Pov: Vik
The next morning, soft golden light filled the Great White's training bay. I leaned back against a sleek metallic bench, sipping coffee from my mug. Pushpa rested comfortably on my left shoulder, her tail rhythmically flicking against my neck, her warm weight grounding me as I watched my disciples' chaotic morning routine. With only seven days left until we reached the Western Continent, I had opened the spatial portal briefly to bring Lu Xiaoran, Roman, and Lina back onto the submarine.
Currently, Lu Xiaoran and Roman occupied the far side of the training hall, engaged in a brutal sparring match. Roman's massive frame radiated a heavy physical aura, causing faint ripples in the air with each swing of his fists. Lu Xiaoran darted around him like a flash of golden lightning, wearing an eager, arrogant grin as he delivered sharp elemental palm strikes against Roman's solid defenses.
"Focus on your footwork, Xiaoran!" I called out dryly, my voice cutting through the echo of their fists clashing. "If you overextend like that against a real opponent, Roman's counter-strike will send you flying through three bulkhead doors."
"Got it, Master!" Lu Xiaoran shouted back. He ducked beneath a heavy backhand sweep with quick, fluid movements.
Over by the main tactical holoscreen, Lina completely ignored the sparring match. Her eyes shone with excitement as her fingers flew across holographic displays, adjusting the submarine's spatial dampeners and marine turbine outputs.
"Master," Lina said, her focus still on the monitors, "I've recalibrated the Nuclear Spiritual Energy Reactor to run at 88% efficiency. The stealth cloaking field is functioning well, and I've added a secondary Prana-buffer into the forward hull in case another fifty-kilometer beast needs chiropractic advice."
"Excellent work, Lina," I said, chuckling as I took another sip of coffee. "Just make sure Xiaoran doesn't accidentally kick a hole through your primary power conduit."
"If he gets within five meters of my reactor, I'll lock him in the lower deck prison cell next to Luther," she replied flatly.
I turned my attention back to the center of the bay, where Noah sat cross-legged on the floor. His transformation from yesterday's Nirvana Qi Refining Technique had settled nicely. His vibrant crimson hair fell over his shoulders, and his piercing red eyes were sharp and focused. He had already stabilized his newly forged core at the Peak of the Qi Refinement Realm, and his body hummed with dormant energy.
"Alright, Noah," I said, walking over to stand in front of him. "Your core is stable, but your physical frame needs a solid foundation to handle your Primordial Thunder Physique. The standard body refining methods of the Western Continent are too soft for what you will face."
Noah straightened his back, looking up at me with intense devotion. "I am ready, Master. Whatever you teach me, I will master it."
"This is the Chaos Titan Body Refining Technique," I explained, raising my right index finger. A tiny, translucent golden-green speck of Prana energy flickered at my fingertip, swirling alongside a thread of heavy, primordial gravity magic. "Unlike standard techniques that just toughen your skin, this technique uses chaotic pressure to forge your marrow, bones, and cells into something resembling ancient primordial titans. It forces your body to adapt to extreme weight until your raw muscle density can shatter mountains without using a single drop of Qi."
I lightly tapped my finger against Noah's forehead. A flood of ancient memories and physical circulation routes transferred directly into his mind. Noah's eyes widened as the technique's weight settled into his soul. His breath hitched, his crimson hair fluttering as heavy, invisible gravity suddenly pressed down on him. The metal floor beneath him groaned under the sudden increase in weight. Sweat poured down his face, but Noah didn't scream or break his stance. He gritted his teeth, locked his jaw, and immediately began circulating his new Qi to absorb the chaotic pressure.
"Hold that circulation for three hours," I instructed gently, patting his shoulder. "If you feel your ribs cracking, don't stop—let the technique rebuild them stronger."
"Understood, Master!" Noah gasped, his voice strained under the heavy pressure, but his red eyes burned with determination.
Leaving my four disciples to their training, I picked up my coffee mug and walked to the primary control deck. The bridge was quiet, bathed in the soft, violet light of the deep-sea monitors. Outside the panoramic viewport, the dark undersea world floated by—massive glowing deep-sea plants, strange luminescent jellyfish drifting in warm currents, and distant shadows of large sea creatures gliding through the abyssal trench.
I sank deeply into the plush leather captain's chair. Pushpa hopped off my shoulder, landing softly in my lap and curling into a neat black circle as I absentmindedly stroked her fur.
"System," I murmured, watching a swarm of glowing, crystal-blue fish swim beside our glass viewport. "Status report on our journey."
System: "Everything is running at maximum efficiency, Host! Transit speed is locked at Mach 12 through the deep trenches. Sonar scans show no high-tier monsters for the next three thousand kilometers. The disciples are making quick progress, Noah's bloodline activation is smooth, and there are no spatial anomalies ahead."
The System let out a cheerful synthesized sigh.
System: "Ah, what a peaceful voyage! Everything is going so smoothly, Host! It seems nothing is going to go wrong on our journey to the Western Continent!"
I froze, my hand pausing mid-stroke over Pushpa's back. I narrowed my yellow eyes, glaring at the central console.
Vik: "System..."
System: "Yes, Host?"
Vik: "Did you seriously just say that?"
System: "Say what, Host?"
Vik: "You just raised the most obvious flag in the history of web novels! 'Everything is going smoothly'? 'Nothing is going to go wrong'? Are you trying to invite disaster onto my submarine?!"
System: "Host is overthinking again! I am simply stating facts based on our sonar arrays—"
BZZZZZZT!
Before the System could finish, the entire bridge flashed red. A deafening siren rang through the corridors of the Great White. The automated holographic displays burst into static, and the plush leather captain's chair lurched backward as the submarine pitched down at a frightening angle.
System: "WARNING! WARNING! EMERGENCY SPATIAL ANOMALY DETECTED DIRECTLY AHEAD!"
"I hate you so much," I growled, gripping the armrests as Pushpa dug her claws gently into my robe to steady herself.
Outside the main glass viewport, the once peaceful abyssal trench tore open. A colossal, swirling tear in space had opened in the ocean floor beneath us. It wasn't a natural whirlpool; it was a chaotic, deep-sea spatial portal, roaring with jagged purple lightning and violent gravitational currents that warped the water into strange spirals.
The pull of the spatial tear was enormous. Despite our dampeners running at full power, the Great White was drawn toward the glowing purple abyss like a small leaf caught in a hurricane.
"Master!" Lina's voice rang urgently over the intercom from the training bay. "The spatial dampeners are failing! A localized rift just opened directly in our path!"
"Hold on to something!" I shouted back, tapping the central console to lock the ship's shields at 100%.
The massive purple portal expanded, engulfing the surrounding trench, the thermal currents, and the entire fifty-meter hull of the Great White. The viewport filled with blinding light as the submarine was violently pulled into the deep-sea turbulence, plunging us into the unknown.