Chapter Seventy-Eight: The Whaling Ship "Sea Swallower" Sets Sail!

Bai Xuan had his own understanding of how to display strength.

“Revealing one’s strength is certainly essential for obtaining resources,” he thought. “However, a sixteen-year-old grandmaster would be so shocking as to cause an uproar; people would surely assume I have some precious treasure, a secret, or a remarkable inheritance. Not only would outsiders be intrigued—even those within my own family would inevitably harbor their own thoughts.”

“Although Granduncle Bai’e Marquis has instructed me, I don’t really know Master Bai Yuan. Besides, with the multitude of people in the Four Great Families of Qianshan Island, plus the presence of the Star Pirates, the Sea God Cult… If they discover my identity as a Whale Hunter, they’ll surely see me as someone who must be eliminated.”

Bai Xuan considered the situation from another angle. If he himself had such a genius rival, he would either try to win him over or hunt him down. Otherwise, would he just sit and wait for disaster?

“I’ve heard that the Star Pirates’ leader, Duan Haiyuan, never revealed his real name prior to reaching the pinnacle of blood energy. He kept changing his identity, and only after achieving invincibility did he rise to power and sweep across the East Sea!” Bai Xuan understood well the saying, “The tallest tree in the forest is the first to be felled.”

The Qianshan Army was already in a precarious position, bound to draw the attention of the Star Pirates. If there were an invincible, sixteen-year-old grandmaster among their ranks, even Duan Haiyuan himself might take notice.

“It’s enough to reveal a portion of my strength, show some promise, and obtain resources. As for the rest… until I am truly invincible, it’s best to keep a low profile!” Bai Xuan remained calm and collected.

“The Peiro Fleet?” At that moment, Bai Xuanji also caught sight of the fleet. “This fleet used to be independent pirates, roaming these seas and bearing grudges against us. But now they’ve joined the Star Pirates and become even more ruthless!”

There was a note of concern in Bai Xuanji’s voice. “Bai Xuan, if you encounter this fleet, you must escape at once. Their strength is formidable—no ordinary ship can withstand them.”

“I understand,” Bai Xuan replied serenely, putting away the notice.

A short while later, in the small courtyard—

The Sea-Subduing Spear hummed and vibrated as Bai Xuan swung it. The spear’s force enveloped the entire courtyard; with a single strike, the terrifying power could shatter half a house! “Right now, my strength is around 130,000 jin. Even in my previous life, such divine power would be enough to tear a house apart barehanded.”

Not only did Bai Xuan possess such strength, but he also had the ability to condense his vital energy. In an instant, a faint blue shadow appeared on the Sea-Subduing Spear, its speed suddenly multiplying several times over.

With a swish and a thunderous boom, the very air exploded, as if the entire courtyard were about to erupt. Yet Bai Xuan’s expression remained composed. The display was impressive, but the power was still not at its full potential. “I failed; there’s still a long way to go with this technique… But after these few days of practice, I’m starting to see a path forward.”

He pondered, “It seems I need to improve not only my Ocean-Gazing technique but also my mastery of Celestial Phenomena. Only by combining both can I truly comprehend the Azure Dragon Diagram of the Four Seas and integrate the transformation of the dragon’s tail into my spear technique.”

Nearby, a group of fishermen cowered in a distant courtyard. “It’s terrifying—there’s thunder over there, and the ground is trembling, rumbling and roaring!” They heard the sounds of Bai Xuan casually practicing his spear. The din was nearly destructive, filling them with dread. They didn’t dare to go and look, fearing that merely stepping inside would see them blasted to pieces by thunder.

...

At the pier—

A massive whaling ship stood tall, its broad deck entirely forged of ironwood, radiating a faint metallic gray. Fresh tung oil glistened on the hull. At the bow was a harpoon cannon; on each side, twelve ship-mounted crossbows exuded an aura of deadly lethality.

“The name of this ship…” Bai Xuan gazed at the vessel. “Let’s call it the Sea-Swallowing.”

The previous day, the family council had finally agreed to assign him this ironwood warship, though Bai Xuanji had already arranged for it to be converted into a whaling vessel.

“From now on, I won’t be restricted by the Kaiyang’s schedule.” Bai Xuan thought silently. At last, he had his own whaling ship. Now, as captain, he could sail the East Sea, braving the waves!

“As long as I’m here, and my crew is with me, the Sea-Swallowing can set sail at any time for any corner of the East Sea.”

“Break through the waves, return with the hunt!” Bai Xuan’s eyes shone with anticipation.

For now, though, he couldn’t set sail immediately. The crew of the Kaiyang was being questioned individually about transferring to the Sea-Swallowing.

Already, more than thirty had agreed to join the new ship and follow Bai Xuan to sea.

