Chapter 438: Mirage

Li Qi sized up the old man, who had a cultivation of the Eighth Grade, and the large fish he stood on was a Ninth Grade Spirit Beast.

The old man rode his fish to within a few miles of Li Qi.

This distance, for both parties, was already considered 'face-to-face,' where they could reach each other at any time, but not so close as to completely eliminate reaction time.

"Elder, I'm here to ask for directions. Could you tell me how to get to East Isle from here?" Li Qi asked.

"Oh, traveler, you've come to the East Sea, yet you ask for East Isle without any preparation?" The old man looked at Li Qi with a puzzled expression, though the harpoon in his hand remained firm.

"I did prepare and even hired a knowledgeable boat, but the boat broke down on the way, so I had to travel by Physical Body. I thought with my eyesight I could spot East Isle, but I searched for a long time and couldn't find it. I even encountered a sea leviathan on the way, so after much thought, I decided to find a local to ask!" Li Qi shouted back.

"So that's how it is. Traveler, please wait here for a moment. I'll go back home and calculate for you. East Isle moves, so it needs to be calculated constantly to find its position," the old man said.

"Then I shall wait here. Please assist me, Elder. Oh, and please accept this as a token of my gratitude," Li Qi said, taking out a fat pig and a Spiritual Plant from his mustard seed pouch.

They were still covered in ice shards, having just been taken out of the mustard seed pouch.

These were leftovers from the Paibo Gate. While the sea had plenty of fish, it lacked fatty meat, so this pork should be quite appealing.

As for Spiritual Plants from the land, they were even rarer in the sea.

Seeing this, the old man's attitude changed.

"Since you've brought a gift, it wouldn't be right to let our guest stand. Why don't you come aboard with me? Coincidentally, we are also heading to East Isle this time. Would you like to come with us?" the old man said.

"Excellent, excellent! Then I shall impose," Li Qi readily agreed, overjoyed.

It would be wonderful to have someone lead the way. Although he could certainly find it himself, why go through all that trouble?

So, carrying the gifts, he boarded the ship with the old man.

Once on board, Li Qi saw that all the people there were six or seven feet tall, with red hair and dark faces, clearly distinct from the Human Race on land.

Their limbs were longer, their skin glistened with oil, and Li Qi even noticed they had gills.

They were called Human Race, but they certainly didn't look like it.

However, this was quite natural. Human Race broadly referred to all humanoid creatures. Even the Holy Flame Clan were considered Human Race.

The old man boarded the ship and introduced Li Qi to the tense men around him.

Li Qi, being tactful, immediately presented the gifts. With the fat pig and Spiritual Plant, everyone's attitude improved significantly, and they all welcomed Li Qi aboard. Only then did Li Qi begin to examine the boat more closely.

This was a sea fortress formed by hundreds of interconnected boats, several miles long and wide. Walking on it felt no different from walking on land, and clear traces of Magic could be seen on it.

This was a Spiritual Artifact ship. Though seemingly crude, its power was contained within. It was likely their most prized possession and their foundation.

As Li Qi walked on the ship, seawater occasionally splashed onto him, but everyone seemed accustomed to it, showing no aversion to being completely drenched. The air was often humid, saving half the need for warm clothes. They went barefoot in the waves without socks, and neither men nor women minded being seen, some even going without their simple clothes to be ready to enter the water at any time.

He also saw many children, boys and girls, all agile, wielding poles, harpoons, and other tools, searching for turtles, crabs, clams, and the like in the water, competing in swimming races. They swam faster than fish and had better water skills than the Paibo Gang, easily catching ordinary fish and shrimp without needing their parents for food.

He then saw a pair of adult men and women; the woman held the tiller with one hand and cooked fish with the other, her children in a pouch on her back, while the man operated the fishing net, rowed the scull, and mended the boat with rope.

Further ahead, he saw a workshop, seemingly a weaving workshop. Next to it was a pile of algae resembling sea moss and kelp, which they spread out to dry on the roof.

Some of the already dried ones were smashed by men with large bone clubs into fine fibers. Skillful women then separated these fibers, soaked them in a certain medicinal liquid, and then wove them into the most common green fabric worn here.

Further on, he could see a blacksmith's shop, where Spiritual Artifacts were being hammered with a clanging sound.

