The Sea of Despair was not composed of water, but of a thick, churning liquid shadow that devoured the light of the stars. It was a natural barrier that separated the backwater regions of the Azure Sky from the true powerhouses of the Central Continent. Legend said that the sea was the blood of a primordial demon, and only ships reinforced with "Spirit-Anchoring Wood" could sail its surface without being dragged into the abyss.
Qin Feng stood at the edge of the hidden cove, his hand resting on the hilt of his pickaxe. Before him sat the Silver Wing, a sleek, three-masted galleon belonging to the Silver Phoenix Chamber of Commerce. The ship was a marvel of engineering, its hull etched with glowing runes that pulsed like a heartbeat, repelling the encroaching shadows of the sea.
"The Silver Phoenix doesn't take passengers for gold," Ye Chen whispered, her hood pulled low to hide her regal features. "They take 'value.' Whether it's rare herbs, ancient techniques, or favors from powerful cultivators. We need to look like clients, not refugees."
[DING! Location Discovered: The Silver Wing.] [Mission: Secure Passage to the Central Continent.] [Bonus Condition: Do not reveal your full strength unless provoked.]
As they walked up the gangplank, two guards in silver-scaled armor blocked their path. They were both at the Peak of the Qi Refining realm, their eyes scanning Qin Feng and Ye Chen with practiced disdain.
"State your business, travelers," the lead guard barked. "This vessel is for the elite. We don't have room for mountain hermits or wandering strays."
Qin Feng didn't even look at the guard. He simply released a tiny, controlled ripple of his 5th Layer Foundation Qi. It was barely a whisper of power, but it was enough to make the guards' knees buckle and their breath hitch. The air around them turned several degrees colder, a subtle hint of the Eclipse power.
"I'm looking for the Manager," Qin Feng said, his voice as calm as a frozen lake. "I have business that requires a private room and a fast hull."
Before the guards could respond, a soft, melodic laugh echoed from the upper deck. A woman stepped out from the shadows of the cabin. She was draped in crimson silks that hugged a curvaceous figure, and her eyes sparkled with a dangerous intelligence. This was Manager Su, a woman whose influence spanned multiple kingdoms.
"Rarely do I see such pure Qi in these dusty mountains," Su said, fanning herself with a lace fan made of spirit-bird feathers. "Lower your spears, boys. These aren't strays. They are guests."
She gestured for them to follow her into the lavishly decorated captain's cabin. The interior smelled of expensive incense and aged wine, a sharp contrast to the metallic tang of the spirit mines Qin Feng had spent his life in.
"I am Su Meiling," she said, pouring three cups of jade-green tea. "And I have a feeling you are the reason the Azure Sky Sect fell silent last night. A miner who broke a Sect Leader... and a woman with the eyes of a fallen god. Am I correct?"
Qin Feng sat down, unbothered by her directness. "We want passage to the City of Nine Cauldrons. We can pay."
"I don't want your gold," Su Meiling smirked, leaning forward. Her gaze lingered on Qin Feng's hand, where the silver runes were faintly visible. "The Sea of Despair is dangerous right now. The 'Shadow Beasts' are restless. If you want a cabin on my ship, you must provide 'protection' for the cargo. My ship's guardian was recently injured. You act as our sword, and I will be your map."
[SYSTEM: Quest Received — 'Guardian of the Silver Wing'.] [Reward: Safe passage + Information on the Central Continent's power structures.]
"Deal," Qin Feng agreed.
As the ship pulled away from the coast, the true nature of the Sea of Despair revealed itself. The shadows began to rise from the liquid, forming ethereal, wailing shapes that clawed at the ship's hull.
Qin Feng and Ye Chen were standing on the deck when the first attack came. A Shadow Kraken, a beast made of solidified darkness, rose from the depths, its massive tentacles reaching out to crush the Silver Wing.
The ship's crew panicked, but Su Meiling remained calm, looking toward Qin Feng. "Show me if my investment was worth it, Master Qin."
Qin Feng looked at Ye Chen. They didn't need words. They had practiced their Dual Resonance until it was as natural as breathing.
Ye Chen drew her Moon-Severing Blade, the silver light of the weapon cutting through the darkness like a hot knife through wax. "Lunar Strike: Crescent Rift!" she cried, sending a vertical wave of violet energy that sliced through one of the Kraken's tentacles.
Qin Feng leaped from the deck, his body becoming a streak of golden light. He landed on the beast's slimy, dark head. He didn't use his pickaxe; he used his Eclipse Overlord Qi to create a localized vacuum.
"Invert!" he roared.
The heat was sucked out of the Kraken's core. The beast, made of shadows, didn't just freeze; it shattered. The "Positive" energy Qin Feng channeled was a poison to the "Negative" shadows of the sea. The Kraken evaporated into a mist of dark vapor, leaving the sea calm for a brief moment.
[DING! Shadow Beast Slain!] [EXP Gained: 12,000!] [Manager Su's Favorability: +20% (Status: Impressed).]
On the deck, Su Meiling watched with a stunned expression. She had seen many Foundation experts, but she had never seen one move with such clinical efficiency. Most cultivators fought the shadows with fire or light; Qin Feng fought them by manipulating the very laws of energy.
"You aren't just a cultivator," Su whispered to herself as the couple returned to the deck, side-by-side. "You're a monster in human skin."
Ye Chen sheathed her blade and looked toward the horizon, where the faint, golden glow of the Central Continent was finally becoming visible through the gloom.
"Twenty years in the dark taught me how to handle shadows," Qin Feng said, wiping a drop of dark ichor from his tunic. "The Central Continent will be no different. It's just a bigger cave with more expensive rocks."
As they sailed deeper into the Sea of Despair, Qin Feng felt a shift in the System. A new notification appeared, one that made his heart skip a beat.
[NEW FEATURE UNLOCKED: Soul-Bound Armory.] [Requirement met: Defeat a beast of the Void.] [You can now transmute your 'Rusted Pickaxe' into its true form: The Eclipse Sunderer.]
Qin Feng looked at his old tool. The journey had only just begun, and the "penniless miner" was about to become the most feared name in the Immortal Realm.