novelraw Chapter 272 - 140: Training
Chapter 272 - 140: Training
Rong Ye only spent an hour in the sea before returning to the ship to change clothes. Then, in the afternoon, he went back to the dock with the people on the ship.When he returned to the inn, only Jun Wu and Gu Qingqing were there, as Nan Hua had gone to connect with Jiang Xin.
"Fifth Brother, how was the situation in the sea? Were the demon beasts easy to deal with?" Gu Qingqing poured Rong Ye a cup of Spiritual Tea and curiously asked.
"The demon beasts in the sea are bizarre. I tried it, and after taking the elixir that allows breathing underwater, I could breathe freely in the sea. However, dealing with demon beasts is somewhat difficult; the situation in the sea is complex, and the water resistance is substantial, making it hard to use moves." Rong Ye drank the tea with a frown and said.
"What should we do then? The Merfolk Clan lives on the seabed, and we will inevitably fight them underwater. We are unsure of their strength." Gu Qingqing was anxious as their goal was the Mermaid Tears, and they might have to fight the Merfolk. If their combat effectiveness decreased significantly underwater, it would be problematic.
"We haven’t confirmed if there are Merfolk here yet; we can think of a solution. With so many people in Tianhai City hunting demon beasts, there’s surely a way." Jun Wu patted Gu Qingqing’s shoulder, indicating for her not to worry and comforted her.
"Jun Wu is right. I talked to some people on the ship and found that while the initial dive into the sea is uncomfortable, you get used to it over time, and it doesn’t take long. More practice will do." Rong Ye nodded, surprisingly agreeing with Jun Wu.
"That’s good to hear." Gu Qingqing calmed down after hearing that, "Today, we heard many rumors about the Merfolk Clan. According to the rumors, the Mermaid Tears are shed when a Merfolk is happy, which adds to our difficulty."
"Rumors are just rumors and are not necessarily true. We’ll have to see the Merfolk for ourselves to find a way." Rong Ye poured himself a cup of tea and said slowly.
"I wonder how the Third Brother is doing. Judging by what we saw of the Jiang Family today, the news we heard earlier might be true. As the outstanding disciple of the Jiang Family, Jiang Zhuo hasn’t gone to sea for a long time, but he went yesterday, probably to gather information." Gu Qingqing relayed the news they heard in the streets to Rong Ye.
Rong Ye nodded after hearing this, "It’s very likely true. I heard the Jiang Family has their own fixed hunting area. If that matter is true, the Merfolk might appear there. We must find a way to see it for ourselves."
Gu Qingqing and Jun Wu realized this when they wandered in the city today and marveled at how the Jiang Family deserved its reputation as the largest family in Tianhai City.
Their thoughts aligned with Rong Ye’s, and now they needed to wait for news from Nan Hua.
"If the Third Brother can’t succeed, we may have to force our way through." Gu Qingqing looked at Jun Wu and Nan Hua, speaking firmly.
Yue Zhao’s situation was not optimistic. Even though Wen Guiyun could temporarily stabilize the poison in Yue Zhao’s body to stop it from spreading, coupled with Gu Qingqing’s Word Spirit Technique allowing Yue Zhao to hold on for a while, their time was tight. They had to quickly obtain the Mermaid Tears to cure Yue Zhao sooner.
Rong Ye and Jun Wu understood the urgency of the situation and nodded.
They had Nan Hua approach the Jiang Family to avoid trouble rather than out of fear. If Jiang Xin couldn’t take them to sea, even if they forced their way through, the Jiang Family wouldn’t dare oppose them.
Nan Hua returned only in the evening, informing Gu Qingqing that Jiang Xin agreed to take him out to sea the day after tomorrow evening and allowed him to bring friends along.
Gu Qingqing and the others were pleased with this outcome. Their next step was to train underwater, ensuring that their combat wouldn’t be affected in the sea.
Early the next morning, Gu Qingqing, Jun Wu, Nan Hua, and Rong Ye arrived at the dock. Considering that Rong Ye’s shared rental of a boat the previous day was inconvenient, they directly rented a medium-sized boat that carried only the four of them out to sea.
After traveling for about thirty minutes, they found a sea area and got into their gear, diving into the water together.
This time, Gu Qingqing took out the Glazed Shattered Jade Lamp, a gift from Ye Shenglan when she became his disciple.
