Glancing down, Mu Chen’s entire body tensed. Below him, an incredibly ferocious Flood Dragon had surged up from the depths, stirring up a Water Tornado that was now rushing straight at him.

The Water Tornado was immense, far too wide to escape. Mu Chen’s expression hardened. With a mere thought, the Profound Jade Fan on his back swished fully open. He extended his pitch-black right arm, grasped the fan’s handle, and with a quick shuffle of his feet and a twist of his body, he began to spin rapidly in the opposite direction.

’If I can’t dodge, I’ll meet it head-on!’

WHOOSH WHOOSH WHOOSH...

Empowered by Mu Chen’s pure Primordial Power, the large, heavy Profound Jade Fan kicked up a gale. The gale instantly drew in the surrounding seawater, forming a massive vortex that charged violently toward the Water Tornado below.

BANG!

As the two forces collided, countless bubbles shot through the water, and the very space around them seemed to distort from the shockwave. Then, both the massive Water Tornado and the vortex vanished without a trace.

Mu Chen’s spinning body slowly came to a halt. With a push of his foot, he flashed away as if using Instant Teleportation, reappearing hundreds of meters away in an instant. His mystical Purple Sky Demon Pupils locked cautiously onto the Flood Dragon that had emerged from the Water Tornado.

Opposite Mu Chen, the enormous Flood Dragon was also watching him with caution. It had spotted him the moment it appeared, but its senses told it that Mu Chen’s power was pitifully weak. That was why it had tried to eliminate him immediately with the Water Tornado. But the instant its attack clashed with Mu Chen’s vortex, it realized it had been mistaken. This man was incredibly powerful!

’A Sea Dragon?’

An entry from a bestiary, complete with an illustration, flashed through Mu Chen’s mind. The creature depicted was a ninety-percent match for the Magical Beast before him. He was almost certain this was the creature from the legends.

"Oh, so it’s this one. It’s already grown Dragon Claws. Tsk, tsk. It seems this Sea Dragon’s level is exceptionally high."

The water beside him shimmered, and a white figure materialized. The Profound Old Ghost stroked his chin, his uncanny purple eyes fixed on the distant Sea Dragon as he spoke.

Mu Chen nodded. "Even suppressed by the Tower of Calamity, its Demon Beast Realm is still at the level of a Second-Ring Martial Emperor. That kind of power is a threat to me."

As his own cultivation progressed, Mu Chen had come to understand just how vast the gaps between levels were in the higher Martial Artist Realms. A Second-Ring Martial Emperor wasn’t beyond his ability to challenge through Tier Jumping, but it was certainly an opponent who warranted his full attention. Moreover, this battle would give him a clear idea of his current limits. At this thought, a fervent battle lust flared in his eyes.

Seemingly sensing Mu Chen’s will to fight, a flicker of rage appeared in the Sea Dragon’s immense, solemn eyes. It was a high-level being of the sea, and to be stared down by a mere ant of a human was an absolute, unforgivable offense!

ROOOAR!!

Its massive maw gaped open, and the Sea Dragon began to charge an Elemental Power Cannon. This sudden development stunned Mu Chen. He never imagined it would open with such a devastating attack, showing no intention of wasting time or testing the waters.

ROAR!!

An aqua-blue Elemental Light Beam erupted from the Sea Dragon’s mouth. Before Mu Chen could even begin to prepare, he was sent flying like a cannonball.

"Ugh..."

His brow furrowed, and his face went pale. A flicker of pain showed in Mu Chen’s eyes.

’So fast!’

It was indeed fast. So fast that Mu Chen had been sent flying before he could even mount a defense. What’s more, the Sea Dragon’s charging speed was terrifying. It seemed to have gathered the Primordial Power the very instant it opened its mouth!

"Huu..."

Taking a deep breath, Mu Chen quickly activated the White Dragon Cauldron in his chest. The combined Medicinal Power of various herbs was instantly released, neutralizing the damage he had sustained. But something surprised him. Even with his body fortified by the Taotie Secret Technique, he shouldn’t have been able to withstand an Elemental Power Cannon from a Royal Beast so easily. ’What’s going on?’

"Hehe, Xiao Chenzi, you let your guard down, didn’t you? This is the difference between Sea Magical Beasts and Land Magical Beasts," the Profound Old Ghost said leisurely, floating like a spirit at Mu Chen’s side.

Mu Chen shot the Profound Old Ghost an irritated look. "You did that on purpose, Master."

The Profound Old Ghost chuckled. "Of course, I did. How could you ever understand the strengths of a Sea Magical Beast if you didn’t experience it for yourself?"

Mu Chen nodded. "You’re right. Sea Magical Beasts are much faster at gathering Primordial Power than Land Magical Beasts. It’s just..."

"It’s just that the attack was too weak, right?" The Profound Old Ghost finished for him with a faint smile. "That’s where you’re mistaken. While the power may be less, the charging and firing speeds are incomparably faster. This is one of the quintessential Combat Techniques for Sea Magical Beasts."

"Quintessential Combat Techniques for Sea Magical Beasts?" Mu Chen repeated in surprise.

