Chapter 535: Competing for Cabin Space

After the Flying Boat ascended into the sea of clouds, the two Immortal Sect Envoys reappeared before everyone.

The leading man was thin and lean, with cold and stern eyes; he swept his gaze over the crowd and said in a clear voice, "There are four levels on this boat. The top level is the residence of myself and Junior Sister Zhao, and it is not open to others."

"You may distribute the lower three levels among yourselves. The strong occupy the best; go to the floor you wish to go to, and whether you can stay depends on your own abilities."

"Of course, the higher the level, the more favorable the cabin environment is for your cultivation."

The crowd looked at one another, unable to react for a moment.

Zhou Tieyi whispered, "What does that mean? Do we have to fight just to take a boat?"

Cheng Feng had already understood: "The cabins are limited, and the positions differ. If you want to live in a good one, you speak with your fists."

The Immortal Sect man added, "The second level has the most abundant Spirit Qi, the most spacious cabins, and the best service; there are only five rooms."

"The third level is next, with twenty cabins."

"The fourth level is the worst, just a communal bunk. It holds at most 50 people."

"The Great Zhou Dynasty has recruited nearly a hundred people this time, so there isn't enough to go around. Those left over can only live in the hold."

"How you live depends entirely on your ability."

"Just remember two rules: you must not intentionally kill anyone on the boat, and you must not damage the cabins. Other than that, everyone must accept their fate."

After he finished speaking, he and the female cultivator surnamed Zhao turned and went to the top level.

A faint spiritual pressure remained in the air, pressing down on everyone's chests until they felt stifled, and it took a good while for them to recover.

"So we have to fight for it?" Someone grinned, their eyes showing no fear, but rather some excitement. "I like it. Straightforward is best."

People in the crowd had already begun to size each other up. Those who could make it here were no mediocre hands.

Everyone wanted to live on the second level, but there were only three rooms left, so conflict was inevitable.

Suddenly, a figure moved.

Zhou Zhong walked out from a corner, his pace unhurried, his expression indifferent, heading straight toward the second level.

No one dared to block his path along the way; some even subconsciously took half a step back.

He easily took one room, pushed the door open, and went inside, after which there was no more sound.

"Five rooms, that's one less already," someone said in a low voice.

Before the words had faded, another person walked out. It was a young man dressed in gray, with an ordinary face, but his breath was long and steady, and his Qi was visibly manifested; he was clearly also in the Qi Refining Realm.

He glanced at the crowd without a word, went up to the second level, and occupied the second room.

With only one room left on the second level, everyone's breathing tightened a little.

Cheng Feng did not rush to move.

At a time like this, it wasn't about being the first to strike, but about seeing clearly which path was the least strenuous.

He scanned the crowd and found Wang Ji standing in a corner, her expression calm, seemingly uninterested in the second level.

Bai Wugou, Lu Zhen, and others were also observing.

Zhou Tieyi clenched his fists but did not move either.

"I'm going." Cheng Feng weighed his own strength; it wasn't bad.

He said this to Zhou Tieyi and stepped out.

He walked at a steady pace toward the stairs to the second level.

Just as he took two steps, a gust of wind sounded from behind; someone couldn't help but strike. The person was about fifteen or sixteen and used a pair of short halberds, the force of which aimed straight for the back of Cheng Feng's head.

Cheng Feng did not turn his body, dodged by tilting his head, and struck out with his left elbow toward the rear.

The youth with the short halberds reacted quickly and braced with his halberds, but he was still shaken by this elbow, retreating three steps in a row, his web between thumb and forefinger numb, his face changing drastically.

"Still coming?" Cheng Feng turned his head, his tone calm.

The youth gritted his teeth and whispered, "I concede." After saying this, he retreated into the crowd and stopped fighting.

Cheng Feng stopped looking at him and continued upward. Just as he turned the corner of the stairs, another person blocked his way.

Cheng Feng did not know this person; he was a lean man with bulging veins on his hands, as if he practiced an external claw technique, and his aura was at the Peak of True Qi Realm, only half a step away from condensing Qi.

