Chapter 258: Chapter 251: Wondrous Item, Destiny Golden Toad

"This stretch of sea is perfect for a spar."

The sea was vast and empty, with no ships in sight.

The only issue was the lack of a proper platform. Of course, they could fight on the surface of the water or within the sea itself. After all, most fights against sea beasts happened without any solid ground, and it didn’t stop Awakened from unleashing their full power.

Still, as land creatures, their true home was the land. Fighting on water would inevitably feel restrictive.

"Great Captain, a spar should be enjoyed to the fullest. We can’t do without a proper arena."

Shi Ming put force into his left hand but didn’t draw the Great Cold. He merely began to activate the "Third Law" deep within his right arm. In an instant, a dazzling white light, wreathed in pure, cold energy, erupted. A glacier, a hundred meters long and wide, instantly solidified, forming a rectangular arena upon the sea.

’Amazing!’

Rong Bing was inwardly astonished. He knew the waters of the Sea of Soaring Dragons well; their freezing point was below negative fifty degrees Celsius. To casually form such a massive glacier, Shi Ming clearly wasn’t even close to using his full power.

The fight began!

"Watch yourself, Shi Ming."

Rong Bing’s eyes grew deeper, his gaze sharpening. This was another one of his skills: an A-rank ability called Forced Flow State. It allowed him to instantly enter a state of "flow" during combat, heightening his focus to its absolute peak. His body’s perception of the battlefield also increased dramatically. Not a single one of his opponent’s minute movements could escape his notice, and he could even analyze their weaknesses. It was an incredibly practical support skill.

SWOOSH!

A broadsword appeared in his right hand. His figure flickered as he charged toward Shi Ming.

CLANG!

Shi Ming casually drew an ordinary blade of his own. With lightning speed, he stepped onto the glacier, twisting his body into an upward slash. The light from his sword clashed directly with the gleam of Rong Bing’s broadsword. A rapid series of violent collisions rang out—CLANG! CRACK! BANG!—and the two were forced back.

"Nice technique!"

"You too!"

The Eye of the World had provided no intel for this fight.

Regarding Rong Bing’s skills, Shi Ming only knew of a single S-rank skill, "Sovereign’s Hegemony." But it was obvious this Great Captain of the Sword Team couldn’t have only Awakened once. Backed by a power like Da Yu, his set of skills was most likely carefully selected and scientifically coordinated. They might not be the strongest, but they were definitely the most suitable.

And that was indeed the case.

As they shot backward, both men stopped testing the waters. They each began to activate the Awakening Power within them.

The weapon in Rong Bing’s hand began to petrify. What was once ordinary steel now looked as if it were plated with a strange, marrow-like substance, no longer resembling a common object. This was another of his skills, Destructive Weapon. It could push a weapon’s power to its absolute limit and was meant to be used with Kunwu Heaven-Opening. If used on an ordinary weapon, the weapon would be destroyed after a single use.

’Shi Ming actually wanted to hold back a little.’

’But as it stood, his lowest-ranked skill was Descent of the Titan, ranked 66th.’

’It was impossible to be subtle.’

An ancient Titan’s clock abruptly appeared behind him. It ticked for a moment before stopping on the fifth numeral. The power inside him exploded outward. A black shadow rapidly enveloped his entire body, bending the very light around him. The entire glacier seemed to plunge into a lightless void.

The Fifth Titan,

Dark Body!

[Merge your body into darkness. The darkness is your body, and you are the darkness. For 50 minutes, you can melt into the shadows and move freely within them. You can also transform an area into pure darkness, making it your omnipresent domain.]

’So this is the Deep Sea Titan’s skill?’

Rong Bing simply closed his eyes, using his flow state to sense Shi Ming’s location.

Hidden within the darkness, Shi Ming’s weapon shot toward Rong Bing. Yet Rong Bing was like a blind man whose mind could see. He repeatedly shifted his position, his bizarre weapon easily parrying Shi Ming’s relentless attacks, even finding moments to counter.

He had four perfectly matched skills!

A-Rank Skill: Forced Flow State

A-Rank Skill: Destructive Weapon

A-Rank Skill: Overload Sustain

S-Rank Skill: Sovereign’s Hegemony

"Forced Flow State" allowed him to quickly enter his zone, "Destructive Weapon" combined with "Kunwu Heaven-Opening" could let that Artifact unleash even greater power, "Sovereign’s Hegemony" was his signature move, and "Overload Sustain" was his final trump card for unexpected situations.

But this was a spar, so they would stop before things got too serious.

Shi Ming was holding back, and so was Rong Bing.

