86: With No Woman in His Heart, Fishing Comes Naturally [Double Chapter, Please Subscribe!]

Before the match began, both Aili and Gloria were warming up—rotating their necks, stretching their hamstrings, loosening the muscles in their backs. And, of course, reading the rules of the game.

Their faces were solemn.

Indeed, Aili had never played beach volleyball, and Gloria had only ever experienced it in a game. They needed to familiarize themselves with the specifics.

Beyond that, Lu Chen had devised three possible game formats:

“In theory, beach volleyball is a sport for mortals, but since all of you are cultivators, there must be certain restrictions for the sake of fairness.”

“The first way is to prohibit the use of any spiritual power—you can only rely on physique and technique. But those with higher cultivation will clearly have a physical advantage.”

“The second way is to restrict spiritual pressure to the same level. You may use spiritual power to strike the ball, but the more powerful side will have to spend effort controlling their pressure to avoid exceeding the limit, while the weaker side can go all out. It’s still not fair.”

“The third is an unrestricted match. Gloria’s true cultivation is higher, while Aili excels at magic—each has strengths and weaknesses, which should balance out. It’s relatively fair… the only problem is, we don’t know if the ball can withstand it.”

“Discuss among yourselves and decide which to choose.”

The two deferred to each other, yet both seemed supremely confident. Gloria fortified herself with a drink before the match.

“I think the second format is best. I’ll limit my spiritual pressure to level thirty, the same as little Aili. I’ve been holding back for years anyway, both my cultivation and my magic. It’s no big deal. Even relying solely on physique, I’ll win easily.”

Aili responded in kind, “I suggest the first format. Sister Gloria, you might have the advantage in strength, but you’ve eaten and drunk your fill, so my agility is better. Besides, I have an unbeatable strategy.”

Gloria’s expression grew wary. “Are you saying my intellect is inferior to yours?”

Aili’s fighting spirit ignited. “That’s not what I meant.”

Lu Chen glanced at them. The tension was palpable.

“Excellent. As adventurers, this competitive spirit is just what I want to see. I’ve decided—we’ll use the third format, and I’ll handle the issue of the ball.”

With that, he set off for the royal city by boat, found a plastics factory, and had a custom beach volleyball printed—one sturdy enough that not even a level-fifty spiritual warrior could destroy it. Of course, it was costly: one ball cost him ten spirit stones!

While he waited, the shopkeeper regaled the idealistic Lu Chen with the origin story of the Thousand Isles Sea...

The tale was so fantastical that Lu Chen doubted its veracity. Once he retrieved the ball, he returned to the sand island.

He recounted the story to Aili and Gloria.

“When I was getting the ball made, I heard a strange story. They say this planet was cleaved in half by a sword spirit warrior with a single stroke... Is that even possible?”

Gloria gave him a look reserved for country bumpkins. “You call that strange? Any Sword Saint with sufficient cultivation could do it. For instance, me, back in the day.”

Lu Chen had little knowledge of swordsmanship; this was the first time he’d heard the term “Sword Saint.” It didn’t even exist as a title in the game.

“So, Sword Saint isn’t directly tied to cultivation level?”

Gloria explained, “Sword Saint is the highest realm of swordsmanship—a conventional title. The focus is on technique and understanding, on mastering the advanced ways sword power can be transmitted. Of course, you need a certain foundation in cultivation to reach it—at least level one hundred. To split a planet with a single stroke, I’d estimate you’d need to be a Sword Saint above level two hundred.”

Level two hundred—a number neither Lu Chen nor Aili had ever heard of.

Curious, Aili asked, “A Sword Saint at level two hundred must be unimaginably powerful. Why would such a person be here in a place like this?”

Lu Chen replied, “Officially, it was for mining, but the factory boss confided another version: Five hundred years ago, this planet was a wild expanse of primeval forest and ocean. A promising young Sword Saint from the Empire came here in pursuit of a Federation spy. Along the way, he fell victim to the charms of a squid maiden and lost his pure yang sword heart, allowing the spy to escape.

“The Sword Saint should have slain the squid maiden, but she was exceptionally fertile and bore his half-blood offspring. Unable to bring himself to kill her, he sliced the planet in two out of rage, ending all ties with her and never seeing her again.

“They say this Sword Saint, once destined for greatness, was forever marked by this event and withdrew from the Empire’s power center. Only in recent decades, when the Empire’s swordmasters dwindled, did he return. He’s now one of the Empire’s generals.”

Aili shivered as she listened. Gloria, however, found nothing odd about the tale.

“The moral of the story: Men should always keep their trousers fastened. If your heart is free of women, your sword will be divine. Perverts never come to a good end!”

