Chapter 229 - Plain, Simple, And Mundane
The giant ship gradually began to set sail, and the group of cultivators each returned to their temporary abodes on the giant ship.
Since it was a trip that cost 20,000 Spirit Stones, the decor in the rooms was extremely luxurious.
Seeing this, Chen Chen felt much better.
The cost of construction of the giant ship alone was remarkably expensive.
Besides, the array had to be open at all times throughout the journey, making the consumption of Spirit Stones extremely high.
Besides, the Spirit Stones that they earned would not be remitted entirely to that Essence Soul realm expert alone.
When Chen Chen first boarded the ship, he sensed it carefully and detected that ten Nascent Soul realm cultivators were acting as guards in addition to the shipowner who was at the Essence Soul realm.
There were also nearly a hundred other people who played different roles.
Although he would still be raking in lots of profits, Chen Chen was no longer envious. After all, what he did to make money didn't require capital or taking risks.
The rules for treasure-hunting were considerably simple.
Foremost, the cultivators may delve down and search through the sea at any time they desire, but they have to withstand within 10 kilometers from the ship.
Next, the giant ship will stop for half a day for every 5,000 kilometers traveled. During this half a day, the cultivators' search area can be spread to a 250-kilometer radius with the giant ship as the center.
...
When the giant ship had just set off, the cultivators on board did not have much desire to pitch into the sea to search for treasures because small boats were searching the sea near the East Pole Island every day.
The probability of them finding some excellent treasures in the sea was somewhat low.
Besides, the rich people in this giant ship all maintain an aura of superiority, if they rummage around the sea now, that would make them appear famished as the poor people on the small boat.
After the giant ship traveled for 500 kilometers, some rushing cultivators finally started plunging down the core of the sea.
Chen Chen noticed their equipment. Most of them were wearing specially tailored clothes that would allow them to be isolated from the seawater, thus saving lots of spiritual power.
During this journey, the cultivators spent most of their time under the water. To them, the giant ship was not only a supply point but also a pillar of emotional support.
Spiritual power could not be replenished underwater. If they could use lesser spiritual power to protect their bodies, they would be able to save more spiritual power and have ample time searching for treasures under the sea.
Chen Chen naturally wouldn't slack off on the ship because he had long wanted to delve into the depths of the ocean.
Chen Chen took out the Water-Repelling Shield that Yu Qiong had provisioned him and dived into the sea.
Compared to other cultivators who swam around in the endless sea, he was moving freely on the sea like he was walking on land.
Yu Qiong's treasures were superiorly efficient. The Spirit Stones entirely intensify the Water-Repelling Shield. Not only could it protect the bearers from seawater erosion, but it would also allow them to control and move freely. It was just like a small submarine treasure.
However, the underwater treasures could not allow one to have a wider view like the Water-Repelling Shield could.
As soon as Chen Chen reached the heart of the ocean, he saw a huge point of light in the coral reef below before he could even use the system.
He went over to inspect, only to behold a human head-sized pearl in the crevice of the coral reef!
Holding that pearl in his hand, Chen Chen was suddenly speechless. If it was placed in a room, it could light up the entire room and serve as a main source of light.
"So tacky! It's too tacky! Xishuang probably wouldn't like this, though Master might."
After muttering to himself, Chen Chen moved the luminous pearl away.
"System, what are the precious items within a hundred-meter radius?"
"There are some deep sea crystal ores in the coral reef in front of you, internal alchemy of fallen Core Formation realm sea demons in the sand, 30 meters to the left, and a 7,000-year-old Deep Sea Spirit Ginseng, 50 meters below you..."
The system listed seven or eight answers at once. Chen Chen marveled in awe.
'It's almost as if I used wide-range tracking.'
'Within just a hundred meters, a myriad of treasures are already visible. Wouldn't it be grandiose if I keep exploring further?'
Chen Chen was a little worried that he might get carried away before he could even find the Divine Condensation Pearl.
He safely stuffed those seven or eight items into the storage ring while observing the other cultivators in the sea. At this point, they were all like mermaids who were searching everywhere.
However, it gradually turned extremely dark under the sea. Apart from the human head-sized pearl, the other treasures weren't that easy to find.
It was especially tough because some treasures were covered by the sea sand or hidden among the coral reefs. Hence, there was no chance for them to find them. They still had to follow behind the giant ship.
Getting a glance was good enough. There was no time to search in detail at all.
"Hurry up and find some treasures! Are you swimming for fun?"
Seeing that the group of people was moving past all sorts of excellent treasures while still searching desperately, Chen Chen felt worried about them but placed all those items into his storage ring.
