Chapter 88: Sudden Epiphany At Sea!

The docks bustled with people. Dockworkers swarmed the wharf, hauling enormous wooden crates filled with goods. The work of handling cargo alone demanded tens of thousands of hands, a clear sign of just how prosperous trade in Zhanhai City truly was.

Lu Changsheng stood watching the great ships lined up along the pier. After a moment, he stepped forward and asked one of the dockworkers, "Are you heading out to sea?"

"Yes. We’re sailing back to Tuo Kingdom."

"Tuo Kingdom?"

During his time here, Lu Changsheng had learned a fair bit about the lands these foreign merchants had come from, and Tuo Kingdom was one of them. According to what he had heard, it lay extremely far away, more than ten thousand li across the seas. Even with favorable winds, a voyage there might take one or two years, and that was if everything went smoothly.

The journey to Tuo Kingdom was far too long for Lu Changsheng to even consider, so he kept asking around the docks. Each answer led to the same dead end. The foreign merchants were all preparing to return to their own homelands, places just as distant and unreachable. A single trip would take three or four years.

As for hiring one of their ships, that was simply out of bounds. Sending a ship to sea required vast manpower and resources, and offering a measly few thousand silver taels would just turn Lu Changsheng into a laughing stock.

As Lu Changsheng continued surveying the ships, a few crew members were chatting away while they worked. Among them were both foreign merchants and locals from Zhanhai City.

"Quick! Load all the cargo. We're setting sail."

"This round trip to Fire Dragon Island will take at least ten days, possibly even half a month."

"That's right. It's the season when the spices on Fire Dragon Island are ready for harvest. Bring some back and they'll sell like hotcakes. There's good money to be made."

Their conversation piqued Lu Changsheng's interest. Ten days to half a month would suit him perfectly. He had heard of Fire Dragon Island before, though calling it an island was almost misleading. It was vast enough to house the Fire Dragon Kingdom itself, famed for its spices, and it lay not too far from Zhanhai City.

Without hesitation, Lu Changsheng walked straight toward the ship. He was about to board when he was stopped in his tracks by two foreign merchants.

"I'd like to come aboard and travel with you to the Fire Dragon Kingdom, then return to Zhanhai City," he explained.

The foreign merchants looked him up and down, then shook their heads. "No. This is a ship of the Far Ocean Merchant Association. Outsiders are not allowed aboard."

"I can pay in silver," Lu Changsheng said, producing a silver note worth one hundred taels.

The two exchanged glances, clearly tempted. One hundred taels of silver was no small sum.

"No," one of them replied at last, firm once more. "As mentioned, outsiders are not allowed on board."

At that moment, a voice speaking Mandarin but in a strange, foreign accent came from behind Lu Changsheng. Turning slightly, he saw a foreign merchant walk past to board the ship, accompanied by a woman dressed in black with a cold, stern face.

The two foreign merchants hurriedly bowed. "Young Master Long Sha."

Unimpressed, Long Sha said in an icy tone, "You both heard me clearly, didn’t you? No outsiders are allowed to board."

He then turned toward the woman in black, and his expression changed at once into a smile. "Beautiful Lady Yun, please come aboard."

The two foreign merchants shook their heads and looked back at Lu Changsheng, their expressions dejected. "See? Young Master Long Sha does not allow outsiders on board. Even if you offer us silver, we cannot let you board."

"Long Sha..."

Lu Changsheng glanced at Long Sha and the woman in black, then immediately turned away. Even without this ship, there would surely be other large vessels heading to Fire Dragon Island.

But just as he turned to leave, he heard a familiar voice.

"Savior?" Sophie cried out, approaching the ship, beside herself with joy. The savior she had been thinking about all night had appeared again just like that.

Lu Changsheng recognized her, but more interestingly, she seemed to be heading toward the very same ship. He asked, "Are you boarding this ship?"

Sophie nodded. "Of course. This is a merchant ship of the Far Ocean Merchant Association. I'm planning to go to the Fire Dragon Kingdom to have a look around."

"I want to as well, but Long Sha denied me. Could you get me on board?"

"My savior, if you want to board, consider it done. I can't believe that fool Long Sha was about to offend my savior. Don't you worry about him. Long Sha might be my cousin, but I am the daughter of the Far Ocean Merchant Association's chairman. Whether you can board or not is not up to Long Sha. It is up to me," Sophie replied. She patted herself on the chest, brimming with unbridled confidence.

