" Xiao Yan, you should already know about my identity, right?"
On the pavilion, Xiao Yan and Hai Mochen sat facing each other. Not far away, Hai Zhantian stood alone, gazing idly at the distant horizon, occasionally lowering his head in thought, as if he were worried about something.
"Yes, Gu You once told me that your true form is the Sea Heart Flame, ranked fifteenth on the Heavenly Flame Ranking."
Nodding, Xiao Yan answered without hesitation.
Upon hearing Xiao Yan mention Gu You, a trace of melancholy flickered in Hai Mochen's weathered old eyes. Although they hadn't seen each other for a thousand years, they still cherished each other. Now that Gu You was gone, he was somewhat reluctant to let him go. But thankfully, seeing Xiao Yan now meant that their reunion was not far off...
"Indeed, my true form is the Sea Heart Flame. Although my ranking on the Heavenly Flame Ranking is not as high as that old fellow's, don't underestimate me."
"This junior wouldn't dare."
Hai Mochen made a teasing remark, and Xiao Yan quickly clasped his hands in greeting. Seeing this, Xiao Yan smiled and then said:
"Little guy, besides wanting my true form Sea Heart Flame, you must have come to see me for this as well, right?"
Hai Mochen laughed as he stretched out his palm, and blue flames immediately rose from his palm, quickly transforming into a tattered scroll. When Xiao Yan focused his attention on it, his eyes immediately blazed with intense light.
"This is... the Flame Mantra!"
This fragment is none other than a partial remnant of the Flame Mantra!
Gu You had told Xiao Yan that the other half of the Flame Mantra was in the hands of five people. Now that Xiao Yan had obtained the part that Gu You had, the only other person Xiao Yan knew of besides Hai Mochen was Ye Honglian. As for the other two, Xiao Yan didn't even know their identities, so getting them was a long way off.
Of course, it's too early to talk about those things now. The important thing is that if Xiao Yan can get his hands on the part of the Flame Mantra that Hai Mochen currently possesses, then Xiao Yan's Flame Mantra will naturally become more comprehensive. When he devours the Heavenly Flames, the level of his cultivation technique will naturally not be affected.
"Hehe, to be precise, this is only a part of the Flame Mantra. You have already refined the part that Gu You has. Speaking of which, the part I have is exactly what you need right now."
With a smile, Hai Mochen looked at Xiao Yan, whose face was burning with enthusiasm. As he spoke, he flicked his finger, and a stream of light shot into Xiao Yan's brow.
"This will remain inside you for now. You can refine it yourself whenever you have time."
Feeling the sudden surge of energy into his mind, Xiao Yan was startled, but he quickly calmed down, nodded with great joy, and after a while, gradually withdrew his excitement.
Hai Mochen was not in a hurry at all. He kept smiling as he looked at the young man in front of him, with a hint of expectation in the depths of his eyes.
"Could you tell me roughly what level your Flame Mantra has reached?"
Upon hearing Hai Mochen's question, Xiao Yan frowned slightly, pondered for a moment, and then replied:
"It should be equivalent to Human Class High Level cultivation technique."
" Human Class High Level... This won't be a significant help to your current cultivation level, yet you've still grown to this point. I must say, your cultivation talent is truly terrifying!"
Frowning, Hai Mochen, while somewhat surprised by the level of Xiao Yan's cultivation technique, couldn't help but exclaim in amazement. The latter smiled noncommittally and clasped his hands in a fist salute, saying:
"Senior, you flatter me. I was only able to break through thanks to a bit of luck."
"Heh, even if it was luck, not everyone has your kind of luck. You have to remember, in a way, luck itself is also a part of ability."
"On this continent, there are many people who are lucky, but there are very few who can truly grasp it. But since you can grasp this luck, it is already part of your strength. However, you must also remember that you cannot take chances in everything. To pursue the true strength, you still need to be down-to-earth. I believe this, you should be very clear."
