Chen Ming concealed his aura and slipped soundlessly through the island's buildings and woods like a ghost, creeping toward that unfamiliar presence. Now that he had reached the Nascent Soul Stage, with his aura fully suppressed, no one could possibly detect him unless their divine sense was equally strong.
He skirted the harbor, avoided the patrolling disciples, and quietly entered the sea from a secluded rocky beach on the island's western side. The seawater was icy, but he paid it no mind. Circulating his spiritual power, he formed a thin barrier around his body to keep the water out.
Like a fish, he sped through the water toward the small Spirit Boat.
The distance steadily narrowed.
He could now clearly make out the Spirit Boat-a pitch-black vessel, only about thirty feet long and ten feet wide. Its sleek hull had clearly undergone special modifications for high-speed travel and covert operations. The person aboard still wore a black cloak, with the hood pulled low over most of his face, leaving only a sharply defined chin exposed.
The man seemed unaware of Chen Ming's approach. He remained seated quietly aboard the Spirit Boat, gazing toward Divine Wind Island as though waiting for something.
Chen Ming swam underwater until he was about two hundred feet from the Spirit Boat, then stopped. Rather than attack immediately, he first examined his surroundings-the sea was calm, with no sign of other vessels or cultivators. There was only that one man aboard the Spirit Boat, and no ambush.
Once he confirmed there was no trap, Chen Ming decided to strike.
He drew a deep breath, and the power of his Nascent Soul erupted. Like an arrow loosed from a bow, he shot out of the water, raising a towering column of spray as he hurtled toward the