Chapter 422: Lan Zao’s Future

A pristine sky, an azure sea.

Lan Zao swam freely through the ocean, startling schools of fish into scattered flight.

After his bloodline awakened, his appearance underwent significant changes.

With every stroke, the webbing between his fingers and toes provided immense propulsion. Simultaneously, his arms, thighs, and calves bulged with powerful muscles, allowing him to surge forward great distances with a mere flick of his wrist or swing of his leg.

Before his bloodline awakened, Lan Zao had been a seasoned sailor for years, possessing swimming skills far surpassing ordinary humans.

Now, his aquatic prowess had surged exponentially. Though he couldn't quite match the fishman who had lived in the sea their entire lives, he was not far off.

“This is the power of bloodline...” Lan Zao's heart brimmed with awe.

Over these days, he had truly grasped the weight of the word “bloodline.”

He now understood completely why the entire world placed such immense value on bloodlines, a truth unchanged throughout history.

Simply because bloodline was truly that crucial!

The mere alteration of his bloodline had granted Lan Zao extraordinary enhancement. His aquatic prowess had shattered his previous limits. The cost?

Merely eating, drinking, and undergoing some training each day.

“Of course, the meals Shuang Tu provided were top level magic delicacies, crafted specifically for my needs.”

“The training regimen he designed for me was also tailor-made. I could genuinely feel how incredibly efficient these exercises were!”

“Thank goodness I'm part of the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps, otherwise, I wouldn't receive such preferential treatment.”

“It proves beyond doubt that following the commander was my most correct, wisest decision!”

Lan Zao developed a fundamental trust in allies like Shuang Tu, feeling fortunate for his circumstances and having his suspicions toward Zi Di fade considerably.

All of this only deepened his admiration and obedience toward the dragonman youngster.

The misunderstandings surrounding him and Zi Di, stemming from the bloodline purification potion he consumed, along with a series of fateful encounters, had shifted Lan Zao's inner convictions.

The nightmares of that time had long faded from Lan Zao's memory.

The migration of his deepest beliefs occurred silently.

Even Lan Zao himself remained unaware.

Lan Zao suddenly retracted his limbs, lying completely flat. Without moving a muscle, he still sped through the sea, his pace only slightly slower than before.

He was riding the currents.

Just as winds in the sky created stable air currents that skilled birds used to extend their flight time and distance, the ocean, filled with water, also formed currents.

Some currents were vast and persistent, but most were minute and fleeting.

Lan Zao now resembled a skilled bird, harnessing a transient current to glide effortlessly through the depths.

“What a marvelous sensation!”

Though far from his first experience, Lan Zao still felt profound delight and wonder.

He could sense the currents, every single one, as long as it fell within his range of perception.

This was transcendent perception; a talent derived from his racial magic - Fluid Perception.

The fishman youngster had gained four racial magic from his Surging Wave fishman bloodline: Healing, Affinity Aura, Mental Flogging, and Mind's Eye.

Lan Zao also drew two racial magics from his Fish Bladder bloodline. One of these was Fluid Perception.

As the name implied, it granted perception of flowing objects.

It was much like humans sensing wind direction by perceiving air currents. Yet for ordinary people, discerning wind direction proved difficult unless facing strong gusts. Trained rifle snipers and archers possessed this skill. They often moistened their fingertips with saliva to heighten their sensitivity to air currents.

Fluid Perception was this ability but elevated to a transcendent level.

Even in everyday situations, Lan Zao could sense certain fluid movements.

When he concentrated his spirit on this perception, his range expanded severalfold, and his senses became far more precise.

Lan Zao drifted forward with the ocean currents.

He remained almost motionless, as if lying on an invisible flying carpet in the sea, effortless and utterly comfortable.

When the currents he rode shifted slightly, he would subtly adjust his posture to maintain his blend within the flow.

These micro-currents were ever-changing.

Yet with his extraordinary gift of current perception, Lan Zao effortlessly allowed him to become almost one with the sea's rhythm.

He cherished this sensation.

Each time he swam freely in the sea, a faint, boundless joy would well up from the depths of his being.

Every training session in the ocean was not arduous for him, but rather filled with pure enjoyment.

He looked forward to the upcoming underwater training with anticipation.

Lan Zao closed his eyes, the six black lines on each cheek opening and closing.

These were his newly formed organs, fish gills, created after his bloodline awakened.

The gills closed at least six times faster than before, allowing Lan Zao to rapidly draw ample air from the sea.

This air filled his fish bladder through his trachea. This too was a new organ, the most defining feature of the Fish Bladder bloodline.

The fish bladder rapidly expanded, imparting buoyancy to Lan Zao.

As buoyancy grew, he broke free from the ocean currents' grip and shot upward toward the surface.

In his mind, Lan Zao recalled what Shuang Tu had once told him: “Once the Fish Bladder bloodline concentration reaches 30%, a transcendent can consciously control the air concentration within their body.”

"Therefore, you can compress the air within your fish bladder. This is also the source of the projectiles for the Air Cannon battle skill you're beginning to cultivate."

"What you must do now is compress all the air within your body, absorb as much air as possible to reach your limit, and dissolve it into your bloodstream. By doing so, you will enhance your blood circulation and significantly boost your physical capabilities."

