Lord of the Earth

"boom--!"

The azure sea was torn open by a violent force, creating two massive chasms that stretched for hundreds of miles. What rose into the sky were not waves, but two powerful sword energies that had been condensed to the extreme and seemed capable of severing the void!
One of them was tall, wearing a black top hat adorned with white fur, a small cross-shaped knife hanging from his chest, and sporting a short beard. His eyes were sharp as a hawk's.

What he held in his hand was no ordinary sword.

Instead, it was a massive, divine-level black sword with an ancient design and an unusually long length—"Night"!
This person is none other than Dracule Mihawk, known as the "Greatest Swordsman" on this "Grand Line," nicknamed "Hawkeye."

"What a sharp sword aura! No wonder this Hawkeye dares to travel alone and calls himself the 'Peerless Swordsman'... His cultivation has reached the peak of the top-level gods, especially his swordsmanship, which is pure and domineering. In terms of attack power alone, he is probably no less than many beings who have just entered the top level of gods!"

On the mirage, a wise and insightful general from Qianxia exclaimed in admiration.

This pirate king, nicknamed "Hawkeye," possesses immense strength.

They are indeed top-tier on this "Grand Line," enough to make most pirate forces tremble with fear.

However, his opponent today is no ordinary swordsman.

At the other end of the sword energy storm, a solitary and aloof figure stood alone, dressed in white as snow, with a cold and stern face, like ice that had never melted for ten thousand years.

He carried only a strangely shaped black-scabbarded longsword, which was none other than the "Sword God" Qianxia, ​​whom Xia Tian had summoned from the "Mysterious Inn" using the "Bronze Gate"—

Ximen Chuixue!

The duel between the two was devoid of lengthy probing, flashy moves, or even excessive words.

When Hawkeye raised his sword intent to its peak and unleashed a black slash powerful enough to cleave the giant Western warship of the "Yanming Dynasty" in two...

Ximen Chuixue calmly thrust out his sword. This thrust was so fast that it was beyond the reach of sight, like a cold moonlight or a lonely sigh.

It disregarded the distance in space, pierced through the vast black sword energy, and struck the tip of "Night's" blade with unparalleled precision.

"Ding--!"

After a crisp yet soul-stirring clang of metal, Hawkeye's invincible sword energy suddenly dissipated like a punctured balloon!
He was struck as if by lightning, let out a muffled groan, and flew hundreds of feet backward. His right hand, which was holding the knife, was split open and bleeding profusely. His face was filled with disbelief, shock, and a hint of realization.

"Your Excellency... what a pure sword!"

Hawkeye steadied himself, looking at the black sword "Night" still trembling slightly in his hand, and spoke in a deep voice, his tone carrying both recognition of a stronger swordsmanship and a hint of melancholy.

Ximen Chuixue sheathed his sword, his expression remaining indifferent, as if he had only done a trivial matter.

"Your sword is not sincere enough."

"Since we have lost, please keep your promise and board the ship."

Summer's calm voice came from the mirage, carrying an undeniable authority.

Hawkeye remained silent for a moment, then sheathed his black sword, nodded silently, and in a flash, landed on the deck of the Mirage, where Qianxia soldiers came forward to guide him.

Meanwhile, a thousand miles away, on another stretch of sea...

The eccentric Captain Jack Sparrow, sporting smoky makeup, is standing on a dilapidated ghost ship—the Black Pearl—that exudes a strong aura of the dead.

This ship can switch between reality and illusion, and even dive into a Styx-like dimension at crucial moments, making it extremely difficult to detect.

However, this time he encountered Gan Ning, who had just obtained the core inheritance of "Tianhe Navy - Curtain-Rolling General"!

This former "Jinfan Bandit" is now the "Grand Army Commander" of Qianxia, ​​and his cultivation has reached the "top" level!
Most importantly, the inheritance he received in the "Heavenly Ruins" was not that of an ordinary heavenly general.

Rather, it is the mark of the Daoist lineage left by the important divine general who once rolled up the curtain for the Jade Emperor and guarded the Lingxiao Palace—the "Curtain-Rolling General"!

Although it is unclear whether this "General Curtain-Rolling" is directly related to the legendary Sha Wujing, as a divine general who once held part of the power of the Heavenly River Navy, the power of his legacy in naval battles is terrifying.

Gan Ning stood atop his own companion artifact, the "Jinfan Boat," his figure traversing space amidst the waves, appearing and disappearing as he went, regardless of how Captain Jack manipulated the "Black Pearl" to navigate between reality and illusion, employing all sorts of unbelievable voodoo artifacts and tricks.

In the end, none of them could escape, and Gan Ning forced them to stop, boat and all.

