The Silver Wing cut through the viscous, ink-black waves of the Sea of Despair like a jagged diamond through silk. Above, the twin moons were obscured by a permanent shroud of necrotic mist, leaving the ship's glowing runes as the only source of light in a world of absolute shadow.
Qin Feng sat cross-legged in the center of his private cabin, the air around him vibrating with a low, primal hum. Resting across his knees was his old, rusted pickaxe. To any onlooker, it was a piece of junk, but through his Eclipse Vision, he could see the ancient veins of obsidian and star-iron pulsing beneath the corrosion.
[SYSTEM: Soul-Bound Armory resonance at 99%...] [Material Check: Shadow Kraken Core (1), High-Grade Spirit Stones (20), Blood of the Overlord (Detected).]
"It's time," Qin Feng whispered.
He bit his finger, letting a single drop of golden-violet blood fall onto the metal. The reaction was instantaneous. A roar, not of sound but of pure spiritual pressure, erupted within the small room. The rust didn't just flake off; it was incinerated by a sudden surge of dark fire.
[DING! Evolution Complete!] [New Weapon Unlocked: The Eclipse Sunderer (Growth-Type Divine Tool).] [Current Rank: Earth-Grade (Peak).] [Skill: 'Vein Seeker' — Automatically detects the weakest point in any defense or formation.]
The weapon had transformed. The handle was now wrapped in the cured hide of a Shadow Beast, cold to the touch, and the head had become a dual-edged pick of gleaming, translucent black crystal. It didn't reflect light; it seemed to pull it into a void.
"Impressive," a voice said from the doorway.
Qin Feng didn't jump. He had sensed Ye Chen's familiar, cold-as-winter aura long before she spoke. She stepped into the room, her new white silk robes, provided by Manager Su, flowing around her like a ghostly veil. The Moon-Severing Blade at her waist pulsed in greeting to the new weapon.
"The ship's crew is whispering," Ye Chen continued, her eyes lingering on the Sunderer. "Manager Su has already doubled the guards at our door. She knows we aren't just 'bodyguards' anymore. She knows we are a variable she can't control."
"Let her whisper," Qin Feng said, standing up. The weight of the new weapon felt like an extension of his own arm. "As long as the ship moves toward the City of Nine Cauldrons, I don't care what she thinks."
"She isn't the only one," Ye Chen cautioned, her gaze turning serious. "There is another 'guest' in the VIP quarters. A young master from the Iron Sword Pavilion of the Central Continent. He has been eyeing me since we boarded, and his elders are at the 6th and 7th Layers of Foundation Establishment."
Qin Feng's eyes flashed with a dangerous violet light. "If he wants to keep his eyes, he'll look elsewhere."
Later that evening, the peace of the voyage was shattered. A loud, arrogant voice rang out across the dining deck, followed by the sound of a glass shattering.
"I don't care who she is!" a young man in extravagant gold-trimmed robes shouted. This was Young Master Tang of the Iron Sword Pavilion. He was flushed with spirit wine, pointing a shaking finger at a female attendant. "Tell the woman in white to come and pour my wine, or I'll have this entire ship impounded when we hit the docks!"
Manager Su Meiling stood nearby, her fan fluttering rapidly, a sign of her growing irritation. "Young Master Tang, she is a guest of the Chamber, not an employee. I suggest you"
"I don't care about your suggestions!" Tang roared, his 4th Layer Foundation Qi flaring messily. "My father is an Elder of the Pavilion! I take what I want!"
Qin Feng and Ye Chen walked onto the deck just as Tang turned his gaze toward them. His eyes lit up with a mixture of lust and drunken bravery.
"There she is," Tang sneered, ignoring Qin Feng entirely. "Beautiful, come here. A woman of your talent shouldn't be wasting time with a peasant who carries a... is that a pickaxe? Are you a miner's slave?"
The deck went deathly silent. The sailors held their breath. Even the waves seemed to quiet down in anticipation of the slaughter.
Qin Feng didn't draw his weapon. He didn't even flare his Qi. He simply walked toward Tang, his footsteps heavy and rhythmic.
"You have ten seconds to apologize to my wife," Qin Feng said, his voice quiet but carrying to every corner of the ship. "And another ten to jump off this boat."
Tang laughed, a shrill, mocking sound. "Or what? You'll dig a hole for me?"
Tang's two bodyguards, the 7th Layer experts Ye Chen had mentioned, stepped forward, their hands on their sword hilts. "Stand back, boy. You're overstepping."
Qin Feng didn't wait.
[ACTIVATE: Vein Seeker.]
In Qin Feng's vision, the entire world turned grey, except for a glowing red line running through the center of the bodyguards' defensive posture. It was the flaw in their synchronized Qi.
Qin Feng moved.
He didn't use a flashy technique. He simply stepped into the gap and delivered two lightning-fast strikes with the blunt end of the Eclipse Sunderer.
THUD. THUD.
The two 7th Layer experts didn't even have time to unsheathe their swords. Their Qi shields shattered instantly as if they had been hit by a falling star. They were blown backward, crashing through the heavy oak railings and skipping across the black surface of the Sea of Despair like stones.
Young Master Tang's laughter died in his throat. He looked at his "invincible" guards disappearing into the mist, then back at the miner standing inches away from him.
"One second left," Qin Feng whispered.
"I... I apologize! My father will—"
Qin Feng didn't let him finish. He grabbed Tang by the collar and, with a casual flick of his wrist, tossed the young master fifty feet into the air, straight over the side of the ship.
"Manager Su," Qin Feng said, turning to the stunned manager. "I hope your ship has a lifebuoy. Or not. It doesn't really matter to me."
Su Meiling stared at him, her fan frozen in mid-air. She had expected a fight, but this... this was a one-sided erasure. He had defeated two experts three layers above him as if he were swatting flies.
[DING! Face-Slapping Success!] [EXP Gained: 20,000!] [Reputation Point: 'The Unstoppable Miner' — Gained in the Central Continent Merchant Circle.]
Ye Chen walked up to his side, a small, rare smirk playing on her lips. "You're getting impatient, Husband."
"I just hate wasting time on trash," Qin Feng replied, looking toward the dark horizon. "We have a continent to conquer. We don't have time for wine-pourers."
But as he spoke, the Sea of Despair began to boil. A massive, golden light began to glow from beneath the ship, something far larger and more ancient than a Kraken was waking up, drawn by the sudden burst of Eclipse energy.
[WARNING: Ancient Calamity Detected.] [The Sea-God's Sentinel has awakened.]