'Trouble... That storm looks much stronger than any I've experienced before…' Minos thought to himself, not so sure his cultivation would be able to save him from the storm this time.
However, as fast as he rowed, the storm moved faster, and it didn't take much time for the sun to be blotted out by the thick abyssal-like clouds.
Knowing there was no escape, Minos tucked away his paddle before grabbing tightly on the sides of the vessel, readying himself for the storm.
Soon enough, the first wave hit him, sending Minos and his boat nearly ten meters upwards, though this was clearly only an appetizer.
Not long after thick rain drops began belting down on him as well, each one like a little stone with how much force they carried.
A normal human would be beaten into bruises by such hard raindrops, but Minos's tough skin was unaffected, his mind more focused on what was to come.
Wiping the water from his eyes, Minos once again grasped his boat tightly, the second wave hitting, sending him up slightly higher then the first.
Like a bird taking to the sky, Minos's boat seemed to take to flight for a moment after the wave passed, before collapsing back into the sea, nearly submerging before resurfacing at the last second.
This constant assault of being tossed up and down couldn't help but remind Minos of his early years, back when anyone could bully him and toss him around.
He thought he was long past those times, but it seemed nature was the biggest bully around, not afraid of picking on anybody.
Spitting out the water that had gathered in his mouth, Minos began noticing the thick lightning strikes that had started spawning in the distance, the roar of thunder reaching his ears soon after each hit.
Of course the noise was the least of his problems, his bigger worry being the lighting itself, which was getting closer and closer as his boat headed towards the center of the storm.
Not wanting to take any chances, Minos pulled his paddles back out in an attempt to get further away from the eye of the storm, but the pull of the water was simply too strong.
Everytime he managed to move one step forward, the waves would pull him two steps back, and despite his struggle, he was just getting closer and closer.
Gritting his teeth, Minos put the paddles back and tensed his body, knowing at this point that escape was completely impossible.
With his body tensed, Minos pressed himself against the bottom of the boat before stretching himself back out, his arms and legs pressing strongly against the sides of the boat, latching him in.
With Minos's strength, it was like him and the boat had fused into one vessel, the storms not being able to toss him out no matter how strong they hit.
But while Minos managed to survive the waves, the sound of thunder was just getting louder, the flashes of light above his head making it clear the end was near.
Suddenly, as if the heaven's themselves had clapped, Minos heard a loud burst and saw a flash, before the world went black for a moment.
When he opened his eyes again, his body was filled with a scalding pain, a lightning bolt having struck him directly.
As fast as his reaction speed was, the lightning was a thousand times faster, and he didn't even have a chance to brace himself before it hit.
Fortunately his durability allowed him to survive, albeit with internal wounds that would surely be a problem in the future.
However before Minos could even consider checking his condition, another bolt hit, this one missing him, but arguably even worse, hitting his boat.
His boat was made out of mortal wood, so it stood no chance in the face of this lightning, which was powerful enough to send chills up the spine of even cultivators.
With another boom, the boat split into two pieces, Minos quickly latching onto the larger piece to keep afloat.
Half submerged, Minos held tightly onto the large floating piece of timber, his breathing chaotic and his eyes shut tightly to avoid the assault of the rain.
At this point, time was no longer a question, Minos only knowing to hold on as tightly as possible as the storm kept assaulting him without any pause.
With the waves unrelenting, Minos's internal wounds began deteriorating even further, the constant tossing about making it feel like his organs were turning to mush.
Normally he'd be able to take such punishment for a long time given his strength, but the previous lightning strike plus his already poor condition due to his old age made him much weaker.
Finally, Minos couldn't take the punishment anymore, a massive wave banishing his mind into the darkness, the only thing keeping him alive being his iron-like grip that didn't let up even when the rest of him did.
…
"Cough, cough." Waking up, the first thing Minos did was cough up blood and water, his entire body feeling like mush, barely having the strength to move his head aside so as to not suffocate himself on his own liquids.
Feeling his hands still clenched tightly, Minos weakly raised up his right arm, his palm still holding onto a chunk of wood even until this moment.
Tossing it aside, Minos put his hand back down, slowly rubbing up and down and confirming that it was indeed sand that he was feeling.
Despite being happy, Minos had neither the strength nor desire to celebrate, just laying down and allowing his body to slowly recover.
Of course with his condition, it was unknown how long this recovery would take, but without any choices, Minos could only sit in patience until he regained the strength to move again.
"My heaven's, are you okay!" A sudden voice called out from a distance.
Soon enough, a young lady about Minos's age appeared above his head, looking down at him with shocked and confused eyes.
"What on earth happened to you?" The young lady asked, before kneeling down beside Minos's body and grabbing his frail and bony arm.
With some pressure, she felt for his pulse, relieved to find him still alive, but shocked to realize the depth of his injuries.
"It's a miracle you're still alive! Here, I'll take you to my Grandpa, he's the best doctor in the city!" The young lady said, before kneeling down beside Minos and helping him up.
Throughout this whole ordeal, Minos didn't say a word, not because he didn't want to, but simply because the young lady talked too much.
"By the way, what should I call you?" She finally asked as she helped Minos slowly limp towards the city.
"Minos."
"Mr. Minos? What an interesting name! If you don't mind me asking, how did you end up like this?"
"It's a long story." Minos replied, not in the mood to get into it.
"Ahh, I understand Mr. Minos. Anyways in case you didn't know, this place is Blue Beach City, you've probably heard of us before, we're quite famous!" The young lady bragged, clearly proud of her city of origin.
"Never heard of it." Minos replied succinctly, causing her joyous mood to suddenly drop slightly.
"Really? Well I'm sure you'll come to love it, after all our place is one of most popular vacation spots in the entire Blue Line Continent!"
"Blue Line Continent?" Minos asked curiously.
"No way, don't tell me you don't even know this much! For a man your age, you sure are uninformed!" She couldn't help but say, Minos only letting out a weak smile in response.
"Well it'll take us a while to reach the city anyways, so I might as well tell you. The Blue Line Continent gets its name from its rivers, lakes, and shores."
"Over here, you're always just a few steps from water. We've got lagoons, creeks, swamps, and anything you could imagine!"
"Of course our proudest claim to fame is our world famous Water Palace Sect, one of the five heavenly sects, and ranked third overall!" The young lady said with a raised head as her eyes shined.
"Water Palace Sect, huh? Sounds like an interesting place." Minos replied.
"Interesting is an understatement! The Water Palace Sect is home to some of the strongest cultivators in the world, not to mention the sect leader, the Water Empress!" At this point, her eyes shined even further, clearly taking this Water Empress figure as a role-model.
"Water Empress? From the look in your eyes, she must be quite the figure."
"Another understatement! While the Water Palace Sect may be ranked third overall, in my opinion, the Water Empress is the strongest cultivator in the world, bar none!"
"Is that so? I'd like to meet her then." Minos said, causing the young lady to laugh uncontrollably.
"Hahaha! No offense, but the Water Empress is a legendary figure, one that most people don't even have the chance to glance at, much less meet!"
"I suppose you've got a point, but we've all gotta start somewhere, don't we?" Minos smiled, not minding her laughter.
"You're right! It's my mistake, in fact it's my own shame. I'm still so young and yet it feels like you've got more vigor then I do…" She said, lowering her head.
"No need to feel down, life is all about the journey, one step more is always one step closer, so the most important thing is to just keep moving." Minos said as he looked back onto the ocean behind him, as if peering far out into the distance.
"What wise words! You know, you kind of remind me of my Grandpa, he's about as smart as you are! By the way I nearly forgot to tell you my name, you can call me Jena. Jena Joyata."