Liu Xing had intended to kill Yu Yongrui. After all, he was invisible and could launch a sneak attack while Yu Yongrui fought his shark. To his surprise, Tide Walker had already won by the time he arrived—the fight having happened in the middle of the sea. The shark had bitten off half of Yu Yongrui's torso, blown half of his face off, and had his neck in its jaws, ready to kill him. However, Yu Yongrui summoned a sleek, long purple flying sword, and latched onto it. The sword moved so fast that the shark had trouble following it.

  When Liu Xing arrived, Tide Walker came to him and nudged him in the cheek, its mouth curved in a smile. It was happy because while it had failed to kill Yu Yongrui, it had avenged the humiliation of being chained. Liu Xing admitted that he was not quite satisfied with the result of the fight. He had gained only enemies. Not to mention, Yu Yongrui had taken his mask. Still, when he remembered that Yu Heng and Mi Lian were safe, he was content.

  After that, Liu Xing let the shark rest on his back. His shark had worked hard and deserved to be pampered a little, not to mention that it also carried him while he was killing the Nether Lotus Sect disciples. Soon, Liu Xing caught up to Yu Heng. He was sailing a small ketch. His whale and his sister lay at the center of the vessel, and Liu Xing felt a formation surrounding it. The ketch was also slightly transparent, its presence faint. It was not good enough, though. While a normal cultivator would have a hard time detecting the ketch, people with sharp senses, treasures, or other methods could still find it. He needed to amend it.

  Liu Xing dropped his invisibility and announced his presence. At that moment, Yu Heng instantly looked up and grabbed a spear that was leaning against the steering wheel. Then, he ran to the center of the ketch, shielding the little whale and his sister behind him. When the man saw it was Liu Xing, relief touched his eyes, though he still pointed his spear at him.

  Liu Xing shrouded himself with his own qi and manually controlled it to descend slowly onto the ketch. While he had already stated that he and Yu Heng were on the same side, he needed to show he was not hostile.

  Yu Heng looked at him with sharp eyes. He gripped the shaft of his spear tightly but allowed Liu Xing to land. When he landed, Liu Xing looked at Yu Heng and raised his hands into the air as if surrendering.

  "We're on the same side," Liu Xing said, looking at the whale and Mi Lian.

  For a while, Yu Heng still pointed his spear at him. His eyes flicked to his sister, and he pressed his lips together. After a moment, Yu Heng’s gaze returned to Liu Xing, and he finally lowered his weapon.

  "What's your name?" Yu Heng asked.

  "My name is Liu Xing," he replied, putting down his hands and sighing in relief. Then, he said, "Your ship isn't secure enough. I have a way to make it much harder to detect."

  "My ship is a treasure passed down from my ancestors," he said sharply, as if Liu Xing had insulted him.

  "Yet, I could find you. If I can, then the Nether Lotus Sect can, and the great sects can too. Will you let your arrogance be the reason they take your sister?"

  Yu Heng shot him a glare, his eyes reddened as if he was about to lunge at him, but he reined in his emotions and nodded. "Do it, then."

  "Alright," Liu Xing replied. "Just a heads-up, this invisibility won't just shroud the area around this ketch. It will make the ketch and us invisible, with no exceptions. This means that you won't be able to see things either."

  Yu Heng asked for clarification, and Liu Xing explained it, but in the end, he just decided to demonstrate. As he held his gun, he willed the invisibility to take effect, spreading to his body before finally enveloping the ketch. Yu Heng was alarmed at first, as Liu Xing and the floor where he stood turned invisible. But when the invisibility spread to him, he finally understood how it worked.

  Liu Xing explained further as the invisibility began to swallow the whole ketch, and after several moments, they were truly invisible. From his perspective, Liu Xing felt as if he were standing in midair.

  "This is a little disorienting," Yu Heng said.

  "Bear with it," Liu Xing said.

  From there, Yu Heng tried to ask more about it, but Liu Xing stated that they needed to move. Yu Heng moved toward the steering wheel, activated the function that made the ketch move forward, and began steering.

  "You're still there, aren't you?" Yu Heng asked.

  Liu Xing moved to the side, sat, and leaned his back against the railing of the ketch. Tide Walker moved and settled atop his head. Liu Xing doubted it was a comfortable position; his shark was already bigger than his head, after all.

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  "Yes," Liu Xing finally answered. "If I lose contact with the ship, the invisibility on you and this ketch will be undone."

  "So it's touch-based."

  "Yes," he nodded, though Yu Heng did not see his gesture.

  Liu Xing was sure that Yu Heng had many questions. He admitted that he had quite a few, too. For example, what had actually happened to Mi Lian? How did she end up like that? And what about the whale? How could a cauldron and a spear turn into a whale and a shark? What kind of technique was that? However, Liu Xing did not ask questions. Instead, he recovered and contemplated his recent adventure and the fact that Yin Feng was likely the main protagonist of this world—if this world were a story—and that Yin Feng had actually intended to kill him because he was a saint candidate, a position that Yin Feng claimed was his. He also reviewed his fight and his mistakes and tried to apply his newfound knowledge to what Moon Flower had taught him.

