93: Chapter 93 Reading

On the white jade tower ship.

A young servant dressed in a simple white short shirt with a delicate appearance led Jiang Hanzhou across the wide deck of the white jade tower ship to the entrance of the cabin.

At the entrance was a jade cabin door carved with intricate cloud patterns that felt warm and smooth to the touch. The servant lightly pressed an inconspicuous indentation on the side of the door, and the cabin door slid open silently inward, revealing a deep and elegant passageway behind it.

On the cabin walls on both sides of the passageway, a fist-sized pearl emitting a soft white light was embedded every few steps, illuminating the passageway as bright as day, yet without being dazzling.

The air was filled with a faint fragrance, neither quite sandalwood nor something else, which calmed the mind upon smelling it.

"Young Master, please follow me." The servant turned to the side to signal, his voice steady, his attitude respectful yet distant.

Jiang Hanzhou nodded and stepped inside.

Underfoot was a milky white jade floor as smooth as a mirror; walking on it made almost no sound.

The passageway was not straight but wound inward, with side paths appearing from time to time leading to other areas. Faint human voices could be heard from afar, clearly other boarders being led to their respective lodgings.

After walking for about half a cup of tea, the servant stopped in front of a door.

This door was no different from the other cabin doors; it was also made of jade, with a smooth surface and no handles or keyholes.

The servant took out a palm-sized white jade token engraved with simple cloud patterns from his bosom and pressed it against the center of the door.

"Hum..."

The jade door vibrated slightly, ripples like water waves appeared on its surface, and then it opened silently inward.

"Young Master, this is your guest room. There is a bell on the bedside table; if you have any needs, just ring the bell. If there is nothing else, I will not disturb your rest." The servant bowed and said, handing the white jade token to Jiang Hanzhou, "This is the Restriction token for the room door. Please keep it safe. During your time on the ship, you may freely enter and exit this cabin with this token."

Jiang Hanzhou took the jade token, which felt cool to the touch, and nodded, saying: "Thank you for your trouble."

The servant bowed again, turned, and left with light, quick steps, disappearing around the corner of the passageway soon after.

Jiang Hanzhou stepped into the cabin, and the jade door behind him closed silently on its own.

He stood still and swept his gaze around the room, a flash of surprise involuntarily crossing his eyes.

Looking from the outside, although the white jade tower ship was magnificent, the space within the cabins was ultimately limited.

But this "guest room" before him was far more spacious than imagined.

The room was a regular rectangle, about five zhang long, over three zhang wide, and two zhang high, with an open space that did not feel cramped at all.

The floor was covered with a soft, light cyan carpet, making no sound when stepped on.

Against the wall on the left was a wide jade bed, covered with plain silk bedding. It looked simple, but with Jiang Hanzhou's discernment, he could see a faint spiritual light flowing through the texture of the silk, which was definitely not an ordinary item.

Opposite the bed was a white jade desk of the same material and a carved armchair.

On the desk, the brush, ink, paper, and inkstone were neatly arranged, and beside them was a green jade brush washer filled with clear water.

On the right was a row of multi-layered wooden shelves embedded in the wall, on which were scattered a dozen bamboo slips, seven or eight thread-bound books, and several empty jade boxes, presumably for guests to store their personal belongings.

There was a small door at the very back. Pushing it open, he saw a small washroom inside, with a washing area maintained by a Formation that kept the water running, and even a facility for convenience that resembled a toilet, but was entirely white as jade and carved with cleansing runes.

How could this be an ordinary cabin guest room? Even the guest rooms prepared by some medium-sized aristocratic families in Donghai Prefecture for their distinguished guests were no better than this.

"The effect of a sumeru..."

Jiang Hanzhou whispered to himself, his fingers stroking the smooth jade wall.

He was no longer the ignorant youth who had just entered the world of martial arts; he had witnessed the magic of a sumeru pouch and had heard legends about "Grotto-Heaven Magic Treasures" and "spatial expansion."

But to apply such a stable spatial expansion technique to a tower ship sailing on the ocean, and to make it look so effortless and ordinary, like a standard configuration...

The foundation and means of this Dragon Abyss Palace were truly unfathomable.

He walked to the jade bed and sat down. The bed felt cool yet carried a trace of warmth, seemingly capable of automatically adjusting the temperature, making it very comfortable to sit on.

But he had no heart to enjoy it at the moment, his mind recalling the words spoken by that Middle-aged Scholar, the envoy Fei Jingxing, to the nineteen boarders on the deck just now, after the Azure Water Flood Dragon pulled the tower ship to set sail.

