"Three flowers?"
On the hilltop—
Facing the golden rat's burning, hopeful gaze, Zhao Xuan widened his eyes and shot back coldly.
"Chirp! (Yes!)"
The golden rat nodded eagerly.
"You're dreaming if you think you're getting that much!"
Zhao Xuan rejected it without hesitation, shaking his head.
"At most, two flowers. Not a single petal more! If you want more, I might as well have the guy inside the ruin guide me—then I wouldn't need to give anyone anything at all!"
"Chirp chirp chirp!"
The golden rat immediately panicked and started chirping frantically.
"Two and a half won't work either!"
Zhao Xuan remained firm.
"Final price—two flowers. Take it or leave it. If it weren't for the help you gave me earlier, I wouldn't even be willing to spend this much. I could've gotten away with paying just one."
After speaking, Zhao Xuan turned around—
And strode straight toward the desert ruin entrance.
"Chirp! Chirp! Chirp!"
The golden rat panicked.
Whoosh!
It flew in front of Zhao Xuan, blocking his path.
"Chirp chirp chirp! (Two flowers it is!)"
It hurriedly cried out.
"I've changed my mind."
Meeting its hopeful gaze, Zhao Xuan said calmly.
"One and a half."
At once—
The golden rat became even more frantic, waving its limbs wildly.
"Chirp chirp chirp chirp!"
"What? You'd rather have nothing than accept one and a half?"
Zhao Xuan snorted.
"One and a half it is! Take it or forget it!"
The golden rat's eyes spun rapidly.
A few seconds later—
"Chirp! (Deal!)"
Clearly—
It chickened out.
It was afraid that if it kept bargaining, it wouldn't even get one and a half flowers in the end.
"Good."
A satisfied smile appeared on Zhao Xuan's face.
Then—
He waved his hand and retrieved a cactus flower from a small spatial ruin.
In front of the golden rat, he plucked off four petals and tossed them over.
"Half a flower as a down payment. Once you lead me to the people I'm looking for, I'll give you the remaining one."
"Chirp! (Deal!)"
The golden rat quickly caught the petals and chirped twice.
At the entrance of the desert ruin.
"Ah… ah…"
The Black Shark lackey whose legs Zhao Xuan had broken lay curled up on the sand, letting out weak, painful moans.
Suddenly—
Shashasha!
Footsteps approached.
Suppressing the pain, he looked up—
And met Zhao Xuan's icy gaze.
"N-No… you… you said… you said you'd spare my life… AHH!!"
A scream pierced the sky.
Zhao Xuan withdrew his fist.
After glancing expressionlessly at the corpse, he turned and walked away.
Spare his life?
That man knew Zhao Xuan's greatest secret.
How could Zhao Xuan possibly let him live?
If he were spared and ran off spreading word that Zhao Xuan possessed a super-large spatial ruin worth hundreds of billions—
Wouldn't Zhao Xuan be inviting endless trouble upon himself?
Those who must be killed—
Must be killed.
At times like this, mercy had no place.
After dealing with the lackey, Zhao Xuan left the desert ruin once more.
Then—
He spent another half hour digging out the small tree from the hidden ruin, roots and soil included, and forcibly relocating it into the desert ruin.
Only then did he prepare to leave.
Zhao Xuan had originally planned to use the Black Shark Pirates' medium-sized sailing ship.
Unfortunately—
A ship that large was far too difficult for one person to handle.
In the end—
He had no choice but to take the small single-mast sailboat instead.
"Chirp! Chirp! (This way! This way!)"
Under the golden rat's guidance, Zhao Xuan hoisted the sail.
The single-mast boat swiftly left the island.
It cut through the vast, rolling sea.
"A bit slow…"
Watching the sailboat crawl across the waves, Zhao Xuan frowned.
He felt an intense sense of urgency.
Because—
He was afraid.
Afraid that once the Black Shark lackeys returned to their base and delivered the news—
The discovery of a super-large spatial ruin would spread across the sea.
After all—
That lackey had mentioned it already.
The Black Shark Pirates were currently at war with the White Emperor Pirates.
Zhao Xuan couldn't guarantee that the White Emperor Pirates didn't have spies among the Black Sharks.
He couldn't afford to gamble.
If spies existed—
Then the moment the news reached Black Shark Island, it would also reach the White Emperor Pirates.
A massive spatial ruin.
Worth hundreds of billions.
News like that—
Would spread from one to two, two to four…
Before long, it could circulate throughout the entire front half of the Endless Sea.
Zhao Xuan had no intention of becoming the focal point of the Endless Sea.
"Well… might as well put myself to use."
With that thought, Zhao Xuan looked up at the not-quite-full sail.
Then—
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
He began punching into the air toward the sail.
Each punch generated an enormous burst of force.
"Woooo—woooo!"
Sharp gusts of wind howled.
Splash—splash—splash!
The sail instantly filled.
The boat's speed surged dramatically.
At the bow—
The golden rat, busy enjoying its flower, glanced at Zhao Xuan punching furiously.
It shook its head in disdain.
As if saying: This human is so stupid. Why waste energy when you could just enjoy the flower?
Then—
It buried its head back into the sunflower and continued inhaling greedily.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
Across the boundless sea—
The sound of fist winds echoed continuously.
A lone single-mast sailboat sped forward at an astonishing pace.
Elsewhere.
The Endless Sea.
Front sector.
Aboard the Black Shark Pirates' medium-sized ship.
Laughter filled the air.
The clinking of cups rang endlessly.
More than a dozen Black Shark lackeys drank heartily, faces flushed with excitement.
Clearly—
They were already celebrating their gains in advance.
"Hahaha! This haul is massive!"
