I Can Strengthen Infinitely

East Sea Coast.

Most people along the East Sea live by fishing, with at least one fishing boat per household. They consistently weave and dry nets, keeping fish for personal consumption and hanging or packing the surplus fish to sell in nearby counties.

Li Xing’s village has been situated on the East Coast for generations, with around fifteen generations recorded on the genealogy.

This morning, the sky was clear and sunny on the East Sea coast, perfect weather for drying fish.

Li Xing used iron hooks to secure the lips of the fish he had just caught and hung them on the racks.

These fish were sliced open, their insides cleaned, and wooden sticks used to prop them open, allowing the sunlight to thoroughly reach the fish bodies.

Just then, a strange cry echoed repeatedly, prompting Li Xing to look around. He soon spotted a rider approaching amid a cloud of dust. Upon closer inspection, he found himself shocked, mouth agape.

A man without a lower body was lying on the horse’s back.

Could he still be alive?

Wu Changsheng had been traveling long distances, and due to his lack of a lower body, even though he still possessed Grandmaster-level strength, he had limited control over the forces of nature.

Thus, he couldn’t rely solely on his body for long-distance travel and had to seek external assistance, like the wild horse he was currently riding, which he had caught and tamed.

Seeing Li Xing’s village, Wu Changsheng’s eyes lit up and he quickly rode over to inquire, "Have you seen an island that moves in the sea?"

Li Xing, who had spent years at sea encountering strange events, was brave enough to respond to Wu Changsheng’s inquiry after a brief thought, "Sir, I haven’t seen it."

Wu Changsheng’s face showed a hint of disappointment, but indeed, it’s not easy to spot a small island in the vast ocean.

"Sir, you could ask our village’s elder. He’s the oldest resident here, having lived by the sea for nearly a century. Perhaps he knows what you’re talking about."

Despite his low expectations, Wu Changsheng, determined not to miss any opportunity, nodded and said, "Thank you, regardless of the outcome, I will reward you generously."

Li Xing led him into the village, with Wu Changsheng following on foot, using his hands to support his movement, looking heart-wrenching due to his missing lower body.

In the village’s largest hall, an old man with a white beard reaching his waist was seated in the highest chair, holding a fan in his left hand and a teapot in his right, appearing in good health.

"Elder, an outsider wishes to consult you on some matters." Li Xing approached the old man respectfully after entering.

This was the village’s oldest resident.

"Hmm?" Upon seeing Wu Changsheng’s appearance behind Li Xing, even the elder was momentarily stunned.

For ordinary villagers, no one could survive such severe injuries.

"What do you wish to learn, guest?"

Wu Changsheng asked, "Have you ever seen a moving island on the sea?"

Upon hearing this, the elder’s expression changed to one of extreme surprise.

This expression clearly indicated something significant, causing Li Xing to feel secretly pleased.

"Do you know?" Wu Changsheng pursued.

"Though I don’t know why the guest traveled so far to find such a thing, I indeed know about the matter you mentioned..."

Before the elder could finish, Wu Changsheng flicked his sleeve, and four or five fist-sized silver ingots rolled out from his sleeve, spinning on the ground.

Everyone in the hall was amazed; they had never seen so much silver before.

"Tell me everything you know, and I will reward you further."

All eyes turned to the elder, sincerely hoping he would provide a satisfactory answer to the guest.

"It happened one day thirty years ago. I was fishing at sea when suddenly, strong waves rolled across the water. Initially, the weather was fine, but it quickly turned cloudy. At that time, the waves made the boat sway heavily, and it was then that I saw the island."

Wu Changsheng had no interest in hearing a common man’s tale, so he immediately asked again, "Where is that island?"

"I encountered the island half a day’s boat journey northeast from the village. At that time, we anchored the boat to avoid the rain, but within about half a stick of incense, despite the boat being still, we drifted several zhang from the anchor place. Only then did I realize that the island was moving, quite strange indeed."

"Indeed, indeed! That’s it."

"But guest, I only know about this matter; you yourself know that the island moves. As for now, I cannot help you find its whereabouts." The old man shook his head.

"No matter, as long as I know the location, I have my ways for the rest." Wu Changsheng flicked his sleeve, and a leather pouch fell out directly. As the pouch hit the ground, the opening loosened, and several glimmering gold ingots rolled out instantly.

