Eve of Departure, Whose Thoughts Did the Sea Breeze Stir?

Lin Qingmo walked out of the Cultivation Room and headed along the corridor toward the team's base.

Pushing open the gate to the team's base, the scene inside made him pause.

Liu Erlong was sitting in a chair with his legs crossed, holding a cup of hot tea in his hand, looking like a behind-the-scenes boss in a gangster movie.

Seeing him enter, she raised an eyebrow, a faint, enigmatic smile playing on her lips.

"You finally decided to come out? I thought you were incubating eggs in the Cultivation Room."

"You need eggs to incubate them."

Lin Qingmo accepted the sarcastic remark without changing his expression.

Dugu Yan lay on the edge of the table, idly twirling a strand of her long, emerald-green hair in her hand.

Upon seeing Lin Qingmo, she immediately stood up, sliding her chair back half a meter.

"A-Qing, when are we leaving for that Sea God Island they were talking about in the group chat? I've almost packed my bags!"

"You call that packing your luggage?"

Ning Rongrong Youyou from the side, "You mean you're going to take the entire Heaven Dou City with you?"

Dugu Yan, without blushing or skipping a beat, said, "What's wrong with a girl carrying a few extra things when she goes out?"

"What if there's nothing on Sea God Island? What if there's not even a place to buy clothes?"

"We're going there to cultivate ourselves, not to go shopping."

Zhu Zhuqing leaned against the window, arms crossed, her voice as cold and aloof as ever.

"Cultivation and shopping don't conflict," Dugu Yan said confidently.

Before Lin Qingmo could reply, a pink and blue figure had already sprang up from the sofa.

"A-Qing!"

Xiao Wu pounced on him like a cannonball with a spring, her legs wrapping precisely around his waist and her arms around his neck.

Her long pink hair drew an arc in the air, the ends brushing against Lin Qingmo's nose, carrying a faint scent of herbs and trees.

Lin Qingmo caught her steadily and habitually ruffled her hair.

Xiao Wu squinted and rubbed against his chest, like a cat that had finally waited for its owner to come home.

"Is everyone here?" His gaze swept over everyone in the room.

"Everything is here."

Liu Erlong put down his teacup, the tea clinking against the cup with a crisp sound.

"These girls were even happier than during the New Year when they heard they were going to Sea God Island."

"You didn't see it, Chenxiang almost filled a whole carriage with her luggage just now, I made her empty it all out."

"Teacher!"

Bai Chenxiang's face flushed instantly, and even the roots of her ears turned pink.

"I just brought a few extra changes of clothes..."

"How many pieces of clothing are in five boxes?"

Liu Erlong raised an eyebrow. "Do you think I'm blind?"

Bai Chenxiang lowered her head, wishing she could bury her face in the cracks of the floor.

Lin Qingmo smiled and took Xiao Wu off his body and put her back on the ground.

Xiao Wu refused to let go, and instead clung to his arm, hanging on him like a human pendant.

He walked to the center of the room and clapped his hands.

"Now that you're all here, I'll make a formal announcement."

The women fell silent, their eyes all fixed on him.

Dugu Yan put down the hair in her hand, Ning Rongrong closed the Geography Records, Zhu Zhuqing turned around from the window, and Ye Lingling also raised her head from the corner.

"Three days later, the Imperial Fighting Team will set off for Sea God Island."

Lin Qingmo's voice wasn't loud, but every word clearly reached the ears of everyone present.

"The goal of this operation is clear: to achieve the highest possible level in the Sea God Trial, and to seize the opportunities to upgrade our Spirit Ring Age, receive God-Given Spirit Ring, and undergo Divine Power Baptism. This is our last chance to collectively sprint before the start of the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament."

He paused, his gaze sweeping over the crowd, his tone becoming more serious. "Remember, Sea God Island is not for tourism, it's for intensive cultivation."

"Act within your capabilities, and don't overexert yourself; that's my bottom line."

"Clear!"

The women answered in unison, their voices so synchronized it sounded like they had rehearsed.

After the crowd dispersed, everyone went back to pack their belongings.

The sound of Dugu Yan and Bai Chenxiang arguing in the corridor about "how many boxes of clothes are reasonable".

Ning Rongrong fanned the flames from the sidelines, while Ye Lingling and Zhu Zhuqing walked silently at the very back.

