Martial Arts: Starting with Upgrading the Dilapidated Temple

Chen Yuanzhi is now very skilled at confiscating property.

He stood at the junction of the two ships, directing the sailors to move everything that could be moved from the Black Dragon to the Zhenyuan.

"Second Master, this crossbow is incredibly heavy, where are we going to put it?"

On the deck, several shirtless, burly men were struggling to lift the steel ballistae salvaged from the Black Dragon, their eyes rolling back in their heads from exhaustion.

Chen Yuanzhi, holding the account book in his hand, didn't even look up: "Two crossbows on the port side, one on the starboard side, and nail the bases shut. Move all the crossbows to the hold; if one is missing, I'll make up for it with your bones."

The sailors shrank back and got back to work.

When this pale-faced scholar gets ruthless, he's even more wicked than the old pirate.

Xu Hao stood at the bow of the ship, watching Chen Yuanzhi's back, and a smirk appeared on his lips.

With a slight push of his feet, hundreds upon hundreds of dark red fleshy tendrils surged from the cracks in the Zhenyuan's planks, tightly binding the wrecked Black Dragon. Accompanied by a teeth-grinding chewing sound, the Black Dragon's massive hull visibly withered and disintegrated.

The most spectacular part is the bow of the ship.

The Black Dragon's horn, gleaming with a cold light, was bitten by the Black Iron Beast Head of the Zhenyuan. The two metals melted and intertwined like wax.

A moment later, a brand-new beast head with ferocious dragon horns and covered with fine black scales emerged from the sea, its eye sockets glowing with a ghostly red light.

The imagery in my mind trembled.

[Blessed Land Level Upgrade: Zhenyuan Ship LV3 (Demon Transformation - Beginner)]

[New Trait Acquired: Ironclad Dragon Scales: The ship's hull is covered with fine black dragon scales, greatly increasing its defensive capabilities.]

[New Feature Acquired: Misty Mist: Can actively emit mist to interfere with external perception and conceal one's whereabouts.]

Xu Hao looked down. The ship's hull above the waterline was changing; on the originally bluish-black keratin layer, palm-sized black scales were growing, gleaming with a cold metallic luster when the sunlight shone on them.

The black iron beast head at the bow of the ship has also changed its appearance, with longer horns and protruding fangs, exuding the ferocity of a true dragon.

"It can fight when it wants and hide when it wants; it's more like a ghost ship than a ghost ship itself." Xu Hao patted the side of the ship, quite satisfied.

Chen Yuanzhi walked over, holding an account book in his hand. "Zhenshan, there are many people and eyes on the ship, so we must set some rules."

He handed over the ledger in his hand, "I want to set up a 'torture chamber' in the lower deck. From now on, those who are disobedient or stubborn will be dealt with by me."

The down-on-his-luck young man volunteered to do dirty work.

Xu Hao glanced at him a couple more times.

"Alright, the interrogation hall is yours." Xu Hao took the ledger, raised his chin, and said, "Perfect, I left three alive. Go practice and find out who Sun Niqiu really is."

He casually flipped through the ledger, tossed it aside, and his gaze fell on the hundred-refined steel sword on the ground.

The blade had several nicks from being struck by Sun Niqiu's iron crutch, rendering the knife useless.

With his current strength and vitality, he finds ordinary weapons difficult to use.

If we don't get a handy tool, we'll suffer again when we encounter a tough opponent next time.

Half an hour later, the screams coming from the lower deck stopped.

Chen Yuanzhi washed his hands and walked onto the deck: "We found out. The cripple's name is Sun Mudfish, and he's the younger brother of Electric Snake Sun, the chief of the Blood Flag Patrol Team. The Black Dragon ship we stole was given to him by Electric Snake Sun."

Xu Hao raised an eyebrow.

No wonder this mudfish could mobilize warships of this caliber; it turns out he's latched onto his brother's coattails.

"There's something else," Chen Yuanzhi frowned. "The Blood Corpse Alliance has recently been secretly searching for virgins born in the Yin year and Yin month. These few lackeys are too low-ranking to know the specific reasons, only that it's a direct order from above."

