437: below deck

Taking advantage of the moment, Jiang Ning and Shen Jinhuan went below the deck together.

Residents in lower-Rank rooms were not allowed to look upward, but those in higher-Rank rooms could look downward. This was the rule.

Jiang Ning and Shen Jinhuan used a hidden passage to walk down the wooden "stairs" to the area below the deck.

A burst of noise filled their ears.

It was the noise emanating from a place similar to an "engine room." The hub of the entire space spirit boat was constructed by Artifact Refiners and Formation Masters working together.

Controlling such a massive space spirit boat required quite a few Spirit Stones.

Once the Spirit Stones were inserted, the Formation would absorb and decompose their Spiritual Qi, injecting it into the equipment. The equipment would then convert it into power to propel the space spirit boat forward.

The Vermilion Bird's small space spirit boat was compact, didn't require many Spirit Stones, and had specially installed noise-canceling Formations, so it was very quiet.

However, this commercial giant spirit boat was different.

Even with Formations, there was still a lot of noise below the deck.

Of course, it wasn't that the Formations weren't effective; it was just that high-Rank Formations consumed too many Spirit Stones, and it wasn't worth it for this group of guests below the deck.

Jiang Ning frowned.

"This place is way too noisy."

Shen Jinhuan looked at Jiang Ning and blinked.

Jiang Ning: "I said, this place is way too noisy!"

Shen Jinhuan transmitted her voice: "Revered Master, use voice transmission if you have something to say."

Jiang Ning slapped his forehead.

He was truly muddled. He could use voice transmission.

"I said, this place is a bit noisy."

"It is very noisy."

Shen Jinhuan glanced to the right.

Below the deck, aside from the central hub room, the layout in the front and back was similar to a dormitory.

Doors faced each other. Some doors were open, revealing two rows of communal beds inside—neither wide nor long—with twelve meditation cushions placed on them.

Jiang Ning suddenly realized that Cultivators didn't sleep; they could simply meditate to rest.

He had previously wondered how so many Cultivators could fit below the deck.

Now that he saw it, he realized he had imagined the area below the deck to be too comfortable.

Lie down? Having a place to sit and meditate was already good enough.

There were already seven or eight Cultivators in this room; the rest were probably out on the deck getting some air.

Seeing Jiang Ning and Shen Jinhuan looking inside, the Cultivators within were somewhat displeased.

However, some Cultivators expressed great goodwill.

"This Fairy, there are still empty spots in this room; why not come in?"

"That's right, come to our room; we are all educated and polite people!"

"I am about to reach the Nascent Soul stage; if you come in, Fairy, I can guide your cultivation!"

Jiang Ning frowned.

A bunch of lecherous old men.

He felt a sense of crisis, as if his own cabbage was being coveted by a herd of wild boars.

Jiang Ning stepped forward, blocking Shen Jinhuan.

When the people inside saw him about to enter, they all refused.

"Kid, don't come in; this is a room for adults. There is a children's area up ahead."

"I remember there is a female Cultivator with a child next door. You can go there; there are playmates you can play with."

The buzzing sound from the central engine room, combined with the loud shouting of this group, gave Jiang Ning a headache.

He let out a soft harrumph.

The sound wasn't loud, but all the Cultivators heard it.

They looked at each other and cupped their hands.

"Senior, this Junior spoke out of turn..."

That single "harrumph" had almost sent their Divine Souls flying out of their bodies.

This was not someone they could afford to cross.

They just didn't know why such a person would come below the deck.

Jiang Ning left with Shen Jinhuan.

Reaching the end, Jiang Ning and Shen Jinhuan saw the Spirit Beast storage area.

The door here was open, allowing them to walk straight in.

Inside were black cages.

In this area, cages were packed side-by-side and stacked on top of each other, capable of storing a hundred Spirit Beasts.

There weren't many Spirit Beasts stored there; only about a dozen were lying sparsely in their cages.

The cages were covered with cloth to block Divine Sense.

But this was nothing to Jiang Ning.

"It's a good thing I didn't let Xiao Bai and the others come here; living here would be quite miserable."

Jiang Ning glanced at the entrance and casually set up a Restriction.

Then, he released Xiao Bai from his Small World.

After Xiao Bai came out and saw this room full of cages, she felt an instinctive resistance and displeasure.

"Revered Master, where is this! These cages are so small. This isn't the place for storing Spirit Beasts, is it?"

"It is." Jiang Ning confirmed.

Xiao Bai said seriously: "Revered Master, if one day you no longer love me, just let me go wander; please don't ever put me in these cages. It's too uncomfortable."

"What nonsense are you spouting?" Jiang Ning scolded.

The cloth covering the cages could also prevent Spirit Beasts from perceiving the outside.

Xiao Bai walked around and suddenly felt that a Spirit Beast with a Revered Master was like a treasure; without the Revered Master's embrace, where could one find happiness?

But she was still very resistant to this place.

No Spirit Beast liked to be locked in a cage.

Jiang Ning took Xiao Bai back into the Small World and went to the deck with Shen Jinhuan to take a look.

There were neither many nor few Cultivators on the deck.

For Cultivators who frequently traveled on space spirit boats, all of this was dull and uninteresting; there was nothing to see.

The entire space spirit boat was shrouded in a barrier.

There was no movement outside.

Some Cultivators were chatting, while others were trading.

There was nothing worth watching.

Jiang Ning took Shen Jinhuan back to their room.

"I need to cultivate for a while. It will take about a month for this spirit boat to reach the transit point. Arrange your own time."

"Mm-mm!" Shen Jinhuan nodded in agreement.

Jiang Ning closed his eyes and entered a state of cultivation.

Inside his Qi Sea, his Nascent Soul was still tiny.

Jiang Ning had a headache.

What on earth could he do to make his Nascent Soul recover faster?

His current state was really quite inconvenient.

Jiang Ning urged his Nascent Soul.

The Nascent Soul wobbled a few times.

But that was all—just a few times.

The Nascent Soul was extremely solid, so solid that it was somewhat "stubborn."

If this were the state of a Nascent Soul Mid-stage, Jiang Ning would be dying of laughter—how thick this Foundation must be!

But unfortunately...

"If only I were in Da Qian, I could check relevant records and case studies."

He believed that the world was vast, and it was impossible that only he had encountered such a situation.

Surely other Cultivators had experienced the same or similar things, and it must have been recorded.

"There must be a way to resolve it."

Jiang Ning also looked forward to that day.

The day his Nascent Soul grew, it would also be the day he reached the Soul Transformation realm.

Jiang Ning took out some Heaven And Earth Treasures from his Storage Ring.

These treasures floated in front of him.

Jiang Ning began to refine them slowly.

Before that, he needed to get infinitely close to the Deity Transformation Realm to ensure his success rate.

He didn't know how much time had passed.

A fragrance appeared at the tip of Jiang Ning's nose.

He was very familiar with this fragrance, and he liked it very much.

Jiang Ning frowned slightly.

He exited his cultivation state and opened his eyes.

Then he closed them.

And opened them again.

Phew... it wasn't an illusion.

Shen Jinhuan was lying in front of him, sleeping quietly.