Yes, Spiritual Artifacts. The sea surface seemed to have very few Ores, so 'blacksmith's shop' was just Li Qi's term for it. The most common raw Materials in this shop were various fish bones, or special Materials similar to pearls, with very little metal.

But even using only these things, they seemed to have produced very good Spiritual Artifacts, including harpoons and many parts of this giant ship-island.

Walking a bit further, he could also see a huge fish, about ten meters long, already hunted and hung on the ship, with someone responsible for dismembering it.

The person dismembering it held a knife about the size of a thumb, meticulously cutting the entire large fish. This was the only metal implement Li Qi had seen since boarding the ship.

However, Li Qi didn't think it was because they couldn't afford metal that they used a small knife. He knew a principle: the larger the prey, the smaller the knife used.

The more Li Qi looked, the more interesting he found it.

Was this the life of ordinary people in the East Sea? Was this on the water? What about other races?

Unlike the Human Dao and Shaman Dao, which were primarily focused on the Human Race, the Human Race in the East Sea was very scarce, and judging by their appearance, their demonization was severe, likely with a significant amount of demon race blood. Li Qi could even see many pure Yao creatures coexisting amicably with humans on this ship, including the fish Yao the old man had been standing on earlier.

This floating island formed a unique ecosystem, supporting thousands of people without feeling cramped. Instead, it drifted on the sea, and they lived their accustomed lives.

Li Qi's horizons were greatly broadened.

This was why he wanted to travel everywhere! How many landscapes must there be in the myriad worlds? And how many types of ecosystems, how many types of Dao?

Truly interesting.

Li Qi followed the old man with great interest, naturally drawing countless gazes along the way. However, with the old man present, their looks were merely curious, without hostility.

However, what attracted even more attention was Old Ma.

They seemed to have never seen anything like Old Ma. From time to time, people would ask what Old Ma was, and when Li Qi said it was a 'horse,' they were very confused.

But after a while, Li Qi followed the old man into a boathouse.

"Guest, please come in. The compass is inside. Through it, we can calculate the direction of East Isle," the old man said to Li Qi.

Li Qi immediately nodded in acknowledgment and then looked at the compass.

The compass was placed on a stand, with fine sand laid beneath, and the compass itself set on top.

He saw the old man step forward, level it, place lamps around it, close the windows to observe, and compare it with a clepsydra to determine the direction.

Li Qi carefully observed his actions, but found that he couldn't understand.

The compass was not marked with the common cardinal directions, nor with the Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches familiar to Li Qi, but with another set of symbols.

This seemed to be a method of recording based on the time of day, with their own position as the origin, and calculating the route through a scale.

Through observation, Li Qi quickly summarized the method.

This method was not difficult; it was very simple and easy to understand, yet it worked surprisingly well on the flat surface of the ocean.

Although the ocean exists in a three-dimensional space, movement on it can largely be considered two-dimensional. There are no topographical differences like mountains or valleys. The water level keeps the entire ocean on the same plane, which greatly simplifies coordinate calculations. This method of calculation is simple to learn, yet incredibly precise...

It must have come from a master's hand. Which great power developed it to benefit the world?

However, precisely because it was simple and easy to learn, Li Qi only needed to look at it once to master the method.

There was no other way; the True Knowledge Dao Resonance's ability to directly read Information was simply too powerful. Coupled with his Information Stream Vision, such an ingenious but not overly complex structure was something he could learn just by glancing at it.

He couldn't even refuse to learn, because Li Qi couldn't turn off the True Knowledge Dao Resonance at all; he could only subconsciously ignore some chaotic Information.

Moreover, this was ignoring, not blocking. He had merely learned to shut down his brain, making his brain disregard the useless Information constantly transmitted by the True Knowledge Dao Resonance.

"Ah, the result is out. From here, walk in the direction of sixteen minutes and four hundred forty mils southeast, maintaining a ninety-two percent narrow deviation in the middle, and after four days, you'll arrive. Would you like to come with us, guest?" the old man invited Li Qi.

"Thank you for the guidance, but I can go by myself. Now that I know the direction, it will be much faster," Li Qi smiled and politely declined the offer to stay.

There was no need to stay. His movement speed was much faster. What would take them four days, Li Qi estimated he could do in just one day, with most of that day spent on finding the way.

