Gazing into the distance, toward the very edge of the horizon, He Yiming thought he could make out a tiny black speck.

He Yiming squinted for a long time, then asked, "Brother Bai, what is that thing?"

"That is an island," came Bai Lingba's clear voice from behind him.

"Land," He Yiming murmured softly. For someone who had never ventured out to sea, the journey spanning more than half a month had begun to make him genuinely yearn for the feeling of solid ground beneath his feet.

The direction of the ship shifted slightly; they did not head for a landing but steered far around the landmass.

When navigating the ocean, provisions and fresh water are necessities. However, for He Yiming and his companions, these requirements were not pressing matters.

Since ascending to the Venerable realm, He Yiming’s strength had undergone a world-altering change. Even without consuming fresh water, he could now absorb the Water element from the air while meditating and circulating his internal energy to replenish the moisture his body consumed. Food was even less of a concern. He could catch a fish in the sea and, even without kindling, use his Fire element to cook it.

However, the taste of such flame-cooked fish was rather unappetizing; even Bao Zhu, having grown accustomed to Bai Lingba's superior cooking, refused to touch it.

As for Bao Zhu, He Yiming had discovered something quite interesting: the little creature was actually drinking seawater...

It seemed that for Bao Zhu, neither fresh nor salt water was repulsive. Furthermore, it had gone more than a month in Ghost Cry Ridge without eating or drinking, yet showed no signs of starving.

Finally, there was Bai Lingba, though He Yiming never worried about Bai Lingba’s sustenance.

Thus, for the three beings aboard this vessel, as long as the boat didn't capsize, they could sail forever.

Several days later, they encountered land again. This was still an island, but considerably smaller than the first one they had sighted. None of the men on the ship felt any inclination to land.

Just as the ship continued forward, Bai Lingba suddenly remarked, "Your map is inaccurate."

He Yiming was momentarily startled. "What map?"

Bai Lingba flipped his wrist, and a nautical chart appeared in his hand. This was something Chen Yulin had produced when they parted ways.

He Yiming frowned slightly. "Impossible. Chen Yulin would never dare play tricks on this."

Indeed, setting aside Advisor Hao Tong’s direct orders, even without directives from the High Heavens Palace, Chen Yulin would never risk offending a Venerable by handing over a falsified chart.

Bai Lingba stated gravely, "I only say the mapping is imprecise. In terms of scale, the distance between these two islands, and their distance to the mainland, do not correspond."

He Yiming felt a surge of curiosity. "How could that be? Could it truly be their oversight?"

Yet, recalling his month spent in Chen Yulin’s company, the man, though not a powerhouse of the Innate Realm, conducted himself with utmost composure. It seemed inconceivable that he would make such an error.

Bai Lingba’s slow voice resumed, "When these people chart the seas, they rely entirely on impression and experience, which is why such errors occur."

He Yiming blinked, asking inexplicably, "Brother Bai, if they don't rely on experience and impression, how else can one obtain an accurate nautical chart?"

Bai Lingba replied as a matter of course, "They should conduct specific measurements, calculating the distance between all islands, and the distance between all islands and the mainland, precisely down to the inch, and then draft the chart according to a fixed ratio. Only then would it be the most precise map."

He Yiming’s mouth fell open, his expression utterly bewildered.

Although he wasn't a seafarer by trade, he knew that the possibility of drafting a map using such a method was infinitesimally close to zero. Forget precision down to the inch; even precision down to a li was beyond the capability of any existing measuring tools.

Shaking his head, He Yiming offered a bitter smile inwardly; Bai Lingba’s standards were simply too high.

Suddenly, Bai Lingba’s voice gained a hint of inflection: "Danger."

He Yiming immediately composed himself. "What danger?"

"Based on my observations, a major storm will descend in two hours. We won't be able to evade this one."

He Yiming’s heart tightened. "We’ve been at sea for nearly twenty days. We haven't encountered any storms, so why is this one arriving so suddenly?"

Bai Lingba glanced at him silently. "The weather at sea changes unpredictably. It is remarkable enough that we enjoyed twenty days of good fortune."

He Yiming gave a wry laugh. "Brother Bai, didn't you say you could control the ship single-handedly?"

At this critical juncture, the inexperienced He Yiming could only cling to Bai Lingba as his only lifeline.

Bai Lingba sighed helplessly. "If this were a starship, it certainly couldn't be destroyed by this level of storm, but a vessel of this nature..."

