Starting at the Nascent Soul stage, a rogue cultivator is incredibly poor.

Five streaks of light landed one after another on the deck of the flying boat.

The deck was already filled with cultivators, from Qi Refining disciples to Golden Core elders, and hundreds of eyes were focused on Qing Youzi and Wen Tao.

Those gazes held the relief of surviving a calamity, the awe of witnessing an earth-shattering battle, and a deep reverence for the extraordinary abilities of Nascent Soul cultivators.

Someone spoke first, calling out softly, "Senior Qingyou! Senior Wen!"

Immediately afterwards, the shouts spread like a tidal wave:

"Senpai Kamui!!"

"Thank you so much for saving my life, senior!!"

The Qi Refining disciples blushed, so excited they were incoherent; the Foundation Establishment cultivators bowed respectfully, their eyes filled with longing; even the ten Golden Core cultivators abandoned their usual reserve, bowing deeply with solemn expressions.

They had witnessed the great battle from afar.

A hundred-foot tsunami raged, and countless demons surged forth, yet the two Nascent Soul cultivators stood like pillars of strength, unyielding amidst the tumultuous waves. Especially Qing Youzi's eerie azure flames and countless threads of energy forced even a transformed demon to retreat in fear. Such methods far surpassed their understanding of the early Nascent Soul stage.

Mo Xuanjun strode forward, his voice trembling slightly with excitement:

"Seniors, spiritual tea and medicine have been prepared in the cabin. Please rest and heal your injuries."

Qingyouzi nodded slightly, exchanged a glance with Wentao, and the two walked side by side toward the quiet room on the top floor of the flying boat.

Behind them, the awe-inspiring gazes lingered for a long time.

The top-floor quiet room had its doors tightly shut, and the soundproofing was quietly activated.

Elder Gu was already waiting inside. Upon seeing the two enter, he slightly raised his hand:

"Fellow Daoists, please have a seat."

Qingyouzi and Wentao took their seats.

After serving the spiritual tea, Mo Xuanjun quietly withdrew, leaving only the three of them in the room.

Elder Gu's gaze swept over the two, and seeing that Qing Youzi's breathing had returned to normal and Wen Tao's complexion had improved considerably, a hint of approval flashed in his eyes:

"We just tallied the results. The two of you have killed a total of twelve Tier 3 monsters. Among them, two were late-stage, one was mid-stage, and nine were early-stage. According to the Allied Forces' battle merits, each late-stage Tier 3 monster is worth 3,500 points, each mid-stage monster is worth 2,500 points, and each early-stage monster is worth 1,500 points, for a total of 10,000 points."

He paused, then said:

"There are also several first- and second-tier demon beast corpses, most of which were lost in the waves, but they are roughly estimated to be worth eight thousand points. To avoid controversy, we will calculate it at twenty thousand battle merits this time. Do either of you have any objections?"

Qingyouzi remained calm, neither agreeing nor disagreeing, and simply picked up the spirit tea and took a small sip.

Wen Tao quickly waved his hand:

"Elder Gu, Fellow Daoist Qingyou contributed even more in this battle. He absorbed most of the first wave of giant waves and the attacks of that transformed demon."

"I, Wen, merely provided support from the sidelines and dare not claim any credit. If there are 20,000 battle merits, I, Wen, will take 7,000, and the rest will all belong to Fellow Daoist Qingyou."

He spoke sincerely, but there was a hint of wariness in his eyes that was hard to detect.

The battle at sea just now, with the strength Qingyouzi displayed and those strange blue fire threads, had already made him wary.

By offering concessions at this moment, he is both showing goodwill and demonstrating his stance: he does not wish to be an enemy of this person.

Elder Gu looked at Qing Youzi:

"What are your thoughts, Fellow Daoist Qingyou?"

Qingyouzi put down his teacup and said calmly:

"We will do as Fellow Daoist Wen said."

Elder Gu nodded and took out his communication jade slip:

"Please present the jade slips, both of you."

Qingyouzi and Wentao each handed over their allied jade slips. Elder Gu lightly touched their jade slips with his own, and a faint light flashed, indicating that the battle merits had been allocated.

"That's fine."

Qingyouzi's consciousness sank into the jade slip, and sure enough, he saw that a line of numbers had appeared in the originally blank battle merit column.

Thirteen thousand points.

In Wen Tao's jade slip, there were seven thousand points.

"Elder Gu," Qing Youzi raised his eyes, "may I ask how many battle merits are required for the Nine Revolutions Spirit Pool qualification and the Nascent Soul Pill?"

Upon hearing this, Wen Tao also looked intently.