"Guest, you may not know the dangers of the great sea. If you get lost, it will be difficult to proceed. Without constant calculation, relying solely on the direction I told you, it's very easy to lose your way in the vast sea. When measuring distances at sea, a difference of one inch over a thousand li means a thousand li deviation from your destination if you're not careful," the old man advised.

Sailing the great sea was not like traveling on land; there were basically no reference points, and the destination often moved. For example, East Isle moved automatically. The old man was worried that if Li Qi left alone, something could easily go wrong.

Previously, Li Qi himself had thought the same, hoping this floating boat could lead the way. However, having just learned the other party's calculation method, he could now calculate the route himself, so he didn't need to worry about anything else.

So Li Qi replied, "Elder, I have already learned how to navigate. There's no need to trouble you. After all, I am a stranger, and you have women and children on this ship. It's not appropriate for me to stay too long."

"Learned how to navigate?" The old man was astonished.

Li Qi just smiled, and in his hand, a thousand strands of Qi intertwined, simulating the large shrine in the room, six inches long, half base and half axis, the base divided into inches, with an eight-minute square aperture to receive the pivot of the measuring instrument.

Then, the model in Li Qi's hand began to operate, referencing celestial phenomena, time, and the current direction, observing the seven constellations in the right north, ninety-three degrees and eighty minutes, the seven constellations in the right west, eighty-three degrees and eighty-five minutes...

Then factoring in the speed of East Isle...

"Hmm... Elder, you seemed to have miscalculated just now, but the general direction is correct. However, if we follow your direction, look, wouldn't we deviate by three hundred li? But, this small distance, we can catch up to it later, it's not a problem," Li Qi said to the old man, pointing to his calculation result.

He never considered that he might miscalculate. He had even calculated the transformations of the much more complex miniature heaven and earth. For him, this kind of calculation was like mentally reciting a multiplication table, he could get the result purely by instinct.

The old man was dumbfounded. Regardless of whether Li Qi's calculation was correct or not, the entire process had been perfectly replicated, and he couldn't find a single flaw.

But he still somewhat disbelieved Li Qi's claim, so he turned to verify it.

How could someone who had just encountered it calculate it correctly right away? He himself had taken a full six months to master this skill.

He spent a full two quarters of an hour verifying, but after careful re-verification this time, the old man was astonished to find that Li Qi's calculation was the correct one. He had overlooked and miscalculated by one minute earlier, resulting in an error of a full three hundred li.

"Guest... did you already master this method before?" The red-haired, dark-faced old man looked up, his normally dark face changing color, tinged with a blush of shame, like the feeling of showing off one's meager skill before an expert.

"No, I only learned it after you demonstrated it for me, Elder. It's just my natural talent. Elder, there's no need to doubt. I truly just came from the Western Lands, and I'm not intentionally hiding anything or harboring ill intentions," Li Qi explained quickly, worried he might misunderstand.

The old man took a few deep breaths and said, "I certainly believe the guest. If you truly intended to approach with hidden motives, you wouldn't have shown me this skill. It would have been easier to simply say you didn't know. It's clear the guest truly possesses extraordinary talent."

"It's just... this old man has studied for half his life, yet he was surpassed by the guest in a single glance. May I ask... what is the guest's cultivation?" the old man asked.

Hearing this question, Li Qi said, "Elder, have you heard of the Nine Grades classification method?"

"Of course. We deal with East Isle regularly, so we naturally understand the Nine Grades classification method," the old man replied.

"I am currently at the Seventh Grade, barely qualified to travel the world alone. I came to the East Sea this time to buy Ingredients for an elder brother, and also to relax a bit," Li Qi said with a smile.

"So that's how it is. Then this old man will not detain you further. Please go, guest," the old man said, no longer attempting to keep him.

Li Qi nodded, called Old Ma, thanked the old man for his generosity, and left some Qi beads as a token of gratitude before departing.

Learning the method of sea positioning was quite good.

However, just after Li Qi left—

The floating island, composed of boats, suddenly became ethereal.

Then, the ethereal floating island began to waver, transforming into wisps of green smoke. All the lifelike activities and all the people—husbands, wives, parents, and children—eventually vanished in the sunlight.

In their place was a giant shell, its mouth open, floating on the sea.

If Li Qi had still been there, he would have recognized it.

This was one of the most famous exotic beasts of the East Sea.

A蜃 (Shèn)!

(The old group is gone, new group 681201605, everyone please return in order)