Lu Changsheng said nothing. As long as he could board the ship, that was all that mattered. He followed Sophie onto the vessel. This time, the two foreign merchants did not dare to stop him.

After all, he was a guest of the daughter of the chairman, a figure who commanded dozens of oceangoing ships and wielded immense influence among the foreign merchants. Naturally, Sophie held some of that influence herself.

Lu Changsheng was not sure what exactly she had said to Long Sha, but he was not aboard for long before Long Sha came to apologize personally.

Soon after, the great ship set sail, slowly pulling away from the dock and heading toward the boundless sea. Lu Changsheng stood on the deck, gazing ahead at the endless stretch of blue. This was his first time stepping onto the open sea. The ship itself was massive, yet when compared to the vast ocean before him, it felt like a single grain of sand, insignificant and small.

He watched the sea quietly. There were no winds or waves just yet, so he could not capture the intent yet. But Fire Dragon Island was still far away, and encountering rough seas was only a matter of time. There was no need to rush.

He was eventually joined on the deck by the black-clad woman who had boarded with Long Sha.

"You have offended Long Sha. He is quick to take revenge. You should be careful," she warned.

"You're not one of Long Sha’s people?" Lu Changsheng asked, a hint of surprise in his voice.

Earlier, it had been Long Sha himself who brought her aboard, yet now their affiliation seemed more convenient than congenial.

"I want to go to Fire Dragon Island, and Long Sha has his own motives. I merely went along with the tide," the woman said calmly.

It became clear to Lu Changsheng that the woman was not actually Long Sha's subordinate. In fact, she was using him to her advantage. She was fully aware of his desirous intentions toward her, yet she showed no fear at all. That meant she had either backup or absolute confidence in herself.

"Why tell me this?" Lu Changsheng asked.

They were strangers who had met by chance, with no prior connection. In the jianghu, random acts of kindness were rarely random.

"You can believe me or not. It's up to you," the woman said curtly as she turned away.

Lu Changsheng did not care whether Long Sha harbored thoughts of revenge. If Long Sha dared to act, he would simply kill him. That was what the persona of Dao Shier was meant to be. Free and unrestrained, acting according to heart, bound by no one and no rules.

Whether it was Zhuang Shisan or Lu Changsheng, both identities had been weighed down by countless restraints. Zhuang Shisan was a righteous and chivalrous hero who despised evil and injustice. As Zhuang Shisan, many things could not be done, or they would tarnish the reputation of a hero.

As for Lu Changsheng, though it was his real identity, the persona he wore was that of a physician with some renown from Miaoshou Garden, someone who wished only to heal the sick and live a peaceful life. Just like Zhuang Shisan, there were many things Lu Changsheng could not and should not do.

But Dao Shier could act as he pleased, following his heart without restraint or societal norms. It brought Lu Changsheng a sense of ease and release he had never felt before. Perhaps this was the kind of life he was meant to live.

As their voyage continued, the open sea, which had looked so grand at first, soon turned dull and monotonous. No matter how long the ship sailed or how far it traveled, the ocean remained the same endless stretch of blue, offering nothing but an unchanging horizon. Before long, Lu Changsheng grew tired of the sight. In the end, he stayed inside the cabin, waiting in quiet patience.

Sophie often came to shower him with attention. Lu Changsheng understood her intentions well enough. It seemed women from foreign lands were much more eager to express their feelings openly. Unfortunately for her, Lu Changsheng could not muster any interest at all. Whether openly or subtly, he refused her advances every time. Gradually, as disappointment set in, Sophie withdrew her advances.

One day, Lu Changsheng left the cabin and returned to the deck. He saw the woman in black there as well. Over the past few days, he had learned her name, Yun Haitang, though he did not know whether it was an alias. The two of them stood on the deck without speaking, quietly gazing out at the sea.

Then, a thunderous boom came out of nowhere. Lightning split the sky as dark clouds gathered overhead. The sails of the ship began to whip wildly, rattling and snapping in the wind.

"Wind's picking up! There might be a storm. Lower the sails, quickly!" someone yelled.

They were all experienced sailors, but encountering a storm at sea was never good news. A storm meant violent winds and towering waves.

"The wind's coming up..."

While the ship’s crew grew uneasy, Lu Changsheng felt something entirely different. As the gale howled and lightning cracked across the heavens, joy rose in his heart. Fierce winds would raise great waves.Where there was fierce wind, there would be great waves. Had he not come to the sea precisely to comprehend the Intent of the Threefold Waves? To grasp that Intent, the best way was to experience it firsthand, to stand among raging wind and monstrous tides and feel the sea at its most magnificent.

