Chapter 832: Chapter 86: Dragon Bone, Summer Existence
Jiang Wang did not need to rush to Little Crescent Island in the shortest time possible.
He allowed Zhongxuan Xin to return to Eternal Winter Island precisely for the purpose of a slow journey.
He wanted to slowly experience the scenery of the Near Sea Archipelago, personally feel the influence of Diao Hai Building there, and seek out any possible breakthrough points.
He now had the full support of Zhongxuan Sheng and Jiang Wuyou, but this gathered strength, compared to Diao Hai Building, was still insignificant.
After all, Diao Hai Building corresponded to the level of national powers like Qi Country.
The three of them tied together, compared to Diao Hai Building, were still inconsequential.
Therefore, they needed a breakthrough point, a key entry, to have a chance to lever the rules of Diao Hai Building and rescue Zhu Bijing.
Sitting in a dragon bone boat traversing the islands of the Near Sea, Jiang Wang silently pondered his own matters.
This type of dragon bone boat, able to carry thirty people at a time, is the most common vessel among the Near Sea Archipelago.
Compared to the hundred-fin boats commonly seen in inland rivers, dragon bone boats are better suited to withstand the ocean’s waves and come in various sizes.
But they could only operate near the shore.
The ships heading to the Lost World Sea Area, however, have a unique structure, all falling under the category of military hardware, non-trivial powers couldn’t easily obtain them.
The competition between Qi Country and Diao Hai Building in the Near Sea Archipelago was evident everywhere.
For instance, sailing on a dragon bone boat, the fare could only be paid with Dragon Coins made by Diao Hai Building.
And in places like Haimen Island, various essentials such as food, clothing, and usage could be purchased either with Knife coins of Qi or Dragon Coins, both accepted by islanders.
The uniqueness of the boat fare was because the dragon bone boats were made by Diao Hai Building.
In earlier years, the Near Sea had all sorts of bizarre ships. Now, though there are still many types, the ships designated for passenger travel between islands have all been unified into dragon bone boats, silently enforcing the will of Diao Hai Building over time.
After all, there are more ordinary people who can never transcend.
Channel-opening Pills were precious, and not every ingestion guaranteed successful channel-opening. For example, Wang Changji was considered a "waste" for wasting a Channel-opening Pill in Fenglin City, and this was not uncommon.
Therefore, the Dao academies had an Outer Sect system, selecting those able to withstand the power of the Channel-opening Pill and accomplish channel-opening. Other cultivation forces in the world also have similar systems.
Before anyone could open their channels, they needed to condition their body, adjusting it to the right state, before taking the Channel-opening Pill.
Some people would do it a bit earlier, while others later. For example, Jiang Anan — firstly, her talents were good, secondly, her foundation was personally laid by Jiang Wang, thirdly, she was properly trained by Lingxiao Pavilion, and finally, the Channel-opening Pills she took were of high quality. Thus, she opened her channels at just a few years old.
Some pursued a more complete physical state, while others simply couldn’t condition their body adequately—both cases existed.
Apart from Jiang Wang, there was no other Transcendent Cultivator in the cabin, and the passengers were all engaging in loud discussions, trying to alleviate the boredom of the journey’s bumps.
"The Sea Beast of the Jade Toad Sect went mad yesterday, and many died!"
"If you ask me, they shouldn’t keep Sea Beasts, they’re too fierce to tame!"
"Exactly! Who knows what those people are thinking. With that energy, they might as well explore the outer seas more."
In the mouths of ordinary islanders, it was rare to hear the term "Cang Sea." They generally referred to it as the outer sea.
The Lost World Sea Area is also known among the common folk as the Sea of Death.
The Lost World is a battlefield for Transcendent Cultivators, the opponents of the Sea Clan, always Transcendent Cultivators—until the Cultivators guarding the sea frontiers are extinct.
Like the citizens of Qi Country, the concept of the Sea Clan does not exist in the world of ordinary islanders. They know the outer seas are dangerous, but only a few know what the danger stems from.
Even many live their entire lives on a single small island, aware of other islands’ existence yet never visiting them.
The people on the ship talked animatedly, each with their own opinions. These sounds, mingling with the noise of the waves, swirled around Jiang Wang’s ears.
Yet, he was pondering the matter of "Thought Dust."
Lin Youxie effortlessly finding Wu Yiyu also let Jiang Wang learn about the Secret Technique of Thought Dust and why he could never completely shake off Lin Youxie.
He did not know whether there was still Thought Dust on him now and wanted to check but did not know where to start.
