Witch, I'm really not the Deep Sea Ancient God!

"Danger?"

Chen Qi, puzzled, took the newspaper and glanced over it. He looked again at An Aotian's utterly disdainful and slightly angry expression and silently clenched his fists.

The rumors had intensified indeed... Chen Qi furrowed his brows.

He had underestimated Perlu; she was now studying journalism for the sake of newspaper sales.

Wherever he didn't speak, the Daily Dove would add conjectures and possibilities.

However, readers of the Daily Dove didn't care about these smaller details.

Moreover, regarding the Black Hunter's preference for human males and deep-sea monsters, as well as the fiery nature of pirates, the more they resisted, the more the Black Hunter liked them.

To prove this point, they even brought in experts from Bei Country Ocean University!

Because long-tentacled parasitic sea beasts prefer to parasitize more robust men, it stands to reason that long-tentacled Black Hunters also prefer to inhabit strong human males.

What kind of reasoning is this... Chen Qi sighed speechlessly.

For subsequent advancements, legend and reputation were very important.

However, as long as one does not follow the notorious path to promotion, even a bad reputation wouldn't matter too much.

The real key was that his fame now far exceeded his strength.

After all, his ability to defeat the Ghost Ship depended largely on the Black Mud and the Near-sea Overlord.

It seemed that one day, he might even attract the attention of legendary warriors.

Chen Qi put down the newspaper, frowning.

"I never thought that after the Ghost Ship captain left, another even more terrifying monster would come upon the nearby seas."

An Aotian also frowned, heaving a long sigh:

"Qi, be careful. Why don't you stay in Maro Town for a while?"

According to the newspaper, men like Chen Qi were very likely to be targeted by the Black Hunter!

Not to mention, Chen Qi now owned a houseboat.

Although the houseboat's ability to resist storms had greatly improved, it also increased the risk of being robbed.

Ordinary fishing boats weren't lucrative targets, and large vessels were too difficult to rob. Medium-sized vessels like the one Chen Qi had became prime targets for emerging pirate ships.

Bruce chimed in:

"Exactly, Maro Town is developing well too. You can stay there and work as a chef honestly. You earn a decent income each year, and you don't have to worry about being captured by the Black Hunter or pirates."

In this age of nationwide sailing, even the nearby seas were chaotic.

But in such times, even without venturing into the deep sea, one could still make a lot of money.

Although this houseboat was not comparable to the big mansions in Moonstone City, it was still an asset for making money.

In Bruce's view, Chen Qi, as a chef, had no need to take part in the tumult of the sea. Better to stay and develop in Maro Town, especially since he could come to eat every day.

The Crack Tide was only going to get worse... Chen Qi shook his head, murmuring softly:

"No, I must venture into the tide. It's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. If I don't take to the sea, I might never become a Third-tier Transcendent in my life..."

Even without mentioning the impending world destruction, in this world, strength was still held in the highest regard.

Not everyone had the absence of arrogance typical of high-order Transcendents like An and Bruce.

"Is that so..."

An cradled her face in her hands, understanding Chen Qi's thoughts.

She and Chen Qi were kindred spirits.

As someone born in Maro Town, she deeply understood that despite the existence of laws, many nobles still treated them as if they were slaves.

During her days at Bei Country Royal University, she encountered at least ten sneering young ladies and managed to best eight of them with her strength.

But despite this, she was still far from a real powerhouse.

Only by reaching the Fourth Rank could one qualify to become an Edge Hunter, and only after serving three years could one witness the real world.

Currently, she didn't even qualify to be an Edge Hunter.

This tide from the border was the only chance in their lives!

An gazed at Chen Qi for a long time before softly opening her mouth to speak:

"By the way, Qi, just where do you stand now on the path to becoming a Transcendent?"

After many days of practice, An was surprised to find that Chen Qi was much stronger than she had expected.

Whether it was the ruthlessness of his blade or his reactions to attacks, he showed none of the panic a novice should have.

Moreover, his use of Qi Power was also very strong.

