Sun Yuan furiously turned the wheel, pulling away from the two entangled ships. The knobbed wood spun with familiar ease beneath his hand before he caught it, straightening out the vessel.

  He risked a glance over his shoulder as he left the ships behind, watching as Yu Chen burst into motion, effortlessly tearing through the pirates aboard the ship. The sight sent a shiver through him, and he couldn't help but feel grateful the boy was on their side. It was hard to believe he was only a Qi Condensator.

  Sun Yuan still remembered the first time he’d seen him, appearing out of place in the midst of a dinghy bar. He’d stood head and shoulders above everyone else, and even back then he’d radiated a dangerous energy.

  In wasn't until the fight against the wolves that he’d truly seen Yu Chen in action. Even then he’d seemed impossibly strong. Now, however? He beggared belief.

  He returned his attention to the present as the Sleeping Lady crashed through a swell, sending a spray of river water pouring over the deck. The enemy's spirit cannons barked, firing a volley their way, but Sun Yuan had ensured they were out of position. The pirates were merely wasting energy, as most of their shots fell into the river below.

  He was a navigator after all, like his father and his father before him, and no lousy pirate could outmaneuver him on the open river.

  Spinning the wheel once more he finished the short maneuver he’d begun three steps ago, suddenly bringing their ship alongside the other. He shouted out, but he needn’t bother. Yan Ziqi was already prepared, activating the formations that controlled the vessel’s formidable artillery.

  It was a rough ask for a single artificer to manage all the weapons the Sleeping Lady carried aboard, but Yan Ziqi did a commendable job. The only sign of exertion was the single bead of sweat that rolled down his forehead as he willed the spirit cannons to fire, sending forth a volley of destruction that slammed into the pirate’s ship.

  It was a direct hit. A truly stupendous amount of chaotic energy crashed against their shields, causing them to flicker dangerously.

  A smile crossed Sun Yuan’s face as he watched the barbarian draw back his bow, preparing to launch an arrow at the opposing ship.

  They could do better than that.

  “Hey, Serbo!” He shouted, infusing his lungs with a bit of qi. It was an old trick his father had taught him, useful for shouting commands over the din of battles and storms.

  Serbo au Serbo paused, turning to look at him.

  “If you want to shoot some arrows, then man the ballista!” Sun Yuan slapped the wheel with one hand, injecting the ship with a jolt of energy. He pointed towards the foredeck with his other, drawing the barbarian’s attention to the large siege weapon that lifted up from belowdecks.

  A look of delight crossed Serbo au Serbo’s face. His bow disappeared with a twist of his hand as ran towards the ballista.

  Sun Yuan turned his attention away, looking towards the other ship as they managed to release a volley of their own, rocking the Sleeping Lady.

  This was the difference between a capable navigator and whatever dogshit these pirates had controlling their vessel. Sun Yuan’s clever maneuvering kept their ship at constant odd angles, ensuring more than half of the opposing volley missed them completely, landing in the open waters between. The spiritual attacks that struck the Lady barely diminished the mast, and the difference in quality between the two ships quickly became apparent.

  Sun Yuan tuned everything else out as he spun the wheel again, feeling the vibrations from the ship’s hull reach him. The wheel was more than a simple tool to control the ship. It was his connection to the river beneath them, and through it he could feel every subtle nuance. Not even slightest shift in currents escaped his notice, nor the signs that signaled an oncoming swell.

  It seemed the other vessel was on to him now, having caught wise to his tricks. The two ships spun in concert as the pirates attempted to bring their cannons to bear once more, but Sun Yuan had long since anticipated this. It was the effort of half a thought to activate the formations inscribed upon the sails, flooding them with a brief burst of wind.

  He held the wheel as it bucked beneath his grip, fighting against him as he committed the ship to a sharp turn that caused the Lady to wail, her metal hull creaking as the increased momentum combined with the sudden change in direction inflicted opposing forces upon her.

  It was a risky maneuver, especially if one didn’t know their vessel, but there were few who knew a ship as well as Sun Yuan knew the Lady. He knew every inch of her body and he could trace her curves in his sleep.

  He knew exactly how far he could push her.

  The pirates were unprepared at the sudden change. Even Yan Ziqi was caught off guard. He frowned in surprise as they appeared broadside the pirate ship, and he hurried to activate the spiritual artillery once more. The cannons barked, sending waves of fiery qi and icy blasts of energy flying through the air where they smashed into the shields, pushing them to the edge of breaking completely.

  Which is exactly what happened as a massive bolt of lightning streaked across the river, bringing with it the smell of ozone, and striking right at the dead center of where the bombardment had hit. Serbo au Serbo was a keen shot, and he struck with perfect timing, destroying the shield before it had time to recover.

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  It shattered like porcelain glass, breaking into panes of energy that slowly faded away as they fell out of the sky. The bolt had been slowed as it passed through, but it hadn’t been stopped, and it still struck the pirate’s deck with enough kinetic force to send pirates flying in all direction.

  The barbarian crowed, letting out a high-pitched trill like the laugh of a hyena as he leapt away from the ballista. With a wave of his hand his bow reappeared. He fired off shots, peppering the pirates with arrows, and each one claimed a life, pinning them to the deck like gruesome trophies.

  Yan Ziqi activated the formations one last time, sending out a volley that blasted men from the deck and destroyed their railing.

  The pirate's commander seemed to decide that enough was enough and cut their losses, turning the ship and fleeing into the distance.

  Sun Yuan debated pursuing. He hesitated for a split second, but he turned around in the end, returning to help Yu Chen.

