Chapter 423: Battle Qi Change
Lan Zao lay sprawled on the deck, thoroughly disoriented from the fall. The back of his head, which had slammed against the deck, throbbed with pain.
The first thing he saw in his field of vision was a pirate flag.
The black pirate flag fluttered in the wind. At its center was a white skull, its mouth wide open in a roar.
Radiating from the skull's gaping maw were concentric white circles, resembling the violent shockwaves generated by its roar.
“The Heroism Pirates!” The answer flashed instantly through Lan Zao's mind.
Among all the survivors, he was arguably the most familiar with pirate identities.
Having served as the boatswain of the Hog's Kiss for years, he made his living on the seas and knew every pirate by name.
He recognized the Heroism Pirates, for they weren't just a gold level pirate force, they were also members of the Fire Beard Pirates.
Pirates who joined the Fire Beard Pirates were never ordinary folk.
Lan Zao's gaze shifted downward. Following the pirate flag along the mast, he spotted a massive figure.
Gritting his teeth against the pain, he rolled over swiftly and stood up, glaring at the man seated beneath the mainmast.
The leader of the Heroism Pirates – the gold level fighter - Ba Qi!
Ba Qi sat with his legs spread wide, and even in that posture, he towered over Lan Zao by a full two heads.
Lan Zao could tell at a glance that Ba Qi must be over two meters tall.
He was bald, with a square jaw and a robust, muscular build. His upper body was bare, his chest like a white rampart. Below, he wore gray prison pants so plain their uneven hems hung well above his ankles.
His bare feet were at least three times the size of Lan Zao's.
Lan Zao's limbs had grown significantly larger than average after his bloodline awakened.
Most striking, his massive soles didn't touch the deck. Instead, puffs of white vapor rose from his feet, suspending them slightly above the surface.
Upon closer inspection, Lan Zao noticed white vapor also constantly emanating from the corners of his eyebrows.
This vapor faintly radiated a golden halo.
The golden hand that had previously captured Lan Zao slowly floated onto Ba Qi's shoulder. Its golden sheen rapidly faded, transforming into a cloud of white vapor that merged into Ba Qi's body from his shoulder.
“Bad Weather bloodline!” Information about Ba Qi flashed through Lan Zao's mind.
The leader of the Heroism Pirates possessed the Bad Weather bloodline. This bloodline's origin lay in the saint level air element. Theoretically, Ba Qi's limit as the Heroism Pirates Captain should be the saint level.
However, his bloodline concentration was insufficient. The gold level had become his ceiling, and his fighter rank had stagnated for over a decade.
Air Element Transformation!
This innate racial magic came with the Bad Weather bloodline.
Thus, even at the bronze level, the Heroism Pirates Captain could diffuse his body and transform into elemental energy to attack foes. This advantage was immense. Typically, only gold ranked fighters could project their battle qi outside their bodies to form projectiles for ranged attacks.
Upon reaching gold level, the Heroism Pirates Captain's Air Element Transformation grew even more potent. He could now transform his flesh and blood into air elements, infusing them with gold level battle qi to strike distant foes.
The massive golden hand that had just captured Lan Zao was forged using this very ability.
The benefits were manifold, the most obvious being a drastic reduction in gold level battle qi consumption.
"Air Element Transformation... This racial magic allows vital organs like the heart and throat to elementalize at critical moments. This means that Ba Qi possesses no conventional human weaknesses," Lan Zao mused inwardly.
Compared to this innate talent of Air Element Transformation, the Fluid Perception and Levitation abilities inherent to Lan Zao's bloodline immediately paled in comparison.
The Heroism Pirates Captain leaned back in his chair, his gaze cold and indifferent as he looked down at Lan Zao.
Lan Zao spoke up: “Lord-lord Ba Qi... I mean you no harm. Is there some misunderstanding between us?”
“Hahahaha...”
The pirates on deck roared with laughter, surrounding Lan Zao with savage, mocking stares.
Surrounded by enemies, Lan Zao had no chance of escape. Cold sweat beaded on his forehead and back.
He no longer carried the same “ferocity” as before.
The old Lan Zao had mistakenly believed the magic potion had caused a bloodline conflict, leaving him with only days to live. Thus, he fought with reckless disregard, always thinking, “Take one down if I can, and two is a bonus.”
But now, things were different.
He discovered his bloodline had awakened, and the potion's effects were perfect. He now possessed a brand-new future, poised to achieve great things. Yet, facing a formidable opponent like Ba Qi, his heart trembled, weighed down by immense psychological pressure.
Amidst the pirates' raucous laughter, Ba Qi spoke indifferently: "What bloodline is yours? Related to the fishmen, I presume? I sense you have a strong affinity for my battle qi technique."
Lan Zao froze, a crucial insight flashing through his mind.
In that instant, he seemed to grasp why Ba Qi had attacked him.
Just as he opened his mouth to speak, Ba Qi chuckled: “Regardless of your bloodline, encountering me today is your luck.”
“But whether it's good luck or bad luck, ha ha, depends entirely on your own destiny!”
With that, he extended his fan-like hand, fingers splayed wide, unleashing a powerful suction force.
Lan Zao was utterly powerless to resist and was sucked straight toward him.
Ba Qi seized Lan Zao by the head. Lan Zao tried to struggle, but soon, air currents flowed from Ba Qi's body, shimmering with golden light. Like thick golden ropes, they bound Lan Zao tightly, rendering him completely immobile.
The Heroism Pirates Captain let out a savage laugh and abruptly intensified his battle qi infusion.