The Glazed Shattered Jade Lamp was an Immortal Artifact obtained by Ye Shenglan from a Secret Realm in his youth. It looks like a decorative item and only serves as a light source, seeming quite lackluster. However, when Gu Qingqing played with it before, she noticed a faint scent from the lamp. Mu Chen identified it as a scent that helps people resist the effects of the Illusion Realm, allowing them to ignore certain hallucinogenic drugs to a degree.
Mu Chen had commented on Ye Shenglan’s generosity at the time, and Gu Qingqing was lucky.
Now underwater, the Glazed Shattered Jade Lamp was perfect. Although it was only the size of an adult’s head, when injected with enough Spiritual Power, it became much brighter than the lamp Rong Ye had bought the previous day.
When they dove deeper, they saw colorful fish, seaweed, and corals in the sea, appearing beautiful and dreamlike.
Unable to speak, Gu Qingqing tugged on Jun Wu’s sleeve, and when he turned around, she pointed with bright eyes at the coral cluster not far away. Jun Wu understood immediately, smiled at her, and patted her head.
They had only admired it for a short while before a demon beast, sensing the lamp’s light, attacked them. It was an octopus-like creature about two meters long with six tentacles and suckers, entirely black. Its tentacles could stretch, and it attacked Gu Qingqing while she wasn’t paying attention.
The creature intended to entangle Gu Qingqing with its tentacles, but she reacted quickly. Although her movements were slowed by water resistance, she still managed to dodge. Jun Wu and Nan Hua, nearby, already had their Weapons drawn, attacking the demon beast.
This demon beast was only sixth-level, so even though Gu Qingqing’s strength was somewhat reduced underwater, it was no match for them and was quickly dealt with. However, the scent of blood attracted more demon beasts towards them.
In these circumstances, Rong Ye’s talismans and Nan Hua’s Array were much more effective than Gu Qingqing’s attacks.
Rong Ye’s Heavenly Awakening Record shrank to book size and rested in his hands. Talismans flew from the Heavenly Awakening Record, flying towards the demon beasts, unaffected by the water.
Nan Hua, meanwhile, performed Sealing with his hands, creating a small Array in front of him, then threw it. It expanded into a three-meter-diameter Array, attacking all the demon beasts within, effectively serving as area-wide damage. A large number of demon beasts were quickly eliminated.
Gu Qingqing’s Mixed Immortal Silk remained nimble, but her hand was affected by the water resistance, slowing her down considerably. She needed to exert more strength to achieve the same accuracy as on land.
Jun Wu’s scimitar was similarly less effective.
The two exchanged glances; neither was willing to give up easily. They seized the moment to practice, swiftly adapting to underwater combat.
Fortunately, the Heavenly Illusion Sea was vast, so hunters rarely encountered each other. The group maintained peaceful coexistence. If the others saw how quickly they dealt with demon beasts, they’d be amazed.
After more than an hour of practice, Gu Qingqing and Jun Wu had greatly improved. While still not quite equal to their land capabilities, the difference was negligible. They could eliminate demon beasts swiftly, just like on land.
The four then continued to dive deeper, attempting to discern the seabed’s secrets.
They stayed underwater for the whole day, only returning to the boat as the elixir’s effects began to wane, requesting the boatman to take them back.
"Today went well. Qingqing and Jun Wu are now just as competent underwater as on land, so there’s no need to worry about fighting the Merfolk underwater." After bathing upon returning to the inn, the four gathered in Nan Hua’s room. Rong Ye spoke with relief.
"This training was useful, I even felt a slight improvement in my cultivation, and my combat skills have advanced too." Gu Qingqing sipped Spiritual Dew, speaking with interest.
"Me too." Jun Wu nodded, glancing at Gu Qingqing with a slight smile on his lips.
"Now we just have to see what tomorrow brings when we go to sea. Hopefully, there are indeed Merfolk there, which will speed things up." Nan Hua sipped his tea hopefully.
"We will definitely find the Mermaid Tears and rescue the Second Brother!" Gu Qingqing declared, staring resolutely in the direction of Lingxi Sacred Land.
"Yes, we will find them!" Rong Ye chimed in, unsure if he was comforting himself or Gu Qingqing.
Nan Hua glanced at the two, saying nothing, but his expression revealed everything.
...
The next day, because they were set to go to sea with Jiang Xin that evening, Gu Qingqing and the group planned to gather some supplies. However, as they wandered, a seven-colored light pillar suddenly shot skyward from the direction of the Heavenly Illusion Sea, stunning everyone in the street. Immediately after, everyone was thrilled!