Chapter 431: Chapter 198: Qi Sea Perfection, Second Level of Wind and Waves
Maybe he could handle this himself, without Guo Wei’s help.
However, true deterrence required absolute, overwhelming power—not just evenly matched strength.
At the moment, he wasn’t strong enough.
So, after a moment of thought, Chu Lingguang said apologetically, "Master Qu, my master’s position is a sensitive one. He cannot get involved in this matter."
"This..."
Qu Qingcheng hadn’t expected this, and a look of disappointment crossed his face. He seemed to have been certain that Chu Lingguang could get Guo Wei to help, never imagining Chu Lingguang would refuse without even asking.
Chu Lingguang saw the dejection in Qu Qingcheng’s eyes, and the other leaders of the Shuiyu Gang looked equally disappointed.
"Young Master Chu, Mo Shan has told me about your character. If you say you can’t do it, then I suppose it truly can’t be done."
Qu Qingcheng said with a stiff smile.
Chu Lingguang felt a pang of guilt.
Mo Shan had asked Qu Qingcheng to keep an eye on the experts in South City for his safety. Now, Qu Qingcheng had come to him for help, and he had refused without even trying.
What he did seemed dishonorable, and it would cause Mo Shan to lose face.
After thinking it over, Chu Lingguang gathered his courage and said, "Master Qu, my master may not be able to help, but perhaps I can."
"Huh?"
Qu Qingcheng and the other gang members were taken aback.
"I can’t guarantee anything right now, but give me three days. If I’m able to help by then, I will come find you. In the meantime, please make other preparations as well. Farewell!"
Chu Lingguang kept it brief.
He departed in a hurry.
He didn’t dare make an absolute promise.
To be of any help, he had to reach the Qi Sea Perfection realm within three days. Only then could he unleash his Spear Intent to intimidate his opponents, allowing the Shuiyu Gang to continue operating in this area.
Chu Lingguang was also well aware that if the Shuiyu Gang fell and was driven out by the Turkic people, these waters would become their domain. He feared that even Master Yan’s business would be affected.
Chu Lingguang could only hope to achieve a breakthrough at the last minute and help the Shuiyu Gang. He detested the so-called diplomatic immunity and felt a sense of helplessness for the Great Yuan Dynasty. If the Dynasty were powerful enough, why would its own people have to suffer such injustice?
In the end, everything was decided by strength.
He had to get stronger.
Although he didn’t stay for a meal with the Shuiyu Gang, the sky had already turned completely dark by the time he returned to Master Yan’s house.
Guo Wei assumed Chu Lingguang had just lost track of time while training, so he didn’t ask any questions.
「The next morning」
Chu Lingguang took a small fishing boat and headed upstream.
Now that he had met with the Shuiyu Gang, Chu Lingguang no longer had to worry about being disturbed. He worked the oars, propelling the boat up the Canal.
"Master, Chu Lingguang may be exceptionally talented, but he’s only the top-ranked fighter in South City. I don’t think he’ll be able to help."
A Shuiyu Gang leader remarked from a merchant ship.
The merchant ship was right behind Chu Lingguang’s boat.
Qu Qingcheng saw that Chu Lingguang’s small fishing boat was moving swiftly. He was using his oars to channel Potential Power. As an expert who had reached Qi Sea Perfection, Qu Qingcheng knew it was incredibly difficult for someone of Chu Lingguang’s age to command such strong Potential Energy.
But the Turkic expert who had injured him could throw a person’s Mental Realm into chaos with a single word. What could Chu Lingguang possibly be relying on to think he could help?
Qu Qingcheng was also puzzled.
But he knew that Chu Lingguang, a man acknowledged by Mo Shan and his companions, would not be toying with him.
WHOOSH!
Chu Lingguang worked the oars.
In the beginning, he had used the oars to practice his Basic Spear Skill. Now, every stroke he made invisibly stirred the Wind and Wave Power, letting that force propel the small fishing boat forward.
His control over the Wind and Wave Power grew increasingly deft.
Slowly, he let go of the oars.
He waved his palms in the air, and the wind and waves howled through the gaps between his fingers. Chu Lingguang tried to control it. As he extended his Perception Power, he made a peculiar discovery: the Wind and Wave Power, which ebbed and flowed with his Potential Energy, appeared within his senses in the shape of countless lily pads.
WHOOSH!
Chu Lingguang gave a casual push backward with his hand.
The Wind and Wave Power, which he could previously only channel through a Long Spear, now manifested in his palm for the first time. A propulsive force hit the water, which churned into turbulent waves, sending the small fishing boat rocketing upstream.
WHOOSH!
Chu Lingguang relaxed his hands.
He stood on the small fishing boat, his eyes closed.
With his Perception spread out, he could feel the lily pad-shaped Wind and Wave Power circling his body, invisibly merging with his consciousness.
He captured the trajectory of the rolling wind and waves, saw the lily pads swaying beside him, and watched as they finally transformed into oars for the small boat, creating a propulsive force at the stern.
At the same time, the Zhenyuan Technique began to circulate on its own. The Qi Sea within his Dantian roared, and the small fishing boat slowly came to a halt. The lily-pad power surrounding him drew in a current of Heaven and Earth Essence Qi, which then converged on Chu Lingguang.
Chu Lingguang’s Qi Sea opened wide.
The Zhenyuan Technique stirred his Qi Sea Power. Ripples rolled across his Qi Sea, seemingly forming a black hole. The lily pad-shaped Wind and Wave Power enveloped Chu Lingguang’s body, then seeped inside him, where it was rapidly and completely devoured by the black hole in his Qi Sea.
Chu Lingguang felt his Dantian Qi Sea expanding. Not only was the Qi Sea evolving, but his Dantian itself was also leveling up.
Guo Wei had told him to fuse the Wind and Wave Power with the Zhenyuan Technique to evolve his Qi Sea Power.
’Can the Wind and Wave Power really speed up my absorption of the Essence of Heaven and Earth and enhance my Qi Sea Power?’
Only now did he realize that the Wind and Wave Power *was* a form of the Essence of Heaven and Earth, a power that could also be absorbed.
Once this power was fused with the Zhenyuan Technique, his Qi Sea would evolve at an astonishing rate.
Reaching Perfection was just a matter of time.
His mastery over the Wind and Wave Power had, without him realizing, reached a new level: not only could he command it, but he could now also absorb it.
CRASH!
But just then, a tremendous crash shattered Chu Lingguang’s perfect state of cultivation.
A massive Turkic merchant vessel had just rammed and capsized a smaller merchant ship—one built by the Shuiyu Gang—right there on the Canal.
