Qin Ran had been soaking in the seawater for a long, long time.
So long that he himself had forgotten exactly how much time had passed.
When he began to ponder this, he knew it was time to leave the sea and return to shore.
Qin Ran wasn’t soaking in the sea because he enjoyed seawater baths, nor because he couldn’t leave. The reason was simple—he just needed a quiet place to clear his mind.
The battle at Dragon Whale Island had made him realize he had overestimated himself.
It wasn’t that his strength wasn’t enough to dominate Dragon Whale Island, but rather that his mental state wasn’t as unshakable as he had imagined.
He had believed that even if the Divine Essence Condensation granted him immense power, he wouldn’t lose control of his mind. At worst, he might become a bit reckless, more aggressive, or bloodthirsty—but never lose his rationality or consciousness.
Yet… in the end, he had lost all reason, consumed by the power, descending into madness.
In that state, he was no longer himself—just a slave to the power.
He needed to calm down, to retreat into seclusion for a while.
The vast, boundless sea, where he drifted freely with the waves, was the perfect place for contemplation and cultivation.
He floated on the water, sometimes meditating on the Surging Tides Visualization Method to strengthen his spirit. A stronger spirit meant better control over his power.
Other times, he pulled out books from Mr. Zhai’s storage ring—which he had conveniently taken—erasing the previous owner’s mark with his formidable spirit and refining it as his own.
Occasionally, he played with the sea creatures that swam by—white whales, dolphins.
And sometimes, he simply lay still on the surface, admiring the ocean’s beauty.
He had witnessed sunrises and sunsets over the sea, the seamless blend of sky and water on clear days, towering waterspouts connecting heaven and earth, and even deep-sea monsters with tentacles thicker than a man’s height…
Now, as he began to wonder just how long he had been adrift, he knew—it was time to leave.
The very fact that he was asking this question meant his mind had reached a certain stability, that he could now master his power. It also meant he was ready to move on.
The body changes, the mind follows, and thoughts shift accordingly.
Realizing this, Qin Ran immediately oriented himself, adjusting his course to speed toward the small island where he had first arrived in the Tianlan Sea Region.
His first destination wasn’t out of blind obedience to his original mission, but simply because…
Before boarding Tie Ruonan’s ship, he had left a spiritual mark on that desolate island.
Back then, he had thought that once he understood this world better, he would return to develop the island, ensuring a safe landing point when his true form arrived.
Now, that mark served as his spiritual anchor, guiding him through the open sea so he wouldn’t lose his way.
After his long seclusion, he had fully absorbed the Dragon Whale essence from the island’s ruler, deepened his practice with the Surging Tides Visualization Method, and gained greater control over the Divine Essence Condensation. His strength had grown immensely.
He wasn’t sure exactly how powerful he was now, but when he pushed his speed to the limit, it took him only seven or eight days to return to the initial island.
Walking slowly across the island, Qin Ran reflected on how drastically his state of mind had changed since his first arrival.
Back then, newly arrived in the Tianlan Sea Region, he had been filled with fear, confusion, doubt, and worry. Now, armed with strength and knowledge of this world, he could stand firm here.
The contrast left him with complex emotions.
After circling the island and finding nothing unusual, he returned to the spot where he had first landed. Standing on the beach, he gazed at the endless sea, then closed his eyes to calculate his next direction.
While refining pills for the Dragon Whale Island’s ruler, he had unrestricted access to the lord’s library, where he studied numerous maps—especially those of the Tianlan Sea Region.
Now, recalling those maps, he pinpointed the location of this desolate island and compared it to other landmarks, judging distances and positions.
The nearest inhabited islands were two: Dragon Whale Island, a day’s sail away, and Demon Island, Dragon Whale’s sworn enemy, located in the opposite direction and also about a day’s journey.
Dragon Whale Island was best avoided. Regardless of whether the island’s people were good or evil, friendly or hostile toward him, Qin Ran had already caused them enough suffering. He couldn’t bring himself to trouble them further.
If he needed materials to develop his island, Demon Island was the only option left.
After determining the direction, distance, and estimated travel time, he plunged back into the sea, activating the Flowing Water Technique to speed toward Demon Island.
Though the distance was considerable, the spiritual mark on the desolate island served as his anchor, allowing him to maintain a straight path. If he drifted too far off course, he could always correct it, recalculate, and find his way back.
Eventually, he reached Demon Island.
Compared to Dragon Whale Island, which resembled an aristocratic fiefdom with its noble governance, Demon Island was more like a pirate den—crude and lawless.
There was a water fortress, a city behind it, and people within, but everything looked primitive. Clothing was minimal and simple, the overall aesthetic one of brutal efficiency.
It was the kind of place where if someone took a liking to you, they’d just knock you out and drag you home.
Qin Ran, dressed neatly upon arrival, stood out immediately. As he entered the city, many eyes turned his way.
He hurried to a clothing vendor, changed into local attire, and only then did the stares lessen.