Because its manifestation was merely a thought.
I longed for something, and that something actually resided in my own heart.
Thus it was formless and colorless, undetectable and unrecognized.
So how should it be isolated?
Jiang Wang suddenly remembered the mysterious person he had met in Wenxi County. That person had said, "Even a gaze has weight." With just a few casual glances from Jiang Wang, he was immediately noticed by that person.
Then, could the principle of thought dust be similar to this?
If one could sense the weight of a gaze, accurately detect another’s attention, and then, a step further, possibly detect their deepest thoughts, couldn’t one?
This all belongs to the utilization of Divine Soul Strength; it should already be the domain of Spiritual Sense.
Or it could be developed only upon reaching the God Arriving Realm.
From this, it is evident how remarkable the secret technique used by Lin Youxie of the Ascending Dragon Realm is, and how exceptional the creator of this technique must be.
Jiang Wang asked himself if his Divine Soul Strength was considered strong, having undergone multiple enhancements. His power should not be inferior to that mysterious person he met in Wenxi County, but his application skills were far inferior.
While he could wield the Lovesickness Sword Spirit, which had a certain ability to attack with the spirit, dealing with the exquisitely subtle and mysterious secret technique such as thought dust was somewhat beyond his abilities.
After thinking for a while and finding no good methods, he had to temporarily gather his thoughts.
"Are there many sea beasts around here?" Jiang Wang casually broached a topic, joining in the conversation with the other passengers.
His clean and tidy appearance and straightforward posture made it easy for him to make a good first impression on those meeting him for the first time.
He was not met with coldness.
A burly man replied, "Not many around here, the closer you get to Huai Island, the more there are. Basically, all are captured from the outer sea and tamed. They are very dangerous creatures; young man, don’t be too curious."
"Aren’t they tamed by cultivators? How are they still dangerous?" Jiang Wang asked.
The uncle answered in a tone suggesting it was hard to teach a child, "They say it’s tamed. Generally, they indeed won’t attack the island. But casually one sea beast is several stories tall, wave a flipper and you’re gone! How is that not dangerous?"
An aside came teasingly from someone nearby, "That’s enough, Old Zhao, you talk as if you’ve actually been to Huai Island!"
Old Zhao was not annoyed and just chuckled twice, "Hearing is as good as seeing!"
The person next to him seemed to be his friend, a man also weathered by the elements, who continued to mock, "Well, that depends on who you hear it from. Some people are all bluster; can you believe what they say?"
"Why can’t you believe it? My cousin’s neighbor’s daughter is a cultivator from the Five Immortal Sect. She told my cousin’s neighbor about it, how could that be false?" Old Zhao retorted, his eyes wide.
Jiang Wang had just asked a couple of questions and hadn’t had the chance to say much before these two started to argue.
However, the name Five Immortal Sect caught Jiang Wang’s attention.
As the new master of the Cloud Top Fairy Palace, he was naturally very sensitive to the appellation "Immortal."
Living in the high mountains was to be an Immortal; a long time ago, all transcendent cultivators were regarded as immortals, and this is still the case today.
But after the Near Ancient Times, within the cultivation world, when speaking of Immortals, they referred to cultivators from the Nine Great Immortal Palaces.
The Nine Great Immortal Palaces even had their own Immortal Technique System, said to transcend above Dao Techniques, once dominating the era.
"What sect is the Five Immortal Sect?" Jiang Wang asked curiously, "This is my first time on this side, and I am not very familiar."
It was still Old Zhao, outwardly fierce but warm-hearted, who responded to him, "You’d better remember this. The next island this boat stops at is Youxia Island. The Five Immortal Sect is the strongest sect on Youxia Island. You really don’t want to mess with their people."
"What, just the Five Immortal Sect is the strongest?" Old Zhao’s friend clearly disagreed, "The Angry Whale Gang with its thousands of members would agree?"
"Most of those thousands are just practitioners of basic martial skills," Old Zhao said contemptuously. "Besides, Transcendent Cultivators don’t rely on their numbers. Strong ones can fight thousands of weaker ones. Do you know that?"
After speaking, he nudged Jiang Wang with his sturdy arm, "I see you carry a sword, young man, you must have some knowledge. Isn’t that right?"
Jiang Wang humored him with a light laugh, "Uncle Zhao makes a good point."
Not everyone flies through the skies, climbs to the highest peaks, schemes, or competes for power and profit.
For most ordinary people, life is just about shooting the breeze.
