Volume One: The Youth Enters the World, Chapter 117: The End

Time passed swiftly, and before long, it was time to leave Qi Island.

Li Wei led the qualified disciples to the mooring place of the spirit ship.

During the few days Fang Tian had been cultivating, the three sects—aside from those disciples already predetermined—each took turns selecting from the remaining qualified ones.

The Cloud Mist Sect chose the fewest, for they already had Fang Tian and Mu Qiaoqiao.

Li Wei himself was not particularly interested in the others.

Thus, most of the qualified disciples were divided between the other two sects, who were displeased. They had hoped to recruit Mu Qiaoqiao and Fang Tian as disciples within their own sects.

Boarding the spirit ship, Li Wei glanced around and found it strange that the spirit ships of the other two sects had already disappeared.

They had left so quickly, he thought, then ordered the boatmen to set off.

The group set off in grand procession. Though Li Wei was puzzled by how swiftly the others had departed, he did not dwell on it. Sitting in the cabin, he studied the nautical charts, carefully plotting their course.

It was important to note that traveling from here to the opposite shore of Minglin Island would take a considerable amount of time—at least two months—and much of that time would be spent compensating for the spirit ship’s power consumption.

Fortunately, the major sects possessed substantial resources; otherwise, they could not have afforded such expenses.

If they had used spirit ships from the Northern Sands Archipelago, they might have broken down halfway and ended up lost at sea.

Moreover, this sea was home to fierce sea beasts. On their journey here, they had encountered many, and it was fortunate that Li Wei was present; otherwise, the spirit ship would have been torn apart.

After a while studying the charts, Li Wei called over Gong Bin.

At the moment, Gong Bin was trying to strike up a conversation with Mu Qiaoqiao, but she persistently ignored him. Gong Bin blamed Fang Tian for this. Though the two seemed unrelated on the surface, the incident that day had made Gong Bin realize there was more to their connection—perhaps something entangled between them.

He wanted to warn Fang Tian but hesitated, recalling how Fang Tian had managed to hold his own against Pu Mu.

Gong Bin felt troubled and dared not provoke trouble lightly. In the past, he acted on impulse, but now, he was no fool. Knowing the other’s strength, he knew provoking him would be unwise without a plan.

Smirking to himself, Gong Bin turned away when Li Wei called him again and entered the cabin.

Seeing Gong Bin leave, Xie Qing hurriedly said to Fang Tian, “Brother, that guy’s gone. Why don’t you go over quickly?”

“Go where?” Fang Tian replied.

“Oh, come on, don’t be clueless. Do you want Sister Mu to be pestered by him forever?”

Fang Tian fell silent for a moment. Though he did not wish to see Mu Qiaoqiao troubled, he had no excuse to approach her, and if he were rebuffed, what then?

He shook his head helplessly. “Sigh, forget it. I wouldn’t know what to say anyway.”

Xie Qing, frustrated, urged him, “Come on, brother, don’t chicken out at such a critical moment. Be brave. Maybe he's just waiting for you.”

Fang Tian doubted it.

Unable to tolerate Xie Qing’s nagging any longer, Fang Tian stood and sat down beside Mu Qiaoqiao.

She looked puzzled but secretly pleased, thinking Fang Tian had come to find her.

“Hmph, and you say you treat me like a friend. What’s this, then?” she thought.

“Why did you come over?” Mu Qiaoqiao feigned curiosity.

Fang Tian cleared his throat. “Xie Qing was too annoying. I wanted to come over for some peace.”

“Is that all?”

“Yeah, that’s it.”

“Then why don’t you stand at the bow like usual?”

“Oh, right, I’ll go there then.”

“Never mind, just sit here.”

“Okay.”

They sat quietly, neither knowing what to say.

Fang Tian thought for a long time but found no words, so they sat together in silence.

Then Gong Bin emerged from the cabin. Seeing Fang Tian and Mu Qiaoqiao sitting together, his anger surged. His face darkened, and with a low snort, he turned back inside, jealousy twisting his features.

Li Wei noticed his sullen expression and asked, “What’s wrong, Gong Bin?”

“Nothing, Uncle Master.”

“Don’t say nothing. Your emotions are written all over your face. Let me remind you, when you’re away from home, never let your feelings show so easily. It’s not good for you.”

“Understood, Uncle Master. Really, I’m fine.”

Li Wei glanced behind Gong Bin and pondered for a moment, understanding the situation.

“Gong Bin, I know you like that girl. I could tell these past few days. But some things can’t be forced. You’d better focus on cultivation and not get distracted by such trivial matters. Otherwise, it’ll affect your progress. Do you understand?”

“I do, Uncle Master. But seeing them like that still makes me uneasy, like something has been taken away.”

“I understand. I was the same once. You have to learn to be calm. What’s meant to be yours will be; what isn’t, no matter how much you try, you can’t have.”

“Sigh, I’ll think it over.”

Gong Bin sighed and headed back into the cabin.

