The First Shore Beyond the Map

Lang Tuyet approached as well.

After watching for a while, she looked puzzled.

“Lanh Hoa had a reflection.”

“So did I.”

“Hao Nhien certainly did.”

“Why are you the only one with nothing?”

Little Spirit continued looking down.

Then said,

“There is.”

Lang Tuyet was surprised.

“Where?”

The child did not answer.

Instead, it turned toward Hao Nhien.

Its clear eyes remained on him for a long time.

Yet the gaze gave the strange impression of looking past his body and into somewhere deeper within his soul.

At that instant, the sea beneath Hao Nhien trembled again.

The glowing lines that had disappeared slowly returned.

Beside one portion of the soul-image, a tiny point of light began to condense.

It had no clear shape.

Nor was it fully separated from the surrounding lines.

Hao Nhien immediately recognized the location.

It was exactly where the earlier ripple had appeared.

Little Spirit turned its head away.

The small point dimmed at once.

Then disappeared.

Hao Nhien looked at the child.

His expression changed slightly.

“Little Spirit, what was that?”

“Don’t know.”

“You truly don’t recognize it?”

The child thought for a long time.

Then shook its head.

“Don’t remember.”

Hao Nhien did not continue questioning it.

He remembered the fragmented things Little Spirit had said after awakening.

But what had just happened was far too vague to connect confidently to anything.

Even Little Spirit itself could not explain why the sea reacted only when it stood near him.

Hao Nhien looked into the water again.

Everything had returned to stillness.

No trace of the glowing lines remained.

He silently memorized the phenomenon.

The Cosmic Ark continued through the strange sea for almost another full day.

No genuine danger appeared.

But after the images in the water, none of the three adults spent long periods leaning over the railing anymore.

Lang Tuyet occasionally glimpsed the woman in ancient clothing.

Sometimes it was only a faint outline behind her own image.

Sometimes it looked like a figure standing impossibly far beneath the surface.

Whenever that happened, Lang Tuyet paused for a moment.

Then continued whatever she had been doing without speaking.

Hao Nhien did not ask.

Lanh Hoa, after his first encounter, barely looked into the sea at all.

To him, something without killing intent that could not be identified as an enemy did not deserve attention that should instead be spent guarding the ship.

Little Spirit alone continued behaving as usual.

It never displayed an independent reflection.

But once, when it walked past Hao Nhien, a single ripple appeared beneath both of them.

It lasted only an instant before fading.

Had no one been watching carefully, it might have gone unnoticed entirely.

Hao Nhien watched the child walk away.

This time, he did not call it back.

By the afternoon of the following day, sea wind finally returned.

At first, it was only a faint breeze from ahead.

The perfectly still water developed a thin ripple.

Then more followed.

Small waves gradually formed.

The familiar sound of water returned.

The Cosmic Ark crossed an invisible boundary.

Ahead, the sea began reflecting the light of the sky again.

Pale gray clouds reappeared upon the surface.

Within moments, the world looked normal—as if the strange waters behind them had never existed.

Lang Tuyet stood at the stern, looking back for a long time.

“The Mirror Sea.”

Hao Nhien turned.

“What?”

“That’s what I’m calling the place we just crossed.”

“Because the water was flat like a mirror?”

“No.”

Lang Tuyet watched the region slowly falling behind them.

Her voice became quieter.

“Because it looked at the people above it.”

Hao Nhien was slightly surprised.

Then nodded.

“Not a bad name.”

Readers should know that carries the author's chapter, but these words were copied without approval; the author is supported there.

Little Spirit, sitting at the bow, offered no opinion.

Its small legs continued swinging as though it had already forgotten everything strange that had happened.

Hao Nhien looked at the child.

Then once more toward the still water behind them.

Many questions remained.

For now, he had no way to answer them.

And the Cosmic Ark had already left the Mirror Sea.

There was no reason to turn back merely because of phenomena they could not yet understand.

He withdrew his gaze.

The ship continued onward.

Near noon the next day, the color of the water ahead began to change.

At first, it was only a thin dark line between the white mist and the silver light stretching across the Sea Region.

As the Cosmic Ark continued forward, the line gradually widened.

Its shape became clearer.

Lang Tuyet was the first to notice.

She stood and raised a hand to shield her eyes from the light.

Lanh Hoa, still watching from the bow, noticed at almost the same moment.

“Island.”

Only one word.

But after so many days adrift at sea, it was enough to make everyone on deck look ahead.

The island was not especially large.

There were no towering mountains.

Low black cliffs alternated with bands of gray sand along the coast.

