Translator: CinderTL
"Boss, are we really going to pledge our allegiance to Duke Mo De?"
Inside a row of townhouses, several figures were either sitting or standing.
A scar-faced man in a sweater was polishing a sharp blade, while a lean man in a leather jacket and a woolen hat stood by the window, cautiously peering out at the garden outside.
"They say Duke Mo De is ruthless and unpredictable."
"If we really hand over the list, what if he breaks his promise afterward?"
A worried voice spoke up. A thin man in a black suit nervously voiced his concerns, a cup of brown coffee placed on the mahogany table in front of him.
The bitter aroma wafted through the air as the man sitting across the table took a sip of his coffee.
"Besides him, do you think we have any other choice?"
The man, with slicked-back hair and appearing to be around forty, responded calmly. His black jacket added a cold, stern demeanor to his presence. The thin man, who had wanted to say more, opened his mouth but hesitated to continue.
"I understand..."
He sighed and nodded, aware that times had changed.
With the death of Duke Charles, their former enemies no longer feared them.
And that strange man, suspected to be a sixth-tier Saint, could only be matched by the Hurricane Lord.
"Have the three Mermaids been taken care of?"
Bernard, holding his coffee, asked indifferently. His subordinate quickly nodded.
"Everything was done according to your instructions."
"Good, then it's settled."
Bernard nodded and set down his coffee, feeling that everything was under control.
By leveraging Duke Mo De's connections, he was confident he could assume a new identity on Hurricane Island and continue living a respectable life.
By then, all his past sins would no longer be tied to him.
"Boss, that man is here again."
Suddenly, the lean man in the woolen hat by the window spoke gravely. Bernard's expression tightened as he stood and walked over to the window.
Pulling back the curtain slightly, he saw the gray-black road and the carriages passing by.
Under the black lamppost stood a tall, burly figure dressed in simple cloth and a jacket.
His hair was dark brown, and judging by the stubble on his face, he must have once had a full beard.
Bernard frowned slightly. This man had appeared two or three times recently, which seemed too coincidental.
And that face—he felt like he had seen it somewhere before.
"Boss, could he be one of our old enemies?"
The scar-faced subordinate asked, stopping his polishing and gripping his blade tightly, a fierce glint in his eyes.
The lean man in the woolen hat also had a cold look in his eyes, his hand brushing against the curved knife at his waist as he suggested,
"From the few encounters we've had, I think he might be a Storm Sequencer."
"Boss, should we take him down?"
The questions came one after another, all eyes turning to Bernard.
Frowning deeply, the mention of "storm" suddenly sparked a realization in Bernard.
"Storm Sequence..."
"Could it be..."
He suddenly remembered a face with a full beard—a man who was supposed to have died under the execution platform at Banli Port but was rumored to have been saved by that vicious, monstrous man.
The two faces overlapped in his mind, and combined with the man's repeated appearances nearby, Bernard instantly pieced everything together, his expression changing drastically.
"Not good!"
"Quick—"
Boom!!
The door exploded, splinters of wood flying everywhere.
The word "go" caught in his throat, Bernard stared wide-eyed, shocked and uncertain as he looked at the golden-armored figure now standing in the doorway.
A sense of crisis, stronger than ever before, gripped him, as if his heart were being squeezed.
He quickly tried to summon his Spirituality, desperate to fight back.
But.
Hum!!
An invisible force enveloped the room, causing the wooden table to shatter and the windows to rattle, revealing cracks that creaked ominously.
Scarface, the man in the woolen hat, and the man in the suit—each of the subordinates trembled and suddenly knelt on the ground, nearly breaking the wooden floorboards.
The Spirituality within their bodies felt as if it were being crushed by a mountain, their blood vessels swelling as if they were about to burst.
Bernard's eyes instantly filled with bloodshot veins, his face flushed red, and he staggered before kneeling down as well.
Thud!!
The muffled sound echoed, and the noisy tenants downstairs suddenly fell silent, hurriedly dressing themselves.
Tap, tap, tap.
The sound of steady footsteps approached, and a figure clad in golden armor walked forward, step by step, until he stood before them.
"Where is the Mermaid?"
The low, indifferent inquiry sent chills down their spines.
Bernard's eyes widened in terror, his fear spreading uncontrollably.
System prompts flashed rapidly, but unfortunately, the nourishment was too weak to provide significant growth.
Tap! The footsteps drew closer once more.
The floorboards in the room creaked and cracked, splinters and dust rising into the air.
Bernard knelt on the ground, the veins on his face bulging, his expression strained. In that instant, he understood the purpose of the man before him.
He had come for the Mermaid.
And precisely because of that, Bernard knew he shouldn't reveal her location immediately, lest he lose his bargaining chip.
"L-let me go."
"Otherwise... n-no one will know where they are."
He struggled to speak, suppressing the overwhelming fear in his heart.