Aili suddenly asked, “What happened to the other half of the planet?”

Lu Chen answered, “Legend says the Sword Saint brought it back to the Empire and built a sword dojo on it, cultivating in solitude as a reminder of his disgrace.”

Aili’s eyes flickered; her thoughts wandered. “Legends aren’t always accurate. Perhaps the Sword Saint and the squid maiden truly loved each other. But since they belonged to opposing factions, they couldn’t be together. So he took half the planet as a memento of the past, and of the one he loved.”

Lu Chen was taken aback, glancing at Aili’s soft, empathetic gaze. Who would have thought she was such a sensitive girl?

“Aren’t you most afraid of perverted men? That Sword Saint got the squid maiden pregnant, you know...”

Aili snapped back to herself, face flustered. “Th—that’s not what I meant! I just wanted to say that squid maidens are humanoid, definitely not some throwback to actual squids!”

She tried to cover her embarrassment, her voice firm.

Gloria sidled closer, sniffed at the youthful scent of Aili’s hormones, and teased, “Little Aili is growing up!”

Aili leapt back in fright.

Lu Chen decided to end the pre-match digression.

“All right, it’s just a story. Every planet likes to make up its own origin myth. Maybe the Thousand Isles Sea spread it for business, to add some legendary flavor.

“We have the ball. With your abilities, no matter how you strike it, it won’t break.

“I hope this story doesn’t affect your focus for the match.”

Aili called out loudly, “It won’t, Captain!”

If it won’t, then why shout so loudly? Trying to cover up, perhaps?

Lu Chen said no more and set the match rules:

“Unrestricted play. To make every point count and keep the game entertaining, we’ll use a point-difference rule: whoever gets ahead by ten points wins!”

Gloria suddenly had an idea, brimming with confidence. “I see little Aili still has a stash of private funds. Winning some money makes it more fun.”

Lu Chen immediately retorted, “If you don’t have any private savings, you’re not qualified to enter.”

Gloria rolled her eyes. “Tch.”

Lu Chen patted his chest with self-assurance and set the prize: “The winner will face your captain in the next match!”

Gloria snorted, suddenly fired up. “To crush you, I must first defeat Aili.”

Aili regained her fighting spirit, her little face set in determination. “I won’t lose, either!”

“Good.” Lu Chen quickly set up the net and marked the court.

The match began, under the glow of firelight and starlight.

Lu Chen returned to the ship and brought down Gloria’s gaming recliner. Sitting cross-legged, he had everything prepared: sunflower seeds, watermelon, ice-cold soda—all within reach. He even set up a high-definition camera to record the match for future reminiscence.

He hoped to glean some insight into the Dao and life itself from spectating, perhaps resolving his persistent “air force” heart demon.

...

At Lu Chen’s command, the match began.

Aili served, using wind magic to add spin and speed to the ball.

Gloria trapped the ball with her chest, neutralizing the spin, and instantly counterattacked with a leap.

Raising her right palm—bang!—a powerful smash.

The ball shot forth with such speed that it broke through Aili’s outer air shield spell, knocking her and the ball to the ground. The ball landed inside the line—point for Gloria.

Her movements were crisp and clean, especially her mastery of the chest trap!

Lu Chen thought, If Aili adds more spin, her bandage-style swimsuit might not withstand it.

For the second point, Aili summoned seawater as a barrier, but Gloria’s power shot smashed through it, sending both girl and ball tumbling, another point scored.

Gloria didn’t even break a sweat. Hands on hips, she declared, “Speed and strength are the foundation of all combat power!”

Aili said nothing.

On the third point, Aili changed tactics. She created a smooth, deflecting wave, and Gloria’s serve was bounced to the side and landed out of bounds, not touching Aili—point for Aili.

Gloria was stunned. “That’s not a foul?”

Lu Chen shook his head, explaining seriously, “Magic is magic. It only counts as Aili’s fault if the ball touches her body. But if Aili controls sand, as soon as the ball touches the sand, it’s considered down. If it hits the sand inside the line, you score.”

Gloria understood and adjusted her tactics, focusing on ball placement and pulling ahead by three points with her speed.

Aili responded by conjuring a massive, curling tornado. No matter where the ball landed, it would be swept to her side and circle her several times before she leapt high and smashed it back.

Lu Chen was dumbfounded.

This was more like a particle accelerator!

The return shots were fast and precise; Gloria missed several times in a row.

But Gloria knew that such a tornado drained Aili’s stamina and spiritual power. Since healing pills weren’t allowed during the game, she just had to endure a few rounds, and Aili would collapse on her own.

Gloria sprouted a pair of magical, flaming cat ears to boost her agility with internal magic!

