Learning from Nature, Stepping into Martial Conception Cultivation!

Lu Changsheng did not even realize he had entered a state of sudden enlightenment. Clinging to the ship's hull, he let the massive waves crash against his body, immersing himself in the vast, boundless power of the surging sea. One shichen, two shichen, three shichen... Thoroughly engrossed in his epiphany, Lu Changsheng completely lost track of time. Storms at sea came fast and went just as quickly. In the blink of an eye, the night passed. By morning, the wind and waves had subsided. People trickled out of the cabins one after another to find the deck in complete disarray. "It's finally over." "The storm nearly capsized the ship." "What a tempest that was. We're truly lucky to be alive." "Quick, inspect the damage and take an inventory of people and supplies!" Orders were called out across the deck. They were all seasoned sailors, intimately familiar with such tempests. After weathering a storm, taking headcount and checking cargo always came first. Losses were practically inevitable after swells like that. "We're down five crates of cargo." "As for people... three are missing." "Three missing? Who are they?" "Two porters. And the third is Miss Sophie's guest—Mister Dao is gone as well." A stir ran through the crowd. Losing two porters was unfortunate, but hardly unusual. Yet "Mister Dao" was Miss Sophie's honored guest, who had reportedly saved her life. He was missing too? To disappear during a storm at sea almost always meant a single fate: swallowed by the ocean! Hearing this, Longsha offered a faint smile. "Mister Dao was out of luck. I saw him still on the deck yesterday. He probably didn't leave when the squall hit and got swept into the sea by a rogue wave." "What a pity." Though Longsha's tone sounded wistful, he was secretly overjoyed. He had originally planned to deal with Dao Twelve himself, but Sophie's presence had tied his hands. Who would have thought a simple storm would bury Dao Twelve in the ocean? Sophie, however, shed tears, truly heartbroken. At that moment, Yun Haitang emerged from the cabin as well. She looked out at the ocean in silence. The night had passed, and the water was now calm, as if nothing had ever happened. Yet the figure who had leaped straight into the raging sea was nowhere to be seen. Even now, Yun Haitang could not fathom why Dao Twelve had jumped into the sea in the first place. "The storm has passed! Prepare to sail!" "Hoist the sails!" The captain began shouting orders to get the ship underway. When sailing the vast sea, human life was exceedingly fragile. A moment's carelessness meant death—either from illness or being washed away by the waves. Such occurrences were far too common for the crew to dwell on. The vessel began to glide forward. Whoosh. Suddenly, a dark silhouette leaped up from the side of the hull and landed squarely on the deck. "Who's there?" Everyone jumped in fright. Yet when they got a clear look at the figure, their mouths fell open. "It's Mister Dao!" "Mister Dao isn't missing?" "Wasn't he on the deck earlier? How did he just jump up from beneath the ship?" Murmurs of astonishment rippled through the crowd. Longsha's face darkened, his expression turning thoroughly sour. Sophie's face lit up with pure joy. Only Yun Haitang had a flicker of astonishment in her eyes, her expression deeply complicated. She had seen it with her own eyes yesterday—Dao Twelve had clearly jumped into the raging sea. How could he possibly be completely unharmed? "Mister Dao, are you all right?" Sophie rushed over immediately, her face tight with worry. "I'm fine. I just took advantage of the storm yesterday to practice some martial arts," Lu Changsheng replied placidly. "Practice martial arts?" Sophie did not understand, but as a martial artist, Yun Haitang knew what practicing martial arts entailed. Yet practicing martial arts during a tempest? Even leaping into the churning sea to do so? Despite her extensive experience, Yun Haitang had no idea what kind of martial art Dao Twelve could possibly be cultivating. Lu Changsheng glanced at Yun Haitang and gave a slight nod. Offering no explanation, he turned and headed straight back to his cabin. His clothes were soaking wet, but that posed no problem. He immediately circulated his qi and blood, wrapping it around his entire body. Qi and blood were naturally scalding. Moments later, his clothes were baked dry. If other martial artists saw Lu Changsheng expending qi and blood just to dry his clothes, they would likely be caught between laughter and tears. After all, who would waste precious qi and blood on drying garments? Only someone like Lu Changsheng, whose qi and blood was