Infinite Puzzle City

Chapter 903 Ship Town
A giant fish emerged from the sea of ​​clouds; its head alone was more than a third the size of the treasure ship.

The fish's body was covered in deep purple scales, with dazzling silver-white arcs of electricity leaping between the gaps.

Xiao Ran and the others were speechless with shock as they watched the enormous creature emerge from the sea of ​​clouds and swallow the lightning ball whole.

But after a brief moment of shock, Wu Man's excited scream rang out: "A big fish!! Catch it! This is top-quality food, catch it now!!"

"Hurry, hurry, this looks delicious! Don't let it get away!" Jin Chanzi stood up and urged.

Everyone looked at the large fish in front of them. Although they didn't know what kind of fish it was, they could guess with their toes that it was no ordinary fish.

The giant fish appeared only briefly, swallowing the lightning ball before plunging into the sea of ​​clouds without looking back. By the time everyone came to their senses, the fish had vanished.

"Don't worry!"

Xiao Ran gestured to everyone not to rush. As a fishing master, Xiao Ran knew that losing a fish was not terrible. As long as there was a bite, it meant that there was definitely more than one big fish here.

He carefully recalled the events surrounding the appearance of the large fish.

It is assumed that this fish feeds on lightning. Ordinary scattered lightning will not work. It must concentrate the surrounding lightning together, just like before. The higher and stronger the lightning density, the better the effect.

To prove his conjecture, Xiao Ran covered the staff with his own spiritual power and swung it forcefully.

With Xiao Ran's immense mental power, the [Destiny Stitching] on the Zen staff attracted all the lightning within a radius of several thousand meters with a wave of its hand.

The dense clusters of lightning converged, their terrifying power causing even Lu Da to feel a chill run down his spine. He opened his mouth, wanting to warn Xiao Ran that the density of the lightning was far too high.

Even when using the opponent's force against them, the wisps of lightning that traveled along the staff immediately caused Xiao Ran to feel a tearing pain all over her body.

But Xiao Ran remained calm. He activated the [Dragon Soft Armor - Paper Craftsman] to protect his body. The scales opened and closed, absorbing all the incoming lightning.

With a forceful throw, the gathered lightning bolts converged on the other end of the fishing line as the fishing rod was swung.

"Boom!!"

Before everyone's eyes, everything was black and white. Lightning coalesced into a dazzling bait, like a small sun. As Xiao Ran threw it out, it drew a brilliant parabola in the void in front of them.

"Hu~~"

The sea of ​​clouds churned, and even the treasure ship seemed to be violently heaving as if it were on the sea. Ahead, the sea of ​​clouds suddenly sank into a vortex, and a huge mouth like an abyss swallowed the lightning bait in one gulp.

"rise!"

The unique feel of the fishing master immediately gave Xiao Ran a sense of it. He suddenly opened his eyes wide in anger and let out a suppressed roar. The muscles on his arms bulged like dragons, and the veins under his skin stood out. The powerful Buddhist energy mixed with his own brute force that broke through the limits exploded out.

"Click!!"

The deck beneath their feet immediately creaked under the strain, and the ship tilted violently under the violent pulling force.

However, on the other end of the line, the sea of ​​clouds seemed to be moving, as if Xiao Ran was not pulling a fish, but a mountain that had sunk into the sea of ​​clouds.

The "stitch of fate" wrapped around the tip of the staff was taut and emitted a high-frequency hum. It was only because the "stitch of fate" was extremely resilient that it could not withstand such a pulling force.

"come out!!"

Xiao Ran roared, widened his legs, and pulled back with all his might, bending even his staff.

Lu Da watched with heartache, but when Xiao Ran fished the fish's head out of the sea of ​​clouds and slowly lifted it out, Lu Da couldn't care less about anything else.

He cursed under his breath: "You beast, get out here now!"

Having said that, Lu Da leaped up, stepping on the stitches and rushing straight towards the big fish. His fan-like hand slammed down on the fish's head, and a powerful and unparalleled Buddhist light gathered in his palm into a golden swastika, which exploded on the fish's head.

"Roar!!!"

