156: Chapter 155 Crimson Fire Peak

Three days later, Fishing Ground No. 4.

The morning light had just emerged, and thin mist hung over the sea like gauze.

A crimson flying boat about ten zhang long hovered silently above the fishing ground. The boat's hull shimmered with a faint, fiery-patterned spiritual light, and a primitive "Xue" character was engraved on the bow.

Master Xue Mu stood at the bow with his hands behind his back. His fiery red robe fluttered in the sea breeze, and his hair and beard were all red, each strand like fire.

"Kid, get on the boat."

His voice was not loud, yet it clearly reached the ears of everyone on the pier.

Jiang Hanzhou turned to look at Jiang Tao and Wang Mingyuan behind him.

Jiang Tao bowed deeply, not saying a word, but his slightly trembling shoulders spoke more than a thousand words.

Wang Mingyuan cupped his hands in a salute, his aged face full of emotion and relief.

"Go," he said, his voice somewhat hoarse. "We have things covered here at the fishing ground."

Jiang Hanzhou nodded without further words.

He tapped his toes lightly on the pier, his figure soaring into the air, landing steadily on the crimson flying boat.

The next moment, the flying boat shuddered slightly, changed direction, and sped toward the eastern horizon.

...

The flying boat cut through the air.

Below lay the vast blue East Sea, where islands could occasionally be seen scattered like pearls, and boats moved between them like ants.

Jiang Hanzhou stood at the stern, looking at the receding Star Continent Anchorage, his heart filled with mixed emotions.

A few months ago, he was still a Loose Cultivator drifting in the Shattered Star Archipelago.

A few months later, he had stepped into the Dragon Elephant realm and become a Disciple under the Vice Peak Master of Red Fire Peak of the Dragon Abyss Palace.

All of this felt like a dream.

"What are you thinking about?"

Master Xue Mu's voice came from behind him.

Jiang Hanzhou turned around and saw Master Xue Mu sitting cross-legged at the bow, holding a pot of spirit wine, which he shook at him.

"Come sit."

Jiang Hanzhou walked over as instructed and sat cross-legged beside him.

Master Xue Mu poured him a bowl of spirit wine. The liquid was amber-colored and emitted a rich aroma; just by smelling it, one could feel the Qi and blood in their body surging slightly.

"Try it," Master Xue Mu said. "This is 'Fire Cloud Brew,' self-brewed by Red Fire Peak. It uses geothermal spirit springs as a base, supplemented by thirty-six types of fire-attribute Spirit Medicine, and is cellar-aged for thirty years before it is ready."

Jiang Hanzhou picked up the bowl and took a sip.

The moment the liquid entered his throat, a scorching hot current exploded in his stomach and rushed into his limbs and bones, as if his whole body were about to burn!

But the next moment, that heat turned into a gentle warmth, nourishing every inch of his Meridians and every wisp of his Qi and blood.

"Good wine," Jiang Hanzhou praised sincerely.

Master Xue Mu laughed heartily, poured himself a bowl, and drank it in one gulp.

The two sat at the bow like this, drinking and looking at the sea and sky below.

"Kid," Master Xue Mu suddenly spoke, "do you know why I took you as my Disciple?"

Jiang Hanzhou was silent for a moment, then said, "Because of that summoning token?"

"That was only half of it," Master Xue Mu shook his head. "The summoning token was something I threw away on a whim. At that time, I felt you had some Luck, so I gave you one. Whether you could pass the assessment depended on your own fortune."

He paused, turned his head to look at Jiang Hanzhou, and his red eyes flashed with an unreadable light.

"What truly made me decide was this matter of the Dragon Slaying Cave Mansion."

"You discovered that door in the whale's belly, you saw through the calculations of the Dragon Slaying True Person in the Immortal Cave, and you survived to report the news. These are not just Luck."

"It is courage, it is calmness, and it is the ability to think, judge, and make the right choices even in desperate situations."

Initially, Master Xue Mu had acted on impulse when he came to find Jiang Hanzhou because of his talent.

But after the battle in the Storm Kingdom, he had calmed down and intended to observe other aspects of Jiang Hanzhou.

To his surprise, he truly did not disappoint him.

Master Xue Mu poured himself another bowl of wine and drank it down.

"I, Master Xue Mu, have lived for so many years and seen too many so-called Geniuses. Some have astonishing talent but die of arrogance; some have overwhelming Luck but die of greed; some have profound cultivation but die of stupidity."

"Only those who can remain clear-headed in life-and-death situations are the ones who can truly go far."

He patted Jiang Hanzhou's shoulder, the force still astonishingly strong.

"You are that kind of person."

Jiang Hanzhou was silent and did not respond.

He just picked up the bowl and drank the remaining wine in one gulp.

...

The flying boat sailed for two days and one night.

On the morning of the third day, when the first ray of sunlight pierced through the clouds and spilled onto the sea ahead, Jiang Hanzhou saw that island.

Red Fire Island.

No, that was not an island.

It was a mountain.

A giant mountain that rose from the seabed and pierced the clouds.

The mountain was a deep cyan color, with cliffs as sharp as if cut, and a lone peak rising abruptly. Clouds and mist swirled around the mountainside, where countless pavilions, towers, palaces, and Immortal Caves could be vaguely seen built along the mountain.

At the top of the mountain, a huge pillar of light shot into the sky; that was the core of the mountain-protecting Formation, operating day and night, never ceasing.

"This is our Red Fire Peak," Master Xue Mu's voice sounded in his ear, "it's only a bit smaller than Ancestral Dragon Island."

The flying boat slowly descended, passed through layers of clouds, and finally landed on a huge platform.

The platform was located at the foot of the mountain, a hundred zhang in circumference, paved with solid bluestone. Eighteen stone pillars, each ten zhang high, stood at the edges, each engraved with complex Formation runes.

There were many people on the platform; some were boarding boats to set off, others had just landed, all of whom were Dragon Abyss Palace Disciples.

Master Xue Mu took Jiang Hanzhou off the flying boat, and several Disciples immediately came forward to bow and salute.

"Elder Xue!"

"Elder Xue is back!"

Master Xue Mu waved his hand to signal them not to be overly polite, then took Jiang Hanzhou straight up the mountain.

...

Red Fire Island covered an extremely vast area, divided into nine levels from the foot to the summit.

The first level was the area where ordinary people lived and Cultivated, with continuous houses, constant coming and going of people, and was bustling with activity.

The second level was where the various halls of the Dragon Abyss Palace were located; the Scripture Pavilion, Task Hall, Medicinal Pill Pavilion, Artifact Hall... were all here.

Above the third level was the territory of the Inner Sect Disciples, True Disciples, and even the Elders.

Master Xue Mu led Jiang Hanzhou up the mountain path step by step, meeting more and more Disciples along the way.

Some Outer Sect Disciples hurried past and bowed hastily when they saw Master Xue Mu.

Some Inner Sect Disciples walked with their hands behind their backs and nodded slightly when they saw Master Xue Mu.

There were also True Disciples flying by on swords, casting curious gazes from high above.

Jiang Hanzhou noted them all in his heart.

After walking for about half an hour, the mountain terrain changed abruptly.

The originally lush trees gradually thinned out, replaced by large areas of crimson rocks. The air was filled with a faint smell of sulfur, and the temperature was much higher than at the foot of the mountain.

"We're here," Master Xue Mu said.