"You all hold tokens to board the ship, but that is merely gaining the qualification to participate in the assessment."

Fei Jingxing stood at the bow of the ship with his hands behind his back, the sea breeze blowing his plain white robe, his voice calm and waveless, yet clearly entering everyone's ears.

"Dragon Abyss Palace accepts Disciples by first prioritizing fate, then Heart-Nature, and only then Aptitude and potential. The summoning token gives you the fate to be sent here. But whether you can truly enter the Sect depends on the subsequent three rounds of assessment."

His gaze slowly swept over the crowd; it was not stern, yet it seemed to be able to see through people's hearts.

"The place of assessment is located at the 'Trial Islands' outside the palace. The tower ship will sail directly there. You will know the content of the assessment when the time comes."

"You must know that even with a token, the assessment is graded. The best may enter the outer Sect directly, receive the true Cultivation Technique, and enjoy the salary of a Disciple. The next best can become a registered outer Sect Disciple, needing to complete many duties to exchange for cultivation resources. The next... if one fails the assessment but has acceptable Heart-Nature and some potential, one may stay in the palace as a servant, and there may be opportunities for promotion in the future. If one's Heart-Nature is unbearable, or one's potential is exhausted, one will be given some silver and sent back to one's place of origin."

He paused, his tone still flat, but it caused the atmosphere on the deck to suddenly become a bit heavy.

"In the guest rooms, there are books recording the origins of Dragon Abyss Palace, common knowledge of cultivation in the East Sea, and some basic breathing methods. There is about a seven-day voyage from the start of the ship to the arrival at the Trial Islands. During this time, you may read them yourself or meditate to Cultivate your spirit and prepare for the assessment. If there is nothing to do, do not walk around at will, and do not cause trouble or fight. Offenders will have their qualifications cancelled and be thrown into the sea."

After saying this, Fei Jingxing said no more, turned, and walked into the depths of the ship tower, leaving only two servants who were also wearing simple white short shirts, but whose aura was significantly deeper, guarding the bow, their eyes watching the deck indifferently.

The crowd looked at each other, and then, at the signal of the two servants, they were led to their respective cabins.

"It is indeed not that simple." Jiang Hanzhou felt no great surprise in his heart.

If Dragon Abyss Palace were so easy to enter, it would not have become a Holy Land in the minds of the Martial Artists of the East Sea.

The summoning token was just a ticket; the real test was still to come.

Fei Jingxing's cold and business-like attitude was also reasonable. They could not be considered people of Dragon Abyss Palace yet, so naturally, there was no need to treat them warmly.

He gathered his thoughts, sat cross-legged in the center of the jade bed, closed his eyes, and sank his mind into his Dantian.

The next moment, he "saw" the scene inside his Dantian.

A blood pill, the size of a goose egg, entirely deep crimson-gold in color, with a luster like molten lava flowing on its surface, was quietly suspended in the center of the Dantian, slowly rotating on its own.

Every time the blood pill rotated once, an invisible suction force was generated, absorbing the Qi and blood from all over his body, thread by thread. After refining and purifying it, it fed back even more pure and condensed Qi and blood energy, which traveled along the wide and tough Meridians to the limbs and bones, completing a perfect cycle.

The blood pill glowed, its light stable and restrained, and the total amount and purity of the Qi and blood contained within it had reached an unprecedented Peak.

There was no more floating, no more room for growth. The Viscera Burning Realm had reached Perfection.

A feeling of stability and joy surged in Jiang Hanzhou's heart.

That day, jumping into the sea, the medicinal power of the [Eight Treasure Dragon and Tiger Stew] completely erupted, triggering the water spiritual essence to form a cocoon, which was an unexpected joy.

In that deep blue water spiritual cocoon, he felt as if he had returned to the womb, his whole body wrapped and soaked in pure and gentle water-attributed spiritual energy.

Outside, the majestic water spiritual energy nourished and harmonized the fierce medicinal power, while inside, the [Dragon Subduing and Tiger Taming Skill] was running at full power to guide the Qi and blood, and the glow of his dao bone was greedily absorbing all beneficial energy.

His aura grew stronger day by day in the cocoon.

His Qi and blood grew like blowing air, his bones and Meridians became tougher and more transparent under the tempering of water and fire, and his internal organs were repeatedly washed and nourished, full of vitality.

He drifted in the depths of the ocean, forgetting time, completely immersed in this rare transformation.

