Chapter Sixty: Lord Nanshen

At that moment, a pale figure appeared on the distant surface of the sea. This figure walked toward them at a leisurely pace, his steps seeming slow yet as if he crossed thousands of miles with each stride. In the blink of an eye, he came to stand not far from Qin Yi and his companions. As he moved across the water, lotuses blossomed beneath his feet, each vanishing one after another without a trace or sound. Qin Yi watched the disappearance of those water lotuses, his gaze following them one by one until finally it rested upon the newcomer.

Where his gaze stopped stood a man, about the same height as the old man in the straw cloak, though his build was sturdier. He wore flowing white robes that fluttered in the wind, standing with his hands clasped behind his back atop the sea. Even on the southern sea at night, he was so strikingly clear, like a deity descended. His long, jet-black hair was tied and crowned, his eyebrows sharp and handsome like brushstrokes, his eyes phoenix-shaped, and his features were extraordinarily handsome. Yet the aura he exuded was that of a peerless statesman.

Qin Yi stared in astonishment at the man, feeling an unexpected surge of envy within him.

He suddenly turned to look at Jiang Yao, only to find her watching him with a playful smile, her meaning obvious: See? There are always people more outstanding than you.

He Yongde gazed at the youth in white, feeling no pressure at all, but rather a sense of familiarity rising in his heart.

The old man in the straw cloak looked at the white-robed youth, who seemed as weightless as a feather standing on the sea, and his eyes grew intensely interested, far more so than before.

After standing upon the sea, the white-robed youth fixed his gaze on the old man behind Qin Yi, speaking in an exceptionally gentle voice, “I am Jiang Fengnian, a junior who dares to ask your esteemed name, elder?”

Everyone present relaxed upon hearing this.

“Jiang Fengnian?” Qin Yi muttered to himself, finding the name familiar but unable to recall where he’d heard it. He turned to Jiang Yao, who seemed to have been watching him all along. Their eyes met, and Jiang Yao calmly uttered three words that left Qin Yi dumbstruck.

“Lord Nan Shen.”

For a moment, Qin Yi was stunned. He wondered if today was an auspicious day beyond all auspicious days, for he had encountered so many great figures in succession. But this particular figure was not just a great figure—he was beyond ordinary description.

Lord Nan Shen had attained enlightenment at coming of age, unmatched under heaven.

Then who was this old man in the straw cloak behind him?

That even Lord Nan Shen would humbly ask his name! It was known that even when Lord Nan Shen joined the Dao Palace, he never took a master. He claimed he was unworthy, and no one dared to disagree. Under such circumstances, people said he should enter the gate of the Sage—who had fallen thousands of years before—and become the Sage’s only personal disciple. This time, he reportedly did not say he was unworthy; after all, if the Sage was unworthy, who else in the world could be? Yet, even then, he did not formally acknowledge the Sage as his master, but claimed to be the Sage’s junior brother, and to everyone’s astonishment, the Dao Palace accepted it.

Could it be that the old man in the straw cloak was one of the greatest masters in the world?

---

Qin Yi, curious, turned to scrutinize the old man in the straw cloak, but the more he looked, the less the man seemed like a great master. Shouldn’t a master be like Lord Nan Shen—graceful, handsome, and dignified, even making such a dramatic entrance, step by step, with lotuses blooming beneath his feet like a deity?

But that was not the most surprising thing, for the old man's next words nearly made Qin Yi spit blood.

At first, the old man’s expression was full of interest, his tone serious as he said, “You, compared to those random riffraff, are much better by far. However…” He paused, his lips curling into a disdainful smile. “However, even so, you’re not worth my giving you my name. But…” He paused again, then looked at Jiang Fengnian with the same expression one might give a beggar, as if bestowing a coin upon him. “But since you are so polite, I’ll tell you my surname. It’s Jiang—remember, Jiang with the woman radical.”

Qin Yi listened to the old man’s rambling, which felt longer than the Dao Canon, his lips twitching. If he weren’t unsure whether this old man was a master, he would have been tempted to strike him with his sword.

Jiang Fengnian listened expressionlessly to the old man’s monologue, which Qin Yi found longer than the Dao Canon, and then quietly asked, “You bear the surname Jiang—are you perhaps of the Jiang family?”

The old man gave no answer, whether because he didn’t want to or simply refused.

Jiang Fengnian merely smiled, displaying the bearing of a true master. Then he narrowed his eyes, his tone growing stern and even accusatory. “May I ask, elder, why you harmed her?”

The old man was taken aback by the sudden question, and after a long pause, he sighed, his gaze complex as he remarked, “The times have surely changed…!”

After some time, he returned to his usual expression of interest, but his eyes and tone were now sharp. “It’s not that I can’t tell you. I just don’t want to.”

Though the surroundings had not changed, everyone present felt a chill down their backs, as if a cold wind had swept through them.

Splash—

Jiang Fengnian seemed unfazed by the old man’s response. Though he still stood with hands behind his back upon the sea, the waters behind him suddenly surged, forming a single, endless tidal line. No one present could see its end. Who would have thought that tonight, the previously calm southern sea would suddenly erupt into roaring waves? If ordinary fishermen saw this, they would assume the Dragon King was angry or water spirits were stirring, never imagining it was all caused by a single person.

And yet, Jiang Fengnian’s white robe remained untouched by a single drop of seawater.

---

“Lord Nan Shen!” Wang Hong, who had just returned along the same route as Wang Haoran, exclaimed upon seeing the scene.

Wang Haoran asked curiously, “That’s Lord Nan Shen?”

Wang Hong nodded firmly. “Yes, I’m sure. I once saw him up close at the Dao Palace. There’s no way I could be mistaken.”

Wang Haoran, puzzled, said, “Jiang Fengnian would act against those people? Is there someone among them worthy of his attention?”

Wang Weixue, a bit sorrowful, replied, “It seems we have failed to recognize greatness before our eyes.”

Everyone fell silent; they could not refute these words.

---

Chen Yuxuan gazed at the endless tidal line behind Jiang Fengnian, and asked He Yongde, “Is he using the ‘Sacred Word Divine Destruction’ spell as well?”

He Yongde replied with certainty, “Though he follows the same heavenly path, I am sure he’s not using the ‘Sacred Word Divine Destruction.’” He sighed, “Truly, a genius destined for the heavens, attaining enlightenment at coming of age, refusing to take the Sage as his master—not merely words!” Compared to such a true chosen one, he felt deeply inadequate.

Qin Yi watched the astonishing scene, then turned to the old man in the straw cloak, who remained calm, and asked with a playful smile, “Old Jiang, still pretending to be composed?”

The old man curled his lips in a dismissive smile, offering just five words: “Looks impressive, useless in practice.”

Qin Yi grinned, giving him a look that said he didn’t know what he was talking about, then turned back to watch the magnificent tidal line.

The old man was not angered, but instead laughed. He stepped forward, gripping his battered oil-paper umbrella, raising it with the broken tip pointed at Jiang Fengnian ahead of the tidal line.

Though the old man was thin as a bamboo pole, he was still eight feet tall and a man after all, with a large frame.

Standing before Qin Yi, Qin Yi felt unexpectedly awed by his presence.