Cyan Profound Sect.

Jade Dew Island.

A dozen or so mountain peaks hung suspended in the air, drifting through a sea of clouds.

Immortal Cranes and Cyan Simurghs flew in flocks between the peaks, their wings beating gracefully, making the scene resemble a celestial Grotto Heaven.

At this moment, the wind surged and clouds roiled. The Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi grew turbulent, and an unseen force pulled at all the Spiritual Qi within a thirty-mile radius.

’The push for the Crystal Stage... Miss He has begun...’

Xiao Sheng walked out of his grotto-abode.

His gaze was heavy as he stared at the Spiritual Qi vortex in the distance.

Zhaoxia had fallen.

The balance of high-level power between the Cyan Profound Sect and Weiyuan Immortal City had been upset.

As the hegemon of the sea region, the Cyan Profound Sect naturally found this situation intolerable!

Thus, they began actively preparing for war, devising ways to counter the Nine Nether Blood Sea Array.

At the same time, they dispatched disciples to the distant Outer Sea.

Finally, not long ago, they successfully acquired a crystal-grade Spiritual Object.

And after months of fierce competition and behind-the-scenes negotiations,

the final decision was made: this Spiritual Object would be used by He Muyun, the True Disciple of Tianhe.

They hoped to add a Crystal Stage Adept to the Cyan Profound Sect’s ranks and fill the void left by Zhaoxia.

And now, the time had come. He Muyun had gathered her essence, energy, and spirit for the breakthrough!

...

「A few days later.」

Vast Spiritual Qi Clouds appeared in the sky.

As time passed, the clouds continued to expand, stretching for miles.

Atop one of the floating mountain peaks,

two figures stood, emanating the aura of the Crystal Stage.

"Tianhe, judging from the crystallization phenomena, your disciple has a profound foundation. She is neither arrogant nor rash. Her chances of reaching the Crystal Stage must be around thirty to forty percent," said the old man in cyan robes, stroking his goatee with a smile.

"I can only hope so. May your auspicious words prove true, Qinghe..." replied the middle-aged man in a crane-patterned robe, though a hint of worry clouded his eyes.

For a breakthrough to the Crystal Stage, the best aid was undoubtedly the Crystal Condensing Elixir.

The effects of this elixir were comparable to the Foundation Establishment Elixir.

It increased the probability of a successful breakthrough by a full thirty percent and guaranteed the cultivator’s life, ensuring they would not die even if they failed.

However, even for a sect like the Cyan Profound Sect, it took over a hundred years of accumulation to have a chance at refining a single Crystal Condensing Elixir.

The crystal-grade Spiritual Object He Muyun was currently using was far inferior in effect.

Furthermore, it offered no guarantee of survival!

If the breakthrough failed, the worst-case scenario was death, her Dao vanishing with her!

...

「More than ten days passed.」

The Spiritual Qi Clouds had spread to cover an area dozens of miles across.

However, the worry in Tianhe’s eyes grew more and more pronounced.

He could clearly see the Spiritual Qi Clouds in the sky trembling from time to time.

The speed at which they absorbed Spiritual Qi was also erratic, sometimes fast and sometimes slow, which was a frightening sign.

’Sigh... This is bad. Muyun is inexperienced. She’s reached a point where she’s losing control.’

Tianhe sighed to himself.

But he couldn’t intervene at this stage.

The Magic Power Crystal inside He Muyun’s body had already begun to form.

If he interfered with external force, a single misstep could cause the half-formed Magic Power Crystal to explode!

In that event, the one attempting the breakthrough would be blown to pieces.

And the one who interfered might be injured as well...

’She’s on her own for this step.’

"Your prized disciple is a blessed person. Fortune will favor her..."

Qinghe sighed softly, offering words of comfort.

BUZZ!

The Spiritual Qi Clouds in the sky began to tremble even more violently.

The clouds repeatedly contracted and expanded with such violent intensity it was terrifying to watch.

’Sigh...’