Farther inland, low forest covered most of the island.

There was no visible harbor.

No boats.

No large columns of smoke that would normally indicate a settlement.

Lang Tuyet took out a jade-lens artifact and studied the island for a long while.

“There are signs of people.”

Hao Nhien looked toward her.

“Where?”

“Eastern shore.”

“There’s a route down to the water.”

“Several trees nearby have also been cut.”

As the Cosmic Ark moved closer, Hao Nhien began seeing the same details.

Among the natural rocks, several surfaces had been worn smooth.

Long marks crossed the ground, as though heavy objects had repeatedly been dragged through the area.

This island was not uninhabited.

Little Spirit, still sitting on the railing, stared toward the shore.

After a moment, it said,

“There are people.”

Lang Tuyet immediately looked toward Little Spirit.

“I just said that.”

The child nodded.

“Mm.”

Lang Tuyet stared at it for a moment.

Then shook her head and gave up.

Hao Nhien studied the coastline.

After a while, he pointed toward a rocky beach more than ten li from the area showing signs of habitation.

“Little Spirit, take the Ark there.”

The child immediately adjusted the vessel’s course.

The Cosmic Ark slowly entered the coastal waters and finally stopped within a relatively concealed stretch of rock, shielded on both sides by low cliffs.

Hao Nhien had no intention of sailing a vessel this large directly toward an inhabited area before understanding who controlled the island.

He knew even less about how the local people regarded outsiders.

Lanh Hoa disembarked first.

The moment his feet touched the gray sand, he surveyed the surroundings.

Only after detecting no obvious ambush did he turn and signal Hao Nhien and Lang Tuyet.

The two followed him onto shore.

Little Spirit remained aboard the Ark, sitting near the bow while staring toward the low forest inland.

The moment Hao Nhien stepped onto the island, he noticed the local spiritual energy was different.

It was not especially dense.

But the fluctuations close to the ground were stable.

Very different from the constantly shifting forces of the Sea Region.

He was about to extend his spiritual sense farther when Lanh Hoa suddenly moved sideways and blocked the path ahead.

A sharp whistle cut through the air.

Whoosh!

An arrow shot from the forest.

It struck the stone ground not far from Lanh Hoa’s feet.

The force behind it was strong enough for the arrowhead to sink deep into rock, leaving small cracks around the impact.

Hao Nhien stopped immediately.

Almost at the same moment, the low bushes on either side shook.

Figures emerged from behind rocks and concealed trails.

Within only several breaths, dozens of people formed a wide semicircle before them.

They wore clothing made from animal hide.

Most had their hair braided close to the scalp or tied tightly behind their heads.

Their weapons varied greatly.

Long spears.

Short blades.

Bows.

Large bone clubs.

The equipment was far from uniform.

But their movements were quick and practiced, clearly belonging to people accustomed to fighting among forest and stone.

An older man farther behind them shouted continuously in an unfamiliar language.

Hao Nhien caught only a few sounds resembling words he knew.

Something that sounded like “thunder.”

And perhaps “this road.”

But the meaning remained uncertain.

Before he could attempt to speak, three of the people in front charged at once.

Lanh Hoa stepped forward.

His sword remained sheathed.

He shifted sideways to avoid the first spear.

One hand caught the shaft.

A sharp pull broke the attacker’s balance.

At the same time, the back of Lanh Hoa’s sheathed sword struck across the man’s chest and sent him flying backward.

Two more figures immediately closed in.

They gave him no chance to follow up.

Lanh Hoa turned.

A low sweep took one man’s legs from beneath him.

The other attacker chopped downward with a blade.

Lanh Hoa deflected it with his scabbard.

His elbow struck the man’s chest immediately afterward.

A dull impact sounded.

The attacker stumbled backward and fell onto the sand, unable to rise for the moment.

Lanh Hoa did not pursue.

He maintained his position in front of Hao Nhien.

Every movement remained short, precise, and decisive as he stopped those attempting to close in.

On the other side, three arrows flew toward Lang Tuyet simultaneously.

She did not step back.

One hand rose slightly.

The surrounding spiritual energy gathered into an invisible force.

Before the arrows reached her, their trajectories were pushed aside.

All three struck the sand several zhang away.

Three warriors carrying blades and long spears continued charging.

To them, the unarmed woman ahead did not appear particularly threatening.

But when they came within several steps, Lang Tuyet gently lowered her hand.

The spiritual energy around them suddenly sank.

The sand beneath their feet trembled.

Layers of sand and stone were lifted by an invisible force before being pressed violently downward.

All three men felt a tremendous weight descend upon their shoulders.

