Volcanic Age

Chapter 305: A Battle Under the Sea (1)

The technique he had acquired from Fang Jun, the Water Man Art, wasn't a peerless technique, but it was still an ascendant technique.

It had the basic function of allowing one to breathe underwater for a long time through one's qi instead of air. It also allowed free movement in the water.

It's not that difficult to learn. Zhou Xuchuan adapted the Water Man Art in a flash.

After undergoing Bodily Reformation, he now had a physique suitable for learning any martial arts.[1]

Moreover, he had reached the highest realm and had more than enough comprehension. In addition, there was a concept in martial arts called the "Ten Thousand Streams Converge."

Water immersion arts were based in yin qi and shared a root with the Eclipse Divine Archery Art through the Path of Taiji, the balance of Yin and Yang, making it easier for him to understand.

Above all, this was where his Manifestation of One's Path, Imitation, really shined.

I'm not even trying to reach the completion stage. I'm only trying to reach the middle stages, so this really isn't that difficult. Zhou Xuchuan inhaled and exhaled. He cultivated as he contemplated the Water Man Art.

He was able to reach the First Stage within a day. In two days, he reached the Second Stage, and on the fourth day, he reached the Third Stage.

Moreover, it was more efficient to cultivate the Water Man Art within water.

Thus, Zhou Xuchuan had entered a cave where water cascaded in before going into secluded cultivation. As for his Dharma Protector, he had Little Ghost to guard him.

Perhaps because he was so engrossed in it, but he didn't eat at all. Once one became an Absolute Master, one could last for a week without drinking even a single sip of water, so it wasn't a problem.

While I'm at it, I should cultivate the South Sea Single Blade Flow. He had found an incredible amount of stuff when he raided Fang Jun's pirate force. There were many martial arts from the Central Plains and the Frontier, as well as many martial arts from the Eastern Islands, as well as many resources.

If he had to pick a useful martial art among them, it would definitely be the South Sea Single Blade Flow. It was pretty good as a quicksaber technique.

However, his weapon was a sword rather than a saber, and he wasn't using an Eastern Island blade, either, so there were some inconsistencies. Still, it wasn't a big issue.

The South Sea Single Blade Flow was actually an Iaijutsu art.

It would be a different story if the technique were a connected set of forms, but the technique focused only on a single, defining blow, so the inconsistencies with his weapon didn't really matter.

It was best to use a saber, but as long as he corrected the inconsistencies with his cultivation base, he could just as easily use a sword.

The South Sea Single Blade Flow was a martial art born under the influence of the Hainan Sword Sect's sword technique and the Eastern Island's saber technique. Thus, there wouldn't be that big of a problem even if he wielded a sword.

I don't have a quicksword technique anyway, so this is a good thing. Through the South Sea Single Blade Flow, he finally had a quicksword technique.

The Mount Hua Sect's array of ascendant sword techniques included a chaotic sword technique, a transforming sword technique, and an unfettered sword technique, among many others.

It wasn't that the Mount Hua Sect had no quicksword techniques; they just weren't as strong as the sect's foundational techniques.

As for a heavy sword technique, as its name suggested, he had one in the form of the Ten Thousand Jin Sword. The South Sea Single Blade Flow… or is it the South Sea Single Sword Flow?

Zhou Xuchuan successfully improved upon the South Sea Single Blade Flow.

***

Meanwhile, Hainan Island was bustling with activity.

"Was Fang Jun taken down by the imperial government?"

"I heard that a master from the Central Plains' murim subjugated him."

"A master from the Central Plains' murim

"Yes, the Sword God Zhou Xuchuan."

"Even if that's the case, how could a young man barely an adult become one of the Seven Empyrean Overlords? There must be something wrong with the information."

"Still, isn't it incredible? They subjugated those damned Eastern Pirates."

"To be honest, I haven't been happy with the recent actions of the Hainan Sword Sect, but perhaps we misunderstood them."

Hainan Island, which had been out of contact with the Central Plains for quite some time now, was finally getting exposed to the various happenings of the Central Plains. However, they found it hard to believe much of it.

People were creatures that tended not to believe the truth even when it unfolded right before their own eyes. It went without saying that the islanders didn't believe the news from across the sea.

While they could believe the fact that Zhou Xuchuan had defeated Fang Jun, one of the strongest of the South Sea and a notorious pirate, they treated his title of "Sword God" as something absurd.

However, when Wei Yihai, the Sect Master of the Hainan Sword Sect, came forward and spoke up, their distrust changed to half-belief.

"Zhou Xuchuan… I mean, what does it matter if Great Hero Zhou Xuchuan is called the Sword God or not? He's still the Greatest Hero among all the Great Heroes."

"Well, you're right!"

Zhou Xuchuan's popularity on Hainan Island skyrocketed.

The truth about his cultivation was secondary. The important thing was that he had wiped out the pirate force and returned what they had looted.