  —--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

  The pirate made the first move, raising his palm and blasting a wave of fiery qi at Yu Chen.

  Well, now he knew how the sails had caught fire.

  Yu Chen dived to the side, rolling out of the way, but the pirate's attack followed him, an unceasing stream of flame gushing out of his palm. It chased Yu Chen as he ran, leaping across the deck and onto the railings, doing everything in his power to avoid the flames.

  The pirate didn’t seem to care who he torched in his indiscriminate blaze, lighting up not only the merchantmen aboard but his own crew, burning everything down around him in an indiscriminate blaze.

  Yu Chen felt a pulse come from his bond, but he quickly squashed it, sending strong feelings of denial towards the little snake. This wasn’t a fight she was prepared to intervene in, no matter how much she wanted to help.

  Eventually the pirate’s flames sputtered to an end, and Yu Chen leapt forward, intent on ending the fight as soon as possible.

  He didn’t get the chance. A whirlwind of flame erupted around the pirate as he approached. The blistering heat forced Yu Chen back, but the pirate followed, twirling his sabre through a complicated pattern as Yu Chen instinctively raised an arm, blocking his face from the heat.

  He shouldn’t have done that.

  The sharp sabre lashed out of the flames, biting deep into Yu Chen’s forearm. He let out a shocked gasp as he felt the metal grind against bone, fighting but failing to cut through. He cycled his movement technique to the maximum and leapt backwards, a spray of blood shooting through the air as the blade pulled out of his skin.

  Yu Chen didn’t stop moving and leapt back twice more, retreating all the way to the stern of the ship. He slapped his spatial pouch along the way, snatching the thin strip of cloth that appeared, floating in the air. He hurriedly used it to wrap the wound, lashing it as tight as he could.

  He tried to move his hand once the bleeding was staunched, but his fingers barely bent in response. The blade had cut something deep, something vital, leaving him at a severe disadvantage.

  In truth, Yu Chen hadn’t been too sure of beating the man when both his arms were working. Now that he had only one it would take a miracle. He slapped the pouch again, hurriedly swallowing the regeneration pill as it appeared, hoping against hope that it could work its magic quickly.

  “Hahaha.” The pirate cackled in the distance as the whirlwind of flame surrounding him dissipated. “What will you do now boy? I’ve only just begun to carve you up, don’t get cold feet.”

  Yu Chen gave a low growl, gritting his teeth. His heart was thumping in his chest, and he felt a strange sense of focus settle over him as his thoughts dissipated leaving behind a simple fact.

  A dragon advanced.

  “Just stay put.” Yu Chen said, lifting his good arm to point at the pirate. “I’ll be there soon enough.”

  “Ha!” The pirate threw his head back and laughed, but it didn’t reach his eyes. They were filled with a maniacal rage. “Come then, come and face the Emperor of Bones!”

  Yu Chen let out a cold snort.

  “Emperor of Bones? You’re just another shitty pirate with a title too big for himself.”

  He leapt into action as the man began to sputter, spittle flying from his mouth as he started shouting in rage. Whatever thought he’d had never formed into coherent words as he was forced to defend, throwing up a billowing wall of fire between him and Yu Chen.

  But who was Yu Chen? He’d already tempered his body with fire, and so he advanced, diving into the flames. The fiery energy raged around him for only half a moment, licking against his skin as it attempted to burn his flesh, but a flame of his own burned deep within his heart, helping to reinforce his qi as it held the flames at bay.

  He burst through to the other side mostly unscathed, but the same couldn’t be said for his spatial pouch. The full powered attack of a Foundation Establishment expert had overwhelmed it, and it shattered with a tinkling noise. A roiling vortex of spatial energy appeared for a split second as Yu Chen’s possessions exploded out, scattering across the deck in every direction.

  The image of that twisting mass of spatial energy seemed to imprint itself on his mind. Whispers began to fill his head, mad murmurs that spoke of something beyond his ken. He frantically tore his eyes away, looking towards the pirate whose eyes had widened in disbelief as Yu Chen appeared before him.

  He didn’t give the man a chance to regroup, laying into him with a vicious combination of blows. The pirate twirled his sabre around, desperately spinning it through combinations of his own as he tried to keep Yu Chen away from him, but it wasn’t enough.

  Yu Chen had fought against sabres countless times by now and frequently sparred with someone who was much more skilled in their use than this shitty pirate. He slipped the blade once, lashing out with a low kick that connected with his opponent’s calf with an audible noise. The pirate swung the sabre back around with a bellow of rage, and Yu Chen ducked it this time, slamming his shoulder into the cultivator and taking him to the ground.

  The pirate yelled in impotent rage as Yu Chen straddled him, attempting to raise his blade once more, but Yu Chen slapped it to the side with his bad hand, letting out a hiss as his wound erupted in pain.

  “You little bast-” Whatever the pirate was going to say was cut off as Yu Chen smashed a fist into his face.

  “Fuck your m-”

  Yu Chen hit him hard, striking him before the slurred words could escape through a bloody mouth full of broken teeth.

  A wave of energy began building up in the pirate’s hand, but it dissipated as Yu Chen struck him once more, continuing to hit him until the pirate breathed his last.

  Yu Chen took deep ragged breaths before staggering to his feet, looking around at the remaining cultivators who still lived aboard the vessel. They regarded him with mixed expressions of awe and fear. The air filled with the clattering sound of metal as the pirates dropped their weapons attempting to flee.

  As a lowly Qi Condensator Yu Chen had done what was nearly impossible, killing a cultivator a full realm above him.