A Will Eternal

Early the next morning, Bai Xiaochun rushed up to the main deck. The past few days, he had become completely wrapped up in helping Zhao Tianjiao pursue Chen Yueshan.

He took great pleasure in the sense of accomplishment it gave him, and as for his Dao protectors, they were also part of the whole effort, so it was with no little curiosity that they also headed up to the deck to see how events would play out.

It was early in the morning, and was somewhat of a stormy day. Great golden waves would occasionally slam into the ship, sending golden water spraying onto the deck.

Heavenspan Sea water could be very dangerous to ordinary cultivators, but top Chosen could endure it for quite some time.

Superstars such as Zhao Tianjiao wouldn’t be harmed in any short period of time. A bit of water splashing on someone like him wouldn’t corrode his skin at all, and he wouldn’t truly be harmed unless he was submerged in the water itself.

Time ticked by, and soon it was noon. As Bai Xiaochun waited, the wind and the waves began to die down. Not a cloud could be seen in the sky.

Bai Xiaochun was just starting to get nervous, and was even thinking of changing his plan, when Zhao Tianjiao finally appeared. He looked over at Bai Xiaochun and smiled, but then put a serious expression on as he strode confidently toward a place on the deck where the waves splashed especially vigorously. Standing there, he looked back in the direction of deck 2.

Just when Bai Xiaochun was about to transmit some reminders to Zhao Tianjiao, Chen Yueshan appeared on deck 2, strolling along, a slight frown on her face. Apparently, she was a bit disappointed at not having seen Zhao Tianjiao out in the corridor like she usually did.

As soon as she emerged into the open and headed to the main deck, she saw Zhao Tianjiao standing there at the prow of the ship, his eyes burning with passion. Instantly, their gazes locked.

By this point, even Bai Xiaochun could see that there was something different between Zhao Tianjiao and Chen Yueshan.

“Don’t miss this opportunity!!” he murmured, feeling shaken. If Zhao Tianjiao didn’t strike while the iron was hot, then all of their work so far would have been a waste. They might be able to continue on with other plans in the future, but they would never be able to recover their original momentum. Worst of all was that because of the sudden calm in the wind and the waves, there was no ocean spread, which caused Bai Xiaochun’s heart to begin to pound with anxiety.

He wasn’t the only nervous one. Zhao Tianjiao’s anxiety was also mounting.

Seeing that the opportunity was about to slip through their fingers, Bai Xiaochun gritted his teeth and then drew upon the full cultivation base power of his Gold Core, as well as his Undying Live Forever Technique and blood qi, to summon an enormous blood sword!

Simultaneously, he sprang into motion, shooting toward Zhao Tianjiao at high speed. Even as he flew through the air, the blood sword materialized, and he grabbed it, swinging toward the water outside of the ship.

“Don’t even think of trying to escape, you weird old fish!”

His blood sword screamed through the air, piercing into the sea water and, backed by the full force of Bai Xiaochun’s power, causing a huge wave to swell up.

As the wave smashed into the side of the ship, it turned into countless droplets, some of which splashed onto Bai Xiaochun, while the others drenched Zhao Tianjiao.

Zhao Tianjiao had already been wearing somewhat thin garments, and now that they were soaked with sea water, they became almost completely translucent. Furthermore, they stuck to his skin, revealing his perfect physique and bulging muscles to everyone gathered on the deck.

The glittering sunlight which fell from above made Zhao Tianjiao look almost like he was made from gold. The shocking sight was made even more unique because of the fact that Bai Xiaochun had also been soaked.

Bai Xiaochun was a bit thin, but handsome, and considering that the sun was also shining down on him, it made him look like an immortal. As he turned his head, his hair swung through the air, making him look completely beyond the ordinary.

Although he and Zhao Tianjiao looked completely different, both of them were the type that numerous female cultivators would swoon over, and in fact, all such young women on deck were staring at them.

Chen Yueshan’s heart began to pound as she looked Zhao Tianjiao up and down, her face flushing. Some of the other cultivators present were looking at Bai Xiaochun, curiosity rising up in their hearts.

Not only did Bai Xiaochun look almost otherworldly, but the fact that an attack backed by his late Core Formation cultivation base was powerful enough to cause waves to rise up on the surface of the Heavenspan Sea showed what incredible battle prowess he possessed.

Suddenly, people recalled the fight between Bai Xiaochun and the statue of Gongsun Wan’er, and thoughtful expressions appeared on their faces.

