The wind swept across the sea, and ripples opened like scattered stars. The moon imprinted itself thinly upon the water, like a slice of perfectly round, transparent orange that had just been cut.

"Hoo..."

A head broke the surface of the sea, instantly shattering that round, orange reflection.

He looked up, feet pressing against the water, exerting a gentle force, and launched himself onto the nearby bow as if he possessed no weight at all.

This man was naturally He Yiming.

Perhaps his premonition had failed him, or perhaps Bai Lingba truly possessed inconceivable divine abilities. In any case, ten days had passed since leaving the seaport, and they had encountered not even one significantly large wave during the journey, allowing them to arrive here in perfect peace.

Starting on the third day after entering the sea, He Yiming had cast aside all other concerns, dedicating the majority of his energy to comprehending the power of Water. However, condensing the Flower of an entire elemental system was far from easy. A week later, He Yiming decisively jumped straight off the ship and into the water.

Only by immersing himself wholeheartedly in the vast, azure ocean did he hold any hope of grasping some profound insight.

The sea before him was an expanse of endless blue, meeting the sky in a distant, unbroken line that seemed to stretch to infinity.

At this moment, He Yiming began to understand why Jin Zhanyi and others held the ocean in such high regard; this environment truly served to broaden the mind and spirit. Moreover, He Yiming vaguely sensed that the concentration of the worldly Qi here seemed significantly denser than in most inland regions.

While it could not compare to the exaggerated locales like Ghost Cry Ridge, it was certainly no less potent than even the main veins of the Heavenly Pool or the Lingxiao Palace.

Cultivating the martial path here, he conceded, was a truly exquisite affair.

A fragrant aroma wafted over from the stern. He Yiming walked over in surprise, his expression shifting to one of astonishment upon seeing the scene.

There, Bai Lingba had somehow erected a tall scaffolding. Beneath the structure, a large brazier blazed, and three large fish were skewered atop the rack. Bai Lingba slowly rotated the rack while wielding a brush, carefully coating the fish with a blackish liquid set nearby.

As they were baked by the intense heat, the fish skins gradually charred and blackened, releasing a rich, savory scent.

He Yiming stared intently at Bai Lingba; even witnessing it firsthand, he could scarcely believe he wasn't mistaken about the identity of the person before him.

Bai Lingba lifted his head. A bright light flickered in his eyes. He glanced at He Yiming, then lowered his gaze to continue the roasting.

He Yiming finally could not restrain himself. "Brother Bai, what are you doing?"

"Roasting fish."

"Roasting fish..." He Yiming tapped his finger, unable to hide his irritation. "I know it’s roasted fish, but why are you roasting it?"

Bai Lingba raised his head once more. A subtle change seemed to flicker in his usually placid eyes, those that appeared incapable of ever holding emotion.

"Roasting fish, of course, is for eating." He then asked, with a slight hint of oddness, "Do you not need to eat?"

He Yiming swallowed the saliva his nose had drawn out from the aroma. He exclaimed in surprise, "Are you roasting this for me?"

"No," Bai Lingba replied coolly.

He Yiming struggled to suppress the urge to roll his eyes. "Surely you also need sustenance?"

In all the time he had known Bai Lingba, the only thing he had ever seen him consume was the white stones. Beyond that, He Yiming had never witnessed him eat anything else.

"I do not need it." Bai Lingba’s gaze shifted. "These things were found in the cargo hold by Baozhu and given to me."

"Baozhu, where is that little fellow?" He Yiming's ears twitched, and he instantly extended his senses to monitor the entire ship. His Great Success in the Ear of Prophecy technique was now utilized to its peak; not even a single mantis within the cabin could escape his hearing, yet he could find no trace of Baozhu.

Before Bai Lingba could reply, He Yiming heard a sudden sound erupt from the surface of the sea, followed by a white shadow leaping onto the ship as swiftly as an arrow.

Only Baozhu could possess such agility. What surprised He Yiming was that the creature had a massive fish clamped firmly in its mouth.

He Yiming slapped his forehead. He had seen pigs eat fish, but a pig that could dive into the sea to catch fish? This was his first time witnessing such a thing. Was this creature even still a pig...?

Bai Lingba took the large fish, expertly gutted and scaled it, cleaned it in the water nearby, then threaded it onto an iron skewer and placed it on the rack to roast.

Watching his movements, which were as quick as lightning, He Yiming asked, "Brother Bai, how did you learn to do this?"

"My database contains knowledge on this subject."

He Yiming opened his mouth, momentarily speechless. Just how many unknown facets were hidden within that mind?

After a while, the initial three roasted fish were perfectly done, and the rich aroma diffused widely. While He Yiming remained composed, Baozhu’s mouth split open shamelessly, nearly drooling onto the deck.

Bai Lingba removed the three fish, handing one to Baozhu and the remaining two to He Yiming.

