: The Drug

Ning Rongrong stood by the window of the room, looking down at the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School disciples who were eager to fight and full of vigor. Her delicate eyebrows were slightly furrowed, but there was a hint of helplessness in her eyes.

She knew better than anyone else that it was simply a pipe dream for these disciples, whom her father had placed high hopes on and who were known as the most outstanding disciples in the sect, to think they could get their hands on the Sea God's inheritance.

In her view, this was a waste of time and energy.

Those memories made her understand better than anyone how cruel and rigorous the path to godhood truly was.

Most of the disciples below her were inferior to her in terms of innate soul power, and in terms of temperament and perseverance, they had never suffered any hardship in their years of pampered life.

Even if they were to participate in the Sea God's assessment, they would only be a bunch of filler; they might not even be able to meet the threshold of the assessment.

She understood the reasoning and explained the pros and cons.

But this is a divine exam!

One can ascend to heaven in one step, transcending the mundane world, and live as long as the heavens.

Such a huge temptation would be impossible for any sect leader, let alone Ning Fengzhi, who was determined to lead the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School to the top.

No matter how clearly and thoroughly Ning Rongrong explained things, she couldn't extinguish Ning Fengzhi's ambition.

Ning Fengzhi stubbornly wanted to take a gamble, betting on a supreme future where his sect would ascend to immortality.

To increase their chances of winning, Ning Fengzhi even secretly mobilized all the sect's hidden forces to search everywhere for the legendary Killing City.

Even the usually composed Sword Douluo Chen Xin was tempted after learning about the City of Slaughter and the Divine Trial, and had the idea of ​​personally venturing into it.

Ning Rongrong saw this and could only gently remind him, "Grandpa Sword, most of the divine trials have strict age limits. Even if you successfully pass through the City of Slaughter, you may not be able to obtain the divine inheritance."

Although Chen Xin had a premonition, a trace of disappointment inevitably flashed in his eyes. However, the pride and persistence that belonged to the top experts were not extinguished because of this. On the contrary, they burned even more fiercely.

Even knowing the chances were slim, he was unwilling to give up and still wanted to try it himself.

···············

Ning Rongrong silently withdrew her gaze and looked down at the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School disciples who were blinded by their dreams of the future. Involuntarily, the image of her father Ning Fengzhi's excited, ambitious, and expectant face when she left the sect came to mind.

A sharp headache suddenly struck.

She gently pressed her temples, her heart filled with mixed emotions.

At this moment, she could no longer tell whether it was right or wrong to tell her father all those memories.

··················

Three days later, before the morning mist had completely dissipated, the fleet of ships anchored in the harbor slowly set sail amidst the long, drawn-out horns.

The sound of waves breaking gradually rose, and the sea breeze, carrying a salty and fishy smell, rushed towards them. Fang Yuan was on one of the large ships, sailing into the vast sea with the fleet.

The crew members on the ship each had their own duties: a captain in charge of overall ship management, a cook in charge of meals, and busy sailors. In addition, there was a manager from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School and seven core disciples carefully selected by the school.

The seven disciples were all under thirty years old, dressed in exquisite and noble clothes, and their demeanor was completely different from that of ordinary sailors.

His cultivation level has reached at least the Soul Venerable level, which is enough to make him a key junior being cultivated by the sect.

They rarely appeared on deck, spending most of their time resting in their luxurious cabins on the inner side of the ship, and were unwilling to have much contact with the lower-ranking crew.

The manager was around fifty years old, with a calm face and a smooth manner. He was responsible for communicating and coordinating all the trivial matters related to the crew and the route on the ship.

Fang Yuan was slender and looked particularly thin compared to the robust sailors on the ship who were exposed to the wind and sun all year round.

The captain, with a hint of disdain in his tone, casually tossed the deck cleaning job to him.

Fang Yuan didn't say much, just nodded in agreement and turned to leave.

But just as his figure disappeared around the corner, the captain and several trusted crew members exchanged a meaningful glance, a sinister look flashing across their faces.

·············

Late at night, the waves rhythmically lapped against the hull of the ship. Most of the cabins were already asleep, with only a few snores mingling with the sound of the waves.

Outside the cabin door, a group of dark figures silently gathered—the captain, the first mate, the head cook, and several of the most ruthless sailors.

"I slipped a potent sleeping pill into this kid's food for dinner. He's sleeping like a log right now, not making a sound." The head chef lowered his voice, his tone carrying a hint of self-satisfaction. He also served as the first mate and wielded considerable influence on the ship.

The captain nodded slightly, a look of satisfaction on his face: "Well done."

A young sailor nearby, quick to anger, muttered under his breath, "Captain, with so many of us, do we really need to be so careful and even drug a delicate brat? Why not just attack directly?"

The captain immediately glared at him, his voice turning colder: "What do you know? There are people from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School living on this ship. This kid may look insignificant, but he dared to sneak onto the ship alone. Who knows what kind of background he might have? If we make a scene and attract those sect disciples, he might take the opportunity to reveal his identity and establish connections. Then we'll be finished."

"How is that possible?" the sailor persisted. "He looks like just an ordinary young master with a little money. How could he possibly be connected to a top sect like the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School? If he really had connections, why would he need to sneak onto the ship like this?"

"Better safe than sorry," the captain said in a deep voice. "How many times have boats capsized in the gutter? It's better to avoid trouble and resolve things quietly; that's the safest approach."

Without another word, the group tiptoed open the hatch, and a group of dark figures rushed in.

The captain, seeing the figure rising on the bed, thrust out his short blade without a word, his attack swift and ruthless, aiming to kill with a single blow.

But the moment the blade touched the bedding, his expression changed drastically—

The texture is wrong!

That's not a human body at all!

"Oh no! Something's fishy!"

The exclamation had barely left his lips when a series of muffled thuds of people collapsing to the ground echoed behind him.

puff-

Dozens of strands of blue-gold and jet-black Blue Silver Grass suddenly burst forth from his body.

The highest level among these crew members was Soul Master, none of them even had a Soul King. They were powerless to resist the Dark Blue Silver Emperor that Fang Yuan had deliberately activated.

The Blue Silver Grass took root in their bodies, frantically draining their soul power, blood energy, and life force. In just a short moment, the once vibrant people were drained dry and withered, completely losing their breath, becoming nourishment for this strange Blue Silver Grass.

The cabin fell silent again, leaving only a few withered bodies and wildly growing, eerie and beautiful blue-gold silver grass.

"You bastard, I'm going to chop you up and feed you to the fish!"

Seeing his companion die, the captain roared in anger. As a Soul King, his physical body could still withstand the parasitism of the Dark Blue Silver Emperor.

Five spirit rings lit up, and it rushed towards Fang Yuan, and then...