Their eyes met, and beneath the golden helmet, a pair of indifferent eyes stared back.
A flicker of light passed through them, as if hesitating.
Bernard felt a surge of hope, thinking he had gambled correctly.
But then.
Boom!!! His body exploded, blood splattering and staining the clothes of the three subordinates around him.
The crimson liquid slowly dripped down their cheeks, their trembling fear manifesting as continuous prompts before his eyes.
"I despise being threatened."
The low voice spoke again, and the three subordinates shuddered in unison.
Scarface's expression twisted in struggle, and the man in the woolen hat opened his mouth to speak.
But someone was faster.
"I-I know!!"
The man in the suit hurriedly blurted out, causing the other two to pale.
Then, thud, thud, thud.
The immense pressure caused their blood vessels to burst, and the two men died on the spot, blood streaming from their orifices.
Chen Feng turned his head to look at the man in the suit, his gaze lingering on the man's horrified and fearful expression.
"Lead the way."
An hour later.
Tap, tap, tap, tap.
Hurried footsteps echoed through the manor on Hurricane Island, and faint noises could be heard from within a room.
"Uncle, what exactly are you going to give me?"
"Hehe, little Vito, have you ever seen a Mermaid?"
"Huh? A Mermaid!"
An exclamation of surprise rang out, and the red-haired boy in the room recalled the Mermaid he had seen years ago at a nobleman's house.
His eyes filled with delight, brimming with a desire to possess, and he nodded eagerly.
"Don't worry, Uncle promises you that after the banquet, I'll give you one."
The man speaking had long, dark brown hair tied into four or five braids.
In his thirties, his skin was slightly yellowish, and his face bore a savage, fierce appearance, but at this moment, he wore a gentle, smiling expression.
Knock, knock.
Just then, there was a knock at the door. His expression froze for a moment before he waved his hand, signaling the servant to take the boy named Vito away.
"Master Mo De! Something's happened!"
The person who knocked hurried in, his face filled with panic.
"What is it?"
"Bernard and the others... they're all dead!"
The man with the ponytail's expression darkened.
"What about the list?"
"It's... it's gone!"
---
Splash!
The sea churned as the fleet sailed on.
The sails of the double-masted ship billowed outside the harbor, a flag with a flame pattern fluttering in the wind.
"Please rest assured, we will take you back to Merman Bay."
Inside the cabin, three mermaids looked tense, fearful, and full of vigilance.
Their fair skin bore several bruises, and the scales on their lower bodies were somewhat damaged, clearly indicating they had endured much suffering before.
Tulin's expression was sympathetic, and he quickly continued to patiently console them.
Lei Long, seeing this, remained silent and then ascended to the deck, where he saw the young man standing at the bow.
"Master, Tulin is comforting them."
"It seems these mermaids did not fare well under Bernard's care," he said in a low voice, to which Chen Feng nodded slightly.
The salty sea breeze brushed against his face, causing his black trench coat to flutter.
Everything had gone smoothly. After killing Bernard and learning from his subordinates the location where the mermaids were hidden—a secret room near the coast—Chen Feng had successfully rescued the three mermaids. A few of Duke Mo De's men had been guarding the place, but they were sent to join Bernard, and Chen Feng managed to take the mermaids away.
Additionally, he discovered that he might have obtained something significant.
Looking down, he saw a parchment scroll inscribed with over a dozen names.
After inquiring with Lei Long, he learned that these were all prominent nobles of the Steel Kingdom.
His expression turned slightly colder, and Chen Feng averted his gaze, tucking the parchment into his pocket.
These were potential sources of nourishment for him, and they might serve other purposes in the future.
Then, facing the sea breeze, the double-masted ship prepared to leave the harbor. Chen Feng once again caught sight of the large fleet docked nearby.
The flag of the Red Staff fluttered in the wind, and he asked, "Is that the Red Dragon family?"
"Yes!"
Following his gaze toward the fleet's flag, Lei Long nodded solemnly. "That's a prominent family from the Holy Star Empire of the Southern Continent. It's said they have dragon blood in their veins, and their ancestors once commanded a powerful Flame Red Dragon."
"There are even legends that the Flame Red Dragon, with its long lifespan, still exists in the world, protecting this family."
As Lei Long recounted, Chen Feng learned that the Holy Star Empire was a far more powerful force than the Steel Kingdom, being the absolute ruler of the Southern Continent.
In comparison, the Steel Kingdom could only occupy a corner of the Bountiful Continent in the north, clearly much weaker.
"What is the relationship between the Red Dragon family and the Hurricane Lord?" Chen Feng asked, recalling the carriage procession he had seen earlier.
"Marriage."
As the large fleet of the Red Staff passed by, Lei Long withdrew his gaze and shook his head slightly. "The Hurricane Lord was once just a pioneering knight. Later, he discovered Hurricane Island and became its lord."
