Chapter 75: This Young Master Catches A Glimpse

Chapter 75: This Young Master Catches A Glimpse

Youre joking, Xie Jin said.

Im very serious, Chen Haoran replied.

What would you even be hoping to achieve by doing that?nove(l)bi(n.)com

I dont know, but Id like to do it at least once before we reach Whiteridge.

Xie Jin looked at Old Jiang and pointed to Chen Haoran. Tell him its a bad idea.

Old Jiang shrugged and stepped back. Its just swimming.

In a living river? Xie Jin asked in disbelief.

Were sailing on it, Old Jiang pointed out. And he wouldnt be the first or the only thing to swim in the Machu. Of all the things that could anger the river, being treated as regular water isnt one of them.

It could be good for my cultivation, Chen Haoran said. It will be a while before I come this way again.

Xie Jins shoulders slumped and he sighed. How can I get in the way of a cultivators advancement?

Dont worry. Chen Haoran patted Phelpss head. The sloth licked his hand with a sticky tongue. Ive got the best swimmer with me.

Lucky him, Xie Jin said dryly. When are you going to go then?

Will we see more ships the closer we get to Whiteridge? Chen Haoran asked Old Jiang.

Aye. Its the busiest river port in the Empire.

Ill go now then. No reason to let an anchor fall on my head.

Phelps floated out of his lap, and Chen Haoran stood up and cast off his robe to a disgruntled Xie Jin who, without hesitation, slapped it onto the deck.

Not too far please?

The river obliged.

Chen Haoran immediately felt the presence cocoon him and Phelps and the golden world became a tunnel of swirling light as the river suddenly accelerated them far and away. He couldnt feel how fast they were going, protected as he was, but in the back of his mind, he knew that they were going very, very fast.

Old Jiang had perhaps undersold him on just how fast the river could have sped up their journey.

The light tunnel broke into calm gold and the river let go of them right in the middle of a school of fish. The boat-sized fish did not appreciate that, immediately scattering in every direction. Chen Haoran caught a glimpse of silver-blue scales with a darker blue trident pattern pressed on them before the fish fled out of sight and the river whisked them away again.

What followed was a guided tour unlike any he had ever experienced. They scared more schools of trident-patterned fish by appearing in their midst. In between breaks to the surface for air, they raced fish with dog heads that jumped out of the water to bark and beg for a fishermans catch. The river sat them atop a green turtle bigger than an elephant and let them ride it through a literal forest. Trees complete with leaves and flowers in full bloom grew underwater as if it was dry land. Small yellow fish claimed the branches in lieu of birds to build nests of twigs and grass and fluttered with silky pennant flag fins.

When the turtle grew irritated the river flew them away from the forest and to a much more believable bed of seaweed that it pushed aside to reveal crab clans and shrimp sects locked in battle. They were dragged off before the mortal foes could unite to fight the invasive man and sloth.

Not all of the rivers choices were so fantastical, its definition of exploring seemed a bit different from Chen Haorans. This meant they were brought around to witness rocks of all different shapes and sizes, a patch of empty sand, a piece of driftwood, someones lost underwear, and a boat with a single snail on the bottom of its hull.

Then there was a sight that was far more sobering. The river brought them to some distant shore where they broke for air and when they dove an entire sunken village was revealed. It was remarkably preserved for a ruin, the stone walls and foundations still standing after who knows how long. Shingles were exchanged for roofs of algae and crawling plants, wooden doors rotted away to better allow fish to enter and exit. Chen Haoran remembered Old Jiangs words. The Machu did as it pleased. If he didnt have the Yellow River Dragon Refinement he had no doubt the river would view him the same as it did the residents of these homes.

As if sensing his sorry mood the river quickly took them away from the village and released them into open water above its unseeable depths. Chen Haoran spun around for anything of note when the currents surged and the overgrown wreckage of a sunken ship rose out from the deep. Chen Haoran almost choked. It was built of wood, that much was clear, but the ship was the size of an aircraft carrier. A large palace in the sloped roof style of Clearsprings City sat on one end of the massive boat, notable not just for its scale but also for how the top half was sliced clean off. The river wrapped them in a gentle tunnel of water and carried them around the forbidding vessel, across the expanse of its deck, over the sliced palace where they peered into the exposed rooms, and around the gaping hole in the side of the ship which presumably sunk it.

Here, he decided. He would do it here.

He hadnt just decided to come into the river because wanted to take a dip. In the Spa Caverns cultivating in the spiritual pools helped accelerate his progress far ahead of his speed in Clearsprings City because of their compatibility with his Water Spirit Root.

What would happen if he cultivated in the place that inspired his cultivation technique?

He focused his qi and sent his intention to the river through the yellow dragons roar before beginning to cultivate. For a brief second, he could have sworn he felt curiosity?

Yellow qi flooded into him.

It was a shade deeper than his own and far purer but it was unmistakably the same type of qi as his own. The yellow dragon roared in pure joy as the Machu rivers qi merged with his own. The yellow qi seemed to echo that roar and his meridians rang like bells. Chen Haorans sense stretched to its limit taking it all in and he couldnt tell where the water ended and his body began. The yellow dragon revolved and rushed toward his head as his qi swelled.

Chen Haoran touched the limit.