Start with push-ups to gain experience

Upon hearing that Fang Cheng was preparing to go into the water alone, the others also stopped what they were doing and looked over.

Zhou Xiumei looked worried, took half a step forward, and whispered a reminder:
"Brother Cheng, the water around here is very deep. Aren't you in danger going down without any diving equipment?"

"No problem."

Fang Cheng smiled slightly at her and casually offered an explanation:
“When I came here for tourism last year, I hid something under the sea in this area. I left in a hurry and didn’t take it with me. I’ll pick it up on my way back this time and I’ll be able to come up soon.”

After saying that, he turned to look at Pan Wendi, who was baiting the fish hooks:
"Wendy, did you remember what I told you in the cockpit just now?"

Pan Wendi quickly put down what he was doing, patted his chest to assure them, and deliberately lowered his voice:
“No problem, Cheng-ge. The empty storage room in the lower deck has been completely cleared out. Leave everything else to me.”

Fang Cheng nodded slightly and said nothing more.

He then reached out and grabbed the shirt, unbuttoned it, took off the shirt, and casually draped it over the railing next to him.

Then, he casually untied the drawstring, took off his beach shorts, and threw them on the deck.

At this moment, he was wearing only a striking red pair of underwear.

Bathed in sunlight, his body proportions appeared almost perfect.

Thanks to his long-term commitment to fitness, he has a broad frame and his shoulders and back are sharply defined.

The abdominal muscles are tightly arranged and clearly defined, without any excess fat.

As the limbs stretch and pull out strong lines, they exude the explosive power of a cheetah.

Upon seeing this, Lin Chuqiao's gaze lingered on his bare chest for a moment, and a faint blush crept up her ears.

She turned her head away somewhat awkwardly, pretending to continue fiddling with the fishing rod she had already adjusted, but out of the corner of her eye, she couldn't help but sneak a glance down along the muscle lines of his waist and abdomen.

In contrast, Zhou Xiumei appeared much more flustered.

She was bringing over a few cold drinks from the temperature-controlled box in the rest area, ready to distribute them to everyone to quench their thirst.

When she looked up and saw Fang Cheng's muscular body brimming with masculine hormones, her face flushed red to the roots of her neck.

Her heart felt like it had been burned, and she quickly looked down at her toes.

Her two delicate hands gripped the edge of the tray tightly, her breathing became rapid, and she dared not look up again.

Fang Cheng did not notice the strange behavior of the two women beside him.

After stretching his arms and legs a little, he stepped barefoot onto the gunwale.

Then, exerting force with both legs, knees slightly bent, the soles of the feet forcefully pushing off the edge of the boat.

Its body then drew a graceful arc in the air, like a nimble flying fish breaking through the sea and plunging headlong into it.

Pfft!
Waves splashed, and rings of white foam spread rapidly across the sea surface.

The group quickly walked to the edge of the deck and peered down from the ship's side.

Fang Cheng's figure had already disappeared into the unfathomable dark blue sea.

"Let's stop fishing for now, we'll catch something good later."

Pan Wendi put down his fishing rod, rubbed his hands together, and looked somewhat mysterious.

He turned and walked to the stern, skillfully setting up a heavy-duty lifting winch with pulleys.

Next, a thick nylon cable was lowered vertically into the sea.

A 2kg counterweight was tied to the bottom of the rope, and in the blink of an eye, the rope sank into the water.

At this moment, beneath the sea surface.

The conversations and engine noise from the yacht were instantly cut off, turning into a series of tiny, bubbling sounds.

Fang Cheng pressed his arms tightly against his torso and brought his legs together to exert force, like a nimble sailfish, drawing a straight diving trajectory in the water.

The Poseidon was anchored directly above the Longyuan Trench.

The straight-line distance to the rocky platform where he tempered his physical body underwater half a year ago is less than half a kilometer.

Fang Cheng opened his eyes, his gaze piercing through the dark green seawater, and quickly confirmed his location.

He then suddenly straightened his back and lunged downwards.

He nimbly traversed the shallow waters where light and shadow intertwined and schools of fish darted about.

The light in the sea diminishes rapidly with increasing depth, and the surrounding sounds become unusually quiet.

A few minutes later, he was completely freed from the protection of the sunlight and entered the dark and boundless deep sea.

"Gurgle—"

A string of bubbles slowly rose to the surface, and Fang Cheng landed lightly on his toes at the designated spot.

The surrounding area consists of steep cliffs made of grayish-white volcanic rock.

A huge crack stretches across the seabed, like the earth's gaping maw.