A piercing, inhuman roar, a sound so intense it seemed neither human nor beast, exploded from the depths of the sea of ​​clouds. The sound waves, mixed with tangible purple lightning, caused the entire treasure ship to shake violently.
The enormous creature, severely injured, went completely mad. Its massive body twisted and struggled wildly in the thunderclouds. Seeing this, Lu Da simply rode on the fish's head and used his fists like sledgehammers to smash and beat the fish's head repeatedly.

"Bang bang bang bang!!"

The iron fist, bigger than a clay pot, hammered out blinding bolts of lightning onto the head of the giant fish.

This is because Lu Da's physical body is invincible; even when lightning struck his body, it only left a shallow mark. Xiao Ran probably couldn't have done it with such ferocity.

After a flurry of punches, the giant fish finally stopped struggling. Its massive, mountain-like body began to slow down, and its once fierce fish eyes lost their original luster.

Seeing this, Xiao Ran turned around with his back to the big fish, gripped the Zen staff with both hands, and swung it forward with all his might.

"call!!"

A gust of oppressive wind howled, and the struggling giant fish was flung directly from the sea of ​​clouds over the top of the ship by Xiao Ran.

"Wu Man, it's up to you!" Xiao Ran called out to Wu Man.

Wu Man looked at the giant fish above her head, which resembled a small mountain, and a strange light appeared in her eyes. She activated her B-level Inspiration Chef skill and instantly discerned the many treasures on the giant fish.

"knife!!"

He called out to Xiao Ran, and then leaped up.

Xiao Ran flicked her wrist, and [Dragon Abyss] slipped from her hand, only to be caught by Wu Man.

This was the first time Wu Man had held the Longyuan sword.

He knew Xiao Ran's knife was amazing, but when he actually held it in his hand, he couldn't help but mutter to himself, "Awesome!"

【Longyuan·Inspiration Chef】

As the runes flowed into Dragon Abyss, a layer of pale blue light appeared on the greatsword.

Privilege 1: Divine Interpretation

A judgment is made on the target; if it is determined to be food, a divine release will be activated.

During the Divine Release period, the target is unable to move, use abilities, or has their defenses reset to zero.

Privilege 2: Spirit Ascension

Once activated by Divine Interpretation, the quality of the dissected ingredients will be further enhanced.

As expected of an A-grade cursed object, it possesses the power to influence the rules.

Wu Man's eyes flashed with a strange light. With each swing of her sword, she was like a tornado, a blur of motion that flashed from the fish's head to its tail.

In just a moment, the huge fish, as big as a small mountain, was cut into countless pieces like a skilled butcher carving up an ox.

Fish scales, fish meat, fish bones, fish belly—every inch of it is perfectly separated.

With a wave of his hand, Wu Man summoned the [True Flavor Cauldron] and put all the ingredients into it, leaving only a fish bone and a complete fish scale on the treasure ship.

"Good knife!"

Wu Man landed gracefully, holding the [Dragon Abyss] in her hands with an expression of great affection: "What a fine blade, truly a divine weapon."

After gently stroking it for a while, Wu Man took a deep breath and handed the knife back to Xiao Ran.

"I'd better not touch this knife again, or I'm afraid I'll develop inner demons."

As the saying goes, a fine sword is a hero's gift, and who wouldn't want a divine weapon? Especially for a chef like Wu Man, a top-quality sword enhances more than just his fighting ability.

Xiao Ran took the knife without a care and said with a smile, "Don't worry, there will be bread and milk. There will always be a chance to find you a good knife in the future."

As he spoke, Lu Da had already jumped back onto the boat.

He wasn't curious about Xiao Ran's precious sword. The first thing he did upon returning to the deck was to ask Wu Man, "When is dinner? I'm starving."

Wu Man rolled her eyes at him, then turned around and said, "Go cook now."

With top-quality ingredients, how could a chef not be able to create an exquisite dish?

While Wu Man was cooking, Xiao Ran picked up the fish scales and the fish bone.

Wu Man did not include these two items in the Zhenwei Ding because these two items are extraordinary in themselves.

Fish scales are a Class C cursed item.

Its strength is naturally not as good as the dragon scales on Xiao Ran's [Dragon Armor]. Even Kulu Da's iron fist couldn't break it, which shows that its strength is extremely high.

As for the fish bone, it was even more extraordinary.

This fishbone is as thick as a baby's fist, straight as a stick, with spiral patterns on its surface, and is a full two meters long.

