Chapter 252 : Let Me Handle This
The people on the ghost ship were initially dismissive. Though slightly displeased at having their authority questioned, the cultivation world had always respected strength above all else. Mere words couldn't help someone board the ship, and some even cast scornful glances at Jiang Mo's actions.
However, in the next moment, they realized their mistake—no one had anticipated that her single kick would carry such tremendous power.
Higher-level cultivators who had remained in the cabins emerged onto the deck, disturbed by the commotion. At first glance, there were still many familiar faces.
The Demonic Path cultivators could be disregarded, as she knew few of them. The elders from the Tiandao Sect and Buddha Sect looked somewhat familiar. More importantly, Xuanqing Sect was once again led by Peak Master Qingyu—that cultivation fanatic who was once solely dedicated to cultivation seemed to be spending less time in seclusion over the years, and increasingly more time traveling outside.
When Yun Qingyue suddenly saw her master, her gaze flickered involuntarily, her expression hidden beneath the mask. But as Jiang Mo prepared to stomp down once more, she suddenly grabbed her arm.
Jiang Mo had noticed the Xuanqing Sect members, but having sneaked away and specifically wearing a mask to conceal her identity, she wouldn't reveal any clues in front of them. Only when Senior Sister grabbed her arm did she turn back, feigning confusion: "What's wrong?"
Yun Qingyue quickly released her hand and said: "Let me handle this."
Jiang Mo glanced at her now-empty arm, feeling somewhat disappointed, but obediently stopped and stepped aside.
She thought Senior Sister had chosen to yield after seeing her master appear. With their current high cultivation levels, the fifty boarding spots from Xianyuan Town would certainly include them. Therefore, she didn't mind stepping back at this moment, especially since she had already demonstrated her strength. Surely no one on the ghost ship would dare underestimate them now.
However, what Jiang Mo never anticipated was that, after asking her to step aside, Senior Sister would draw her sword without hesitation and slash downward—the ice-blue sword gleamed like autumn water, appearing extraordinarily beautiful, yet its blade was extremely sharp, carrying an unstoppable murderous aura. The powerful strike against the barrier, already weakened from the previous attack, finally caused it to shatter with a resounding crash.
One kick, one sword strike, and the hastily erected barrier was broken.
The expressions of those on the ghost ship darkened as they watched the masked cyan-robed woman calmly sheathe her sword, then sweep her gaze across them indifferently: "So, are we qualified to board now?"
Everyone on the ship remained silent. They had recognized these two women's profound cultivation and couldn't in good conscience deny their qualification to board, as the ghost ship wasn't truly theirs. However, these two had directly confronted them, even shattering the barrier, clearly showing no regard for them. How could these sect disciples, who considered themselves superior, not feel provoked and angered?!
Yun Qingyue wasn't surprised by the awkward atmosphere. She suddenly felt a gaze from beside her. Turning to look, she saw Jiang Mo's eyes fixed on her spirit sword. When Jiang Mo noticed her looking, she withdrew her gaze and gave her a thumbs up: "Beautifully done."
Her eyes sparkled with genuine admiration, and despite the mask, one could guess she was certainly smiling.
Finally, someone on the ghost ship responded—surprisingly, it was Peak Master Qingyu. Her voice was cold: "Both of you, one at the Fusion realm and one at the Spirit Division realm, are naturally qualified to board."
The ghost ship wasn't lacking in experts, nor those with excellent perception, who naturally recognized that the combat power these two displayed exceeded their actual cultivation realms. Additionally, the vital energy flowing through their bodies indicated they weren't particularly old. Those who could achieve such accomplishments at a young age must not only possess extraordinary talent but also have powerful forces supporting their cultivation. Therefore, before clarifying the identity of these two, no one wanted to offend them needlessly.
However, acknowledging their boarding rights didn't mean the seven sects' dignity and established rules could be ignored by anyone. After speaking, Peak Master Qingyu shifted her gaze to the other arriving cultivators: "To board the ship, each must rely on their own abilities."
With these words, the faces of the cultivators from Xianyuan Town grew extremely grim—flying out from the small town, seeing the tall ship from afar, they had felt opportunity descending. Yet before they even arrived, they heard only fifty boarding spots were available. Many immediately gave up, but many others came to try their luck, only to witness that heaven-cleaving sword strike and hear these words, their hearts cooling considerably.
What was this? Were the standards for boarding the ghost ship so high that only Spirit Division or Fusion realm powerhouses qualified?!
Of course not—at least the sect disciples on the ship didn't have such high cultivation levels. Those talents who had been Yun Qingyue's peers years ago remained outstanding among their age group, but growth took time. Even the most advanced, like Su Hao, had only reached the Void Crossing realm. They lagged behind Yun Qingyue by one major realm and Jiang Mo by two, having been left far behind.
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Yun Qingyue and Jiang Mo had no interest in helping others board the ship; they had merely been dissatisfied with the attitude of those aboard and were fighting for themselves. Now, with no one obstructing them, they leisurely descended onto the ship and walked toward the cabins under everyone's varied gazes.
