My Arts Evolve When Perfected

Jiang Qiu had no idea what was happening in the Desolate Realm and on Blue Star. He was still chasing the Eight-direction Reversing Ship. He had arrived in some desolate, unknown minor world and was currently stockpiling Spirit Charm, preparing to traverse space once more.

Time flew by. There were only three months left until the opening of the Dusk Holy Ruins, and Jiang Qiu was no longer far from the Eight-direction Reversing Ship. He was likely about to enter the zone of influence of the Nine Venerable Great Realm and had to press his pursuit even harder.

During his months-long pursuit, Jiang Qiu wasn’t idle. He also investigated news of Zuo Xuan’s movements in the various worlds he passed through. Although he possessed the enemy fleet’s real-time coordinates, he still couldn’t catch up. Thus, he could only piece things together from the traces they left behind in the worlds where they had stopped.

For instance, when he had previously arrived at a bustling minor world similar to the Desolate Realm, there were many places that traded in slaves. It was easy to find news of Zuo Xuan there. They had sold a large batch of slaves, making a massive profit.

In truth, Zuo Xuan wasn’t making a beeline for the Nine Venerable Great Realm. The journey was simply too long. Even though he had made multiple long-distance jumps that made it difficult for Jiang Qiu to keep up, he would often stumble upon wars between worlds. He would then get involved, annihilate both sides, and abduct their prodigies to be sold as slaves.

It was precisely because of these sweeps, similar to the calamity that befell Blue Star, that the Eight-direction Reversing Ship’s voyage was significantly slowed. This allowed Jiang Qiu to continuously close the distance between them. Now, he only needed to cross a few more minor worlds to catch sight of the Eight-direction Reversing Ship, and perhaps even see Liu Zili and the others with his own eyes.

So many years had passed. ’I wonder if Liu Zili is doing okay.’ During the chase, his limited speed meant Jiang Qiu hadn’t stopped at every single place Zuo Xuan had visited. But he had stopped at the vast majority of slave markets and confirmed he hadn’t seen any sign of Liu Zili. ’She might still be on the Eight-direction Reversing Ship. Of course, she could also be dead...’

’I vaguely remember that when I left her, Zili hadn’t even reached the Bright Soul Realm. Now, after being caught up in this calamity, she’s on the Eight-direction Reversing Ship, a place where even Fusion Realm experts become slaves. She must have suffered all kinds of inhuman treatment.’

For example, before Zhu Weiyi returned to Blue Star, he had told him some stories about the Eight-direction Reversing Ship. It was practically Purgatory on earth. None of the captured slaves had any personal freedom or human rights. They were treated like livestock, fed just enough to keep them from dying.

For this very reason, the Emperor Blue Lizard People often withheld food and beat disobedient slaves, sometimes to death. Of course, this might have been to make an example of them, or it could be because those slaves had little value. If they died, they died. It just made space for capturing more valuable slaves next time, preventing them from taking up room.

Even Zhu Weiyi himself never had a full meal in the great prison cells of the Eight-direction Reversing Ship. He starved every day, and his life was even more miserable than it had been in the Celestial Star Arena.

In the Celestial Star Arena, he was considered property of the arena and held considerable value. He naturally wouldn’t be allowed to starve to death—that would be too much of a waste of resources. The Eight-direction Reversing Ship was different. Its sweeps were too frequent. Once, before the slaves on the fleet had even been sold, they discovered another battlefield ripe for plunder and captured a huge number of Peeping Dao, Dao Entry, and even Fusion Realm experts!

Then, a large batch of slaves taking up cell space were turned into fodder, rendered down into Spirit Charm to recharge the Eight-direction Reversing Ship.

’People died every day, I was told. Humans with high potential but a low Realm were especially prone to starving to death. That described Liu Zili’s situation perfectly.’

’Zili’s Talent is absolutely top-notch. At least among the Human Race, her potential is immense. Her performance only seemed lackluster because she was up against too many powerhouses. And then... there was that incident with the Red Flame Spider Mother that left her in a coma...’

At these thoughts, Jiang Qiu’s heart began to race, and he couldn’t help but clench his fists. He knew that Liu Zili’s situation was extremely dire, that she might even be gone already, but he was still unwilling to completely give up on saving her.

In fact, from the moment he set out, he had never once thought of giving up.

’Growing up, not many people have truly stayed by my side, and even fewer have left me with fond memories. Zili was with me from Outer City High School in Gao Yuan City all the way to Northwest Martial University, and we share a connection that’s hard to break.’

’There are few truly meaningful things to do in life. Once you decide to save someone, you must give it everything you’ve got!’

’As a human, I must have the conviction of a human. The Human Race is not some lowly species. We are not vassals or expendable fodder for the so-called Emperor Blue Lizards of the Nine Venerable Great Realm. We are a proud and powerful people, and we will never abandon our own out of fear!’

Kin and bloodline were the most powerful bonds imaginable, pushing Jiang Qiu’s resolve to its absolute peak. ’One day, I will reveal myself to the world as a human. I may wear a mask now, but in my heart, I am human. I will never abandon my people.’