Chapter 127: with translation of chapter title

Su Chen narrowed his eyes slightly, gazing at this mysterious visitor who had come from afar. After a moment, he slowly spoke: 'Your words about the mysterious sea sound indeed full of temptation, but although our Qianyuan City now has some foundation, we cannot lightly venture into danger. The lives and safety of many cultivators in the city rest in my hands; every decision must be made with utmost care.'

The mysterious visitor gave a light smile, a hint of cunning in his eyes: 'Lord Su Chen, I naturally understand your concerns. But consider this: if we could obtain rare treasures and supreme techniques from that mysterious sea, Qianyuan City would surely soar to great heights. By then, not only protecting ourselves, even safeguarding the myriad beings of the cultivation world would pose no difficulty. This is truly a golden opportunity to ascend in a single step!'

Su Chen shook his head slightly, his expression grave: 'Though that may be so, I cannot let such great profit blind my eyes. Let me ask you: since you have visited that mysterious sea many times, you must know the details of its dangers. Besides the sea beasts and spirit-power vortices you mentioned earlier, are there any other lethal threats? Though the cultivators of Qianyuan City fear no challenge, we cannot blindly throw away our lives.'

The mysterious visitor hesitated briefly, then lowered his voice: 'To be frank, deep within that sea seems to lurk a mysterious power that can disturb cultivators' minds, driving them mad and unable to distinguish friend from foe. I have personally seen several strong cultivators lose their sanity instantly upon approaching that power, turning on each other in slaughter. However, I may have a solution: my family's heritage includes a special treasure called the Clear Heart Soul‑Pacifying Pearl, which can resist the invasion of that strange power. As long as one carries it, it should keep everyone's minds clear.'

Su Chen's eyes flashed as he scrutinized the visitor: 'Even so, the weather at sea is unpredictable, and supplies are a problem. In the vast ocean, once our provisions run out, what then shall we do?'

The visitor quickly replied: 'Rest assured, I have several secret bases along the coast stocked with ample supplies for our round‑trip resupply. Moreover, I have acquainted myself with some cultivators skilled in controlling water‑type spirit power; they can summon wind and rain at sea to aid navigation and ensure a smooth journey.'

Su Chen fell into thought, his fingers lightly tapping the table. After a long while, he raised his head: 'This matter is of great importance; I need to discuss it thoroughly with the people of the city. I will carefully consider the cooperation terms you mentioned. But before that, you must stay temporarily in the city and not move about freely, lest you leak secrets—do you understand?'

The visitor nodded eagerly: 'Understood, understood, I will follow the city lord's arrangements. I believe that as long as we join forces, we can launch an adventure that will shock the cultivation world and return with abundant spoils.'

After the mysterious visitor withdrew, Su Chen immediately summoned Lin Jianran, Hei Mao, Ling'er, and the other core members to gather. He recounted the visitor's purpose and everything he had said in detail, then said in a deep voice: 'Everyone, the journey to the mysterious sea holds both opportunity and risk; speak freely and share your opinions.'

Lin Jianran lightly plucked the strings, producing a lingering tremolo, and spoke first: 'From the perspective of sonic power, the spirit‑power fluctuations in that mysterious sea may be extremely complex; if we could penetrate it, I might gain a new insight into the fusion of sound and spirit. However, the mind‑disturbing mysterious power is truly troublesome; although we have a treasure to ward it off, safety cannot be guaranteed, so we must make thorough preparations.'

Hei Mao licked his paw, eyes flashing with sharp insight: 'In terms of intelligence, I will do my utmost to gather more information about the mysterious sea and verify the truth of this person's words. However, since he came to us of his own accord, we must also watch for any hidden motives behind him. But if we can indeed expand our intelligence network and extend our reach into the sea through this, it would greatly benefit Qianyuan City's future development.'

Ling'er sprang to her feet, heroic and vigorous, and declared: 'In terms of actual combat, this is undoubtedly an excellent training opportunity. If our disciples can temper themselves in such a perilous environment, their growth will be rapid. However, safety is paramount; we must not let young disciples rush into danger recklessly, and we need a sufficiently strong protective force.'

Su Chen listened to everyone's analysis and gradually formed an idea: 'What you all said is quite right. In that case, we will begin preparations: on one hand, we will continue deep exchanges with the mysterious visitor to gain more intelligence; on the other, we will pick elite members and devise a detailed training plan for contingencies. But remember, everything must be premised on safety—we must never let Qianyuan City fall into desperation.'

Everyone nodded in agreement, and the preparations concerning Qianyuan City's future direction quietly got underway. In the days that followed, Qianyuan City appeared calm on the surface, but undercurrents surged as various factions busied themselves in preparation for the unknown voyage to the mysterious sea.

