Chapter 226: The Myriad Arts Tower Ship Arrives; My Teacher Is Liu Tianning! (8K)

"Brother Pei, please ask—I'll tell you everything I know, without reserve."

"Do you know where it came from, where it's heading, exactly how big it is, and what marvels it displayed?"

Zhao Xing answered at once: "It should be swimming from the west toward the northeast. I didn't see it in full, but its fluke-tail is over three hundred meters, and its fin-spines are twenty or thirty meters."

"It opened its great maw and swallowed a thousand meters around—it must have used the dragon-whale's innate art, 【Heaven-Swallowing Vortex】. The ice layer here was originally about ten meters thick, but it could easily shove it aside."

Pei Yuanchang said with some regret: "Someone under my command had spotted its traces before, but only saw a blurry figure four hundred meters underwater. We thought it had already left Night Fortress's southwest sector—never imagined it was still lurking in the deep sea."

"Brother Zhao, do you know how strong this dragon-whale actually is?"

Zhao Xing shook his head slightly: "I can't sense it. According to the book *Illustrated Compendium of Deep-Sea Beasts*, an adult dragon-whale's strength is between the fourth and fifth grades; a long-lived one can reach the fourth grade."

"But this one's size already exceeds what *Illustrated Compendium of Deep-Sea Beasts* describes—it must have fourth-grade strength."

Pei Yuanchang nodded. He did indeed want to hunt the whale, but he needed to know the beast's strength first!

Hearing Zhao Xing's descriptions was enough to know many things—what preparations to make, how large a ship to deploy, what bait to use.

Pei Yuanchang hadn't planned to keep asking, but he was observant as well. Seeing that the warming shed held only fish baskets while the other tackle boxes were missing, a thought struck him: "Brother, does the fishing gear you bought include a Seven-Star Hook?"

Seeing him ask that, Zhao Xing thought to himself that this Pei Yuanchang was truly meticulous—one question and he'd hit the key point.

"It does."

Pei Yuanchang was delighted: "Your gear was swallowed by the dragon-whale—is the Star-Fixing Disk still there?"

"It is, and I've already confirmed it was swallowed."

"However, I can't hand the Star-Fixing Disk over to you, Brother Pei."

Zhao Xing spoke frankly, openly.

Sooner or later people would find out. Rather than lie and have Pei Yuanchang learn the truth later and look down on him for it, better to tell him straight: I have it, but I can't give it to you.

Zhao Xing's openness caught Pei Yuanchang off guard.

He paused, then showed a faint smile: "Good, brother, you're open enough! Truly 'tell all you know, hold nothing back.'"

Pei Yuanchang cupped his fist: "I'll contact your teacher so we can plan the whale hunt together. I hope you'll put in a few good words for me before your teacher—I can prepare many things and save him the time of mobilizing ships and supplies."

Liu Tianning hadn't yet reached the Polar Night Sea, and even if he arrived, he might not be fully prepared. If he then had to turn around and call for equipment, supplies, and personnel—

The dragon-whale might already be gone.

The Frost King rose to power through the navy, and Pei Yuanchang was a fine partner for cooperation.

"Definitely." Zhao Xing cupped his fist in return.

After that, Pei Yuanchang asked no more questions, and didn't even spare a second glance at the wondrous plants in the warming shed—if Zhao Xing wished to speak, there was no need to press him.

If he didn't wish to speak, asking would be pointless.

He stayed a short while, then left swiftly—clearly off to make preparations.

Zhao Xing wasn't idle either. He immediately took out his Earth Mirror and reported to Liu Tianning again.

His phantom appeared inside the Myriad Arts Palace.

Liu Tianning should have already set out, but after Zhao Xing reported the dragon-whale matter, Liu Tianning began preparations, so his true body was still inside the Myriad Arts Palace.

"Teacher, Pei Yuanchang did come find me, and he noticed I left a hook inside the dragon-whale."

