Finally, I Can Grow Stronger!

The icy river water pierced to the marrow.

Fang Xuan seemed to turn into a swimming fish, swiftly gliding along the bottom of the Pingjiang River toward a cove.

There were many Water Bandits along both banks of the Pingjiang River, each occupying one hilltop after another, but only one band had possessed both the nerve and strength to plunder official ships!

That was the Cao Gang, once active in Pingjiang City and at the height of its power!

Just how tyrannical had the Cao Gang been back then?

Even Pingjiang City's county magistrate had to bow and scrape when he saw the Cao Gang's leader, greeting him with, "Big Boss!"

It could be said that the current Black Whale Gang, compared to the Cao Gang of those days, could be summed up in three words—

The little brother's little brother!

It was only later that the Cao Gang grew ever more arrogant, until they finally brought down a monstrous calamity upon themselves. Five hundred armored cavalry came rumbling all the way from the prefectural city, bearing heavy crossbows.

Those so-called martial arts experts of the Cao Gang were as fragile as paper mache before heavy crossbows capable of razing cities and fortresses. After a single volley, they were riddled like sieves!

Fang Xuan remembered there had been an expert in the Cao Gang known as Iron Legs Water Skimmer, whose lightness skill was exceptional. He regularly boasted that he could pass through an army of ten thousand without a single leaf touching him.

Yet the moment he leaped thirty feet into the air, he was shot dead on the spot by a heavy crossbow, blasted into tofu dregs midair, leaving not even a corpse behind.

Later still, the Cao Gang leader fled for his life with some of the gang's remnants, transforming himself into a nest of Water Bandits on the Pingjiang River.

Though their influence was far less imposing than before, they were still not someone Fang Xuan, as he was now, could afford to provoke.

Therefore.

Almost the moment Yang Zheng suggested that he deal with those Water Bandits, Fang Xuan had formed an idea.

Rather than solve the problem, why not solve the person who raised it?

"Dragon Whale Technique!" As he felt his breath nearing its limit, Fang Xuan instantly set the Dragon Whale Technique into motion within his body.

Rumble, rumble~!

In an instant, Fang Xuan's blood and qi surged like a mighty river flowing without end. A thin layer of red film appeared over his body, while a black Jiao Mark emerged on the skin of his right arm.

As the Dragon Whale Technique circulated, Fang Xuan, who had felt slightly suffocated moments ago, only felt as though boundless breath lay hidden within him. The icy current turned warm as well. He seemed to become a great whale truly born to dwell beneath the waters, swiftly cleaving through the currents and waves toward a mountain ridge.

Not only did he know where those Water Bandits were, he had even crossed paths with them before!

Black Cliff Mountain. It was surrounded by sheer cliffs on three sides, impossible even for birds to cross.

The only way to reach it was to cross the Pingjiang River, where winds howled high and waves ran fierce—a naturally strategic and perilous location.

At that moment, at the foot of Black Cliff Mountain, a massive ship nearly a hundred meters long and dozens of meters wide lay quietly anchored.

On its hull, two enormous whales over twenty or thirty meters long lay sprawled across the deck, almost spanning it from side to side!

In the few remaining open spaces on the deck, lean Water Bandits dragged their blades and carried liquor as they patrolled back and forth.

"The Big Boss really is something else. With waves this huge today, who could possibly come here?"

A Water Bandit with a mole at the corner of his mouth grumbled.

"Exactly. And these great whales weigh at least tens of thousands of jin. Is there really anyone who could drag them away?" Another Water Bandit shook the empty wine jar in his hand, casually tossed it into the water, and sighed. "Sigh, everyone else is back in the stronghold drinking liquor, eating meat, and playing with women, while us unlucky bastards have to guard a few dead fish. What a bore! Mole, why don't you stick up your ass and give me a show?"

"Get lost!"

No one noticed that amid the ceaseless waves, a head slowly emerged from the water weeds.

"So this is a great whale?"

Fang Xuan froze slightly, unable to conceal the surprise on his face.

This was the first time he had truly seen a real whale. The sheer visual impact was far beyond anything he had ever seen on television in his previous life.

That tail hanging down from the deck alone could easily block dozens of black-awning boats, while the tongue extending from its jaws could probably curl up more than ten large pigs!

"These two great whales have already been bled. The whale blood should be stored in the ship's hold."

Fang Xuan's thoughts flickered as the light in his eyes shifted uncertainly.

His original plan had been to secretly take a few jars of whale blood and leave, but now he changed his mind.

How much whale blood could he take away alone, armed with nothing but himself?

Not only was it inefficient, the risk was high!

Rather than that, he might as well use the connection forged last time, broaden his horizons, and form a deep partnership with these Water Bandits!

"Still, before broadening my horizons, I'll take a few jars first!"

A sharp glint flashed through Fang Xuan's eyes. His body slowly sank beneath the water, and he swam to the stern of the great ship.

"Up!"

With a low shout, Fang Xuan reached out and gripped several grooves in the ship's hull. Like a nimble long-armed ape, he climbed several times in succession before grabbing the rail at the ship's edge. With another burst of strength in his hands, he stepped onto the stern deck.

The ship's hold was located on the stern deck. The two men assigned to guard the stern were standing by the ship's side, facing outward as they undid their waistbands to relieve themselves.

A gleam flashed in Fang Xuan's eyes. His feet tapped rapidly across the deck, and he slipped into the hold.

"Da Li Ge, I think something flashed by just now."

A drunken Water Bandit mumbled.

"What the hell do you mean, 'someone'?!"

The burly Water Bandit beside him shook out his arms, his eyes half-lidded as his body swayed from side to side.

"Big belch. It's the middle of the night—don't go pulling that spooky nonsense to scare me, kid!"

No one noticed that, as the two spoke, the wooden cabin door slowly closed without a sound.

A quarter of an hour later.

A crack opened in the cabin door, and a pair of eyes swept left and right through the gap.

The next moment, Fang Xuan strode out of the cabin, carrying two ceramic jars half the height of a man in each hand.

"Bandits will be bandits."

He glanced at the two Water Bandits, already dead drunk, and could not help shaking his head slightly before leaping into the river.

Ripples spread across the surface, then gradually subsided into calm.

"D-Da Li Ge, I... I think there really is someone—"

"S-Someone? Belch~ With waves this huge today, even the Dragon King would drown to death. Where would anyone come from? D-Don't bother me. Let me take a peaceful nap..."

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Towering waves crashed against the shore like thunder!

Fang Xuan hugged one large jar under each arm and clamped another two between his legs, steering clear of the heart of the massive waves as he swiftly swam toward the opposite bank along the riverbed.

His thick black hair unfurled in the water, making him resemble a powerful, agile merman.

Half an hour later.

At a haystack by a river bend, two large jars were flung onto the soft grass first.

Then, a towering, heroic figure emerged from the water in a single leap, carrying two more jars and landing steadily atop the haystack.

"Hah..."

Fang Xuan turned back to look at the river, where monstrous waves churned skyward, and could not help feeling a burst of relief.

In such a storm, even an ordinary fishing boat would likely have been overturned with ease. If his Dragon Whale Technique had not reached the Entry Level stage, allowing him to remain as immovable as a mountain underwater, those enormous waves would have long since torn him apart.

"Still..."

Fang Xuan lowered his gaze to the four ceramic jars, each half the height of a man, and a smile rose uncontrollably at the corners of his lips.

Each jar contained at least fifty jin of whale blood!

The whale blood in all four jars was enough to push both his cultivation and Martial Art forward by a great stride!

"Finally... I can grow stronger!"