Nascent Soul Rebirth: Starting as a Wizard

At the same time, through Captain Patton, he continuously gained a deeper understanding of the detailed situation in the waters surrounding the archipelago:

Ancient nautical charts, strange tales and theories passed down among sailors, and unusual legends about certain islands.

"The fog that never dissipates," "the seawater that glows at night," "the mysterious bay where one can never return," complex hydrological and meteorological data...

He did not choose to go to islands with large populations, as he did not want to attract unnecessary attention.

Based on his understanding of the conditions for spiritual energy to gather, Solo gradually sketched out a series of locations in his mind that "may contain spiritual caves".

Soon, the "Wanderer" received its first order to deviate from the main course and head towards a desolate island that was only the size of a pinhead on the map and marked "Foggy Reef".

The ship carefully avoided the surrounding jagged reefs and came to a stop in a bay on the leeward side of the island where it could barely anchor.

"I need to go up and take a look. The time is uncertain. You wait here and remain vigilant."

Solo gave only one instruction before navigating his small boat alone and disappearing behind the dense mangroves and rugged reefs at the edge of the island.

Captain Barton and his crew remained on the ship, looking at the excessively quiet island, their hearts filled with unease.

Several hours later, just as the setting sun was turning the sea golden red, Solo reappeared.

He leaped onto the deck, his clothes slightly torn, and he carried a faint, mixed scent of the sea and another indescribable stench of blood.

But his eyes were exceptionally bright, and his spirit seemed even more vigorous and sharp than before he disembarked.

"Set sail for the next location," Solo ordered calmly without explanation, his gaze seemingly casually sweeping across the depths of Fog Shadow Reef.

There, the faint mist that used to appear faintly under certain lighting, carrying a touch of the ethereal, had completely vanished, as if it had never existed.

Captain Patton swallowed the question that was about to come out of his mouth and shouted, "Fold up the small boats! Raise the sails! Hard to port!"

An efficient and consistent pattern gradually formed and solidified during the subsequent voyage.

Using Captain Button's experience and his own spiritual senses, Solo accurately selected the target islands.

When the "Wanderer" is still quite a distance from its target, Solo can often use his spiritual sense to vaguely perceive the concentration of free energy in the environment to determine whether it is worthwhile to explore further or if it is too dangerous.

Once confirmed, the ship will seek a secluded place to anchor.

Solo would sometimes take tools such as a mining bag and a pickaxe as cover and leave the ship alone.

With the swiftness and agility of the "Dragon's Movement Technique" and the assistance of his ever-increasing spiritual power, rugged and steep coastlines, dense and pathless jungles, and slippery and dangerous caves could not stop his progress.

He could always quickly pinpoint the core of the spiritual acupoint—

Perhaps it's an inconspicuous pool in the forest that's warm in winter and cool in summer, or a dry cave hidden behind a roaring waterfall.

Perhaps it's a bubbling hot spring at the foot of a volcano, or a huge sea cavity carved out by waves over millions of years, with strangely dry spaces deep inside.

Almost every spiritual cave has a "guardian"—usually a creature that has mutated due to being immersed in spiritual energy and stepped into the category of low-level magical beasts.

Various shapes and forms: the cunning and suspicious Mist Shadow Fox, the strong and thick-skinned Rock Armored Mountain Boar, the strange ancient tree that can control vines, the cold-water giant crayfish that lurks in the deep pool...

But these low-level magical beasts were no match for Solo.

His fighting style is sharp and efficient, combining the strong physique of a veteran knight with the powerful internal strength of a second-rate martial artist.

And their superior spiritual perception, which allows them to anticipate the enemy's moves, often ends battles in a very short time, avoiding unnecessary losses and causing greater commotion.

After clearing away the obstacles, comes the most crucial and ruthless step – plunder.

Solo would choose a relatively safe time to set up the simplest spiritual warning and isolation barrier at the core of the spiritual cave.

With his current cultivation level, he can only play a weak role in interference and warning, but it's better than nothing.

Then, he fully activated the "Taihao Yangyuan Scripture," while simultaneously expanding and condensing his spiritual consciousness to form an invisible, high-speed rotating absorption vortex above the spiritual acupoint.

Like the mouth of a glutton, it frantically devours the spiritual energy accumulated over the years in the spiritual cave, which is weakly connected to the earth's veins!

This process is often accompanied by a significant improvement in his own cultivation level, as well as the rapid "death" of the spiritual cave environment.

The vegetation withered, the spring water became murky and tasteless, the rocks lost their luster, and the refreshing "freshness" in the air completely disappeared, leaving only mundane dullness.

The spiritual energy of each and every tiny world vanished amidst the roar of his cultivation.

After each "harvest," Solo would meticulously search the cave and its surroundings, much like the most thorough cleaner.

Low-grade spiritual herbs, associated attribute crystals, and valuable materials from magical beasts... all fell into his baggage.

As the jade boxes gradually became full, he had to buy more jade along the way and roughly process it into more containers.

Five months at sea was not just about monotonous searching and plundering.

They encountered a sudden, violent storm that seemed to leap out of the deep sea.

The waves were as big as mountains, and the sky seemed to have a hole in it.

While Captain Button appeared grave and commanded with composure, yet could not conceal his worry, Solo quietly stood at the bow, straining his senses to perceive the subtle changes in the eye of the storm and the airflow.

Occasionally, it even guides a trace of weak spiritual energy in an extremely subtle way.

Slightly deflecting a deadly wave crashing against the ship's side, or causing a subtle shift in the wind direction that would help the vessel maintain its balance.

After escaping danger several times, the crew looked at Solo's retreating figure with a mixture of awe and an indescribable mystery.

They also encountered some foolish pirates.

The first two attacks were just small-scale harassment, and Solo did not take action. Captain Button commanded his sailors to scare the enemy away with the ship's small-caliber deck cannons and arquebuses.

On one occasion, however, a larger, three-masted pirate ship flying a black bone flag spotted the seemingly lone "Wanderer" and attempted to board it.

Just as the pirates were throwing their grappling hooks and the fierce pirates were howling as they were about to leap onto the deck in the midst of the chaos.

A figure appeared like a ghost at the most dangerous spot on the ship's side.

It was Solo.

He didn't even draw his sword; instead, he used his palm or elbow to strike the wrists, necks, or joints of the first few pirate leaders who jumped over with precision and speed.

The movements were so fast that only afterimages could be seen, and the control of force was so precise that only a few muffled groans and the soft sound of bones dislocating could be heard.

The most ferocious pirates collapsed to the ground as if their bones had been removed, groaning in pain and losing their ability to fight.

Seeing this, the other pirates were terrified and dared not go forward. With a shout, they hurriedly cut the grappling hooks and fled in their ships, not even caring about their own companions.

After this battle, Solo's authority on the Wanderer reached its peak, and no one dared to question any of his orders.

Solo himself also realized more clearly that conventional force in this world is indeed fragile in the face of individuals who have just begun to master supernatural powers.

In his limited daily interactions with Captain Button and his crew, Solo also quietly observed and learned.

He had a good understanding of the power structure, trade rules, port operations, and even some low-level intelligence networks in Emerald Isle and the wider seas.

A single thought, like a barnacle quietly growing in the deep sea, emerged during a monotonous five-month cycle of sea voyages and plunder.

Gradually, it went from a vague flash of inspiration to something clear, concrete, and even branching out, firmly anchoring itself in the depths of Solo's thoughts—

He needs his own power base.