The thirty eighth ship was a narrow skiff, so small it seemed ready to be swallowed by the black waves at any moment.

  The thirty ninth bore a rotting hull, reeking of mildew.

  The fortieth

  “Something isn’t right.” After an unknown stretch of time, a disciple from the Divine Iron Camp finally could not endure it any longer. He paced back and forth, anxiety carved deep into his rugged face. “How many have passed already? Why hasn’t there been a single ship comparable to the first? Forget better, we haven’t even seen one close to it!”

  His words instantly struck a chord.

  “Could it be that the first ship was already the largest?” a disciple from the Xia Ke Gang added, his voice trembling faintly.

  The more he thought about it, the colder his heart became. He suddenly turned toward Wen Shan.

  “Junior Brother Wen Shan! I remember your example. If the first ship was already superior, then by Junior Sister Xiuxiu’s strategy, at best we can only obtain a middle or inferior vessel. If our luck is worse, we might even choose the worst one!”

  His voice rose with agitation.

  “And then what? Do we board some wreck that could sink at any moment? If we refuse, do we remain trapped on this island forever? Would that not be no different from those who were sealed in that stone chamber before, dying slowly in confinement?”

  The despair in his words drained the color from everyone’s faces.

  “Impossible! Absolutely impossible!” a disciple from Five Grains Mountain shot back loudly, as though trying to convince himself as much as the others. “Junior Sister Xiuxiu already said that as long as we follow the correct process, we cannot truly choose wrong! The trial tests the method, not the outcome! We will obtain the best ship!”

  “But what if?” the first disciple pressed stubbornly. “The Hai Calculation path calculates possibilities. If it is a possibility, then there must be exceptions! What if we just happen to encounter the worst one?”

  Once again, heated debate broke out, tension thick as iron in the air.

  Yet no matter how fiercely they argued, the ships that continued to pass only made their hearts sink lower.

  The fiftieth. The sixtieth. The seventieth. The eightieth.

  Even by the ninetieth ship, none matched the majesty of the first.

  Hope eroded with each departing wreck.

  Just as despair began to close in, the ninety third ship appeared on the horizon.

  “Look! That one!” a sharp eyed cultivator cried out in surprise. “That ship… it looks massive!”

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  Spirits lifted instantly as all eyes turned toward the mist.

  A large vessel of black timber emerged, cutting through the fog.

  Though not as exaggerated as the first, it far surpassed the pitiful rafts before it.

  “It really is large!” someone exclaimed. “Compared to the first, it doesn’t seem much worse!”

  “No,” a disciple from Hundred Apricot Grove said after careful inspection, brows furrowed. “Look closely. The railings are fractured in several places, the mast tilts. Overall, it appears even worse than the first.”

  “But this is already the ninety third!” the Divine Iron Camp disciple said urgently, struggle written across his face. “There are only seven ships left! We have seen more than eighty, and none surpassed the first. Are we really going to keep gambling? What if nothing better comes? At least this one is big enough to cross safely!”

  Despite the mounting pressure, Huang Xiuxiu and Senior Sister at the island’s edge remained unmoved.

  They simply watched as the ship approached, their expressions calm, with no intention of boarding.

  The Divine Iron Camp disciple grew truly anxious. He stepped before Senior Sister, voice pleading.

  “Senior Sister! You truly will not choose this one? Only seven remain! Are we to place all hope upon them? The odds are too small. This is too risky!”

  Another from the Xia Ke Gang added more gently, “Senior Sister, we do not question Junior Sister Xiuxiu or Junior Brother Wen Shan. But the situation is grim. This ship may not be the best, yet it is steady. Perhaps it can ensure our safety. After all, none of us knows whether the first ship was already the largest.”

  Just as conflict threatened to flare again, a cold voice cut through.

  “If you wish to board it so badly, then board it yourselves.”

  A scholar from the Pavilion of Rites and Poetry stepped forward, gaze filled with disdain.

  “I trust Junior Sister Xiuxiu and Junior Brother Wen Shan. More than that, I trust Senior Sister’s decision. If you cannot, then leave. Do not shake our resolve.”

  The rebuke left the wavering disciples flushed and speechless.

  In the end, none dared break ranks.

  The ninety third ship passed and vanished into the fog.

  The ninety fourth was smaller. Rejected.

  The ninety fifth was somewhat larger, yet still inferior to the first. Rejected.

  Then, when the ninety sixth ship emerged—

  Every eye widened. Faces froze in disbelief.

  A jade vessel glowing with soft radiant light sailed silently over the black waves.

  It was far more magnificent than the first ship, at least three times its size.

  The hull was carved from a single flawless slab of white jade, seamless and pristine. Multicolored light shimmered across its surface, immortal aura coiling about it.

  Unlike the battered first ship, this jade vessel was perfect, untouched by damage, unreal in its beauty.

  “Heavens…”

  “What kind of immortal treasure ship is this?”

  “It’s enormous… it’s flawless…”

  After a stunned silence, the island erupted in thunderous exclamations.

  A Xia Ke Gang disciple suddenly dashed toward Huang Xiuxiu, gripping her shoulders in excitement.

  “Junior Sister Xiuxiu! You were right again! You calculated it perfectly!”

  The crowd surged forward, praises pouring without restraint.

  Some remembered Wen Shan and sought him out, only to find he had already been called aside by Senior Sister. The two were speaking quietly.

  All admiration thus fell upon Huang Xiuxiu.

  Yet she seemed at a loss. She stood motionless, her hollow eyes reflecting a trace of rare bewilderment, unable to respond.

  Then Senior Sister’s cool voice sounded.

  “Prepare to board.”

  The crowd snapped to attention and hurried to the island’s edge.

  They knew the opportunity would last but a moment.

  Fortunately, the jade vessel’s immense size extended that moment.

  They lined up along the shore. As the colossal ship drew level with the island, they leapt one by one onto the deck.

  Senior Sister moved fastest and landed first.

  She turned immediately and began counting.

  “Twenty one. Twenty two. Twenty three”

  Her voice stopped abruptly.

  No more figures followed.

  A disciple from the Pavilion of Rites and Poetry stumbled toward her in panic.

  “Senior Sister! It’s bad! Xiuxiu and Wen Shan they haven’t boarded!”

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