Several hours later, dozens of black pills lay quietly on the refining table, arranged in neat rows. A faint medicinal residue still lingered in the air. Grey swept his hand across the table, and in an instant, the pills vanished into his storage bag.

Several days had passed since he began refining, but to Grey, no, to any cultivator, the concept of time was bland and nearly meaningless. Cultivators lived far longer than ordinary people; wasting several days on preparation was nothing worth mentioning.

To Grey, however, this small refinement could very well mean the difference between life and death.

One could never be too prepared, and one must never allow themselves to be caught unprepared.

Since he planned on staying out at sea for a very long time, he wanted to be ready for anything, no matter how unlikely. That meant gathering every piece of information available, refining every possible pill, and squeezing out every improvement, no matter how minuscule it seemed. Any one of those details could become the deciding factor at a critical moment.

He also planned to increase his control over his shadow while cultivating the Forbidden Monarch Art. At sea, with fewer restrictions and abundant yin energy, it would be the perfect opportunity.

After many days of careful preparation, Grey was finally ready to set out to sea.

Before leaving, he informed the Captain and the detective agency. The Captain granted him a leave of absence, though Grey would not be paid for the duration of his absence. He also informed Ange that he might be gone for over two months.

After making his final preparations, Grey added spirit stones to power the ship and slowly departed. The magic ship surged forward, cutting through the waters like a hot knife through butter, leaving a long trail of disturbed waves behind it.

At some point, he reached the maritime border of Sky Mist City. After gaining approval from the patrol department stationed at sea, Grey departed from the harbor.

The moment he passed through the invisible barrier surrounding Sky Mist City, he felt the corrosive substance in the air grow noticeably denser.

It wasn’t that the concentration had actually increased, rather, Sky Mist City’s barrier isolated most of the corrosive substance from the outside world. Beyond it lay the Dead Sea, a place saturated with decay and corrosive energy far greater than what existed on land.

With an indifferent expression, Grey pulled out the mysterious cloak he had obtained from the Devil Race cultivator’s storage bag and draped it over himself. He had already discovered that it possessed certain properties, such as concealing the wearer’s appearance and aura.

Out at sea, there was no law.

To prevent unforeseen events and unnecessary trouble, he decided to disguise himself.

Grey took a quick glance at the map stored within his jade slip. A destination soon formed clearly in his mind. After making a few mental calculations, he adjusted the ship’s course accordingly.

He then sat down on the cold wooden floor of the ship and began circulating the cold energy within his body, slowly synchronizing his breathing with the rhythm of cultivation.

But only a few minutes later, Grey suddenly opened his eyes.

A sharp glint flashed through his gaze as he looked ahead.

A long ship was sailing toward him.

A figure stood at its bow. He had long silver hair that fluttered wildly in the wind, and his expression was calm to the point of indifference. Yet beneath that calm lay deep wariness. The hems of his clothes were torn and dyed with blood and several other indistinguishable colors, clear evidence that he had fought many battles at sea.

His long ship bore numerous cracks and deep scratches. Weak energy fluctuations leaked from its structure, as if it could fall apart at any moment. Even the sails were badly torn. If not for the fact that magic ships were powered by spirit energy, Grey doubted it would even be able to float in its current condition.

Grey cautiously steered his ship away from the incoming vessel.

Activating his Dragon Eyes, he noticed a badge on the man’s chest. Grey immediately recognized it as the insignia of Sky Mist City. However, that recognition did little to ease his wariness.

The other party also adjusted his ship’s trajectory, clearly wary of Grey as well.

While the silver-haired man’s ship was long, slender, and sleek, Grey’s own vessel resembled an immovable mountain, solid, imposing, and exuding a tyrannical aura that pressed outward with overwhelming cold energy.

The silver-haired man had been at sea for several weeks. He had been attacked multiple times, and there were moments when he truly believed death was inevitable. Only sheer perseverance had kept him alive this long.

Heaven knew he was no longer in good fighting condition.

If this stranger, who emitted such powerful cold energy, decided to attack, he would be in serious trouble.

Fortunately, Grey had no intention of fighting.

He was just as wary of the other party as the other party was of him. Even from a distance, Grey could smell the thick stench of blood and sense a heavy baleful aura clinging to the silver-haired man like a shadow.

Soon, the two ships passed each other while maintaining eye contact.

