Volume One: The Dragon Rises from the Wild Chapter Seventy-Nine: Chasing the Waves

On a snow-covered hillside stood a row of stone houses and several wooden boats.
This was the dwelling place of fishermen.
Each year, during spring and summer, the fishermen would arrive, venturing out to sea by day and returning at night to light bonfires, mend their nets, drink and laugh, creating a lively scene; when autumn came, their numbers dwindled; and when winter’s wind and snow cloaked the coast, the place became a desolate, abandoned wilderness.
Yet this winter was especially cold, and within the stone houses, there was now an extra resident—a young man and a horse.
That afternoon, the door creaked open, and the youth stepped outside.
Though surrounded by ice and snow, he seemed unaffected by the chill, clad in a thin long robe and sturdy boots of animal hide. Standing in the snow before the door, he gazed into the distance for a moment, then pushed open the neighboring door. Inside, dried grass covered the floor and a robust black horse lay resting. He opened a sack of feed, poured it out for the horse, spent a moment in affectionate company, then departed, heading alone toward the sea.
If a cultivator from Qizhou saw him, they might guess his origins.
Yu Ye!
Yu Ye from Yu Family Village!
The youth who had slain several Qizhou cultivators, escaped pursuit from foundation-building masters multiple times, and even challenged Master Bu Yi himself!
His name had spread far and wide.
Yet Yu Ye himself remained oblivious.
After fleeing Lingjiao Town, he hid in the mountains for a time. As the weather grew colder, fearing the snow would seal the passes, he traveled westward until he reached the sea’s edge. Finding the coast deserted and the stone houses empty, he settled there, spending his days cultivating, studying his techniques, and wandering the snowy shore in moments of leisure.
The beach, too, was blanketed in white. Incoming waves froze to icy layers, piling up along the shore in strange shapes. The sea was vast and gray, battered by northern winds, as if heaven and earth alike had turned bleak, the landscape rife with desolation.
Yu Ye walked out onto the rocks by the shore, lifting his head to gaze into the distance.
He still appeared as a youth, though his face had lost much of its childishness; his eyes beneath thick brows shone with greater spirit, his stature seemed taller, his frame stronger.
Once this winter passed, he would be seventeen.
His cultivation had changed as well.
After arriving at the shore, he made a pact with the Jiao Shadow: as the head of his family, he would set two rules. First, they could not cultivate simultaneously, lest their efforts be wasted. Especially during his cultivation, the Jiao Shadow was not to seize spiritual energy, but instead aid him in rising through realms, comprehending techniques, and mastering spells. Second, when major decisions could not be agreed upon, he would have the final say as family head. Though the Jiao Shadow was reluctant, having seen his stubbornness, she took his "Heavenly Forbidden Art" and "Supreme Spirit Talisman" to study, allowing him to devote himself quietly to cultivation, finally raising his level to the third stage of Qi Refining.
Still, he felt progress slow. He’d spent over ten spirit stones, a loss that pained him.
As expected, he was scolded once again.
According to the Jiao Shadow, cultivation was like climbing a mountain: only by advancing step by step could one achieve anything. Did he expect to leap to the summit in one bound? If he wished to fly, he’d become prey for eagles! Though only at the third stage, his unique talent and the Jiao Pill’s blessing meant his internal energy rivaled the fifth stage, his mastery of the Seven Killing Sword Qi was effortless, and with the Armor-Breaking Talisman, he could challenge any Qi Refining expert. What more could he want? His rapid consumption of spirit stones, while far greater than the disciples of the immortal sects, proved the strength of his foundation. Did he know that Golden Core cultivators often consumed dozens or even hundreds of spirit stones in a single session?
The scolded family head could only remain meek and silent.
Yet Yu Ye was deeply impressed by the Jiao Shadow’s insight and mastery of cultivation texts.
According to her, the "Heavenly Forbidden Art" was extraordinary, a rare scripture even among the immortal sects overseas. Once mastered, it could unleash divine powers capable of restraining heaven and earth. The technique was profound, difficult even for her to comprehend, so she advised Yu Ye to abandon complexity for simplicity, first practicing the "Restraint" and "Restriction" arts among the nine forbidden techniques.
The "Restraint" technique, forming a talisman array to trap opponents instantly, was similar to the Dragon-Subduing Talisman but vastly superior. The "Restriction" technique was derived from Restraint, the array imposing limitations on all things, its power enduring as long as the energy remained.
Regarding talisman arts, the Jiao Shadow admitted limited knowledge but had observed masters forging talismans and held unique views. She believed the Supreme Spirit Talisman’s methods derived from the array manipulation of the Forbidden Art. With mutual study, one method could lead to mastery of countless others.
As the saying goes, master one method, master a hundred, master ten thousand!

