Chapter 359: Master, It

"This ship is terrible, nowhere near as good as the Dayun Hao!"

In the best cabin on the cargo ship, Mo Ying held a tablet, fiddling with it and muttering to herself.

Feng Xue nodded, pulled out freshly brewed medicine, took a sip, and as he circulated his cultivation technique to aid the medicine’s dispersion, he said casually:

"I agree too. Once I boost my combat power a bit more, I’ll go back and rescue that bitch, and then take the Dayun Hao with me everywhere."

"Wait, how are you even supposed to fit something that big into a sack—and then carry it?!" Mo Ying was startled by Feng Xue’s words, dropping her tablet.

Feng Xue merely smiled calmly and said:

"I skimmed through some past masters’ discussions on the 'Hachi-ki Explosive,' and got a new idea."

"Oh, good—just as long as you don’t make me carry it." Mo Ying revealed her true intentions within three sentences, eagerly awaiting Feng Xue’s reaction—only to find he seemed completely oblivious, already pulling out herbs to begin compounding medicine.

Disappointed, Mo Ying shrugged and turned back to her tablet. Feng Xue continued his medicine-testing routine.

The week-long sea voyage was uneventful. Though there were no top-tier elders aboard, several Dao-attained cultivators were present, ensuring a calm journey. After watching the sea for a few minutes, Feng Xue returned to his cabin and used this free time to brew and test medicine.

Even with Xiao Lingdang, he couldn’t magically calculate medicinal properties, so he had to boil every single formula from those dozens of Wu Xiu secret texts, drink them, and let Xiao Lingdang analyze the drug mechanisms, bodily changes, and how cultivation affected the medicine’s activation—then compile a cultivation-compatible formula chart, which he later refined using the Xuanwu Can Tong Qi to produce the optimal medicinal combination.

Thus arose the cycle: Liu Yunxi repeatedly boiled medicine, Feng Xue repeatedly drank it, and after each dose, he used the waiting period to prepare the next batch.

Fortunately, Feng Xue possessed healing divine arts—otherwise, he’d never dare test medicine this way.

He’d actually wanted to find a few willing test subjects, but unfortunately, out here in the vast ocean, he couldn’t possibly use the crew.

Moreover, traditional medicine has a major drawback for widespread use: it’s personalized. Even with identical symptoms and identical formulas, variations in the patient’s constitution or herb quality require adjustments. Unlike the Di Liu Jiang trials, without reliable, powerful medical experts to assist, trial-and-error by himself was the only viable method.

"The variation curve has been generated, closely matching the secret text’s description. The medicine’s volatility rate is normal. No further valuable changes are expected. Proceed with purification."

Xiao Lingdang’s voice sounded more mechanical than usual. Feng Xue immediately activated the Ingestion Technique, fully refining the residual medicinal energy into Ying Qi, then absorbed it through Body Strengthening Art.

Though this method wasted some medicine, testing more formula combinations was far more important than preserving a few doses.

"Master, it’s time for your medicine!"

"You’re doing this on purpose, aren’t you?" Feng Xue took the bowl Liu Yunxi handed him, eyeing the demoness with a strange expression. Probably since the debt-to-equity shift, his mindset had changed—and the demoness seemed to have grown bolder too. In the past, she’d never joke like this!

"Pfft…" Liu Yunxi stuck out her tongue. Her snake demon physiology meant even in human form, her tongue remained supple and elongated—this gesture wasn’t playful, but sultry.

Feng Xue felt a faint thrill, then quickly suppressed it, lifted the bowl, and swallowed the bitter, sour-tasting decoction.

As the medicine entered his gut, Xiao Lingdang immediately displayed the matching cultivation technique. Following the movement diagrams and key instructions appearing in his mind, Feng Xue began moving within the cabin.

…

Days passed in quiet routine. Finally, just as Feng Xue had completed logging all formula effects and began testing Xiao Lingdang’s AI-generated prescriptions, he heard a new kind of commotion.

He activated the Ingestion Technique to fully refine residual medicinal energy, cast a healing spell to mend the bodily damage from Xiao Lingdang’s formulas, then opened his cabin door.

"Friend Feng Dao!" As Feng Xue stepped out, several other cultivators emerged simultaneously. They exchanged glances, then smiled at each other, all turning their gazes toward the ship’s railing.

Without doubt, they saw merchant ships and cargo vessels appearing on the sea, and not far off, a luxurious port.

"Looks like the skyscrapers aren’t as numerous as the harbor?" The cultivators were clearly visiting abroad for the first time. Gazing at the Uta Port, often mentioned by foreign merchants in comparison to Gangdu, they were taken aback.

"Japan has more earthquakes, so tall buildings are fewer. But judging by urban planning and transport, it’s still better than Gangdu," another cultivator remarked. Though his words sounded complimentary, Feng Xue saw the devotional energy radiating from him—clearly calculating where to detonate first.

"True. Only those with sufficient martial virtue would come first," Feng Xue thought to himself, when a broker’s manager approached, smiling and saying:

"Gentlemen, we’re about to dock. Please suppress your cultivation energy, lest the shore-side detect us. Our cargo is quite sensitive. I’ll arrange for a trusted trading house to assist—you all follow along."

"Our sect elders already instructed us to follow your lead."

The more composed cultivator spoke thus, yet couldn’t help glancing at Feng Xue. Compared to them, Feng Xue was an unlisted outsider. Though not yet Dao-attained, his combat strength ranked among the top in the Master tier—they had no authority to decide for him.

Feng Xue understood immediately and said:

"I don’t mind either way."

"Thank you all for your understanding!" The broker’s manager bowed deeply and turned to direct the sailors preparing for docking. The cultivators exchanged farewells and returned to their cabins to pack.

Feng Xue did the same. Back in his room, he stuffed unused herbs, portable stoves, clay pots, and other odds and ends into the Hutian Bag, reverted Liu Yunxi into her ring, then seized Mo Ying’s tablet and shoved her into the scroll.

He paused, then took a pre-civilization camera pen and stuck it in his chest pocket. He said to Xiao Lingdang:

"Xiao Lingdang, activate full recording mode!"

"Understood, Master." As Xiao Lingdang acknowledged, a horn’s hum echoed overhead. Hearing this harsh sound, the cargo ship—departing from the Central Plains, carrying the foundation stones of the Longwang Temple—slowly entered Uta Bay…

(End of Chapter)