"A gift?" Teng Qingshan looked towards the massive demonic beast in the sea with interest. "Hmm, this Thunder Whale King is the monarch of its clan, and it must have lived for countless years. It probably does possess some treasures. Ask it what kind of gift it has."

Li Jun blinked. "Brother Teng means we accept the Thunder Whale King's condition?"

"We accept!" Teng Qingshan stroked his chin and chuckled lightly. "Drifting all the way to the North Sea Continent. Besides cultivation, we need to find something interesting to occupy ourselves! A mysterious island to the northwest? I'm a bit intrigued now. And the Thunder Whale King is offering a gift, why refuse?"

Li Jun also smiled.

She immediately turned, grabbing the railing at the bow and letting out a series of roars.

"Roar~~" The colossal Thunder Whale King responded with a heaven-shaking cry of delight.

Instantly, all the thunder whales in the surrounding waters echoed with excited roars, each one acting as if it had just found a mate—utterly thrilled.

Seeing this, a flicker of doubt arose in Teng Qingshan's heart: "Something isn't quite right! Isn't it just a matter of going to an island to help them with something? Why would this make them so excited?" Teng Qingshan realized this matter must be unusual.

"Roar~~ Roar~~"

Li Jun and the Thunder Whale King conversed through their respective calls.

"Brother Teng!" Li Jun turned back to Teng Qingshan. "The Thunder Whale King said it didn't prepare the gift beforehand. We are to travel first, and it will dispatch subordinates to retrieve the gift. It likely will deliver the gift midway through our journey."

Teng Qingshan nodded; the lack of prior preparation was within his expectations.

"The Thunder Whale King asks us to first use a rope to bind one of the thunder whales to its dorsal fin, allowing the whale to tow our pitch-black wooden ship," Li Jun relayed.

Teng Qingshan immediately brought out the iron chain that connected to the anchor at the bow, separated the anchor from the chain, then hoisted the large bundle of chain and leaped from the pitch-black wooden ship into the sea.

"Roar~~" Following the Thunder Whale King's command, a thunder whale immediately approached Teng Qingshan. Teng Qingshan merely stepped on the water surface twice before leaping onto the back of this whale.

"This whale's back is truly vast, almost the size of a ship. It's just too slippery! An ordinary person standing on it might easily slip off," Teng Qingshan swiftly lashed the iron chain tightly around the whale's dorsal fin, securing it firmly to prevent slippage during towing.

Whoosh!

With a push of his feet, Teng Qingshan leaped nearly twenty zhang, jumping directly from the whale's back onto the pitch-black wooden ship.

"Roar~~" The Thunder Whale King's massive body also swam toward the ship. Its pair of giant golden eyes watched Teng Qingshan, radiating goodwill and excitement. Following several of its roars, the numerous thunder whales that had surrounded the ship immediately moved.

"Splash, splash~~" Every thunder whale gave its tail fin a mighty flick, kicking up a large spray of water, and darted into the sea.

In just a moment—

Only a little over thirty thunder whales remained nearby; all others had departed.

"Brother Teng," Li Jun said with a smile, "The Thunder Whale King has sent the rest of the whales back to their lair. Now it's discussing the matter of the island with the remaining ones!"

"Right, what is the name of the island we are heading to?" Teng Qingshan inquired.

Li Jun hesitated briefly before replying, "According to their beast language, it should translate to 'Iron Leaf Island'!"

"Iron Leaf Island?" Teng Qingshan grew curious about the mysterious landmass as well.

Following another roar from the Thunder Whale King, the whale towing their pitch-black wooden ship began swimming toward the northwest. As they started moving, Teng Qingshan noticed that this whale’s speed was far greater than the ship's usual pace.

The sails, which were meant to provide momentum, were now creating drag.

"I'll go lower the sails." Teng Qingshan quickly pulled down both sets of canvas. At this moment, he noticed the Thunder Whale King had swum right beside the ship, its golden giant eyes fixed on him while emitting a series of low growls.

Neither Teng Qingshan nor the Thunder Whale King understood the other's language, relying entirely on Li Jun as the intermediary.

"Brother Teng, the Thunder Whale King says... it is very grateful that you agreed to its request, and it says you are a true, powerful warrior," Li Jun said, covering her mouth with a smile. Teng Qingshan smirked. "I knew that Thunder Whale King wasn't foolish; it even knows flattery. Ask it what exactly we need to do on Iron Leaf Island."

Li Jun immediately turned and communicated with the Thunder Whale King.

A moment later, Li Jun reported, "Brother Teng, the Thunder Whale King said the task is not difficult. It's simply that the island is on land, and they, as thunder whales, are suited only for the sea; they cannot go ashore. Once on land, they are at the mercy of land demonic beasts or flying demonic beasts. It also said that if Brother Teng undertakes this task, it will be quite simple for you!"

"Demonic beasts?" Teng Qingshan frowned. "The matter isn't simple then."

The Thunder Whale King let out a few low growls nearby.

Li Jun continued, "In the center of Iron Leaf Island, there is a large tree, which the Thunder Whale Clan calls the 'Iron Leaf Fruit Tree.' The 'Iron Leaf Fruit' that grows on this tree is very important to their clan! It asks Brother Teng to go and pick the 'Iron Leaf Fruit.' This 'Iron Leaf Fruit' is useful not only to the thunder whales but also to other demonic beasts. Therefore, picking the Iron Leaf Fruit is relatively difficult."