The golden toad took a look and exclaimed in amazement.

"This fish bone is the essence nurtured within the body of this giant fish, containing the power of lightning. If it were forged into a weapon, its power would be no less than that of your sword."

Xiao Ran took a look and saw that this thing was a B-grade cursed object. Although it was just a base material, it could generate flashes of lightning with a gentle wave.

As Jin Chanzi said, this is an excellent material.

However, neither Xiao Ran nor Wu Man are weapon refiners; Lu Da's profession is a spellbreaker (Horizontal Training Sequence B).
So all we can do is stare blankly; it won't be of much use in the short term.

However, Xiao Ran felt that this thing was extremely tough, and its weight and feel were far better than Lu Da's staff.

So after discussing it with Lu Da, the fish scales went to Lu Da, while Xiao Ran used the fish bone to replace the staff as a fishing rod.

Lu Da was naturally extremely pleased with this.

Xiao Ran had just bent his staff while fishing, which made him very distressed. Now that there was a substitute, he could finally retrieve his staff.

While Wu Man was cooking, Xiao Ran tried fishing a few more times. The feel of the fishing rod was indeed better than that of the Zen staff. However, he didn't know if there was only one big fish here, or if the commotion earlier was too great. Xiao Ran didn't see another big fish until the treasure ship sailed away from Leiming Cliff, which made him feel very regretful.

After leaving Thunder Cliff, Jin Chanzi turned the golden disc, and just like last time, golden light shone on the stars in the nine heavens, followed by a treasure chest rising from the altar.

Leaving aside Wu Man, who had already obtained the treasure chest, Xiao Ran, Jin Chanzi, and Lu Da drew lots. This time, Jin Chanzi was lucky and drew a note with a mark.

Like the previous treasure chests, the items can be customized, but the corresponding constellations and additional attributes will differ.

The corresponding constellation this time is Di.

So Jin Chanzi made a whisk.

This special cursed object can be used even by someone who is not a beginner.

Soon, Wu Man's whole fish feast was ready.

Pan-fried fish fillets, fish head with chopped chili peppers, fish ball soup, braised fish meat... a total of twelve dishes, plus eight cold dishes. In this kind of place, such a meal is simply a luxury.

This made Xiao Ran realize how right she had been to bring Wu Man by her side.

One bite and it's crispy and melts in your mouth, delicate as cotton – it's simply irresistible.

When they had almost finished eating, everyone suddenly felt the treasure ship sinking.

Moreover, the speed seemed quite fast. Seeing this, everyone walked to the edge of the deck and saw that the mountains on both sides were as sharp as knives and axes, and the treasure ship was slowly going down the mountain walls.

Upon seeing this, Jin Chanzi quickly took out a star map, carefully compared it, and said, "There seems to be a ship town ahead. The treasure ship will stop there for a day."

"Boat Town?"

"Yes, it's probably a shipping office. I reckon the treasure ship is here to refuel. Everyone be careful and try not to disembark."

There must be quite a few treasure ships, but if someone steals them secretly, they will be in a passive position.

While talking,
The canyon ahead suddenly opened up!
Suddenly, the two steep, sheer ice cliffs receded to either side.

In the center of the canyon, there is not solid ground, but a surging, eerily solidified, grayish-white sea of ​​mist, like a giant nebula.

The so-called boat town is suspended above this gray-white sea of ​​mist.

Upon closer inspection, everyone discovered that the town was actually a floating landmass pieced together from countless treasure ships.

Treasure ships of various shapes and sizes surrounded the town, connected to it by a single cable.

While this scene isn't exactly a rare or unusual sight, it's still quite eye-catching.

Just then, a small boat approached from the other side.

The small boat was not large, only about two or three meters long, and it seemed to be able to float in mid-air, just like the treasure ship.

The density of the white fog in the air here is much higher than that of the outside air, so the small boat can be propelled by the oars.

On the small boat were several children, the oldest being eleven or twelve years old, and the youngest looking no more than five or six.

After the children approached the treasure ship, they called out to Xiao Ran and the others, "Do you need a ferry? It's very cheap, and we can help you find the most suitable spot."

Xiao Ran looked the children up and down, and was quite surprised to see their tender little faces flushed red in the cold wind, and that most of them were wearing only a thin animal skin.

