Inside the Ruins Trial Space!
Countless streams of spiritual energy were drawn in from all directions, pulled by the spiritual energy vortex and funneling toward its center.
At last!
After being compressed by the vortex, all that energy condensed into a single drop of milky-white spiritual liquid.
Drip!
It fell straight down, landing perfectly on the top of Zhao Xuan's head.
In that instant!
A warm current surged through his entire body.
The effects of this ruin baptism were fairly average.
It lasted a little over a minute.
Once it ended, Zhao Xuan promptly opened his status panel to take a look.
Heavenly Dao Rewards Diligence System
Name: Zhao Xuan
Age: 18
Mental Strength: 364.23 / 456.13
Physique: 1986.58 / 2483.45
Abilities:
Shave (Grandmaster: 12163 / 16000)
Iron Body (Supreme Grandmaster: 5604 / 32000)
Paper Arts (Grandmaster: 12700 / 16000)
Moon Step (Grandmaster: 12030 / 16000)
Tempest Kick (Grandmaster: 13663 / 16000)
Finger Gun (Grandmaster: 12135 / 16000)
Swordsmanship (Grandmaster: 1935 / 16000)
Observation Haki (Master: 25323 / 80000)
Armament Haki (Master: 20831 / 80000)
Conqueror's Haki (Master: 15500 / 80000)
Azure Dragon Fruit (Master: 17956 / 80000)
"Huff…"
After glancing over his stats, the corners of Zhao Xuan's lips curved upward slightly.
"Not bad. My mental strength and physique both increased by around twenty points."
"On average, each ruin baptism gives me about thirty to forty points of mental strength or physique."
"With the Big Golden Rat's hound-like nose, and with how many ruins there are in the Endless Sea, I should be able to easily find plenty of ruins no one has discovered yet!"
"Even if each one only gives me thirty points, ten ruins would be three hundred points, a hundred ruins would be three thousand points… damn."
"The Endless Sea really is a treasure trove!"
Zhao Xuan couldn't help but sigh inwardly.
Next!
With a thought, he left the trial space and entered the interior of the ruin.
After spending more than ten minutes investigating the place, his interest quickly waned.
The reason was simple.
This ruin produced only the most ordinary sixth-tier spiritual herbs, not any special varieties.
Their value wasn't particularly high.
Of course!
That was only "not high" by Zhao Xuan's standards—a man sitting on resources worth tens of billions.
To most people, a ruin that produced sixth-tier spiritual herbs was still extremely valuable.
"Good thing I didn't rashly bind this ruin's core. I can sell it later when I get the chance. Two or three hundred million shouldn't be a problem, right?"
A single ordinary sixth-tier spiritual herb was worth several million.
Roughly three to four million each.
In theory.
If developed properly, this ruin could easily generate one to two hundred million per month.
But!
The problem was—
Developing a ruin required enormous manpower and resources.
And.
You also had to consider transporting the spiritual herbs extracted from the ruin.
While the monthly profits were high—
The monthly operating costs were just as high.
That was why—
It could only be sold for two or three hundred million.
Leaving the ruin space, Zhao Xuan grabbed the ruin core.
With a thought, he closed the entrance to the ruin.
Then!
He casually tossed the ruin core into the Desert Spatial Ruins.
"Let's go, Pikachu!"
Zhao Xuan called out to the Big Golden Rat, which was lying on its back on the beach, blissfully inhaling its flower.
"Chirp chirp chirp!"
The Big Golden Rat chirped angrily at him.
You're Pikachu!
Your whole family is Pikachu!
Even though it didn't actually know what "Pikachu" meant—
There was one thing it knew very clearly.
Zhao Xuan hadn't paid a single cactus flower as naming fees.
Therefore, it absolutely refused to acknowledge that name.
Zhao Xuan rolled his eyes and muttered, "Isn't Pikachu a nice name?"
"Chirp chirp chirp!"
The Big Golden Rat's face twisted with even more resentment.
Nice my ass!
If it's so nice, why don't you call yourself Pikachu?
If you want me to accept that name, it's simple.
Pay up.
Just one flower.
Call me Pikachu, call me Pika Rat—anything works!
"You wish."
Zhao Xuan shot it an annoyed glance and strode toward the beach where his boat was docked.
The moment he returned to the boat—
"Chirp!"
The Big Golden Rat suddenly sniffed toward the distance and chirped.
"Hm? You mean the people whose scent was left on that island are coming this way?"
Zhao Xuan narrowed his eyes.
"Chirp!"
The Big Golden Rat nodded.
"Interesting. Looks like they were drawn here by the commotion caused by the ruin baptism."
Zhao Xuan glanced up at the massive spiritual energy vortex in the sky, which was slowly dissipating, and muttered to himself.
"Chirp chirp…"
The Big Golden Rat chirped again.