Since there were few people aboard, the rooms were enough for them to live in comfortably.

Fang Tian and the others sat outside because it was still daylight and the deck needed people to keep watch, observing their surroundings.

At night, they would take turns standing guard.

Below deck, Gong Bin tossed and turned, restless.

He took out a communication spirit device and hesitated. After a moment, his face hardened with resolve. Channeling his spiritual power, the device emitted a glow.

After a while, a voice came through: “Hmm? Gong Bin?”

“Yeah, it’s me.”

“Have you made up your mind?”

“Yes, let’s proceed as you suggested.”

“Good. You’re wise. We’ll contact you when the time is right.”

“Okay.”

He ended the transmission, his eyes cold. “Don’t blame me. You brought this on yourself.”

Time flew by. In the blink of an eye, they had been sailing for a month.

During this time, though fierce sea beasts attacked the spirit ship several times, Li Wei led them in overcoming the threats.

The beasts’ meat was edible and could even enhance a cultivator’s spiritual power.

Across the sea, there were even organizations dedicated to hunting sea beasts for sale.

In short, these creatures were both delicacies and potent tonic.

One night, the sky was pitch black, the sea calm yet eerily still.

A vague unease stirred among them.

Li Wei emerged from the cabin and said, “Be alert. We’re about to enter a windless zone. Underneath, the sea currents are turbulent. Stay vigilant at all times. Report any abnormalities immediately.”

“Yes!”

Standing at the ship’s edge, Fang Tian’s curiosity was piqued. He approached a sect disciple and asked, “Senior Brother, what exactly is a windless zone?”

Surprised to be addressed by Fang Tian, the disciple still answered, “A windless zone, as the name suggests, is an area of the sea with no wind at all. You know, our spirit ships don’t rely solely on power; wind helps reduce damage. This windless zone is filled with powerful undercurrents and even fiercer sea beasts than we’ve encountered before.”

“That dangerous?”

“Yes. I remember Elder Li Wei saying that when the sect first came here centuries ago, many were lost. If not for powerful cultivators guarding the ship, the entire group might have been swallowed by the sea. After that experience, our sect gradually mastered this region. All the hazards are marked on the nautical charts.”

“Just now, Elder Li Wei told us to watch the sea surface closely and report any signs of trouble. Carelessness here would be disastrous.”

“I see. Senior Brother, could you teach me more? I want to understand better to help out.”

“Of course. Come here; I’ll show you.”

The disciple began explaining seafaring knowledge to Fang Tian.

Though Fang Tian knew some already, he wanted to learn more about the windless zone. After all, if he returned unprepared, passing through here would be difficult.

Better to know more than less.

They sailed through the windless zone for several days.

Fang Tian absorbed much knowledge from others.

At the same time, he had hit a bottleneck in his cultivation and spent most days standing on deck, observing their surroundings.

He learned that crossing the windless zone would take at least half a month.

They had only been traveling a few days, with much farther to go.

To avoid delay, everyone focused intently on their tasks, seeking to avoid mistakes and accidents.

During this time, the sea remained relatively calm.

Ten days later, they were nearing the exit of the windless zone.

But then they spotted two spirit ships ahead, blocking their path.

Li Wei sensed something amiss, stepped out of the cabin, and frowned deeply.

He had planned to leave later to avoid the other two sects, choosing a different route through the windless zone.

Yet, unexpectedly, they had encountered them here.

The spirit ships moved forward.

They could not linger in the windless zone.

Attempting to change course was impossible.

Every other direction was fraught with dangerous currents, unpredictable and violent.

If they wandered blindly, they might be swallowed by sudden undercurrents before escaping.

The spirit ship exited the windless zone, drawing alongside the other two.

Li Wei approached the bow and asked, “Why are you two waiting here?”

Wu Gao and Sha Hong revealed themselves.

Wu Gao stepped forward. “We waited because you were slow to arrive, hoping you’d come back with us. What, aren’t you welcome?”

“If your intentions were sincere, I’d be glad. But I fear you have ulterior motives.”

“Look at you, as if I intend you harm,” Wu Gao laughed.

Li Wei’s gaze was calm but his mind raced.

“Enough with the pretenses. You’re guarding us—what’s your real purpose?”

Wu Gao sighed, seeming reluctant. “Honestly, I don’t want to do this. It’s just that none of the geniuses under you wanted to join my sect.”

“You old fox, so that’s your plan,” Li Wei said angrily.

“Old man, calm down. I’m not threatening you. Just hand over Fang Tian, and we’ll let you leave.”

“Dream on! You’re delusional!”

“In that case, Sha Hong and I will join forces to send you to a watery grave.”

Wu Gao looked at them expectantly, waiting for Li Wei’s decision.

What followed was a tale of Fang Tian’s rebirth after plunging into the sea, his gradual rise on the continent, reuniting with his biological parents and beloved, and finally resolving a long-standing crisis threatening the land.

In the end, he stood atop the continent, ruling over the entire universe.