Their bodies immediately lost balance.

Their knees buckled before they could complete their attacks.

BOOM!

Three impacts sounded almost simultaneously.

All three were slammed into the ground.

Blood appeared at their mouths.

Their weapons flew from their hands.

They tried forcing themselves upright.

The pressure surrounding them did not allow it.

Lang Tuyet withdrew her hand.

The spiritual force gradually dispersed.

She did not continue attacking.

She only looked calmly at the people lying on the ground.

“We only just stepped onto this island.”

“We never intended to cause trouble.”

“Why are all of you so eager to risk your lives?”

No one answered.

Several tribesmen behind them saw their companions bleeding on the ground.

Their expressions changed instantly.

Shouts in the unfamiliar language rang out in rapid succession.

At that exact moment, an enraged voice suddenly thundered from the rocky slope above.

“Fall back!”

The people rushing forward immediately scattered.

A middle-aged man with short hair appeared atop the rock.

His gaze swept over the three people lying below.

Then stopped on Lang Tuyet.

Killing intent immediately rose in his eyes.

A crushing aura erupted.

Late Golden Core.

The pressure descended across the area like a physical weight.

Sand and stone trembled.

There was no further warning.

The middle-aged man launched himself directly toward Lang Tuyet.

Hao Nhien, standing between them, immediately recognized the difference in cultivation.

Lang Tuyet sensed the danger as well.

She had just begun circulating power when the late-Golden-Core pressure covered her.

The spiritual force gathering around her body trembled.

Her opponent had appeared too suddenly.

And attacked with immediate killing intent.

She did not have enough time to complete a defensive technique.

Only several zhang remained between them.

Too close.

At the man’s speed, Lang Tuyet could not complete her evasion before the palm strike arrived.

Hao Nhien had no time to think.

His intention moved.

Spirit Wings erupted behind him for a single instant.

More than ten zhang vanished in one burst.

Hao Nhien appeared directly beside Lang Tuyet.

No time for a sword.

No time for a technique.

He threw a punch.

BOOM!

Fist met palm.

Spiritual force exploded.

The sand beneath both of them erupted violently.

An astonishing force drove through Hao Nhien’s arm, into his shoulder, then shook his entire chest.

For an instant, it felt as though a massive weight had slammed directly into his internal organs.

The meridians that had only recently begun recovering tightened painfully.

His body was thrown backward.

His feet carved deep trenches through the sand.

Then his back crashed into a rocky outcrop.

BOOM!

A large section of stone shattered.

Blood immediately spilled from Hao Nhien’s mouth.

He lowered his head and forced his breathing under control.

True Qi surged chaotically within him from the impact.

The difference in strength was obvious.

Even after reaching Golden Core, Hao Nhien was only in the early stage.

More importantly, the injuries left behind by Yin energy had not fully healed.

The secondary meridians that had only recently adapted to his new circulation method were still incapable of bearing a large amount of True Qi during a direct clash.

The middle-aged man had also stopped.

He looked at the hand with which he had struck.

Then toward Hao Nhien standing amid the shattered stone.

“You blocked that?”

His voice carried obvious surprise.

Clearly, he had not expected someone with a much weaker aura to arrive in time and directly stop the palm strike.

But the surprise lasted only an instant.

His gaze returned to Lang Tuyet.

Dark red power gathered over his palm again.

This time, the fluctuations were stronger.

He stepped toward her.

Late-Golden-Core pressure immediately flooded the surrounding area.

Hao Nhien had barely stabilized himself before he understood the man’s intent.

The first interruption had not made him abandon his target.

Lang Tuyet retreated.

At the same time, she reached for a defensive artifact.

But the continuous pressure bearing down on her slowed the movement of spiritual energy around her body.

The middle-aged man was already close.

The crimson palm force was only a short distance away.

Hao Nhien immediately tried to activate Spirit Wings again.

Pain tore through his meridians.

His intention faltered.

The previous burst had already consumed considerable power.

Worse, the direct clash with a late-Golden-Core cultivator had thrown the True Qi he had only just stabilized into chaos again.

In his current state, an ordinary punch would not be enough to stop another strike.

Lang Tuyet had no time left either.

In that brief instant, a familiar force stirred deep within Hao Nhien’s body.

He remembered the feeling clearly.

Meridians tearing.

True Qi falling into chaos.

Days of weakness afterward.

And his injuries from the Yin energy had still not completely recovered.

But the crimson palm was already descending toward Lang Tuyet.

There was no time left to weigh the consequences.

Hao Nhien released the power he had kept restrained.

“Fury.”

BOOM!