"He proposed cooperation—he should be contacting you very soon."

Liu Tianning said: "He's currently speaking with another of my avatars. What do you think of the cooperation?"

Zhao Xing considered: "The Peis rose through the navy, and we're close by, in the same stretch of sea. There's goodwill between us, and they have real strength—they can save you the time of mobilizing. We should cooperate."

Liu Tianning nodded: "Good. Where is your Blood Shadow Flying Boat now?"

Zhao Xing said: "It's already passed north of Yang City, more than an hour past the boundary marker."

"Make sure you stay safe. If there's danger on the road, you can put out the name of Luo Hou Wang."

"Luo Hou Wang?" Zhao Xing was taken aback. Only now, with Liu Tianning giving him the full picture, did he learn that his teacher's backer was actually Luo Hou Wang.

No wonder Old Liu had risen steadily all the way up—turns out he had this big shot backing him.

"Understood."

The phantom dispersed. With a thought from Zhao Xing, the avatar aboard the Blood Shadow Flying Boat opened its eyes.

"Senior Brother." Ji Zixuan sensed Zhao Xing coming online.

"Mm." Zhao Xing walked to her side. "Where are we?"

"We're nearly at 【Skyfire Path】." Ji Zixuan pointed ahead—far in the sky, a stretch of fiery clouds had appeared.

Flaming meteors rained down from the clouds from time to time, leaving many burning meteor craters on the ground.

"Let's detour around it."

"Senior Brother." Ji Zixuan offered her suggestion: "Past Skyfire Path, the days grow shorter and the nights longer. Flying another six hours will take us straight to Pine Snow Lake—we can save over two hours of flight."

"Are you confident you can fly through it?" Zhao Xing asked.

"Yes!" Ji Zixuan pointed at the map beside her: "I've studied the map for over two hours. I'm confident I can get through the meteor-shower belt of Skyfire Path."

Looking at Ji Zixuan's gaze—there was confidence, a desire to perform, and a hope of earning recognition.

"Alright, then fly us through." Zhao Xing nodded.

Ji Zixuan was a fast learner. In the days since arriving at Ten Sun Grotto-heaven, she hadn't been idle—besides absorbing spiritual essence, she'd been constantly studying: reading military intelligence, all kinds of news.

Her character—self-driven and eager to improve, yet willing to take advice—suited Zhao Xing's tastes well. He was quite fond of Ji Zixuan.

Like Old Zhao and Liu Tianning, he had an aversion to fools. People with that aversion tend to like the clever, and Ji Zixuan happened to be clever.

The moment Zhao Xing came online, she seized the chance to ask for guidance.

"If you run into people on the road, avoid them if you can; if you can't, call for me. Don't get into it yourself." Zhao Xing said: "The teacher wants you to reach the Polar Night Sea as soon as possible."

"Understood." Ji Zixuan nodded obediently.

On the Polar Night Sea side, after the dragon-whale's commotion, no fish were coming anywhere near the warming shed.

The remains of the Qilin Flying Boat were already gone—whether swept away or swallowed, no one knew.

However, no sooner had Pei Pei Yuanchang left than he sent someone to deliver a fifth-tier Sea Wave Flying Boat.

One could say it was quite considerate.

"Fish, we can't fish anymore," Zhao Xing said. "The fishing rod is gone; let's just catch them by hand."

"There are still plenty of Water Immortals and Fish-Eating Grass inside the Warm Flower Shed. We don't know if the Dragon Whale will work out yet; let's first eat our fill of the small fish and shrimp's buff effects."

"Pei Pei Yuanchang sent a Flying Boat and also gave us a sea chart with locations of fish schools marked by a diviner," Chen Shijie said. "That does make things convenient for us."

"What about the Azure Sea Cloud Vine?" Ji Ji Ziyun asked. "Are we just going to leave it here?"

They definitely had to move locations. The Water Immortal was easy to transplant, but the Azure Sea Cloud Vine was not.

