The name engraved on the back of the waist token was just the same.
Looking at the elegant and free-spirited name, Zhao Ya couldn’t help but smile and then put it away.
Today is the twelfth, and tomorrow is the transmission day. Zhao Ya plans to visit the Transmission Hall when the time comes.
Meanwhile, in a messy room on the third floor of the Library, the great elder Guan Xuejiang was lying unceremonially on a recliner, with a wine pot in hand.
The only chair was occupied, so Guo Luming was forced to squat nearby, muttering unwillingly.
"I really can’t understand what’s so good about my place. As soon as you come back, you promptly hang around my place without leaving. Wouldn’t it be better to return to your grand Elder’s Chamber?"
Guan Xuejiang chuckled, raised the wine pot, took a few swigs, and said with bleary eyes.
"There’s nothing good about this place, it’s dirty and messy, like a kennel."
"Then why are you here?" Guo Luming said in annoyance.
"Though it’s not good, I feel comfortable here! You know, money can’t buy happiness. Isn’t that right, Senior Brother!" Guan Xuejiang said with a broad smile, handing over the empty wine pot.
"Really can’t do anything about you."
Guo Luming grimaced as he took the wine pot. With some reluctance, he pulled out a wine jar from under the table, opened the cork, and began to pour wine into the pot.
As he poured, Guo Luming muttered, "I see you’ve got your eye on my stash of wine."
Guan Xuejiang rubbed his hands excitedly and sniffed the rich aroma relentlessly.
"Hehe, that’s indeed one reason. Who could resist tasting the unparalleled brewing of Senior Brother? Pour a little more, a little more."
"More? It’s already full!"
"It hasn’t reached the brim yet. Stop being stingy. Pour me a bit more, and I promise this will be the last pot."
Guo Luming, full of helplessness, filled Guan Xuejiang’s pot to the brim and then tossed it over.
"Catch it!"
Guan Xuejiang quickly reached out and caught the airborne wine pot.
With such a large motion, not a single drop spilled from the wine near the pot’s mouth.
Only after that did Guan Xuejiang carefully bring it to his mouth, took a sip, and let out a deeply satisfied sigh.
"Still, the wine brewed by Senior Brother tastes the best. On my travels this time, I drank many so-called famous wines, but none of them measured up to yours."
"Alright, enough flattery. Tell me, what did you see on your travels this time?" Guo Luming asked.
Upon hearing this, Guan Xuejiang’s expression turned serious. He adjusted his posture and said earnestly.
"On this journey down the mountain, I visited many places and encountered many interesting things, but none worth mentioning except for one strange incident I witnessed by the Wuyang Beach, which I really must tell you about."
"Oh? You went to Wuyang Beach?" Guo Luming became intrigued.
He also knew about the Wuyang Sea.
That was a sea region located thousands of miles away. The climate there is extremely cold, covered in darkness for most of the year, with only a brief period when the sun is visible.
Yet despite this extreme environment, the Wuyang Sea is eternally shrouded in fog that never dissipates.
In the past, curious people attempted to sail over to explore, but regardless of how large the ships or how powerful the Martial Artists were, they never returned.
Ever since, the Wuyang Sea became a forbidden zone, leaving countless legends behind.
Now hearing that Guan Xuejiang actually ventured there, Guo Luming became increasingly curious.
"Yes, although Beyond the World is vast, the most mysterious is still the Wuyang Sea, with its innumerable legends. So I took advantage of this journey to explore the Wuyang Sea."
"I was fortunate. I arrived at the Wuyang Sea just at the end of the polar day, just about to enter the eight or nine months of polar night."
"By then, the temperature could drop to levels even Fifth Realm Martial Artists couldn’t withstand, so I barely made it."
"Even so, it was still an icy hell. Even I wouldn’t dare stay outdoors for long without proper preparation. But in such an environment, some people were still living there."
"These people survived by collecting a kind of strange fish washed ashore by the waves of the Wuyang Sea. These strange fish are rich in Qi Blood, and after being made into dried fish, their grade is extremely high, and they are very expensive."
"But these people only have three to four months of working time a year. When I went, they were about to withdraw."
"Out of curiosity, I followed them to the seaside to collect these strange fish. But it was during this outing that I witnessed an unforgettable scene."
At this point, a trace of fear appeared on Guan Xuejiang’s face.
Seeing this, Guo Luming couldn’t help but feel a bit shocked as well.
He knew this Junior Brother of his very well.
Since childhood, when they were learning martial arts from the master, he couldn’t sit still. Even after gaining fame and becoming the great elder, he remained the same.
Often sneaking down the mountain to roam around, and whenever he heard of something novel happening somewhere, he would go and have a look.
So what exactly did he see that was so unforgettable, even causing fear?
At this moment, Guan Xuejiang tilted his head back, gulped down a large mouthful of wine, and only after steadying his emotions did he breathe a sigh of relief and continue.
"At the time, I first heard waves of low, wailing flute sounds. It was extremely muffled, and everyone collecting strange fish turned pale immediately."
"I later learned they occasionally hear these strange sounds from the Wuyang Sea, and people say it’s the Sea Dragon King touring, a bad omen to hear."
"Of course, I don’t believe in the Sea Dragon King’s ghostly tours. I just thought it might be some kind of sea monster in the Wuyang Sea making the sound, so I was very curious."
"But unexpectedly, I immediately saw, amidst the fog, the silhouette of a colossal ship."
"Silhouette of a ship?" Guo Luming was also startled.
"Yes!" Guan Xuejiang nodded very earnestly.
"Are you sure you weren’t mistaken?" Guo Luming found it hard to believe.
Guan Xuejiang smiled wryly, "At first, I also thought I might be mistaken."
"But later, all the people collecting strange fish saw that scene. At that time, these people knelt down, chanting about the Sea Dragon King’s tour and started bowing fervently."
"But I didn’t believe in such superstition and even thought maybe some daring individuals sailed out, so I mustered my courage and ran across the floating ice towards the ship silhouette."
Guo Luming furrowed his brows, "That was reckless. What if you encountered danger?"
Guan Xuejiang gave a wry smile, "Thinking back now, it was a bit scary. But at that time, for some unknown reason, I found the courage and just wanted to pass through the fog to see what it was."
"But before I could reach the fog, I heard that extremely muffled flute sound ringing in my ears again. Listening to it in the sea was much clearer than onshore."
"And this flute sound seemed to have some kind of magic that caused my Qi Blood to slow considerably and my muscles to become rigid."
"At that moment, realizing the danger, I quickly found a larger piece of floating ice to stand still on. Then I saw the ship silhouette in the fog beginning to disappear quickly and soon vanished."
Guo Luming listened, frowning intently. After a moment, he said, "Maybe it was some kind of giant Exotic Beast in the sea."
Guan Xuejiang smiled, "I figured you would guess that. In fact, if I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes, I would also assume that from other people’s descriptions."
"But I once saw a shadow of the ship’s rail through a gap in the fog, so I can assert it was no sea monster, but a giant ship."
Guo Luming’s expression turned serious, "And what happened afterward?"
"Afterward, I stayed on the floating ice for quite some time before my stiff muscles gradually returned to normal. When I got back to shore, those who were collecting fish had long since vanished. Later, I found out this phenomenon had appeared more than once. However, it always just involved the strange sounds, and this was the first time the silhouette of a ship appeared."