Xiao Ran and his colleagues knew best just how low the temperature was inside Changbai Mountain.

Let alone ordinary people, even beginners with weaker abilities would likely freeze to death outside in such a place once they lose the protection of the treasure ship.

But these children were only wearing animal skins, with many parts of their skin exposed to the air.

Upon seeing this, Xiao Ran immediately became interested.

"Okay, help us find a good place, and you'll get your money back in full."

Upon hearing Xiao Ran's agreement, the children's faces lit up with joy. The older boy, like a monkey, quickly climbed onto Xiao Ran's treasure boat, tied the rope around his waist to the bow, and the remaining children waved their oars, slowly pulling the treasure boat towards the town.

"Gentlemen, this is a supply map of our town. If you need food or fresh fruit, you can purchase them from the shops marked on the map. We also have many local specialties that you can't find anywhere else but at the shops marked on this map. Would you like some?"

The child took out a piece of animal skin from his pocket and enthusiastically tried to sell it to Xiao Ran and the others.

"Haha, good, good, child, let me see the picture in your hand."

The golden toad waved to the child with a smile.

When the child came over, Jin Chanzi took the picture and handed it to Wu Man, who was standing next to him. At the same time, he grabbed the child's arm and asked, "Are you all from this town?"

"Yes, my name is Situ Sheng, and I've been here since I was a child."

As the boy spoke, he tried to remove his hand from the golden toad's. He felt uncomfortable with the little Taoist priest pinching and squeezing him.

"Oh, I see. It seems you're quite skilled in boxing."

"I ask with a smile," Jin Chanzi asked.

"Um!!"

Situ Sheng was taken aback upon hearing this, and looked at Jin Chanzi with suspicion: "How do you know I am skilled in boxing?"

Jin Chanzi pointed at Situ Sheng's arm: "You're not very old, but the muscles in your arms are astonishing. And look at the calluses on your small hands. How do you explain your lack of skill in boxing?"

Upon hearing this, Situ Sheng looked down at his fist and suddenly realized what was going on.

But then she snorted, "My dad said my boxing skills are still lacking. Once I've mastered them, I'll definitely go down the mountain and see the world."

"Who is your father?" Lu Da asked from the side.

"My father's name is Situ Xuankong, and he is the most powerful person in town."

When Situ Sheng spoke of his father, a proud look appeared on his face, as if no one in the world was more capable than his father.

“Situ Xuankong…”

Jin Chanzi muttered a few names to himself and nodded: "I see. Here's the money for you, and the map is mine."

As he spoke, Jin Chanzi took out some ghost money and handed it to Situ Sheng.

Upon seeing this, Situ Sheng grinned and happily pocketed the money.

After the little guy left, Jin Chanzi couldn't help but sigh and say, "This place is truly a geomantically auspicious place."

"What do you mean?" Xiao Ran and Wu Man looked at Jin Chanzi.

"This child has excellent aptitude. At such a young age, his boxing skills have already reached the level of a grandmaster. If he comes of age, he will probably already be a top-notch expert."

"A grandmaster of boxing?" Wu Man felt that Jin Chanzi was exaggerating. What kind of concept is it for someone to have entered the grandmaster of boxing at such a young age?
I don't know about other things, but Wu Man remembers that it took her three years to reach the level of a master in knife skills. It was only after years of accumulation and perseverance that she finally achieved this. This kid is so young and his fist skills have already reached the level of a master, which Wu Man finds unbelievable and hard to believe.

“He’s right. This child is indeed a master of boxing, and may even be a top-notch expert in lightness skills.” But at this moment, Xiao Ran, who was standing to the side, affirmed Jin Chanzi’s statement.

Xiao Ran knew Wu Man wouldn't believe it, so she laughed and said, "There's nothing surprising about it. Qi Jinguang's master, Master Zhang, was just a young Taoist boy when he came down the mountain. He killed the Japanese swordsman with a soft sword. Master Zhang was about the same age as these kids back then."

"hiss!!"

Wu Man gasped, her expression complex.

At this moment, Jin Chanzi continued, "Do you know who his father is?"

"Who?" Wu Man asked, remembering the child introducing himself earlier. "Oh, right, his name is Situ Xuankong."

"The founder of Emei Tongbei Quan, the number one martial artist recorded in martial arts books, this kid is his son."