This thing had already extended down more than three thousand meters; it was impossible to move. At least Zhao Xing and the others lacked the ability.

"I planted the Azure Sea Cloud Vine; observing the seabed conditions was just a side effect. The main purpose was to build a passage to the seabed," Zhao Xing said. "Let it grow here. Once it takes root in the seabed, Old Chen and I can use it to try tunneling underwater and search for treasures."

"The Fish-Eating Grass can still be harvested for three more rounds, probably yielding about two and a half buckets," Chen Shijie said. "The main issue is insufficient soil. The Fish-Eating Grass counts as only half an aquatic species; it still needs soil."

"That's enough," Zhao Xing nodded. Once the teacher arrived, there would certainly be no shortage of soil and supplies for him.

Right now, this amount was enough to support their own activities.

Catching small fish and shrimp certainly couldn't trouble Liu Tianning. He was a teacher, not a nanny. Disciples had hands and feet; one could teach them to fish, but one wouldn't simply hand them the fish.

Of course, the Dragon Whale was different.

If they caught a Dragon Whale, his favorite disciple would definitely get a share.

"That's settled. We will follow the sea chart to find the location. Brother Xia, Long Xiao, you are responsible for cutting the ice layer."

"Brother Ji, you are responsible for setting up the Ice Well Formation. Old Chen and I will finish planting the Water Immortals and Fish-Eating Grass in the Warm Flower Shed, then come to your side to bait the spot."

"Once the fish float up, we will cast spells to catch them."

Zhao Xing finalized the next plan. Before Old Liu arrived, he still needed to do something to show Old Liu.

"If I go out and tell my fishing buddies about the Polar Night Sea, I'll surely be mocked," Ji Ji Ziyun said somewhat melancholically. "Fishing turned into scooping."

Chen Shijie nodded, deeply agreeing.

As for Long Xiao and Zhao Xing, they had no such thoughts; as long as they could eat fish, what method wouldn't work?

With the plan settled, the five split up to act.

Zhao Xing and Chen Shijie continued farming in the Warm Flower Shed. After harvesting three rounds of Fish-Eating Grass, they stopped.

The surrounding soil had all turned to gravel; only a small patch of black earth remained beside the Azure Sea Cloud Vine.

On the fertile refined soil, seedlings of the Water Immortal, the Azure Sea Cloud Vine, and the Fish-Eating Grass were preserved.

No more spell-casting farming would be done from now on; it would be left for Liu Tianning's arrival.

After harvesting the Fish-Eating Grass, Zhao Xing's true body and Chen Shijie each carried a military-grade bamboo box and headed to the location of Xia Jing's trio, leaving behind nine Myriad Dharma Straw Men to guard the home.

At this moment, the three had already cut through the ice layer, exposing the sea surface below.

The Water Immortals inside the boxes were transferred into the water.

"Gulong~"

The Water Immortal sank to the seabed.

After waiting for half a quarter-hour, bubbles began to rise from the spot where it had fallen.

Zhao Xing began to bait the spot.

Having learned from past experience, he didn't dare to be wasteful, fearing he might attract some deep-sea giant beast again.

"Sha~"

One-fifth of the Fish-Eating Grass seeds were poured out, falling from the spot where the Water Immortal had sunk, dissolving.

"Gulong~"

"Gulong~ Gulong~"

Bubbles began to appear in large numbers, and the seawater churned.

"Huala~"

A spearfish flashing with red light leaped into the air.

"Sou~"

Before it could hit the ground, a shadow swept past.

The mountain cat bit the spearfish, ran to Zhao Xing's side, and placed it at his feet.

"Miao~" The mountain cat pushed it with its paw, meaning the master should eat first.

"You eat it yourself," Zhao Xing smiled. "You usually keep saying you're hungry; this time, eat your fill."

"Miao~" Seeing Zhao Xing refuse, the mountain cat carried the spearfish in its mouth and ran to Long Xiao's feet.

