The Call Beyond the Mist

The darkness vanished.

The first sensation Hao Nhien felt was falling.

There was no ground beneath his feet.

No stone step.

Nothing at all he could use for leverage.

The instant his body emerged from the black gate, he dropped into empty space, sea wind whipping upward against his face.

Below stretched a vast expanse of gray-blue water, reaching all the way to the edge of sight.

“Lanh Hoa!”

Even as Hao Nhien called out, Spirit Wings erupted behind him.

Wind force gathered.

His body shifted sideways, slowing his descent.

Lanh Hoa was more than a zhang away.

He showed no panic.

True Qi circulated immediately through his body as he drew his sword and slashed downward, releasing a burst of sword energy to create opposing force.

But in the open air, the attack only slowed his fall for an instant.

A white figure flashed across the other side.

Lang Tuyet did not summon a flying artifact.

Instead, she flicked her hand and threw out a small gray object.

BOOM!

Spiritual light erupted in midair.

The Azure Sea Vessel they had just purchased in the Sea Market rapidly expanded from a model smaller than a palm into a spiritual vessel more than three zhang long.

“Down!”

Lang Tuyet shouted.

Hao Nhien immediately triggered Spirit Wings again.

A current of Wind force curled around Lanh Hoa and pulled him away from his original falling path.

All three landed on the deck almost simultaneously.

BOOM!

The Azure Sea Vessel slammed into the sea.

Water exploded upward.

The hull sank deeply before its formations pushed it back toward the surface.

It rocked violently several times before gradually stabilizing.

Hao Nhien braced one hand against the railing and looked down at the water below.

Deep.

Far too deep to see the bottom.

Lang Tuyet stood near the front, her long hair slightly disordered by the wind.

She glanced down at the Azure Sea Vessel beneath them.

Then looked toward Hao Nhien.

“Five hundred and twenty mid-grade spirit stones.”

Hao Nhien raised an eyebrow.

“I didn’t say anything.”

“Your eyes did.”

“I was only thinking…”

He looked down at the sea again.

Lang Tuyet smiled faintly.

“Compared with entering and immediately falling straight into the water, this boat has already earned back part of its price.”

Lanh Hoa sheathed his sword.

He did not join the conversation.

Instead, he walked toward the stern, studied the distant gray mist, and checked the defensive formation patterns around the vessel.

Hao Nhien raised his head as well.

Only now did he truly see the place they had entered.

Sea.

Nothing but sea.

No shore.

No islands.

No mountains.

Above them, there was no sun and no ordinary cloud cover.

Only an evenly spread layer of gray-white light, making it impossible to determine the time of day.

The mist was thin.

It did not obscure anything nearby.

But beyond several hundred zhang, everything gradually disappeared into pale gray.

The wind was not strong.

The waves were not high.

The Azure Sea Vessel only rose and fell gently with the water.

If not for knowing this place was called the Void Realm, Hao Nhien might almost have believed they had simply returned to the Sea Region.

He reached over the side of the vessel and allowed seawater to splash against his fingertips.

Cold.

Salty.

It even carried a faint fishy smell.

Hao Nhien slowly rubbed his fingers together, feeling the thin residue of salt.

“Too real.”

Lang Tuyet was inspecting the formations beneath her feet.

At his words, she also bent down and touched the water.

After a moment, she said,

“Real or false probably cannot be distinguished by things like this.”

Hao Nhien looked toward the endless sea.

“Does Earth Spirit truly control a place like this?”

“Earth One already said they only control part of it.”

Lang Tuyet withdrew her hand.

“I am beginning to understand why he said that.”

Hao Nhien did not answer.

At that moment, the Sea Mark in his palm suddenly grew warm.

The blue ring of water across the jade plaque brightened.

At the same time, the Sea Market Disk at his waist trembled lightly.

A thin layer of light appeared across the black-jade surface.

Several lines of text emerged.

Unnamed Team.

Starting Point: Priceless Sea Route.

Current Merit: -24.

