A Will Eternal

There were more than a hundred cabins on deck 5, none of them very large. Furthermore, not a single one was a single-occupancy cabin; they were designed to house five people each....

Although each person in each cabin had a separate living area which they could seal off with a spell formation, comparing these quarters to Bai Xiaochun’s accommodations was like comparing the earth to the heavens or the dirt to the clouds.

After looking around for a while, he found Master God-Diviner’s cabin, where Master God-Diviner sat looking around anxiously at his murky surroundings. The mere thought of spending half a year in conditions like this left him feeling very sullen.

Just as he was about to become completely and utterly dispirited, Bai Xiaochun appeared....

“Junior Patriarch....” he cried.

“Alright,” Bai Xiaochun said with the wave of his hand, “you're coming with me. My place is plenty big.” Master God-Diviner was instantly elated, and to the envy of the other cultivators in the cabin, he hurried over to Bai Xiaochun’s side.

Bai Xiaochun cleared his throat, clasped his hands behind his back, and went about looking for his other friends. Eventually, he found Song Que who, by chance, was in the same cabin as Chen Manyao.

As soon as Chen Manyao saw Bai Xiaochun, she flashed him a radiant smile that couldn’t have been more enticing. As for Song Que, his face was already about as grim is it could be; the past few days had been extremely annoying to him, considering that this was the first time he had ever stayed in a room with other people.

Sighing, Bai Xiaochun said, “Que’er, your aunt entrusted you to me, so how could I possibly stand idly by while you suffer? Why don’t you come along with your uncle? I feast on spirit food every day, and have so much I can't even finish it all.”

Song Que’s face darkened, and he glared at Bai Xiaochun with gritted teeth.

Of course, that made Bai Xiaochun feel wonderful. He knew that Song Que didn’t like him, and therefore, he didn't like Song Que very much, and would occasionally find opportunities to intentionally mock him.

Just when Bai Xiaochun was about to invite Chen Manyao to come with him, she spoke up.

“I’ll come with you, big bro Xiaochun. I know you feast on spirit food every day, and have so much you can't finish it. I’ll help you with that problem!" Covering her smile with her hand, she glided over to Bai Xiaochun side, where she joined Master God-Diviner.

Seeing that Song Que wasn’t even going to say a word, Bai Xiaochun shook his head and turned to leave. However, he stopped at the door and looked back at Song Que.

“You’re really not coming? The spiritual energy in my cabin is much stronger than it is here, so your cultivation will proceed more quickly.”

Song Que really didn’t want to go, but the truth was that he didn’t know any of the other cultivators in his cabin on deck 5. The idea of having to spend half a year with them darkened his mood even further.

Then he heard Bai Xiaochun mention that the spiritual energy in his cabin was strong, and would aid in cultivation. That finally gave Song Que the excuse he needed.

“I have to surpass him,” he thought. “A true man knows when to stand tall and when to submit. I can't let myself fall too far behind during this half year. The only reason I’m doing this is for cultivation purposes, and that’s all!” After convincing himself in this fashion, Song Que clenched his jaw and rose to his feet, face grimmer than ever as he walked over to Bai Xiaochun’s side.

Bai Xiaochun was a bit surprised, having been certain that Song Que wouldn’t join him. Clasping Song Que’s shoulder, he said, “That’s the spirit! We're all one big family, right? Considering the relationship between myself and your aunt, you should listen to me more closely in the future. After all, when did your uncle ever treat you unfairly?”

Sighing, Bai Xiaochun felt more than ever like someone from the older generation, and knew that he had to take care of Song Que no matter how he did it. Then, after he got back to the River-Defying Sect, he would make sure Song Junwan knew all about it. She would definitely be pleased.

Sighing, he led all of his Dao protectors back to deck 3....

After entering Bai Xiaochun’s cabin, not even Song Que’s willpower could prevent him from gasping and looking around with shock at the size of the room, the spirit food, the puppets, the limestone floor, and the balcony. Almost immediately, he felt stabs of pain pricking at his heart....

In that moment, he madly swore an oath in his heart that he would focus fully on cultivation, and strive for his own chance to break into the top 10. The difference in treatment between that group and where he was at almost couldn’t be described in words.

In fact, that difference was so great that Song Que could even feel his eyes getting a bit moist.

