1330 HAI AS IN OCEAN, MA AS IN HORSE

The Sea of Muxuan was something most Haima tribe members had only heard about and never seen. The younger members didn’t even know the term sea until just a few months ago, when the scope of their education was expanded.

“WOW!” The Haima tribe members couldn’t help but exclaim as they saw the vast sea.

No matter where they looked, all they saw was water. The Sea of Muxuan was dark blue in color, and even at the edge of the island, the depth was significant. This was also the reason why there was no beach on this island nor a rocky shore.

But this was not the end of their surprise.

“This feeling... it is... Homely...” Elder Niji spoke. is the owner.

“Indeed... Quite unusual...” Head Warrior Kulo agreed.

Both of them were the highest ranked experts of the Haima Tribe and were thus the most sensitive to the Dao of Water.

“I still remember the first time I saw a sea, it certainly was an amazing experience...” Lin Mu recalled his time visiting Jiao Long City.

That time, he had Jing Luo and Little Shrubby with him and he was only at the nascent soul realm, too.

~Sigh~

Shaking off the feeling of nostalgia, Lin Mu looked ahead. But then he saw some of the Haima tribe members touching the sea.

“It’s cold!”

“Come, come! Check this out!”

“Ugh! It tastes weird.”

The Haima tribe members were certainly quite interested in the sea. While they knew water very well, it was their first time having sea water that was saline. In the Land of Exile, they didn’t really have salt.

Whatever salt they got in their diet was the naturally present salt in the Stone Flesh mushrooms as well as dissolved salts in the water. It was a low concentration, so they didn’t even taste it.

Even something as basic as salt was a novelty to the tribe now.

A few minutes passed like this as the Tribe got used to the sea. During this time, some members of the tribe were setting up the Ship with the help of the prisoners. The prisoners had been promised freedom in exchange for their help.

The more ‘problematic’ and unforgivable prisoner had already been eliminated in the tribe, and only those with pardonable crimes were present now. This made their work quite a lot easier.

“So what do you think, Elder Niji?” Lin Mu asked, seeing the old man gazing at the horizon.

“There is certainly some link between us and the sea.” Elder Niji said slowly.

~SHUA~

He waved his hand, and the water rippled. Then in the next second it rose up like a pillar, following elder Niji’s control perfectly.

Lin Mu had already seen this back in the tribe, but he could tell that something was different this time.

“It is a lot better.” Lin Mu commented.

“Not just that...” Elder Niji replied. “It’s an entirely new feeling.” He said before stepping into the water directly.

Lin Mu raised his brows, but then saw that the old man was actually standing on top of the water instead of sinking.

If this was all there was, it would be fine, but more changes continued to happen. Thin streams of water climbed up from Elder Niji’s four legs and covered them entirely. The water reached his waist, then torso, and finally the head.

With his entire body coated in water, Elder Niji seemed rather different. He closed his eyes and entered a state of trance, closely sensing the water all around him.

‘Is he gaining enlightenment?’ Lin Mu wondered.

Not wanting to disturb this, Lin Mu let the others continued their work while he observed the man silently. Regardless, the ship would need some time more to be ready.

Since it was originally meant to be commandeered by an immortal, the power needed to run it was also higher. Plus, one needed to be familiar with the channels that were used to power it so as to not make a mistake.

This was exactly what the members of the tribe, as well as the prisoners, were doing. After all, they weren’t as well versed in formations like Lin Mu and needed time to understand them. And this was after Lin Mu had given a quick manual to them.

~SHUA~

Lin Mu was brought out from his thoughts as he heard the wind starting to blow.

~RIPPLE~

The sound of water was now coming from Elder Niji and his body was glowing in a blue light as well. The water covering him directly seeped into his body, chasing its color.

Now instead of the dull grey brown skin, Elder Niji had taken on a blue grey hue. And not just that, faint wave like patterns were also appearing on his skin, similar to how there were on the Nascent souls of all Haima Tribe members.

Lin Mu raised his brows, finding it all to be rather extreme.

“His aura is changing as well...” Lin Mu muttered.

The other Haima tribe members were stunned by this scene as well. But at the same time, they felt a familial connection forming between them and Elder Niji. It was as if they would know where he was at all times and vice versa.

~HUU~

Elder Niji took a deep breath and opened his eyes. They too had changed, taking on an aquamarine tone.

“So that is it... now I know...” Elder Niji muttered before raising his head.

“We are the Haima tribe. We belong to the seas and oceans... Hai as in ocean, Ma as in Horse. We reigned upon the seas like the horses in a prairie. This is our home and our domain!” Elder Niji declared.

~RUMBLE~

Upon his declaration, the sea shook and the skies trembled!

Lin Mu felt Elder Niji’s aura rising even more as the clouds started to churn.

The other Haima tribe members were also shocked, all of them stopping their work and gazing at the scene. The same could be said for the prisoners as well.