Elder Gu seemed to have anticipated this, and answered fluently:

"The qualification for the Nine Revolutions Spirit Pool requires 25,000 battle merits. The Nascent Soul Pill requires 50,000 battle merits."

He paused, then added:

"If you kill a fourth-tier early-stage demonic beast, you will receive 25,000 points; mid-stage, 50,000 points; late-stage... 100,000 points."

This number made Wen Tao gasp in shock.

A knowing glint flashed in Qingyouzi's eyes.

As expected, the battle merits required for high-level resources are not easily obtained.

"The allied forces will collect those valuable monster carcasses and use them to refine magical artifacts and pills for the front lines." Elder Gu put away the jade slip. "Now that you two have confirmed it, this matter is settled."

He changed the subject, his expression becoming more serious:

"There is another matter that needs to be clarified. Did you two notice anything unusual about that transformed demon? A mid-stage fourth-tier demon beast infiltrated our coastal waters without any warning at the front lines. This matter... is probably not simple."

Wen Tao pondered for a moment and said:

"That demon cultivator called himself 'Cangming,' with half his face covered in scales, vertical bloodshot pupils, and extremely strong spiritual sense. In my opinion, his ability to sneak in here without being detected by the frontline patrols is probably not a coincidence."

He didn't say it explicitly, but the implication was quite clear: there might be an inside agent at the front.

Qingyouzi also briefly mentioned his general impression of Cangming, such as its attack methods and some details about its appearance.

He did not mention any possible underwater ruins.

"Cangming..."

Elder Gu repeated the name in a low voice, his brows furrowing. Suddenly, a glint flashed in his eyes:

"The Second Elder of the Flood Dragon Clan, Cangming! So it was him!"

He looked at the two of them, his expression becoming even more solemn:

"Fortunately, this fiend did not go all out today. According to the secret records of Tianxian City, Cangming's true combat strength is probably above that of our city's Grand Elder. It is already quite an achievement that the two of you were able to force him to retreat."

Upon hearing this, both Qingyouzi and Wentao's expressions froze.

Even stronger than Jiang Taiyuan?

In today's battle, the opponent truly didn't go all out... What were they worried about? Or did they have another motive?

The quiet room fell silent for a moment.

Just then, the jade slip in Elder Gu's robes trembled slightly. He took it out to examine it, then stood up:

"Gentlemen, we have other important matters to attend to and cannot stay any longer. It is a few more days' journey ahead to the Zhenhai Pass jurisdiction. At that time, the elders stationed in Tianxian City will be there to meet us."

The three of them bowed to each other.

Elder Gu, along with two other Nascent Soul cultivators, transformed into streaks of light and vanished into the horizon in an instant.

The airship continued to cut through the waves.

On the deck, the cultivators had gradually dispersed, but the shock and discussion brought about by that battle lingered for a long time.

Amidst the sea of ​​clouds, the three elders stood suspended in mid-air, watching the flying boat depart into the distance.

"Elder Gu," a Nascent Soul cultivator beside him asked in a low voice, "the azure flames and threads of that Fellow Daoist Qingyou just now were quite strange. Should we...?"

Elder Gu waved his hand, interrupting him:

"In extraordinary times, there's no need to delve too deeply. What Nascent Soul cultivator doesn't have some fortuitous encounters and secrets? As long as his heart is with Nanxuan and he's willing to fight for humanity, he's a fellow cultivator."

His gaze was deep, looking towards the sea where the fierce battle had taken place, and then towards the horizon where the airship had disappeared:

"As for Cangming... the Second Elder of the Flood Dragon Clan has come in person; his intentions must be extraordinary. The front lines are probably not peaceful at all."

The three said no more and transformed into streaks of light, speeding towards the Heavenly Immortal City.

Inside the quiet room on the top floor of the airship.

Qingyouzi sat cross-legged with his eyes slightly closed.

In his mind, every detail of that battle repeatedly surfaced.

The sharp claws of the Azure Sea, the boundless demonic power, the complex expression that flashed across its scarlet vertical pupils, and... the extremely subtle fluctuations of spiritual power beneath the deep sea.

"The Second Elder of the Flood Dragon Clan, Cangming..."

"Did he risk diving into the nearshore waters just to intercept reinforcements?"

Or is it... related to that thing at the bottom of the sea?

He slowly opened his eyes and looked out at the boundless sea.

Beneath the azure surface, turbulent undercurrents surge.

The Zhenhai Pass is approaching.

[If you are dissatisfied with any parts of the previous plot, please let me know, and the author will consider making changes accordingly.]