In terms of strength, he was far superior to the average Second-order Transcendent, even surpassing most young masters from the Bei Country Royal University who had made such rapid progress in such a short time.

Even though Chen Qi hadn't chosen the path of scholar nor joined a Transcendent organization, the speed of his growth was still beyond imagination.

An even felt that now, facing dangerous sea creatures like the black armored shark or the great sea snake, Chen Qi had a chance to fight.

Seeing through his progress... Chen Qi thought for a moment and decided not to hide it anymore:

"Teacher An, I've mastered many battle skills by now. The only thing lacking is a skill to strengthen my spiritual power origin and my physical origin."

"Oh?"

An's lips slightly curled up.

This guy had indeed concealed his true strength before.

Chen Qi's strength was even more capable than she had imagined!

An gently bit her tongue,

"Chen Qi, before you set off, would you be interested in having a practice battle with me? I will only use the most basic spells."

"??"

Am I really going to fight you... Chen Qi swallowed hard.

Previously, he had sought to spar with An, but she had always declined.

Before he went to sea, on the joyful day his new ship was finished, An actually took the initiative to propose a sparring match!

Chen Qi pondered for a moment.

Undoubtedly, he couldn't possibly be a match for An Aotian.

If he was now capable of defeating a common Second-order Transcendent, then An could easily defeat a common Third-tier Transcendent.

But theory is just theory after all.

To spar with a top Third-tier Mage was indeed a rare opportunity.

Even if he got beaten up badly, he could still learn from the experience.

Chen Qi straightened his clothes and pulled out a black blade from his backpack card:

"Teacher An, please enlighten me."

If he could have a battle with Teacher An, then in the future, when facing Mage-class enemies, he could be more composed.

An ate the last piece of cake, wiped the cream from her lips, and picked up her large magic wand: "Please instruct me."

"???"

Bri, who was eating beside them, was shocked; he couldn't comprehend the thought processes of these two people. Continue your adventure at empire

How did they suddenly start fighting? Did the two have a quarrel?

Bri took out a bag of melon seeds and followed the two to the deck of the houseboat.

"Let me remind you both, please don't damage the boat,"

he said as he cracked open a melon seed:

"And, new mentor! Please be careful, don't beat Chen Qi to death!"

The gap between a Third-tier Transcendent and a Second-tier Transcendent is quite significant.

Even a practice session could potentially accidentally lead to one's death.

In Transcendent schools that emphasize real combat, there are yearly incidents of teachers killing students or students killing teachers.

Chen Qi took out his black blade, took a deep breath, and adjusted his breathing throughout his body.

Meanwhile, An also took out her magic wand, starting to release the spiritual power accumulated within her body.

The two were currently five meters apart.

Chen Qi activated "White Dove" perception, enhancing his observation of spiritual power.

Second-tier Mage-class Transcendents all learn the skill of externalizing spiritual power, and by constructing spiritual power, they can directly form spells in the air.

Such externalized spiritual power can also be observed through spiritual power perception.

Therefore, as long as one could observe the opponent's spiritual power flow, they could predict the opponent's moves in advance.

For example, before the Fireball Technique is formed, there must be a brain-sized ball of spiritual power around the magic wand.

This is also the most important technique for a warrior not to get injured by a mage, and it is crucial in overcoming stronger foes.

An, with the Lucky Cat's small hand, held the magic wand taller than herself and bowed:

"Let's begin then, Chen Qi!"

"Yes."

Chen Qi took a deep breath, tensed his spirit, and pushed his senses to their limit!

A true expert can conceal their own spiritual power, thus avoiding detection by their enemies.

And An was undoubtedly an expert in this regard.

A huge gust of wind arose from the ship.

Perception... Chen Qi gripped the black blade.

He did it, he successfully observed the flow of spiritual power!

The wind continued to blow.

Chen Qi exhaled a breath of stale air, instinctively sweating a cold sweat.

Although he had observed An's flow of spiritual power, the current situation was still not optimistic.

Because the entire ship was now filled with An's spiritual power.