In the coming half month or so, Qianyuan City functioned like a precision device wound tight, operating in orderly yet high‑speed fashion.

Su Chen personally brought several veteran elders and held several lengthy talks with the mysterious visitor, inquiring into everything from the terrain and geography around the sea to the approximate routes and encounters of past entrants, leaving no detail unexamined. After each discussion, Su Chen would compile the information and repeatedly discuss it with Lin Jianran, Hei Mao, Ling'er, and others, continually refining the exploration plan.

Lin Jianran threw herself into the sound‑cultivation lab, attempting to improve the 'Spirit‑Sound Guarding Grand Formation' based on the visitor's description of the mysterious sea's spirit‑power fluctuations, so it could exert greater effect at sea. After day‑and‑night of nonstop tweaking, she successfully created the 'Azure Sea Tide Sound Formation.' This formation not only uses sonic power to calm violent spirit power, but also disperses mist within a certain range to guide navigation. To ensure absolute safety, she also selected a group of exceptionally gifted disciples, training them day and night in manipulating sonic spirit power, hoping that at critical moments they would become assets to the team rather than burdens.

Hei Mao fully made use of his intelligence specialty, sending his capable subordinates to various coastal locations. On one hand, he verified the authenticity of the secret bases and water‑system cultivators mentioned by the visitor; on the other, he widely gathered scattered intel from other forces concerning the mysterious sea, treating even a fragment as a treasure and compiling it into volumes. At the same time, Hei Mao collaborated with cultivators adept in spatial arts to further optimize the information transmission system, ensuring that even if the team were far out at sea, Qianyuan City could grasp the situation in real time and provide support whenever needed.

Ling'er devoted herself entirely to selecting and training disciples. From the academy's many disciples she chose the best of the best—a group of strong‑willed individuals with solid psychological fortitude—and, based on the possible dangers of the mysterious sea, devised an extremely rigorous training program. Repeated drills simulated sea‑beast attacks, spirit‑power vortex tugs, and mental interference, teaching the disciples to respond calmly and cooperate seamlessly in actual combat. Furthermore, Ling'er invited cultivators skilled in healing and detoxification from the city to join the training team, imparting maritime first‑aid knowledge to the disciples as a precaution.

As the preparations deepened, the cultivators in the city also began to sense an unusual atmosphere. Although Su Chen had not disclosed all the details of this operation, everyone tacitly understood that Qianyuan City was about to face an unprecedented challenge. Many cultivators volunteered, hoping to join the expedition and contribute to the city's development. This spontaneous surge of enthusiasm moved and gratified Su Chen and the others, further strengthening their resolve to see the preparations through to perfection.

Finally, on a night of dark winds and high clouds, all preparations were complete. Before the gate of Qianyuan City, an expeditionary force led by Su Chen, with Lin Jianran, Hei Mao, Ling'er, and dozens of elite disciples, stood in neat ranks. They wore specially crafted armor that repelled water and resisted spirit‑power corrosion, carried ample supplies and treasures, and gazed steadfastly into the distance. The mysterious visitor stood at the front of the formation, his eyes sparkling with excitement and anticipation.

Su Chen surveyed the crowd and proclaimed loudly: 'This journey into the mysterious sea is fraught with peril, but we undertake it for the future of Qianyuan City, to protect more beings in this cultivation world. You must all unite, look out for one another, and return safely!' With that, he waved his hand, and the troop shot forward like an arrow released from a bow toward the mysterious sea.

Along the way they hid by day and moved by night, trying to avoid detection by other forces. As they neared the coastal region, the mysterious visitor led them to the secret base he had mentioned. As he said, the base was abundantly stocked with all kinds of pills and treasures. After a brief rest, they boarded a spirit‑boat operated by water‑system cultivators and set out proper toward that enigmatic sea.

Upon entering the sea, a thick aura of spirit power assailed them, mingled with a hint of danger. The surface appeared calm, but undercurrents surged, occasionally throwing up towering waves several zhang high. Under the control of the water‑system cultivators, the spirit‑boat laboriously forged ahead through the breakers.

Suddenly, a huge sea beast glowing with blue light burst from the water, opening its blood‑filled maw and lunging at the spirit‑boat. Seeing this, Su Chen drew his sword and sent a fierce blade of sword qi toward the beast, shouting at the same time, 'Form up!' Lin Jianran quickly struck the 'Azure Sea Tide Sound Formation'; her lingering melody became an invisible force attempting to quell the beast's frenzy. Hei Mao relayed the gathered information on the sea beast to everyone, so they knew both themselves and the enemy. Ling'er directed the disciples to work closely together—some cast defensive spells to block the beast's attacks, others sought its weak points, waiting for the right moment to strike.

A fierce encounter thus erupted, and this was merely the first 'greeting gift' the mysterious sea had to offer them.