Chen Xi glanced at Taishi Ci and then at Gan Ning. These two individuals had vastly different personalities. Gan Ning could undertake tasks that would terrify most people and enjoy them thoroughly, while Taishi Ci was much more cautious. Although Taishi Ci's martial prowess might even surpass Gan Ning's, and his courage was on par, his cautious nature and reliance on technique contrasted sharply with Gan Ning's wild approach.
Chen Xi didn't intend to change Taishi Ci's style. Every general should have their own distinct methods. If Taishi Ci were to adopt Gan Ning's reckless tactics, it wouldn't be long before something went wrong.
The three chatted for a while, discussing recent events. Chen Xi soon learned that there were no longer any water pirates in the nearby area—Gan Ning had conscripted them all into the navy. Faced with a choice between a good life with money and certain death, and after a few battles against mythical creatures under Gan Ning's command, the pirates had all been subdued. Those who remained defiant had been fed to the sharks. Although the navy still retained some of its bandit-like tendencies, the men had fully submitted to Gan Ning's leadership.
"By the way, bring some soft armor for the strategist. In naval battles, arrows fly everywhere. We might not fear them, but better safe than sorry," Gan Ning said as he eagerly recounted how he had kicked disobedient pirate leaders into the sea to feed the sharks. Recently, Gan Ning had developed a particular fondness for the sharks that followed his ships, always waiting for a meal.
Soon, a soldier brought a piece of soft armor to Gan Ning, who handed it to Chen Xi after testing its sturdiness.
"What kind of material is this? It's incredibly tough," Chen Xi said, tugging at the armor, surprised at its durability.
"Sharkskin," Taishi Ci replied with a wry smile. "Gan Ning is a madman. Last time, he took me to hunt a Kun (a giant mythical fish). When we encountered the Kun, a shark was also hunting it. For various reasons, Gan Ning and I ended up killing the shark—a shark that could fight in the air and was stronger than both of us. But it was too stupid."
"A shark with internal energy at the level of leaving the body? And you killed it?" Chen Xi's eyes widened in disbelief.
"We ate it," Gan Ning said nonchalantly, even showing his teeth. "The meat was incredibly tough. The entire navy shared a bowl of fish soup, and the meat was really chewy. Too bad we only encountered one—it tasted great."
"Yes, it was delicious," Taishi Ci agreed. "After eating it, I felt a slight increase in my strength."
"We made several sets of armor from its skin and sent ten to the lord. We originally intended to burn the fish bones, but they wouldn't burn easily, so we made a bow from them. It works pretty well," Gan Ning added.
Chen Xi shook his head in amazement. This was truly the ultimate in resourcefulness. But then again, a shark that powerful, having reached the level of internal energy through sheer strength and luck, would naturally have a body far stronger than ordinary creatures. It made sense to make use of its remains.
"Oh, I'll wear this armor," Chen Xi said, accepting the armor and testing its flexibility. The toughness of the sharkskin was indeed impressive.
"Hehe, you have some internal energy, right? Try infusing a bit into the armor," Gan Ning suggested with a sly grin. Seeing Chen Xi hesitate, Gan Ning took the initiative and infused some energy himself, then slapped the armor with his palm. "See? It's incredibly tough, almost as strong as refined steel after extensive tempering."
Chen Xi was left speechless. It seemed this sharkskin armor could rival the weapons he had been planning to distribute to the soldiers after extensive forging and tempering. But considering how rare such materials were, Chen Xi quickly abandoned any thoughts of mass-producing this armor.
"What about the Kun you killed? Could its skin be used for armor as well?" Chen Xi asked, thinking of the size of the creature. If it could be used, it would save a lot of effort.
"It can, but only if the Kun has enough cloud energy. We specifically consulted a leatherworker, and it's possible to make armor from it," Taishi Ci nodded. "But those are much harder to deal with. When Gan Ning first encountered one of those mythical creatures, half of his fleet was destroyed."
"The worst part is that its skin wasn't as good as this shark's. And because of its massive size, its destructive power far exceeded that of the shark. When a giant Kun leaped out of the sea and fell onto a ship, the ship simply disappeared," Gan Ning said with a bitter smile. After that experience, he had avoided provoking such creatures.
"The worst part was that after killing one, many large fish followed, eating the remains. The only skin we managed to salvage from the Kun with cloud energy was enough for about a hundred sets of armor. The rest was devoured," Taishi Ci added, shaking his head at the memory.
"Killing smaller ones is easier, but their skin isn't as valuable," Gan Ning sighed. "I'm done with those things. Last time, we encountered a Kun that seemed to be at the peak of the Qi Refinement level. It was massive, floating on the surface of the sea, completely motionless. When an internal-energy-infused shark attacked, the Kun swatted it hundreds of meters away with a single tail swipe."
"After that, we finished off the dazed shark," Taishi Ci said, his face twitching at the memory. That incident had truly terrified him. He now understood what it meant to overcome strength with overwhelming force. The shark had a much higher level of internal energy, but the Kun, with its enormous size and cloud energy, had simply swatted it aside.
"Gan Ning, didn't you think of killing that one?" Chen Xi asked, raising an eyebrow. Given Gan Ning's personality, he would have thought Gan Ning would relish the challenge.
"I did, but we couldn't. It was too big, and the cloud energy negated most of our internal energy. Even if we attacked with full force, we weren't sure we'd even draw blood," Gan Ning said, his expression grim.
Chen Xi wiped his brow. If something could scare Gan Ning, it had to be truly terrifying. Internal energy might be powerful, but it also had its limits, especially when facing such massive creatures.
"Forget it, no need to dwell on those frustrating things. We've only encountered a few of them. Most Kun don't have that much cloud energy. That one was an exception—no idea why it had so much. And why don't I have cloud energy?" Gan Ning grumbled, clearly annoyed by the giant Kun's overwhelming power.