Aili transformed into a white wolf...

The match quickly reached fever pitch. The score climbed back and forth, neither willing to concede.

Lu Chen hadn’t expected a simple game of beach volleyball to escalate into an explosive battle of cat versus dog.

He was so absorbed he forgot to eat his seeds, drink his soda, or even remember why he’d come to watch in the first place.

After an hour, Lu Chen finally called a halt.

“Time’s up! The match is over!”

Aili, still in her white wolf form, toppled sideways.

Her wolf face was pale, sweat long since dried, her strength utterly spent—she’d held on by sheer willpower.

Gloria, on the other hand, was nearly unable to control her internal magic—any further and disaster could have struck.

A small game of beach volleyball had nearly turned into a fight to the death!

Never underestimate a woman’s competitive spirit.

Lu Chen pulled out Aili’s medicine pouch and fed her a healing pill, pressing his palm to her flat belly to channel resonant spiritual energy and hasten the effects.

Then he slit his own wrist, shoved it into Gloria’s mouth, and let her drink his blood in reverse to help her control her magic.

After all, his blood was fused with demonic blood, capable of suppressing magic.

Soon enough, both girls regained their senses.

Gloria frowned and licked the blood from her lips with suspicion. “Not bad, but if I drink your blood, will I get pregnant?”

Lu Chen twitched, staring at her like she was an idiot. “Nobody gets pregnant from drinking a man’s blood. Not even from… other bodily fluids!”

Gloria was still doubtful, her cleanliness bordering on obsessive. “But I’m a succubus—I have to be careful. Next time, don’t let me drink anything from your body. It’s disgusting.”

Lu Chen was so annoyed he nearly pinched her cheeks. “If it’s so disgusting, spit it out!”

Meanwhile, Aili had returned to human form. As she woke, she felt a warm, comforting sensation in her belly. Earlier, she’d heard the word “pregnant” in her daze and almost thought she was carrying the captain’s child.

Recalling her wolf transformation, she quickly checked herself, confirmed she wasn’t pregnant, and finally relaxed enough to ask, “Captain… Who won?”

Lu Chen paused—her competitive spirit was remarkable. Did this little girl want to challenge him next?

He let go of Gloria, stretched, and announced the result. “Ninety-six to ninety-six—it’s a tie.”

“That means neither of you earned the right to challenge your captain. And what does that imply?”

“According to my previous agreement with Gloria, if I go ‘air force’ for twenty hours, I have to play ball with her. So, I’ll definitely catch a fish in the second half of the night!”

As he spoke, Lu Chen vaguely sensed fate stirring—he was suddenly elated.

Gloria, on the other hand, looked at him with disdain. “Ha, you’ll definitely be ‘air force’ again. I didn’t beat Aili because I didn’t want to go all out and hurt her. But you’re immortal—I could go all out on you.”

Aili kept her smile. “If Gloria really went full demon, she’d probably forget the rules, and who knows who’d win or lose.”

Lu Chen caught the tension.

Aili even spoke up for him: “And as for playing against the captain, he has the lowest cultivation and can’t use any magic. He should wear armor when hitting the ball, to keep it fair… Right, captain?”

Lu Chen didn’t reply—he didn’t want to think about another air force result.

Gloria sensed Aili’s challenge, folded her arms, and forced a haughty curve to her lips. “It’s pointless. You’d still lose. Unless you make him wear a blindfold so he can’t see a woman’s chest—but then he wouldn’t see the ball either.”

The implication: My chest is big—if the captain plays me, he’ll lose for sure! Yours is small—he might stand a chance.

Lu Chen thought, Fine, you win, you have a point!

Wait…

Suddenly, Lu Chen had an epiphany.

Could it be that his failures stemmed from his obsession with lust?

Form is emptiness; emptiness is form.

With lust in the heart, the result is always empty-handed.

Without lust, the mind is free of emptiness.

“Haha, I see now! It’s my unrestrained lust that’s kept me ‘air force’ all this time. If my heart is free of women, I will become a true master!”

Gloria shot him a look reserved for fools, then pulled Aili away to bathe on the ship.

The moment the match ended, the two were as friendly as ever.

Lu Chen doused the fire, gathered his gear, and climbed into the kayak, setting sail once more.

This time, even his gaze was different.

He reached a more distant fishing spot.

The stars hung above.

All beings lay below.

Lu Chen stood at the prow of the kayak, hands behind his back, head raised to the sky, and cast his line far over the sea.

Plop!

A crisp splash as the bait hit the water, sending ripples across the starlit surface, spreading into infinity.

Moments later, the bobber twitched...

(End of chapter)