A powerful surge of qi erupted from his palm, violently forcing its way into Lan Zao's body.
Lan Zao let out a piercing scream as his body swelled outward, distorting like an inflated human balloon.
Ba Qi's gold level battle qi made contact with Lan Zao's Water Grass battle qi.
Though Lan Zao had recently ascended to iron level, his entire body's battle qi still required time to fully transform from bronze level to iron level.
In truth, even iron level battle qi stood no chance against gold level battle qi.
Thus, Lan Zao's Water Grass battle qi collapsed upon contact. His defenses crumbled rapidly, overrun by Ba Qi's gold level battle qi as it relentlessly pressed forward, forcing him to retreat and huddle defensively in a corner.
Ba Qi's gold level battle qi, being a different type of energy source, clashed violently with the Water Grass battle qi. This caused Lan Zao to bleed from all seven orifices, his screams growing shrill.
It was like a magic imbalance, the collision of two battle qi from different origins inflicted horrific damage within Lan Zao's body. To save his life, Lan Zao immediately dispersed his Water Grass battle qi outward.
Being bronze level in essence, the Water Grass battle qi couldn't coalesce outside the body and thus dissipated rapidly.
Soon, only the enemy's gold level battle qi remained within Lan Zao's body.
Lan Zao's head was gripped by Ba Qi's hand, his entire body entwined by gold level battle qi currents like ropes. He hung trembling in midair, shaking like a sieve.
Though he had wisely expended all his Water Grass battle qi, years of cultivating this technique had made his body deeply attuned to it. Even after complete depletion, it still automatically generated Water Grass battle qi throughout his body.
But the moment this qi materialized, it was crushed into dust by the omnipresent gold level battle qi.
The gold level battle qi violently pierced through Lan Zao's internal organs, muscles, and bones.
Lan Zao endured excruciating agony, as if countless steel needles formed a brush, repeatedly scraping every inch of his body.
He soon screamed himself hoarse, his voice becoming utterly raspy.
He shook violently, his internal organs severely damaged, massive internal bleeding occurring, his bones strained beyond endurance, cracks spreading across his entire body, and blood seeping through his skin everywhere.
The pirates around him instinctively wiped the smiles from their faces.
Though they'd witnessed similar scenes countless times, each occurrence sent a chill through them, deepening their fear of their captain.
“Not bad. You're still alive.” Ba Qi ceased channeling his battle qi and offered Lan Zao a rare compliment.
Lan Zao's vision darkened, teetering on the edge of unconsciousness.
He screamed inwardly with every ounce of strength, urging himself to stay awake. If he lost consciousness, death would surely follow.
“Live on with my gift. If you seek revenge, you're welcome anytime.” Ba Qi swung his arm, flinging Lan Zao like a ball hundreds of meters into the sea.
He cast him aside like discarded trash, quickly withdrawing his gaze to focus ahead, “How far to Flower Skirt Island?”
The first mate hurriedly replied, “We're almost there, Lord Ba Qi. In less than two hours, we'll reach it.”
“Hurry. We have business to attend to.”
"Yes!"
The Heroism Pirates' ship surged forward at a sudden burst of speed, rapidly pulling away. Left behind, Lan Zao lay unconscious in a pool of blood, his body slowly sinking into the sea.
Ocean Mother Nest.
The fishman youngster adjusted the effects of his Deceptive Disguise spell. To the untrained eye, the Deep Sea Monster Fish no longer appeared as a reef, but as a pile of pearls.
The Deep Sea Monster Fish had seamlessly blended into its surroundings, no longer standing out as before.
The landing pod, now flooded with seawater, had served as the fishman youngster's training chamber for days.
Submerged in the water, the youngster wasn't practicing battle skills. Instead, he kept his mouth open, continuously swallowing and expelling the surrounding seawater.
With each swallow and expulsion, a fresh surge of battle qi surged within him.
It was no longer the Bursting Explosion battle qi.
After careful deliberation, the youngster had finally decided to convert his battle qi. Heeding the tower spirit's advice, he had meticulously selected a fishman battle qi technique called the Raging Tide Surging Wave Technique.
The practice of this technique involved continuous inhalation and exhalation underwater, using the compression of muscles in the chest and other areas to generate an endless flow of wave-like battle qi.
“The Raging Tide Surging Wave Technique truly suits my new form.”
Even though he had only just begun the conversion, the fishman youngster could already sense the superiority of his new battle qi.
This superiority was primarily evident in the compatibility between the battle qi and his body.
When the Bursting Explosion battle qi circulated in his fishman form, it felt like his throat was filled with chili powder. Yet, as the Surging Wave battle qi flowed through him, it brought waves of refreshing coolness that soothed his soul. He even experienced a strange illusion, as if every cell in his body was rejoicing.
“It will still take some time to complete the conversion.”
“Sigh, changing battle qi technique is such a hassle.”
“If a master proficient in this type of battle qi could infuse it into my body, the conversion time would drastically shorten, perhaps even completing within minutes.”
As the fishman youngster's thoughts drifted, the tower spirit's voice interrupted: “Captain, the sonar reconnaissance has yielded preliminary results. Please review them immediately.”
"Oh? Has the situation outside the Ocean Mother Nest been detected?" The fishman youngster grew impatient.
He immediately left the landing pod and returned to the cockpit, where he viewed the reconnaissance intelligence.
"This is...!" Staring at the reconstructed magic image, the fishman youngster felt his heart tremble violently.