Chapter Twenty-Six: Bounce! Bounce! Bounce!

But Zhang Ning had never actually practiced the Great Freedom Hand technique! What he had done was simply retrieve from his storage pouch a magical artifact called the “Tensile Fishing Net,” a treasure capable of collecting all the essence between heaven and earth. It could capture anything from newborn, sentient ginseng dolls that could run as soon as they touched the ground, to pure, masterless energies of every kind.

At that moment, Zhang Ning had an epiphany—no wonder the Great Freedom Demonic Sect was so extravagantly wealthy! With thinking like that, how could they not grow ever richer? Admittedly, it was a bit like using a sledgehammer to crack a nut, but it was more than enough to teach these hormone-fueled youngsters a small lesson. Even if they weren’t on the same level, if they splashed him, he’d splash them back!

Perhaps even the artifact’s creator never imagined that the Tensile Fishing Net would one day be used to capture ordinary, spiritless seawater. And due to the unique cultivation art of its maker, the treasure bore mysterious properties, rendering Zhang Ning’s trick undetectable to anyone aboard the Great-Bellied Boat—they all assumed the Fifth Prince had simply mastered a martial art to an extraordinary degree!

Some among the onlookers felt vicarious pride; others were frustrated by what they saw as wasted potential. Elder Mu, who was traveling with them, believed the prince’s methods were too lenient. If one disapproved of these disciples or was angered by their behavior, he thought, harsher measures could be taken: breaking their limbs would be considered mild, and making an example of them would hardly be excessive!

Mu Heng decided that once they returned, he would report this matter to his superior, the Third Elder.

Zhang Ning, meanwhile, had no inkling that he would soon be summoned by the elders over something as trivial as a water-splashing incident. He also forgot his earlier agreement with Zhuge Yi to discuss a few outstanding new disciples. Still simmering with residual anger, he returned to his chamber, not expecting the enormous surprise that awaited him.

The moment Zhang Ning opened the door, he froze, his mind utterly blank, the processor in his brain overheating. He held his breath, stepped out, then stiffly pushed the door open again... and saw that indeed, there was someone on his bed—a young lady, undressed in a state that really ought to be pixelated!

Zhang Ning blushed to the roots of his hair. “You... what are you doing?” he stammered.

Yet the girl, who was evidently offering herself to him, was even more embarrassed than he was, unable to utter a coherent word.

But just at that moment, as if someone had snapped their fingers in his mind, Zhang Ning suddenly remembered who she was: this was Xia, the winged tribe girl whose wing he had tugged the other day!

He recalled, too, a random anecdote from one of those travelogues he’d skimmed during rare moments of leisure amidst intense cultivation: for the winged tribe, their wings were a private, intimate part of their bodies. To touch them was tantamount to—

Good heavens, I wasn’t trying to take liberties! Zhang Ning shouted inwardly.

Xia must have misunderstood his intent, perhaps even harbored plans toward him for a while. Today, all the high-level cultivators were busy guiding the new disciples, and if Zhang Ning wished, he could have made as much noise as he liked without anyone knowing.

Xia was gentle and lovely, and judging by her figure—cough, cough—as a normal man, Zhang Ning certainly couldn’t claim to be immune to temptation. But he was powerless to act! After all, his body was only eight years old!

Almost simultaneously, a familiar voice overlapped with the one inside Zhang Ning’s mind. Zhang Lin heard heavy footsteps! Then the door was flung open, and Zhuge Yi entered, his face full of disappointment and pain.

Zhang Ning’s expression twisted in agony. This was too melodramatic!

Zhuge Yi declared, “It seems I have no choice but to confiscate some of your maids! Don’t blame me for acting on my own authority. I’ll report this to our master, and if you wish to plead your case, go ahead—but I won’t listen to any appeals here!”

“Senior brother, please let me explain!” Zhang Ning cried.

But Zhuge Yi had already turned away, unwilling to listen, and as Zhang Ning panicked, he suddenly felt weightless, floating off the ground!

At that critical moment, the cloud-visualization technique Zhang Ning had been practicing for days finally made a breakthrough! He advanced smoothly from the first level, “moved by stillness,” to the second, “moved by emotion.” Thanks to his relentless effort and the day’s emotional upheavals, he had achieved a qualitative leap in an astonishingly short time—a truly meteoric progress!

Of course, Zhang Ning’s prodigious talent was hardly the focus right now. The most miraculous part of reaching the second level of the cloud-visualization method was that he gained the ability to float in the air—a feat ordinary cultivators could only manage upon reaching the Martial Emperor stage! At any other time, Zhang Ning would have been overjoyed at such a breakthrough, but now he was utterly unable to control it!

With Zhuge Yi’s back to him, Zhang Ning shot upward unexpectedly. Zhuge Yi, unprepared for this, failed to react in time, and Zhang Ning soared straight up!

The event happened so suddenly, but Zhang Ning was no longer the greenhorn who had once been terrified by the flying ships of this world. Days of cultivation had trained him to think like a martial artist. So, from his storage pouch, he drew a magical artifact: the Demon God Armor. He had once mocked its name, but now it was his salvation!

The armor’s purpose was to protect its wearer and to repel any attack below the Martial Emperor level. Most importantly, it required little to no internal energy to activate—truly a beginner’s artifact for the newly initiated.

In a split second, Zhang Ning crashed with a bang into the ceiling! But instead of stopping, he bounced back down, propelled by the armor’s rebound force!

Zhuge Yi, regaining his senses, cried in concern, “Junior brother!” He reached out to grab Zhang Ning, but the moment his internal energy surged, the armor went berserk and activated at full power!

Just like that, Zhang Ning was ricocheted upward again as if struck by a paddle.

“What’s happening? Senior brother! I—can’t—control—this—armor—!” Zhang Ning wailed as he bounced helplessly.

The Demon God Armor’s effect was entirely passive. When Zhang Ning hit the ceiling, it immediately rebounded with equal force, sending him crashing down again! Although its protection kept him from serious injury—he only suffered a few scrapes—the shock left him thoroughly rattled.

Zhuge Yi realized with dismay that his intervention had made things worse by causing the Demon God Armor to recognize him as the first attacker. Now, the armor’s defenses were directed solely at him! If he tried again, even the boat’s defense arrays would be triggered!

“Someone, help!” Zhuge Yi shouted.

A few people rushed in from various corners, but none of them were experts.

Zhuge Yi was stunned. All of Zhang Ning’s subordinates had been dispatched to help Su Ye; his own team was stretched thin, needing manpower desperately. That was why Zhang Ning had been woken by a dousing, and why Zhuge Yi, usually so adept at managing his staff, now found himself in a rare pinch: all the experts had been sent to instruct the new disciples!

Besides, Zhuge Yi had only come by to speak with his junior brother. With the multitude of defensive arrays on the Great-Bellied Boat, he hadn’t imagined he’d need to bring any masters along. But now, there was not a single Martial Emperor—no one who could even walk on air!

To make matters worse, Zhuge Yi was still recovering from serious injuries inflicted by a recent betrayal. With the Demon God Armor’s automated defense, how could he possibly restrain Zhang Ning?