“You need to replace your battle qi technique. The Water Grass battle qi technique you mastered is no longer suitable for you.”

This was the core of Lan Zao's current training regimen.

Through rapid breathing, he replenished his body with vast amounts of air, consciously accelerating blood circulation to elevate his physical prowess.

Shuang Tu had provided him with extensive training materials for a Fish Bladder bloodline transcendent. These documents contained explicit descriptions of this state, the Maximum Air State.

In contrast, the initial state where the fish bladder held no stored air, so subtle Lan Zao couldn't even perceive it, was termed the Minimal Air State.

Lan Zao had now entered the Maximum Air State.

As he neared the surface, he abruptly opened his eyes.

Typically, fishman lack eyelids, but Lan Zao was not a fishman; he retained this bodily structure. When he opened his eyes, however, his eyelids retracted to their absolute limit, becoming nearly invisible.

Lan Zao flicked his arms, exerting no force with his legs. His entire body propelled upward like a leap, bursting through the sea surface.

The sky was clear and cloudless.

Sunlight bathed his smooth, pale blue skin, making countless droplets glisten like diamonds.

Amidst the surging waves, Lan Zao did not fall directly. He spread his arms wide, like a flying fish unfurling its fins, allowing him to glide through the air.

At 30% Fish Bladder bloodline, the bearer could control their own air concentration. This allowed Lan Zao to rapidly adjust internal and external pressure, preventing injuries from rapid ascent and resulting pressure imbalances.

At 60% Fish Bladder bloodline, the bearer gained the ability to freely ascend and descend in water, along with the racial magic, Water Flow Perception.

Above 95%, they could float mid-air. Though the floating height was limited, they gained the racial magic, Air Current Perception.

At 100%, the floating height increased significantly, and the related perception talent upgraded to Fluid Perception.

Hovering above the sea surface, Lan Zao glided over five meters before plunging back into the water with a splash.

As he plunged, he extended his arms forward and pressed his legs together, striving to form a straight line.

His smooth skin minimized the splash upon entry. Once submerged, he tucked his forearms close to his head and kicked his legs like a fishman's tail, accelerating his speed.

After swimming for a while, he leapt back out of the water, gliding through the air.

Countless droplets of spray, illuminated by the sunlight, sparkled brilliantly, seeming to dance and laugh with Lan Zao.

He was practicing another racial magic - Levitation.

Thanks to the enhancement from his bloodline, the distance Lan Zao could glide through the air was increasing at a visible rate.

“What a thrill!” Lan Zao cheered inwardly.

As he glided through the air, suspended between sea and sky, he felt an elf-like agility and the vastness of nature. When he plunged back into the water, the soft sea embraced and caressed his entire body, like a gentle mother tenderly stroking her beloved child.

Upon his fifth leap into the sky, Lan Zao's life level underwent a transformation.

At this moment, he ascended from bronze level to iron level!

“I've advanced!”

Lan Zao's heart trembled, tears streaming down his face.

He had long reached the peak of the bronze level, held back by his innate limitations. But the awakening of his bloodline had shattered those limits, propelling him far beyond. The bronze level was no longer his ceiling.

He had advanced.

Both his life level and battle qi cultivation had soared to iron level.

Though Shuang Tu had informed him, and his bronze level battle qi had taken on an iron sheen days prior, when this moment finally arrived, Lan Zao was still shaken to his core, overcome with emotion!

Tears fell from the sky, mingling with the spray of waves along his gliding path.

As he plunged into the water, the vast ocean embraced him like a mother, wiping away his tears and offering gentle solace, as if welcoming a wandering son home at last.

How many years have passed?

The freshness and innocence of youth had long faded from his face.

The reverence and naivety of young adulthood had been ground away by life's hardships, leaving no trace.

Fate's merciless torment had once beaten him into a shadow of his former self.

The shackles of guilt weighed heavily on his heart. He had contemplated suicide yet lacked the courage to act.

The instant he plunged into the sea with iron level battle qi, his eyes opened beneath the force of the currents, revealing scenes from his past.

Once, he had curled up in the sea, soaking himself to escape monotony and frustration.

Once, he had labored on the deck, drenched in sweat, the scorching sun lashing him like whips, his salt-crusted skin stinging with pain.

Once, he lay on a lonely boat, arms raised, fingers splayed wide. Through the gaps between his fingers, he gazed at the midnight stars, weeping silently: "Bronze is my limit! Damn it, damn it all..."

Once, he lay in the desert, drinking blood from the corpse of a loved one to quench his thirst!

Flash after flash of the past streaked before his eyes, finally settling on the figure of the dragonman youngster.

“My life, my... future!” Suddenly, the visions vanished before Lan Zao's eyes, leaving them crystal clear.

Boom!

Without warning, a massive golden battle qi hand tore through the air, slamming downward.

His Fluid Perception instantly alerted Lan Zao to danger. With agile reflexes, he dove deeper into the sea.

But in the next instant, the giant hand split into two, one on each side, crashing into the sea and pursuing relentlessly.

Lan Zao couldn't outrun the giant hands and was soon cornered.

The giant hands seized Lan Zao and flung him back onto the ship.

He slammed onto the deck.

He looked up and saw a pirate flag first.

The Heroism Pirates!