unimaginably vast, could afford to squander it so extravagantly. Ignoring his clothes, Lu Changsheng immediately brought up his attribute panel. He wanted to see what he had gained from that single night. He vaguely sensed that he had gained far more than merely bringing Triple Waves to completion. Perhaps there was an even greater harvest! Host: Lu Changsheng Comprehension: 824 (Hidden Dragon in the Depths) Qi and Blood Sword Casting Secret Method: Cast for 3 months and 18 days. Ocean Wave Conception: Progress 1% Qiantian Treasure Transformation Secret Method: First Layer Triple Waves: Third Tier (Complete) Ninefold Carp Leaping Dragon Gate Art: Second Tier Divine Dragon Transformation: Three Transformations (Complete) Nine-Word Thunder Sound Secret Method: Complete (Incomplete) Looking over the attribute panel, Lu Changsheng saw that both Triple Waves and Divine Dragon Transformation were marked as complete, which had been well within his expectations. Meanwhile, the Qi and Blood Sword Casting Secret Method had accumulated three months and eighteen days of progress. In reality, barely more than two months had passed since the first day he began casting the sword. This was thanks to Lu Changsheng actively using his qi and blood to forge the sword whenever he had spare time, allowing the progress to far outpace real-time passage. With three months and eighteen days accumulated, releasing the Qi and Blood Sword would deliver roughly the strength of three hundred and sixty ding. He had kept a close eye on the Qi and Blood Sword Casting Secret Method all along, so it came as no surprise. What truly surprised Lu Changsheng was the "Ocean Wave Conception" that had appeared on the attribute panel. It was brand-new. "Ocean Wave Conception..." Lu Changsheng immediately thought back to the sudden enlightenment he had experienced in the sea overnight. What he had comprehended during that epiphany was precisely this Ocean Wave Conception! Mastering Triple Waves to completion was merely a small fraction of the broader Ocean Wave Conception. After achieving complete mastery of Triple Waves out in the sea, his sudden enlightenment had actually been the process of grasping this conception. Throughout the entire night, relying on his staggering comprehension score of over eight hundred points, Lu Changsheng had finally managed to comprehend the Ocean Wave Conception. Of course, he had merely crossed the threshold, with his progress sitting at just one percent. He was still a long way from bringing the Ocean Wave Conception to full mastery. Lu Changsheng had read through many Divine Strength Realm martial arts, but without exception, none of them mentioned martial conceptions. A conception was an insight embedded within martial skills. As for what practical effects it had, Lu Changsheng was not yet entirely sure. Casually, he struck out with an open palm. Whoosh. A sound like rolling waves echoed throughout the cabin. Infused with the Ocean Wave Conception, this single strike—even without executing the Triple Waves technique—still possessed vastly amplified power. When he swung his saber with the Ocean Wave Conception applied, the strike similarly resembled an endless, surging tide. With the Ocean Wave Conception bolstering him, whether executing palm strikes, saber forms, or sword techniques, Lu Changsheng could produce the layering effect of Triple Waves, making each blow stronger than the last! His Ocean Wave Conception provided an all-around enhancement to a martial artist's combat prowess, and it even seemed capable of suppressing an opponent on a mental level. A martial artist's aura belonged to the mental plane, but fell far short of reaching the level of a martial conception. "Martial artists cultivate the physical body and their qi and blood, whereas a martial conception belongs to the mental plane." Lu Changsheng pondered thoughtfully. However, while it was easy for martial artists to train their bodies and qi and blood, cultivating the mental plane was arduous. Most Divine Strength Realm martial artists never stepped into the cultivation of martial conceptions at all; at most, they mastered certain martial skills to completion and barely brushed against them. For instance, perfecting Triple Waves allowed one to lightly touch upon the Ocean Wave Conception. Yet merely touching upon it meant little. Without sufficient comprehension, one could never truly grasp a martial conception. Only someone with transcendent comprehension like Lu Changsheng—who by a stroke of fortune dove into the ocean depths to experience the giant swells firsthand and entered a state of sudden enlightenment—could successfully comprehend a conception and take his first step