Chapter Seventy-Seven: Traces of the Spirit Fish, Scroll of Footsteps

Above the vast sea.

Several fishing boats were sailing close to a deserted, uninhabited island. The depths below shimmered with schools of fish.

“Hmm?”

Suddenly, a lookout shouted, “There's a school of fish below!”

His voice brimmed with joy—when fish gathered in such numbers, it meant they would soon return with their holds full. And if there were rare species among them, the profits would be even greater.

These large vessels belonged to the Qian family fleet from the neighboring Qianluan Island. The crew were all skilled fishermen, and in the blink of an eye, their nets were drawn up heavy with fish.

With a great splash, as the nets rose from the water, several large fish leapt amidst the shoal, their bodies shimmering with a faint glow, crystalline as jade.

“What are those?”

While the fishermen puzzled over this, a captain suddenly flashed onto the deck, his breath quick and urgent.

“Spirit fish! Those are spirit fish!”

Blood and energy surged through the captain’s frame, his face alight with exhilaration. “We’re rich! These are spirit fish untainted by demonic energy!”

“That such spirit fish could be born in these waters… They’re priceless—just a drop of their blood is worth several taels of gold!”

Barely containing his excitement, he turned, his expression suddenly stern.

“No one, not a single boat, is to leave this place. This is the Qian family’s treasure ground. Anyone who leaks this secret will be executed!”

In the deepest part of those waters, a faintly outlined manor could be discerned. Swarms of fiendish fish basked in its glow; their tentacles fell away, their malevolence faded, and a gentle light began to emanate from their bodies. Around the manor, shattered dragon bones and sunken ships lay scattered, one bearing a massive flag emblazoned with a tentacled sigil.

Beneath the waves, a colossal shadow, nearly thirty meters long, glided swiftly past.

…

In the courtyard of Marquis Whitebrow.

“Still so deserted,” Bai Xuan murmured as he entered. Though there were a dozen or so practicing martial arts, the place seemed more desolate than ever.

Before heading to sea, he’d come to visit his master, carrying with him a few pounds of melons, the sweet variety the old marquis favored.

Yet upon stepping inside, he sensed an oppressive atmosphere.

Soon, Bai Tianyuan hurried over.

“You’ve been promoted to captain? I heard Brother Nian mention it—you’re a rare genius!”

Tianyuan’s admiration was sincere, but after a few words of praise, he drew Bai Xuan aside and spoke in a low voice, “You’ve come back at a bad time. Something’s happened at the martial hall.”

“What happened?” Bai Xuan’s brow arched.

“The Marquis’s most prized disciple… has been crippled,” Tianyuan sighed. “I just returned from the sea myself—nearly got caught by the Starhunters. The marquis’s disciple, Bai Luo, a collateral relative, had mastered the Tiger Pounce Step and gained the true transmission.”

“But while leading a ship at sea, he was attacked by a band of Starhunters. Their leader bore a grudge against the marquis—he’d only joined the pirates a few months ago. They destroyed one of Bai Luo’s legs, and he barely escaped with his life.”

Worry filled Tianyuan’s eyes.

“Bai Luo was the marquis’s hope for a successor. Now, grievously wounded and nearly killed… The seas are perilous indeed.”

The marquis’s chief disciple was said to have nearly reached the level of blood refinement, yet even he was ambushed outside, his fleet almost annihilated, and his body broken.

When Tianyuan first heard the news, cold sweat had poured down his back. Had he fallen into the pirates’ hands, his fate might have been even grimmer.

“I understand,” Bai Xuan replied, eyes narrowing as he entered the house.

“Hmm?”

Marquis Whitebrow lay on his recliner, his every breath heavy and pained. He glanced at Bai Xuan, but only briefly.

Bai Xuan saw that the old man, now thin and frail, seemed to have aged a decade overnight—his face was deeply lined.

“You’re here,” the marquis said in a low voice. “Put those down. I fear I can’t teach you today.”

Bai Xuan set the fruit aside in silence, but as he turned to leave, the marquis spoke again:

“Take this.”

Bai Xuan turned to catch a scroll, five fingers wide, tossed his way.

“The seas are turbulent now, Bai Xuan. Be careful—never be careless!”

There was a note of profound sorrow in his voice.

“I will,” Bai Xuan replied quietly, bowing slightly before turning to go.

…

The next day.

“Have you heard? The four great families have posted a proclamation—they’ve allied with the two neighboring islands to form the Thousand Mountains Army, to protect the islands and ensure safety!”

News spread in awe.

“Let’s go see!”

“They say the proclamation also lists many pirates, their bounties, locations, identities, the number of ships and men in their fleets…”

Throughout Thousand Mountains Island, proclamations were posted everywhere, written in bold red characters. The sprawling notices drew countless curious onlookers.

…

At a mansion near the harbor.

“Bai Xuan, your ship’s been refitted—it’s ready to sail,” Bai Xuanji said as he sat down. He, too, had been kept busy these days.

“With the family forming the Thousand Mountains Army, I have several bulletins for you to read. But you’re still in a period of rapid improvement—it’s not necessary for you to join right now. Focus on strengthening your martial arts. That is most important.”

“The family head had high hopes for you and wanted to meet, but with military matters so pressing, he has no time. It will have to wait.”

Bai Xuanji clearly had great expectations of Bai Xuan. He sensed that Bai Xuan’s power would soon reach an extraordinary level.

“The Thousand Mountains Army…” Bai Xuan’s gaze sharpened.

He took the bulletins from Bai Xuanji’s hand. The notices were straightforward, announcing the alliance of the four great families with the authorities and the two neighboring islands to reestablish the Thousand Mountains Army.

The army’s supreme commander was Bai Greedwolf, with the two island lords as deputies.

Below that were the pirate bounties.

“They must have coordinated with the authorities, using the Blacklist as reference to set these rewards,” Bai Xuan mused.

He noticed that every sea region was marked with Starhunter fleet symbols—evidence of their vast and terrifying influence.

The Thousand Mountains Army’s main duty was to secure the nearby waters, with a particular focus on crushing the Starhunters, who now carried the highest bounties.

“Hm?” Bai Xuan’s eyes narrowed.

He saw that one pirate group was specifically recorded for their crimes—ambushing and slaughtering a Bai family fleet, killing over a hundred people.

“That must be the group who crippled Bai Luo.”

Bai Xuan had little impression of Bai Luo—such high-level disciples rarely returned to the family’s martial hall.

No matter; he was determined to wipe out the Starhunters anyway.

“In that case, I’ll start with them.”

Bai Xuan’s heart was calm.

He would go to sea to fish, to test his skills—and to demonstrate his strength.

It was time to reveal some of his power and claim more resources and status from the family.