Chapter Twenty-One: Training Underwater, the Whirling Spear Technique!

The banquet lasted for a full hour.

“That was a true feast for the palate. Next time you come to my humble courtyard, I’ll catch some blue crabs for you,” Bai Xuan said.

With everyone full and satisfied, the time had come to part ways. Bai Xuan could sense the attitude of the others toward him, so he did not linger with words. He simply exchanged a parting handshake with Bai Xiaozhen and nodded to the others before turning to leave.

He did not take these people to heart. Everyone has their own perspective, their own way of judging others. In the end, Bai Xuan’s only connection to them was through Bai Xiaozhen.

…

Back in his courtyard.

“Now that I’ve returned, it’s time to begin the next phase of my training.”

Within the quiet courtyard, Bai Xuan opened an ancient scripture in his hands, its cover inscribed with the words "Vortex Spear."

A few days prior, Old Li had mentioned he could procure a more potent medicinal formula, one that would greatly benefit his physical cultivation, though it would take some time to obtain. Since then, Old Li had not returned.

“My body is now as resilient as bronze and iron—I can withstand water pressure. It’s time to practice the Vortex Spear.”

It wasn’t that Bai Xuan hadn’t wanted to train before; it was that, upon testing, he discovered that this technique required training deep underwater. Not only did one need to be skilled in swimming, but the immense pressure of the depths had to be withstood by the body. If the body was not strong enough, one’s organs would be crushed instantly.

This was something the seller at the auction never mentioned—a subtle trick. All that was said was that the technique required underwater practice with the help of water pressure, which was not exactly a lie.

Now, with his body tempered to the brink of the third layer of the Azure Scale Technique, Bai Xuan was unafraid of the pressure even hundreds of meters underwater. Only now was he truly prepared to begin.

Within the "Vortex Spear," the method of cultivation was to harness one’s own blood and energy into a "vortex force," which, when channeled into the spear, unleashed boundless power.

Once mastered, a single flourish could shatter steel. Underwater, it was even mightier—the spear could churn the currents into whirling maelstroms, able to deflect crossbow bolts and withstand cannon fire.

“It’s time to enter the water.”

The Immortal Dao Tree manifested, and along the Fisherman’s Path, a single green leaf glimmered—“Water Affinity.”

Over this time, Bai Xuan had accumulated four points of Dao Insight on the Fisherman’s Path.

“Add points!”

In an instant, all four points of Dao Insight were infused into “Water Affinity.” Bai Xuan took a deep breath, feeling a clarity throughout his body, as if every limb and vessel could breathe, inhaling and exhaling energy, gradually sealing itself off moments later.

Water Affinity (Minor Achievement 1%)!

“At this level, I must be very close to the legendary ‘Fetal Respiration’.”

Bai Xuan stepped outside. Not far off was the bay, the sea glimmering. A row of wooden platforms stretched a dozen meters into the water, perfect for fishing.

With a splash, Bai Xuan walked to the end of the platform, drew a deep breath, his lungs expanding wildly, and, moving like a swordfish, slipped into the water.

Moments later.

“This depth should suffice.”

With the boost from Water Affinity, Bai Xuan was unafraid of the deep. He swam beyond the shallows into deeper waters, descending nearly two hundred meters before stopping. His copper skin and iron bones held firm against the water pressure, his lungs retaining a single unspent breath.

He was now far from shore; overhead, sunlight was a faint gleam, while all around was dim and silent, fine sand beneath his feet, small fish darting by, the only sound the serenity of the water.

“Let’s begin.”

Bai Xuan focused his spirit.

Over the past two months, he had pored over the Vortex Spear until he knew it by heart—even the intricate techniques of energy manipulation were firmly grasped.

Now, settling into meditation at the seafloor, his blood and energy gradually quieted. He began to sense the acupoints and meridians of his body, mapping and tracing them out with subtle clarity.

Boom!

Bai Xuan, motionless until now, finally moved. Raising his cold-iron fishing spear, he performed the movements with strict precision, executing the forms slowly and deliberately. With each thrust, his meridians tensed, energy sank to his dantian, and power surged forth.

Under this immense pressure, the muscles and bones of his waist and legs, his spine and shoulders, elbows, wrists, and palms all worked in harmony, his blood and energy balanced, his form twisting in the water like a giant shark.

In a flash, several days passed.

Bai Xuan finally sensed a hint of the vital energy. As the spear danced in his hand, faint vortices appeared, stirring the water into motion.

“No wonder the average person would stumble at the very first step of training the Vortex Spear. Without a body tempered by external arts, how difficult it would be!”

Bai Xuan sighed inwardly.

Though this force was elusive, his body—resilient as bronze and iron, blood and energy abundant, and with the explosive strength honed from battling sharks—allowed him to slowly grasp its essence.

Exhaling, Bai Xuan released a stream of bubbles. After a moment, his blood and energy stilled, but the water pressure pressed on ceaselessly from every direction.

The force of the water here would crush an ordinary person’s bones instantly. Yet, as Bai Xuan wielded his spear, the power grew stronger—gradually, the currents whirled outward, repelling the omnipresent pressure and forming a vast vortex that enveloped him.

Suddenly, the waters surged—something colossal was churning the sea, making the surrounding ten meters boil with turbulence.

His spear technique was disrupted. Bai Xuan’s gaze sharpened. He gripped the cold-iron fishing spear, holding perfectly still.

A moment later, a massive shark lunged down from the dim waters above.

This shark was over five meters long, its jagged teeth like countless blades, its gaping maw descending to swallow Bai Xuan whole. Before this fearsome predator, Bai Xuan seemed minuscule.

“Shark battle!”

But his expression did not change. He brandished his spear upward.

The strength Bai Xuan possessed now was astonishing. In an instant, his blood and energy erupted, churning the waters like a boiling cauldron. The spear flashed, the surrounding sea seeming to disappear as he thrust, piercing straight through the shark’s skull.

Blood billowed in a crimson cloud.

With a swift pull, Bai Xuan withdrew his spear. The shark thrashed in agony, rolling several times before its strength failed, and it slowly sank toward the seabed.

One strike—enough to slay the giant shark!

“Pity, the shark interrupted my training. Now that I’ve lost the feel for it, I may not recapture it next time.”

Bai Xuan felt a hint of resignation.

The internal spear art relied even more on talent than external hardening techniques. The flow of blood and energy, the subtlety of the forms—these could be mastered, or not, but unlike external arts, they could not be attained by sheer effort alone. Talent and intuition were essential.

But such encounters were inevitable when training at sea. He could hardly blame the shark for the interruption. After a moment, he caught his breath and found another spot on the seabed to continue his practice.

This time, Bai Xuan trained until dusk but could not regain that subtle force.

“I’ll try again tomorrow,” he thought calmly.

How could anything in this world be so easily achieved? If mastering internal spear arts were so simple, there wouldn’t be so many strongmen stuck on the path of external hardening. Since he had once sensed the vital energy, he would eventually do so again.