Chapter 8: Martial Cultivation, Venturing Into the Depths of the Sea!

After considering the situation for a while, Steward Liu, though unwilling to accept it, found himself powerless to deal with Shen Yan for the moment. First, Shen Yan had single-handedly faced three opponents without so much as a scratch, even killing two of them, which left Liu in a difficult position—he could not be sure he wouldn’t meet the same fate. Second, Shen Yan was still needed to catch the Scarlet-Gold Silver-Eyed Fish in the future. If he were to kill Shen Yan now and Miss Mingyue blamed him, he would surely be reprimanded, and his position as steward would be taken from him.

“Steward Liu, a wise man submits to circumstances. I’m in a good mood today, so I won’t pursue the matter of Jiang Qing and the others trying to steal my spiritual herbs. But if you keep pestering me, don’t blame me if things turn ugly,” Shen Yan said coldly.

Hearing this, Steward Liu’s face darkened. After a long, silent struggle, he managed to reply, though his words were brittle, “Hmph, just you wait. Don’t forget that within three years you still owe us a Scarlet-Gold Silver-Eyed Fish. If you can’t deliver, you’ll be finished.”

“That’s none of your concern. If you have nothing else, then get lost,” Shen Yan replied bluntly, having already torn off any pretense of civility. He was in no mood to be polite anymore.

Steward Liu’s chest heaved with suppressed anger; Shen Yan had utterly humiliated him today. Yet, for the sake of his position in the household, he could do nothing but grit his teeth and swallow the humiliation.

“Just you wait, you’ll see!” he snarled, his face livid, before turning and stalking away.

Shen Yan, meanwhile, returned to his room. Once night fell and silence blanketed the world, he slipped quietly out and made his way to the seashore.

It was late, and a thin mist hung over the sea. He found a massive, wave-smoothed boulder weighing a hundred pounds or more, hugged it close, and with great effort lifted it into his arms. Feeling the immense pressure throughout his body, he took a deep breath and slowly squatted down. When he reached his limit, he rose again, and, once accustomed to the strain, began to walk slowly with the stone held tight.

After a long while, holding his breath, he strode into the sea. He did not use his water manipulation technique, letting the seawater rise above his head and seal all the pores of his body, conserving his strength.

This was the essence of the Primordial Unity Technique: using flowing water to seal the seven apertures and pores, tempering both strength and willpower. As long as one could endure it, this practice rapidly increased power and control, though it was harsh and drained the body terribly.

After only the time it would take for a stick of incense to burn, Shen Yan could endure no longer. He manipulated the water to hold the stone above his head, surfaced, and exhaled a heavy breath of stale air.

Whoosh!

After the long breath, an involuntary shiver ran through him, followed by a wave of hunger. “Come!” he called softly, and a shrimp as long as his arm was swiftly brought to him by the current. Peeling the shell, he summoned a ball of mist to wash the flesh clean, then began to eat hungrily.

In this way, after devouring some fish, shrimp, crabs, and clams, Shen Yan rested briefly before continuing his training.

Once… twice… three times…

Each time he was utterly exhausted, a warm current would flow from the Celestial Emperor’s Seal on his chest, soothing and rejuvenating him.

But he knew well that the innate purple qi within the Celestial Emperor’s Seal was not inexhaustible. He would have to capture spiritual fish and herbs to replenish it, or before long, its reserves would be depleted.

After training through the night, a pale light began to spread in the east. Only then did Shen Yan hurry back to the Yang Estate, wash up, and fall into a deep sleep.

His killing of two servants the previous day had filled everyone in the fishery with terror; thus, no one dared disturb him, and he slept soundly until the sun was high in the sky. He woke refreshed, devoured a hearty meal in the kitchen, and then strolled leisurely toward the sea.

He still had the task of capturing a Scarlet-Gold Silver-Eyed Fish. Though everyone knew it was nearly impossible for him to catch another, appearances had to be maintained.

Arriving at Jinzhou Bay and seeing the bustling fishermen, Shen Yan took a boat out to deeper waters. Daytime was ill-suited for martial practice, so he decided to search the seabed for innate spiritual treasures to replenish the Celestial Emperor’s Seal.

After an hour’s journey, finding himself alone, Shen Yan anchored the boat by a reef and dove into the water.

As soon as he entered, a gentle sensation washed over him. The seawater he once feared now seemed almost friendly.

“The Water Manipulation Technique truly is a great help. Without it, even with the Celestial Emperor’s Seal, I’d have nowhere to replenish innate purple qi.”

He dove ever deeper, but the surrounding water exerted no pressure on him at all. Reaching the seabed, where the light was dim, Shen Yan remained calm—this unique sensation was both strange and fascinating.

The darkness and the sea’s embrace mingled in his heart, a confusion of fear and familiarity that gradually faded as he adjusted.

It was his first time on the sea floor, and contrary to his imaginings, it was not teeming with dangerous beasts but was instead surprisingly peaceful.

“This is only Jinzhou Bay, not the East Sea—this makes sense,” he mused, though he remained vigilant; even with his water manipulation, he was not invincible. If a fearsome sea creature lurked nearby, he might not react in time.

He searched quietly, marveling at the strange marine life, when something caught his eye—a silver-leaved seaweed swaying in the current, emanating traces of innate purple qi.

“A spiritual herb!” Shen Yan’s spirits soared, and he hurried toward the seaweed. But just as he was about to reach it, his body froze.

Beside the silver weed, a thick sea serpent, its body wrapped around itself and emanating innate purple qi, was licking the plant with its forked tongue.

“A sea serpent guarding the spiritual herb?”

He recalled tales told by storytellers, of heavenly treasures always guarded by spirit beasts or fierce birds. Now he understood: this seaweed was indeed a spiritual herb.

“With the Water Manipulation Technique, I should have no trouble with a sea serpent in its own domain.”

Licking his lips, Shen Yan noted that the serpent had not yet seen him. With a mere thought, a current surged forth, striking the serpent.

The serpent, intent on its feast, was caught off guard. It looked up, startled, and saw a figure approaching the herb.

Hissing furiously, it coiled and shot toward Shen Yan like an arrow.

But in the next instant, its body was abruptly ensnared by an invisible force.

“Seawater can be used as ropes too,” Shen Yan thought, satisfaction flickering across his face.