Chapter 236 The Pearl (1)

Heavenly Jewel Change

As the great ship on the surface began to spin around due to the power of the whirlpool below it, the people aboard the ship felt gripped by despair. Although their vessel was not lacking in powerhouses, they were deep in the ocean. They would be doomed if a powerful Heavenly Beast caused their ship to sink. Even Heavenly King powerhouses wouldn’t be able to rely on themselves to fly all the way back to land.

However, after the ship spun about for a period of time it actually began to settle down once more. The giant turtle didn’t actually launch an attack. What had just happened? Had the big creature chosen to give up on attacking them? Just as everyone was feeling puzzled, they suddenly heard people crying for help.

Floating above the ship was a gray-robed elder who looked like he was seventy or eighty years old. He had been the one controlling and maintaining the barrier protecting the ship. If it hadn’t been for him, the ship would’ve been destroyed long ago. Next to him were ten-plus Heavenly Jewel Masters. When they heard the cries for help, the gray-robed elder immediately waved his hand and said, “Go take a look.”

A number of people immediately ran over to the side of the boat and stared towards the ocean waters. They were vaguely able to make out two struggling figures that looked like they were at the verge of drowning.

“Grandmaster Guyu, there’s two people in the sea. They look like they can’t hold on for much longer,” a sailor said hurriedly.

The gray-robed elder named Grandmaster Guyu frowned. “Two people? How could there be humans so deep in the sea? Save them first, I suppose.” While speaking, he led his Heavenly Jewel Masters to the side of the boat and stared down as well. He had been worried that they might have encountered enemies in the ocean, but when he saw Zhou Weiqing and Shangguan Bing’er the worried look vanished from his face.

This was because he could immediately see how young the two of them were. A Heavenly Jewel Master’s power was closely correlated to his age. Zhou Weiqing and Shangguan Bing’er looked like they were less than twenty years of age. Even if they really were Heavenly Jewel Masters, how strong could they be? The old man immediately waved his hand, having someone throw down a rope to save Zhou Weiqing and Shangguan Bing’er.

After the two climbed up and reached the decks, they couldn’t help but sway and nearly fall. The people of the ship could see that they seemed to be extremely weak. The two of them had actually used Heavenly Energy to make their faces look rather ashen, but in truth the only thing they felt was excitement! Even though they were still on the ocean, the feeling of standing on something solid was absolutely wonderful.

Zhou Weiqing sat down on his rear and said in a sincere voice, “We’ve finally been rescued. Thank you. Thank you all.”

The gray-robed elder looked at the two of them, puzzled. “My young friends, where are you from? Why are you so deep in the ocean?”

Zhou Weiqing and Shangguan Bing’er had already settled upon a story. He didn’t hesitate at all, smiling bitterly as he said: “My humble wife and I had come out to hunt ocean beasts, but our ship accidentally ran into a Terror Sea Dragon. Even though we were merely buffeted by its passing, our ship was completely destroyed. My humble wife and I have been drifting on the sea ever since. Thankfully, we’re both Heavenly Jewel Masters and have far stronger bodies than ordinary people. Otherwise, we probably wouldn’t have survived for as long as we did. Thank you all for saving our lives.”

The gray-robed elder’s eyes flickered. “You are also Heavenly Jewel Masters?” He was the only person who still appeared calm and unperturbed. Everyone else’s faces turned completely ashen when they heard Zhou Weiqing say the words ‘Terror Sea Dragon’. It must be remembered that these creatures were like gods in this vast ocean. Running into one was the same as running into a god of death.

Zhou Weiqing nodded. “Right! My humble wife and I are both Heavenly Jewel Masters, but we’ve depleted a rather large amount of our Heavenly Energy. There’s no way for us to prove it to you right now. I’d like to ask you to bring us back to the continent. We’ll definitely repay you for this.”

While speaking, Zhou Weiqing kept a close look on the others around him. The gray-robed elder had an ordinary-looking face, but his eyes blazed with intelligence. His Heavenly Energy was reserved, but he was definitely a Heavenly King powerhouse. No wonder these people dared to venture deep into the sea. It was because they had a powerhouse like him standing guard over them!

