245: Chapter 244 Fishing!!

Inside the cultivation room, Jiang Hanzhou sat cross-legged, his body enveloped in a faint white glow.

The light was extremely faint, yet as pure as fresh snow, forming a three-foot Domain around him.

Within the light, countless intricate runes could be seen slowly circulating. This was the sign of Divine Soul power manifesting externally after the Spirit Concentration Art had reached a certain level.

Three days.

For three whole days, he had not left the Hanzhou Residence, devoting all his focus to this orthodox Divine Soul Cultivation Technique of the Dragon Abyss Palace.

The cultivation of the Spirit Concentration Art was completely different from the Nine Nether Soul Devouring Art. The latter sought to strengthen the Divine Soul as quickly as possible, like setting a fire in the wilderness; though it could instantly spread across the plains, it was difficult to control.

In contrast, the Spirit Concentration Art focused on "condensing"—gathering, compressing, and purifying the scattered Divine Soul power bit by bit. It was like panning for gold in a stream; the process was slow, but it yielded the purest essence.

At the beginning of his cultivation, Jiang Hanzhou realized the subtlety of this technique.

It did not pursue the total volume of Divine Soul power, but rather its "density."

When Divine Soul power was compressed to the extreme, a qualitative change would occur, transforming from formless "thought" into tangible "spirit."

The Spirit Concentration Art was named for this very reason.

On the first day, he reorganized and restored the Divine Soul power in his Sea of Consciousness that had become chaotic due to battle. The Divine Soul wounds accumulated during the battles in the Ice Fire Two Energies Valley and over the ancient flood dragon remains slowly healed during this process.

On the second day, he began to compress the Divine Soul power in his Sea of Consciousness layer by layer according to the technique's mnemonic. Every compression was accompanied by a tearing pain—the instinctive resistance of the Divine Soul when being forcibly reshaped. However, he gritted his teeth, using his Heart Blade to suppress the turbulence in his Sea of Consciousness, gradually condensing those scattered bits of Divine Soul power into trickling streams.

On the third day, those streams converged in the depths of his Sea of Consciousness, forming a "lake of divine soul" about ten feet in diameter.

The surface of the lake was as calm as a mirror, reflecting the golden light of the Heart Blade above the Sea of Consciousness. The lake water was a shimmering white, so pure it lacked even a hint of Impurities, and every drop contained Divine Soul power far exceeding what he had before.

The Spirit Concentration Art had reached Major Achievement.

Deep within the Sea of Consciousness, the Heart Blade vibrated gently. The dark gold dragon patterns on the blade suddenly lit up, their brilliant golden light illuminating the entire Sea of Consciousness as if it were broad daylight.

That light blended with the shimmering white water of the lake of divine soul, condensing into a thin layer of golden ice on the surface. The ice layer was extremely thin, yet as tough as refined steel—it was the "Divine Soul Armor" formed by the Fusion of Divine Soul power and the power of the Heart Blade.

From then on, his Sea of Consciousness was no longer an undefended city.

Anyone attempting to invade his Sea of Consciousness with a Divine Soul attack would first have to face an indestructible wall.

Jiang Hanzhou opened his eyes.

A shimmering white light flashed and vanished within his gaze.

He took a deep breath and slowly exhaled.

Then, he closed his eyes, his Divine Sense sinking into his Sea of Consciousness as he began to deduce the killing move he had been perfecting but had never been able to truly Master—

Divine Intent Heavenly Saber.

This saber technique, derived from the remnants of the "Heavenly Saber," emphasized "governing the saber with the spirit, and slaying the enemy with intent." The enemy would be decapitated before the saber even left its scabbard—this was not an exaggeration, but the Realm the technique reached at true Major Achievement.

But before this, he had always been limited by his insufficiently condensed Divine Soul power, unable to truly integrate "Divine Intent" into the saber technique. Every time he tried to activate the Divine Intent Heavenly Saber, it was like building a tower on sand; it could barely take shape, but it was precarious.

But now, he had the lake of divine soul.

He had the heart blade armor.

He had the Divine Soul power that was pure to the extreme after reaching Major Achievement in the Spirit Concentration Art.

With a slight thought, the lake of divine soul in his Sea of Consciousness surged violently! The shimmering white water soared into the sky, transforming into a stream that poured into the Heart Blade!

The Heart Blade jolted violently!

The dark gold dragon patterns on the blade circulated frantically, devouring, fusing, and sublimating the incoming Divine Soul power layer by layer!

Three breaths later—

A formless saber light shot out from the Heart Blade!

That saber light was formless and intangible, yet it was more than ten times faster than before! It slashed out of the Sea of Consciousness, out of the cultivation room, and toward a sword-testing stone a hundred yards outside the Hanzhou Residence—

Silent.

Soundless.

There was no loud crash of impact, nor any burst of light.

The three-zhang-tall sword-testing stone merely trembled slightly.

Then, right through the center, it silently split into two halves.

The cut was as smooth as a mirror, without even a speck of dust being kicked up.

Jiang Hanzhou opened his eyes, a sharp glint flashing within them.

The Divine Intent Heavenly Saber was complete.

It was no longer the barely usable remnant from before, but a complete killing move that truly integrated "Divine Intent" into the saber technique.

This strike no longer required the tiger soul saber, no longer required the empowerment of True Intent, and didn't even require any physical movement.

With just a single thought, the formless saber light could slash into an opponent's Sea of Consciousness, severing their Divine Soul and extinguishing their life force.

What was even more terrifying was that this strike perfectly fused with his four types of True Intent.