The ghost ship was enormous, with five stories above and two below, totaling seven levels. Combined with the spatial formations carved into the ship, it could easily accommodate thousands of people.
However, people are inherently selfish. No one knew how many more times the ship would dock along the coast, and no one wanted to face more competitors. For the sake of self-interest, the righteous and demonic paths, typically incompatible as water and fire, had maintained a surface-level peace this time, even joining forces to strictly control the number of people boarding. Though the ghost ship had docked multiple times, the total number of cultivators aboard was only a few hundred.
In other words, most cabins on the ship remained empty, with only a few occupied and protected by formations.
Jiang Mo had been quite aggressive earlier, even severely damaging the ghost ship's defensive barrier with a single kick, but she wasn't unreasonable by nature, nor did she intend to violate others' privacy. Therefore, after entering the ship's interior, she didn't even glance at the occupied cabins.
Yun Qingyue also didn't head toward the upper levels of the ship, intending only to find a nearby room to settle in.
Seeing this, Jiang Mo promptly found two adjacent empty rooms and enthusiastically invited Yun Qingyue, each taking one.
After some thought, Yun Qingyue didn't decline. In truth, from the moment she accepted the mask Jiang Mo offered, they were no longer strangers. She seemed unconcerned with the outside situation. After expressing her thanks and nodding slightly to Jiang Mo, she entered her room first.
As she turned to close the door, Yun Qingyue vaguely felt a gaze upon her. Raising her eyes as if coincidentally, she met her master's meaningful look... but having no intention of revealing herself or her identity, she closed the door at her usual pace without any hesitation.
Peak Master Qingyu's seemingly significant gaze was shut outside along with the door.
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With Senior Sister retreating to her room, Jiang Mo had no desire to remain facing the gazes of everyone on the ship. She promptly followed, entering her room and closing the door.
The moment the door closed, Jiang Mo heard System's prompt indicating task completion: "Congratulations, host, you have successfully completed the mission by boarding the ghost ship within one day. Reward: 3,000 experience points, 3,000 points."
After hearing the reward, Jiang Mo couldn't help but click her tongue inwardly: Last time, the prerequisite mission took her three days of listening to stories, only to receive a mere 100 points. Today, she had only contributed a single kick to board the ship, yet was rewarded with 3,000 points plus 3,000 experience points—the effort and reward were completely disproportionate!
Complaints aside, she was still satisfied with the gains and took the opportunity to check her status panel—
【Host: Jiang Mo
Race: White Tiger
Profession: Divine Beast
Level: 72
Combat Power: 84,500
Experience: 7,429/220,000
Points: 598,703
Potential: ∞
Skills: Meditation, Advanced Spiritual Energy Utilization, Blood Inheritance Suppression, Sharp Metal Force, Way of Transformation...】
Jiang Mo's level was now high, making advancement more difficult than before. Even though the required experience points didn't seem to increase much, it often took several years to gain a single level. Fortunately, after level 50, each level-up significantly boosted combat power, and with occasional additional combat power rewards from defeating monsters, her average combat strength far exceeded cultivators of the same level.
In other words, she could actually challenge opponents above her level—while she might not be able to overcome a major realm difference, crossing one or two minor realms presented no problem.
This mission's reward of 3,000 experience points was substantial, yet still far from her next level-up. Moreover, considering the cultivation realm divisions, three game levels equated to one minor realm, making a breakthrough even more distant.
She deliberately ignored the experience value column and focused on the points section—those 598,000+ points... Oh, plus the two masks she and Senior Sister wore. Excluding the newly acquired 3,000 points, this represented her entire savings over eighty years.
It seemed somewhat meager, averaging only a few thousand points per year. But considering that buying the Ice Soul Condensation Pearl had only cost 200,000 points back then, she felt the current amount was sufficient for now, though she did wish to round it up to an even number.
The usually listless host proactively poked System and asked: "System, do you have any missions for me? Just need to round up the number."
System was equally lackadaisical, but seeing the host's initiative, it rolled over to search for a while before saying: "Subsequent main storyline missions still require specific scenarios to trigger. As for monster hunting, the host now needs at least Spirit Division realm opponents for point rewards, which is too difficult to find and not cost-effective. Better to try another approach—complete the romance mission first."
As it spoke, the entire System grew excited: "Speaking of which, you and Senior Sister only progressed to hand-holding and embracing in the past, without completing kisses and such. Why not try now? There are rewards!"
Hearing this, Jiang Mo's face darkened, feeling System was taunting her: "System, are you doing this deliberately? You know Senior Sister and I only reunited recently and are essentially getting reacquainted. You want me to kiss her now? Are you trying to get my tiger head beaten in?!"
System responded innocently: "It's the host who's concealing her identity from Senior Sister. What does that have to do with System?"
Jiang Mo didn't bother arguing further, suddenly realizing that with so many Xuanqing Sect acquaintances aboard the ghost ship, if Senior Sister didn't wish to be recognized, she would likely rarely emerge from her cabin. She needed to devise a plan, lest they barely see each other, let alone develop their relationship... She couldn't keep hiding her identity from Senior Sister forever, and the sooner this deception ended, the better!