  The ketch sailed. There was a mechanism to propel the vessel forward, but its sails also helped it move. Not for long, though, because after about five minutes, the ketch suddenly picked up speed and, instead of moving forward, moved diagonally. Then, abruptly, the ketch moved backward. Yu Heng cursed, steering the wheel and activating some of the ketch’s functions until they finally moved forward again.

  At first, Liu Xing thought it was the fault of the ketch or perhaps that Yu Heng did not actually know how to steer this vessel—which could be considered a treasure—but not long after, Liu Xing realized that it was the sea. He looked around and found that the current was quite chaotic in this place. At that moment, Liu Xing remembered why this place was called the Wild Tide Region.

  "Hey, where are we going?" Liu Xing asked.

  "There's a little island not too far from here. Around this time, it should be submerged in the water, but some caves inside it aren't filled with water. It's a perfect hiding place for us."

  "We're already hidden by my invisibility," Liu Xing said. "I don't think we need to visit that island. What is your next destination?"

  The man snorted. "This invisibility is indeed impressive. But how long can you keep it up? An hour? Two hours?"

  Yu Heng's doubt made sense. Assuming his invisibility was a technique, he would eventually need to stop using it to recover his qi. Even if it were the effect of a treasure, it was reasonable to assume that the treasure would not last forever. After all, treasures needed qi, too. While some could be maintained by supplying them with qi from spirit stones, spirit stones were not infinite either.

  "You don't need to be worried about it," Liu Xing said. "I can maintain it indefinitely."

  The invisibility was an effect of his gun, and as far as he knew, the gun did not need qi to operate. It brought up the question of what powered it, and while he thought that it was probably the darkness, he had no evidence.

  Yu Heng did not answer for some time. And since he was invisible, Liu Xing could not see his expression either.

  After another moment, Yu Heng finally continued. "We still need to visit that island. Even if your claim is true, I cannot steer this ship indefinitely."

  "We can switch," Liu Xing said. "What is your destination?"

  Yu Heng growled. "When I say we need to go there, it means that we absolutely need to go there!"

  Liu Xing's eyes sharpened. "Is that so? What is the reason, then? I'm not unreasonable, you know. If you have a good reason, just say it."

  "Fine!" he said. "That island has a dense concentration of qi, and I need it to help Whaley and my sister recover. Not to mention it's actually one of my bases, and I have supplies there."

  "That's a reasonable reason," Liu Xing said. "Why was it so hard for you to tell me?"

  Liu Xing could not see him, but he imagined Yu Heng looking him straight in the eye. "Because I still don't trust you. And I don't like to be lorded over or questioned by a stranger like you."

  Liu Xing crossed his arms over his chest and sighed. Yu Heng's words made sense. After all, Liu Xing had just arrived on the ketch and immediately pointed out its inadequate hiding mechanism. He also admitted that he hadn't spoken to Yu Heng as an equal, but rather as if he were ordering him around. It was as if Liu Xing had instantly assumed the role of a leader. It appears to be a habit he developed unconsciously.

  "Then let's start from the start." Liu Xing continued. "We don't need to be friends, but we can't be strangers either. As I said earlier, we're currently on the same side: the side that will make sure that Mi Lian never falls to the Nether Lotus Sect." Liu Xing waited for a while, but when Yu Heng did not answer, he understood that Yu Heng did not buy his words. He actually did not have any wish to befriend Yu Heng. It seemed their personalities did not quite match. Still, as he said, they were currently on the same side, which meant they needed to establish some trust.

  "Let's begin by exchanging information. You ask one question, and I'll answer one question. But, since you don't trust me, I'll let you ask five questions first without me asking you any. It's my way to convey that I am sincere."

  Yu Heng was silent for a moment before saying, "Fine. I like that. In fact, I like that very much. Let's start."

  "Ask your first question, then," Liu Xing said.

  "My first question is simple. I want to know your end goal here. You said that we're currently on the same side, right? You said you don't want my sister to fall to the Nether Lotus Sect. What are you going to do about it?"

  Liu Xing pinched his chin, thinking for a moment, then answered. "It's simple, actually. My end goal is to destroy the Nether Lotus Sect. Doesn't this goal align with yours too? Without the Nether Lotus Sect, your sister would be safe."

  "A bold answer. I want to ask how you plan to do it, but let's move on. My second question: do you know why they are after my sister?"

  "I know the reason, yes," Liu Xing nodded.

  "Tell me."

  "Is this your third question?"

  "Yes," Yu Heng said without missing a beat, and Liu Xing could hear the eagerness and seriousness mixed together in his voice. "Tell me about it."

  "Well, to answer your question, I think it would be better for me to explain another story first. The story of a boy named Qing Yuan. This will make the next part, about the ritual that Ye Xuanming wants to do to lure a legendary noble creature, make sense."

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