"Now, now, line up!"

Fang Jun, the captain of the pirate group, was both greedy and distrustful. He had even made a ledger to manage his loot in case one of his men stole from him. Thus, they easily found the source of the loot and returned it.

Zhou Xuchuan also gave the people many things as compensation for the damages they had suffered. He also gave money to the poor.

The Hainan Sword Sect was also able to get a reprieve from their shortage of supplies and money with this loot and were finally able to take a breather.

"Treat the party from the Central Plains with the utmost respect."

Wei Yihai expressed his gratitude and treated them accordingly.

While part of it was because he owed them for their many favors, part of it was because most of the party from across the sea weren't people whom he could offend.

As if the members of the Five Dragons and Three Phoenixes, the leading figures of the younger generation of the Righteous Faction, weren't enough, when he heard the title, "the Divine Physician," he doubted his ears.

Moreover, he also talked about business with Li Yicai.

"Are you talking about a trade route?"

"The tropical fruits and seafood from the South Sea that you treated us to a while ago were incredible. If the Hainan Sword Sect is okay with it, we would like you to trust us to do business between the Central Plains and the South Sea."

Hainan Island used to be quite active with trade.

While it was difficult to access the island due to the surrounding nature formation and the unpredictable sea, it actually increased the rarity of the tropical fruits. In addition to their great taste, the fruits' value increased drastically.

After the conflict with the Returning Deer Gate and the emergence of the South Sea Dragon Gate, trade with the Central Plains was virtually cut off.

Noticing that, Li Yicai realized that he could monopolize Hainan Island's trade rights and began preparatory work toward it.

"We would be incredibly grateful if you took over the close trade route, but it would only be possible once the conflict with the South Sea Dragon Gate has been resolved."

"Don't worry. Great Hero Zhou Xuchuan will take care of it."

Li Yicai smiled confidently and prepared for the opening of the Gold Will Merchants' South Sea Branch.

Meanwhile, Hainan Island was in a constant murmur due to the visit of the Central Plains visitors.

The topic that stood out alongside the elimination of the pirates was the new beauties.

"Wow~ look at how white her face is."

"I know that they say the Phoenixes of the Qingcheng Sect and the Zhuge Family are beautiful enough to be considered the Empyrean Overlords of beauties, but I never expected them to be this beautiful."

"If there really were immortal fairies living in the Dragon Palace, there would be a good chance that they would be those girls…"

Hainan Island's climate was tropical. Since the sun is hot all year round, the islanders had healthy, tanned, copper-colored skin. The South Sea Dragon Gate was an exception because

Overall, they were all beautiful, and they were only feared as sea demons by the Hainan Sword Sect and the Returning Deer Gate. In the eyes of the ordinary islanders, they didn't seem like humans, but they were objects of mystery and awe rather than fear.

Hainan Island, in the midst of all this turmoil and changes, prepared for the war with the South Sea Dragon Gate.

Ten days later, Zhou Xuchuan finished his secluded cultivation and emerged.

***

South Sea Dragon Gate, Dragon Palace…

Pillars that looked like dragons tightly coiled stood on both sides of the palace. A red silk was stretched out between them, and there was a golden throne at the end of it.

A large-framed old man with a white beard reminiscent of an immortal was sitting on the throne, and his expression reflected seriousness.

The old man was being flanked by beautiful women with water-colored hair, and the women had kind smiles as they held a fan shaped like a banana leaf.

However, their smile disappeared without a trace, replaced by surprise, upon sensing the tremors across the Dragon Palace.

"Just how long do I have to wait?!" The South Sea Dragon Gate Lord, the South Sea Dragon King's beard trembled with rage. "We're already enraged that the bastard who cut off our Claw is still alive and breathing on land, but now you're telling us that we[2] have to wait?!"

"Your Majesty, I beg of you to calm down."

The Left Dragon Consort calmed the South Sea Dragon King down.

"As you know, we've had to mobilize our manpower so that Gan Yezi can safely finish the repairs to the Dragon Palace," the Right Dragon Consort explained persuasively.

"So we should postpone getting revenge for the Dragon's Claw until later…"

"Urgent news, urgent news!"

Right as the two Dragon Consorts were trying to calm the Dragon King down, the Dragon Gate was shoved open, and a messenger came running in.

"What's going on?!"

"They say the Hainan Sword Sect and the martial artists of the Central Plains have been spotted on the coast! There are also several ships in the nearby waters…"

The South Sea Dragon King jumped up from his seat, and his face hardened with anger and bloodlust.

"Not only did you anger the sea with your greed, but to think you also drew your sword against us without admitting your guilt… How foolish you are. There will be no more waiting. Prepare for an all-out war."

"B-but your majesty. We're currently lacking manpower as we're assisting Gan Yezi—"

"Then all we have to do is stop the maintenance for a while!"

The South Sea Dragon King gave an order in a fiery bit of anger.