"Heh heh, this general has impressive skills... How about we make a deal? I'll trade you a treasure location I know for my freedom..."

At this moment, the lone "Pirate King," even after being captured, still winked and tried to bargain. Gan Ning simply snorted and threw him onto the deck in front of Xia Tian. "Your Majesty, I have fulfilled my mission!"
Wow, another new person has arrived!

A boy in a straw hat was devouring a chicken leg prepared by Huang Rong herself, staring wide-eyed at Captain Jack Sparrow.

Hawkeye and Jack are undoubtedly both pirate kings with "top potential"!
However, the most well-known and troublesome group captured by Qian Xia these days is the "Straw Hat Pirates," which was personally suppressed by Qi Jiguang.

This team has amazing potential.

Captain Monkey D. Luffy, swordsman Roronoa Zoro, navigator Nami, sniper Usopp, cook Sanji, ship's doctor Tony Tony Chopper, archaeologist Nico Robin, shipwright Franky, musician Brook...

Almost every core member possesses the potential to become a god, with several already reaching the pinnacle level of a top-tier god!
Its overall strength, in a sense.

They were no less formidable than the main force of Zheng Zhilong's pirate gang, which he had cultivated for many years.

Unfortunately, faced with Qi Jiguang's "quasi-god" power and the "Divine Machine Battalion's" overwhelming combat strength, the crew of the "Straw Hat Pirate Ship," despite their valiant resistance, could not ultimately reverse the tide in the face of such an absolute disparity in strength.

They were all subdued by Qi Jiguang using his mysterious supernatural powers and taken to the mirage.

However, Xia Tian did not order the execution of these captured "pirate kings". Apart from a few heinous criminals who were executed on the spot, most of them had their cultivation restricted and were temporarily placed in an area designated on the mirage, and were even allowed to move freely within a certain range.

Of course, the entire mirage itself was filled with powerful restrictive formations, so even a supreme deity couldn't cause any trouble here. "...Mr. Qing Teng is indeed a great talent. Among the hundreds of 'pirate kings' captured these days, it would not have been so smooth without your detailed intelligence and weakness analysis. Your contribution accounts for 50% of the credit."

Walking through the corridors of the mirage in the summer, he spoke to a middle-aged scholar beside him who was dressed simply and was thin.

The scholar had a slightly hunched back and wore a somewhat loose, old cloth robe. He was unrestrained and unconventional, with a hint of melancholy and wildness in his eyes.
"Your Majesty flatters me. I was merely doing my bit and offering this as a token of my appreciation."

Mr. Qing Teng spoke in a flat tone, revealing little emotion.

"By the way, you might want to try on the 'Heavenly Robe' that I gave you before. It was made by the 'Heavenly Crafts Bureau - Weaving Department' of Qianxia, ​​based on the ancient Heavenly Court Weaver Girl's skills... Not only can it change its shape at will, but it can also remain untouched by the dust of the mortal world, saving you the trouble of washing and starching. It might be just right for an unconventional person like you."

Xia Tian smiled slightly, and then seemed to say something meaningful.

Upon hearing this, "Mr. Qing Teng" simply nodded slightly: "Thank you for your generous gift, Your Majesty."

Summer changed the subject and got to the main point.

"Mr. Qing Teng, in your opinion, how should we deal with these captured 'pirates'? Should we select the best to incorporate into our navy? Or... to eliminate them completely to prevent future troubles?"

Xu Wei paused slightly, glanced at Xia Tian, ​​and a glint of insightful wisdom flashed in his seemingly cloudy eyes, which then turned into a slightly mocking smile.

"His Majesty Xia is a great ruler with profound wisdom, and he must have already made his decision. No matter what suggestions I make, I'm afraid they will be difficult to influence His Majesty's final mind."

He paused, his tone tinged with self-deprecation and a hint of probing.

"Moreover, I myself can now be considered a pirate... Does Your Majesty intend to push me to take this decision further and completely extinguish any thought of returning to the Devil's Sea forces?"

Upon hearing this, Xia Tian laughed heartily, looking at the other person with a calm yet profound gaze.

"Sir, you are being rather petty and judging others by your own standards. In fact, the fact that you prepared such detailed portraits and intelligence on these pirates beforehand... your true intention was probably not simply to help the Zheng family. On a deeper level, you wanted to use Yan Ming to eliminate these unruly troublemakers and take the opportunity to weaken the power that the Heavenly Demon Dynasty had planted among the pirates, right? In this way, you could create a 'fight between the snipe and the clam' and break the Zheng family out of the predicament of being attacked from both inside and outside... Am I right?"

Mr. Qing Teng's pupils contracted slightly, and the cynical expression on his face softened somewhat. He neither admitted nor denied it.

Summer continued.

