Chapter 247: Chapter 241: The Ranking of the Black Tortoise Shield! Revealed

[Everyone!]

[This looks a lot like the Black Tortoise Shield!]

[But it lacks the Black Tortoise Shield’s passive damage reflection, adding instead the domineering air of an aggressively advancing sovereign! After all, their rankings are right next to each other, practically on par!]

[The Eye of the World reminds you that this Awakened, who has mastered "Royal Hegemony," has another ace up his sleeve: the number 26 ranked extraordinary item, the Heaven-Opening Giant Axe! This axe now has a new name, "Kunwu Heaven-Opening," and it is famous in the Sea of Soaring Dragons. You should have heard of it.]

He had, of course, heard of Kunwu Heaven-Opening.

The treasure of the ship, the Kunwu.

But more than the number 18 ranked Royal Hegemony or Kunwu Heaven-Opening, Shi Ming was shocked by the Black Tortoise Shield’s ranking.

On par with Royal Hegemony!

What rank was "on par"?

Royal Hegemony was ranked 18th. "On par" and "right next to each other" could only mean 17th or 19th. And Shi Ming already knew the 19th ranked skill—it was "Infinite Progenitor," currently sitting in his inventory!

Based on this, the ranking of the "Black Tortoise Shield" became obvious!

Number 17 on the S-rank skill leaderboard!

’That high?’

He had originally obtained two skills from the Black Tortoise: [Black Tortoise Shield] and [Cornered Beast]. He later learned from intel on the Huangshi that Cornered Beast was ranked 99th, but the rank of Black Tortoise Shield had always been a mystery. Neither the Eye of Intelligence nor the Eye of the World had ever mentioned it.

Its effect was extremely simple.

Absolute 100% defense, absolute 50% damage reflection.

It wasn’t flashy like Descent of the Titan, but its strength was in its reliability. It had always been Shi Ming’s powerful safety net. With it, his confidence surged. He could even escape unscathed from an attack by the Abyss Lord, and after a full combo, he could still manage to snatch a trophy from him.

But Shi Ming had never imagined its ranking could be so high!

Speaking of which, for the 17th, 18th, and 19th ranked skills to come together in this chance encounter was quite a remarkable coincidence.

Unfortunately, Infinite Progenitor had already lost its master.

...

The two ships drew closer. The Da Yu’s speed was precisely controlled, coming to a complete stop thirty meters from the other drifting vessel—a polite distance. Then, Shentu Kuo waved, gesturing a greeting to Shi Ming.

"Brother Minglong!"

"Brother Shentu!"

In the Sea of Soaring Dragons, elders and the accomplished are both addressed as "brother."

Calling each other "brother" was a form of polite address.

...

Shi Ming, along with Stone Pillar, boarded the Silver-class ship.

After exchanging pleasantries, Shentu Kuo introduced everyone, and the six of them made their initial acquaintances.

The moment Dr. Chongwen saw Shi Ming, he noticed the Nine-Strand Pattern on his neck. Because Shi Ming was deliberately wearing a long-sleeved captain’s uniform, the crimson markings on his right arm were hidden from view, which made the Nine-Strand Pattern from eating the Sea-Rising Cherry Root seem a bit more conspicuous.

However, it had faded considerably compared to when he destroyed the Black Society.

In a few more days, it would probably disappear completely. 𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶

’This is a good sign!’

The Sea-Rising Cherry Root looked like an ordinary, unremarkable plant. Yet after his student swallowed it, his body was filled with an irrepressible destructive power, which could only be barely suppressed by relying on another extraordinary item, the Jade-in-Snowcap. Dr. Chongwen thought, ’If I can figure out how he’s suppressing the power of the Nine-Strand Pattern, I might be able to save my student!’

He suppressed his anxiety and exchanged formal greetings with Shi Ming according to the etiquette of the Da Yu.

Nearby, the twenty-something Jiuyuan, who possessed the ability "Solipsism," looked as if he hadn’t woken up properly. He forced himself to be alert and exchanged greetings with Shi Ming. ’So this is the person the doctor said could definitely cure my junior brother and bring a breakthrough to the research? He doesn’t look that old!’

Rong Bing, on the other hand, showed no unusual reaction, acting just like a true follower. But the powerful aura emanating from his Royal Hegemony made him look nothing like a subordinate.

