Chapter Twelve: The Mysterious Blossom of the Dao, A Sudden Upheaval on the Boat!
Before Bai Xuan, the Tree of Longevity manifested.
“Participating in the whale hunt, my Dao intent has multiplied, the Fisherman’s Path is more than halfway traversed, and the Mysterious Flower has begun to bud!”
Upon the bronze Dao Tree, the branch representing the “Fisherman’s Path” swiftly grew. Once it reached a certain length, a tender, green bud slowly formed at its tip.
“So, besides the many leaves, once the path is traveled far enough, it blooms as well. It is said that the three flowers atop the tree symbolize the depth of one’s cultivation, a true manifestation of the Dao,” Bai Xuan mused, gazing at the nascent flower.
It was still unripe, not yet fully matured, as if it required further infusion of Dao intent to truly blossom.
“Regardless, victory is finally ours.”
Bai Xuan looked down at the sea below, at last breathing a sigh of relief.
This battle had been far too brutal!
At this moment—
Aboard the whaling ship.
Although the hunt was a success, the crew was busy and the mood somber, for the wounded were many, and corpses floated on the waves, rising and falling—a chilling sight.
Four whalers had perished.
Six sailors were swept away by the towering waves or killed after falling overboard.
The wounded were countless.
Captain Bai Yunxi, though he had fought with all his might and slain the giant whale, had invoked a blood-burning secret art and suffered grave injuries!
Inside the cabin, the leaks were plugged and the wounded bandaged.
Several swift boats descended, with the first mate and second mate leading a handful of elite sailors toward the carcass of the giant whale.
...
Inside the cabin.
Bai Yunxi’s hair was stark white, his vitality drained, yet his eyes burned with fervor, his hands trembling uncontrollably.
Two sailors, careful and deliberate, carried in a massive ceramic fish tank.
First mate Bai Xuanji stepped forward, pulling aside a layer of bloody membrane to reveal the contents of the tank.
“Just as I thought... just as I thought!”
Bai Yunxi’s eyes blazed with mania. Suddenly, he burst into wild laughter, almost driven mad.
“I knew it—this giant whale had grown so powerful because it had succumbed to demonization... It’s ‘the Grand Year’!”
Within the ceramic tank before him lay the whale’s brain, and within that brain, a writhing mass of pitch-black matter, sprouting tentacle-like appendages, pulsated as though alive.
“Excellent, excellent! With this ‘Grand Year’, offered to the immortal masters, not only will I regain the decade of lifespan I sacrificed, I may even go a step further. Grandmaster? Grandmaster? Ha! I am a grandmaster now!”
Bai Yunxi was beside himself with excitement, laughing like a madman. With a sweeping gesture he declared, “As for you all... there will be handsome rewards. You may go!”
Beside him, first mate Bai Xuanji remained silent, quietly withdrawing.
...
Elsewhere.
“Brother Xuan, how do you possess such formidable strength?”
Bai Xiaozhen followed behind Bai Xuan, his eyes filled with boundless admiration.
After this battle, he deeply revered Bai Xuan’s astonishing power.
He had watched Bai Xuan, like himself, start from scratch practicing the Azure Scale Technique day after day. Yet in just over two months, the difference between them was now immense!
“How much time do you spend each day practicing the Azure Scale Technique?” Bai Xuan asked calmly as he opened the door to his cabin.
“Hss...” Bai Xiaozhen drew a sharp breath.
Ever since failing the entry trial a month ago, his own training had become sporadic and half-hearted. Now that he was asked, he couldn’t even remember when he last practiced!
“So that’s how it is?” Bai Xiaozhen felt enlightenment dawn.
—When it comes to diligence, who on this ship can compare to Bai Xuan? He might even be practicing the Azure Scale Technique silently while dragging the nets!
As for himself, he barely trained at all—no wonder the gap had grown so wide. Truly, hard work pays off!
“Indeed, my strength today is the result of my own efforts,” Bai Xuan said gravely, turning to enter his room.
The door closed.
“Longevity Tree!”
The bronze Dao Tree appeared, its “Fisherman’s Path” branch now bearing offshoots: net-dragging, sea-watching, shark-fighting, and swimming—with net-dragging the most flourishing, giving rise to a new branch.
At the tip of the “Fisherman’s Path” was that tender green flower bud.
“Only by infusing Dao intent will it bloom?”
Bai Xuan tried channeling a wisp of Dao intent into it. The bud only swelled a fraction.
“Mysterious Flower Progress: ???”
“The requirement is this great?”
Bai Xuan’s eyes narrowed.
At this rate, he would need at least a hundred units of Dao intent before the flower could truly blossom! This bud was a bottomless pit.
“It seems that to complete this path, to achieve its full bloom and fruit, is not something possible just yet.”
Bai Xuan set the thought aside for now.
“Next, we return to the island. By tradition... after three months at sea, we rest for half a year. This time, the losses were grievous, but the rewards immense. We should enjoy a full six months of rest.”
“With this ample time, I can patiently work to raise all eight skills of the Fisherman’s Path to their peak. Moreover, I must find a way to obtain another body-tempering true art and open the body-tempering path, to further enhance my strength.”
“Strength!”
“Before the next voyage, I must raise my power to the point where I fear neither storm nor whale nor shark. Only by becoming truly strong is the proper way.”
“Diligence is vital, but so is the aid of the Longevity Tree.”
...
Late at night.
Captain’s cabin.
Bai Yunxi took a revitalizing tonic and drifted into a stupor.
Having overdrawn his vitality, his body and spirit were in steep decline. Without deep sleep, he would hardly last long.
Even in his dreams, he smiled.
Though the cost had been terrible, in the end, it was a bountiful return. He had profited greatly, soared to new heights, and earned the envy of all.
He did not know how much time had passed when, suddenly alert, he opened his eyes to see a figure standing silently by his bed!
“Who—?”
Bai Yunxi opened his mouth to shout, only to find that all strength and vitality had vanished from his body; he could not muster the slightest power!
In a flash, he understood.
The medicine!
The tonic contained a potent poison that dispersed his vital force!
There was a sharp crack as the figure struck with his palm. The cabin trembled with the force—enough to shatter steel!
Bai Yunxi gurgled, unable to utter a single word.
His entire chest had been caved in with a single blow, his lungs unable to expel air—how could he speak?
“Old man, you’ve captained this ship too long. While the crew respects you, the older you get, the greedier you become. Everything you seize for yourself, and the brothers who risk their lives receive only suspicion. The third brother lies gravely wounded, still unconscious, and you haven’t even spared him a glance. We can’t bear it any longer.”
“You’re no longer fit to be the master of this ship.”
The figure spoke in a low voice. “And the Kaiyang—it’s time for a new captain.”
First mate Bai Xuanji gazed impassively at Bai Yunxi’s venomous glare, then channeled his formidable strength through his palm, shattering Bai Yunxi’s heart with a single thrust.