With that settled, he began exploring the city, searching for formation materials and construction supplies to develop his nameless island.
After several days of shopping, his storage ring was packed with materials. But since construction supplies took up too much space, he had to make multiple trips—ferrying batches to the island, using them, then returning to Demon Island for more.
After two or three rounds, he was nearly done. But his frequent comings and goings had drawn attention.
This time, while purchasing furniture, he had just stepped out of a shop when five burly men blocked his path.
The leader glared coldly. "You’re Li Feiyu?"
Li Feiyu?
His eyes narrowed. That was the identity he had used on Dragon Whale Island. How could anyone here know it?
"No, I am Ye Fan," he replied.
"Cut the act! Someone wants to see you!" the leader barked. "Come with us—"
See him? Not "kill," "capture," or some other verb? Who was behind this?
"Who wants to see me?" Qin Ran asked.
"That’s not for you to know!"
With that, the men lost patience and reached out to grab him.
lity and could only live as an ordinary mortal. He only wished to live a peaceful life. Yet he didn't know— The dog he adopted, because it ate his food, became a legendary demon king. The kitchen knife he casually forged became a peerless divine weapon, causing numerous experts to fight desperately for it. The young disciple he took in became an immortal lord that led an era, due to cultivating the techniques Ye Feng taught him. Even the skeletons he looked down on the most were ominous demon kings that suppressed countless worlds. Many years later, looking at the void shattered with a punch, Ye Feng murmured to himself: It turns out the peerless kings were myself all along...
e bizarre and supernatural had descended. The previous emperor was a thoroughgoing tyrant; no longer satisfied with human women, he had set his sights on a stunningly beautiful supernatural entity. He met his end in his bedchamber, drained of all his vital essence. As the legitimate eldest son and crown prince, Wang Hao was thus hastily enthroned, becoming the young emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty. No sooner had he awakened the "Imperial Sign-In Intelligence System" than he was assassinated by a Son of Destiny—a classic villain's opening. The Great Zhou, ravaged by the former emperor's excesses, was in national decline. The great families within its borders harbored their own treacherous schemes, martial sects began to defy the imperial court's decrees, and border armies, their pay and provisions in arrears, grumbled incessantly against the central government. Fortunately, the central capital was still held secure by the half-million Imperial Guards and fifty thousand Imperial Forest Army who obeyed the court's orders, along with the royal family's hidden reserves of power, barely managing to suppress the realm. As the Great Zhou's finances worsened and supernatural activities grew ever more frequent, the court sat atop a volcano. Ambitious plotters everywhere dreamed of overthrowing the dynasty, and even some reclusive ancient powers emerged, attempting to sway the tides of the world. At the first grand court assembly, the civil and military officials nearly came to blows, fighting tooth and nail over the allocation of fifty million taels of silver from the summer tax revenues. The spectacle opened Wang Hao's eyes—the Great Zhou's bureaucracy was not only corrupt but also martially proficient, a cabinet of all-rounders. Some officials even had the audacity to suggest the emperor release funds from the imperial privy purse to address the emergency. Wang Hao suddenly felt weary. Let it all burn.
ing gift was a patch of barren land, and disciples were all picked up along the way. He spent fifty years diligently building three "ramshackle little sects," thinking he could finally live a carefree life relying on his disciples. But right at the fifty-year mark, he was suddenly swept away by a spatial rift and exiled to the Chaos Desolation, the Disorderly Ruins. There was no spiritual energy there, only slaughter. Relying on the cultivation feedback from his disciples, Gu Changyuan hacked his way through a sea of blood for eleven hundred years. When the system finally fished him back out, he discovered the ramshackle little sects he'd built back then had developed a rather... unusual style. Hold on... I vanished for a thousand years, so how did my ramshackle little sects become holy lands?!
ut it can buy an entire year of absolutely perfect training results! Su Yu stared at his empty wallet and decisively opened up various online loan platforms. “Borrow a thousand bucks! Recharge my vitality!” Boom! His vitality broke a hundred points, shattering the limits of the human body! “Borrow ten thousand bucks! Recharge my combat skills!” Boom! A basic punching technique so common it was everywhere instantly maxed out, revealing the ultimate assassination technique of Five Elements Unity—Inner Force! When a rich kid hired assassins for a midnight ambush, aiming to break both of his legs, they instead ran headfirst into a monster—a human-shaped tyrannosaur, brimming with dragon-like vitality. With just two fingers, Su Yu snapped a steel staff reinforced with alloy. Staring at the killer’s stash of stolen cash—a staggering quarter-million dollars—he showed a corporate-sincere smile: “Thanks for the pre-exam gift pack, Mr. Zhao! I’m gonna go re-invest this!” Three days later, at the National Martial Arts College Entrance Exam, while everyone else struggled just to reach the passing line, Su Yu threw a single punch—and more than a thousand vitality points literally detonated the entire arena!