Seeing that Grey had no intention of attacking, the silver-haired man gave a short nod. Yet paired with his cold, nonchalant expression and the baleful aura surrounding him, the gesture made Grey feel as though he were watching a corpse acknowledge him.

Only after a considerable distance separated them did the silver-haired man finally let out a long sigh of relief. His silver hair fluttered freely in the wind.

"At least my hair is still as gorgeous as ever," he muttered to himself.

With that, he sped up toward Sky Mist City, briefly glancing at the retreating ship before averting his gaze.

---

Only after Grey had traveled far away did he sit down once more to cultivate.

He soon discovered that the Dead Sea was an ideal place to cultivate the Forbidden Monarch Art. The technique required vast amounts of yin energy, and a region saturated with corrosive substance and dense yin was perfect.

The Dead Sea fit those conditions perfectly.

Just a few hours after sailing deeper into the sea, Grey could clearly feel the second level of the Forbidden Monarch Art drawing closer.

---

Ange gently placed the jade slip down after finishing her conversation with Grey. After wishing him safe travels, her gaze drifted toward the small brown cauldron in front of her.

A small ball of blue flame burned steadily beneath it, and a faint medicinal fragrance filled the room. Sweat had accumulated on her forehead, and her auburn hair drooped slightly from exhaustion.

She wiped the sweat away and let out a quiet sigh before lifting the cauldron’s lid. Instantly, a rich and tantalizing scent of freshly refined pills wafted outward.

Though her expression was tired, a wry smile appeared on her lips as she looked into the cauldron.

After the Sky Mist exams, she had been assigned to the Resource Department, a placement that suited her perfectly. While she couldn’t be considered a frontline fighter, she could still hold her own unless she encountered someone who completely suppressed her with brute strength.

Within the Qi Accumulation Realm, she was more than capable.

After just a few days, her cultivation rose once again, reaching the eighth level of Qi Accumulation. Only weeks ago, she had barely broken through to the seventh level. Her speed of advancement was astonishing.

But it still wasn’t enough.

"And I’m still not as strong as him..." she muttered inwardly.

After Luo suddenly left, she had felt lost. Her parents had died during a scavenger attack. Luo had found her wounded and on the verge of death and taken her in.

After staying with her for several days, Luo discovered her talent in the Dao of Medicine. Even Luo, who could be said to be an expert, had been impressed. Eventually, Luo handed over all matters related to pill refinement to her.

That was when her true talent fully blossomed.

Despite her parents’ tragic deaths, Ange had always remained optimistic and lively. Even after meeting Grey, who was often nonchalant and seemingly detached from the world, she maintained that optimism.

But the battle with the Shadow Sect shattered her illusions.

She finally saw the world for what it truly was, a place where danger lurked everywhere, like deranged beasts waiting to devour the weak. Only then did she truly understand Grey’s paranoia. Why he was always cautious. Why he never let his guard down.

Life after the descent of God was not safe.

Simply surviving until the next day was already an achievement.

Even in the Resource Department, she had been forced to kill far more than she ever expected. And yet, the sense of insecurity only continued to grow.

---

As his magic ship continued along its course, Grey remained seated in cultivation. His breathing was calm, like a tranquil lake. Each inhale was deep and steady, followed by a chilling exhale that frosted the surrounding air.

Bathed in abundant yin energy, Grey soon broke through to the second level of the Forbidden Monarch Art.

His body had long since adapted to the chilling energy. Two energies now coexisted within him, cold yin energy and spirit energy. His bone density increased silently, and his pores opened, releasing a foul-smelling fog of impurities.

Grey had already experienced this during his Sky Mist Art breakthroughs, when black sludge would seep from his body. This time, he remained calm and used the opportunity to further cleanse himself.

Since his body no longer contained large amounts of corrosive substance, the cleansing process was much shorter than before.

Strangely, the purple lines that had once appeared on his body did not manifest this time.

This left Grey deep in thought.

He suspected those purple lines originated from the purple crystal. Perhaps they appeared due to the fusion of the two crystals back then.

Aside from his recovery abilities reaching new heights, he felt no immediate changes. Yet deep down, he sensed that more awaited him, both within the purple crystal and within himself.

Grey was certain that once he broke through to Foundation Establishment, he would gain a clearer understanding of the purple crystal, its true purpose and the changes it had made to his body.

---

If there are any broken sentences, out of place words or incorrect grammar or spellings, please leave a comment below so that it can be corrected. Like it ? Add to library! End of Volume one!

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