"Hahaha, Aozhen is so well-behaved," Long Xiao laughed. He flicked his sword finger, cutting the fish into several pieces for the cat to bite easily, while he himself picked up a strip of meat and put it in his mouth.

The martial artist's work was done.

Next, it was the turn of the spellcasters: Zhao Xing, Chen Shijie, and Ji Ji Ziyun.

Once the effect of the Fish-Eating Grass had mostly worn off, the school of fish had all swum to the surface.

The three then cast spells to scoop up the fish.

With the previous experience, fish no longer rained from the sky this time.

The three combined their water control, digging up a layer of the sea surface like scooping a cake, bringing up both water and fish together.

On top of the ice layer floated a water cube, inside which dense schools of fish swam, shimmering in five colors and ten hues.

Huala~

Subsequently, the water cube slowly descended and was moved to an ice pool nearby.

"Done," Xia Jing let out a long breath.

This ice pool was the one he had dug out.

Last time, many fish died before we could eat them, wasting a great deal of spiritual elegance for nothing.

Now that they have built an ice pool, they can choose slowly, without needing to eat so hastily.

Ji Ji Ziyun cast a spell, raising walls of ice in the pool to sort the fish into categories.

Since Zhao Xing had already let Xia Jing taste quite a few beforehand,

it was now easy to distinguish which fish possessed what effects.

"There are five hundred and forty-six Law Fish; eating them can enhance comprehension of spells and Wu Ji. However, most of these boost water-element spells and water-element Wu Ji; the other elements are far rarer."

Zhao Xing and the others did not know the names of these fish; after all, the varieties within the great sea were too numerous, and not everything could be named. They could only classify them by effect.

"I will eat these five Fire Fish," Zhao Xing pointed to one of the grooves. "My Heavenly Fire spell has not yet reached the high tier."

At the Yin-Yang Twin Fiends Array Mountain of the Great Dream Academy, Zhao Xing still had his sights set on it. Once he emerged from the Ten Yang Grotto-Heaven, he intended to enter once more to claim the benefits of that trial.

The fourth trial of the Heavenly Artisan Hall, the Yin-Yang Twin Fiends Array Mountain, features trials of Earth, Wind, Fire, and Thunder; Zhao Xing lacked fire-element spells to pass that trial.

"My Thunder Law still has great room for improvement." Ji Ji Ziyun pointed to a groove containing five or six fish resembling electric eels, shimmering with Lei Ting. "If no one wants these, I will eat them."

"Ao Tian, will you eat?" Long Xiao looked down at the mountain cat.

Ao Tian Meow shook its head; its innate Thunder Wu Ji had already reached a bottleneck.

"Meow~" It pointed with its paw at several large green fish in the adjacent groove.

It wanted to eat these.

"I will eat a few swordfish and marlins," Long Xiao said. "They are gold-element spiritual elegance and can enhance my Geng Metal Sword-Controlling Art."

With enough fish, there was no need to consider how to divide them; everyone could simply take what they needed.

Zhao Xing chose four types separately.

First, five large Fire Fish to increase comprehension of 【Heavenly Fire】.

Second, fish containing luck-based spiritual elegance, ten in total, mainly boosting the water operation of the Five Elements; each weighed forty or fifty jin.

Third, fish containing lifespan-based spiritual elegance; they were crystal clear, as if made of glass.

Fourth, fish containing vast amounts of primal energy; although Primal Gathering had already reached the forty-ninth tier, consuming such spiritual elegance still strengthened the physical body.

"I will eat!"

Zhao Xing skillfully removed the bones and organs, then began to gorge himself.

At the same time, entries appeared one by one on the panel.

