Opportunity

A thunderous "BOOM" echoed throughout the entire warship.

The ship's cabin was riddled with holes, looking as if it might fall apart at any moment. Intense shockwaves rippled outward, sending wood splinters drifting through the air. Through the jagged gaps, two blurred figures could be seen constantly clashing, the sound of metal striking metal ringing out without pause.

"Tell me, does your boss ever get tired of getting beaten up? It's been nearly two months, and the bandages on your Colonel haven't come off once." A group of people stood far outside the cabin, watching the battle within with expressions of practiced indifference.

"Like I said, our Colonel is just a battle maniac," a man dressed as a medic remarked from the side.

"No, he's more of a masochist."

"..." The medics fell silent.

"They're done. Go collect the body!"

Mo Mo said this as he opened the cabin door and walked inside.

The battle in the cabin had ceased. Sa Kaiyang lay on the floor covered in blood, though most of it was superficial; he hadn't suffered any major injuries.

"You really are a freak!"

Sa Kaiyang turned his head to look at Bai Ina, who was only slightly out of breath, and gave a bitter smile. "How can you keep getting stronger the more we fight?"

In the beginning, he and Bai Ina could at least fight to a mutual stalemate, but in just two months, the gap between them had widened with every encounter.

Now... after a duel, he could barely stand, while Bai Ina was only slightly winded. Such learning ability was enough to leave anyone stunned.

Bai Ina's face held no joy; instead, his brows were tightly knit. "How on earth does one master Haki?"

He had kept Sa Kaiyang around not only for the safety of the fleet but also to learn the techniques of using Haki. Yet, after two months of continuous dueling, Bai Ina still couldn't grasp the underlying principles of the power.

"Pfft, hahahaha! I take back what I said earlier!"

Hearing Bai Ina's question, Sa Kaiyang's dejection vanished, and he said with a proud face, "Your aptitude is just too weak. If you want to comprehend Haki, go practice for a few more years!"

Bai Ina's mouth twitched. He couldn't be bothered to argue with this jerk who would seize any chance to mock him. He turned to Mo Mo, who had just walked in, and asked, "How much further to our destination?"

"Well, I was just about to report to you. If this Eternal Hour Hand sent from headquarters via news gull is accurate regarding the distance mentioned in the itinerary," Mo Mo said, taking an hourglass-shaped Eternal Hour Hand from his coat, "we should be seeing the outline of that uninhabited island soon."

"Good. Notify everyone to prepare for landing."

"Yes!"

Mo Mo acknowledged the order and turned to leave.

After he left, the medics rushed in to begin bandaging Sa Kaiyang.

Bai Ina, meanwhile, began his own training after the intense duel.

But after swinging his blade a few times, the aura around Bai Ina shifted. Though his posture remained the same, something... something seemed to have been added.

As he swung his sword, Bai Ina slowly closed his eyes and relaxed his body. It was as if he had entered some profound state. Even though he was just standing there swinging his blade, for some reason, it gave the onlookers a sense of profound silence.

It was as if a vacuum had formed around him, muting the rustle of his clothes, the sound of the blade slicing through the air, and even his own breathing.

"This is..."

Sa Kaiyang, who had finished being bandaged, saw this scene and his pupils constricted. He let out an involuntary gasp but immediately clamped a hand over his mouth. He stared at Bai Ina's state without blinking, his expression shifting rapidly before settling into one of envy.

Bai Ina, however, felt nothing of his own transformation. In his perception, the world hadn't become quiet; it had become increasingly noisy. Countless strange sounds emerged from nowhere and entered his ears... no, not his ears. The sounds didn't reach his ears; they reached his soul, as if the breathing were echoing within his very spirit.

Black Blade Dawn continued to swing steadily, but every time it fell, a formless ripple seemed to emanate from it. It wasn't a shockwave, but an indescribable vibration—one that felt powerless yet razor-sharp.

Crack—

At that moment, a massive wooden plank from the ceiling, shattered during the battle, plummeted toward Bai Ina's head. Just as the plank was about to strike him, Bai Ina's eyes snapped open.

Black Blade Dawn seemed to teleport into the path of the falling plank, sweeping through it with a seemingly effortless motion.

The plank paused in mid-air, suspended in the void, and then... it disintegrated like dust, scattering in the wind.

That's right, in that single instant, the massive wooden plank had turned into dust—dust so fine it was invisible, vanishing the moment the wind caught it.

"What was that just now?"

Bai Ina regained his senses, his mind trying to recall the feeling, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't re-enter that state.

"What a pity."

Sa Kaiyang sighed, his expression filled with regret. "If that plank hadn't been there, you might have fully entered that realm and become a Great Swordsman capable of cutting through steel!"

Bai Ina frowned at this, pondered for a moment, and shook his head. "Even without the plank, I wouldn't have made it. I don't know why, but I feel like I'm missing a certain catalyst. Only when I encounter that catalyst will I have a chance to truly reach that realm."

"I see."

Sa Kaiyang nodded as if he understood, then asked, "And what is that catalyst?"

"..."

If only I knew.

Bai Ina rolled his eyes, too lazy to answer the idiot's question.

"Commander Bai!!!"

At that moment, Mo Mo's voice rang out from outside the cabin. "I see the island where the supplies are stored!"

Hearing this, Bai Ina felt a weight lift from his heart. His nerves had been taut throughout the journey, and now that they had finally arrived, he couldn't help but let out a long sigh of relief.

He took a few quick strides out of the cabin and saw the small island directly ahead.

However, after carefully observing the island, Bai Ina frowned: "Does the intelligence sent by headquarters contain any information regarding this island?"

Mo Mo pulled the telegram from his breast pocket and handed it to Bai Ina: "According to the telegram, the comrades transporting the supplies did not enter the island. Instead, they dug a pit outside the island to bury all the supplies, placing a boulder carved with square patterns on top."

Bai Ina took the telegram and read it from top to bottom. He looked up at the island straight ahead once more and shook his head: "Have everyone prepare to dock. Once we disembark and find the supply cache, load the ship and leave immediately. There is something wrong with this island!"

"Wrong?"

Mo Mo's expression shifted slightly. He instinctively glanced back at Sa Kaiyang before whispering into Bai Ina's ear: "An ambush?"

"I don't know, but it shouldn't be an ambush!"

Bai Ina shook his head, the sense of foreboding in his heart growing ever more intense as they drew closer to the island...

PS: Thanks to 'Qing Chen?', 'Long Sheng Yun Xiao De Shu Mi', and 'Book Friend 151113000630753' for the tips. Thank you for your support!

PS: Just got out of the Little Black Room, the update is a bit late.