Fang Cheng walked to the flat rock where he used to practice standing meditation and looked down.

In the pitch-black, silent trench, there was nothing but darkness.

It's like a bottomless pit, revealing a chilling depth that pierces the heart.

After a brief pause, Fang Cheng swung his arms outward, using his powerful muscles to overcome the water resistance and adjust his posture.

Immediately afterwards, it plunged downwards again.

The deeper you dive, the more complex the hydrological conditions become.

Although the violent backflow whirlpools of last year are gone, the undercurrents in the deep waters are still turbulent and complex.

An ordinary diver would be unable to maintain their balance in such turbulent waters, and would be swept into the abyss and never be found again.

However, these obstacles were meaningless to Fang Cheng.

With his exceptional agility and the talent of "Water Breathing," he moved through the turbulent waters with ease, continuously diving down with the current.

After descending to a depth of about two hundred meters, a hidden cave, carved out of man, suddenly appeared on the cliff face.

Fang Cheng waded in through the water.

On the rock wall to the right of the cave entrance, the inscription "Li Guizhen was here" is still clearly visible.

Compared to when I left last time, it has hardly changed except for being slightly eroded by seawater.

In the center of the cave, a faint blue glow flickered silently, dispelling the surrounding darkness.

Nineteen ancient remains of varying sizes were piled together, emitting strange and beautiful energy fluctuations.

Fang Cheng swam straight forward, reached into the blue fluorescent light, grabbed a bone, and examined it carefully.

The burning and itchy sensation from the skin of my palms instantly invigorated me.

"The energy radiation intensity is just right. It seems that after more than half a year, not much has been lost..."

Looking at the dozen or so enormous beast bones that made up the ball of light, Fang Cheng felt completely at ease.

With so many treasures, I can quickly replenish my dantian and possess a true qi reserve that is unimaginable to outsiders.

Without delay, Fang Cheng reached out and picked out the two largest pieces of remains.

Then he turned around, waded through the water, and swam towards the top of the trench.

On the yacht deck, a gentle breeze blows and seagulls circle overhead.

Lin Chuqiao watched Pan Wendi fiddling with the winch and couldn't help but ask:
"What exactly are you two up to? Is there some kind of treasure hidden down there?"

Wendi Pan grinned:
"It is indeed a rare treasure, you'll find out soon enough."

Lin Chuqiao frowned slightly and complained:

"It's one thing for Cheng to like giving people surprises, but you're doing it all in such a secretive way too."

As soon as he finished speaking, the rope on the pulley suddenly sank down sharply, and the copper bell hanging next to it made a crisp sound.

"Here it comes!" Pan Wendi perked up, immediately gripped the joystick, and began to pull back the cable.

Lin Chuqiao stood aside, watching with a belly full of suspicion.

As the cable tightened, a faint blue halo gradually appeared beneath the water's surface.

Whoosh!

Two enormous animal bones, emitting a blue fluorescent glow, broke through the sea surface and were pulled into the air by a winch.

"This is... an ancient relic!"

Lin Chuqiao's pupils contracted, and she couldn't help but cover her mouth and gasp in surprise.

Hearing the noise, Zhou Xiumei and Wen Xin also curiously leaned over the gunwale to examine the two glowing bones.

As Pan Wendi cranked the rope retractor to transfer the remains onto the deck, he called out a reminder:
"Xiu Mei, Wen Xin, you two shouldn't get too close! These bones have strong energy radiation, and touching them rashly can be harmful to your health."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Xiumei and Wen Xin indeed felt a scorching heat spreading in the air.

If you get too close, you feel a stinging sensation on your skin.

The two were so frightened that they quickly took a few steps back and kept their distance.

Lin Chuqiao did not back down.

She stared intently at the ancient remains that had just been retrieved from the seabed, her eyes flashing with shock and realization:
"Did Makoto collect all of these during the last sea festival?"

Her thoughts instantly drifted back to that stormy night last year.

At the time, I was preparing to dive into the trench to retrieve the treasures that were being swept up by the whirlpool.

Before it even went into the water, two ancient remains broke through the waves and landed steadily on the yacht's deck.

Later, she and Pan Wendi each took a piece back to Dongdu and absorbed the pure energy contained within, which allowed their strength to advance by leaps and bounds.

At the time, she had secretly wondered who was helping her behind the scenes.

All I remember is catching a glimpse of a somewhat familiar figure amidst the pitch-black rainy night and the crashing waves.

Lin Chuqiao had always suspected that Fang Cheng was behind it.