“We’ll need Bai Xuanji to transfer a few more people to fill out the numbers. This large ship needs at least eighty crew.” Bai Xuan was well aware of the requirements.

After returning from the pier, he went to the main house again. “I can’t continue studying the Dragon Diagram at the Martial Hall, but the family’s library still holds some treasures.”

He browsed through the shelves. There were some martial arts manuals, but at his level, they were little more than casual reading.

“‘Flying Sand Palm,’ ‘Iron Shirt’… Hmm? This ‘Iron Stomach Technique’ is interesting.” Bai Xuan came across a manual and his eyes lit up.

The Iron Stomach Technique was originally a hard skill used in acrobatics, allowing performers to swallow swords and spit fire, rendering their stomachs tough and impervious to blades! For Bai Xuan, it could enhance digestion, enabling him to consume more exotic fish.

“Right now, the speed of my blood energy growth is barely limited by the quantity of large fish. Once I master Ocean-Gazing, after heading to sea, a full hold will be easy to come by.”

“But my digestive ability, even with golden organs, is still capped at three hundred jin of deep-sea squid per day.”

“If I cultivate the Iron Stomach Technique, I could probably increase my intake to at least five hundred jin.”

“The Abyssal Body-Refining Art can stack with this technique… With that, I’ll be able to eat ten times as much as an ordinary warrior, and my ability to absorb energy will rise accordingly—my strength will advance at a phenomenal rate!”

Bai Xuan copied the Iron Stomach Technique.

His brush flew across the page, his calligraphy bold and swift—just ordinary cursive script, yet dozens of pages were completed in a breath.

“Let’s see what else there is.”

He continued his exploration of the library.

By dusk—

“This one is good, too.” Bai Xuan thumbed through a thick tome titled “Records of the Seas.” “This book documents more than a dozen secret places in the ocean—places of perpetual storms, mysterious vanishing zones, underwater abysses… There’s even mention of regions deeper within the Chaotic Void Sea, beyond the East Sea.”

The East Sea was the region closest to land—the outermost layer of the Chaotic Void Sea, with relatively shallow waters and few dangers. Even ordinary fishermen could set sail there.

But according to the Records of the Seas, once one left the East Sea and ventured into the depths of the Chaotic Void Sea, there would be endless storms and terrifying monsters lurking beneath the waves. Without formidable strength, few ever returned.

“The vast depths of the sea…” Bai Xuan read with fascination.

“The book says that the scarcity of Immortal Masters in the East Sea is because most of them dwell in the depths of the Chaotic Void Sea, building mysterious floating cities and grand ships, roaming unchallenged!”

“In the East Sea, only a handful of factions possess the technology to build such floating cities, and these methods are extraordinarily rare and kept secret.”

“There are also many basic blood-energy entry-level martial arts here. They’re not much use to me now, but I can use them to instruct beginners.”

As a Blood-Refining Grandmaster, Bai Xuan read through the volumes, quickly verifying and consolidating his knowledge.

...

Three days later.

At the pier—

On the deck of the Sea-Swallowing stood seventy or eighty people. About half were robust and full of energy, with the foundation of blood-energy cultivation—elite sailors from the Kaiyang, all holding Bai Xuan in high esteem. The rest were ordinary crew, including more than a dozen youths of fifteen or sixteen, still green and looking about nervously.

One young man, just boarding the deck, saw another boy about his age walking briskly past. “Hey, is this the Sea-Swallowing?” he asked. “I’m Bai Luo, a collateral member of the Bai family. I’m here to fish—”

“Yes. Set your luggage down and go line up over there,” the other boy replied coolly.

His tone carried a subtle authority that startled Bai Luo; he had never met a peer with such a powerful presence.

When Bai Luo returned to the line after putting down his luggage, he saw the same boy step forward. Instantly, silence fell over the crowd.

“What?” Bai Luo’s eyes widened. “He’s the captain?”

He never imagined that a boy his own age would be the captain of the Sea-Swallowing!

At that moment—

“Half of you already know me well,” Bai Xuan announced from the front, his gaze sweeping the crowd. “The rest may be new to the sea, but your seniors will teach you. Soon, you too will be veterans of the Sea-Swallowing!”

“Prepare the deck. We set sail!”

“Yes, Captain!” Over eighty sailors answered in unison. The young ones, nervous, called out even louder. Their voices echoed across the pier, drawing the eyes of every nearby ship.

Bai Xuan’s gaze swept over the sky and sea, the vast ocean mirrored within his eyes.

“This time, as captain, the time for the Mystic Blossom’s remaining bloom is near. When it blooms… the Fisherman’s Path shall reveal a new power.”

Expectation shone in Bai Xuan’s eyes.

“Sea-Swallowing, set sail!”