【You consumed lifespan-based spiritual elegance; extra lifespan increased by 1 year.】

【You consumed lifespan-based spiritual elegance; extra lifespan increased by 1 year.】

【You consumed fire-element spiritual elegance; fire-element comprehension increased; your fire-element spell 'Heavenly Fire' broke through the mid-tier perfection, reaching the first rotation of the high tier.】

【You consumed fire-element spiritual elegance; fire-element comprehension increased; your fire-element spell 'Heavenly Fire' broke through the mid-tier perfection, reaching the second rotation of the high tier.】

【The middle finger bone of your right hand transformed from 'Great Completion of Iron Bones' to 'Initial Formation of Silver Bones'.】

【The pubic bone of your right foot transformed from 'Great Completion of Iron Bones' to 'Initial Formation of Silver Bones'.】

Although Zhao Xing had not cultivated the 'Gluttonous Devouring Method', the 【Yin-Yang Original Self Sutra】 also possessed techniques to accelerate absorption and digestion, named the Heaven-and-Earth Transforming Primal Art.

It was not as efficient as the Gluttonous Devouring Method, but it was sufficient.

"Haa~"

Just as Zhao Xing was focused on devouring the fish, Long Xiao suddenly flushed red, his entire body turned golden, and his body became translucent.

Zhao Xing turned to look and saw Long Xiao's bones beginning to radiate light, as if absorbing Jin Guang from all parts of his body.

"W-what is he doing?" Ji Ji Ziyun was momentarily stunned.

"He is attempting to breakthrough," Zhao Xing put down the fish meat and wiped his mouth. "Condensing the Pure Primal Sword Body."

"Can he succeed?" Ji Ji Ziyun was somewhat surprised.

"He probably won't," Zhao Xing shook his head. "How could it be so fast? The foundation is not yet solid, and the accumulation is insufficient."

"Haa!!!" Long Xiao shouted with all his might, as if summoning the strength of his very birth.

But, as Zhao Xing had said, the accumulation required to advance from the Great Star Realm to the Pure Primal Realm was immensely vast; the primal energy needed for this single tier was more than ten times the sum of tiers one through forty-nine.

"Waa~" Long Xiao suddenly began vomiting uncontrollably, his face flushed red, supporting himself on the ground. The Jin Guang that had been condensing within his bones instead radiated outward, and his flesh and meridians became clear once more.

"Hahahaha~" Xia Jing immediately burst into laughter, slapping his thigh and pointing at Long Xiao.

"Hahaha." Chen Shijie, Zhao Xing, and Ji Ji Ziyun, upon seeing this, could not help but laugh as well.

This was because Long Xiao, after failing the attempt, had developed a side effect.

His body swelled by a full size, turning into a big fat man!

At first glance, he even looked somewhat cute.

"If primal energy cannot be drawn into the Golden Bones, it rapidly disperses into the flesh and blood, nourishing them and growing wildly," Xia Jing said, delighted.

"Long Xiao, oh Long Xiao, though you are a sword cultivator of heavenly genius, you are far too arrogant. Hahaha, you should change your name to Long Pang now, hahaha!"

Xia Jing's ruthless mockery initially left Long Xiao unfazed.

But when he saw Chen Shijie, Zhao Xing, and Ji Ji Ziyun all laughing at him, and even Ao Tian Meow rolling on the ground clutching its belly, he immediately broke down.

"If you're so brave, come try! Didn't you eat over three thousand jin? Why don't you try!"

"I'll try, I'll try!" Xia Jing sat cross-legged. "Just watch closely!"

"We are all martial artists; why must it be like this?" Ji Ji Ziyun covered her mouth and said.

"Wait..." Zhao Xing, stifling his laughter, took the Long Hunyu from his neck. "Brother Xia, take this; it reduces the chance of qi deviation."

"Zhao Xing, what are you laughing at? I'm going to get angry!" Long Xiao's face, now full of fat, was squeezed together.

"Nothing; a fish bone pulled at my cheek."

"That's too much; you were just laughing, and you haven't stopped!"

"I'm thinking of something happy."

"What happy thing?"

"This fish has given birth."

"..."