"No more waiting! Vassals of the Dragon Palace, prepare to go to war!"

"We have received your orders!" the warriors of the Dragon Palace answered, standing in front of the South Sea Dragon King.

***

Hainan Island, the coast…[3]

"It feels like we're slowly starting to step on their tails."

Duan Lihua looked into the distance and smiled. "Is this the fun of fishing?"

"…!" Tian Shuiguo suddenly looked surprised to see a head pop up out of the water far away.

"Everyone, get ready!" Tian Shuiguo signaled to the waiting Hainan Sword Sect disciples. He then looked over the sea again and exclaimed in admiration. "I can't believe they actually showed up!"

"You see, our Tactician truly is dependable," Duan Lihua responded.

She smiled faintly and narrowed her eyes as if she were looking at a fish and was wondering how to cook it.

"She really is impressive."

Going back in time, Zhou Xuchuan finished his preparations and sought out Wei Yihai for a conversation.

The topic of their conversation was, as expected, the impending war with the South Sea Dragon Gate.

"We thank you for your help, but honestly, we're not even sure how to begin this battle."

The South Sea Dragon Gate was invincible on the sea and the shore. Knowing that, they never set foot on true land.

The Hainan Sword Sect wasn't a fool, either. Although they were proud of their strength, the sect's elders were arrogant enough to insist on fighting at a disadvantage.

They had been trying to lure the South Sea Dragon Gate to land, but the dragon warriors refused to follow them, making them feel frustrated. If they refused to fight, the criticism from the islanders would grow stronger.

Moreover, if they and the islanders couldn't go out to sea, their livelihoods would be cut off, leaving them no choice but to find a route forward.

"Since our Tactician, Young Lady Zhuge, is here, the Sandbank Pitfall Formation will no longer be a problem."

"I heard about that before, so I'm aware of that boon. But won't the South Sea Dragon Gate know about that as well?"

"You don't have to worry about that."

Zhuge Xiuluan answered the question instead.

"Previously, only Young Master Zhou and I managed to break through the Sandbank Pitfall Formation. It's highly likely that the South Sea Dragon Gate side has simply dismissed our entrance into the formation as a coincidence and overlooked it."

If the South Sea Dragon Gate was truly a legendary mysterious sect with a long history, then the possibility would be even greater.

When a force held power and hadn't collapsed for a long time, the people within it tended to grow arrogant and conceited.

Zhuge Xiuluan was taking advantage of this opening.

"Then that means you want to fight on the beach… I'm sorry, but the Hainan Sword Sect's strength isn't that great."

The Hainan Sword Sect had not only been fighting the Returning Deer Gate for a long time but they had also been suffering a lot of damage due to the South Sea Dragon Gate.

Zhou Xuchuan realized that those were the reasons why the sect hadn't participated in the Era of War and Chaos in his previous lifetime.

"That's why we plan to disperse the enemy's strength between the sea and the beach."

"You mean to defeat them on both sides? But…"

Wei Yihai's face darkened.

One would think that he was being too cautious, but that wasn't the case at all. The South Sea Dragon Gate was a very powerful sect. He knew deep down through experience how monstrously strong they were, especially in the sea.

No, to be exact, not even the islanders of Hainan Island could exert their strength properly in the sea.

The sea was the domain of those practicing water immersion arts.

"Don't worry. Leave the sea to us."

"Us?"

Zhou Xuchuan pointed behind him with his thumb.

The gazes of the audience gathered in one place.

"Ahem!" Zhuge Shengji raised his chin with pride and puffed out his chest.

1. Not in a "he's overcome the limitations of not being able to master different types of qi. ☜

2. He's using the royal we. ☜

3. Technically, it reads the coast of the South Sea, but the South Sea surrounds the island lmao. ☜

Cyncoco's Thoughts

It's me, Cyncoco!

So I know it's been a while and I probably should have brought this up earlier, but I just wanted to talk to you about naming conventions.

It's not an explicit rule at WW, but at least from my experience and from how we've translated names of things/places/organizations/forces/etc

We tend to try to translate as much as we can so you're not sitting there reading romanized names that don't really mean anything to you, especially when the names are integral to the identities of the aforementioned things (for example, a force that uses swords being translated as Sword Sect and not Jian Sect).

However, there is a rule that we try to stick to that takes precedence over trying to translate and localize as much as we can.

"Does this exist in accepted prior works and is the existing translation accurate?"

If something has precedence, we try to stick to it unless it's an improper translation.

For example, that's why we translate Qinghai Sect and Hainan Sword Sect with their romanized names and not West Lake Sect and South of the Sea Sword Sect.

Just in case you were curious why I translated South Sea (Nanhai) Dragon Gate vs keeping Hainan Sword Sect the way it was.

(the final third rule is if we literally cannot figure out what something means, we'll romanize it until we can figure it out, but I've literally never seen that happen bc everyone is really good at helping each other).