Aside from the gray-robed elder, there were also five middle-aged men with strong cultivation bases, at least at the seven-Jeweled level or higher. The other seven or eight remaining Jewel Masters were all youths, both male and female. They gazed at Zhou Weiqing and Shangguan Bing'er with predominately curious looks. On the whole, they didn't seem to be hostile and they looked like decent people.

But of course, this was only a preliminary conclusion based on the man’s appearance. While he was inspecting them, they were inspecting him as well. The sincere look of gratitude in his eyes caused their wariness towards him to diminish.

Zhou Weiqing wasn’t putting on a show in that regard. He was sincerely excited to meet these people! Just having other people he could talk to was a wonderful thing. He had spent a long period of time with just Bing’er in the ocean. Now that he had other humans in front of him, he was so happy he could cry. And it must be remembered that he had a very resilient spirit! Someone else might’ve broken down after just ten days.

The gray-robed elder slowly walked towards Zhou Weiqing, then reached out with a shriveled old hand. Zhou Weiqing was briefly startled but quickly understood what the old man intended. He reached out with his own hand as well, allowing the gray-robed man to feel his pulse.

A powerful surge of Heavenly Energy instantly surged from the gray-robed elder’s hand into Zhou Weiqing’s body, causing it to tremble slightly. The grateful look on his face became even more sincere.

Zhou Weiqing was protected by his Saint Energy and the ring which Tang Xian had given him all those years ago. For him to disguise his true power was simplicity itself. Not even Heavenly Emperors would be able to penetrate his active disguise and discover his true power without actually fighting him, to say nothing of Heavenly Kings.

A look of surprise appeared on the gray-robed elder’s face after his quick inspection. “Kid, you aren’t bad at all! You are very young but have already reached the five-Jeweled level. Your future potential is limitless! For us to meet here is a form of destiny. Since we’ve saved you, stay with us for now. Come! Someone give these two a room of their own, then give them some food. We’ll talk after they settle in.”

“Understood.” A sailor immediately walked over, helping them to their feet. Shangguang Bing’er and Zhou Weiqing leaned on each other, stumbling slightly as they walked into the cabin.

When they finally vanished, the middle-aged man next to the old man named Guyu whispered, “Grandmaster, don’t they seem suspicious to you?”

Guyu shook his head. “That young man trains in a very just and orthodox type of technique, and he isn’t weak. Furthermore, even if our enemies wanted to send someone after me, there’s no way they would risk the depths of the oceans to do it. It should be a coincidence. A five-Jeweled cultivation level… even if they come with bad intentions, they won’t be able to cause my trouble. We were unlucky on this trip. I can’t believe that we actually ran into a beast as terrifying as the Xuanwu Demon Turtle. Still, we’ve already profited enough on this trip. Order the captain to return.”

“Yes, Grandmaster.”

Zhou Weiqing and Shangguan Bing’er naturally had no idea what these people were doing here. Once they entered the simple cabin they were assigned to, they couldn’t help but let out celebratory whoops and hug each other tightly.

Without question, they were now extremely close to the Xuantian Continent. They had even run into other humans! The loneliness they had felt was naught but a distant memory. Given how well he could hide his power, Zhou Weiqing felt certain that these people wouldn’t pay too much attention to him. So long as they behaved in an honest and obedient manner, they wouldn’t suspect too much. Riding this boat back to the Xuantian Continent was much more comfortable to them than travelling on their own. Besides… even if the people on this ship DID have evil designs, the two weren’t afraid.

A short while later, someone came to deliver food to them. It was actually a steaming bowl of fish soup! Zhou Weiqing instantly felt even more well-disposed towards the people on this ship. When he had pretended to be in a dangerous situation, they had taken pity on him and ‘saved’ him.

The two lay there on the bed, taking a long rest. Although the cabin was rather crude, they were overwhelmed with delight when they saw the crude wood furnishings. This joy came from the very depths of their soul! Oftentimes, we only understand how valuable something is once we lose it.

The skies slowly darkened. Just as the two were about to doze off, someone began to bang on their cabin door.

Zhou Weiqing sat up and opened the door, only to see a young man he had seen earlier during the day standing outside. The young man said, “Come and follow me. Grandmaster Guyu wishes to see you.”

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