"You're saying only a small group is coming?" Zhao Xuan asked.
"Chirp!"
Another nod.
"Only a portion, huh…"
Zhao Xuan squinted slightly.
He wasn't surprised at all.
Based on what he knew—
The Black Shark Pirates were currently fighting the White Emperor Pirates over a ruin.
Unless they had already secured that ruin, or had completely failed—
There was no way they would send everyone here.
That was only natural.
After all, the ruin they were fighting over produced spiritual medicine that enhanced Armament Haki growth.
Even though it was only sixth-tier—
The value of special spiritual medicine far exceeded that of ordinary sixth-tier herbs.
A single one could sell for at least ten million.
…
"Oh, right."
Zhao Xuan suddenly asked, "Can your nose tell how many strong fighters are among the people coming?"
The Big Golden Rat shook its head.
"Tsk, that's too bad."
A trace of regret appeared on Zhao Xuan's face.
If this rat could identify someone's strength from dozens of kilometers away—
Then Zhao Xuan would have nothing to fear in the Endless Sea.
From far away, he could detect people and gauge their strength.
Then—
He could decide how to respond.
If he could win, he'd go straight in and fight, grinding proficiency and real combat experience.
If he couldn't, he'd run.
Wouldn't that be perfect?
"What a shame…"
Zhao Xuan sighed.
"Chirp chirp chirp!"
Just as he was lamenting, the Big Golden Rat suddenly chirped again.
"What!?"
Zhao Xuan snapped his gaze toward it. "Is that true?"
"Chirp chirp chirp!"
The Big Golden Rat nodded vigorously.
Absolutely.
This rat never lies.
What I say goes.
As it nodded, it puffed out its chest proudly.
"Hiss…"
Zhao Xuan sucked in a sharp breath.
His curiosity about the Big Golden Rat's origins deepened even further.
What the rat meant was this—
If it slept for a few more days and successfully advanced, it would be able to judge others' approximate strength based on lingering scent alone.
…
Zhao Xuan didn't foolishly wait on the island for the Black Shark Pirates' detachment to arrive.
Instead, he raised the sails again and headed toward them proactively.
After all.
From what he knew—
The Black Shark Pirates only had two seventh-tier ability users in total.
Since only a small group was coming, at most one seventh-tier would be present—possibly none.
And with Zhao Xuan's current strength—
He could already fight head-on against a weaker seventh-tier.
If he ambushed them, he could even kill a mid-level seventh-tier.
Even if a strong seventh-tier showed up, killing Zhao Xuan wouldn't be easy.
So—
There was really nothing to fear.
The ship sped across the sea.
Suddenly!
"Chirp chirp chirp!"
The Big Golden Rat at the bow chirped.
"What? You smell someone else?"
Zhao Xuan immediately stopped punching the sail, stuffed several fifth- and sixth-tier spiritual herbs into his mouth, and asked.
"Chirp chirp chirp!"
The Big Golden Rat nodded rapidly, chirping nonstop.
"You're saying there's another group of unfamiliar scents behind the Black Shark Pirates?"
Instantly!
Three words surfaced in Zhao Xuan's mind—
White Emperor Pirates.
"If nothing unexpected happened, it must be them. Since the Black Shark Pirates noticed the spiritual energy vortex from my ruin baptism, the White Emperor Pirates would have noticed it too."
At that thought, a bright smile spread across Zhao Xuan's face.
"I was just thinking of looking for you, and you come knocking on my door!"
As he spoke—
Zhao Xuan casually took out a cactus flower from the ruin space and tossed it to the Big Golden Rat.
The rat clearly hadn't expected this sudden reward.
It instinctively caught the flower and froze.
Then it chirped in disbelief.
"Chirp? (For me?)"
"Obviously. Who else would it be for? A ghost?" Zhao Xuan laughed. "You've been working hard finding targets for me. Consider this a reward."
"Chirp!"
The Big Golden Rat's face instantly lit up with excitement.
That smile—
Was dazzling.
"Don't get too excited. I have another task for you," Zhao Xuan said.
"Chirp chirp! (Go on!)"
The Big Golden Rat snapped back to attention and chirped proudly.
"Chirp chirp chirp! (Human, this rat knows how to repay kindness. Since you're so sensible, I won't charge you for this task!)"
"That's what you say?" Zhao Xuan looked at it in surprise.
"Chirp chirp! (I said it!)" the Big Golden Rat declared, chest puffed out.
"You're sure?"
Given how obsessed this rat was with flowers—
Would it really work for free?
"Chirp chirp chirp!"
Clearly angered by Zhao Xuan's doubt, it chirped furiously.
"Chirp chirp chirp! (I keep my word! If I say no charge, then no charge! Even if you give me flowers, I won't take them this time!)"
"That's what you said."
