For Luo Chen to create a cultivation technique from scratch was impossible. Such a task required a certain understanding of nature's workings and the fundamental laws of existence. In his view, the Nascent Soul Realm was the minimum qualification for even attempting it, and even then, an ordinary early-stage Sage might not create something worth practicing. But this was not creating something out of nothing; it was merely taking existing elements, combining them, and modifying them as necessary. Luo Chen had enough knowledge and experience with such things, and now that he had inspected Heavenjade's body, he also knew where certain adaptations might be needed.

Moreover, Luo Chen possessed something nobody else did—the status panel, the most perfect tool to verify his experiments. Once his work reached a certain stage, he could rely on the system to determine whether the technique could truly be used.

Thus, Luo Chen began using his spare time during the voyage to accomplish this task.

Thus, Luo Chen began to devote the spare hours of the voyage to this work. Inside the quiet cabin, he studied the jade scroll in focus. At times, he frowned; at times, he nodded in understanding. When he encountered difficulties, he took out some books or others from his storage ring. He also occasionally sought advice from Han Zhan.

Han Zhan had been observing his progress the entire time, and he looked over the manuals Luo Chen had taken out. Sky Roc Transformation, Ascension True Scripture, Qi-Physique Origin Method, Introduction to Qi Refinement, Soul Refinement True Scripture, Turtle Spirit Armor...

These manuals ranged from the first to the third tier. Some were for qi cultivation, while others were for physique cultivation. Each technique followed a different path. Some described how to absorb spirit energy, while others explained methods of purification and transformation, and a few even mentioned how to strengthen the divine soul. In fact, among the books Luo Chen laid out, there were even some alchemical formulas and the likes.

Most of these manuals were copies rather than original manuscripts. Even so, their sheer number still shocked Han Zhan. He had often seen Luo Chen reading all kinds of books before, but he had assumed it was merely for him to broaden his knowledge. After all, Luo Chen had cultivated for just over a century; adding the years before he stepped onto the path of cultivation, his total age was little more than one hundred and twenty.

Yet as it turned out, even at such a young age, he had managed to gather a surprising number of cultivation techniques, and he was not just casually collecting them as most cultivators did. In fact, it was clear that he had a deep understanding of most of them. Whenever he found something unclear, he knew exactly where to look for related information. Through constant comparison and adjustment, he had already produced the rough outline of a cultivation technique.

If the kid goes on like this, then in a year or two, he might actually...

Night deepened as the waves rolled across the sea. Moonlight passed through the wooden window and fell upon the man's profile, highlighting his incredibly focused expression. From inside the Myriad Soul Banner, Han Zhan watched him work. Countless thoughts stirred within his heart and mixed emotions rose together.

***

All of a sudden, a loud crash jolted Luo Chen from his thoughts. He rose to his feet and looked out the window with a trace of confusion. He spread out his divine consciousness and frowned slightly. A moment later, someone knocked on the wooden door.

"Come in!"

Heavenjade opened the door and stepped in, bowing respectfully. "The ship is under attack by a large group of demonic beasts. Their numbers are even greater than before."

Luo Chen did not turn around; he kept looking out the window. "How many times has the ship been attacked since we set out half a month ago?"

"Three times," Heavenjade replied without hesitation. "And the beasts aren't all the same kind anymore. There are even demonic birds among them."

Luo Chen felt a weight in his heart. From a single glimpse, one could see the whole picture. The current situation of the Northern Sea cultivation world was becoming increasingly dire. The Bai family ship was traveling from the wild outer regions toward the populated Devil Domains at the center of the Northern Sea. In theory, they should have encountered fewer large groups of demonic beasts as they traveled, yet the opposite was happening. This development showed that within the Sea of Demons, some forces had begun to take shape, and they were now launching deliberate counterattacks against the Devil Domains.

Well, calling them Devil Domains no longer seemed entirely appropriate. In the past, the human settlements were called the Devil Domains because of the Primordial Devil Sect, while the sea regions inhabited by the demon races were called the Sea of Demons. Now the greatest power in the Northern Sea was the Righteous Blue Sea Alliance established by Ascendant Li. The old name, with its devil-path connotation, was no longer suitable. Many people had therefore begun referring to the human settlements as Immortal Islands.

Of course, most cultivators without direct interests in the matter paid little attention to such details.

Luo Chen now understood why the Flying Swallow Merchant Caravan had been gathering fewer and fewer ingredients for him in recent years. It was not a matter of laziness or unwillingness; with demonic beasts running rampant and sea routes blocked, collecting resources had naturally become much more difficult. In fact, if the human side did not take action, the Flying Swallow Archipelago might soon lose contact with the main human territory and remain stranded. 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

"Looks like leaving the Flying Swallow Archipelago was the right decision after all...."

While Luo Chen was secretly feeling fortunate, Heavenjade asked softly, "Master, should we step in? From what I can sense, there are quite a few beasts this time that would be troublesome even for those Initiates."

Luo Chen raised a brow and spread out his divine consciousness. Soon, he sensed several powerful auras in the deep sea—all at the late stage of the second tier. One would have been manageable with the ship's formation, but several together were another matter. Bai Xiang only stood at the mid-stage of Foundation Establishment and could not handle them.

Surprisingly, Luo Chen shook his head. "Let's wait and see. The ship's owners aren't worried yet, so why should we be? We didn't pay our passage fee for nothing. By the way, how's your progress with the concealment method I taught you?"

Heavenjade was momentarily stunned. She had not expected Luo Chen to suddenly shift the conversation toward her cultivation, but she immediately started reporting her progress.

Meanwhile, a brutal battle had long been underway on the deck above.

Bai Xiang led three early-stage Initiates to move around the ship and struck down the low-tier demonic beasts attacking it. The Bai family's Qi Refinement cultivators were all bloodied and flung out spirit power as if it cost nothing.

B-BOOMMMM!

A loud explosion shook the entire ship. A Bai family cultivator rushed toward Bai Xiang with a deathly pale face. "Elder, we can't hold them off much longer!"

Bai Xiang's expression darkened. "Damn it. The last two attacks were bad enough. Why is there even a late-stage second-tier sea demon leading them this time?"

With his perception, he could only sense one late-stage second-tier sea demon on the surface. Even so, it already placed enormous pressure on the merchant ship.

"Elder, what should we do?"

Facing the anxious questions, Bai Xiang took a deep breath. "This can't go on. Go inform the passengers at once and ask them to help."

The member nodded quickly but asked hesitantly, "Will they agree?"

Bai Xiang glared at him. "I feel like they should understand the phrase 'we're all in the same boat.' What's there to agree or disagree? If this ship goes down, do they think they can fight their way through a swarm of demonic beasts and reach the next Immortal Island on their own? Go tell them now. Don't waste time!"

"Yes, sir!"

***

There was yet another knock on the wooden door. Luo Chen cut his conversation short and had Heavenjade open it, only to find a sweating Qi Refinement cultivator standing outside with a tense expression. "Senior Luo, the merchant ship is under attack. Our elder asks everyone to join forces and drive back the demonic beasts."

Luo Chen glanced at Heavenjade, and she nodded. Luo Chen then smiled and said, "As they say, we are all in the same boat. At a time like this, we should indeed stand together."

With that, he strode outside. A red flying sword fell into his hand. Heavenjade closed the door and resumed practicing her concealment technique.

Such minor matters posed no danger to Luo Chen. After all, even battles on the scale of Profound Rock Island had failed to stop him in his tracks, much less a bunch of barely intelligent animals. What she needed to do now was practice the technique as much as possible and conceal her aura well. Only then could she assist Luo Chen during the rest of the journey.