"I want to live in this room too," the man cupped his hands. "Offense taken."

Cheng Feng didn't waste words and struck directly. He only used seventy percent of his strength in this move, but the wind of his fist already made the man's face turn pale.

The opponent attacked with both claws, trying to lock his wrist, but was shattered by the force of Cheng Feng's fist; he stumbled to the side, his shoulder hitting the cabin wall with a dull thud.

"I concede." Cheng Feng withdrew his fist, walked past him, and pushed open the door to the third room on the second level.

"A True Qi Peak was also beaten down by Cheng Feng???"

"Geniuses are indeed as numerous as crucian carp..."

The struggle for the remaining three rooms was even more intense.

Several groups struck almost simultaneously, and in the end, Bai Wugou, Lu Zhen, and others each seized a room based on their own abilities.

Zhou Tieyi also managed to get one.

To Cheng Feng's surprise, Wang Ji did not fight or scramble at all; she simply went to the third level, and when Xu Meng was fighting with another person, she lightly slapped out a palm, separated the two, walked into one of the empty rooms, and turned to close the door. Her movements were smooth and flowing, like she was taking a stroll.

The twenty rooms on the third level were also quickly divided up by the second echelon of Martial Artists.

The remaining people could only go to the communal bunks on the fourth level. Although their expressions were ugly, no one said anything more.

Cheng Feng entered the second-level cabin, closed the door, and only then slowly exhaled a breath of turbid air.

This cabin was indeed as the envoy had said: spacious and bright, and the things that helped True Qi circulate were very dense in the air.

The floor was covered with a fine, soft carpet, three pieces of Clear Heart Jade were embedded in the walls, and there was a pot of unknown green plant by the window, with dewlight faintly flowing on its leaves.

"Is this Spirit Qi? It helps with cultivation?"

Feeling the True Qi in his body circulating faster with his breathing, Cheng Feng felt that grabbing this room was worth it.

He sat cross-legged and closed his eyes to regulate his breath.

Outside the window, the sea of clouds surged, and the Flying Boat broke through the air in silence.

After a while, the door was lightly knocked upon.

"Who?" Cheng Feng did not open his eyes.

"It's me." Zhou Tieyi's voice came from outside the door, "Coming to see if you're dead yet."

Cheng Feng let out a laugh: "Come in."

Zhou Tieyi pushed the door open and entered, clicking his tongue twice: "You really know how to pick up a bargain. That last room was fought over quite fiercely. By the way, those two moves of yours just now didn't look like someone who had been injured for three months."

Cheng Feng opened his eyes and said indifferently: "Once the injury is healed, naturally I am stronger than before."

Zhou Tieyi nodded and lowered his voice: "That Zhou Zhong is one thing. Did you notice? Tonight, at least four people didn't use their real strength. Wang Ji is one, you are one, and there is also that female cultivator from the North, the one called Mu Qing. She didn't even lift a hand the whole time, and in the end, she went to the fourth-floor dormitory."

Cheng Feng narrowed his eyes: "She did it on purpose."

"Definitely on purpose," Zhou Tieyi said. "My father once said, once you truly reach the Immortal Sect, don't be the bird that sticks its head out. But don't hide your skills too much either, otherwise, it's easy to be treated as a soft persimmon. This Mu Qing, I think she knows how to pretend better than anyone."

Upon hearing this, Cheng Feng smiled: "People who know how to pretend are often the most dangerous. You should also keep your guard up."

Zhou Tieyi nodded: "I know. I'm heading back first; you get some rest early. Who knows if we'll even arrive tomorrow."

After he left, Cheng Feng closed his eyes again, but in his mind, he carefully went over the performance of everyone tonight.

Zhou Zhong's indifference, the gray-clothed youth's composure, Wang Ji's calmness, Mu Qing's forbearance,

and those who didn't make a move but had restless eyes. This Flying Boat had already become the first sieve before entering the Immortal Sect.

He let out a soft breath and muttered to himself: "This Immortal Sect is truly not a kind place."