The shock of this was far greater than those silver ingots from earlier, and everyone stared with wide eyes, even the eldest old man was no exception.

If these riches could be obtained, the entire village would surely be prosperous.

At that moment, some couldn’t help but wonder how many more treasures Wu Changsheng was hiding on him. If he could give them all, that would be ideal.

Seemingly guessing these people’s thoughts, Wu Changsheng casually twisted and grabbed the ground, instantly creating two dents on the surface.

This casual maneuver caused everyone’s hearts to tremble; one must know that the ground was paved with stone. This guy’s hand could crumble stone, and to deal with them, ordinary people without martial arts, would be as easy as flipping a hand, effortlessly.

"Take me to the place you saw that island back then; once successful, I promise ten times the reward." Wu Changsheng said.

If birds die for food, then humans die for wealth. Although the old man was advanced in age and surely couldn’t go out to sea anymore, under Wu Changsheng’s promise, he still nodded repeatedly, saying, "No problem, no problem. I still remember where it was back then; my grandson can lead you there."

Wu Changsheng found a glimmer of opportunity and naturally didn’t want to waste time; he said, "Set off immediately, no delay."

...

Three of the village’s largest fishing boats slowly sailed into the sea. The old man’s bones certainly couldn’t withstand going out to sea, otherwise, even if he obtained the promised treasure from Wu Changsheng, he likely wouldn’t live to enjoy it. Hence, guiding the journey fell to his grandson.

A middle-aged man who bore some resemblance to the old man.

However, before Wu Changsheng, all these people were merely children.

The old man’s grandson was named Li Bin, holding the sea chart drawn by the old man, while Li Xing, who had brought Wu Changsheng into the village, was also requested by Wu Changsheng to accompany him on this journey.

By this point, Wu Changsheng had already become a symbol of wealth; those who followed him in this task could potentially gain a substantial amount of silver taels from him, and thus Li Xing was quite pleased internally.

In their line of work, they didn’t earn much, and Wu Changsheng’s generous spending could rival their years of diligent labor.

The vast sea seemed endless, even Immortals would feel the grand vastness of the world and their own insignificance upon arrival.

Wu Changsheng lay against the ship’s mast, staring at the horizon, his mind filled with numerous memories of his life.

He had long forgotten when he first met that Immortal; he only knew that upon seeing her for the first time, that figure had deeply embedded itself in his heart, taking root and growing.

Wu Changsheng had a good relationship with her, originally planning to return to the heavens after coming to the mortal realm to eliminate the Celestial Demon and then become immortal companions. However, unexpectedly, in the fierce battle against the Celestial Demon, not only did they separate, but also lost track of each other. Wu Changsheng himself ended up losing his lower body and was forced to seal himself in ice.

Ever since Qin Yuesheng broke the seal and released him, Wu Changsheng’s mind had only one thought, which was to find the whereabouts of the Immortal, dead or alive.

In life, see the person; in death, see the corpse.

The three fishing boats sailed for a long time, and soon the wind picked up dramatically, causing the sails and the ship’s body to sway violently.

"The wind is picking up! The wind is picking up!"

"Look at the sky; the clouds are turning black. Rain is likely coming; everyone prepare."

Instantly, no one paid attention to Wu Changsheng; all began to busy themselves.

Wu Changsheng glanced at the dark clouds rolling in from afar and immediately retreated into the cabin.

Rumble!

Soon enough, rain began to pitter-patter down on the sea. As time passed, the rain intensified, becoming like splashing water, shockingly heavy.

Seeing this scene, some couldn’t help but discuss lightly, "They say when the old man saw the island back then, it was also raining this heavily. Do you think this is odd, perhaps because there’s a taboo on the island, causing the storm when anyone approaches."

"It’s not impossible; indeed, this is rather strange."

The sailors’ discussions reached Wu Changsheng’s ears, but he didn’t mind.

Every Immortal, when sealing themselves, would set up some Arrays around the seal to prevent others from approaching; this was quite normal, and perhaps encountering such a situation now.

Amidst the storm, the fishing boat ventured deeper, the swaying causing even seasoned sailors to feel uneasy; just as someone was about to give up, a sudden exclamation was heard.

"Look! There seems to be an island over there!"