Cultivation begins in the endless sea.

Four or five years have passed since Lin Qing obtained the "Floating Light Sword Manual" in exchange, and he no longer expects to master it quickly.

However, to truly master the basics and make the Meteor Blade effective at launching attacks from the hand, we still need to work hard to achieve this.

Thinking of the impending sea monster tide, Lin Qing immediately gritted his teeth, took out the Meteor Blade, and began practicing true sword control techniques.

Unlike previous methods of throwing and controlling weapons, the Meteor Blade, under his repeated control through the coordination of his divine sense and magical power, either flickered wildly in the air or simply crashed down from mid-air with a "clang"...

And so, Lin Qing secluded himself in his cave for another three months, until finally, the clear sound of swords ringing out echoed from his cave!

Finally, during his spare time, he carefully reviewed the "Bone Tempering Golden Body Technique".

······

On Luoyu Island, in a secluded village on the west side facing the sea, there is a completely different scene.

"Old Gu, going fishing again?"

Wearing a straw hat and carrying a hoe, villager Zhang Tieniu was on his way to the beach to finish his assigned tasks before dawn when he ran into this strange old man from the village.

About ten years ago, this old man with a completely white beard suddenly moved here.

They also chose a location near a cliff by the sea.

"That place isn't good; it's scorching hot on sunny days and damp on rainy days..."

At that time, the village headman patiently persuaded him.

But the old man didn't appreciate it and stubbornly insisted on choosing that spot.

The village headman stamped his foot, having no other choice but to ask the strong men in the village to help him build a stone house so that he could shelter from the wind and rain for a longer time.

"There's nothing we can do; he has connections in high places..."

In the middle of the night, as the village head returned home and cuddled with his wife to sleep, he couldn't help but complain, "It's all because of the pressure from the township..."

This pressure lasted for ten years.

"Hmm, Tie Niu, go scrape the mud and apply the brine..."

"Yes..." Zhang Tieniu answered subconsciously, then couldn't help but ask, "Does Old Gu go fishing every day?"

The old man, known as Old Gu, stiffened for a moment, then nodded nonchalantly, waved his hand, and slowly walked towards the seaside.

On the west side of the sea, there is a small bay shaped like the Chinese character "回" (hui). Not only is the scenery beautiful, but a flat rock protrudes from the top of the "回" shape, which is just the right place for Mr. Gu to sit cross-legged and fish.

He skillfully baited the hook, then gently cast the line. The tip of the rod traced a silver trail in the air, and the hook sank steadily into the water. The float swayed gently with the ripples, as if waiting for a fish to take the bait.

Time passed slowly, and Zhang Tieniu, drenched in sweat, hurried home, grumbling and cursing.

But Old Gu seemed completely oblivious, remaining calmly seated.

A gentle breeze swept by.

Suddenly, the sea surface surged strangely, and the buoy trembled violently. Old Gu quickly grabbed it tightly.

"Could it be a big fish?"

While he was still hesitating, he suddenly felt a strong force coming from his arms, and he involuntarily fell off the cliff!

At the critical moment, Old Man Gu crushed a talisman that he always kept in his sleeve.

At the same time, two low-level sea monsters covered in hard armor and with exposed fangs suddenly burst out of the sea and opened their blood-red mouths to swallow the old man Gu.

Suddenly, the talisman flashed with light.

"Pfft—"

A first-tier, low-grade talisman: the Golden Sword Talisman.

It cut open the enormous lips of a siren.

While still in mid-air, Old Man Gu only had time to twist his waist to avoid the fangs of another sea monster before he fell into the sea with a "plop" with a drop of blood on his face.

"So this is what it feels like to fall into the sea..."

Mr. Gu's memories came flooding back, as if those old times were vividly before his eyes.

In a moment of clarity, Old Gu felt a sliver of his fighting instinct return. Almost instinctively, he thrust his withered hands forward, propelling himself two zhang diagonally forward, narrowly avoiding a gaping maw behind him.

"That was close!"

Without time to think, he quickly pulled a steel sword from his storage bag, then staggered to his feet, about to rush ashore through the wet mud of the mudflats.

No sooner had it appeared than another low-level sea monster rushed forward, its short, thick forelimbs lunging fiercely at Elder Gu!

"Ha!"

Old Gu mustered his remaining strength and desperately swung his steel sword down.

"clang-"

The steel sword was chipped and broken, and the siren's forelimb also slashed open a deep wound...

Old Gu's face immediately turned bright red, but he dared not give up. He endured the pain in his chest and arms and moved a few more steps towards the shore.

Suddenly, he felt a chill run down his spine and instinctively rolled to the side, dodging the sudden attack from the siren behind him…

"ah…"

Although he escaped a fatal blow, Old Gu's left leg was bitten!

In desperation, Old Master Gu disregarded everything else and hurled the steel sword in his hand.

"Sizzle—"

The siren, injured in the right eye, instinctively opened its massive jaws. Old Gu quickly crawled, limping, onto the shore…

Without even a moment to catch his breath, he hurriedly gathered the spiritual energy that had long since been depleted in his meridians.

"You're so useless..."

"Gu Shang'an, Gu Shang'an!"

"Yunhe's situation is all because of you..."

"The battle in the market was also because you were useless; you even had to rely on Sheng Shuang to take that arrow for you..."

"Afterwards, you were even more of a useless piece of trash... You didn't even have the backbone of that girl Yunyue..."

While Gu Shang'an was lost in thought about gathering spiritual energy, one of the amphibious sea monsters, baring its fangs and brandishing its claws, crawled onto the mudflats.

Gu Shang'an stared at the two talismans in his hand and fell silent for a moment.

One is a message talisman, and the other is a golden sword talisman.

……

A moment later, a dazzling light shot up from a mudflat somewhere on Luoyu Island, and then burst into colorful flowers.

"Oh no! A siren is attacking!"

"The siren is coming!"

The piercing alarm shattered the sky and shattered the peaceful life near Wanling Island!

Upon seeing the message talisman finally activated, Gu Shang'an, who had been clenching his teeth, breathed a slight sigh of relief, only to feel a wave of soreness and weakness throughout his body.

"Holy crap!"

Just as the siren's enormous claw shadow was about to strike, a group of torches suddenly rained down from the sky and smashed towards it.

The siren instinctively took two steps back to avoid it.

Gu Shang'an, who had narrowly escaped death, looked back and saw that Zhang Tieniu had arrived with the strong men from the village.

Gu Shang'an forced a smile, about to express his gratitude, when he saw Zhang Tieniu's face instantly turn terrified. Then, he felt a piercing pain shoot through his back…

"Frost has formed..."

"You once said that facing the sea, with spring flowers blooming..."

Gu Shang'an was completely plunged into darkness.

……

"call out!"

A golden communication talisman entered Lin Qing's secluded cave. Lin Qing's expression turned serious, and he crushed the talisman.

"Qing'er, the Star Constellation Sect has issued a Star Constellation Decree, ordering all its vassal families to send a Foundation Establishment cultivator to participate in the Star Constellation Alliance's defensive formation!..."

"Qing'er, signs of a swarm of sea monsters have appeared on Rainfall Island. Low-level sea monsters have crossed the critical line... Gu Shang'an has been killed!"

"..."

Lin Qing suddenly raised his head!