Chapter 7

"Cough, cough... I'm afraid... I'm afraid you are not... not far from the legendary Grandmaster Realm either?"

Before his words had finished, his head lolled to one side, his breath cut off completely. His burly body fell rigidly backward into the surging sea and was swallowed in an instant.

The man in the blue robe stood quietly atop the cresting waves, his sleeves fluttering, his expression indifferent.

The sea wind caressed his long hair, lending him an even more aloof, otherworldly air.

He was none other than the Eastern Heretic, Huang Yaoshi!

Huang Yaoshi gave a cold snort, seemingly unimpressed by the big man's deathbed praise.

The Five Absolutes? A Grandmaster?

Such empty titles were, to him, nothing more than passing clouds.

His gaze swept across the now-calm sea, as though searching for something.

A moment later, his gaze drifted, almost imperceptibly, over the stretch of water where Brother Ning Chuan was hiding.

His brow furrowed, ever so slightly, almost imperceptibly.

Just now, he seemed to have faintly sensed a trace of elusive, prying intent.

But when he probed carefully, there was nothing there at all—as if it had merely been an illusion.

Could it be some strange sea beast?

Huang Yaoshi did not pursue the matter further.

These waters were perilous to begin with; it was hardly surprising that peculiar creatures lurked within them.

His figure swayed, his toes tapped lightly against the sea surface, and his whole body drifted away like a falling leaf. In a few bounds, he vanished at the edge where sea met sky, returning to that island wreathed in mist.

Only after Huang Yaoshi's presence had completely vanished did Brother Ning Chuan slowly surface from the seawater, letting out a long breath.

That glance from Huang Yaoshi just now, though merely a casual sweep, had still broken him out in a cold sweat.

Had he not comprehended the Snake Breathing Technique in time, he would likely have been discovered!

"The Eastern Heretic, Huang Yaoshi... his reputation is indeed well deserved!"

Brother Ning Chuan's heart churned with waves that refused to settle for a long time.

The battle he had just witnessed had struck him far too hard.

Martial prowess of that caliber had utterly shattered his understanding of traditional Wu Xia.

Striding across the waves, sword Qi and flute-shadow, killing without a trace.

How could this still be a low-level martial arts world?

Just one step away from soaring through the sky on flight!

"That challenger said Huang Yaoshi isn't far from the Grandmaster Realm..."

Brother Ning Chuan murmured to himself.

"Which means, in this world, above the Grandmaster Realm, there is still the Grandmaster Realm!"

"And above the Grandmaster Realm? Could there be an even more Terrifying realm?"

This world was far more complex than he had imagined—and far more dangerous!

But at the same time, it was brimming with opportunity!

A trace of burning heat rose within his heart.

"If... if only I could Cultivate martial arts!"

A bold notion surfaced in his mind.

"With my current serpent body, paired with this heaven-defying comprehension, perhaps... perhaps I could carve out a path of demonic Cultivate never before walked by any ancient?"

He was a snake, that was true.

But who said a snake couldn't Cultivate martial arts?

He had wisdom, he had comprehension—that was what mattered most!

Having come to this magnificent Martial Arts World, he did not wish to spend his whole life as a cold-blooded beast.

He longed to once again possess human emotions, a human life.

"If I cannot regain a human form and experience this mortal world, would it not be a pity?"

He thought of the Wu Xia novels he had read in his past life, those rivers and lakes of swift vengeance and deep enmity, those peerlessly brilliant heroines...

If he could take part in them as a human, how wonderful would that be?

But the prerequisite for all of this was that he could come into contact with human Wu Gong and possess the strength to protect himself.

"If only I could learn Wu Gong from Huang Yaoshi..."

Once this thought arose, it could no longer be suppressed.

What manner of man was Huang Yaoshi?

One of the Five Absolutes, a figure at the level of a Wuxueda Sect Grandmaster!

His Wu Gong was bound to be vast and profound.

If he could learn even a move or two, paired with his own heaven-defying comprehension, he would surely advance by leaps and bounds.

"However, Huang Yaoshi is eccentric by nature; learning Wu Gong from him would likely be as hard as scaling the heavens."

Brother Ning Chuan grew a little troubled again.

"Right—Huang Rong!"

He suddenly thought of a key figure.

Huang Yaoshi's daughter—clever and mischievous, brilliant and sharp-witted.

If he could go through Huang Rong, there might be a chance to access the Wu Gong of Taohuadao.

"I wonder how old Huang Rong is now? How far has the plot progressed?"

He shook his massive serpent head, temporarily pressing down these tangled thoughts.

"Take it slow, step by step."

"The most urgent matter is to become stronger first!"

Without sufficient strength, everything is mere fantasy.

Brother Ning Chuan took a deep breath and dove back into the dark seabed.

He would continue hunting, continue devouring, continue growing stronger!

…….