"Iron Leaf Fruit?" Teng Qingshan was slightly surprised. "Ask the Thunder Whale King if humans can eat that fruit. If there are many, we might sample a couple."

Li Jun's eyes lit up, and she turned to ask the Thunder Whale King.

In the ocean, the thirty-odd thunder whales, led by the King, escorted the pitch-black wooden ship westward.

"Cannot be eaten!" Li Jun turned back with a wry smile toward Teng Qingshan. "The Thunder Whale King says the Iron Leaf Fruit is incredibly hard, just like steel. Only powerful demonic beasts can chew it and swallow it. If we humans ate it, I'm afraid—"

"Like steel?" Teng Qingshan was stunned.

A fruit like steel? And demonic beasts fight over it?

Truly, the Great Thousand World held endless wonders!

Pulled by the thunder whales, the pitch-black wooden ship cut through the waves swiftly.

The following night.

"Hoooo~~~" The icy night wind blew.

Teng Qingshan was practicing the Three-Body Stance on the deck, while Li Jun had already retired to the cabin to sleep. The thirty-odd thunder whales had stopped in the sea area, merely floating on the surface to rest. Even though they were demonic beasts, they could not rest indefinitely.

"Roar~~~" Suddenly, a loud roar echoed.

Teng Qingshan stopped immediately and looked out over the sea, seeing the Thunder Whale King swimming toward the pitch-black wooden ship.

"Xiao Jun, Xiao Jun." Teng Qingshan knocked twice on the cabin door.

Soon, whoosh—the cabin door opened, and Li Jun emerged with her long hair unbound. Her left cheek was slightly red, marked by the imprint of the pillow, indicating she had been sleeping soundly. "Brother Teng, I got up the moment I heard that roar."

"What does the Thunder Whale King want?" Teng Qingshan was puzzled. The King had rested quietly the first night and hadn't disturbed them. Why was it acting this way in the middle of the second night? Even summoning its subordinates shouldn't require such a loud call.

"Roar~~" The Thunder Whale King gazed at the pitch-black wooden ship with its golden eyes.

Joy flashed across Li Jun's face. "Brother Teng, the Thunder Whale King says its subordinates have just delivered the gift, and it wants us to receive it!" Hearing this, Teng Qingshan also looked curiously down at the Thunder Whale King in the water below.

"Whoosh!"

The Thunder Whale King opened its mouth and shot a stream of air above the pitch-black wooden ship.

Teng Qingshan clearly saw a green bead contained within the airflow. He leaped up instantly, stretching out his hand to grasp the green orb. Bang! Teng Qingshan landed back on the deck of the pitch-black wooden ship.

"What is this bead?" Teng Qingshan examined it closely.

The bead was about the size of a pigeon's egg, entirely emerald green, possessing a captivating hue. Touching it, Teng Qingshan could sense a powerful yet mysterious energy contained within.

"Roar~~" "Roar~~" Beside him, Li Jun communicated with the Thunder Whale King.

"Brother Teng, the Thunder Whale King says this bead is a treasure of the ocean. If crushed and swallowed, it can save one's life. Besides that, if worn on the body, it prevents water from approaching within half a zhang, granting the ability to repel water," Li Jun explained, somewhat excitedly.

Teng Qingshan looked at the green bead; capable of saving a life and repelling water, it was indeed excellent.

He handed it to Li Jun. "Xiao Jun, you keep this Water-Repelling Green Bead with you. It will prevent you from falling into the sea and drowning if we encounter danger. In the sea, having this bead means you won't drown at least."

"Drown?" Li Jun did not refuse and happily accepted it.

"Xiao Jun!" Teng Qingshan asked curiously, "What is this beast language all about? I feel like... you understand the beast language of quite a few demonic beasts. Did you learn so much in just half a year?"

Li Jun gave a knowingly mysterious smile. "Brother Teng, you are mistaken! It's not easy to form a language. For example, some demonic beasts are extremely rare; there are only two or three in the entire world. And it's not guaranteed these few ever meet each other. Do you think they would form a special beast language?"

Teng Qingshan suddenly began to understand.

"Although there are various types of beast languages, it's not as complex as you might imagine!" Li Jun laughed. "For instance, the beast languages of wolf-type demonic beasts and leopard-type demonic beasts are quite similar. Some special demonic beasts, however, have non-specialized languages."

"So, understanding a few major beast languages is enough. As for a remote or obscure dialect, one needs to dedicate effort and comprehension to grasp it."

"Learning beast language requires talent."

"Even for an obscure dialect, if I stay with that type of demonic beast for three to five months, I can grasp eight or nine tenths of it." Li Jun's words carried a confidence that wasn't arrogance, but a testament to her strength in beast language. The Beast King only took two disciples, yet in half a year, her achievements surpassed Senior Brother Wan's after more than a decade.

Even the Heavenly God Palace placed great importance on cultivating Li Jun.

"Xiao Jun, your unannounced departure this time—if a genius in beast language like you disappeared, the Heavenly God Palace would likely search the entire world for you," Teng Qingshan joked lightly.

"Brother Teng, you are teasing me again."

Li Jun lowered her head to look at the green bead in her hand. The thought that Teng Qingshan had given it to her filled her with joy. Suddenly, a thought struck her. "Brother Teng, if this green bead, when ground up, can save a life, then the 'Iron Leaf Fruit' on Iron Leaf Island, even though it's as hard as steel—if it were ground up and swallowed, might it also have a special effect?"