Wu Man had no idea who this person was, but Lu Da, standing nearby, remembered. He touched his bald head with one hand, looked back at the children pulling the boat below, and sighed:
"Oh my, so it's his son. No wonder he's so intelligent."

Look, even a brute like Lu Da has become kind and gentle, which shows how formidable this Situ Xuankong is.

The small boat towed the treasure ship and slowly drifted into the boat town. The children specially helped Xiao Ran and the others find a sheltered spot from the wind.

"Gentlemen, this place is sheltered from the wind, so there won't be any falling rocks. You can rest assured."

After the children finished speaking, they happily rowed away in their small boat.

After the little ones left, Xiao Ran took the animal hide, opened it, and saw a crooked map drawn with charcoal. She couldn't help but chuckle.

This town may look small, but it is actually quite large.

Because it was constructed using various treasure ships stacked together, it was five or six stories high.

"How about we go down and take a look?"

Xiao Ran became interested and decided to disembark and take a walk. As for the treasure ship...

Xiao Ran slapped the Yin Soldier Gourd and threw out Six Eyes, Green Skeleton, Wu Dang, Butcher, Sanli, and all of them in one go.

Let them be in charge of guarding the town. If there's any trouble in such a small town, Xiao Ran and the others can get back in no time.

"Well, in that case, let's go for a walk."

Jin Chanzi was also very interested in this place. He thought it would be full of tension, but it turned out to be much calmer than he had imagined.

After disembarking, the group followed the mooring ropes directly into the boat town.

The town is indeed small, the kind you can see from east to west at a glance, but there are quite a few people in it.

Men and women were busy with their own things on the street, and several naked children were running around, which was not much different from the countryside in reality.

However, the temperature here is much lower than on the treasure ship.

Suddenly, Wu Man stopped and sniffed, "Huh?!" He turned to look at a house on his left.

It was as if he had been frozen in place by a spell.

Seeing this, Xiao Ran and the others asked, "What's wrong?"

Wu Man gestured for Xiao Ran to be quiet. He sniffed carefully for a while, then said to Xiao Ran, "You guys go and have a look around first. Don't worry about me. It looks like someone is cooking over here. I'll go... take a look."

As Wu Man spoke, she took steps toward that direction.

Wu Man's cooking skills are undeniable, especially considering he's a B-level professional. Yet, the mere aroma of cooking was enough to captivate him like this, demonstrating that the other party's culinary skills are likely extraordinary.

In this kind of place, Xiao Ran wasn't worried that Wu Man would dare to do anything outrageous. Seeing this, she simply ignored him and continued walking into the town with Jin Chanzi and Lu Da.

However, the three of them did not walk for long before they discovered that everyone in the town, from the old man sitting by the roadside to the six or seven-year-old child, was extraordinary.

"Wait a minute, you guys go first, I'll go take a look over there." At this moment, Jin Chanzi suddenly noticed the Bagua talisman hanging on the door beam. His eyes lit up, and he knew that this must be a senior member of the Taoist sect. So after parting ways with Xiao Ran, he went to visit them alone.

After walking a few more steps, Lu Da saw a blacksmith shop. Thinking of the fish scales he had obtained, he went into the blacksmith shop to take the opportunity to have a good set of armor made.

As she walked, Xiao Ran found herself all alone.

"Out-of-towner, would you like to try our family's wine?"

Xiao Ran wandered aimlessly into a tavern. An old man who was brewing liquor glanced at him and asked with a smile.

"Okay."

With nowhere else to go, Xiao Ran simply walked into the tavern. As soon as she looked up, she saw a large black iron block sitting inside.

This iron block is half a meter tall and as thick as a water vat.

There are many handprints of varying depths on it.

"Old man, what does this mean?"

Xiao Ran pointed to the iron block and asked.

The old man smiled and poured Xiao Ran a cup of hot wine, saying, "Talented people emerge in every generation, each leading the way for hundreds of years. Countless experts have come to my tavern to drink, but few can leave a mark on this piece of star iron. Young man, would you like to give it a try? If you can leave a mark, you can pick any item from my shelf."

After speaking, the old man pointed to the shelves behind him, which contained all sorts of things: weapons, martial arts manuals, boxing manuals, and countless other miscellaneous items. Although they appeared cluttered, they were all treasures.

(End of this chapter)