Chapter 140: Rising Fame in the Ocean, Splitting Hairs

Master Lin'ya looked at the handsome young man who had asked the question, his expression calm as he replied, "Ye Canghai possessed the cultivation of the third level of the Golden Body Realm. Even with his injuries, his greatest strength lay in his physical body, yet the Sword Sovereign of the 'Huang' character killed him with a single punch. His realm most likely surpasses the Golden Body Realm."

Surpasses the Golden Body Realm!

Hearing this, none of the cultivators in the grand hall showed any surprise; instead, they felt it was only natural.

The handsome young man frowned, deep in thought.

Master Lin'ya said leisurely, "Xin'er, do not go and challenge the Sword Sovereign of the 'Huang' character. Since ancient times, those who contend for the Military Sovereign Token are all ferocious and bloodthirsty fiends. Moreover, he hails from the Longevity Pavilion. If you provoke him and die at his hands, the Heavenly Sect will simply have to swallow its anger."

Upon hearing these words, the handsome young man named Xuan Yuanxin frowned even deeper.

The others chimed in to advise him as well.

Xuan Yuanxin was the Supreme Heavenly Spiritual Treasure and the greatest hope of the Heavenly Sect, but the Sword Sovereign of the 'Huang' character was someone the Heavenly Sect could not afford to provoke.

Xuan Yuanxin snorted and said, "I am not that reckless!"

Hearing this, the crowd finally breathed a sigh of relief, and then began discussing the true identity of the Sword Sovereign of the 'Huang' character.

With such formidable capabilities, he certainly could not be a nobody.

...

Biyou Island.

Ye Canghai had remained unconscious for three full days and nights. When he finally woke up, the wounds on his body had already scabbed over, and his vital Qi and blood had recovered significantly. During this time, Fang Wang had fed him numerous precious herbs.

He opened his eyes, the blue sky greeting his vision, his mind dazed and confused.

"I'm not dead?"

Ye Canghai murmured to himself, instinctively raising his right hand and bringing it close to his eyes.

"Of course you aren't dead. If I had wanted to kill you, I wouldn't have let you onto the island."

A voice rang out, startling Ye Canghai into sitting up abruptly, his gaze locking onto Fang Wang not far away.

Ye Canghai instinctively retreated. Having stepped back two paces, he collected his wits and asked cautiously, "You're not going to kill me?"

In their previous battle, he had been defeated without the slightest ability to fight back. Proud as he always was, he now knew fear—a terror born from having brushed against death.

He had genuinely believed he was dead at the time.

How powerful was his Golden Body? Among the cultivators of the Golden Body Realm, he was undoubtedly a top-tier expert. After all, he was a body cultivator, yet the physical body he trusted most had been shattered by a single punch from Fang Wang.

That's right, what he felt was being shattered.

"Why would I kill you? I said long ago that saving you was solely for the sake of your ties with the Golden Firmament Sect," Fang Wang replied.

Ye Canghai opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but stopped.

Having calmed down, he recalled the process of their prior conflict; it was indeed he who had struck first.

Ye Canghai took a deep breath, bowed deeply with his fists clasped, and said, "It was my recklessness. Thank you, Senior, for sparing my life and showing me mercy. What does Senior require me to do?"

Fang Wang smiled and said, "Leave. The Heavenly Sect should not make things difficult for you, but you would do best to keep a low profile and temper your fiery disposition."

Hearing that Fang Wang had no demands of him whatsoever, Ye Canghai felt even more ashamed.

He understood that he had encountered a master of the Dao, and he bowed to Fang Wang once again.

Hesitating for a moment, he couldn't help but ask, "May I ask for Senior's honorific? I simply wish to keep your kindness in my heart..."

Fang Wang chuckled softly, "Fang Wang."

Ye Canghai silently etched the name into his mind. Suddenly, as if realizing something, his eyes widened abruptly, and he asked hastily, "Could you be from Great Qi?"

Fang Wang nodded. At that moment, Little Purple leaped out from the lake and chimed in, "The Heavenly Saint of Great Qi is none other than my young master!"

Ye Canghai felt as though he had been struck by a bolt of lightning. His mouth dropped open, and though he wanted to say something, tens of thousands of words were choked in his throat, impossible to utter.

Fang Wang could not help but ask, "What? Surprised?"