He grabbed the roasted fish and devoured them in three quick bites, deeply satisfied by the fullness spreading through his empty stomach. However, a mere two roasted fish were hardly enough to sate him.

He turned and saw Baozhu staring at him with watery, expectant eyes, a hint of grievance in its gaze.

A thought struck him, and he instantly understood the source of the little creature's displeasure. He reached out and stroked Baozhu’s smooth fur in a rough, haphazard manner that made it look like a dog’s nest. Amidst the creature’s protesting grunts, He Yiming laughed. "It was wrong of me to eat your fish. I will go catch a few more."

He leaped into the air, plunging back into the vast ocean.

He had cultivated strong swimming skills back in his hometown; though he dared not claim mastery, swimming was no trivial challenge for him. Furthermore, with his current power, even if he had no skill in water, the danger of drowning would be nonexistent.

Entering the water, his True Qi flowed subtly, and his body shot forward like an arrow loosed from a bowstring, cutting through the endless waves toward a specific school of fish below.

The current he stirred immediately drew the fish's attention. The school twisted slightly, nimbly escaping their spot.

He Yiming’s eyes brightened slightly. Observing the fish maneuvering through the water, a strange new image seemed to form in his mind. His gaze locked firmly onto one particular fish, watching it swim, seemingly experiencing a novel sensation.

His eyes grew brighter and brighter; he had completely forgotten the original purpose of his dive, pouring all his concentration into the observation.

Suddenly, a white shadow flashed past his vision. Two small hooves struck down heavily onto a fish, one about the length of an arm, which He Yiming had been intently watching.

Though the large fish twisted to evade, the white shadow’s movements were as swift as lightning, even more agile in the water than the fish itself. It struck its target with effortless ease.

He Yiming’s consciousness snapped back to his body. He glared furiously. Baozhu had turned its head back, looking immensely smug, while the large fish, now stunned unconscious, was held tightly in its two front hooves.

Baozhu’s small eyes sparkled, visible even beneath the water.

It seemed to be showing off: He Yiming had been down there for ages without catching anything, yet with one move, Baozhu had stunned the very fish He Yiming had been observing for so long.

However, the intelligent Baozhu immediately noticed that He Yiming’s expression had soured, resembling a volcano on the verge of eruption, his suppressed aura chilling it to the bone.

Without hesitation, Baozhu immediately pushed the large fish held between its front hooves toward him, then flicked its body and swam upward, moving with a grace that rivaled the speed of the fish themselves.

He Yiming moved swiftly, catching the large fish tossed to him by Baozhu.

Although his outward demeanor suggested rising anger, his heart was filled with elation. While observing the fish swim, he was astonished to realize that these aquatic creatures were the true masters of water movement.

Whether large or small, these fish lived their entire lives in the water, from the moment they were born until death. Just as humans cannot survive without air, they cannot survive without water.

For them, water was life.

Just as humans were the masters of the land, these fish were the masters of the water. Their comprehension of water was ingrained into their very instinctual being.

Although He Yiming had spent days soaking in the seawater, he still had no tangible clue about grasping the power of Water. Yet now, he felt that if he could somehow transform himself into a fish, his comprehension of Water power would be tremendously aided.

The manner in which the large fish had swum flashed through his mind, and his body began to twist. But he quickly realized that no matter how he imitated the movements, there was always a sense of fundamental incompatibility.

A realization struck him suddenly: Baozhu was not a fish, yet its underwater speed and dexterity surpassed that of the fish by a considerable margin.

Thinking of this, He Yiming was filled with sudden joy. He pushed off the water with his feet and swiftly returned to the surface.

He tossed the large fish in his hand toward the ship, landing it perfectly in front of Bai Lingba. Then, he shouted loudly, "Brother Bai, throw Baozhu down!"

From the ship immediately came a chorus of pig-like squeals, filled with tragic misery. The lament was so intensely bitter and mournful that it seemed to recount a heartbreaking history, brimming with boundless grievance and sorrow. Even He Yiming, listening from the surface, felt a pang of sympathy.

But clearly, Baozhu’s cries could not move the hardened, non-human heart of Bai Lingba.

A white shadow flashed, and Baozhu flew down toward him.

He Yiming spread his arms wide and caught the creature. Looking at the dejected Baozhu, He Yiming asked, "Baozhu, do you want roasted fish?"

Baozhu immediately perked up, its snout parting involuntarily, nodding repeatedly.

"In the water, I chase, you flee. If you can evade me for one hour, I will let Brother Bai roast fish for you."

The white pig’s spirits soared instantly, completely shedding its earlier expression of impending doom. It shook its body, leaped from He Yiming’s hands into the sea, and vanished instantly using a strange movement style that somehow seemed imbued with some ultimate principle of heaven and earth...