The Jiao Shadow’s guidance was like sunlight breaking through clouds, illuminating his path and offering countless benefits. Having her as mentor and companion was both fortune and blessing.
Yet whenever asked about her past, she kept silent, shrouded in mystery. Perhaps she bore scars from painful memories, perhaps burdens too heavy to speak of…
Another gust of sea wind swept by, making his sleeves and robe snap audibly.
Yu Ye remained unaware, standing motionless.
His technique for protecting himself with true energy had grown from clumsy to proficient, now as natural as breathing. He shielded his body with true energy, allowing his robes to billow freely in the wind, giving him an air of sharpness and making him appear like any ordinary youth.
He gazed at the distant sky, reflecting on the past but focusing on the present.
As the Jiao Shadow feared, what would the future bring?
Should he go overseas?
The idea was born of necessity. The Great Marsh offered him no safe haven; rather than fleeing endlessly, it might be better to venture abroad and seek his fortune.
But venturing abroad was no easy feat. Mo Can once explored overseas at the ninth stage of Qi Refining and returned defeated. Yu Ye’s own cultivation was only at the third stage—how could he dare to journey alone?
Moreover, Bu Yi and his ilk hailed from overseas Qizhou; to enter their stronghold would be perilous indeed!
Well, such thoughts needed careful consideration and weighing.
As for his public vow to find Bu Yi and settle their account, it was not mere bravado. He meant to remind Bu Yi that he had left Xingyuan Valley and Lingjiao Town far behind. He was not speaking idly, and the day would come when their feud would be resolved.
Yu Ye’s brow arched, a cold light flickered in his gaze, and he swept his robe aside, sitting cross-legged where he stood, slowly closing his eyes.
By the sea, atop the rocks, he sat alone, listening to the waves sigh, letting the cold wind strike his face, guarding a quiet place in his heart…

As dusk fell, Yu Ye, finished with his time by the sea, rose and walked back. His footprints trailed across the snowy beach. He strolled idly, his hands moving through the air as if catching the wind or grasping fleeting moments.
Back at the stone house, another strong wind sent the snow atop the roof tumbling down.
Yu Ye raised his hand and grabbed at the air.
A chunk of falling snow paused briefly, then burst into a shower of flakes.
Yu Ye looked at his hands, deep in thought.
Inside, the room was dim, cluttered with old nets and supplies left by fishermen—grain, salt, oil, firewood. A patch of ground in the center was covered with an animal-hide mat.
Yu Ye entered, closed the door, sat cross-legged on the mat, alternating between deep contemplation and gesturing with his hands.
After a moment, he tried again, reaching out to grab at the air.
A stick of firewood jumped from the pile in the corner, wobbled, then fell to the floor.
Yu Ye smiled faintly, pleased.

In recent days, when not cultivating, he had pondered the Restraint technique of the Forbidden Art. Thanks to the Jiao Shadow’s guidance, he had begun to grasp its essence.
And the Restraint technique could not only trap opponents—it could also retrieve objects from afar?
How intriguing!
Yu Ye was pleasantly surprised and considered calling the Jiao Shadow, but then shook his head.
After each time she spoke, the Jiao Shadow would lapse into silence for two days. Her soul was weaker than he’d imagined. She was in the midst of cultivation and best left undisturbed. She had said that with diligence, she could one day reshape her soul and return to human form.
He looked forward to seeing her as a human again, to find whether she was as elegant as Bai Zhi or as clever as Cai’er…
Unconsciously, another month had passed.
Yu Ye stood before the stone house, exhaling a long, turbid breath.
Snow still lingered atop the distant mountain.
But the slope and beach before him were now clear of snow. In the cold wind, there was a hint of warmth. Even the roar of the waves sounded like the thunder of spring, calling all things to awaken.
“Winter has ended?”
“Mm!”
“Time to leave?”
“Mm!”
“Where to?”
“South of the Great Marsh.”
“How far?”
“A thousand leagues.”
“Mm, without spirit stones, what, would you stay here and fish for a living? Come on! Whether a thousand or ten thousand miles, I’ll walk beside you…”
Yu Ye nodded silently and returned to the house.
A few days earlier, he had depleted his last spirit stone. Without them, both he and the Jiao Shadow could no longer cultivate, and with winter now gone, he resolved to depart. Mo Can had mentioned a place called Huazhou Town in the south of the Great Marsh. The ferry dock at Huazhou might be his final retreat.
Yu Ye gathered the grain and salt from the house into his iron ring, leaving behind a silver ingot as compensation. For the long journey ahead, he needed to prepare feed for the horse. As he turned to leave, he reached out and grabbed; from a distant pile, a fisherman’s straw hat flew into his hand.
While he had not yet mastered the Restraint technique of the Forbidden Art, he had unexpectedly perfected the art of retrieving objects from afar.
Yu Ye stepped outside, whistling.
A black horse burst from the house, hooves pounding, head held high, neighing.
Yu Ye tapped his toes and vaulted onto its back, donned the straw hat, drew his sword and stowed it in his pack. The horse neighed again, reared, and shot forward, galloping along the beach, chasing dust and waves into the distance…