Ye Canghai struggled to steady his emotions and said, "I am acquainted with... with your younger brother, Fang Xun. I often heard him speak of you..."

In the end, he still chose to address Fang Wang as Senior.

In the world of immortality, the strong are revered—not to mention that he owed Fang Wang his life.

"Fang Xun? How did you come to know him?" Fang Wang asked, frowning.

Calculated by time, Fang Xun should only be thirty-four years old. No matter how extraordinary his natural talent was, it would be difficult for him to surpass the Spirit Dan Realm. How could he possibly know Ye Canghai?

Ye Canghai began to recount the process of how he and Fang Xun had met. Hearing that it was Zhou Xue who had introduced them, Fang Wang instantly set his mind at ease.

When Ye Canghai finished speaking, Fang Wang asked, "Where is Fang Xun now?"

Although his time spent with his younger siblings had been short and there was an age gap of over fifty years between them, blood ties remained blood ties, and he inevitably worried about Fang Xun's safety.

Ye Canghai replied, "I arranged for him to cultivate among a cluster of islands while I searched for a treasure capable of defying destiny on his behalf."

Fang Xun's innate talent was ordinary, and his natal spiritual treasure was only of lower-grade Mysterious Origin. Such a grade was not considered the absolute bottom tier in the cultivation world, but with Fang Wang around, it made him appear thoroughly mediocre. Consequently, he had wanted to emulate Fang Hanhuai by acquiring the Juexin Evil Eye to alter his fate. However, Zhou Xue had arranged another destiny-defying opportunity for him, sent him southward, and entrusted him to Ye Canghai.

Fang Wang did not dwell on the fact that Zhou Xue might have placed Fang Xun in danger. Fang Xun had grown up and was entitled to his own life; everyone had their pursuits, and for Zhou Xue to offer him hope was already an immense kindness.

"What rare and precious treasures are needed? Let me see if I have them," Fang Wang asked.

Ye Canghai shook his head and said, "What he needs is not natural treasures, but Five Elements Dao Stones. This time, coming to the Heavenly Sect, I came precisely for one of those Dao stones. Though I was heavily injured, I successfully obtained it."

Fang Wang fell into silence.

After several breaths, he couldn't help but ask, "For you, was it worth it?"

Ye Canghai said with utter indifference, "I owed the Demon Sovereign a debt for saving my life. Everything I am doing for now is simply to repay that debt. Besides, these five sects happen to be my enemies."

Fang Wang's perspective on Ye Canghai shifted somewhat. He spoke up, "In that case, if you truly manage to help Fang Xun defy his destiny, consider that as repaying the debt you owe me."

Unexpectedly, Ye Canghai shook his head, saying earnestly, "These are two entirely different matters. Thank you for your kind intentions, Senior, but I must decline. To live in this world is to value righteousness above all else. I will do my utmost to help Fang Xun change his fate. If you ever have need of me in the future, just say the word—even if it means braving a sea of fire on a mountain of blades, I, Ye Canghai, will not cower!"

Fang Wang stared at Ye Canghai, sensing that he spoke from the heart and truly believed what he said.

...

As night fell, Ye Canghai departed, his figure vanishing into the thick fog.

Little Purple lay draped across Fang Wang's shoulder, watching Ye Canghai's retreating back with a sigh, and remarked, "This fellow certainly has a spine."

Fang Wang did not offer further commentary. He pulled Little Purple off his shoulder, tossed it aside, and resumed his contemplation on fusing cultivation techniques.

"Young master, might I bring a few spiritually talented monsters here to cultivate?" Little Purple asked cautiously.

Fang Wang let out a soft hum of assent, too lazy to say much more.

Little Purple immediately bowed in gratitude and scurried away swiftly.

To Fang Wang, Ye Canghai was merely an interlude.

Ye Canghai had confirmed to him that he could sweep through the Golden Body Realm with ease. Next, he needed to dedicate himself entirely to merging cultivation methods, striving to create a peerless divine art that even Great Saints could not imagine.

...

Canglan Academy, within the Saint Talent Academy.

The disciples filed into the courtyard one by one to attend the lecture. Gu Li still wore her veil, walking alone without keeping pace with anyone.

"Have you all heard? Ye Canghai died at the hands of the Sword Sovereign of the 'Huang' character!"

"Tsk tsk, I heard about it too. It's simply incredible; rumor has it that Ye Canghai was beaten to death with a single punch."