As soon as he finished speaking, Luo, who was tidying up the cables next to him, suddenly turned around, his eyes instantly turning red.

What did you say? A lunar year and a lunar month?

Luo Meng rushed over in a few steps, grabbed Chen Yuanzhi by the collar, and his whole body was trembling.

Xu Hao kicked Luo Meng in the back of the knee, sending him sprawling to his knees on the deck: "Have you forgotten the rules? You dare lay a hand on the second-in-command?"

Ignoring the pain, Luo Meng stared intently at the deck, veins bulging on his forehead.

"Boss, my sister Luo Ying was born in the yin year and yin month." Luo Meng's voice was hoarse, filled with deep despair. "Lang Fantian is a real beast! He said he'd give her to Ao Zheng as a concubine, but it turns out he was sending her to her death!"

He kowtowed violently, his forehead slamming against the scaled deck with a loud thud.

"Please, Boss, save my sister! If you can save her, my life will be yours for all eternity!"

In this vast ocean, where do you even begin to look for someone?

Xu Hao didn't rush to agree. "Your sister got separated from you, and we don't even know if she's alive or dead. Where are we supposed to go to rescue her?"

Luo Meng raised his head: "She is skilled in disguise and clever. As long as she doesn't fall into the hands of the Blood Bone Alliance, she will definitely go to the nearby trading islands to inquire about information."

"Where are some lawless trading areas around here?" Xu Hao asked.

Luo Meng quickly wiped his face: "Go northwest for a hundred miles, there is a Cold Iron Island. It is the territory of the Salt and Iron Society."

"Ranked tenth out of the twelve bandits?" Chen Yuanzhi interjected.

"Yes. The Salt and Iron Association controls several key salt fields and cold iron mines in Shengzhou."

"They've always maintained neutrality, and all three alliances have tried to win them over. There's a black market on this island, with all sorts of people; you can get in as long as you pay. Even the Blood Bone Alliance wouldn't dare openly arrest anyone there," Luo Meng explained eagerly. "Their cold iron ore can forge excellent weapons; it's just time for your sword to be replaced, Boss." Luo Meng glanced at the sword beside him.

Xu Hao stroked his chin. Finding weapons was one thing, but gathering information was another.

While we're at it, let's see if we can snag a bargain; this deal won't be a loss.

"Alright, turn the helm and head to Cold Iron Island."

Luo Meng was overjoyed and kowtowed again.

"Don't thank me yet." Xu Hao waved his hand. "Our Zhenyuan doesn't keep useless people. Before we go to the black market, let's improve our strength first."

With a thought, he retrieved over a dozen dark red essence blood beads from the flesh and blood storage compartment in the lower deck. These were formed from the corpses of the Black Dragon crew members he had just devoured.

He pretended to take it out of his pocket.

Distribute the rewards according to the previous performance.

As soon as the essence blood bead was distributed, a series of swallowing sounds immediately filled the deck.

Immediately afterwards, a series of popping and cracking sounds erupted on the ship.

The sailors' faces were flushed, and their blood was surging.

Luo Meng received two.

He swallowed it whole, and the violent energy instantly washed over his limbs and bones.

The raging bull tattoo on his back was a deep, blood-red color. Accompanied by a series of loud cracking sounds, he suddenly stood up, emanating an aura several times stronger than before.

Late stage of the Bone Forging Realm.

Luo Meng felt the surging power within his body, and his gaze towards Xu Hao was now completely free of any impure thoughts.

This leader can not only steer the demon ship, but also casually produce this divine medicine. I'm sticking with him for life.

"Thank you, Boss, for saving me!" Luo Meng knelt on one knee, his voice booming.

Xu Hao looked at the crew members whose strength had greatly increased and a smile appeared on his lips.

"Raise anchor, full sails."

"Let's go to Cold Iron Island and join in the fun."

Large plumes of grayish-white mist spewed from both sides of the Zhenyuan ship, completely enveloping its massive hull.

As the sea breeze blew, the mist silently dispersed through the Iron Reef labyrinth, taking the entire ship with it and vanishing without a trace.