Excitement surged in Zhao Tianjiao’s heart as he saw Chen Yueshan looking at him, and noticed the flush on her cheeks. Before meeting Bai Xiaochun, nothing like this had ever happened before, and at the moment, he was filled with such boundless gratitude that he felt as if he had no choice but to give voice to it. However, that was when Bai Xiaochun grabbed him.

“You need to quit while you’re ahead,” hissed. “Did you forget what I told you before? Don’t get impatient!”

Zhao Tianjiao nodded, and the two of them quickly turned to leave. Many eyes followed them as they walked away, and numerous hearts were shaken at the realization that Bai Xiaochun and Zhao Tianjiao seemed to be quite close with each other.

“Lots of people want to be friends with Elder Brother Zhao, but he’s too lofty. You just can’t get close to him. How did Bai Xiaochun do it?!”

“Plus, you can tell from the look on his face that Elder Brother Zhao really trusts Bai Xiaochun....”

Even as murmured conversations broke out, Bai Xiaochun dragged Zhao Tianjiao back to his cabin. After changing clothes, they sat down across from each other to confer. Zhao Tianjiao was bursting with excitement; the events of the past few days had been too special and important for him to maintain his calm.

“Xiaochun, as of this point I'm absolutely sure that Junior Sister Yueshan is attracted to me, and not just perfunctorily either. So, what's the next step?” The look in his eye as he faced Bai Xiaochun was one of utter sincerity and anticipation.

“Don’t worry,” Bai Xiaochun said with a confident smile, “I’ll take care of everything.” Then his expression turned somber. “Getting her attracted to you is just the first step. We’ll definitely get her to fall in love with you as well. However, don’t get overconfident! A good start doesn’t necessarily guarantee the perfect outcome. There are a lot of important things left to do, and you have a long way to go to reach your goal. Are you ready for that, Elder Brother Zhao?!”

“I’ll do whatever you say, Xiaochun!” Zhao Tianjiao said, looking equally as somber.

Bai Xiaochun nodded in satisfaction.

“Remember what I said about a sense of security? That’s the most important thing to think about right now. You have to make sure that you give Elder Sister Yueshan that sense of security. When she is in danger, you have to thrust yourself in harm’s way, perhaps even being injured, to keep her safe.”

Zhao Tianjiao frowned thoughtfully “A sense of security? Considering Junior Sister Yueshan’s cultivation base and status, there isn’t much on this ship that could make her feel insecure.”

Apparently angered that Zhao Tianjiao was falling short of expectations, Bai Xiaochun slapped the table and said, “Not much that could make her feel insecure? Have you forgotten about that unclean thing?

“Listen, you can secretly set up a spell formation just outside Elder Sister Yueshan’s cabin door. Then when that unclean thing shows up again, it will get trapped, and you can be the first person to jump out and attack it. Not only will that show how mighty you are, but it will also show that you will always be there to protect Elder Sister Yueshan. With you there, she will definitely have a sense of security.”

Zhao Tianjiao apparently wasn’t very impressed by this plan. “I can easily set up a spell formation, but... I can’t control when the unclean thing shows up. What happens if it never comes back, or never goes near Junior Sister Yueshan’s cabin?”

Bai Xiaochun felt a headache coming on. Recently, he had come to find that although Zhao Tianjiao was cold and proud, he was not very flexible, and always tended to think of things one way. “Come on, don’t be stupid,” he said. “You’re the number one Chosen in the sect, right? Don’t tell me you don’t have some confidantes? Have your confidantes dress up like the unclean thing. Then you show up, an invincible knight in shining armor there to save the princess.

“Also,” he continued, “you need to remember the right thing to say in the critical moment. You say, Junior Sister Yueshan, as long as I'm around, I’ll never let anyone harm a hair on your head!”

Zhao Tianjiao thought it sounded a bit corny, and initially hesitated. However, considering how much he trusted Bai Xiaochun’s sense of judgment, he finally nodded. Producing a jade slip, he sent a message to summon his followers.

Before long, eight of his followers showed up at Bai Xiaochun’s cabin, one after the other. All of them clasped hands and bowed to Bai Xiaochun and Zhao Tianjiao, expressions of utter respect on their faces as they wondered why they had been called.

“Xiaochun, which ones do you think would do best?” Zhao Tianjiao asked.

Bai Xiaochun looked the group over. Eventually, his eyes came to fall upon the two cultivators from the Hall of Devil Slayers on Sky Quarter Rainbow, the same ones who had offended him not too long ago. Even as they shivered, he said, “These two Junior Brothers look familiar, how about them?”

The two followers already had bad feelings about what was to come.