Upon hearing this, Xiao Yan nodded solemnly, while Hai Mochen slowly stood up, looked back at the vast islands below the clouds, and felt quite emotional.
" North Sea Academy, it was just a spur-of-the-moment idea back then, but who would have thought it would last for a thousand years? Now, it's finally time for me to leave."
Xiao Yan stepped forward, glanced at the academy below, opened his mouth, but didn't know what to say.
"Hehe, you don't need to feel guilty. My existence is precisely to wait for your arrival; it's my duty. Besides, even if I leave, the academy will still exist, and everything here will remain; it's just that I won't be here anymore."
Hai Mochen patted Xiao Yan's shoulder lightly, looking relaxed, as if he had just gotten rid of a heavy burden, yet also with a hint of reluctance.
This is, after all, the academy he founded. No matter what he says, he will still feel reluctant to leave. Humans are not plants or trees; how can they be without feelings? Moreover, this academy has been with him for a thousand years.
"Old man, I'm planning to leave this place. What about you?"
Turning back, Hai Mochen turned his gaze to Hai Zhantian and smiled nonchalantly.
"Of course I'm going back. Do you think I'd stay and guard this academy for you?"
Hai Zhantian curled his lip indifferently. Seeing this, Hai Mochen smiled, changed the subject, and asked:
"How is your little granddaughter doing? If she comes out of the Undersea Void Realm this time, her cultivation should have reached the Nine-Star Dou Di by now."
"Hehe, that's for sure, that little girl has exceptional talent for cultivation..."
However, just as Hai Zhantian's laughter subsided, he couldn't help but frown. With a thought, a faint light flashed from the storage Storage Ring his finger, and then a palm-sized, deep blue bead appeared in his palm.
The moment Hai Zhantian got his hands on the bead, he crushed it without hesitation. At the same time, a light screen quickly formed in the void in front of him, and the scene displayed on it was a huge underwater vortex.
At this moment, under the watchful eyes of the three, the whirlpool was trembling violently. It could be clearly seen that streams of water were uncontrollably surging towards the center of the whirlpool, as if trying to fill it completely.
"This is information from my Sea Shark Clan... The Undersea Void Realm, damn it, something really did happen there!"
Upon witnessing this scene, Hai Zhantian's expression changed drastically. He never expected that what he had been worried about would actually happen.
"Where's Li Kang? Get that old bastard out here!"
Coming to his senses, Hai Zhantian immediately glared at Hai Mochen and shouted urgently.
"There's nothing we can do. Li Kang left for the academy six months ago and hasn't returned yet."
Upon seeing the information displayed on the screen, Hai Mochen also frowned deeply. He was well aware of the seriousness of the matter, but given the current situation, he could only shake his head helplessly.
He also didn't expect that something would happen in the Undersea Void Realm at this time.
"Where are the others? Aren't there any other formation masters in the academy?"
Hai Zhantian was getting anxious. There were no array masters among the Sea Tribe, and this task could only be accomplished by array masters. Therefore, he could only place all his hopes on the North Sea Academy.
"It's no use. Although there are array masters in the academy, there aren't any above the fifth rank. The Undersea Void Realm is a natural array, so ordinary array masters are useless there. We need to find at least one Fifth-Tier Formation Master now."
"Damn it! Where are we supposed to find Fifth-Tier Formation Master in this vast ocean?!"
Upon hearing Hai Mochen's words, Hai Zhantian was instantly enraged. Before he could even unleash any power, the void around him suddenly collapsed with a loud bang. This scene made Xiao Yan's heart pound with fear. Hai Zhantian's strength was truly terrifying!
However, at this moment, the void beside Xiao Yan suddenly distorted slightly, and then a somewhat illusory figure slowly appeared in front of the three of them, along with a confident smile.
" Fifth-Tier Formation Master, huh? In that case, there's no need to bother looking for one."