into its cultivation. Even so, Lu Changsheng was still unsure how this path of cultivation should proceed. Yet by modeling himself after nature, he felt that further elevating the Ocean Wave Conception would require observing real ocean waves. Clang! Clang! Clang! Right then, a crisp alarm bell sounded outside the cabin. Whenever that bell rang, it meant the ship was in grave danger. Lu Changsheng rose at once and stepped out onto the deck. "Quick, turn the ship! Pirates!" The captain's voice was laced with urgency. Arriving on the deck, Lu Changsheng looked up and spotted the faint outlines of five large vessels ahead. Pirate ships! When sailing the vast ocean, sailors feared two things above all: storms and pirates. They had just survived a tempest last night, only to cross paths with pirates today. The captain desperately ordered the crew to steer away, but the ship was too large, and the wind was unfavorable. Changing course would take time. And in that window of time, the five distant pirate ships had already closed in. "Captain, can we pay them silver to buy safe passage?" Sophie asked, panic written across her face. When encountering pirates at sea, paying silver for safe passage was the most common solution. The captain was a burly man with a bulbous red drinker's nose and a thick, bushy beard. Looking at the approaching pirate vessels, he immediately shook his head. "Miss Sophie, if they were ordinary pirates, paying silver wouldn't be an issue." "But not with this crew. Look at their flags—they're the 'Taotie' pirates." "Those bastards never spare a single soul. They drag crew and cargo alike back to their lair. They are utterly ruthless." "We cannot stop. If we stop, we're finished..." The captain knew the Taotie pirates all too well. Sophie's face turned even paler. The five pirate ships were practically on top of them now. Whiz! Whiz! Whiz! A barrage of arrows began raining down from the pirate ships. Volley after volley of dense arrow fire swept across the deck. "Get inside the cabins! Take cover!" The passengers and crew scrambled desperately toward the cabins. Even so, many failed to make it in time and were struck down by the rain of arrows. Only a handful relied on their martial arts to dodge and deflect on the deck, among them Lu Changsheng and Yun Haitang. Yun Haitang wielded a soft whip so swiftly it formed an impenetrable barrier around her, keeping the deadly shower from coming within reach. As for Lu Changsheng, it was even simpler: a wall of qi and blood shielded his front. As the arrows struck the barrier, they bounced off and clattered harmlessly to the deck. However, maintaining such a wall demanded exceptionally dense qi and blood. Only Lu Changsheng could afford to be so extravagant. Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Grappling hooks were hurled from the pirate ships, biting deep into the hull of the merchant vessel. The iron claws locked fast. "Don't let their hooks hold us! Cut the lines, quickly!" the captain shouted, attempting to send the ship's guard team out to sever the ropes. Unfortunately, the moment the guard team charged forward, the pirate archers cut them down. Everyone could only watch helplessly as dense lines of grappling hooks anchored themselves to the ship. "It's over... We're completely finished." "Once we're dragged back to the Taotie pirates' lair, all of us will be worked like cattle and horses, reduced to their slaves..." The captain slumped onto the cabin floor. If they were truly captured and forced into slavery by pirates, dying aboard the ship would be a mercy. At that moment, the pirates began shouting across the water. "Listen up, you lot on that ship! From this moment on, every single one of you belongs to the Taotie pirates as our slaves! Stay put in your cabins and don't wander around!" "Anyone found on the deck or attempting to resist will be executed on the spot!" The pirate's voice reached every ear on board. Despair painted every face ashen. Even Yun Haitang furrowed her brow tightly. It was true that she possessed martial arts, and formidable ones at that. Yet no matter how strong she was, she was merely a single Refining Organs martial artist. How could she take on an entire fleet of pirates? The pirates were already towing the vessel. Once dragged into their lair, escape would be impossible. Yun Haitang had crucial business on Fire Dragon Island; she could not afford to become a pirate's captive. Moreover, with her stunning beauty, her fate in a pirate den was all too predictable. "Brother Dao, do you have any means of escape?" Yun Haitang could not resist asking Lu Changsheng. From the moment she first laid eyes on Dao Twelve, she had sensed he was