Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh...
The tide slapped both sides of the ship, its surging calls rising and falling in a long, lilting rhythm. The vessel rocked as it sailed. Through the round porthole, azure sky mingled with the shimmering reflections cast by the deep-blue sea, spilling into the cabin.
The play of light lent a touch of variety to the otherwise plain, sparsely equipped sailors' cabin.
Chu Yun sat cross-legged on the bunk, which was covered with white sheets.
He closed his eyes and meditated, the Drunken Snow Blade resting across his knees. Its blade gleamed like water, rippling with light.
In... out...
Each breath was deep and unhurried. Wisps of spirit qi flowed back from the Drunken Snow Blade, spreading throughout Chu Yun's body and quietly transforming his physique and bearing.
This world brimmed with abundant, varied vital energy, giving rise to a flourishing world of demons. Beasts, objects, plants—anything at all—could transcend its nature and become a Demon Beast, Demon Weapon, or Demon Plant, so long as it nurtured a certain degree of spiritual light.
Demons knew how to absorb vital energy. Their bodies were strong and imbued with spirituality, but they had little intelligence.
Humans were physically frail but highly intelligent. They couldn't absorb vital energy directly, the way Demon Beasts, Demon Weapons, and Demon Plants did. But through complementary cooperation, they could draw on the demons' feedback and absorb the purest, gentlest, harmless spirit qi.
This spirit qi spread through a Spirit Beast Master's body, silently transforming it and bringing about subtle changes. It steadily improved their physical strength and extended their lifespans. If the demon was of peerless quality, the spirit qi it gave back could even grant its master special abilities.
Chu Yun's Fire Eye was one such ability. By focusing his gaze, he could see fire-element vital energy. It was an enhancement of his vision.
Now, the spirit qi flowing from the Drunken Snow Blade was transforming Chu Yun's body.
After a while, Chu Yun slowly opened his eyes, exhaled a breath of stale air, and got off the bed.
He went over to the mirror and looked at himself. He was only thirteen, but after days of transformation by the Drunken Snow Blade's spirit qi, his frame had grown taller and his muscles had become powerful. Sparks of light flashed in his eyes, and a sharp aura radiated from him. He looked almost like a strapping eighteen-year-old!
That was the Drunken Snow Blade's spirit qi transformation: it could turn its user into a tall, powerfully built man with bulging muscles!
The Heavenly Fox's spirit qi, on the other hand, could change a person's appearance, making their skin as smooth and fair as snow, so delicate it seemed to break at a touch. It gave them exquisite, beautiful features and turned them into a pretty boy.
"The Heavenly Fox is still a Lesser Demon, so the spirit qi it gives back is warm as fire, but there isn't much of it. It's nothing compared to the Drunken Snow Blade, which is a Great Demon. The blade's spirit qi comes in a tremendous torrent. At first it feels cool, but then it turns hot as fire. It's like drinking fine wine—quite a special sensation."
Standing by the mirror, Chu Yun rubbed his nose as he pondered the Demon Beasts and Demon Weapons he possessed.
"These two streams of spirit qi are transforming my aptitude and physique at the same time. Since the Drunken Snow Blade is stronger than the Heavenly Fox, the change toward a burly build has been quite pronounced. But as their cultivation keeps rising, the tendency toward a pretty-boy appearance will ultimately become stronger."
There was no other reason.
It all came down to aptitude.
Every demon in the world, whether a Demon Beast, Demon Weapon, or Demon Plant, had an aptitude that determined its future achievements.
Generally speaking, low aptitude meant one could cultivate only to the Lesser Demon level. Medium aptitude allowed one to reach the Great Demon level. High aptitude was needed to reach the Spirit Demon level, while only peerless aptitude could reach the highest realm of demonhood—the Tribulation Demon realm.
Of course, nothing in this world was absolute. Aptitude could also be improved, but that required extraordinarily rare treasures of heaven and earth or a fortuitous encounter.
The Heavenly Fox had peerless aptitude. The Demon Weapon Drunken Snow Blade, by contrast, had only medium aptitude and could cultivate no further than the Great Demon level. Once it reached that level, it would encounter a bottleneck. No matter how many Demon Crystals it absorbed, its cultivation wouldn't increase. Beyond that, even if it were lucky enough to force a breakthrough and challenge the Spirit Demon realm, its blade would scarcely be able to withstand the lightning tribulation. Its chances of surviving the tribulation were so small as to be practically nonexistent.
For now, the Drunken Snow Blade's cultivation was higher than the Heavenly Fox's, so its influence on Chu Yun's body was stronger. But once the Heavenly Fox cultivated to the Great Demon, Spirit Demon, and Tribulation Demon levels, its influence on him would surpass the blade's.
"As long as the Heavenly Fox doesn't die, it looks like I'm destined to be a pretty boy... But looks don't really matter. In this world, what truly counts is strength, not appearance!"
Chu Yun sighed over the changes to his appearance. He took note of them, but didn't truly care.
That was certainly true. Strength mattered far more than looks.
Because the spirit qi their demons gave back transformed them, Spirit Beast Masters usually developed changes that set them apart from ordinary people.
Some had fiery red hair; others became thin as a rake. There were all sorts of unusual signs.
More extreme still was the Sunflower Needle. It was a famous, powerful Demon Weapon. If the Spirit Beast Master who wielded it was a woman, that was fine. But if the wielder was a man, he would become neither man nor woman, his voice turning strangely high and low. The thing between his legs would even shrink to the size of a needlepoint, leaving him impotent.
Then there was the famous Ruyi Staff. Its power was on a par with the Sunflower Needle, and it was renowned far and wide. A male Spirit Beast Master who wielded it would find the thing between his legs growing and shrinking, lengthening and shortening, changing every day and leaving him helpless.
Both of these Demon Weapons were of peerless quality! If either were left without a master, countless people would fight over them until their families were ruined and blood was spilled.
They represented strength!
With enough strength, one could have whatever one desired. As for spirit qi transformations, whatever form they took, they were insignificant compared with the increase in strength.
"The Drunken Snow Blade currently has 450 years of cultivation, but it's already hit a bottleneck. It needs to accumulate a huge amount of Demon Crystals before its cultivation can break through. There's another method too: reforge it, adding countless rare materials and treasures to improve its aptitude. But both are still far beyond me. For now, the Heavenly Fox remains my main focus."
The Drunken Snow Blade had passed through the hands of generations of Shu Family Island lords, and its battle record was illustrious. It had slain countless Demon Beasts. If not for its limited aptitude, it would have reached the Spirit Demon or even Tribulation Demon level long ago.
On one hand was the Drunken Snow Blade, which demanded investment with no telling when it would pay off. On the other was the Heavenly Fox, with its peerless aptitude. Naturally, the latter was more worth cultivating.
Chu Yun was clear-minded and knew exactly what he wanted. Having gained control of the Drunken Snow Blade ahead of time hadn't thrown his plans into disarray.
He sheathed the Drunken Snow Blade and slung it across his back. Then he opened the door and stepped out of the cabin.
The passageway wasn't cramped. It was bright and well-lit. Chu Yun climbed the stairs and headed toward the deck. Along the way, he saw quite a few boys, all thirteen, just like him. They were talented youths whom White-Browed Alchemist had gathered from various islands for this journey.
That's right. The ship he was aboard was the Treasure Ship bound for Green Mountain Island, where Heavenly Song Academy was located.