Chapter 94: The Early-Death White Moonlight in a Cultivation Novel (Part 25)

Zhou Yanxi was on the verge of a breakthrough—she could feel she was about to reach the late Foundation Establishment stage. There was only a thin barrier left, yet she couldn't quite grasp the key to breaking through.

So, she pinned her hopes on this upcoming training expedition to the Endless Sea, hoping it would help her advance in cultivation.

When the three of them returned to the cultivation world, they learned about events that had happened in the past year. For instance, due to the success of the low-grade Demon-Expelling Pill, the battle in Yunlan City had temporarily come to a halt.

This outcome was quite different from what had happened in her previous life—mainly because Zhou Yanxi had produced a real Demon-Expelling Pill, which had led to peace arriving much faster than before.

Now that there was no longer a pressing threat over the pill, Zhou Yanxi immediately sent word to her master to report her safety and arranged to meet him in a year's time.

Why a year later? Because the Langhuan Secret Realm would be opening by then, and there was no way Zhou Yanxi would give up her rightful spot in the secret realm.

Although the cultivation world seemed peaceful again, Zhou Yanxi and the others still wore Thousand Illusion Masks, and she even donned male cultivator's robes.

After all, the trauma from that Nascent Soul demon cultivator was still fresh. When traveling outside, caution was always wise.

Even though True Lord Chongyuan now had mid-Nascent Soul cultivation, strong enough to deter most enemies, there was still the problem of a mid-Foundation Establishment "weak-link tagalong."

Along the journey to the Endless Sea, True Lord Chongyuan realized his cultivation was drawing too much attention.

So, he secretly suppressed his aura to the Core Formation stage, aligning himself with his daughter's motto: "get rich quietly and don't show off."

Upon arriving at the Endless Sea, they found the region's most powerful sect to be the Sword Dao Pavilion. Legend had it the sect's founder had deliberately chosen this location because of the abundance of sea beasts, which disciples could use for training.

As one of the four great sects, Sword Dao Pavilion did not rely on external aids and focused solely on strengthening individual combat ability. Most of its disciples dedicated themselves to the way of the sword.

This, combined with the environment, made the strength of its disciples truly formidable.

The cultivators here were generally bold and straightforward. The marketplace was full of dueling platforms, and disputes between cultivators were often settled directly in battle—onlookers could even place bets.

One had to admit, the local cultivation culture was healthy. People disdained scheming, embracing a philosophy of strength above all.

Most of the information Zhou Yanxi and her group gathered came from eavesdropping in a branch of the Yunkelai Tavern.

Since they were keeping a low profile, they dined only in the main hall, where they heard all kinds of gossip about the Endless Sea.

Zhou Yanxi became enthralled when the group at the next table began recounting past training expeditions to the Endless Sea in a storytelling style.

After spending a year cooped up in the mortal realm, she was itching for action.

She had gone from the daily battles of Yunlan City to the quiet monotony of secluded cultivation—it had nearly driven her crazy.

And it wasn't just her. Even the system was getting restless. Previously, loot had been pouring in. Now that it was dry, both host and system were suffering withdrawal.

According to the records, the two most famous treasures in the Endless Sea were:

The Water-Avoiding Pearl, which allowed cultivators to move freely underwater

The Merfolk Silk, a prized fabric most beloved by female cultivators

Both were extremely valuable, making the Endless Sea one of the most dangerous exploration zones in the entire Canglan Continent.

Zhou Yanxi had never been here before. Her father had visited a few times in his youth, and her senior brother once as well. That made her the only rookie.

Thanks to their prior experience, they didn't bother joining any local exploration teams.

Local cultivators in the Endless Sea were easy to recognize—male cultivators were typically darker-skinned, and female cultivators wore veils to block the sun.

But the Zhou trio didn't bother pretending to be locals either. The area had many visiting cultivators, often arriving in groups for exploration, so they didn't stand out.

Later, True Lord Chongyuan bought a sea vessel from the Treasure Pavilion. The ship was exquisitely made, capable of withstanding grade six sea storms, and its protective barrier could resist attacks from a Nascent Soul expert for half an hour.

After comparing with other ships, they settled on this one as the most cost-effective, costing her father 5,000 mid-grade spirit stones.

Zhou Yanxi was speechless. She hadn't expected the ship to be so expensive—it was nearly half her entire net worth!

Sigh... I'm still too poor, she thought.I used to think I was a rich woman, but reality just slapped me hard. I need to keep working harder!Zhou Yanxi silently cheered herself on.

Her father also bought a map of the Endless Sea, a sound-transmitting conch, a compass, and other essentials.

Once fully prepared, the three set out on their expedition.

This time, Zhou Yanxi was the main focus, while Yuan Hen played a supporting role. All Foundation Establishment-level sea beasts were left to Zhou Yanxi to handle, while Core Formation-level ones were Yuan Hen's responsibility.

Only if they encountered large, unmanageable beast hordes would True Lord Chongyuan step in.

Zhou Yanxi fully agreed with this. She had come to train, not to sightsee. Gaining strength was her top priority.

And she had to admit—sea beasts were very different from land beasts. Fighting underwater required far more spiritual power, and sea beasts could draw on the Endless Sea's abundant spiritual energy to recover faster.

At first, Zhou Yanxi frequently got injured or ran out of spiritual energy when fighting stronger Foundation Establishment sea beasts.

But after a month of experience, she could defeat late-stage Foundation Establishment clam beasts without injury, and even retrieved a Water-Avoiding Pearl from one's belly.

Unfortunately, her luck was only average—she had yet to find a high-grade pearl.

As for Merfolk Silk? She hadn't even seen a shadow of it.

Then one morning, the Endless Sea suddenly became stormy and turbulent. The abnormal weather made them think they should head back immediately.

Unfortunately, they were already in the central region of the Endless Sea, and returning wasn't an option. So they decided to steer their ship to a nearby island to take shelter.

But fate had other plans—they were caught in a once-in-a-century, grade eight sea storm. The ship was instantly shattered.

The three of them were separated, each swept in a different direction by the violent waves.

Zhou Yanxi clutched the Water-Avoiding Pearl in her left hand, her weapon in her right, and did her best to stay conscious, rising and falling with the raging sea...