As for Master God-Diviner, he also gasped, and was instantly drawn to the windows. During the past three days, the only way he had been able to feel the sun on his face was to go to the main deck, but things were too noisy there, and the spray from the waves was too dangerous. But in Bai Xiaochun’s cabin, one could look out the windows at any time, or even sit on the safety of the balcony.

Master God-Diviner was instantly overwhelmed with excitement.

As for Chen Manyao, she was also stunned into silence. Before, she had assumed the difference in accommodations would be big, but not this big. As of this moment, she couldn’t help but feel a bit irked at how the Starry Sky Dao Polarity Sect had arranged things.

The looks on their faces caused Bai Xiaochun to sigh. He hadn’t actually intended to show off in this situation, and was now worried that his friends might misunderstand his intentions. As such, he quickly tried to explain how he felt.

“This is all my fault,” he said. “If I had worked a bit harder, maybe I could have made it into the top 3. I heard that their accommodations are even better than these, and bigger. Mine are only so-so....” Bai Xiaochun really was just trying to smooth things over, but the result was that even stranger looks appeared on the faces of his three friends.

Seeing this, Bai Xiaochun was just getting ready to try to explain things further, when all of a sudden, an ear-piercing cry rang out from the sea outside. The cabin was protected by a spell formation, so the fact that the cry was distinctly audible went to show how incredibly powerful it was. In fact, the entire battleship even began to sway from side to side a bit.

Bai Xiaochun’s face fell, and his three Dao protectors had similar reactions. All of them rushed over to the balcony and looked out, whereupon they saw a streak of silver light shooting out of the sea and up into the sky.

That streak of light was what had caused the noise just now, and had also sent a huge wave slamming into the side of the ship. As such, it was possible to imagine that whatever it was that was causing that light was extraordinary!

Gasping, Bai Xiaochun craned his neck in an attempt to see what was inside of the light, and almost immediately could tell that it was something with a Heaven-Dao aura!

Although others might not notice it, because Bai Xiaochun had a Heaven-Dao Gold Core, he was more acutely attuned to such matters.

“What is that…?” he thought. At this point, he couldn’t hold back from opening his Heavenspan Dharma Eye. Almost immediately, rumbling sounds filled his mind, and he felt stabbing pain in his forehead. He quickly closed his third eye, which had already begun to leak some blood.

Even in that short moment, Bai Xiaochun had been able to catch a glimpse of what was in the light, and it left his mind and heart battered by waves of shock!

Within that light was a silver-colored dragon!

Apparently, that dragon was injured, and even as it flew along, silver blood leaked from its wounds....

In the instant that the silver dragon appeared, the three-eyed deva Chen Hetian was meditating on deck 1. Suddenly, all of his eyes opened, and his expression flickered with incredulity and joy.

“A silvermoon dragonfish!!” he shouted. “Kong Lie, the five of you come with me right now. We’re going to catch that beast!”

With that, he vanished, to reappear a moment later up in midair. As for the five Nascent Soul cultivators, they teleported out to join Chen Hetian. Even as they appeared out in the open, expressions shining with anticipation, the silver light began to disappear over the horizon.

“Let’s go! If we get that dragonfish, I’ll give all five of you an incredible reward!” Chen Hetian’s eyes burned with passion as he and the five Nascent Soul cultivators shot off into the distance.

Many of the other cultivators on the ship could tell that something strange was going on, and had hurried up to the main deck. When they saw what was happening, various expressions appeared on their faces.

On deck 2, Zhao Tianjiao and Chen Yueshan appeared to see what the commotion was about, with Heretic being the only one who didn’t react.

Although no one noticed, Gongsun Wan’er was in her cabin, standing at the window and looking at the silver light fading off into the distance. A strange smile could be seen on her face, and on the tip of her index finger was a single drop of silver blood, which she quickly licked away.

“Finally, I can get some real food,” she said with a chuckle.

Considering how fast Chen Hetian and the Nascent Soul cultivators were moving, and the speed of the battleship, it only took about ten breaths of time before they were completely separated.

Everyone on the battleship began to discuss matters, but soon the talk quieted down. With the deva and the Nascent Soul cultivators gone, and the vast sea stretching out in all directions, a sense of unease filled the hearts of everyone present.

Time passed. Three days later, Chen Hetian and the Nascent Soul cultivators still weren’t back, and everyone aboard the battleship felt greater pressure weighing down on their shoulders. Furthermore, there was a strange and mysterious aura that seemed to be building up around them.