The Giant Vessel
After a long and tiring journey, three days passed in the blink of an eye.
Dongfang Yueming finally arrived at the border city of the Great Han Dynasty. Compared with the cities of the Great Xia Dynasty, this city was even more magnificent and grand, with towering city walls that reached into the clouds, covered with marks of swords and axes, exuding an aura of iron-blooded ruthlessness. At the city gate, people and vehicles flowed back and forth in great numbers, making it exceptionally prosperous.
A long queue had formed at the entrance, where several heavily armed guards in standard armor were checking those entering the city.
A plainly dressed martial artist bowed and scraped before the guards, obediently paying an entrance fee before being allowed to pass. He walked quickly past with a fawning smile.
Immediately afterward, a middle-aged man in fine clothes, with a composed demeanor and sharp eyes, walked over. Upon seeing him, the guards immediately became respectful and bowed, saying, "Lord Jiao!"
Someone nearby whispered, "That's Jiao Xiaotian, the third master of the Jiao Clan! The Jiao Clan is one of the three great families in Cold Wind City!"
Jiao Xiaotian nodded slightly and went straight into the city; no one dared to stop him.
The procession moved forward slowly. When it was the turn of the burly martial artist at the front, the guard pointed to a weight-measuring stone weighing several thousand kilograms. The martial artist took a deep breath, exerted his strength, and barely lifted the boulder off the ground. The guard nodded, indicating that he could pass.
It was finally Dongfang Yueming's turn.
"Boy, entrance fee!" A guard looked him up and down, his tone impatient.
Dongfang Yueming frowned slightly. "It seems that Lord Jiao and the martial artist who carried the stone did not pay the fee?"
These words drew chuckles from the passersby in line. "That's the Third Master of the Jiao Clan, a man of noble status! The one behind him can lift the strength-testing stone, proving he's at least a master of the Bone Forging Realm! Kid, you're so young, you'd better just pay up!"
The guard snorted coldly, his nostrils flaring as he declared, "The Great Han Dynasty does not welcome the weak! You either need status or strength! To be exempt from the entrance fee, you must at least reach the Marrow Cleansing Realm!"
"Oh?" Dongfang Yueming's lips curled into a playful smile. "How do you know I'm not?"
After saying that, he walked to a larger measuring stone next to him. The stone was dark and heavy, and looked to be at least tens of thousands of kilograms! To everyone's astonishment, he casually raised one hand!
Boom!
He lifted the heavy boulder above his head with ease, as if it were a straw!
"Hiss--!!!"
A collective gasp filled the air! Everyone was stunned by what they saw!
The guard's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. His impatience vanished instantly, replaced by utter shock and awe! He quickly put on a fawning smile, "M-Sir! I was blind to your greatness! Please! Please come in!"
Dongfang Yueming put down the boulder, clapped his hands, and asked calmly, "Do you know where to board the giant ship that goes to the Central Continent?"
The guard quickly nodded and bowed, pointing out the direction.
Passersby, watching Dongfang Yueming's retreating figure, exclaimed in admiration, "Such formidable strength! To have reached such a level at such a young age, truly a genius!"
But some shook their heads in regret. "What a pity! His talent is strong, but rushing to the Central Continent like this is probably not enough. That place is a true den of dragons and tigers!"
Ignoring the chatter of those around him, Dongfang Yueming walked straight in the direction the guard had indicated. Passing through the bustling city, he headed east and finally arrived at a vast, boundless seaside harbor.
On the azure sea, an unimaginably enormous ship lay silently anchored! Its size resembled a moving mountain, with its layers of towering buildings reaching into the clouds, its entire body shimmering with metallic luster, runes flowing around it, radiating powerful energy fluctuations!
A large crowd had gathered around, pointing and exclaiming in amazement at the enormous vessel.
"Is this the ' Wave-Breaking Divine Vessel ' heading to the Central Continent? It's truly magnificent!"
"Yes, I've heard that every voyage is extremely dangerous. The fact that it can safely navigate the raging seas is all thanks to the power of this divine spacecraft!"
"That's right! The vast ocean is fraught with danger, not only with terrifying storms but also with countless powerful sea Ferocious Beast! Without Grandmaster- level expert to guard it, it's simply impossible to cross!"
"Alas, so many people embarked on this ship with dreams in their hearts, only to never return, perishing in the belly of the fish..."
Listening to the crowd's discussion, Dongfang Yueming stepped forward and asked a well-informed middle-aged man, "Excuse me, sir, what are the requirements to board this giant ship?"
The middle-aged man glanced at Dongfang Yueming, and seeing that he was young, casually replied, "Want to board the ship? Either you have the money to bid on an expensive ticket at the auction, or you have the strength, or rather, the luck to hunt down a high-level sea Mortal Beast. However..."
He shook his head, thinking to himself, "Why bother asking about this? He's obviously a greenhorn, penniless and powerless. Going to the Central Continent is just suicide."
Dongfang Yueming understood. "Fortunately, it's just High-Level Mortal Beast." This was not a difficult task for him.
Seeing that Dongfang Yueming seemed genuinely interested, the middle-aged man couldn't help but say a few more words, "Young brother, do you really want to venture out? I advise you to think it over. At the same level, human martial artists are already difficult to match with tough-skinned Mortal Beast, let alone in the vast ocean. Terrain limitations greatly reduce the strength of martial artists, while Mortal Beast in the sea thrive like fish in water, their strength multiplying! Unless you are a local expert who has lived by the sea for generations and is familiar with the water, otherwise..." His implication was self-evident.