The Science of Cultivation [Xianxia]

The party of cultivators hailing from three rival organizations accompanying Li Lang made their way into the depths of the ocean at a moderate speed. In order to keep up their disguise as some sea creature with an early-stage Foundation Establishment cultivation, they couldn't move beyond their supposed means.

In return, it allowed them to swim past several Qi beasts. They were treated as too insignificant to challenge, but too much of a hassle to treat as food.

Life for underwater Qi beasts wasn't any easier than those on land. Li Lang spotted numerous instances where they mercilessly preyed on each other or where opposing parties fought until they both succumbed. There was even an argument that the underwater world was harsher. There weren't many places to hide, so being slow meant the end. Perhaps for that reason, all the powerful Qi beasts who made it past the mortal realm were enormous. However, nothing compared to what they witnessed when they finally neared their destination.

So far, the fragment of Thousand Change Sea Breath consistently pointed to one direction in which its main body could be. As a result, the human cultivator expected it to be located in some static location. They never expected to find a colossal whale at the bottom of the ocean. To be precise, it was a gigantic carcass, emitting no signs of life—yet the body was in perfect condition, with no signs of decomposition anywhere.

Despite being lifeless, the body wasn't motionless. It slowly swam around in a circle. It was so big that it eclipsed everything nearby. Whether it be fish or Qi beasts comparable in size to their boat, they were all but an insignificant dot when compared to the whale.

"The heavenly water is there?" Long Yi muttered with a raised brow. "That seems like a totally normal place to explore."

"Your Voracious Mire lived off the Qi beasts around it for who knows how long," Jun Ziyan said. "It's not that far-fetched that the Thousand Change Sea Breath is doing something similar, but more invasive."

"If that were true, shouldn't it have moved on already? That giant whale is already dead! Not much to gain from it anymore, if sustenance is what it is after."

As the two argued, the three representatives thoughtfully inspected the scene while stealing glances at Li Lang and the blob of water floating beside him. They knew they were communicating, so they patiently waited for them to finish.

That was why, as soon as Li Lang turned to them, they paid careful attention to his next words.

"The main body of the Thousand Change Sea Breath does seem to be inside the whale, but there's no need for all of us to go retrieve it."

Gao Kai nodded. "We're only here to help you reach your goal. As long as you can subdue the heavenly water by yourself, then do as you please."

He shifted a challenging gaze at his rivals from the two other organizations, and they simply nodded along without a word.

"Then wait here. No need to get too close and risk damaging our only transport out of here."

Glancing back at his companions, Li Lang knew both Long Yi and Jun Ziyan would surely tag along. They nodded at him before the three of them flew off the deck and into the water.

As Foundation Establishment cultivators, they simply had to circulate their Qi to fuel their body in the absence of air.

The three of them quickly picked up speed, swimming straight toward the whale. Everything was eerily calm. The few Qi beasts lurking around peacefully minded their own business, not paying attention to the three cultivators. It ran contrary to their understanding of these sea creatures, but it wasn't something to complain about when it worked to their advantage.

They landed on top of the whale's back, near one of the many blowholes that dotted it. When it was alive, it was evidently an amazing specimen, likely reaching the Violet Core Realm at the very least. However, with the heavenly water on the line, Li Lang barely paid any attention to the strange mutation as they ventured into its body.

If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

Their peaceful exploration didn't last long, though, as numerous shadows could be spotted in the water with them.

The two Star Gem Academy cultivators swiftly threw out several talismans that instantly lit up the dark water around them. It revealed a school of fish with razor-sharp teeth, each half the size of a human.

The light provoked them into action right away, slithering forth toward the three humans. Jun Ziyan, as the strongest cultivator present, moved first. Her hair sprang into hundreds of tendrils that rushed to meet the enemy.

It twisted and turned in impossible angles, allowing them to easily reach the flanks of the sea creatures. The tendrils drilled into the fish with tremendous force, but failed to penetrate its scales. Instead, it simply pushed the Qi beasts back.

Thankfully, the humans didn't just let it end there. Both Long Yi and Li Lang quickly made their moves.

Various projectiles rained down on the piranha-like beasts, all empowered by the Voracious Mire. For Long Yi, it seamlessly integrated into his Terra Moon Slash, while Li Lang coated it around his needles. At the same time, it acted as a protective cover for his poison coating. Each needle struck true to its target. It barely pierced through, but that was enough. That little opening allowed poison to seep through, wreaking havoc on any biological material it touched.

It might not have appeared to do much at first, but as Jun Ziyan thwarted the attacks, the situation only turned worse for the Qi beasts.

With one party one-sidedly growing weaker, it didn't take long before the Sword Saint's disciple took advantage of the widening gap in strength. The surrounding water began to turn red as they slew one fish after the other.

The group didn't slow down after the fight. They couldn't hold a proper conversation underwater anyway, so they continued their journey through the body of the whale. Swimming through the twists and turns, they eventually found a place to surface.

"The anatomy of this Qi beast is nothing like a normal whale," Li Lang commented as soon as they got out of the water. "We should be in its lungs, not whatever this is."

He glanced around at the spacious flesh cavern around them.

"Does it matter right now?" Jun Ziyan quipped. "Let's just find this thing and get out of here."

"Well said!" Long Yi cheered.

Shaking his head at his companions, Li Lang summoned the fragment of the Thousand Change Sea Breath again, asking for its guidance. This time, instead of conveying an answer, it began floating away by itself.

"Follow it!" Li Lang cried.

The heavenly water navigated through the interior of the whale quickly, as if it knew its layout well. The place was disorienting, with numerous folds of flesh forming a maze-like structure.

This place—is weird…

The confusing paths they took made it hard for anyone to trace their steps. Not only did they make many twists and turns, but they also went up and down several times. It was hard to pinpoint where exactly within the whale they were anymore. The humans kept their misgivings to themselves until something shiny caught their attention.

"Look!" Long Yi shouted, pointing at an indent up ahead.

The sight caused the other two to narrow their eyes as they scrutinized the skeleton before them. Its clothes were tattered, but the space ring around their finger remained pristine.

"The Thousand Change Sea Breath isn't giving us a break. We have to keep going lest it leaves us behind," Jun Ziyan warned.

"Throw it all into your space ring, Long Yi, and keep going!" his headmaster said.

The towering man nodded and quickly did as instructed. Thankfully, the long trek through the colossal whale's body didn't last much longer. The fragment of the heavenly water soon stopped right before a strange membrane hugging the ceiling. It covered the whale's fleshy bits, extending into the walls themselves.

However, the human cultivators weren't paying attention to that at the moment. That was because a strange green ooze was wiggling aggressively at them. Their arrival had disturbed its rest, and it didn't bother hiding its displeasure. The worst part was that it had the aura of something at the peak of Foundation Establishment, only a small step away from the next realm.

"It seems like we're going to have to rely on you, Jun Ziyan," Li Lang said as he swiftly moved to the rear.

"Yeah, yeah. I knew this would happen. Why else did you think I volunteered to tag along?"

Before they could speak further, the ooze shot a stream of bright green liquids their way. All three of them dispersed in different directions and dodged it, but they still grimaced upon seeing the aftermath of the sudden attack. The fleshy ground they had stood on sizzled as it rapidly broke apart.

The creature they were inside of was suspected to be in the Violet Core Realm while it was alive. The feat of being able to damage it, even if it was dead, was hard to ignore.

At the very least, it meant there was a good chance the ooze's acid was capable of melting anything below the Violet Core Realm.

"I might need some help with this, you two!" Jun Ziyan cried.

Long Yi didn't hesitate to put his thumb up, but Li Lang retreated further away instead.