Lin Qingmo did not return to the Cultivation Room.

He walked alone out of the team's camp, through the Academy in the night, and came to the cliff edge of the Back Mountain.

The Heaven Dou Royal Academy was built against the mountain, and this cliff Back Mountain was his favorite place.

Standing here, you can overlook the lights of the entire Academy.

Looking out at the outline of Heaven Dou City, and further on the boundless darkness on the horizon, that's the direction of the East Sea.

A night breeze blew by, causing his short black hair to flutter slightly.

He took out the Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud from his robes.

The deep blue crystals shimmered with a warm glow under the moonlight, as if a miniature starry sky was sealed in the palm of your hand.

The light flowed across the crystal surface, each shimmer carrying a certain unfathomable rhythm, as if responding to a call from something thousands of miles away.

"Sea God Island..." he murmured to himself, his voice carried away by the night wind.

"Clatter!"

Footsteps suddenly came from behind.

Without turning around, Lin Qingmo knew who was coming.

Why are you here all alone?

Liu Erlong walked to his side and stood beside him.

She changed into a deep red robe, and the night wind made her fiery red hair flutter wildly, like a flame burning in the darkness.

"Just getting some fresh air and thinking about things."

Lin Qingmo didn't turn around. "Three days is a tight schedule; we have a lot to prepare."

"It's all arranged."

Liu Erlong crossed his arms.

"I've checked the route. From Heaven Dou City to the East Sea Coast, it takes about seven days by official road and fast horse. Once we get there, we'll need to find a boat, which is quite troublesome."

She paused, then turned her head to look at Lin Qingmo's profile. "As for Bo Saixi, can you be sure she won't attack us?"

Lin Qingmo remained silent for a moment.

He looked down at the Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud in his palm, its azure light flickering in his pupils.

Not entirely certain.

He said, "But she stated the ironclad law of Sea God in front of everyone in the Chat Group, treating everyone who comes to Sea God Island fairly."

"Bo Saixi is the High Priestess of the Sea God Hall. She may have her own selfish desires, but she cannot openly blaspheme the ironclad laws of the Sea God."

A person who has dedicated their entire life to the Sea God would not do such a thing.

He raised his head and looked towards the dark night sky in the east.

"At least once we're on the island, she shouldn't have any intention of killing us outright."

"As for the rest, we'll deal with whatever comes our way."

That's enough.

Liu Erlong turned around decisively, the hem of her long robe swirling in the air in an arc.

Get some rest.

Lin Qingmo smiled.

Liu Erlong strode away.

On the distant Sea God Island.

The waves were indeed crashing against the rocks, splashing up white foam with a sound like thunder.

Bo Saixi stood on the terrace of the Sea God Hall, facing the mainland, and remained there for Jiujiu.

The Sea Breeze tore her long blue hair into the air, obscuring her expression.

"Lin Qingmo."

She murmured the name.

The Heart of the Sea God is in her hands.

As the High Priestess, she had to obey the Sea God's choice.

This is her faith, the only thing that has never wavered in all her years of life.

But Tang Chen, Tang Hao, Tang San —these names, along with Qian Daoliu, Bibi Dong, and Lin Qingmo, formed a web that she found increasingly difficult to understand.

What should she do?

Bo Saixi closed her eyes and asked the Sea God in a voice only she could hear.

The Sea God did not answer her.

Moonlight filtered through gaps in the clouds, turning the sea into a fragmented, silvery-white expanse.

"Destiny..."

Bo Saixi stretched out her hand, her five fingers slightly spread as if she wanted to grasp something.

"You really like to joke around."

She closed her fingers.

The clenched palms held only emptiness.

The moonlight slipped through my fingers; I couldn't grasp it, nor could I hold onto it.

There was a long silence.

Then she slowly raised her head.

Her long, blue hair was blown by the Sea Breeze and spread out behind her.

A faint glimmer of light flashed deep within those calm eyes.

"Since you're coming..."

"Then I'll take a look."

"Who exactly are you, chosen by the Heart of the Sea God?"

The wind picked up.

The wind made her long robes flutter, and it shattered the moonlight on the sea into countless silver scales.

Waves crash against the rocks.

The sound was like the beating of drums.

It's like a countdown to fate has begun.