The saber light contained the persistence of Tide, the blazing heat of Pure Yang, the sharpness of Metal Sharpness, and the Fusion of Heavenly Fire. The four types of True Intent were intertwined, forming a force capable of crushing everything.

The moment it slashed into a Sea of Consciousness, there would be the continuous impact of the Tide, the burning pain of Pure Yang, the sharp cutting of Metal Sharpness, and the ultimate power of Heavenly Fire to fuse, devour, and annihilate everything.

He stood up and walked out of the cultivation room.

The moment he pushed open the stone door of the Immortal Cave, a figure was standing outside.

Master Xue Mu.

His expression was solemn, and he held a dark green jade talisman in his hand—it was a communication talisman for intelligence from the Dragon Abyss Palace.

"Finished your seclusion?" Master Xue Mu looked at him, a flash of gratification in his eyes. "Spirit Concentration Art at Major Achievement, and the Divine Intent Heavenly Saber initially formed. Not bad."

But he didn't give Jiang Hanzhou a chance to speak, tossing the jade talisman directly over.

"Take a look at this."

Jiang Hanzhou took the jade talisman and probed it with his Divine Sense.

A moment later, his brows furrowed sharply.

Inside the jade talisman was a bounty notice intercepted by the Dragon Abyss Palace's Tianji Peak.

"Bloodfang Old Monster, the Great Island Master of Blood Shark Island, has placed a bounty of one hundred thousand Spirit Stones for the pursuit and killing of three Dragon Abyss Palace Inner Sect Disciples: Jiang Hanzhou, Zhou Lie, and Liu Ningshuang. Those who provide information on their whereabouts will be rewarded ten thousand Spirit Stones. Those who kill any one of them will be rewarded one hundred thousand Spirit Stones. If Jiang Hanzhou is captured alive, the reward is two hundred thousand Spirit Stones."

Below the bounty notice was a detailed intelligence report.

"According to reliable sources, Jiang Hanzhou will soon leave the Dragon Abyss Palace for external training. Blood Shark Island has teamed up with the remnants of the Ten Thousand Gu Sect to set up hidden lines in Star Continent Anchorage, Bibo Island, and Flying Fish City. Once Jiang Hanzhou leaves the Sect's hundred-mile range, they will strike immediately."

"Furthermore, Bloodfang Old Monster has broken through to the Dragon Fetus Realm; although his Foundation is unstable, his strength far exceeds the Primal Elephant Realm. The remaining Disciples of Blood Shark Island under his command number about a hundred, including three Primal Elephant Realm Protectors and twelve Core Disciples. On the Ten Thousand Gu Sect's side, there is at least one Dragon Fetus Realm Elder overseeing things, though their identity is unknown."

Jiang Hanzhou looked up at Master Xue Mu.

Master Xue Mu's expression was grave: "Tianji Peak's analysis suggests this bounty isn't a simple act of revenge. There is someone behind Bloodfang Old Monster using him to test the bottom line of the Dragon Abyss Palace."

"Test what?"

"To test if the Dragon Abyss Palace will go to full-scale war with Blood Shark Island and the Ten Thousand Gu Sect for the sake of an Inner Sect Disciple," Master Xue Mu said deeply. "If the Dragon Abyss Palace chooses to protect you, it means you are important enough for them to invest more power. If the Dragon Abyss Palace chooses to abandon you, it means you are merely a disposable pawn, and they can then plot even more unscrupulously."

Jiang Hanzhou was silent for a moment before slowly asking, "What does the Sect say?"

"The Palace Master personally ordered for the defenses around Red Fire Peak to be strengthened and strictly forbade you from leaving the Sect." Master Xue Mu looked at him, a complex light flashing in his eyes. "But Han Zhou, you know—you can't hide in the Sect forever."

Jiang Hanzhou nodded.

He knew that, of course.

Bloodfang Old Monster's bounty wasn't just to take his life, but to force him out. As long as he didn't leave the Dragon Abyss Palace, Blood Shark Island and the Ten Thousand Gu Sect would keep watching from the shadows, waiting for the moment he let his guard down.

And he couldn't stay inside forever.

He needed resources, Opportunities, and combat to temper his True Intent and increase his cultivation. Staying trapped in the Sect would only cause him to stagnate.

"Master," he spoke, his voice calm, "this Disciple wants to go out."

Master Xue Mu looked at him without speaking.

Jiang Hanzhou continued: "But not right now. Bloodfang Old Monster has just reached the Dragon Fetus Realm and is currently at his most frenzied. His people have set up an inescapable net at Star Continent Anchorage, waiting for me to walk into it. If I go out now, I'll be playing right into their hands."

"Then how long will you wait?"

"Until they relax," Jiang Hanzhou said indifferently. "When the bounty is first released, the people from Blood Shark Island will definitely be watching the closest. But as time passes, they will let their guard down—no one can keep a string taut forever. I'll head out then."

Master Xue Mu was silent for a moment, then nodded: "That makes sense. But how do you plan to get out? The people from Blood Shark Island won't be stupid enough to camp right at the Dragon Abyss Palace's entrance, but there will certainly be eyes a hundred miles out. You'll be spotted the moment you leave the Sect."

Jiang Hanzhou smiled slightly.

The smile was very faint, yet it caused an inexplicable shiver in Master Xue Mu's heart.

"Has Master forgotten?" he said calmly. "This Disciple's disguise techniques haven't gone to waste."

Master Xue Mu was momentarily stunned, then he laughed.

"Good." He patted Jiang Hanzhou on the shoulder. "I will wait for your news. But remember, come back alive."