Facing the Long Hunyu Zhao Xing offered, Xia Jing waved his hand directly and said, "No need. Even Long Pang is useless, so I have no need for it either."

"Hah!"

With a loud shout, Xia Jing also began to explode with energy.

One must admit the momentum of a martial artist is truly fierce; with this shout of Xia Jing's, it felt as if a humanoid ferocious beast stood before them.

His breakthrough process, like Long Xiao's, began with the 'Pure Yuan Transformation' of flesh, blood, and meridians first, then moved to the bones.

Both their speeds were about the same; when Xia Jing reached 'Pure Golden Bones', he encountered the same problem as Long Xiao.

"Aaaah!" Xia Jing roared.

But this shackle could not be crossed with just a few ghostly shouts; soon, he also failed to break through.

He suffered the same backlash as Long Xiao.

Primordial Qi surged, filling his flesh and meridians, and Xia Jing quickly swelled into a fat man.

"Hahahaha~" Long Xiao waved his fat hands and mercilessly began to mock as well.

"Meow meow meow~" The mountain cat was delighted, rolling around on the back of a fish.

These humans are truly amusing.

"Hmph, you are laughing too early." Xia Jing brought his hands together in the air, Jin Guang flickering, and growled, "Devour Heaven and Earth!"

As he circulated the Devouring Art, his body actually returned to normal at a speed visible to the naked eye!

In just a few breaths, the side effects vanished, and he had slimmed down again!

"You..." Long Xiao's smile gradually froze.

Damn, I forgot this kid's Devouring Art is already at the Seventh Layer!

So annoying!

"At the Seventh Layer of the Devouring Art, any side effect is a piece of cake!" Xia Jing said proudly, "Brother Long, you still have much to practice~"

"Just you wait!" Long Xiao said angrily, "I will surpass you sooner or later!"

"Yes, Long Xiao, you are a Sword Cultivator, the strongest among martial artists!"

"I've been dissatisfied with Xia Jing for a long time. The Devouring Art and the Black Tortoise Shield dare to claim invincibility? Can they possibly block the Shenxiao Sword Qi?"

"Fight! Fight!"

Two martial artists were competing, while three mages and a cat sat nearby, eating fish and stirring up trouble.

Truly enjoying the spectacle without caring if things got worse.

If a Ritual Cultivator were here, they would have to exclaim, "A true professional."

In the end, it was only when Pei Pei Yuanchang's people arrived that Xia Jing and Long Xiao did not spar.

"Greetings, Marquis Yuanrang!" Pei Pei Yuanchang had sent a Sixth Rank martial artist, who was quite polite to Zhao Xing.

"What is it?" Zhao Xing clasped his hands in return.

"The Young Master's exploration team discovered an unnamed fish three hundred li to the southwest. After catching three of them, they specifically asked me to deliver one and inquire if Marquis Yuanrang is interested in going." The Sixth Rank martial artist handed over a box wrapped in cloth.

"Oh?" Zhao Xing opened the outer wrapping to reveal a crystal box inside, then his eyes lit up. "Yin Yang Fish?"

Inside the crystal box, a fish the size of a palm was swimming; it resembled a crucian carp, but its upper half was white and its lower half black.

When it swam, the water in the crystal box also became distinctly separated, appearing black and white.

As the fish's mouth opened and closed, this single fish actually produced a phantom, transforming into two fish: one purely black and one purely white!

"Please reply to Brother Pei and tell him I will depart immediately!" Zhao Xing said.

"Yes." This martial artist clasped his hands, then jumped onto the flying boat to return and report.

Seeing the visitor leave, the other four gathered around: "What good thing is this?"

"I named it the Yin Yang Fish, but the name is not important." Zhao Xing said excitedly, "The point is, eating it can enhance the Fate Soul!"

"What?" Ji Ji Ziyun was greatly shocked. "There is actually such a fish?"

"The world is vast, truly containing all kinds of wonders." Chen Shijie sighed.

