"How is it? This should be your first time coming to the deep-sea region this far, Brother Wang. How do you feel?"
On the deck of a large ship sailing through the wind and waves, Wang Ping was looking at the raging sea ahead when Gu Feng's teasing voice suddenly sounded behind him.
It had been four days since they left the port of Giant Crab City, and the ship was now at least 800 kilometers away from Golden Pearl Island.
The surging waves in this sea region could easily capsize those small fishing boats that could be manned by a person or two.
Moreover, they had encountered two demon beast attacks along the way. Thanks to the cultivators on the ship who acted in time, the demon beasts had been scared away.
At this moment, hearing Gu Feng's words, Wang Ping took a deep breath, and then he sighed in a low voice. "The depths of the sea are indeed extremely dangerous. No wonder on Golden Pearl Island, only the late-stage Qi Refinement cultivators would sail so far away. No wonder only the Li Clan's ironclad fleet is able to cross the ocean and trade with other large islands!"
"The Li Clan's ironclad fleet? That is indeed a very powerful fleet!"
Gu Feng's eyes narrowed slightly. He let out an emotional sigh as if he remembered something from the past.
Then, he glanced at Wang Ping and said softly, "Don't take what happened yesterday to heart. Since Fellow Daoist Meng has agreed to let you board the ship and participate in this operation, no one except him has the ability to force you off the ship."
Then, he added, "Besides, you're someone I brought here. As long as you don't do anything wrong, I won't let you be bullied."
When Wang Ping heard this, his expression showed that he was deeply moved, and he hurriedly bowed. "Thank you for Big Brother Gu's consolation and also for Big Brother Gu's guidance. I understand everything and will definitely not make things difficult for Big Brother Gu."
"Yes, Brother Wang, you're a wise man. I won't ramble any further. We'll arrive at our destination in about a day. I'll compare sea maps with Fellow Daoist Meng and the others first. Don't end up going the wrong way."
Gu Feng nodded slightly before patting Wang Ping on the shoulder in a friendly manner, before turning around and walking into the cabin.
As Wang Ping watched Gu Feng leave, his resting expression returned. He turned his head and continued to look at the vast, expansive sea.
Gu Feng had told him not to take what had happened yesterday to heart, but how could he not?
It turned out that ever since Gu Feng brought him to meet the other five companions who had gone out to sea with him, Wang Ping, who was only at the fourth level of the Qi Refinement realm, had been shunned and looked down upon by the other cultivators in the group.
He could have dropped the matter; it wasn't the first time he was looked down upon like this, and it wasn't something that only happened for a day or two either.
As long as it did not compromise his interests or cause him any harm, he would only laugh it off and not take it to heart.
However, yesterday was different. Yesterday, the ship was attacked by two high-grade tier-1 demon beasts, the Jade-Eyed Sharks, that were bringing their underage offspring out to hunt. All the cultivators on the ship had come up to the deck. They even jumped off the ship, landing on the raft that was lowered, and engaged the demon beasts in combat.
At that time, Wang Ping had used the "Golden Blade Technique" on the deck to help attack the demon beasts in the water. He had also used the "Illusory Body Technique" to create a Cloud Illusion Avatar that landed on the surface of the water, attracting the "Jade-Eyed Shark" to attack it.
In the end, however, he had angered the "Jade-Eyed Shark," which suddenly directed its attack at him instead.
At that time, Wang Ping was shocked. In order to avoid the water blade attack from the "Jade-Eyed Shark," he instinctively retreated.
However, the result of doing so was that although he was able to barely dodge the shark's attack, a long and narrow crack had appeared on the side deck of the ship.
Such a crack would not cause the huge ship to sink, but it would cause some level of damage to the ship.
Even if the boatmen used spare materials to repair it after the battle, it was still a safety hazard.
But could this be considered Wang Ping's fault?
Obviously not!
If he hadn't dodged at that time, could he even resist the attack of the "Jade-Eyed Shark?"
Even if he had already cast the defensive spell, the "Rippling Water Shield," he likely would have been killed or seriously injured by the "Jade-Eyed Shark" in one strike.
After all, in terms of cultivation, the high-grade tier-1 demon beast, "Jade-Eyed Shark," was one minor realm higher than him.
However, a cultivator in the seventh level of the Qi Refinement realm, who had already disliked him, to begin with, had used this as an excuse to admonish him. He even threatened that if there was a next time, he would directly throw him into the sea to feed the sharks!
If Wang Ping remained indifferent to such a threat, wouldn't he be any different from a bastard?
It was just that he was young but mature, he had long since passed the time when he was impulsive and reckless. At that time, even though he was extremely furious, he didn't argue with that man straight away.
In addition, others had spoken up in time to ease the atmosphere, and Gu Feng had also spoken up for him, so this matter had been temporarily put aside.
However, the anger in Wang Ping's heart could not be quelled. He then went directly to the deck to look at the vast sea and sky to calm his anger.
The sky was wide and the sea vast, they were the most capable of calming one's mind and spirit. After admiring the scenery of the sea and sky for half a day, Wang Ping's mood had fully calmed down.
There was still a long way to go. Golden Pearl Island was only so big and there were only so many itinerant cultivators. There would be plenty of opportunities to take revenge for himself in the future.
After traveling for another day, Wang Ping finally saw the island that Gu Feng had mentioned.
It was a large, heart-shaped island. The easternmost coastline to the westernmost coastline stretched to at least seventy to eighty miles in a straight line. Most of the coasts were rocky cliffs and there were many hidden reefs in the sea, and there was only one natural harbor for large ships to dock.
At this moment, the cultivators on the ship all came to the deck to look at the approaching island together.
Including Wang Ping and Gu Feng, there were a total of seven cultivators on the ship. The other five cultivators were the eighth level Qi Refinement cultivator Meng Changyou, the seventh level Qi Refinement cultivators Zhou Xu and Zhao Jing, and the sixth level Qi Refinement cultivators Wang Jun and Du Ming.
The cultivator who had reprimanded Wang Ping that day was Zhou Xu, a white-haired old man who was nearly seventy years old.
"The storm had blown and drifted us to this island the last time. We were too busy exploring the island's environment and had forgotten to name it."
"We've made ample preparations this time, so we'll surely obtain great benefits."
"In my opinion, why don't we name this island Heaven Heart Island?"
On the deck, although Meng Changyou was over seventy years old, he still looked as robust as a middle-aged man. His eyes shone as he looked at the distant island, and he spoke his thoughts with a face full of pride.
As the only late-stage Qi Refinement cultivator in the group, it was only natural for him to be the one to name this unknown island.
Therefore, even though the last sentence was a question, everyone could tell that there was no room for negotiation.
Zhou Xu immediately raised his eyebrows and suddenly clapped his hands. "What a good name! Boss Meng is indeed a man of high caliber, as expected of a late-stage Qi Refinement cultivator. As the saying goes, heaven's heart is my heart. When we land on Heaven Heart Island this time, we will definitely succeed in getting what we want!"
Gu Feng narrowed his eyes. Unwilling to be left behind, he also clapped his hands and said, "Wonderful. It was the will of the heavens that allowed us to discover this place. The name Heaven Heart Island is indeed fitting."
Praised by the two, Meng Chanyou couldn't help but let out a proud smile. He laughed aloud and said, "Hahaha, since all of you think it's suitable, then it's decided. Now, let's continue and speed up our arrival on the island."
With that said, he ordered the boatmen to sail forward, accelerating toward the natural harbor on Heaven Heart Island.