Chapter 18: The Power of Immortal Dao! The Jade Immortal Retreat!-From Servant to Saint: The Path to Enlightenment(The mountains rise high beneath a small, distant moon.)

He himself had only just mastered the Martial Dao Hunyuan Technique and possessed the art of Water Manipulation. Meanwhile, Yang Yun was an expert in the Immortal Path; in a direct confrontation, she could take his life in the blink of an eye. Yet the sea was his domain—here, he moved as freely as a fish, able not only to act at will but to turn the ocean into his own weapon. If this woman fell into the water, perhaps he would have a chance to turn the tables.

“In a moment, I’ll stir up a storm and toss her into the sea. If she can withstand the waves, there’s no rush to deal with her. But if she can’t, I’ll finish her off first. Joining the Immortal Sect is what I want, but vengeance is my truest desire,” Shen Yan pondered quietly. “Steward Liu, I’ve always treated you well—sending such a beautiful woman for you to marry is not unworthy of our acquaintance.”

Piloting the tower ship deeper into Jinzhou Bay, he continued, “To be safe, I should seek out some innate spiritual treasures from the seabed. If she survives the storm in a sorry state, who knows—she might vent her anger on me. With an innate spiritual object, Yang Yun will surely look upon me with new eyes; not only will she spare me trouble, she may even value me more. But I mustn’t let her taste too much sweetness—a single crimson-gold silver-eyed fish fry will suffice.”

After more than half a year of diligent practice, Shen Yan could now control water within a radius of twelve meters. Over these months, he’d also mapped out the locations of all the innate spiritual creatures in Jinzhou Bay, so finding a crimson-gold silver-eyed fish fry was a trivial matter.

Within half an hour, he found one as he wished. Binding the fry with a current of seawater, Shen Yan covertly used his Water Manipulation to stir the depths of Jinzhou Bay into a frenzy.

Soon, a colossal wave surged toward them. Shen Yan feigned terror, shouting loudly, “A storm’s coming! Drop the anchor, quickly!”

He clung tightly to the helm, watching Yang Yun while secretly manipulating the water to intensify the waves.

Yet Yang Yun remained utterly unruffled. She lifted her hand, and from her sleeve shot a silver-white ribbon, which split in the air into six cords, binding the six mortals on the ship in place.

With that done, Yang Yun tapped her foot lightly. A faint glow flickered on her jade boots, and in the next instant, she rose straight into the sky.

“She can fly?” Shen Yan was stunned, a wave of defeat washing over him. Against an enemy who could soar above, his oceanic trump card was no longer a threat.

Fortunately, he soon noticed something peculiar about her boots: “She isn’t flying on her own—it’s those boots. No, she’s not truly flying; she’s just leaping very high!”

Shen Yan watched closely as Yang Yun ascended, surpassing the height of the wave.

Whoosh! The great wave crashed over the ship, drenching it and everyone aboard.

“That wave was truly strange...” Suddenly, Yang Yun’s voice sounded beside him. Shen Yan looked up and saw that, at some point, she had gathered all six people onto the deck, and the binding cords had vanished.

“Thank you, Lady Yang, for saving us,” Shen Yan quickly wiped the seawater from his face and expressed his gratitude, his earlier thoughts of killing Yang Yun in Jinzhou Bay gradually fading.

If he hid in the sea and manipulated the water, he might yet trap her. But if she had other treasures to help her escape, his secret would be revealed. To kill Yang Yun, he would have to wait for the perfect moment—one strike, or risk endless trouble.

“Thank you, Lady Yang!”

“Thank you, Princess Yunxiu!”

“Thank you, Lady Yang!”

“Big sister, we owe you our lives; without you, we’d all have been swept into the sea,” the others echoed their thanks, while Yang Yun’s brother, Yang Lie, was still pale with fear.

“Jinzhou Bay may be an inland sea, but it’s ever-changing. Remember this lesson—don’t enter the sea lightly, or you may lose your lives for nothing,” Yang Yun nodded, unmoved by their gratitude.

“Miss, the last time I caught a crimson-gold silver-eyed fish, it was right here,” Shen Yan said. Since there was a fry below them now, he saw no need to delay. If he couldn’t kill Yang Yun, he’d give her the fish and hurry to Jade Immortal Sect to learn the ways of cultivation—he could deal with Yang Yun after becoming an immortal.

“Here?” Yang Yun frowned, seeing nothing unusual about the place. Yet she extended her spiritual sense into the water, and in the next moment, a hint of surprise flickered across her cold, frosty features.

“There really is a crimson-gold silver-eyed fish!” With a flick of her sleeve, a white ribbon shot into the water. With a gentle motion, a fry as thick as her thumb appeared in her hand.

“Though it’s just a fry, it proves that Shen Yan possesses unusual fortune,” Yang Yun mused. At last, she said, “Well done. Though a fry is of little value, it is still a crimson-gold silver-eyed fish. As I promised, merit shall be rewarded. I bestow upon you the ‘Darkwater Profound Art.’”

She produced a smooth jade slip the size of a thumb and handed it to Shen Yan.

“Thank you for your generosity, Lady Yang.” Shen Yan hadn’t expected a single fry to earn him a cultivation technique, but how was he supposed to use this jade slip?

Noticing his confusion, Yang Yun explained coolly, “This is a jade slip for recording immortal techniques. Place it against your brow and focus your mind within—you’ll see the contents of the technique.”

Her explanation was so clear that it served as an introduction for everyone present.

“I understand,” Shen Yan replied, tucking the jade slip away. Now wasn’t the time to study it; reaching Jade Immortal Sect was his foremost task.

“Now that you’ve followed me into Jade Immortal Sect, you must change how you address me. Call me Senior Sister,” Yang Yun instructed with a slight frown, then continued, “Though you are mortals, you are disciples of Jade Immortal Sect. Address disciples in the Qi Refining stage as Senior Brother or Senior Sister, and those at the peak of Qi Refining as Elder Uncle or Elder Sister.”

“Thank you for your guidance, Senior Sister. In the future, I will serve faithfully and never shrink from duty,” Shen Yan declared respectfully after Yang Yun’s brief introduction.

The others bowed in thanks as well, even Yang Yun’s own brother, Yang Lie.

Shen Yan, meanwhile, took note of the terms “Qi Refining” and “Peak Qi Refining”—clearly, these were divisions of power among immortals.