Hao Nhien looked at the route name.

“Priceless?”

Lang Tuyet stepped closer.

The moment she saw it, one eyebrow rose slightly.

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“Interesting name.”

Hao Nhien touched the Sea Market Disk.

The surface changed immediately.

Priceless Sea Route.

Public Data: Low.

Past Three Years: No Stable Valuable Resources Discovered.

Highest Merit Recorded in the Past Three Years: 10.

Below those lines was smaller text.

Detailed Route File: 2 Merit.

Hao Nhien touched it.

Insufficient Balance.

He stared at the message for a moment.

Then withdrew his hand.

Lang Tuyet laughed softly beside him.

“In Sea City, the poor cannot even afford cheap information.”

“Then we look for ourselves.”

“The cheapest method.”

Hao Nhien did not argue.

The Sea Mark grew warm again.

A new line appeared above the jade surface as though written directly in water.

Starting Mission: Survive for One Hour.

Expected Merit: 0.

Lang Tuyet looked at the two lines.

The corner of her mouth lifted.

“Indeed…”

“Priceless.”

Hao Nhien frowned slightly at the zero.

From the information available, the Priceless Sea Route had no significant resources.

Nor did it appear to contain any meaningful missions beyond surviving for an hour.

For cultivators hoping to earn merit, this was clearly an unattractive route.

Yet the survival requirement itself caught Hao Nhien’s attention.

If this sea truly had nothing of value, then what kind of danger required the Void Realm to issue a mission simply to remain alive for one hour?

Hao Nhien did not rush to speculate.

The Sea Gate Contract had never guaranteed a starting point.

And there was too little information about this place to reach any conclusion.

He looked toward the gray mist ahead.

“Let’s go see.”

Lang Tuyet nodded.

She guided the Azure Sea Vessel forward.

The formation beneath the hull gave off a faint vibration.

Water parted on both sides.

A white trail formed behind them.

Lang Tuyet stood at the bow.

Lanh Hoa guarded the rear.

Hao Nhien remained between them, observing.

No one spoke much.

The Azure Sea Vessel quietly entered the gray mist.

Nearly half a quarter-hour passed.

Aside from small waves striking the hull, the three detected no sign of life.

The sea seemed endless.

Not a single sea beast.

Not even a trace left by another ship.

Hao Nhien walked to the railing and quietly studied the wind moving across the water.

Ever since forming his Golden Core, he had been able to perceive Wind Momentum.

He could sense patterns in the movement of wind that, during Foundation Establishment, he could only have recognized through ordinary physical sensation.

Here, amid this quiet sea, a thought occurred to him.

He wanted to see what difference it would make if he followed the existing Wind Momentum while using the same amount of True Qi.

Hao Nhien slowly circulated True Qi and drew out a very small current of Wind force.

This power originated from himself.

Its direction and strength could be controlled through intention.

But this time, he did not immediately send it forward.

He wanted to see what would happen if his Wind force interacted with the Wind Momentum already moving across the sea.

Hao Nhien extended one hand beyond the railing and guided the Wind force forward.

The moment it left his palm, it met a diagonal current of wind coming from the sea.

The two forces collided.

Most of Hao Nhien’s Wind force was pushed aside and quickly dispersed.

He frowned slightly.

He did not add more True Qi.

Instead, he changed the timing.

He waited until the natural wind shifted.

Then gently guided his Wind force along with it.

This time, the current traveled noticeably farther.

Hao Nhien watched carefully.

The amount of power he had used had not changed.

Yet the result had.

He suddenly realized that in the past, he had usually used True Qi to create Wind force and then forced it to move according to his own intention.

But now, what mattered was not merely the force itself.

It was how that force entered the Wind Momentum already present in the surroundings.

The sea beneath them never stopped moving.

Wind pushed the waves.

Waves changed the air currents close to the surface.

Hao Nhien quietly studied that interaction.

A new understanding gradually began to take shape.

If Wind force could be guided along Wind Momentum, then when another type of force entered a completely different environment, could it also be used in a similar way?