Shi Ming’s movement technique in the darkness was like that of an unpredictable assassin, his attacks nearly impossible to defend against. But Rong Bing’s Defense Power was also far beyond that of an ordinary S-rank Awakened. His physical strength was immense, and in his Forced Flow State, his mastery over evasion, defense, and counterattacks was equally impeccable.

This was an exhibition match.

Its purpose was for both sides to display a portion of their strength before their collaboration.

"Excellent! This is the first time I’ve met an Awakened who can give me a real back-and-forth!" 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

"Next, try this move!"

Rong Bing let out a low roar as an ultimate sovereign’s aura descended upon him. The meters-thick ice beneath his feet instantly shattered.

S-Rank Skill!

Sovereign’s Hegemony!

"Watch out!"

With the sovereign’s aura possessing him, and in his Forced Flow State, he had already vaguely pinpointed Shi Ming’s location within the darkness. After giving a word of warning, he tossed aside the weapon buffed with Destructive Weapon. Brandishing his fist with mighty momentum, he charged toward Shi Ming, his right fist striking directly at Shi Ming’s abdomen!

Shi Ming, of course, understood his intention!

This whole fight was just a pretense to test this one thing!

Black Tortoise Shield!

CLANG!

Within one second, Rong Bing threw three punches!

With the first punch, Rong Bing used only his ordinary strength. Shi Ming blocked it completely. Half the force dissipated while the other half reflected, striking Rong Bing, who was also in his Overlord Body state. It felt like nothing more than a passing breeze.

With the second punch, Rong Bing used half his strength. The attack, enhanced by Sovereign’s Hegemony, felt as if it struck solid metal, ringing out with a resonant clang.

With the third punch, Rong Bing used his full power. It was like hitting the Sea-Suppressing Pillar. He felt an immense reactive force transmitted from Shi Ming’s body. The terrifying recoil forced him back several steps, the web of his thumb buzzing from the shock!

Sovereign’s Hegemony also granted three seconds of invincibility and damage immunity.

No matter how powerful the reflected force, it couldn’t hurt him either.

The force was useless against two people who had activated Overlord Body, but the terrifying impact was transmitted to the ice surface below. With a single CRACK, the three-hundred-meter-thick layer of ice shattered to pieces.

The arena, frozen from solid ice, was ground to powder by the terrifying power and dissolved back into the sea!

"Exhilarating!"

The spar ended.

Both had achieved their goals.

Shi Ming had displayed a portion of his strength, and Rong Bing had confirmed that Shi Ming’s Overlord Body skill could withstand the full force of Sovereign’s Hegemony. This meant it could naturally defend against the Eclipse Moon Image. The prerequisite for their cooperation was now established.

Next was to discuss the details and compensation.

...

...

...

Back in the cabin of the Kunwu, the half-finished cups of Kunshan Snowprint Pu’er Tea were still warm.

After a fresh pot of hot tea was brought in, the two resumed their conversation.

"Shi Ming, have you really not considered joining Da Yu? If you did, I would gladly cede my position as captain of the Kunwu. I’m not just being polite; this is a sincere invitation. To be honest, after more than a decade as captain, it’s starting to get a little old."

’Thinking of retiring?’

"’With great power comes great responsibility.’ The position of Captain Kunwu belongs to no one but you, Great Captain."

Rong Bing laughed, knowing his recruitment attempt had failed again. He then turned to business—the details of their cooperation.

The matter originated with...

Da Yu possessed a not-so-secret Artifact called the Destiny Golden Toad.

This Artifact was originally an ancient relic stored in the Dragon Country Museum. But just before the arrival of the Wandering Era, it began to emit a golden radiance. Researchers quickly discovered its use and, over a period of thirty years, completely figured out its patterns.

This Artifact can only be activated once every ten years.

Furthermore, it has special requirements for its activator.

After activation, it can vaguely perceive two to four "fortunes" existing within three thousand nautical miles. The most powerful of these are comparable to nation-level opportunities, and even the ordinary ones are invaluable. The activation must take place on the old lands of the Dragon Country or its surrounding waters. Once it leaves this region, it will not display its special properties, and its brilliance will quickly fade, just as it had for the past several thousand years.

However, seizing these fortunes is never a certainty.

The Destiny Golden Toad was activated 30 years ago, 20 years ago, 10 years ago, and a few months ago, revealing more than ten fortunes in total. Of those, only a mere few could be successfully pursued.

To achieve the maximum coverage area, the location of each activation was different.

The most recent activation took place in the Northeast Domain of the Sea of Soaring Dragons, and it detected three opportunities.

A lost, faceless person,

A lush tree,

A broken pillar.