Endless Ocean: Survival Begins with a Dugout Canoe
Chapter 269 - 262: The Rank-10 S-Rank Skill
The elder, dressed in a Tang suit, had an extraordinary air about him. The moment he stepped into the banquet hall, the boisterous atmosphere fell silent for a few seconds, only to erupt into an even more fervent wave of sound as greetings echoed from all directions.
He was one of the Chairmen of Da Yu’s Jiuzhou Platform.
Zhou Huaijin.
Known as Elder Zhou.
The instant Shi Ming saw him surrounded by the crowd, his eyes began to twitch frantically.
[This is a man who bears the great destiny of this era! Only someone like him could control the powerful artifact, the Destiny Golden Toad.]
[Compared to Trellin of the Lighthouse and Abraham of the Twelve Stars, the biggest difference with Da Yu’s Pioneer, Zhou Huaijin, is that he himself is a powerful S-rank Awakened. And here’s a little secret: only three people knew this. Now, there’s one more.]
[S-rank Skill: Blending with Light and Dust]
[Harmonize with its light, become one with its dust. So deep and still, as if it barely exists.]
[Ranked 10th among S-rank Awakened skills. Lock onto an Awakened of the same rank and adjust your own base stats and Awakened skills to perfectly mirror theirs for 30 minutes. Alternatively, lock onto an Awakened of the same rank and adjust their base stats and Awakened skills to perfectly mirror your own (excluding Blending with Light and Dust) for 30 minutes.]
[The maximum skill rank that "Blending with Light and Dust" can copy is S-rank, with a maximum stat value of 200 points.]
[The greater the disparity in stats, the heavier the physical burden on the user. However, for the most part, this Pioneer uses "Blending with Light and Dust" as a reconnaissance skill. After all, he has yet to face a crisis that requires his personal intervention.]
[His purpose for coming here is very simple. Perhaps you’ve already guessed...]
Shi Ming jolted.
’He’s here for me!’
’He wants to use "Blending with Light and Dust" to secretly copy my skills and find out which sea beasts I’ve killed and what my combat strength is! If the target’s limit is S-rank, then Arm of Power, Eye of the World, and Infinite Brain are definitely out of its reach. But even so, the five S-rank skills I possess are more than enough to be shocking!’
Shi Ming quickly analyzed the pros and cons.
He considered whether to hide for a bit to avoid having his trump cards laid bare.
[Relax! The Eye of the World holds the power over secrets. The Eye of the World is the one that spies on the secrets of others; no one spies on the secrets of the Eye of the World.]
[This is the creed of the Eye of the World.]
’That’s a relief.’
’But I can’t just give him a blank slate. Wouldn’t that be a dead giveaway? It would expose even more secrets.’
[The Eye of the World is just a skill. The text you see is merely an external manifestation of your subconscious mind. To question the abilities of the Eye of the World is to question yourself.]
’My personality isn’t this quirky.’
Shi Ming retorted silently.
[...]
...
Surrounded by the crowd, Elder Zhou walked toward the center of the banquet hall.
At his side were two bodyguards. Both looked quite powerful—A-rank Awakened, at the very least. They cautiously scanned their surroundings, tasked with nipping any potential incidents in the bud. Yet, they had no idea of the true power of the man they were protecting.
If a real crisis were to occur, it wouldn’t be them protecting Elder Zhou, but Elder Zhou protecting them.
Elder Zhou’s gaze swept across the room.
"Where’s Rong Bing?"
"Over here, Elder Zhou,"
Rong Bing slurred, already half a bottle of strong liquor down.
Elder Zhou didn’t bother with the man, who was completely unreliable outside of a mission. His gaze wandered idly across the hall before he took the microphone his assistant handed him.
The hall grew quiet.
The voice of this Pioneer of Da Yu was smooth and gentle, yet it carried a palpable sense of power. 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦
"Friends, compatriots.
"The war against the sea beasts has always been a war for survival!
"Thirty years ago, we lost the continents. Our civilization nearly capsized upon the oceans. Less than one in ten of us survived. In this azure Wandering Era, we survivors have toiled on the seas, weathering every storm. The faith that has fueled our thirty-year struggle is like the morning star, destined to lead us out of this long night.
"Today, we gather here,
"and we must thank every warrior of Da Yu, as well as our friends and allies.
"Kunwu, the Beidou Star, Rong Bing, Shi Ming, Zhao Li Luo... and all our potential supporters and unsung heroes. It is thanks to their efforts and aid that S-rank sea beasts have fallen one after another. I am confident that this war of attrition will end in humanity’s victory, and that this arduous, winding path will one day become a straight and open road.
"The sky and the seas will, just as they were thirty years ago, belong to all of humanity."
As his voice fell, thunderous applause erupted.
"To humanity! To humanity!"
"The sky belongs to humanity!"
"The seas belong to humanity!"
The atmosphere in the banquet hall surged once again. In the instant that Shi Ming’s and Elder Zhou’s gazes met unintentionally, an almost imperceptible light flashed in the Pioneer’s eyes.
From a distance, with a benevolent gaze, he nodded toward Shi Ming, then left the banquet hall escorted by his assistant and guards.
The attendees grew even more fervent.
Newspaper reporters were already composing new drafts in their minds.
...
After the banquet was the private exchange of spoils.
As previously agreed, Shi Ming received the Sea-Rising Cherry Root, 50 kilograms of flesh from the Moonlight Ripple Beast, and a terminal for Da Yu’s Treasure Vault loaded with 11,000 points.
As the holder of a terminal with A+ clearance, he could not only select items on the device to be delivered by Da Yu staff, but he could also personally visit Da Yu’s Treasure Vault to choose his treasures. Of course, Da Yu’s Treasure Vault was no ordinary place. Its intense security was its most trivial feature. It also possessed a "thousand faces for a thousand people" quality—what each person saw upon entering was completely different.
Similarly, Shi Ming handed over half of the Purifying Marrow and the Bodhi Fruit to Da Yu.
The reward promised to Shi Ming in their agreement did not include the Bodhi Fruit—only half of the Purifying Marrow. However, since the Bodhi Fruit was an additional prize that he had also collected, it was only right that he kept half.
With that, this S-rank commission was successfully completed.
Today’s affairs had been numerous and complicated. His appointment with Dr. Chongwen was for tomorrow. As for exchanging points for treasures, that required careful selection and was not to be rushed...
...
...
...
「Jiuzhou Platform.」
The light in Elder Zhou’s eyes faded.
For the first time, using "Blending with Light and Dust" had placed a burden on him.
"Not simple at all..."
"Just as the rumors said. Four skills, and every one of them is extraordinary. It seems that at least four S-rank sea beasts have died by his hand. Add the Moonlight Ripple Beast, and that makes five."
Thanks to the Eye of the World’s counter-reconnaissance, Elder Zhou’s Blending with Light and Dust had only copied four skills with partially distorted information.
The Black Tortoise’s "Desperate Ground" was completely hidden.
The Dusk Whale’s skill, "Ragnarok," was distorted into its original, unevolved form. The "Third Law" skill, derived from Formless Pure Ice, was changed into Blade of Ice Tribulation.
As for his base stats, they were slashed by 40%, yet even then, his Spiritual Power still hit the 200-point cap. It was precisely this immense disparity in Spiritual Power that had burdened Elder Zhou’s body for the first time.
There was nothing to be done about his Spiritual Power; it simply couldn’t be altered.
After resting for a moment, Elder Zhou stroked the Destiny Golden Toad in his hand.
"Perhaps he truly is the one who bears great destiny."
"Someone who can bring Da Yu an opportunity comparable to the Great Stone Stele."