The Profound Old Ghost nodded. "Correct. You have to understand that fighting in the sea isn’t like fighting on land, where you have plenty of favorable terrain for taking cover. Here, nearly every battle is a head-on clash. The only things that determine life or death are speed! endurance! and your understanding of your own abilities!"

"Therefore, compared to their land-based counterparts, Sea Magical Beasts must constantly improve and strengthen themselves just to survive. When they encounter an enemy, it is a fight to the death. There is no escape, nor any opportunity to flee. There are only two paths before you: fight! Or die!"

"It’s a contest of speed! Who can attack faster, who can unleash their ultimate moves with the greatest frequency in the shortest time. It’s a contest of endurance! Who can kill their opponent first while remaining within the limits of the damage they can sustain. And it’s a contest of understanding! Who can more flexibly use their own power to transition between offense and defense. This is the brutal reality of combat in the sea."

"Just imagine: in the time it takes you to charge up and unleash one Combat Skill, your opponent has already fired off three. Would you even be able to finish casting your skill?"

The Profound Old Ghost’s words resonated deeply with Mu Chen, and he had a moment of epiphany. "So that’s the true strength of a Sea Magical Beast..."

The words had barely left his lips when another enormous, sea-blue beam shot toward him with the same lightning speed. This time, however, having learned from his first encounter, Mu Chen swiftly brought up his Profound Jade Fan and blocked the Elemental Power Cannon with a loud CLANG.

"Hmph. The same trick won’t work on me twice," Mu Chen stated coolly. With a blur of his feet, he vanished like a wisp of smoke, reappearing an instant later directly in front of the Sea Dragon.

"Flash of Thunder!"

CRACKLE! With an explosive sound, Mu Chen’s Profound Jade Fan was instantly sheathed in countless arcs of lightning. His pupils shrank, and with a flick of his wrist, he unleashed a swift slash aimed at the Sea Dragon’s neck.

’It’s a hit!’

Seeing the Sea Dragon make no move to dodge, a flicker of delight crossed Mu Chen’s face, and he brought the Fan Blade down with even greater ferocity!

From a distance, the Profound Old Ghost noted the look of contempt in the Sea Dragon’s eyes and smiled faintly. "Xiao Chenzi, Sea Magical Beasts are not as easy to deal with as you imagine..."

And just as he predicted, the Profound Old Ghost’s words had barely faded when the Sea Dragon threw back its head and roared. A powerful pulse of Water Elemental Power erupted from its body, and in the next instant, a massive Water Tornado formed, exploding outward from its position.

With a dull THUD, Mu Chen’s Profound Jade Fan struck the newly formed Water Tornado dead center. The immense Rotational Force of the vortex immediately sent him flying. Before he could even react to his surprise, a blue beam of light materialized right in front of him.

BOOM!

After the explosion, the Sea Dragon froze for a moment. It had calculated that strike with absolute precision—it should have been a direct hit on the ant-like human. Yet, to its astonishment, its opponent had evaded with an impossibly strange maneuver. This sent it into a towering rage!

ROOOAR!!

With another furious roar, the Sea Dragon propelled its massive body directly toward Mu Chen, moving with the speed of a Thunderbolt through the water.

It had indeed been a close call. The moment he was knocked back, Mu Chen had used his Purple Sky Demon Pupils to predict the Sea Dragon’s next move. Otherwise, that Elemental Power Cannon would have been enough to obliterate him. Its power was on a completely different level from the previous two shots; this was a fully charged Elemental Power Cannon, a blast worthy of an Emperor Beast!

Seeing the Sea Dragon charge toward him, the corners of Mu Chen’s mouth curved upward as a cold glint flashed in his mystical eyes.

’In that case, you’ll be the perfect test subject for my new Secret Technique!’

With a flick of his arm, the Profound Jade Fan swished open. A strange Soul Engraving materialized between his brows, and at its edge, a single, jade-green leaf began to shimmer. Primordial Power surged, and the Profound Jade Fan in Mu Chen’s hand was instantly enveloped in jade-green energy. A terrifying wave of power erupted, with Mu Chen at its epicenter.

His Red Lotus Ice Technique activated on its own, and five Ice Crystal Petals began to rotate slowly behind him. A light flashed in Mu Chen’s eyes. His lips moved, and a Brahma Sound, like a divine invocation, slowly issued from his mouth.

"Nine Waves Technique: Death Thorns..."

The instant he spoke, Mu Chen swung his Profound Jade Fan in a complex arc before leaping into the water above. He raised the Profound Jade Fan high over his head as waves of Primordial Power pulsed from its surface. Seeing Mu Chen hanging high above, an unmistakable look of fear appeared on the Sea Dragon’s face.

Before it could even mount a defense, Mu Chen brought his fan down in a vicious horizontal sweep. A crisp DING echoed through the water. A vast, jade-green space materialized beneath the Sea Dragon, and its appearance was like a gateway summoned from hell, heralding death. In the blink of an eye, thick, sharp, dark-green thorns erupted from the portal, binding the massive Sea Dragon completely!