Suddenly, a huge wave slammed into the ship. The entire vessel lurched violently. People staggered and fell, scrambling into the cabin for shelter. Yun Haitang produced a whip from somewhere and lashed it around the mast, barely managing to steady herself. Lu Changsheng, however, remained on the deck. He did not move. No matter how the ship pitched and rolled, he stood firm, as if his feet had taken root in the deck itself.

A trace of astonishment appeared on Yun Haitang's face.

How is that possible?

Even a martial artist, no matter how abundant their blood qi or how steady their stance, could not remain firmly in place when a ship tilted like this. They would have to grab hold of something to avoid being thrown off their feet.

And yet, Lu Changsheng was undeterred. Almost every martial artist at the Divine Strength Realm could do the same. At this realm, consciousness and flesh were fused down to every single inch of blood and muscle, allowing perfect control over the body. For them, this was no difficult feat. It was merely a matter of gripping the deck tightly.

Lu Changsheng was doing just that. Though his shoes were still on his feet, he had actually exerted enough force to tear open the soles. His feet clung to the deck like suction cups, gripping it firmly. No matter how fierce the waves thrashed, they could not knock him down.

Truth be told, Lu Changsheng did not need to rely on the abilities of the Divine Strength Realm at all. He could have just used the Blood Qi Silk Transformation to transform blood qi into countless tendrils and stabilize himself with ease.

But as Dao Shier now, any skill that even faintly resembled Zhuang Shisan's abilities was best left unused, for the smallest familiarity could spark suspicion

So Lu Changsheng stood there on the deck, quietly immersing himself in the wind and the waves.

Boom!

Thunder continued to roll across the sky. Rain began pouring down in sheets, cascading like rushing water. Such was the sea. Wind and rain arrived without warning. A towering wave surged forward, and the great ship shuddered violently as sea spray swept straight onto the deck.

Lu Changsheng was struck head-on by the wave. His entire body trembled, and the sensation grew stronger by the second.

Not enough. Not enough. The waves still aren’t big enough. Bigger!

Lu Changsheng wished for the waves to swell with even more vigor.

The wind howled as massive waves rolled in, each one higher than the last. Lu Changsheng felt as though he were a reef amid the raging surf, enduring the relentless waves as they crashed into him. Much of the force was absorbed by the ship itself, leaving him with a lingering sense of dissatisfaction.

He stared at the churning sea. This was the power of heaven and earth. He couldn't help but marvel at how small a person was before such natural might. Even this massive ship seemed insignificant.

If I don’t experience the waves firsthand, how can I comprehend the Intent? Staying on the ship puts a layer between me and the truth. I can't truly feel the power of the waves like this. In that case...

A decision had already formed in Lu Changsheng's mind. He gazed at the rolling waves in the distance, his eyes burning with intensity.

Go.

He leapt and plunged straight into the sea.

Yun Haitang could hardly believe her eyes.

What is he doing?

Dao Shier had jumped into the sea of his own accord. With waves this violent, wasn't that a death sentence? But no matter how she looked at him, Dao Shier did not seem like someone who had a death wish.

Yun Haitang rushed to the side of the ship and looked down, but she saw nothing—only endless waves, surging and crashing relentlessly. Dao Shier was likely already dead.

What a pity...

Yun Haitang shook her head. She leashed her soft whip around the ship and carefully made her way toward the cabin. If she stayed out any longer, another massive wave might drag her into the sea as well.

At that moment, Lu Changsheng was already in the water, but he had not gone far from the ship. One of his hands was pressed against the hull as he allowed the waves to crash directly into his body.

While in the open sea, facing the waves head-on meant the force was several times stronger. Wave after wave struck him, leaving no room to breathe. If Lu Changsheng had not been a martial artist of the Divine Strength Realm, he would have been swept away long ago.

The true power of the waves... So this is the essence of the Threefold Waves.

Instinctively, Lu Changsheng felt that the Threefold Waves had reached complete perfection.

Threefold Waves: Perfection. Perception +15.

A line of small text appeared before his eyes, but Lu Changsheng was already immersed in a wondrous state of realization and did not notice it at all.

Lu Changsheng had originally come to the heart of the sea to comprehend the Intent of the waves, hoping to bring the Threefold Waves to Perfection. However, submerged within the sea now, he could feel a faint inkling that Perfection was not the end of this intent. Driven by his staggering 800 of Perception, he fell into a wondrous state of clarity. This was the rarest of gifts: a sudden epiphany.