Until today, a mysterious feeling awakened him—that was the subtle connection between the summoning token and the dragon gate that was about to be completely severed.

He did not hesitate, shattered the water spiritual cocoon that had become thin, broke out of the sea, and finally, at the last moment, passed through the dragon gate and boarded this white jade tower ship.

"Drifting on the sea for more than ten days, it saved me the effort of traveling, and I also completely consolidated my Realm." Jiang Hanzhou's mouth curled slightly.

With a slight movement of his mind, a light blue light screen unfolded in his consciousness.

【host: Jiang Hanzhou】

【fate: Late Bloomer (Rank 4)】

【Cultivation Technique: Dragon Subduing and Tiger Taming Skill (Major Achievement), Evil Flood Dragon Wave Surfing Art (Perfection), Heavenly Dipper Treasure Refining Art (Level 1)】

【Martial Arts: Tidal Shadow Thousand Hands (Perfection), Dragons Roar and Tigers Howl (Major Achievement), Evil Flood Dragon Wave (Perfection), Thirteen Transformations of Heavenly Fire (Minor Achievement), Turtle Breathing Technique (Perfection), Wave-Treading Step (Perfection), Tidal Sound Sword (Perfection), Wave Splitting Saber Art (Perfection), Hundred Beasts Form and Will (Perfection)...】

【Current Martial Arts Comprehension Accumulation: 1980 years / 3000 years】

"Evil Flood Dragon Wave Surfing Art, Perfection." Jiang Hanzhou stared at this line, light flashing in his eyes.

This [Evil Flood Dragon Wave Surfing Art] obtained from Bai Tianxiao of the White Dragon Gang had accompanied him for quite some time, and now it had finally been cultivated to the end.

The moment the Cultivation Technique reached Perfection, he had vaguely sensed a peculiar "feeling."

That feeling was indescribable, as if he himself had resonated with the endless seawater around him on a deeper level. With a slight movement of his thought, he could induce undercurrents, as if he had turned into an evil flood dragon in the sea, and with a flip of his palm, he could make the tides change direction.

Unfortunately, that feeling was like sand flowing through his fingertips; it flashed and vanished, and he failed to truly grasp it.

Now, recalling it with a calm heart, Jiang Hanzhou became increasingly certain.

"It is True Intent... or rather, it is the embryonic form of True Intent, a glimmer of opportunity."

Cultivating the [Evil Flood Dragon Wave Surfing Art] to the extreme contained a certain understanding of "water," "force," and "momentum."

Forming a cocoon in the sea and spending over ten days day and night with the majestic water spiritual essence, this understanding was magnified, and he finally touched that mysterious and profound barrier.

"It seems that the direction I chose, 'water,' or rather 'Tide,' 'surging,' fits with the [Evil Flood Dragon Wave Surfing Art] and even my long-term cultivation experience by the sea." Jiang Hanzhou pondered, "However, this is only a glimmer of light; it is still far from truly condensing my own Martial Dao True Intent. It requires more systematic cognition, deeper comprehension, and even more... the boost of that 'Epiphany' power when my fate ascends."

His gaze fell on the 【Current Martial Arts Comprehension Accumulation】 column. 1980 years. It was only 1020 years away from the 3000 years of comprehension needed to ascend to a Rank 5 fate.

"Dragon Abyss Palace... Library Pavilion..." Anticipation ignited in Jiang Hanzhou's eyes.

Fei Jingxing said there were books in the guest room. This might just be the most basic introduction to common knowledge, but for him, a Loose Cultivator who had walked up step by step from the outer city and lacked systematic Sect knowledge, it was exactly what he urgently needed.

Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated. Understanding Dragon Abyss Palace and the common knowledge of the East Sea cultivation world was crucial for passing the assessment and even for his survival and development in the palace in the future.

Thinking of this, Jiang Hanzhou did not delay any longer and turned to get off the bed.

He walked to the row of wooden shelves on the right and swept his gaze over the books and bamboo slips on the shelves.

He casually took down a bamboo slip and unfolded it. The text on it was written in ancient seal script, but fortunately, Jiang Hanzhou was well-prepared, and he could identify it without difficulty.

"《East Sea Records · Dragon Abyss Palace Chapter》..." He whispered the opening title, then leaned on the armchair beside the desk, and began to read intently by the soft light of the pearls in the cabin.

Time flowed slowly in the silent reading. The content on the bamboo slips and books opened a brand-new door for Jiang Hanzhou.