The sea monster seemed to have eaten its fill. Two days had passed without the slightest sign that it wanted another meal. Bored, Luo Qian found a good way to pass the time: cultivation. Ever since he learned he might be able to face his tribulation early, he had gone from bad student to model pupil, squeezing practice into every spare moment.
Another day passed before the giant beast finally stirred. The seawater inside its vast mouth shifted. Luo Qian went on guard at once. After a while, those enormous lips parted, and the Mirage Tide Pearl's glow gradually brightened. He dared not look back, afraid he would succumb to its lure. Once the mouth had opened wide enough for him to pass through, he hesitated no longer and quietly steered the Torch Dragon Boat out.
The instant he cleared its mouth, Luo Qian gave the rope a tug. It looped around the Mirage Tide Pearl, which flew back into his hand with a whoosh. The beast shuddered, sending water splashing in every direction. Slow to react, it took a moment to understand what had happened. Then the colossus flew into a rage. Luo Qian had already fled several thousand meters, but it soon spotted him.
With a deep, strange bellow like a bull's, the beast cleaved through the waves in pursuit. Lazy as it usually looked, its speed when angered was astonishing. It crossed several thousand meters in the blink of an eye. Seeing it draw closer behind him, Luo Qian urged the Torch Dragon Boat faster. But the beast was too quick. It caught up and lashed out with its huge, fishlike tail. Smack! The world spun before Luo Qian's eyes as the boat skipped across the water like a glass marble, bouncing several times before it was