Following Heaven's Trend

In the endless archipelago, man-made islands are known territory, while the open sea remains a mystery. As a child, Qi Wudao watched a giant beast crush his parents to pieces. An old master found him on the docks, then took in Lin Wuchang as well. The three of them crammed into a battered fishing boat, where the old master taught them to read the tides, watch the wind, read the clouds and predict rain, and stay alive when giant beasts passed by. He knew far too much for a fisherman. When his two apprentices asked him about it, he only said, “Live long enough, and you’ll learn.” There was one rule at sea: never ask where anyone came from. The old master never left. He was still on that battered boat, waiting for them to return. One day, the old master sent them alone for the first time to ferry passengers to another island. There were three passengers aboard: a woman who traveled alone with a sword, a drunken genius renowned at the gambling house, and a taciturn young gentleman from a wealthy family. Halfway through the voyage, the drunk staggered out of the cabin. Everyone on board despised him, but the few of them didn’t avoid him. By the time the boat reached shore, they were inseparable. The old master had told Qi Wudao that cultivation in these waters was different from elsewhere. Each person resonated with a certain “thing” and planted it within themselves, using its growth to advance their cultivation. The vessel granted power, but also reshaped one’s nature. The deeper one cultivated, the more one came to resemble the thing they had planted. A vessel could be cultivated anew, coexist with others, lie buried deep in the bones, manifest as a weapon or fruit, or be visualized as a giant beast to steal its nature. It could be planted anywhere in the body, but lose control, and you would explode. On the road that followed, Qi Wudao saw all of this with his own eyes and heard it with his own ears. He had seen giant beasts crush everything in their path. After that, he never ran again. With no path ahead, he took to the sea. The sea cares nothing for the Dao. It cares only about survival.