"At that time, the Steel Kingdom and the Tulip Kingdom were at war. He leveraged the unique position of Hurricane Island to rapidly develop, and there were even rumors that he completed some kind of ritual there, possibly becoming a Saint."
"After the war ended, both kingdoms sought to win him over, and the Holy Star Empire also extended an olive branch."
"So, his daughter married someone from the Red Dragon family?" Chen Feng asked in return.
"Yes, Miss Suoya was only eighteen at the time, and she later married Earl Edley of the Red Dragon family."
"Recently, the Hurricane Lord is about to hold a birthday celebration, so it's likely she has returned to offer her congratulations."
Lei Long shared all he knew, and Chen Feng fell into deep thought.
The fleet departed from the port, and he didn't ask any more questions. He stood quietly, feeling the rise and fall of the waves as they faced him.
The distance between Hurricane Island and Merman Bay was farther than that of Banli Port, and the journey was silent as they headed straight for the distant destination.
The sailors on the ship were not Sequencers, and neither was Tulin, who possessed no power whatsoever.
Chen Feng recalled the knowledge of Sequences that Lei Long had mentioned earlier. In this world's power system, aside from requiring promotion rituals, stepping onto a Sequence also demanded innate talent.
However, unlike the physical constitution and comprehension required in martial arts, the Sequences here required something called Spirituality.
Only by finding a Sequence that resonated with oneself could one embark on the path of Transcendence.
"Unfortunately, I don't possess Spirituality."
Chen Feng shook his head. He had already tried before, but unfortunately, he hadn't succeeded.
He wasn't too disappointed; instead, he found himself pondering more.
Transcendence required legends, and this world lacked methods like martial arts or awakening techniques that could gradually strengthen ordinary people.
Did that mean...
If he left behind a path of martial arts and vigorously promoted it, he might have the opportunity to create his own legend here? Moreover, he could also develop a powerful force loyal to himself? As the thought flashed through his mind, he glanced at the other sailors diligently steering the ship and Tulin, who was still comforting the three Mermaids in the cabin.
Chen Feng gradually made his decision.
Splash.
The fleet sailed on, enduring seven or eight days of constant turbulence.
The Dark Dream Mark quietly activated, and the Power of the Dead began to slowly dissipate.
Beneath the fluttering flag with a flame pattern, a figure sat cross-legged on the deck, eyes closed, with a focused expression.
"Can it really work?"
"Master Feng Chen said we must carefully visualize the elements of wind, earth, water, and fire to strengthen our Physical Body and walk a special Sequence."
The sailors whispered among themselves on both sides of the deck, their gazes fixed on a boy in cotton clothes who was exceptionally focused, sometimes frowning, sometimes relaxing.
Seeing him like this, Lei Long's confusion deepened. He felt he had never heard of such a thing as a special Sequence.
And this cultivation method—visualizing the elements of wind, earth, water, and fire—felt somewhat similar to the Mage Sequence.
But such Sequences usually focused on strengthening the mind and enhancing communication and resonance with the elements of the world.
As for strengthening the Physical Body, that was generally the domain of the Warrior Sequence.
Something felt off. He tilted his head to look.
The black-haired young man stood in the center of the deck, still silently watching Tulin.
He had only taught Tulin some basic principles of the Life Seed Awakening Method.
Compared to the Martial Arts True Skill, the Life Seed Awakening Method was more fundamental and simpler, making it easier to get started.
The reason he chose Tulin was simple.
He was loyal enough and pure enough.
Chen Feng hoped to use him as the best example, ensuring success in one go and laying the foundation for the subsequent spread of martial arts.
Buzz! In an instant, perhaps Tulin truly had some talent in this area.
The closed-eyed Tulin's aura subtly changed, becoming both heavy and gentle.
The other sailors didn't notice anything unusual, but Lei Long's gaze sharpened as he sensed something different.
"Did he succeed?"
Amidst his confusion, he saw Tulin open his eyes.
His face filled with excitement, he quickly looked up at the black-clad young man beside him.
"Water element?"
"Yes, Master."
"I don't know how it happened. I couldn't visualize the other elements; only the water element worked."
Tulin spoke with immense excitement. He could clearly feel a warm current emerging in his lower abdomen.
Although there wasn't much change in his body, the fulfilling sensation of this initial step was exactly as Master Feng Chen had described.
With a slight nod, Chen Feng clearly perceived through his senses a Seed of Life of the water element, planted within the other's lower dantian.
It had gone more smoothly than he had anticipated. Once this initial step was successfully taken, with sufficient nourishment, daily visualization, and refinement, the other should be able to reach the first-tier level, equivalent to the professional standard on Earth.
He then intended to offer a few more words of guidance.
Soon.
On the distant horizon of the sea, a White Mist appeared. Their destination, Merman Bay, was now within sight.
(End of the Chapter)
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