Cursed Mountains and Seas

Chapter 47 Breakthrough! Pure Yang Life Flame!
Wang Cheng followed the arrogant sea bream that had become arrogant and domineering, swimming deeper into the ocean, to a place unlit by the "Shadowless Reflection."

Sure enough, we saw a seaweed field that had been carefully tended.

There were also at least four or five large and small monkey brain sea urchins, which were feasting on the thick seaweed leaves. You could even hear the constant "crunching" chewing sounds through the seawater.

The seafood is incredibly delicious, and its appetite is naturally enormous; they are all gluttons.

Sea urchins prefer shade and dislike light. Perhaps because it was too bright near the shipwreck, the group of monkey-brained sea urchins were frightened and fled, and most of them moved here and began to wreak havoc on this sea bream's vegetable patch.

Wang Cheng also found the unique traces they left as they moved on the seabed.

After looking around and using the "Four Seas Treasure" aura observation method, it was determined that there should be more than one or two "seaweed buffet restaurants" supplying these 100,000 sea delicacies, and the number of victims was far more than one.

If we search this area carefully, there is a high probability that we will find other seaweed beds and monkey brain sea urchin colonies, and it may even be possible to achieve sustainable harvesting.

"At first I thought I could only find a golden egg, but I never expected there was a golden rooster hidden here. I'm really rich now!"

The underwater environment is far more complex than the surface environment, and the ability to observe the aura is greatly affected. Corals, clams, hawksbill turtles, and other rare sea fish all have auspicious light, so it is impossible to specifically target monkey brains and sea urchins.

Now that the damselfish is leading the way, everything is fine.

Snapped!
While Wang Cheng was still lost in thought, the damselfish swung its tail and smacked him on the back, then pointed with its fin at the nearest sea urchin.

It was as if they were urging him to get to work quickly.

Although Wang Cheng had a strange sense of déjà vu, like a Kunlun slave being whipped by his slave owner while picking cotton, he decided not to stoop to the level of this wild fish, considering the help the damselfish had given him.

With its iron hook and golden pelt out, it scooped up the sea urchin it was pointing to and put it into its pelt.

Practice makes perfect, and they quickly scooped up the three largest ones from the seaweed field. The remaining two were still a bit too small, so they planned to keep them in the sea bream brothers' patch of land for a couple of days before harvesting them.

Including the two caught earlier, a total of five had been caught, and Wang Cheng could clearly feel that he was losing control of the violent struggles of these monkey brain sea urchins in the net.

Knowing that this is my current limit, I'll focus on converting these treasures into strength before trying to make more in the next day or two.

So, he gave the sea bream a thumbs-up and praised it:
"Yours is excellent, Liangyu is really great!"

Once I've cleared this land for you, if any of your relatives need help again, just come to me.

I'll take care of the pest control.

Worried that the silly fish was too small to understand, I turned my gaze to the two smaller sea urchins. I gritted my teeth and used a cast iron hook to smash one open, revealing the tender sea urchin roe inside.

The damselfish have been outwitting their nasty neighbors for so long, they've clearly learned to appreciate the taste. They know that these wretched sea urchins are far tastier than the seaweed they grow, they just haven't been able to eat them before.

It pounced on the meat like a vicious dog pouncing on its prey, wolfing down all five pieces.

Youth has no price; it melts in your mouth, just like a neighbor's.

good to eat!

Wang Cheng silently gave himself a thumbs up. The excellent quality of "sharing money" is effective whether it is with intelligent human subordinates or with this kind of foolish guide.

With fresh sea urchins right in front of you, you don't have to worry about them not working hard for you.

Only then did he return to the surface with his spoils.

However, they did not notice that after the damselfish behind them finished eating a monkey brain sea urchin, its eyes gradually became bright and its wild beastly ignorance dissipated, clearly showing signs of a sudden awakening of intelligence.

The sea bream, or the newly born "sea bream spirit," was overjoyed. It swam in a circle, flicked its tail, and pointed at Wang Cheng's back, blowing bubbles:
"On behalf of all the hardworking, earth-dwelling monsters of the deep sea, I declare that this four-legged monster is a beneficial insect!!!"

Pfft!
Wang Cheng flipped himself onto the boat. The sharkskin on the water dried on its own as it came out of the water. Zhang Wen immediately stepped forward to help him dry his hair and wrapped him in a warm bearskin cloak.

Upon discovering that Han Shushu had also dealt with some of the dead and had returned to the ship to rest ahead of time, wrapped in a fur coat and warming herself by the fire, I suggested:

"Junior Sister Han, we still have plenty of time. The seawater is too cold in December. For safety's sake, why don't we continue tomorrow?"

"Alright. I'll listen to Senior Brother Wang."

