Time slipped by, and in the blink of an eye, three months had passed since the battle on Luo Shen Island.
Over those three months, Divine Wind Island entered an unprecedented period of rapid growth. With the gilded signboard of a Star Palace Guest Elder behind it, neighboring powers, great and small, eagerly offered their goodwill. Some sent congratulatory gifts, while others proposed alliances. Even Tianxing City, which had always been at odds with Divine Wind Island, reined itself in considerably. Not a single Divine Wind Island cargo ship was plundered again.
Chen Ming understood perfectly well-they feared not him, but the Star Palace behind him. Still, he had no objection to riding that momentum. As long as it brought tangible benefits to Divine Wind Island, the means hardly mattered.
During those three months, Chen Ming's cultivation also grew increasingly stable. The bottleneck of the early Nascent Soul stage had loosened completely. The Nascent Soul formed within him through the Heaven and Earth Universe Art had grown to the size of a fist. Radiating a faint golden glow, it sat cross-legged in his dantian, drawing in and releasing vast quantities of spiritual power with every breath, nourishing his meridians and flesh.
He also made a breakthrough in cultivating the Star River Sword Canon. He had mastered all the sword formulas of its first three levels and could skillfully incorporate stellar power into his sword moves, greatly increasing their might. The third level's Star River Reversal was particularly impressive. Once unleashed, its sword light poured down like the celestial river cascading from the highest heavens, with power that startled even him.
One day, Chen Ming left Divine Wind Island alone, steering a small Spirit Boat into the depths of the Chaotic Star Sea.
His purpose was to find a rare ore