According to Chapter 1, Article Five of the Cultural Relics Protection Law, all cultural relics remaining underground, in inland waters, and in the territorial seas withi

When the black silhouette appeared, everyone jumped in surprise.

"What is that?"

The netizens couldn't help but exclaim in shock.

The scene unfolding right now was beyond anyone's expectations.

On the live stream, a behemoth lay dormant on the ocean floor. Its massive body resembled a dead whale, but a closer look revealed sharp, distinct edges, clearly outlining the shape of a massive ship.

"Is that a ship?!"

"There's actually a sunken ship at the bottom of the sea!"

"My god! What else can we see in Temple Master Ning's live stream?"

The bullet comments surged like a tidal wave.

At this moment, Ning Fei spoke up.

"It looks like there's a sunken ship up ahead!"

"Throughout history, the ocean has swallowed countless vessels. But because the sea is so vast and the depths are so profound, many ships can never be salvaged or rescued."

"Take the Titanic, for example. It sank to a depth of over 3,700 meters, making it incredibly difficult to find its remains."

"Furthermore, ships rot very quickly in the ocean, and various kinds of marine life will parasitize them."

"This is the South China Sea of Huaxia. It's truly a bit strange to find such a massive ship here."

Ning Fei continued to approach it.

The closer he got, the more shocked the netizens became.

Because this ship was truly enormous.

The entire hull was like a small mountain!

At the same time, the comments exploded once again, and Ning Fei's popularity skyrocketed at a terrifying pace.

The Major Huaxia Media Outlets and newspapers had already started drafting articles and filler pieces the very moment Ning Fei discovered the sunken ship, striving to be the first to publish this explosive news.

"What a huge ship. It looks like the masts have completely rotted away, leaving only this massive hull!"

Ning Fei remarked.

The netizens grew increasingly curious, their eyes glued to the live stream.

"Temple Master Ning, from what era is this sunken ship?"

"Could such a large shipwreck be left over from the wars back in the day?"

"It feels so eerie."

"Good heavens, has there been any news of a cruise ship crashing in the South China Sea?"

"Could there be treasure inside? Like in pirate movies, with crates and crates of gold and silver."

"Hard to say, there just might be!"

All sorts of bullet comments flooded the screen.

The netizens knew one thing for certain: Temple Master Ning was probably going to hit the trending topics and the news again!

"The overall design of this ship is sleek, and its structure is very solid. Judging by its size, it should be a ship from the Ming Dynasty. Furthermore, it is highly likely to be a treasure ship from Zheng He's voyages to the Western Seas."

"According to the records in the History of Ming and the Biography of Zheng He, there was a total of sixty-three treasure ships during Zheng He's voyages. The largest was forty-four zhang and four chi long, and eighteen zhang wide."

"Converted to modern measurements, that is 151.18 meters long and 6.16 meters wide, making it the largest ocean-going ship in the world at that time."

"The Treatise on the Military in the History of Ming mentions: 'The treasure ships were as tall as buildings, narrow at the bottom and wide at the top, capable of holding a thousand men.' Its majestic structure was unmatched. Just the anchor alone weighed several thousand jin."

Ning Fei leisurely explained as he observed the structure of the sunken ship.

The netizens all wore expressions of awe, impressed even if they didn't fully understand.

"I don't really get it, but it sounds amazing."

"Temple Master Ning is amazing, and this ship is amazing too."

"I'm a graduate student in history. I've only studied the history of Zheng He's voyages but never seen anything like it with my own eyes. Truly, thank you, Temple Master Ning!"

"This is indeed a wooden ship from the Ming Dynasty. During that era, wooden shipbuilding techniques were fully mature, and Huaxia was indisputably number one in the world. Later, during the First Industrial Revolution, foreign countries developed steamboats, and the Qing Dynasty couldn't keep up."

"Back then, without engines or gasoline, they could build such a huge ship?"

"The ancients were incredible!"

"This is unbelievable! He actually found a treasure ship from Zheng He's voyages in the deep sea?"

"As expected, all magical things happen in places humanity can't reach!"

The shipwreck ignited the netizens' passion, leaving everyone absolutely thrilled.

Looking through the live stream camera, the small, glowing Submarine appeared rather insignificant before the shadow of the colossal sunken ship.

At this moment, Ning Fei was like a tiny fish swimming toward a massive whale. The contrast in size created a powerful visual sense of oppression.

"There were five types of ships in Zheng He's fleet."

"The first was the treasure ship, the most majestic of them all!"

"The second was the horse ship, thirty-seven zhang long and fifteen zhang wide, slightly smaller."

