In the Quiet Chamber.

Lü Zhong slowly opened his eyes.

A look of delight was on his face.

’It wasn’t easy, but I’ve finally mastered the Shocking God Needle!’

He had suffered a great deal to master this skill.

Using the Ice Soul Cold Qi, or rather, Spiritual Qi, as a shortcut to cultivate the Shocking God Needle was just asking for trouble. The cultivation process was what you might call... intense.

It was no different from having ten thousand ants gnawing at his body.

Fortunately, he had persevered.

Amidst the sound of him forming hand seals and chanting,

a small, gray needle gradually condensed in his hand.

It was illusory and ethereal, not seeming like a physical object.

This was the Shocking God Needle. Formed entirely from Divine Sense, it could ignore ordinary protective barriers and shields to directly harm a cultivator’s Divine Soul. One could only defend against it with Divine Sense protective equipment or a special Secret Skill.

And such equipment or Secret Skills were even rarer than Spiritual Artifacts.

As far as Lü Zhong knew, only the True Inheritance disciples of Sects or the direct descendants of Golden Core Clans would possess such things.

They possessed both Divine Sense Secret Techniques and the means to protect themselves.

It was precisely this comprehensive offense and defense in Divine Sense Secret Techniques that allowed these True Inheritance disciples and descendants of Golden Core Clans to leverage their monopoly on knowledge, creating a massive gap in combat power between them and ordinary cultivators.

Currently, Lü Zhong had offense, but no defense.

With a wave of his hand, he dispelled the Shocking God Needle.

Using the Shocking God Needle was not without its costs.

For instance, Lü Zhong was now feeling a familiar wave of dizziness.

It was a side effect of over-expending his Divine Sense.

By Lü Zhong’s estimation, he could use the Shocking God Needle three times at most before his Divine Sense would be completely depleted, leaving him with a splitting headache and unable to move.

Therefore, the Shocking God Needle had to be saved for critical moments.

...

Time flowed like a river, day after day.

The Sea Tide Stage had long since ended.

It was a new year, the fifty-third year since Lü Zhong had come to this world.

At the end of the year, he had gone to stay at the thatched cottage for a day.

There was no particular sadness. Cultivators witnessed life and death so often that their emotions were always more detached than those of mortals. In his eyes, the events of the past inevitably seemed like smoke and clouds.

There was no need to be sentimental; it was enough to simply remember.

On the first day of the new year, Yu Feng’Er came to visit.

Today, she wore a crimson dress with a white scarf draped over her shoulders. Paired with her meticulously combed hair bun and exquisite hair ornaments, she appeared more dignified and charming than usual.

"My love, these are the spiritual materials you wanted."

Yu Feng’Er said, handing a Storage Bag to Lü Zhong.

It was filled with Spirit Medicines, all of which were needed to refine the Grass Spirit Creation Liquid.

As for the Grass Spirit Pill, Lü Zhong had already mastered its creation during this time by burning through Spirit Stones. His current Pill Formation Rate had reached the break-even point, so supplying the needs for refining the Grass Spirit Creation Liquid was not a problem.

Lü Zhong took it and checked to confirm there were no issues.

"Yes. I’ll be heading out to sea for a while, so I’ll have to trouble you with things here."

"...I want to go with you." Yu Feng’Er hesitated, but after a moment’s pause, she grabbed Lü Zhong’s arm and whispered her true thoughts.

She wanted to always be with Lü Zhong.

Stroking Yu Feng’Er’s head, Lü Zhong pulled her into his embrace and chuckled. "If our love is destined to last, does it matter if we’re not together every day? Don’t worry, I’ll be back before the next Sea Tide Stage arrives."

It was as if this were a true parting of ways.

They were both at the Foundation Establishment stage, with at least two hundred years to spend together. A mere half-year was but the blink of an eye. Why was there so much sorrow?

After comforting her for a good while, Lü Zhong finally walked out of Lintao Pavilion and boarded the prepared Beast Vehicle.

Only after arriving at the harbor did he release the Wood Spirit Wind-controlling Ship.

It immediately accelerated, turning into a streak of azure light as it vanished into the distance.

...

After the Sea Tide Stage passed, the Sea Beasts had quieted down significantly.

The journey was peaceful and uneventful.

Upon returning to Ganquan Island, he noticed many more signs of Sea Beast activity.

To ensure safety during his Alchemy process, Lü Zhong decided to patrol the entire island.

Thanks to the heavy rainfall brought by the Sea Tide Stage, the island’s vegetation was noticeably lusher.

Many plants were already budding or in full bloom. If all went well, their fruits would ripen by the time the next Sea Tide Stage arrived, providing food for the Sea Beasts that came ashore. Through the beasts’ digestion and excretion, the seeds would be carried to other places.

This was the unique ecology of the plants in the East Sea.

They relied on this special method of seeding to spread their existence throughout the islands of the East Sea.

Along the way, Lü Zhong found many shed skins and carapaces. Some of the valuable ones could be sold, estimated to be worth three to five hundred Spirit Stones.

With the mindset that every little bit counts, he collected them all.

Arriving at a cape, he found a beached sea vessel.

To be safe, Lü Zhong observed it from a distance and did not approach.

The ship was a thousand feet long, built in the common style of a treasure ship.

According to the talk at the port, this was a massive, five-thousand-load treasure ship.

The hull of a treasure ship was made from hundred-year-old ironwood. Ironwood was a poor conductor of Spiritual Qi, but its hardness was comparable to that of a Lower-grade Defensive Magical Artifact, and it was extremely resistant to seawater corrosion, which was why it was often used for hulls.

He could tell this ship was specifically designed for the East Sea Route.

From its frequent encounters with Sea Beasts, the hull was covered in patches of all sizes. Even the iron armor plates on its exterior bore numerous scratches and signs of corrosion.

But what Lü Zhong found strange was that every part of this ship was completely intact.

From the masts and rudder to the sails inscribed with the Wind Array, nothing was damaged.

As far as he knew, a great ship like this would be guarded by a Golden Core Master—typically a Martial Combat Cultivator who had refined a Lifebound Treasure and possessed unparalleled combat strength.

In terms of power, they were far superior to ordinary Golden Core cultivators.

Even if they encountered an enemy they couldn’t defeat, such cultivators usually had multiple escape methods and would not fall easily.

But now, everything was silent.