Hao Nhien sat beside the railing.

He watched the waves spreading across the sea.

Wind constantly changed the surface.

At the same time, the movement of the water altered the air currents passing close above it.

Two things that appeared separate were constantly influencing one another.

Previously, Hao Nhien had mainly used Wind Momentum to increase power or alter the direction of an attack.

Now, however, his attention shifted toward how one kind of force changed when entering an environment influenced by another kind of Momentum.

A thought surfaced.

What if he replaced Wind force with Lightning?

At that moment, Lang Tuyet walked over.

She noticed him staring intently at the water.

“What is it?”

“I’m testing something.”

“What?”

Hao Nhien smiled faintly.

He raised one finger.

A tiny spark of Lightning immediately appeared at the fingertip.

Lang Tuyet saw it and raised an eyebrow.

“You’re planning to strike the sea?”

“Only testing.”

“Then stand farther away from me.”

Hao Nhien: “…”

He did not allow the Lightning to erupt.

Instead, he gently released it onto the water just as a wave passed beneath them.

Crackle.

The moment the Lightning touched the sea, it split into dozens of violet-silver branches as thin as hair.

They raced in different directions.

Then quickly disappeared.

Hao Nhien watched closely.

The power still belonged to him.

But the route it took was no longer entirely determined by his will.

The water accepted the Lightning.

Then carried it according to its own movement.

He tried again.

This time, Hao Nhien did not release the Lightning immediately.

He waited until two small waves met.

Crackle.

Most of the Lightning still scattered.

But one branch traveled much farther along the water.

A trace of satisfaction appeared within Hao Nhien.

It vanished almost immediately when he recognized the problem.

He had correctly predicted the direction of one branch.

The others still remained beyond his control.

The same water.

The same amount of True Qi.

Yet changing the timing alone had changed the result.

That made something clear.

Recognizing the general direction of movement was only the first step.

If he wanted to truly guide power according to his intention, he would need a deeper understanding of how the environment changed and how different forces affected one another.

Lang Tuyet noticed his unusual focus.

“What did you discover?”

“In the past, I usually thought that if I wanted an attack to travel farther, I needed to make it stronger.”

“And now?”

“Not necessarily.”

Hao Nhien pointed toward the fading ripples.

“If heaven and earth already possess a direction of movement, sometimes all you need is to find the correct direction and place your force into it.”

Lang Tuyet looked at the water.

“Like rowing with the current?”

“Exactly.”

“But with Wind force, I can already sense and guide Wind Momentum.”

“The Lightning just now was different.”

“Most of it still scattered outside my intention.”

“So you don’t yet understand how to guide it?”

Hao Nhien nodded.

“Not yet.”

“I have only realized that the same amount of power can produce very different results depending on how it is used.”

Lang Tuyet nodded faintly.

Behind them, Lanh Hoa had turned around.

He had heard the entire conversation.

But he still could not sense what Hao Nhien was describing.

“Clan Chief.”

“Does Momentum belong to the cultivator or to heaven and earth?”

Hao Nhien paused.

He thought for a moment before answering.

“Momentum already exists within heaven and earth.”

“Golden Core cultivators can perceive it, comprehend it, and find ways to use it.”

“But that does not mean the Momentum belongs to them.”

Lanh Hoa lowered his eyes toward the sword at his waist.

“Then for now, this subordinate can only rely on his own strength?”

“For now.”

“But the methods of releasing force and the sword techniques you are training will not be wasted.”

“When you form your Golden Core, perhaps you will understand what we are talking about today.”

Lanh Hoa looked toward the water flowing along the hull.

Then slowly nodded.

“It is not only about becoming stronger.”

Hao Nhien looked toward him.

“It is…”

“Being more correct.”

Hao Nhien smiled faintly.

“Perhaps.”

Lang Tuyet also smiled.

“Lanh Hoa is not wrong.”

“You tested the same amount of power several times.”

“The force never increased.”