"Yeah! Who would've thought we'd casually pick up thirty to forty billion in cultivation resources!"
"You're underselling it. Those herbs are nothing compared to the real treasure—the spatial ruin. That massive space alone should sell for at least one or two hundred billion!"
"More than that! At least three hundred billion!"
"We've struck gold this time!"
"Hahaha! Once that spatial ruin is secured, our Black Shark Pirates will rise!"
As they celebrated—
Suddenly—
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
A faint rumbling came from behind the ship.
"What was that sound?"
One lackey asked.
"What sound?"
"Li Er, are you hallucinating?"
No one else paid it any mind.
"You didn't hear it?"
Li Er asked, confused.
"Nope!"
"Where'd that sound come from?"
"You're probably just too drunk."
"Come on, drink!"
Under his companions' urging, Li Er shook his head.
"Guess I really imagined it."
Then he glared at a bearded pirate.
"Bullshit! You're the one who can't drink! I'm invincible!"
"Hahaha!"
"What kind of nonsense is 'invincible'?!"
"Li Er, you're drunk!"
Amid the laughter—
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
About four or five kilometers behind them—
A single-mast sailboat was rapidly closing in.
On the boat—
Zhao Xuan was still punching furiously at the sail.
"Chirp chirp chirp!"
Suddenly, the golden rat chirped.
"What did you say?"
Zhao Xuan's eyes lit up.
"We're close now?"
"Chirp! (Yes!)"
A cold smile appeared on Zhao Xuan's face.
"An hour. I've chased you for a full hour."
"Finally caught up."
Killing intent surged.
Ahead.
On the Black Shark ship.
"Something's wrong. Something's definitely wrong!"
Li Er suddenly jumped up.
Staggering, he ran to the stern.
"Li Er, what now?"
Another lackey asked.
"There is a sound! Something is approaching us from behind!"
He tilted his head, listening carefully.
Then spoke solemnly.
"Really? You sure you're not drunk?"
The other pirate listened as well.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
He heard it too.
"Damn it!"
His face changed.
"Everyone! Stop drinking! Li Er's right—something is closing in on us!"
This man, though only sixth-tier, clearly held some authority.
At his shout—
The pirates jumped to their feet and rushed to the stern.
Soon—
They spotted the approaching single-mast sailboat.
Their expressions turned grim.
"Captain!"
A pirate with a monocular shouted.
"It's a young man—about twenty. Looks like he's from Kyushu."
"Twenty?"
"A Kyushu native?"
The squad leader's eyes lit up.
"Could he be a prodigy?"
Geniuses entering the Endless Sea usually carried vast resources.
And because they were young—
Often only fourth or fifth tier.
Which made them—
The pirates' favorite prey.
"Can you estimate his strength?"
"Not weak. Based on the impact of his punches, he's at least fifth-tier—possibly sixth."
"Stop the ship!"
The squad leader ordered immediately.
As the ship slowed—
He laughed loudly.
"Looks like today's our lucky day. First, we get thirty or forty billion in resources. Now, a clueless little lamb walks straight to us!"
Laughter erupted.
Soon—
Zhao Xuan's sailboat entered within fifty meters.
Unable to wait any longer—
Tap!
Zhao Xuan leapt into the air.
He shot toward the pirate ship.
"Hahaha!"
"He still isn't running!"
"Another arrogant so-called genius."
"I thought he'd be fifth or sixth tier—turns out he's just fourth tier!"
Mockery rang out.
"Captain, let me handle him."
Li Er stepped forward.
"I haven't killed a 'genius' in a while."
"Go ahead," the captain agreed, then warned, "Be careful. Even if he's fourth tier, he's still a prodigy."
"Relax."
Li Er sneered.
"A fourth-tier brat. Even if he can burst to sixth-tier strength, what of it? You think he can kill a sixth-tier grandmaster at peak completion?"
His aura surged.
"You've started tempering your skull already?"
"Yes."
Li Er grinned proudly.
"Started half a month ago. Not even five percent yet, but my strength's improved a lot."
"Looks like we'll be equals soon."
As they spoke—
The others retreated, leaving space.
The next instant—
Zhao Xuan descended onto the stern deck.
"Come, brat. Show me your strength!"
Li Er charged.
His punch carried master-level Armament Haki.
But—
Unfortunately—
He wasn't facing an ordinary genius.
He was facing Zhao Xuan.
A monster among geniuses.
"Finally caught you."
Zhao Xuan murmured.
"What?"
Li Er was confused—
Then—
"ROAR!!!"
A terrifying pressure swept across him.
Across the entire ship.
BOOM!!!
Their fists collided.
Crack!
Li Er's forearm shattered instantly.
Then his upper arm.
Then—
Zhao Xuan's fist smashed into his head.
Pop.
His skull exploded.
Blood sprayed everywhere.
The deck fell silent.
Then—
Chaos erupted.
"Li… Li Er is dead?!"
"One punch… just one punch…"
Before they could react—
Zhao Xuan was already upon them.
BOOM!!!
One punch—
Four pirates died instantly.
Another punch—
More bodies flew.
"Kill him!"
"Now!"
The remaining pirates rushed him.
Zhao Xuan was unfazed.
Punch after punch.
Only the squad leader remained.
He struck Zhao Xuan—
But Zhao Xuan didn't budge.
"H-How is this possible?!"
"There's nothing impossible."
Zhao Xuan grabbed his arm.
Crack!
Both arms shattered.
A sweeping kick—
The man collapsed.
"One last thing," Zhao Xuan said coldly.
"You shouldn't have touched my things."
Boom.
A stomp.
Pop.
Blood splattered.
Thus—
Every Black Shark pirate on that ship was wiped out.
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