Chapter 89: Iron Ship

"Who ever complains about having too much martial cultivation? The higher, the better."

Li Muxian shrugged, while Li Yuanling stared at him for a moment, her expression skeptical.

"I truly can't imagine how you trained—you're not much older than me, yet your martial cultivation is so powerful?"

"Could it be... you've been relying on pills to boost your cultivation all along?"

At this, Li Muxian raised an eyebrow and said:

"I wish I had those things to eat, but unfortunately, I was once so poor I couldn't afford anything."

"You mean you reached such formidable martial cultivation just by training alone?"

Li Yuanling stared in shock, then suddenly glanced around the wooden boat, her eyes darting as she said:

"If you say so, I'm starting to wonder—did some other expert secretly help us just now?"

Speaking, she stood up, gently prodded Li Muxian’s arm with her slender fingers, and frowned:

"Besides, why do you have no true qi at all? I always thought you hadn't even reached the Primordial Realm of martial cultivation?"

Hearing this, Li Muxian chuckled, brushed her fingers away with a look of distaste:

"Don't talk nonsense if you don't understand. This is called returning to simplicity—it's incredibly powerful!"

Then he waved his hand and said:

"Enough. You wouldn't understand anyway. Gather the jade tokens and let's wait for the results."

Li Yuanling pouted, wondering inwardly whether such a martial realm as 'returning to simplicity' even existed.

Finding no answer, she decided that once they returned, she would thoroughly investigate—she couldn't let this seemingly powerful but utterly unreliable adoptive brother fool her.

On a wooden boat in the underground lake, three women in embroidered long robes stood gracefully, each with delicate features and elegant postures.

Yet their expressions were grim, their watery eyes constantly scanning the surrounding boats with vigilance.

Earlier, they had lain in wait and seized numerous jade tokens from those who had tried to steal them from the three sisters.

Especially from one girl who looked fearsome, they had gained the most tokens—fifteen in total.

Yet shortly after acquiring that largest haul, an anomaly occurred—their jade tokens all flew away, and despite their attempts to stop them, they were powerless.

"Someone powerful must have intervened. It seems we won't be able to claim first place today."

Shu Wan'er frowned; similar events had occurred on many nearby boats. Whoever had such extraordinary power was clearly not to be underestimated.

Hearing this, Shu Qing'er shook her head and said:

"Our master ordered us to enter the depths of Floating Boat City today, so she can follow our qi and act covertly. We must make the top ten no matter what."

Shu Ying'er nodded slightly and said:

"Now that we've lost our jade tokens, we must seize more from other boats. From what I observed, that person didn't take all the tokens—we still have a chance."

At these words, the three women exchanged glances and, without a word, left one to guard the boat while the other two drifted off into the darkness.

Meanwhile, high above the underground lake in the darkness, iron chains suspended a massive black iron ship, lying horizontally in midair.

On the iron ship, nearly a dozen people bustled about, holding brushes and scrolls, watching the wooden boats below and scribbling notes on their papers.

"Master Sheng, you must have seen what just happened. Today, Floating Boat City has attracted an exceptionally formidable expert."

A tall man in dark ornate robes, his aura thick and heavy, walked slowly from behind the ship, accompanied by an old man in black attire.

Soon, they stopped at the ship’s edge, where on the right deck sat a gray-robed elder with white hair and a face full of wrinkles.

The elder’s body and limbs were bound by several chains of black iron, his arms encircled by rings of copper, appearing strangely unusual.

At this moment, the elder gazed down at the lake, where the wooden boats glowed with tiny candlelight, all visible to his eyes.

Yet his gaze remained fixed on the boat where Li Muxian and Li Yuanling sat.

"I sensed no one secretly entering Floating Boat City, nor could I locate the one who acted. I suggest you investigate these two's identities."

The gray-robed elder spoke slowly, his iron chains trembling slightly, producing a metallic scraping sound.

The tall man also stared at Li Muxian’s boat and nodded slightly:

"We've already sent people to investigate."

Then he turned to the black-clad old man and asked:

"Are these the two you mentioned?"

The black-clad old man lowered his gaze from below and immediately nodded, bowing respectfully:

"Your Excellency, it is indeed them. Earlier, my palm wind blew over their candles, yet it had no effect whatsoever."

Hearing this, Tu Yao waved his hand, signaling the black-clad old man to step back.

Not long after, he spoke again:

"It seems the rumor of the Qilin Blood leaking out is true—otherwise, why would so many people suddenly appear?"

At this moment, his gaze swept across the underground lake, pausing on several boats, including those of Zhang He and the three Shu sisters.

"No secret stays hidden forever. The Qilin Blood is a legendary treasure, drawing countless martial cultivators like moths to flame. Keeping this secret is no easy task."

The gray-robed elder, Sheng Shi'an, shook his head slightly, then added:

"Our priority now is to find the one who can wield the Qilin Blood and use it quickly. Otherwise, similar troubles will keep coming—Floating Boat City cannot withstand much more turmoil."

Hearing this, Tu Yao’s eyes flickered:

"The city master is already in seclusion, attempting to ingest the Qilin Blood. But it is too ferocious—we’ve lost many experts merely by proximity, their bodies burned to ash by its residual aura. I wonder if he can control it?"

The gray-robed elder, Sheng Shi'an, fell silent for a moment, then said slowly:

"The Qilin Blood comes from the ancient divine beast, the Fire Qilin. Only a few portions emerge every sixty years. Yet those who can wield it are exceedingly rare—it requires not only profound martial cultivation, but also the right physical constitution and fortune."

"For Su Zhangqing to break through to the First Rank of martial cultivation by swallowing the Qilin Blood? It won't be easy."

(End of Chapter)