“The result still changed.”

“Though using it in a real battle would probably be much more difficult.”

“Of course.”

Hao Nhien nodded.

“The water here moves slowly.”

“I have time to observe.”

“But in battle, the opponent’s power is constantly changing as well.”

“To recognize the right Momentum and guide force into it at exactly the right moment…”

“That will be much harder.”

Hao Nhien looked at the ripples gradually fading across the water.

Many things remained unclear.

He had recognized the difference between forcibly releasing power and guiding it along the existing movement of heaven and earth.

But turning that realization into actual ability would clearly require a great deal more time.

Still, the experiments had shown him a new direction.

Guiding Momentum.

Hao Nhien silently remembered the two words.

Then slowly withdrew his hand.

The Azure Sea Vessel continued gliding through the gray sea.

Just as Hao Nhien finished withdrawing his True Qi, he suddenly sensed the Cosmic Ark vibrating within the space where it was stored.

The fluctuation was very faint.

But continuous.

Completely different from its usual quiet state.

Hao Nhien immediately contacted Little Spirit.

“What is it?”

The child’s voice came back, filled with surprise.

“Hao Nhien.”

“I think something is calling our boat!”

“Do you know what it is?”

“Don’t know.”

“But the boat is answering too.”

Little Spirit hesitated.

Then continued,

“I want to bring it out and look.”

Hao Nhien thought briefly.

There were still too many things about the Void Realm that they did not understand.

But the Cosmic Ark rarely reacted without reason.

“All right.”

“Check Tieu Lan first.”

“Make sure this doesn’t affect her.”

“I already checked!”

“Tieu Lan is fine!”

Hao Nhien nodded slightly.

The space to the right of the Azure Sea Vessel immediately began to ripple.

The Cosmic Ark slowly emerged.

Its dark-green wooden hull carried ancient patterns across the surface.

It descended gently onto the sea.

Lang Tuyet immediately turned.

“You summoned it?”

“Little Spirit brought it out.”

“It says something inside the Void Realm is calling the Cosmic Ark.”

Lang Tuyet narrowed her eyes slightly.

Before she could ask more, the patterns along the Ark’s hull began to flicker.

The light was extremely faint.

Appearing.

Disappearing.

As though the ship were quietly receiving something from the surrounding space.

Hao Nhien slowly extended his spiritual sense.

The sensation reminded him of the time the Cosmic Ark had absorbed spiritual energy from supreme-grade spirit stones.

But this time, the gathered energy was so faint that he could not determine its origin.

“Little Spirit.”

“What is the Ark absorbing?”

“I don’t know!”

The child answered immediately.

“But it likes it a lot.”

“Like when it gets to eat spirit stones!”

Hao Nhien watched the flickering patterns.

Lang Tuyet also tried to sense the surrounding energy.

She detected no obvious change in ambient spiritual energy.

“It seems whatever the Ark is absorbing is not ordinary spiritual energy.”

“Possibly.”

Hao Nhien did not rush to a conclusion.

He asked Lanh Hoa to keep the Azure Sea Vessel in place.

Then he and Lang Tuyet stepped onto the Cosmic Ark.

The moment Hao Nhien reached the deck, he saw Little Spirit standing at the bow.

The child was staring intently at the patterns beneath its feet.

Its face was filled with excitement.

“Little Spirit.”

“Can you still feel the call?”

“Yes!”

The child looked up.

“But now it’s different.”

“How?”

Little Spirit pointed toward the gray mist ahead.

“At first, it was calling our boat.”

“Now…”

“Our boat is calling it too.”

Hao Nhien followed the child’s finger.

The mist remained still.

There was nothing unusual in sight.

But just as he was about to ask another question, every ancient pattern across the Cosmic Ark suddenly lit up at the same time.

Only for a single beat.

Little Spirit immediately stopped speaking.

The smile slowly disappeared from the child’s face.

“Hao Nhien…”

“What is it?”

Little Spirit stared into the mist.

“I think…”

“It just answered.”