Three Souls and Seven Spirits: the Heavenly and Earth Souls are outside, while the Fate Soul resides in the womb.

The Fate Soul is the foundation of a person, but Great Zhou has no methods for cultivating the Fate Soul, and treasures are also extremely scarce.

The Demon Daoists outside the world do have soul-cultivation methods, but they are all evil arts, and the cost is extremely high.

Usually, one must reach Third Rank to cultivate the Fate Soul without cost.

Now, in the Extreme Night Sea, a fish that can increase Fate Soul power has actually appeared?

"This is a great discovery!" Xia Jing said, "It seems Pei Pei Yuanchang has already reached an agreement with your master; otherwise, he would not have told you about this matter and sent a fish over."

"Of course, there is no such thing as a free lunch." Zhao Xing took out a sea chart from his chest, "Three hundred li to the southwest; this is a newly opened area, far away from Night Fortress. If my guess is correct, Pei Pei Yuanchang's forces must have clashed with the forces on both sides."

The seven exploration teams are claiming territory; as they constantly recruit people and expand, friction is inevitable.

However, since we are already cooperating with Pei Pei Yuanchang, we must go. Interests are fought for, not gained by lying down.

"The Fate Soul is difficult to cultivate; one must reach a high rank to obtain visualization methods for cultivating the Fate Soul. If one can enhance the Fate Soul at a mid-rank stage, the benefits are endless." Ji Ji Ziyun said.

Without Ji Ji Ziyun saying it, Zhao Xing also knew clearly; after he consumed the Fate Soul Pill, he opened the Heavenly Eye, the Sleepy Bug Art advanced to High Grade, his Fate Soul grew stronger, his control over his body and Primordial Qi improved, and the power of his spells increased.

Now, although he has gathered Primordial Qi to the forty-ninth stage, reaching the perfection of the Tian Gang Realm, his Fate Soul is only just at the mid-stage of Sixth Rank.

"Pack up, get on the boat!" Zhao Xing said, "Let's go fish somewhere else!"

"Alright!"

The fish in the Ice Pool were loaded onto the Sea Wave Flying Boat; this was a medium-sized flying boat of the Navy. Although the quality was the same, it was much larger than the Qilin Flying Boat.

The Qilin Flying Boat is mostly for show, its unique craftsmanship merely highlighting the imperial pressure.

If one truly needs to operate at sea, only the navy's ships are convenient.

"Old Chen, keep the Wen Hua shed as is; leave this mature Sea-Green Cloud Vine here. I will just watch over it with a Ten Thousand Laws Straw Man avatar."

"As for the remaining seedlings, we will pack them all into the Wen Bamboo Box and take them away," Zhao Xing said.

If there is a better place, naturally, we go to the better location.

Exploring the seabed can be postponed for a little while.

Since Pei Yuanchang's flagship was not in the same direction as the Yin-Yang Fish's appearance location.

Zhao Xing simply set sail, contacting Pei Yuanchang via the Earth Mirror while on board.

"Brother Pei, what is the current situation at the location where the Yin-Yang Fish appeared?"

Pei Yuanchang pointed to the sea chart: "The location of the Yin-Yang Fish is near the Ice-Fire Island to the due west. Besides you and me, three other factions have also discovered the Yin-Yang Fish."

"There is Liang Wang's nineteenth son, Ji Ye, and thirteenth son, Ji Chen, two 'Prince Exploration Teams', as well as a Joint Exploration Team led by Xing Ming, composed of many Wu Hou descendants and legitimate scions of great families."

Pei Yuanchang tapped a corner of the map: "Liang Wang's thirteenth son, Ji Chen, is actually still following the rules, only exploring northwest of the Ice-Fire Island; he originally occupied that northwest position."

"But Ji Ye and the people of the Joint Exploration Team are not so rule-abiding; they frequently cross the boundaries."

Zhao Xing nodded. In theory, the seven exploration teams had previously divided the directions; now that the scope has expanded and new locations found, they could still occupy land according to the originally agreed directions, which could reduce conflict.