"The Nine Dragons Suppressing Heaven Fist—just the name sounds extraordinary. They say it was created by the Sword Sovereign of the 'Huang' character himself."

"The Heavenly Sect could do nothing to Ye Canghai, yet he was truly unlucky, actually fleeing right into Biyou Island, where the Sword Sovereign cultivates, only to be beaten to death."

"I heard that Ye Canghai begged the Sword Sovereign bitterly for mercy, but the Sword Sovereign didn't soften his heart in the slightest. How brutal."

Listening to her fellow disciples discuss the turbulent events upon the sea, Gu Li simply committed the details to memory without offering any opinions.

When she heard that the previous Sword Sovereign of the 'Huang' character had been the Sword Saint, a wave of worry washed over her.

The Longevity Pavilion's Military Sovereign Token recognized only the token, not the person. Could it be that the Sword Saint had returned to Great Qi because his Sword Sovereign Token had been forcibly taken from him?

If that were the case, then as the disciple of the Sword Saint, wouldn't Fang Wang inevitably become enemies with this current Sword Sovereign?

Gu Li knitted her brows, her inner anxiety mounting.

She did not doubt Fang Wang's natural talent, but the performance of the Sword Sovereign of the 'Huang' character clearly far surpassed the Golden Body Realm; he must be some ancient monster who had cultivated for hundreds of years.

She decided that upon returning, she would immediately write a letter to inform Fang Wang of this, so that he would at least have a rough understanding of the Sword Sovereign's strength.

At that moment, Chu Yin walked into the courtyard, immediately drawing the surrounding disciples to crowd around him.

Having already formed his spirit, Chu Yin radiated vigor and youthful spirit, entirely shedding his former timidity and beginning to embody the aura of a true heavenly prodigy.

"Junior Brother Chu, which master have you taken under?" a female disciple asked with curiosity.

The others also looked at Chu Yin curiously. Chu Yin shook his head and replied, "I have not taken a master here. I already pledged myself to a master before entering the academy. In this lifetime, I recognize only him as my master."

This was the first time he had spoken of this matter, and as he mentioned his master, a look of worship and anticipation crossed his face.

The disciples could not help but grow even more curious, pressing him to reveal who his master was.

Chu Yin raised an eyebrow and smiled proudly, "One day, when my master's name shakes the Southern Dome Sea, I will tell you all! That person is none other than my master!"

These words led everyone to conjure the image of some reclusive, highly skilled senior who cultivated in utter seclusion away from the world's eyes.

In their view, anyone capable of taking Chu Yin as a disciple could not possibly be weak. The fact that he had no widespread reputation simply meant he was a hidden master of the mortal realm.

The world was vast; not every cultivator was competitive and driven by fame and fortune. There were quite a few who lived in seclusion and single-mindedly pursued the Dao.

Gu Li was equally curious what sort of formidable cultivator could take a genius like Chu Yin as a disciple.

...

After Ye Canghai left, Fang Wang lapsed into motionless meditation.

This single session of sitting in meditation lasted another three full years.

During these three years, he did not cultivate; instead, he completely quieted his mind to comprehend the Dao. This was because the moment he circulated his Qi, it would interfere with his contemplation of the technique's circulation pathways.

He had already discarded and replaced over a thousand fusion schemes. Gradually, he began to find his rhythm, and his state of mind grew increasingly tranquil.

Beside the Spirit Eye Lake, over a dozen monsters were cultivating alongside Little Purple—crabs, lobsters, sea turtles, avian creatures, and various others of different species, none of them particularly large in size. Lined up in a row, they looked rather comical.

Little Purple gazed at Fang Wang, its forked tongue flickering continuously.

Over these past three years, Fang Wang had not caused a single ripple of spiritual Qi fluctuation, indicating that he had not been cultivating at all, which caused Little Purple no small amount of worry.

It was afraid that Fang Wang might trap himself in a dead end.

Even the Ascending Dragon Great Saint had been unable to accomplish such a feat despite exhausting his entire life; how could Fang Wang succeed in just a few short years?

It hesitated, wondering whether it should try to persuade Fang Wang.

Just as Little Purple remained undecided, Fang Wang suddenly closed his eyes. Immediately afterward, he opened them again, and an immensely oppressive aura erupted from within his body.