Zhao Xuan chuckled and continued, "You said there are other scents behind them. Memorize those scents and help me find where they lingered. Can you do that?"
"Chirp chirp! (Leave it to me!)"
The Big Golden Rat nodded without hesitation.
Then—
It began sniffing the air intensely.
After a few sniffs, it chirped again.
"Chirp chirp!"
"Several locations?" Zhao Xuan frowned. "Eliminate the ones with faint scents, and also eliminate the closest one. How many remain?"
"Chirp! (One!)"
"Then that's probably where I need to go," Zhao Xuan said.
"Chirp!"
The Big Golden Rat pointed forward.
"Can you help me avoid the group that's approaching?" Zhao Xuan asked.
His main goal was to raid the White Emperor Pirates' lair while their main force was distracted.
He didn't want unnecessary complications.
"Chirp chirp."
The Big Golden Rat chirped twice and slightly adjusted its claw.
"Perfect."
Zhao Xuan smiled and began punching the sail again.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
The previously slow-moving sailboat suddenly accelerated—
Like it had swallowed some miracle fertilizer.
Its speed skyrocketed.
In the blink of an eye, it vanished into the distance.
Under the Big Golden Rat's guidance, Zhao Xuan steered the ship in a wide arc, bypassing both pirate groups and heading straight for the White Emperor Pirates' lair.
However!
From afar—
He suddenly heard violent collision sounds and battle cries coming from the direction of the two pirate ships.
"Hm? They're fighting?"
Zhao Xuan's eyes lit up.
The battle-hungry gene in his blood roared awake.
"From the looks of it, at least two seventh-tier ability users are fighting! Should I go take a look? Fighting itself isn't the main thing—but if I can profit from their clash and kill one or two seventh-tiers, weakening both sides, that wouldn't be bad at all."
The temptation was too strong.
After thinking for a few seconds—
Zhao Xuan decisively changed course and sped toward the battlefield.
"Chirp?"
The Big Golden Rat looked confused.
"Sailing nonstop is tiring. Let's go watch some excitement," Zhao Xuan said with a grin.
"Chirp chirp…"
The Big Golden Rat looked utterly speechless.
Watch excitement?
What's so exciting about that?
Humans are really into pointless nonsense.
Aren't you just wasting my time?
Whatever. I'm done dealing with you.
"Chirp chirp."
It chirped twice more.
Zhao Xuan waved his hand and opened the Desert Spatial Ruins.
In the next instant—
Whoosh!
A flash of golden light.
The Big Golden Rat vanished from the endless sea.
"I think I picked up a shut-in rat—sleeps all day or inhales flowers," Zhao Xuan muttered.
Then he resumed punching the sail.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
The sailboat surged forward.
Before long, he saw two pirate ships locked in battle on the sea.
Thunderous booms echoed repeatedly.
The two pirate crews were locked in brutal combat.
Clearly—
The Black Shark Pirates were at a severe disadvantage.
Black smoke billowed from their ship.
Two of the three masts were already broken.
As Zhao Xuan drew closer, the situation became clear.
Two seventh-tier ability users were working together, relentlessly attacking a lone seventh-tier.
That solitary seventh-tier—Zhao Nuo—was clearly stronger than either of them individually.
Under their joint assault, he looked battered and strained, yet still held his ground, even counterattacking occasionally.
But!
The two attackers were perfectly coordinated.
Under their seamless cooperation, the balance of victory was slowly tipping in their favor.
…
"Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!"
"No! This won't work!"
After once again forcing back the combined attack of the White Emperor Pirates' second and third leaders—the twin brothers—the Black Shark Pirates' second-in-command looked increasingly grim.
Feeling the weakness spreading through his body—
He realized—
If this stalemate continued—
It wouldn't be long before he died.
At that moment!
His gaze accidentally caught Zhao Xuan's single-masted sailboat in the distance.
Instantly—
His eyes hardened.
A surge of killing intent exploded from within him.
"Careful, brother! He's about to make a desperate move!"
The White Emperor Pirates' second-in-command's expression changed drastically as he shouted.
But it was already too late.
Boom!!!!
A terrifying aura erupted violently from the Black Shark Pirates' second-in-command.
Next—
He slammed out two punches.
Fast as lightning.
The two White Emperor Pirates' seventh-tier fighters didn't even have time to react before their chests were struck head-on.
Puff!
"Urgh!"
Both of them spat blood and were sent flying.
At the same time—
The Black Shark Pirates' second-in-command wasn't unscathed either.
He had used a rare extreme secret art.
It also consumed life force—
But unlike most such techniques, it only burned two to three years of lifespan.
The amplification was enormous.
It tripled his burst combat power instantly.
However—
The drawback was fatal.
Its duration was only one second.
Because of that—
This technique was known as the One-Second Secret Art.
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