In the middle of a vast sea, waves were beginning to rise rapidly, and the wind was picking up. The waves grew from small ripples to ones as tall as a human, eventually reaching the height of three humans and continuing to climb. In the midst of this chaos, a ship was braving the rough waters.
"Heave ho! Heave ho!"
"Hold it tight! If a single one of you lets go of those ropes, you'll regret it!" shouted a rough-faced man, holding the ship's rudder steady and making quick, precise adjustments.
"HEAVE HO!" The crew responded immediately, gripping the ropes tighter with newfound strength. They knew their captain, Jin Ling, wasn't someone to cross. At the third level of Qi Condensation, Jin Ling had earned a reputation, and the crew had witnessed what happened when someone failed him.
Boom... boom...
"Tch... wretched whore!" Jin Ling cursed as lightning struck nearby, casting an eerie green shadow across the sea. 'How could a storm of this magnitude appear so suddenly?' he wondered.
Jin Ling had faced many storms in his years as a cultivator, but this one felt different. His mind wandered back to his early days in cultivation, when he had been an outer disciple of a small sect. His quiet life had been disrupted when a powerful sect took over their grounds for training, leading to the demise of his own sect.
"Tch..." Jin Ling muttered, his thoughts interrupted by a deep, magnificent roar that seemed to transcend physical barriers and touch the souls of everyone present. All eyes turned skyward as a slim golden dragon ascended into the heavens, vanishing in a blinding flash of light.
The crew was left blinded by the light, except for Jin Ling and one other person. Jin Ling grasped the significance of the phenomenon, widening his eyes in awe. 'A true dragon has just been born,' he realized. 'It must have reached the threshold of the Xiantian realm and crossed it. Such a rare and magnificent event.'
As he marveled at the sight, the sea calmed, and a trail of golden light sped across the horizon before crashing into Jin Ling's ship.
"Ugh..."
"What happened..."
Splinters flew everywhere, wounding some of the crew, but Jin Ling barely noticed. The dust cleared, revealing a hole in his ship, and he immediately sensed the immense Qi emanating from it. 'Not good!' Without hesitation, Jin gathered his Qi in his legs and leaped towards the hole.
Boom
The ship rocked violently as something attacked from the left side, upsetting the ship's balance. Jin Ling saw a gigantic sea monster, seven meters long, with the head of a seahorse and whiskers. Its red eyes locked onto the ship, and Jin knew exactly what it wanted.
"Shit... what rotten luck," Jin Ling exclaimed, drawing his cutlass and pointing it at the seahorse. "Come, let's see if the words of my elders hold true."
Jin Ling gathered his Qi and leaped into the air, releasing a green sword energy of the wind element at the monster. He repeated the move several times, the force of his attacks propelling him upward. After a few moments, he landed back on the deck, panting.
"Hah...hah..." Jin Ling panted, never taking his eyes off the seahorse. Though he inflicted damage, the seahorse seemed more enraged than weakened, its red eyes glowing even brighter.
"Kiiii..."
The seahorse's screech pierced the ears of everyone aboard. A surge of Qi formed a massive water ball in front of it and launched it at the ship.
"Shit..."
Boom
The ship shook from the attack, shredding the main sail and denting the deck. Some crew members were thrown overboard, while others were killed outright. Jin Ling, however, was saved by a blue shield talisman that floated before him, its protective energy absorbing the brunt of the impact.
"Kree..."
The seahorse's fury intensified, another water ball forming before it.
"Damn it," Jin Ling cursed, knowing he couldn't escape or fight back against a monster with higher cultivation. But he wasn't going down without a fight. Gathering his Qi in his cutlass, he prepared another attack.
"Seven Flowing Swords: Sword Storm!" Jin Ling unleashed a barrage of sword energy that temporarily delayed the seahorse's attack.
As bittersweet memories of his life flashed through his mind, Jin Ling braced himself for the end. But just as the water ball was about to strike, a calm and deep voice sounded from behind him.
"BIG WALL!"
Boom
Instead of hitting the ship, a tall wall of water rose up, blocking the attack. Seawater flooded the deck, and a lone voice echoed: "I was planning to relax until we reached the mainland, but you disrupted my rest. Unfortunately for you, I am not one to show mercy."