Han Shushu readily agreed and blew the bone flute again. The giant golden bird that had been circling above its head disappeared back into its tail feathers, and the seabed also darkened.

Both sides had long trusted Wang Cheng, and upon receiving the order, they immediately began to row, and several small boats quickly went ashore and returned to their camp.

After changing his clothes, Wang Cheng couldn't wait to pry open a hard sea urchin shell with a dagger.

This one was much more mature than the one the damselfish ate. Its shell was full of orange-yellow roe, and its overall shape resembled a monkey brain with many grooves.

Although its appearance was less than appealing, the intensely sweet aroma, rich with the essence of the ocean, was incredibly tempting. Wang Cheng had tasted many expensive seafood dishes, but few could compare to this one in terms of flavor alone.

"Fun fact: the edible part of a sea urchin is actually its gonads, and the same goes for crab roe."

However, if you don't want it to, this stuff is surprisingly delicious.

Without any further processing, Wang Cheng picked up a large piece and stuffed it into his mouth.

A warm current rose in my abdomen, and my whole body felt hot. Even the biting cold wind outside the tent, which was typical of the Great Cold solar term, became cool.

By making offerings, one silently recites one's wishes, which are also one's most steadfast convictions:
"I do not desire to be ennobled; I only wish for peace on the seas!"

Level him! Level him!

At the same time, combined with the [Dragon Breathing Technique], the heat circulating in his body quickly subsided, and a sense of coolness rose in his mind.

With this systematic "nourishment method" at my disposal, it is indeed more efficient than the original method of cultivating essence and energy.

Wang Cheng also gained a deeper understanding of this fundamental method of cultivation:

"I scoff at feudal superstition, and I kneel before the God of Wealth for a long time without ever getting up."

I scoff at the idea that a twitching right eye means bad luck, but I wholeheartedly believe that a twitching left eye means good fortune.

So, are people worshipping gods, or are they worshipping their own desires?

"Whether the obsession is good or bad, only by anchoring it with a single obsession can this 'offering method' have a solid foundation."

The desire and obsession that one sincerely prays for to be fulfilled is the most crucial wick in the lamp of the heart!
Obsessions can be long-term or short-term. The longer you persist in them, the less you need to prune them from time to time, and the faster your spiritual progress will be.

That's why Buddhists love to make grand vows.

Many Shinto officials may not understand the rituals of offering, but through long-term practice, they unintentionally become close to this practice, developing all sorts of strange and unusual obsessions.

The officials of the divine way are all ordinary people in the secular world, entangled in worldly desires, and their strongest desires mostly stem from lust.

No wonder that when Wang Cheng wanted to find a master, he saw so many officials at the dock, but most of them were eccentric characters who were guilty of all sorts of vices.

Their spiritual practice is not in accordance with the true Dharma; they can't even understand it themselves, let alone teach others.

Wang Cheng's current official rank may not be as high as theirs, but with this understanding, he is enough to be a teacher to most unofficial officials.

From that day on, Wang Cheng went to sea with Han Shushu every day to find Liangyu's guide to catch monkey brains and sea urchins.

With the suppression of desires and obsessions, the mental light, which had no inherent bottlenecks, grew rapidly.

There were no fresh peaches or bananas that don't keep well on the boat.

Fortunately, there were a few packets of candied peaches among the supplies. If they broke, they would cause a strange, monkey-like scream, which did not tarnish Wang Cheng's imposing image.

He was not stingy with his Tanka people team, sharing some sea urchins with them as well.

Two talented individuals under his command, Zhang Wen, seventeen, received the [Yaksha Staff Technique] from Wang Cheng and was just one step away from mastering it.

Nineteen-year-old Zhang Wu had been diligently practicing the "Eight Blades of Breaking Waves" for many years, and step by step, he had reached the threshold of a breakthrough.

The two brothers lit up their hearts one after the other, and their fates were completely changed because of Wang Cheng.

During this time, Han Shushu also cleaned up all the dead bodies in the sunken ship, waiting for the official excavation of the "Water Margin" on the 20th of the twelfth lunar month to begin the divine ritual.

Until the nineteenth day of the twelfth lunar month, which was the day before the salvage operation officially began.

Wang Cheng ate nine monkey brains and sea urchins in succession.

The heat within my body surged and grew stronger than ever before, and the single flame of the heart lamp burned brighter and brighter, eventually burning through my head and shoulders.

The three flames of fortune, prosperity, and longevity shone brightly, and the originally white light of the heart gradually turned a little red, and then the red became brighter and brighter.

call--!
Suddenly, a warm breeze blew out from Wang Cheng's body, instantly dispelling most of the chill within a three-zhang radius around him.

But without even realizing it, he had already broken through the final barrier of the lower three ranks: Pure Yang Life Fire!

(End of this chapter)