Black-Scaled Sea Python

Qin Chen could not be bothered to waste words on such a snob. He turned to leave.

Just then, several burly men with a thuggish air walked in through the door, blocking Qin Chen's path.

"Well, if it isn't Shopkeeper Li! Business is booming!" the scar-faced man leading them shouted.

"Oh, it's Brother Scar! Please, come in, come in!" The moment Shopkeeper Li saw Scarface, he put on a fawning smile and hurried over to greet him.

Scarface glanced at Qin Chen. Seeing him standing in the middle of the way, he waved impatiently. "Where did this wet-behind-the-ears brat come from? Get lost! Don't block my way!"

As he spoke, he reached out to shove Qin Chen's shoulder.

A cold glint flashed in Qin Chen's eyes. He shifted slightly to one side, avoiding Scarface's hand.

"Huh?" Scarface froze, seemingly not expecting Qin Chen to dodge his shove.

Feeling that he had lost face, he cursed angrily, "You little bastard! You dare dodge? You're courting death!"

Before he had finished speaking, he abruptly drew the saber at his waist and slashed down at Qin Chen's head.

The saber whistled through the air with menacing force.

Although Scarface was only a Late Houtian martial artist, he still counted as an expert in the eyes of ordinary people.

Before Qin Chen, however, his meager strength was beneath even an ant's.

Qin Chen did not even look at the descending saber. He simply raised his right hand casually and flicked a finger.

Clang!

A crisp metallic ring rang out.

Scarface felt an immense, irresistible force surge through the blade, splitting the web of his hand. The saber flew from his grip and slammed heavily into the wall.

"Aah!"

Scarface screamed, clutching his bleeding right hand as he stumbled backward, his eyes filled with terror.

"You... who exactly are you?" Scarface stammered.

At the sight, the burly men behind him also turned pale with fright. They drew their weapons, but none dared take a single step forward.

"Scram," Qin Chen said coldly.

As though granted a pardon, Scarface and his men scrambled and crawled out of the shop.

Shopkeeper Li had long since been scared witless and was trembling behind the counter.

He had never imagined that this seemingly ordinary youth was actually an expert who concealed his abilities.

Qin Chen walked up to the counter and looked coldly at Shopkeeper Li.

"You... what do you want?" Shopkeeper Li stammered.

"The sea chart. Hand it over." Qin Chen held out a hand.

"Yes... yes..." Not daring to ask for payment now, Shopkeeper Li hurriedly took down the enormous sea chart and respectfully handed it to Qin Chen.

Qin Chen took the chart, casually tossed down a few pieces of silver, then turned and walked out of the shop.

Although he had no shortage of spirit stones, he had no desire to be taken for a fool.

Those few pieces of silver were more than enough to buy this sea chart.

After leaving the shop, Qin Chen found an inn to stay at and began carefully studying the sea chart in his hands.

Though this chart could hardly be considered a top-tier treasure, it was an immensely valuable reference for Qin Chen, who was going to sea for the first time.

The chart marked the conditions of the waters surrounding the Qianlong Continent in detail.

Outside Linhai City, an enormous three-masted sailing ship was slowly leaving the harbor, heading into the depths of the boundless Eastern Sea.

This merchant ship, named the Windrider, belonged to the Four Seas Trading Company, one of the largest trading companies in Linhai City. It specialized in carrying out trade between the Qianlong Continent and several nearby offshore islands.

Qin Chen stood on deck, facing the salty, briny sea breeze as he watched the coastline gradually recede, a surge of heroic spirit rising in his heart.

"Finally out at sea." He drew a deep breath, sensing the spiritual energy in the air, a little denser than inland, and a smile curved his lips.

Xiaobai lay on his shoulder, looking around curiously and letting out a soft "meow" from time to time.

The captain of the Windrider was a seasoned old sea dog named Old Wang. Seeing that Qin Chen was young yet carried himself with distinction, and even had a seemingly ordinary white cat with him, he could not help feeling curious.

"Young master, judging by your attire, you don't look like a merchant on business. You look more like a young master from a prominent family traveling the world." Old Wang walked over to Qin Chen and struck up a conversation with a smile.

Qin Chen smiled faintly. "You have a keen eye, Captain Wang. I am indeed traveling the world."

"This is your first time at sea, isn't it, young master?" Old Wang pointed at the turbulent waters ahead. "The sea is nothing like the land. Winds and clouds change unpredictably, and dangers abound. You must take extra care."

"Thank you for the warning, Captain Wang." Qin Chen nodded.

Over the next few days, the Windrider's voyage went very smoothly. The weather was clear, the wind gentle and the waves calm. Occasionally, a few seabirds circled above the masts, adding a little life to the monotonous days at sea.

Qin Chen spent most of his time in his cabin, cultivating the Primordial Ancestral Dragon Art and the Heavenly Cycle Star Body with his eyes closed.

Although the spiritual energy at sea was slightly denser than inland, to him, it was still a cup of water thrown onto a burning cartload of firewood. He could only sustain his cultivation by consuming the spirit stones and pills in his Storage Ring.

It seems I must find an offshore immortal island rich in spiritual energy as soon as possible to meet my cultivation needs, Qin Chen calculated inwardly.

One evening, the originally clear sky suddenly filled with dark clouds, and fierce winds rose. Enormous waves several dozen feet high surged across the sea like roaring behemoths, pounding viciously against the Windrider's hull.

"This is bad! A storm!" Old Wang's expression changed drastically, and he shouted for the sailors to lower the sails and secure the cargo.

The passengers aboard also panicked, rushing into their cabins and praying that they could survive this disaster safely.

Qin Chen walked out of his cabin and stood on deck, his brows furrowing slightly as he watched the churning black clouds overhead and the fierce winds and enormous waves ravaging the sea.

"This storm has come rather strangely." He keenly detected a faint demonic aura permeating the air.

"Meow!" Xiaobai also seemed to sense something. All the fur on the cat's body stood on end as a low growl sounded toward the sea.

Just then, an enormous whirlpool suddenly appeared on the surface of the sea. At its center, the water churned violently, as though some colossal creature was about to break through the surface.

"What is that?!" a sailor shrieked, pointing at the whirlpool in terror.

Everyone looked in the direction he was pointing and saw an enormous monster covered in black scales slowly rise from the whirlpool.

The monster had a massive head, its blood-basin maw filled with sharp fangs, and a pair of scarlet eyes gleaming with bloodlust. A row of sharp bone spurs grew along its back, pointing straight at the heavens like swords.

"It's... it's a Black-Scaled Sea Python!" Once Old Wang saw the monster clearly, his face turned ashen with fright and his legs went weak.