Before he knew it, he had already traveled for a thousand kilometers with the giant ship.
Collecting treasures was an exhausting endeavor. Along the way, Chen Chen had collected numerous treasures, and his arms were already getting numb. For treasures that were less than 10,000 years old were basically out of his consideration.
He was about to fall asleep while collecting the treasures when the system suddenly prompted him with an alert.
"There is a million-year-old Crimson Blood Coral, 98 meters below you."
Hearing this prompt, Chen Chen instantly perked up. He focused on what sounded like it was a million-year-old treasure.
Almost instantly, he arrived at the location provided by the system.
There were countless swimming fishes in the reef, and the Crimson Blood Coral was nowhere in sight.
Refusing to resign from fate, Chen Chen gently rubbed the reef at the designated location of the system.
He swept away the finger-thick seaweed, and all of a sudden, a red ray of light emerged out of the sea surface like a laser!
At the same time, a rich wave of blood energy swarmed towards Lin Li, almost knocking him unconscious.
"Damn!"
Chen Chen shrieked in shock before quickly putting that "reef" into the Little Carefree Immortal Palace.
Several cultivators near him also seemed to have been attracted by the red stream of light as they all subconsciously looked over, but Chen Chen ignored their gazes and left calmly.
Once he left, a group of people swam into the reef and began to look around.
After searching for about a minute, and seeing that they were about to stray more than 10 kilometers away from the giant ship, the crowd had no choice but to leave reluctantly.
...
Chen Chen sensed the "reef" in the Little Carefree Immortal Palace and was at a loss for words.
The million-year-old Crimson Blood Coral was wrapped in seaweed, and only the portion that he had rubbed was revealed.
However, it emitted an extremely dazzling ray of light.
When Green Bean saw that, it crawled over and spurted a mouthful of water to wash the seaweed away. The true appearance of the Crimson Blood Coral, which was the size of a small house, was revealed.
However, Chen Chen could not see the true appearance of the Crimson Blood Coral because the entire Little Carefree Immortal Palace was red, and he felt as if he had entered a brimming blood-colored world. All he could see was a vague red sun in the middle!
In addition, there was also the majestic power of Qi and Blood!
It was truly a terrifying treasure!
Chen Chen reckoned that if he gave it to Zhou Renlong, who mainly cultivated the power of Qi and Blood, he would be able to reach the Essence Soul realm.
"It's too scary and pompous... I have to cover it with something."
Chen Chen could not help but shake his head.
On the other hand, Green Bean showed a strong desire to come out.
Seeing this, Chen Chen grabbed Green Bean by its shell and pulled it out of the Little Carefree Immortal Palace.
As soon as Green Bean entered the sea, it jumped around happily but soon after, the surrounding fishes vanished without a trace. It then had no choice but to send Green Bean back into the Little Immortal Palace.
Back in the Little Carefree Immortal Palace, Green Bean was still moving its limbs around, and when it saw that the surrounding fishes had vanished, it crawled back to the Crimson Blood Coral while looking at Chen Chen pitifully with its beady eyes.
"I'll let you go out when there's no one around anymore! Now's not the time!"
While Chen Chen spoke, he drew some seawater into the Little Carefree Immortal Palace as a form of consolation to Green Bean.
He then put away the Little Carefree Immortal Palace and continued to hunt for treasures.
Once again, he collected treasures throughout the journey, and Chen Chen began to feel numb. He felt like he had turned into a machine that did nothing except collect treasures while shuffling through the areas designated by the system.
He didn't get carried away but merely got numb and sick of it.
At the same time, his standards of evaluating treasures were improving.
By the time the giant ship had traveled for 5,000 kilometers, the scenery in Little Carefree Immortal Palace had changed.
The boulders had all turned into shiny corals, and there were colorful spirit pearls in the room, as well as Deep Sea Spirit Ginsengs that were of different ages while displayed in an orderly manner on the shelves.
The little morning glory was extremely busy with organizing the treasures, but she also found joy in doing so.
On the other hand, the Ochre Yellow Spirit was also frolicking happily in the sea full of spiritual energy.
The scene was very fancy and flashy.
However, that was only a small part.
Chen Chen stuffed most of the things into the storage ring.
Seeing that the giant ship had finally come to a stop, Chen Chen emerged from the sea and heaved a sigh of relief.
After traveling for 5,000 kilometers in the sea, hunting for treasures was no longer pleasing him.
Seeing that the other cultivators had stopped because of the giant ship, he was so agitated that he almost burst into tears realizing that he could search seriously.
Chen Chen finally smiled genuinely.
The joy for those who had secret hacks was just that simple and mundane.