"To be honest, I never expected that such a brilliant and resourceful person as Mr. Qing Teng would be hidden in this chaotic and complex Devil's Sea!"

Xia Tian's gaze shifted slightly, and his quasi-god level vision had already discerned the person's dazzling character attributes.

Xu Wei (Xuanhuang)

[Level] Divine Realm Second Heaven - Peak (Top-Tier Divine Realm)
[Supernatural Powers]

【Splashing Ink to Startle Wind and Rain】: Using the mind as the brush and talent as the ink, one can manipulate the laws of heaven and earth with a single stroke. 1. **Freehand Landscape:** Instantly creates a landscape illusion, dragging enemy units into it and plunging them into a state of "confusion"; 2. **Sweeping Through the Battlefield:** Unleashes a sweeping ink streak across the battlefield, dealing massive mental damage to all enemies in its path, and has a chance to directly "erase" units far weaker than oneself!
【Madness That Makes Ghosts Cry】: Actively enters the "Madness" state. In this state: 1. Your mental power will be imbued with the power of the "Chaos" and "Corrosion" rules, and surrounding enemy units will intermittently fall into "Fear" or "Hallucination". 2. All skill effects are enhanced by one level, but after the state ends, you will fall into a long-lasting "Weakness" state.

[Talent] An extraordinary genius: Xu Wei's creation and enlightenment are not bound by common sense. When he is in a state of inspiration (creation, breaking formations, enlightenment), all his cultivation and enlightenment speeds up, and he can see through the illusions and flaws in techniques, formations, and supernatural powers, and instantly deduce several ways to break or optimize them.

【characteristic】

The essence of Xu Wei's paintings lies in his spirit and the harmony of nature. His paintings can be used as one-time magical artifacts: landscape paintings can temporarily alter local terrain; figure paintings can summon shadow clones; flower-and-bird paintings can release healing or buff effects…

Divine Swordsmanship: Xu Wei was also a peerless swordsman, whose swordsmanship was greatly enhanced, and whose sword energy contained his wild and unrestrained will, capable of tearing apart the soul.

Shogunate Strategist: When serving as a strategist or advisor, they can provide outstanding tactical advice, especially excelling in surprise attacks, feints, and psychological tactics, greatly increasing the success rate of their faction's strategies and the unpredictability of the battlefield.

Scholarly Spirit: Possesses extremely high resistance to mental control, charm, and intimidation-type supernatural powers. When facing the powerful or injustice, their will to resist will be transformed into a temporary combat power bonus.

[Skills] "The Complete Works of Xu Wenchang", "Qing Teng Painting Manual", "Narrative Records of Southern Lyrics", Qing Teng Swordplay...

[Description] He is a "freak" sculpted by the combined genius of heaven and earth and the sorrow and indignation of the world. His art can communicate with spirits, his strategies can aid on the battlefield, and his swordsmanship can reach the realm of the supernatural. However, such extraordinary talent is difficult to tolerate in the mundane world; extreme madness and clear-headedness intertwine in his soul, making him a contradictory complex embodying creation and destruction. To have him serve is like having a double-edged divine weapon…

These attributes surpass even those of Zheng Chenggong, making him a top-tier "prodigy" template.

Even for the current Qianxia, ​​Xu Wei is definitely a top talent worth recruiting with all its might.

"What incredible luck Zheng Zhilong has! Besides his own prodigy Zheng Chenggong, he also manages to gain the loyalty of a genius like Xu Wei?!"

"I never expected to encounter two such outstanding individuals on this trip; it was truly a pleasant surprise..."

A look of satisfaction appeared on Xia Tian's face.

Xu Wei may not be well-known to some people, and may not even be as famous as Xu Shu under Liu Bei.

But to those in the know, his talent is nothing short of astonishing.

Xu Wei, also known as Xu Wenchang, was a peerless figure who, along with Xie Jin and Yang Shen, was known as one of the "Three Talented Scholars of the Ming Dynasty"!

He was exceptionally talented, excelling in both calligraphy and painting, and proficient in poetry, prose, and opera. He also had substantial military achievements and planning, making him an extremely rare all-rounder. His initial evaluation was very likely to have reached the "Jade White" level!
It is truly regrettable that such a person would end up in the ranks of pirates.

Of course, judging from the strength Zheng Zhilong has shown so far, his strength is already comparable to a powerful "dynasty of destiny", so it is not surprising that he can attract talents.

But in Xia Tian's eyes, whether it was Zheng Chenggong's talent for command or Xu Wei's strategic and artistic abilities, placing them under Zheng Zhilong as pirate strategists would be a waste of their talents.

Both of these individuals are top talents qualified to assist the "Imperial Dynasty" or even higher-level forces!

It rightfully belongs to Qianxia! (End of Chapter)