Seeing these remains scattered all over the ground now finally confirms our initial suspicions.

For the next half hour, the cable would shake violently every few minutes.

Pan Wendi and Lin Chuqiao worked together seamlessly to properly dispose of the radioactive ancient remains and move them one by one to the storage compartment at the bottom.

Meanwhile, there is a deep abyss more than 200 meters below the sea surface.

Fang Cheng has completely emptied the cave of its stock.

He grabbed the last two bones, lightly waded through the water, and quickly swam out of the cave.

When you look up, your gaze penetrates through layers of seawater, and you can only see a faint glimmer of light coming from the sea surface.

Fang Cheng's eyes narrowed slightly, and he was preparing to float to the surface.

Just then.

"Fang Cheng..."

A very gentle call suddenly rang out from the depths of his mind.

The voice carried a chilling familiarity, as if it had traversed endless time and space, reaching the depths of the soul.

It's like a mother's murmur, hoping that her wanderer, far from home, will return soon.

Before Fang Cheng could even react...

Immediately afterwards, the illusory sound of the tides followed.

Do not!
This time, it was completely real ocean waves.

The chaotic undercurrents that were originally disordered around us now began to surge in a strange, fixed pattern, following the frequency of the tides.

Splash, splash—

The water swirled around his body, forming tiny, rapid eddies, as if countless hands were pulling him down.

Fang Cheng felt a chill run down his spine and quickly steadied himself.

He lowered his head, his sharp gaze sweeping over the dark abyss beneath his feet.

That sound clearly came from deeper in the trench.

But there was no light there, only absolute darkness and cold.

It was as if some indescribable, terrifying being was lurking, its jaws wide open, silently watching him.

Fang Cheng frowned slightly and hesitated for a moment.

The next second, a dazzling golden light burst forth from between his brows, instantly engulfing his entire body.

The intense heat of the flames emanated from the body, instantly evaporating the seawater close to the skin into a vacuum.

The surrounding area instantly became like a boiling cauldron, emitting a violent gurgling sound, with strings of scalding bubbles surging upwards.

In this dark seabed, he seemed to transform into a miniature sun.

The light was dazzling and dispelled the darkness, banishing that voice from my mind once again.

Then, Fang Cheng sprang forward, his legs unleashing a powerful stomp, shooting straight toward the sea like a torpedo launched from its barrel.

The distance of more than two hundred meters seems impossibly far.

With his all-out sprint, he crossed the gap in the blink of an eye.

Whoosh!

Water splashed everywhere as Fang Cheng broke through the water and leaped high into the air.

In mid-air, he braced his feet on the ship's side and nimbly flipped onto the deck.

"Brother Cheng!"

Upon seeing this, Pan Wendi and Lin Chuqiao quickly stepped forward.

Fang Cheng tossed the last two pieces of ancient remains onto the deck, wiped his wet hair, shook off the water droplets, and looked at the two of them, saying:

"I have some things to take care of. If it takes a long time, you can go back to the hotel by boat after you're done fishing. You don't need to wait for me here."

Lin Chuqiao keenly sensed something amiss and stepped forward to ask with concern:
"What happened?"

Fang Cheng shook his head, his expression calm:
"While I was diving underwater just now, I suddenly had a flash of inspiration, so I thought I would take this opportunity to go into seclusion and cultivate for a while to see if I could break through my current ability bottleneck and take another step forward."

Upon hearing this, Lin Chuqiao relaxed and did not ask any further questions.

She understood Fang Cheng's dedication to martial arts cultivation and immediately nodded in agreement:
"Okay, then we'll anchor here and wait for you."

Pan Wendi immediately echoed:
“Yeah, Cheng-ge, anyway, there are plenty of supplies on the yacht, so we can fish and have a party on it. Even if we have to wait ten days or half a month, it’s no problem.”

Wen Xin peeked out from behind Zhou Xiumei and swung her little fist forcefully:

"Go, brother! We'll be waiting for you to come back on the ship."

Although Zhou Xiumei didn't speak, her clear eyes also revealed a determined look, clearly indicating that she was unwilling to leave prematurely.

Seeing that everyone insisted on staying, Fang Cheng did not try to dissuade them further.

He waved to the group, turned around, and plunged back into the sea without hesitation.

This time, she didn't pause at all.

Like a sharp arrow, it swiftly swam downstream towards that dark abyss that ordinary people could never reach.

What Fang Cheng wanted to do was to continue diving deeper into the trench.

He wanted to see for himself what lay beneath that unknown abyss. (End of Chapter)