan smiled faintly. "If I answer your question, will you answer one of mine? That would be fair." Qi Yuan's words gave Chen Fan pause. Having encountered all sorts of people, this was the first time he had ever met someone who spoke like this. "Very well." After a brief silence, he nodded. "Yes, I'm fishing. "Now it's my turn. Your world... how does one get in?" Qi Yuan stretched his waist, asking casually. Chen Fan's expression shifted slightly. The Liu siblings and Princess Huansha looked utterly bewildered, having no idea what Qi Yuan was talking about. Chen Fan gave Qi Yuan a long, hard look. "You wouldn't want to enter. Once you die... you will."