The Dragon Country was a nation of etiquette, so they naturally wouldn’t leave their guests standing on the deck. After the initial introductions, Shentu Kuo led the five of them into the ship’s main hall, which had already been prepared.

After everyone was seated, Shentu Kuo took the initiative to speak:

"Brother Minglong, I have been carefully looking after that small boat of yours. I will return it to you later."

"Brother Shentu, there’s no need to be so formal. Just call me Minglong. Don’t worry about the small boat. Dr. Chongwen’s academic renown is widespread; the great stele documents he translated have benefited many drifter factions. I have long admired him as a great teacher. I accepted Brother Shentu’s invitation this time because I also wanted to see if I could be of any help to the doctor."

Shi Ming steered the conversation to the main topic and looked at Dr. Chongwen.

Dr. Chongwen also got straight to the point.

"To be honest, the pattern on my student’s body is identical to the one on your neck, little brother Minglong."

"This symptom appeared because he consumed a slice of the Sea-Rising Cherry Root."

The doctor, who was in his fifties, held nothing back.

"Under normal research conditions, the slices of the Sea-Rising Cherry Root showed no abnormalities. But on the day of the great tsunami, it suddenly mutated, developing a red, Nine-Strand Pattern. My student, eager in his research, ingested a small slice. Afterward, his entire body became covered in these raised markings. He has been in a coma for many days now, and his vital signs are continuously weakening."

Shi Ming pondered for a moment.

He then shared some of the information he knew in a plausible manner.

"It was also by a stroke of luck that I found a similar root on a Black Society ship. After consuming it, my body did have an abnormal reaction—an unbearable, searing heat. But my constitution has been far beyond ordinary since I was a child, so after only about ten minutes of the fever, I no longer felt any discomfort."

"Perhaps this is a sign of the body’s varying tolerance for foreign substances?"

He attributed the information provided by the Eye of the World to the Black Society.

Since the Black Society had already been sunk, there was no one to contradict his story.

"The Black Society also had some research about that root. Their records stated that the Sea-Rising Cherry Root contains a destructive power, and only those with exceptionally high Physical Strength can consume it. The higher an Awakened’s Physical Strength, the greater their tolerance for the Sea-Rising Cherry Root."

Hearing this, Li Jiuyuan shot an imperceptible glance at Rong Bing.

Rong Bing glared back at him.

Shi Ming then offered his own theory.

"According to the Black Society’s research, the Sea-Rising Cherry Root represents destruction. If one’s body isn’t strong enough, perhaps a cure can be found by finding a substance with an opposing energy to counteract its destructive power."

This was just a theory.

As for the specific method, Shi Ming would still need to use the Eye of the World to confirm the information before he could get an accurate answer.

"If that’s the case, then it’s much simpler,"

Jiuyuan, the solipsist, began to offer his opinion.

"We just need to find a substance with energy opposite to the Sea-Rising Cherry Root and feed it to him, right?"

Dr. Chongwen mused for a moment.

"The difficult part is confirming which power is its opposite. The Jade-in-Snowcap has some effect, but it’s not a direct counter."

"That’s even simpler!"

Jiuyuan said nonchalantly.

"Oh?"

A comment from an Awakened with the Solipsism ability would naturally capture Dr. Chongwen’s attention.

It might just contain a way to break the deadlock.

"We can find numerous items that represent different elemental energies, like fire, light, water, poison... Then, we have Captain Rong activate his skill, eat a slice of the Sea-Rising Cherry Root, and then eat a slice of another item. By process of elimination, we’re bound to find the substance with the opposite energy!"

Captain Rong hadn’t even reacted yet.

But Dr. Chongwen’s face had already turned grim.

’Putting aside whether it’s even feasible, if something happens to the Captain from eating all that, are you going to take responsibility? This senior disciple of mine is getting more and more ridiculous!’

...

Before he could erupt, Shi Ming interjected:

"I’ve consumed the Sea-Rising Cherry Root before, and my body had no major adverse reactions, so I should have developed some resistance. If this method is actually feasible, I can cooperate."

The map to his intentions was always a short one.

But Jiuyuan’s eyes lit up.

"This will definitely work!"