The ripples were like breaths.
"We are approaching the Flying Whale Sea," said one of them.
The young men and women on the three boats looked out at the sea ahead with anticipation, fear, and excitement.
The boats were pulled by flying whales, mounted by warriors from the tribe.
The leading two warriors not pulling the boats looked at each other and smiled, reminiscing about the days they had tamed their own flying whales.
"Ore, watch me, I will be the first to tame a flying whale," a young man said spiritedly to the girl named Ore.
"I just hope you don't get eaten," Ore said, shading her eyes with her hand as she gazed at the shimmering sea.
The domain of the Flying Whale Sea was vast and majestic.
They had departed when the stars were brightest, and arrived at this sea area when the sun was directly overhead.
"Oh! Oh!" a flying whale warrior roared, drawing the attention of the young men and women.
"Listen!" the flying whale warrior shouted, "To tame a flying whale, you need not only extraordinary courage and a discerning will but also a sharp pair of eyes—a person with a kind heart will meet a similarly kind soul. You must find the one that resembles your own soul; this is the secret to taming a flying whale.
"Think clearly about who you are, then seek out the corresponding flying whale!"
"Got it?"
"Understood!" the youths clenched their fists.
"Let's go!"
The warriors tugged on the reins, and the massive flying whales drew white lines on the sea, pulling the boats into the Flying Whale Sea.
The two warriors acting as guards at the front started chatting again.
"Wanna bet?"
"Loser buys the drinks. I bet Nuolin meets his first—"
"What's that?" he asked, following his friend's gaze.
Countless white lines streaked in from the distance like a white fabric being woven.
The flying whales, which required fate to "summon" them, crowded towards them densely like grains of rice in a bowl, their speed swift as spears.
The flying whale warrior's face changed.
"... Run!!!"
"Ha! Ha!" she gasped heavily, searching for her tribespeople.
The light was dim, a stark contrast to the previously clear skies.
Yet the gloom seemed different from that of a stormy day.
Guided by her instincts, she turned to look—
A gigantic humanoid creature stood in the sea, water cascading down from his body forming terrifying thin waterfalls.
His body was wrapped in a layer of golden flames, dazzlingly brilliant.
In the next moment, the titan walking on the sea and touching the clouds disappeared like a mirage.
"Ore!!" a warrior burst from the water, calling anxiously for the girl.
She snapped back to reality.
It had been over fourteen hundred years since Ore became a warrior of the Flying Whale Clan, later becoming the clan leader of the Flying Whale tribe.
◇
Li Changzhou returned to the train.
From the 21st to the 27th year of Zhenguan, over a span of six years, he had digested his battle with Sun Wukong and cultivated into an Earth Immortal with mana, creating enough space to fit his body.
Afterward, he walked among the main stars of the Divine Will Great Wall, searching for a mighty river for "Blood Refining."
His foundation was exceptionally high, using five big stars to refine his viscera such that ordinary rivers had little effect, forcing him to spend more time finding suitable water systems.
For this reason, even with the S-grade "Dragon Blood Tree Style·Qilin Blood Exhaustion," it took him four years to complete "Blood Refining," and his physical body fully entered the Earth Immortal Realm.
His Qi-Blood was vigorous like an ocean, igniting Divine Flames with a mere hint of motion.
He had initially planned to master "Three Mountains," "Three Waters," "Three Winds" and did so successfully.
Now, before his Qi-Blood depleted, he was strong enough to confront Sun Wukong!
If his mana were to increase further, even without completing "Bone Forging," there would be no match for him in the Earth Immortal Realm.
Unfortunately, whether upgrading mana or "Bone Forging," it was clear that neither would be completed in the short term.
If the Queen Mother kept her promise, with Flat Peaches, Nine Revolutions Golden Pill, and the Daoist Ancestor's Dojo, the boost in mana should be relatively quick.
The key was "Bone Forging."
With the S-grade "Dragon Blood Tree Style·Qilin Blood Exhaustion" and the water systems of various planets in the Divine Will Great Wall to choose from, it still took him years to complete "Blood Refining." Without an S-grade skill, it was estimated that "Bone Forging" would take at least a hundred years.
Li Changzhou sighed at the slow progression, but if the cultivators of the Three Realms knew, they would undoubtedly be stunned.
How long had he obtained the "Eight-Nine Mysterious Technique"?
Even disregarding the previous "Hunger Method," "Visceral Cleansing," "Qi Blood Cauldron Lifting Technique," "Blood Refining," and others, just considering the unbuilt "Bone Forging," needing only a hundred years was remarkable.
According to Guanyin, Yang Jian, disciple of the true Jade Cauldron Immortal after becoming an immortal, took thousands of years on Bone Forging alone.
And Yang Jian, whether in Visceral Refining or "Blood Refining," did not have as solid a foundation as Li Changzhou, which logically means he should have spent less time on "Bone Forging" than Li Changzhou.
The Black Card "Divine Body Enhancement" might signify some ultimate talent.
... He wondered if completing "Bone Forging" could achieve the fourth "Divine Body Enhancement," and how powerful he would become then?
Li Changzhou opened his eyes, and Li Qianxia, Yang Qinglan, and Turquoise Pool were looking at him.
The three had returned six years earlier, but in reality, only two hours had passed.
"Did you encounter any trouble?" Turquoise Pool asked.