extraordinary. In particular, the wall of qi and blood he had just manifested showed a foundation of qi and blood far thicker than her own. Dao Twelve was undoubtedly stronger than she was. Perhaps he possessed a way out. Yet out on the open sea, what could he possibly do? Lu Changsheng maintained a grim expression, looking out at the five pirate vessels in the distance. If he allowed these pirates to tow the ship back to their lair, he would have no way of returning to Zhanhai City. That was unacceptable! "I have no means of escape," Lu Changsheng said calmly. "However, if it's merely dealing with these pirates, it shouldn't be difficult." "Dealing with these pirates isn't difficult?" Yun Haitang stared at the five pirate vessels. Between those five ships, there were probably over a thousand pirates. There were bound to be plenty of Refining Organs martial artists among them. How could that not be difficult? Besides, out on the boundless ocean, even the greatest martial artist could not sprout wings and fly. Lu Changsheng offered no explanation. He walked to the ship's railing and leaped lightly. Whoosh. Lu Changsheng landed directly on one of the grappling lines. The ropes connected straight back to the pirate vessels. Lightly treading across the taut rope, he crossed the gap in a few swift bounds, closing in on the nearest pirate ship. Whiz! Whiz! Whiz! A thick volley of arrows was immediately directed at Lu Changsheng from the pirate deck. Yet all of them were stopped dead by his wall of qi and blood. Thud. Lu Changsheng landed softly on the opposing deck. Watching this unfold, Sophie, Yun Haitang, and the rest were left dumbfounded. "Is Mister Dao trying to repel the pirates all on his own?" Sophie's eyes widened, her gaze fixed intently on the distant vessel. On the deck, a horde of pirates instantly swarmed around Lu Changsheng. However, he had no interest in getting bogged down in a slaughter with them. There was simply no need. On the boundless ocean, there was another way to repel pirates that was far more direct and effective. And that was to sink the ship! Pirate vessels were built exceptionally sturdy; to brave the high seas, their timbers had to be resilient. Furthermore, pirates could quickly patch small holes, making it impossible to sink a vessel that way. Yet Lu Changsheng had never intended to poke small holes. Enveloped entirely by a wall of qi and blood, Lu Changsheng paid no heed to the surrounding pirates. Drawing back his fist, he smashed it directly into the deck. Boom! A deafening roar erupted. With this punch, Lu Changsheng unleashed the Divine Dragon Three Transformations, instantly elevating his strength to one hundred and eighty ding! Moreover, he applied a specialized shock jin, sending the colossal force penetrating straight through the deck and all the way down into the hull's bottom. Crack! The bottom of the hull instantly shattered, blown wide open by a massive breach. Torrents of seawater surged in furiously. "What?" "The hull is breached! The ship is sinking!" "Run! Get out!" The pirates fell into complete pandemonium, looking at Lu Changsheng with utter horror. He punched straight through the bottom of the ship? What kind of monster could shatter a vessel of this size with a single blow? Having punched through the hull, Lu Changsheng paid the panicked pirates no further mind. He swiftly bounded over to the remaining four pirate vessels and repeated the process on each one. In merely a few brief moments, Lu Changsheng returned to the Ocean Commerce Guild's ship. "Captain, cut the grappling hooks and let those pirates go feed the fish," Lu Changsheng said calmly. Gazing out at the five sinking pirate ships, everyone on board was seized with profound shock. Those were five full-sized pirate vessels. Yet Dao Twelve had single-handedly sent every one of them to the bottom. Over a thousand pirates were doomed to a watery grave. In an instant, the gazes directed at Lu Changsheng were filled with awe and reverence. Longsha, in particular, trembled from head to toe, wishing he could bury his head between his knees to keep Dao Twelve from noticing him. A ruthless man capable of wiping out five pirate ships single-handedly and drowning over a thousand men—and he had dared to offend him earlier, even scheming to find an opportunity to "teach him a lesson"? Had he grown tired of living? "Divine Strength Realm..." Yun Haitang stared intently at Lu Changsheng, a strange glint flashing in her eyes. Only a mighty expert of the Divine Strength Realm could possess such terrifying power to overturn five pirate ships. Evidently, Yun Haitang had already deduced that "Dao Twelve" was a powerhouse of the Divine Strength Realm!