Though Bai Lingba was not human, he carried an air of profound exasperation. Asking him to pilot such an ancient skiff that relied solely on natural forces for movement was asking too much.

He Yiming pursed his lips; the ominous feeling in his gut resurfaced. He turned and swiftly surveyed the ship’s cabin. Although the vessel was well-equipped, He Yiming paid little mind to most of the items.

He quickly packed some clothing and placed it into the spatial storage of his silver ring. However, before he could conceal the ring, he heard a clatter of noise nearby. Turning, he saw Bao Zhu dragging the rack used for roasting fish, with the brazier used for the cooking still draped over its back, laboriously making its way to him.

He Yiming glanced at the cooking implements, then at Bao Zhu, which looked at him with pitiful eyes and wagged its tail incessantly. Finally, with utmost resignation, he tossed these items into the storage space as well.

The ring’s space wasn't small, but after stuffing in so many things, it was beginning to feel full.

As soon as everything was secured, the sound of wind could indeed be heard faintly over the sea, growing steadily louder.

Initially, the wind on the sea seemed mild, maintaining a deceptively calm appearance, but soon, the air turned into a massive, unimaginably violent gale.

It raged across the surface, whipping up countless plumes of spray that grew ever higher.

The small boat spun on the waves. Although the high-raised sail had long since been lowered, before the mounting, towering waves, the little ship was like a toy, tossed up and down by the massive hands of the ocean, utterly deprived of freedom.

He Yiming stood with his feet braced apart in a wide stance, planted perfectly in the center of the boat.

The True Qi flowed ceaselessly within him; the Earth element was utilized to its absolute limit. He pressed down on the boat like a massive, ten-thousand-pound boulder. No matter how fierce the gale and surge, they could not easily overturn the vessel.

Of course, He Yiming had a contingency plan. Bai Lingba stood beside him, and he held Bao Zhu close.

He was not afraid of the storm at sea, confident that even if the ship were lost, the vast ocean could not claim the lives of the three of them. However, losing contact in the endless sea would make finding each other again incredibly difficult. Even with Bai Lingba’s tracking devices, He Yiming dared not take that risk lightly.

The waves grew larger and larger, the rolling swells resembling mountain ranges floating upon the sea, roaring as they crashed down upon the small boat.

He Yiming focused intensely on stabilizing the ship's equilibrium. The True Qi in his body surged violently, pouring into the hull like a torrent.

The power of nature revealed itself fully in this moment.

Mortal effort, even backed by the strength of a Venerable, appeared infinitesimally small against the true might of heaven and earth.

Yet, the more intense the confrontation, the brighter the spirit in He Yiming’s eyes shone. He was wholly immersed in the battle against nature. Each clash with a giant wave felt like a life-or-death impact. Every time he surfaced from a tumbling crest, his spirit seemed to undergo a grand purification, becoming infinitely clearer.

To maintain the small boat’s buoyancy amid this environment, preventing its descent under the relentless pounding, represented the absolute limit of what He Yiming could achieve. Only now did he truly appreciate the benefits of being a Venerable. If he had not successfully advanced, even if he could manage this feat, he would have long since run out of True Qi to sustain it.

But now, the vast, inexhaustible True Qi flowing from his Baihui point kept him constantly challenging new peaks.

Amidst the towering waves, He Yiming vaguely sensed the potent Water element saturating the air beginning to resonate with him. He was filled with joy; he even felt that if he could safely endure this trial of wind and wave, perhaps the clouds would soon part. This might be the very opportunity to condense his Water Flower.

He Yiming threw his head back and roared toward the sky.

The thundering cry pierced through the endless wind and rain, leaving its mark upon the tempestuous sea. His confidence swelled, spreading to an unimaginable degree, much like the boundless ocean itself.

But in that very instant, He Yiming tasted the bitterness of joy turning to sorrow.

The base beneath his feet shuddered violently. Then, the small boat that had been rising and falling with him could no longer withstand the force of the blow and was finally shattered by the massive wave that held boundless power.

Though He Yiming was a mighty Venerable, protecting the entire ship under his guardianship was now impossible.

He let out a lament, snapping instantly out of that miraculous state. All the insights from moments before vanished like reflections in a mirror or moonlit snow.

All he could see were surging, giant waves, the boundless blue water rushing over him, completely submerging him.