’Don’t die, please don’t die... She’s my only daughter... Heavens above, please give her a chance to live, won’t you?’

Tianhe’s face was grim. He no longer held any hope for He Muyun’s success and could only pray.

He had already taken out a Healing Elixir, ready to attempt a rescue at a moment’s notice.

However, just at that moment, the violently trembling Spiritual Qi Clouds suddenly stabilized, as if by divine intervention.

"Huh...?" Tianhe was stunned.

WHOOSH!

The swirling cloud mass trembled slightly.

The surrounding Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi that had gathered began to disperse as gently as a receding tide.

From the grotto-abode in the distance, the spiritual pressure of the Crystal Stage slowly began to rise!

"She succeeded?!"

Inside the grotto-abode.

A radiant young woman, graceful and elegant in a brightly colored dress, opened her eyes.

It was He Muyun.

The spiritual pressure of a Crystal Stage cultivator was now emanating from her body.

Her condensed and solidified Magical Power overflowed in wisps, manifesting as numerous visions of water and clouds.

But even though she had reached the Crystal Stage, He Muyun’s eyes were filled with shock and uncertainty.

’What incredible power was that... that helped me break through?’

’And...’

A powerful impulse surged from the bottom of her heart.

He Muyun didn’t even bother to stabilize her realm or consolidate her Magical Power. She immediately stood up, walked out of her grotto-abode, and gazed to the south.

With a deep breath, she desperately suppressed the urge to take flight and head southward.

He Muyun muttered to herself in confusion.

’South? What does this mean...?’

...

「At the same time.」

Dongning Sea Region.

A three-masted sailing ship was gliding across the sea, carried by the wind.

This was a Demon Hunting Ship.

After the Beast Tide had scattered and the white whale had vanished,

Loose Cultivators had once again returned to the Dongning Sea Region to resume the demon hunting business!

It was very dangerous. The demonic beasts in the Dongning Sea Region were far more ferocious now than they were before the Beast Tide!

But no matter how high the risk, it couldn’t stop the Loose Cultivators’ thirst for wealth!

"Boss... come take a look! Looks like there’s a ship over there!" reported the lookout, holding a spyglass.

"There’s no one on deck, and one of the sails is broken."

The leader of this group of demon hunters, a whiskered cultivator with a leopard-like head and round eyes, quickly came up on deck.

"Turn the sails. Let’s get closer and take a look."

He was a little excited.

In these waters, one often came across derelict ships like this, left drifting after being plundered and their crews slaughtered by raiding cultivators.

And every spirit ship meant a considerable fortune!

Whether they kept it for themselves or sold it, it was an excellent find.

"Look at the size of it. It’s at least a medium-grade spirit ship. The Luo Family will probably buy it. We can take it to Donglong Island, sell it off, and make thousands of Spirit Stones!"

They boarded the derelict ship.

"You lot, search the ship. See if there are any survivors. If there are..."

The whiskered boss’s expression turned cold as he made a throat-slitting gesture.

"Understood."

"We know what to do, Boss."

The demon hunters weren’t surprised and simply nodded.

On this lawless sea, the line between a Demon Hunting Ship and a pirate ship was only a single thought.

The whiskered boss stood guard on the deck, waiting for his men to search the cabins below.

However, after waiting for a full half-hour, there was still no word from the men who had gone below deck.

’It was as if... they had been swallowed by the ship itself.’

’What’s going on?’ The boss felt a chill as countless horror stories about the sea flooded his mind.

And then, the only subordinate left by his side stared at him in terror, unable to form a complete sentence.

"Boss... b-behind you?"

"Hm?"

The deck fell silent, empty once more.

The ghost ship continued to drift with the wind.

Northward.

Ever northward.

...

...

Feeling a little better.

Feels like I’ve caught it a second time, but I don’t have a test kit to check. 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

The symptoms are milder than last time. Besides being dizzy, everything else is fine, so I should still be able to write...

Everyone, please take care of yourselves.