Chapter Sixty-Five: The Fish Perishes, the Net Shatters—The Bai Family’s Courage!

"Boatswain?"
The sailor on deck, standing watch, was startled.
A gale howled, sweeping across the deck in an instant, the wind roaring fiercely!
"Nothing's wrong. Tonight, I'll treat you all to drinks—my treat."
Bai Xuan's gaze swept over them, his expression calm and serene.
"Great!"
The sailors on duty clapped and cheered, quickly forgetting the strangeness they had just witnessed in Bai Xuan's movements.
Bai Xuan returned to the cabin.
"The power of this mercury blood can enhance the circulation of my vital energy, maximizing the effect of condensed blood and qi."
Joy filled Bai Xuan's heart.
His speed and strength were surging. All his abilities along the path of physical cultivation were elevated, every weakness compensated. He felt transformed, compared to before his breakthrough—he was utterly reborn!
"If I encounter that monk Yuan Mo from the Sea God Cult again, it would only take a moment... just a single instant, and I could slaughter him like a dog!"
His stomach rumbled thunderously, hunger gnawing at him.
"So hungry! With my body's current capabilities, it’s reached a terrifying level. Each improvement demands hundreds of pounds of food to satisfy my appetite."
Bai Xuan, ravenous, soon devoured all the remaining exotic fish aboard, yet it still wasn't enough.
He could only sigh inwardly.
Ordinary people, without an abundance of demon fish flesh, would starve after just one round of cultivation.
No wonder maritime masters always command armies, sweeping the seas with their strength… Their subordinates serve as logistics—without them to supply food, would a master fish the sea himself?
"There’s no helping it. I’ll take a Taishui elixir to stave off hunger."
Bai Xuan took out a second Taishui elixir.
Within it was the immense blood energy of a whale, powerful enough to break through realms in one go, or even serve as a meal.
He swallowed it, spending half a day digesting and absorbing its power; his hunger faded, and his blood energy brimmed anew.
He could feel it—the stream of blood and qi within him grew stronger, now half again as thick as at the beginning!
In his left palm, the Azure Flood Dragon Claw appeared, more ferocious and sharp, its power increased by at least twenty percent!
The fundamental martial visualization he cultivated was intimately tied to his own physique; with every layer of blood and qi he gained, the Azure Flood Dragon Claw grew stronger alongside it.
"Excellent! Keep improving, and soon my blood and qi will flow like a river!"
Bai Xuan’s heart soared with joy.

Blood and qi like a river would envelop his entire body, forming armor no army could pierce. That was the step to masterhood!
"If I could obtain more Taishui elixirs, my strength would skyrocket. With them, I could substitute food, my blood and qi would surge, and progress would be rapid!"
But it remained a distant dream.
He was penniless; Taishui elixirs were far out of reach.
To reach the river stage, Taishui elixirs would need to be consumed like meals—even veteran masters couldn’t afford that. Better to be practical and focus on understanding the capture of exotic fish first.
...
Several hurried days passed.
"We cannot simply abandon the Azure Water Blades,"
Bai Xuanji finally gathered the Bai clan captains, speaking in a low voice.
"We brought thirty thousand taels, spent two months traveling back and forth, only to receive a few hundred Azure Water Blades—how can we explain this to the family?"
"But now, there may be upheaval within the manor. If we all stay here, we may not escape."
"Therefore, my decision for what comes next is—"
Bai Xuanji was instructing the captains.
He would not just return—he had chosen to take a risk!
As his plan was revealed, the surrounding captains' expressions changed, sensing the deep danger ahead.
Nearby, Bai Xuan was present as well; now regarded as thrice-broken in blood and qi, he was counted among the prospective captains and allowed to attend the meeting.
"The captain's plan is too aggressive—almost reckless,"
Bai Xuan frowned.
He had told Bai Xuanji about the matter of Bai Lian, leaving the decision to him, but in the end, Bai Xuanji seemed to have chosen the most perilous path.
"Well, at least I am here to protect the captain."
He remained calm.
He himself had taken risks these past days, leading a group of sailors into deep waters, catching a giant deep-sea squid, feasting upon it, and stabilizing his blood and qi, maintaining a balance.
"Taishui elixirs... If I want to buy them, it's impossible. They say Taishui is found only in the brains of giant whales. Soon I must hunt whales; if I can obtain some raw material, perhaps I can make my own pills."
While Bai Xuan pondered,
"Bai Xuan,"
Bai Xuanji suddenly turned to him, speaking gravely.
"The Kaiyang will remain, but you must leave. A talent like you cannot be lost here. Today, go to sea with the ship."
"I will handle what comes next."
Upon hearing this, Bai Xuan’s eyes narrowed slightly, but he spoke only one word.
"Alright."

...
By evening, the Bai clan fleet was gone, most had sailed out to sea, leaving only the Kaiyang behind.
Elsewhere, Bai Xuanji strode into the hall.
"The token of Hundredfold Forging—perhaps now it too has been tarnished. Do the words of the old master still matter?"
Bai Xuanji’s bearing was resolute and proud as he spoke.
His voice rang out, and the servants hurried to report. A short time later, the young master Bai Yu Lie emerged, his expression dark.
"What is the meaning of this?"
Bai Yu Lie waved away the servants, his face grim. "The Azure Water Blades will be delivered—they just need time. Why act like this?"
"Azure Water Blades..."
Bai Xuanji shook his head. "Does the manor know of your collusion with the Bai Lian Cult? Does the magistrate know?"
The words struck like thunder, a bolt out of the blue. Bai Yu Lie’s face changed dramatically, stunned and terrified!
His expression twisted, going pale in an instant.
"I won't hide it from you, young master."
Seeing Bai Yu Lie’s reaction, Bai Xuanji knew he was halfway to success. He spoke slowly, "The Bai clan fleet has departed. If I die, this matter will spread across the sea, throughout the land. You know what fate awaits the Forging Manor."
"You still have a choice."
"Give me the Azure Water Blades, let me load them onto the ship and leave, and I will act as though nothing happened. Thousand Mountain Island and Forging Manor will remain partners."
Having finished, Bai Xuanji turned to go without waiting for a reply.
Truth be told, his heart was pounding with fear, but as a whaler who braved storms, at critical moments, he possessed the courage to speak of “fish dying, net breaking!”
...
Bai Yu Lie stood trembling, sweat pouring off him, his mind blank.
At that moment,
A hand rested on his shoulder—Mr. Yin appeared beside him, speaking coldly:
"Frightened?"
"He... He's calculated everything! If this scandal breaks, I’ll be ruined, with no place to hide!"
Bai Yu Lie shook uncontrollably, repeating himself.
The news had utterly rattled him, and though he was stronger than Bai Xuanji, his resolve had collapsed—he dared not face him as an enemy!