However, logic is logic; when interests are at stake, no one can guarantee they won't be tempted to cross the line.

As long as the imperial court does not speak, the struggles between nobles and great families ultimately come down to: whoever has the bigger fist, their reason is harder.

Emperor Jing sits firmly on the fishing platform; only when he feels they have fought enough will he order an intervention.

This type of resolution is not unique to Emperor Jing; the Great Zhou has always had this tradition.

This trend existed during the Taizu period, like gangs of hooligans forming groups to fight; after the state was established, it evolved into the more formal method of the Martial Realm Army Corps Grand Martial Arts Exhibition.

Even Emperor Wen held it a few times.

After Wu Di, the Zhou royal family's control weakened, and it gradually became the 【Feudal Lords' Alliance】.

Pei Yuanchang's reason for calling Zhao Xing over was very simple.

As the legitimate grandson of the King of Ling Shuang, he was under considerable pressure and urgently needed his partner Liu Tianning to share some of that burden.

Once Zhao Xing, Liu Tianning's direct disciple, arrives, it will send a signal: I, Pei Yuanchang, have already partnered with a big leg; I am no longer the weakest faction as before. If you want to cause trouble, you must weigh the consequences first.

"Brother Pei, rest assured, I am already on my way," Zhao Xing knew it was time for him to raise his banner and shout.

"Brother Zhao, safety comes first; once you arrive, I will arrange people to follow you," Pei Yuanchang said.

Flying west for three hundred li, an abandoned island indeed appeared amidst the glaciers.

In the land of ice and snow, a volcano suddenly appearing was truly eye-catching.

However, the volcano was not erupting; it was only emitting faint black smoke.

Buzz~

A message suddenly came through the Earth Mirror.

Zhao Xing opened it and saw it was sent by Liu Tianning.

【The Ten Thousand Laws Tower Ship has arrived at the Midnight Sea】

Old Liu has arrived?

Zhao Xing immediately felt full of confidence: "He even brought the Ten Thousand Laws Tower Ship over!"

While flying, he was just about to reply to Old Liu.

Suddenly—

"Stop! Who goes there!"

Before reaching the designated location, a Silver Shuttle Flying Boat suddenly attacked from halfway.

It flew a banner reading 'Wu Chenghou'.

Zhao Xing knew at a glance that this belonged to the 'Joint Exploration Team'.

"The area ahead is blocked; unrelated persons are not allowed to approach!"

"Whoosh Whoosh Whoosh~"

The Flying Boat fired several fire crossbow bolts, but all were deliberately aimed to miss, not directly striking the Sea Wave Flying Boat's barrier.

This was merely a warning attack.

Signaling Zhao Xing and others not to approach.

"Who are you, and how dare you block this place?!" Zhao Xing sent his voice on the wind, transmitting it directly to the Silver Shuttle Flying Boat ahead.

Soon, a chubby Young Master came out to converse: "My father is Wu Chenghou; such a large banner, can you not see it?!"

"I am Wu Chenghou's heir apparent, Xiao Baoyu," the youth in fine robes said. "This place has been blocked by the Joint Exploration Team. There are twenty or thirty Fifth-Rank cultivators on my ship; go back where you came from!"

Twenty or thirty Fifth-Rank cultivators? Zhao Xing saw at a glance that this empty-headed heir was bluffing.

He used the Heaven Eye Technique to observe Xiao Baoyu; the other was merely Seventh-Rank, and his realm was unstable, as if he had just ascended recently.

Wu Chenghou has a slight reputation, but not enough to dispatch twenty or thirty Fifth-Rank cultivators... how can his face be so thick?

"Can Wu Chenghou suppress all heroes under heaven? Do you not ask about my background?" Zhao Xing said.

"Hmph!" Xiao Baoyu snorted. "Then tell me, who are you?!"

"My master is Liu Tianning!!!"