Going to Sea for Actual Combat, Slaughtering Pirates

Half a month later, the Mystic Tortoise set sail.

Following the previous plan, Xia Yang boarded the Mystic Tortoise and went to sea with everyone else.

For Xia Yang, who was sailing for the first time, life at sea for such a long period was rather difficult.

On the third day at sea, the blazing sun hung high in the sky, its scorching rays pouring down onto the deck without obstruction.

Xia Yang raised an arm, barely shielding himself from the blinding light overhead.

Fine beads of sweat had already seeped from his temples.

"Xia Yang, catch."

Suddenly, Boatswain Zhang Feng's rough voice came from behind him.

Xia Yang turned at the sound and saw a straw hat flying through the air. He hurriedly reached out and caught it.

"Put this on. It'll block some of the sun."

Zhang Feng walked closer, a kind smile on his dark black face.

"Thank you, Uncle Zhang."

Xia Yang spoke gratefully, then placed the straw hat on his head.

With that patch of shade, he immediately felt much cooler.

At that moment, his father, Xia Shi, walked over and asked with concern, "Yang'er, are you getting used to life at sea?"

"It's a little tough, but I can endure it."

Xia Yang answered honestly.

Hearing this, Xia Shi laughed heartily and patted his son hard on the shoulder. "Good boy. You've got backbone."

As he spoke, he flipped his right hand and took out a set of clothes from his Storage Soul Tool, handing them over.

"Change into these."

"What are these?"

Xia Yang took the clothes and examined them curiously.

"These are the standard clothes worn by Soul Masters at sea."

"You're wearing a long robe from the shore, so of course you'll feel uncomfortable," Xia Shi explained.

Xia Yang weighed the clothes in his hands. They were made of breathable linen.

He looked around, and sure enough, all the crew members aboard wore similar clothes. No one was dressed in an exquisite long robe like him.

"Hurry and change. There might be a fight later."

Xia Shi urged him.

"Okay, I'll go now."

Xia Yang quickly entered the cabin. After changing, he returned to the deck.

This outfit was indeed light and comfortable. When the sea breeze swept past him, he could better feel its coolness.

Xia Yang looked down and found the outfit exceptionally light and cool.

Seeing that his son had changed, Xia Shi took a long saber from his Storage Soul Tool and handed it to him. "Your Martial Soul has no particular advantage in either attack or defense, so you should use a weapon in battle."

"Just use it as you normally do in practice."

"Understood."

Xia Yang took the saber, smoothly drew it from its sheath, and began practicing on the deck.

His moves were standard and proper, but somewhat stiff. Every strike carried the immaturity of a novice.

"Attention, everyone. Target: the Sea Tiger Pirate Crew. Full speed ahead."

Xia Shi gave the crew a loud order.

"Yes, Captain."

Sailor Zhang Fan skillfully handled the course, while First Mate Sun Chuanjun directed the Mystic Tortoise toward the Sea Tiger Pirate Crew.

They had already determined the enemy's location before setting sail. Now was the perfect chance to strike straight at their lair and let Xia Yang experience the baptism of real battle.

The crew performed their respective duties, while Xia Yang continued practicing his saber techniques on deck.

First, Xia Shi personally sparred with him. Then came Zhang Feng, and finally Sun Chuanjun.

After several rounds of sparring, Xia Shi said thoughtfully, "It seems practice alone is no longer enough. Yang'er needs to see real blood."

With that thought, he called a halt to Xia Yang's sparring. "All right, everyone, take a break."

"Don't let yourselves run out of strength by the time we meet the enemy."

Upon hearing the Captain's order, Sun Chuanjun, who had been sparring with Xia Yang, immediately sheathed his saber and stopped.

The two drank some water and rested briefly.

After sailing for most of the day, a white sea vessel finally appeared within the Mystic Tortoise's field of vision.

"Captain, the Sea Tiger has been spotted."

Zhang Feng, standing in the lookout post, shouted a warning.

Everyone gathered at the bow. Sure enough, a sea vessel about the same size as the Mystic Tortoise appeared not far away.

"Full speed ahead."

Xia Shi gave the order decisively.

The sails swelled with wind, and with the sea breeze behind it, the Mystic Tortoise shot toward the enemy like an arrow loosed from a bow.

At that moment, aboard the Sea Tiger, a pirate hurried to the Captain's Cabin door, pounding hard on the door panel as he shouted, "Captain, enemy ship spotted!"

The cabin door was violently shoved open, and a tall, one-eyed brute strode out.

The brute cursed as he spoke. "Where the hell did this enemy ship come from? Could it be some kind of misunderstanding?"

The pirate who had delivered the report said urgently, "Captain, it can't be a misunderstanding!"

"We just sent them flag signals, but they ignored us completely and charged straight at us."

After hearing this, the One-Eyed Captain immediately roared, "Damn it! Everyone, prepare for battle!"

At once, the Sea Tiger erupted into a chorus of howls and shrieks.

"Ooh—"

"Kill!"

"Hahaha!"

On the Mystic Tortoise, Xia Shi looked at the enemy ship less than three hundred meters away and listened to the clamor coming from it. He sneered disdainfully. "A bunch of idiots. Do they still not understand the situation?"

Sun Chuanjun laughed. "They're coming at us, which makes things much easier for us."

Before setting sail this time, Xia Shi had clearly stated that the purpose of the voyage was to temper Xia Yang.

Therefore, when choosing targets, Sun Chuanjun and the others had deliberately selected several weaker pirate crews.

The Sea Tiger Pirate Crew before them was one of those targets.

At that moment, the two ships drew closer and closer. Xia Yang could even clearly see the savage faces of the pirates on the opposite deck.

"Prepare to board."

Xia Shi shouted.

"Kill—"

A thunderous roar immediately erupted from the Mystic Tortoise. The crew drew their weapons and released their Martial Souls, their fighting spirit boiling over.

"Charge!"

At the command, the three strongest people aboard the Mystic Tortoise—Xia Shi, Zhang Feng, and Sun Chuanjun—leaped into the air and landed on the Sea Tiger's deck. Then they clashed with the enemy's strongest fighters.

The three from the Mystic Tortoise were clearly stronger than their opponents, so the battle had been one-sided from the very beginning.

The weaker members of the Mystic Tortoise, including Xia Yang, climbed up the rope ladders and boarded the Sea Tiger one after another.

The moment Xia Yang stepped onto the enemy ship, he encountered a pirate.

The man's Soul Power Level was similar to his own. Both were Soul Masters in their teens.

"These are opponents Father and the others deliberately left for me."

Xia Yang immediately understood his father's intentions.

He gritted his teeth, tightened his grip on the saber, and slashed at his opponent.

The pirate reacted quickly, immediately circulating his Soul Power and completing Martial Soul Possession.

"Martial Soul: Albatross. Body Attachment."

A layer of feathers covered the pirate's body, his hands transformed into sharp claws, and his physique grew more robust.

"Martial Soul: Bone."

Xia Yang silently circulated his Soul Power as well, releasing his own Martial Soul.

His Bone Martial Soul was extremely subtle. Without close observation, it was almost impossible to notice.

"Kacha."

One of the pirate's claws firmly seized Xia Yang's saber.

"First Soul Skill: Divine Wind Claw."

The pirate's free claw carried a green whirlwind as it shot straight for Xia Yang's chest.

The sharp wind from the claws made Xia Yang's skin sting.