"The third was the grain ship, twenty-eight zhang long and twelve zhang wide, used to store provisions."

"The fourth was the passenger ship, and the fifth was the warship."

"The division of labor among the ships was clear. Some were used for carrying cargo, some for transporting grain, some for living quarters, and some for combat. It was highly organized."

"I just don't know if this ship sank on the way there or on the way back."

Ning Fei piloted the Submarine, circling the sunken ship to observe it.

Looking closely, one could see that the sunken ship had rotted beyond recognition. The timber of the hull bore heavy signs of decay and was overgrown with a wide variety of marine fungi and plant life.

Just then, something shifted where the Submarine's lights swept over.

Ning Fei looked toward the hull and noticed that when the light hit it, it was pitch black.

Upon closer inspection, he realized there was a massive gaping hole in the hull of the shipwreck!

The hole was about five or six meters in diameter, large enough for the Submarine to easily drive through.

What was inside the ship?

That was the question on everyone's mind.

Ning Fei's task was to find a Qiming Pearl within the shipwreck, so naturally, he had to go inside.

"There's a big hole over there!"

"He can actually go inside!"

"That should be the lower hold of the ship. A lot of cargo is probably stored in there."

"Isn't it too dangerous?"

The viewers chattered endlessly among themselves.

At that moment, however, Ning Fei had already steered the Submarine, slowly navigating it through the large hole in the side of the hull.

Inside the ship, it was even darker.

As the light swept across the interior, many pillars supporting the hull could be seen. These pillars had been crafted from the finest massive timber, and despite years of corrosion in the sea, they remained as sturdy as ever.

Ning Fei controlled the Submarine and looked down.

He could see that the bottom of the ship was already piled high with seabed silt, looking no different from the ocean floor outside.

Just then, Ning Fei shone the light toward a corner.

In that corner, several vase-like jars appeared before everyone's eyes.

The netizens hurriedly widened their eyes, trying to see exactly what they were.

Ning Fei then told them:

"It's porcelain. When Zheng He set sail for the Western Seas, he brought porcelain and silk. One purpose was to display the nation's prestige, but the actual goal was to trade them for overseas jewelry, exotic treasures, and rare beasts for the royal family's entertainment."

"The silk has long since rotted away in the sea; only the porcelain could survive for this long."

"Ming Dynasty porcelain holds immense value."

"However, I have no way to leave the Submarine. We are a thousand meters underwater, and the pressure here is terrifying. Unless someone had a spacesuit-level Diving Suit, it's impossible to step outside in a place like this."

Hearing Ning Fei's words, everyone felt a sense of pity.

"What a shame! Looking at all these antiques but having no way to bring them back."

"A submarine can dive into deep waters, but humans can't."

"Exactly. Unless there's some kind of mechanical device that can be controlled to grab them."

"There's no need. It's just Ming Dynasty porcelain, so it probably isn't that expensive."

"These are porcelains from Zheng He's voyages! Antique collection isn't just about the age; it's also about the item's history. With that kind of title, these porcelains are definitely worth a fortune!"

"Doesn't that mean Temple Master Ning is staring at tens of millions worth of antiques but has no way to get them?"

"Yeah, no one could possibly get them!"

"Next time he drives the Submarine down, he just needs to bring a grabbing device."

"Temple Master Ning, where are the coordinates? I'll hire a diving team to go. I think there's a profit to be made here."

Upon seeing the porcelain, everyone grew even more enthusiastic.

After all, those were antiques—and antiques from Zheng He's voyages at that. Their value was undoubtedly astronomical.

In reality, Ning Fei's Submarine was equipped with operable mechanical arms that could collect the porcelain into a storage space at the back of the vessel.

But Ning Fei didn't tell everyone that, nor did he intend to touch these antiques.

According to Chapter One, Article Five of the Cultural Relics Protection Law, all cultural relics remaining underground, in inland waters, and in the territorial seas within Huaxia belong to the state.

Even if he operated the mechanical arms to collect the antiques, they would still belong to the state. Thus, he simply didn't mention his ability to retrieve them, avoiding any unnecessary trouble.

Right now, Ning Fei's goal was to find the Qiming Pearl required by his quest.

He pressed forward.

However, what happened next was a situation that absolutely no one had anticipated.

When Ning Fei shined the Submarine's light slightly upward, the netizens saw a giant octopus, nearly ten meters long, resting on the crossbeams inside the sunken ship!

The light could only illuminate half of its body, leaving its full form shrouded in darkness.

Ning Fei's expression shifted, and he let out a low shout.

"Damn it, it's a giant squid!"