Chapter 223 - 221: Harmony Island! The Nations Converge

Since the port was still under construction, the large ship couldn’t dock. The Sea Cape anchored two kilometers away from Harmony Island.

The group would now split into two. The regular crew members would stay behind to transfer the supplies using smaller boats, while the members of the special team could just run over on their own two feet.

This was commonly known as "water-running."

Yang Shen leaped from the deck, dozens of meters high. Just before he hit the water, he kicked off the ship’s hull, giving himself a burst of horizontal acceleration, then took off in a dead sprint across the surface of the sea.

He had been able to run on water since his Marrow Refining days—all it took was enough strength. He hadn’t practiced it much since then. His real trump card for aquatic combat was the Water Element Escape.

But now... his super-brain was telling him it was time to use his super-power!

Yang Shen’s immense power made every step explode on the water’s surface like a heavy cannon.

Many others in the special team made the same choice: Shen Juanzhou, Guan Mountain, Luo Sheng, and Zheng Tao.

The only difference was that the True Gang Realm Martial Artists made it look effortless, more like they were bounding across the sea, covering dozens of meters with each light, dragonfly-like touch on the water.

Liu Xi was a special case. True to the swimsuit that seemed permanently welded to her body, she performed a graceful dive into the sea, becoming an exquisitely beautiful, milky-white elf beneath the waves.

And then there was Deng Ming, a powerhouse at the Late-stage of Jade Viscera, who was even more impressive. He simply floated nonchalantly into the air, carrying Chen Beiwang, and flew directly toward the island.

Why was he carrying Chen Beiwang?

As if that Innate Shame could run on water!

The two-kilometer distance was covered in an instant. Many noticed that Yang Shen’s speed was far too fast for someone at the Middle Stage of Innate.

For the last few dozen meters, Yang Shen took a final leap and landed steadily on the sandy beach. After so long, to finally have his feet on solid ground again felt absolutely fantastic!

Harmony Island was difficult to summarize. It had golden beaches and circling seabirds, but looking further inland, the landscape transformed into rugged, craggy mountains.

Its dozens of square kilometers were large enough to contain a wide variety of complex terrains.

The beach where Yang Shen had landed was the first stop for people from many different countries. The outer edge of the beach was covered in tents, each marked with a different national flag.

The main ones were Yanhua, Magna, and Europe—known as the three giants of Cyan Blue. The rest were all their vassals.

Shen Juanzhou and the others arrived one after another. Most of them felt overwhelmed by the sight, unsure of where to look.

Shen Juanzhou said, "This is just a cargo distribution point, so the setup is relatively simple. The Yanhua development base is in the island’s interior. When I left, it was already starting to look like a small town."

As he spoke, a few people emerged from a tent marked with the Yanhua flag. "Lieutenant Shen, welcome back."

Several low-ranking personnel with varying military ranks were permanently stationed on the beach, responsible for arranging and receiving teams from Yanhua.

In fact, the Sea Cape and Harmony Island had been in constant communication, so they were already prepared for their arrival.

Shen Juanzhou saluted. "I’ve brought back the research team this time. They don’t fall under our jurisdiction. I’ll take them to the development base first."

The men nodded and simply took out a dozen or so small tags, each bearing the Yanhua flag.

"Please wear these. The island’s development plan is becoming more organized. We use these to identify members from different countries. They have small chips inside, and we’ve already registered your information."

"Understood!"

Everyone pinned the small tags to their chests. Then Shen Juanzhou called out, "There’s no road this way, but the Martial Artists have worn a path well enough. Everyone, follow me!"

As an island deep in the Vast Sea, the biggest problem with developing this place was logistics. Building a winding mountain road would be incredibly troublesome, and even if they did, vehicles would still need fuel.

Martial Artists were far more convenient!

Yang Shen saw many Martial Artists carrying supplies piled several meters high, transporting them inland with light, swift steps.

Shen Juanzhou led the group along the well-trodden path toward the center of the island. Occasionally, they saw massive boulders that had been cleared away, seemingly split cleanly in two by a longsword.

Once they entered the island’s mountainous region, the terrain became entirely rocky. Yang Shen felt less like he was on an island in the middle of the Vast Sea and more like he was in Yanhua’s Shi Lin scenic area.

Although Harmony Island wasn’t small, it was mostly exposed rock, so not much vegetation could grow. Even the seabirds didn’t like to come here.

Along the way, they passed many Martial Artists carrying supplies. The ones from Yanhua would offer a greeting, while those from other countries simply kept to themselves. It was also the first time Yang Shen had seen one of Magna’s "Mechanical Martial Artists."

It was a woman, all four of her limbs made of metal. Yang Shen was particularly astonished... ’The "human content" is a bit low, isn’t it?’

’Does she detach her arms and legs when she sleeps? If so... what’s the difference between that and a human stick?’

He couldn’t quite understand how one’s Martial Arts could advance with limbs like that... Or was it that the upper limit for Mechanical Martial Artists was just not very high?

In the end, he could only attribute it to the miraculous "Source." Even Mechanical Martial Artists didn’t rely purely on mechanical structures; the Source must play a role.

There were also Europe’s "Rune Martial Artists," who wore full suits of armor on the hot island. The armor was etched with runes, and he wondered if it had a temperature regulation function. It clanged and rattled as they moved.

He even saw people from Tianzhu Country, with tower-like turbans on their heads and deep brown skin.

As a special case of being both a major power and a weak one, the people of Tianzhu were characterized by never getting the lion’s share of anything but always having to get a finger in every pie...

Yang Shen had seen some international students at Jiangti, but certainly not such a complete variety, nor were they this powerful.

But everyone who could come to Harmony Island at this time was an elite.

Yang Shen estimated that there were probably two or three thousand people on the island...

This wasn’t the limit of each country’s manpower and resources, but rather the limit of their logistical capacity over such an extreme distance. Once the port and airport were completed, the scale of development here would increase several times over.

All these new and strange experiences made Yang Shen feel the trip was worthwhile. It was true that traveling a thousand miles always reveals different scenery.

About 20 minutes later, the group crested several mountain peaks and reached the center of the island. Here, there was a rare stretch of flat terrain where the Yanhua development base was located.

As the leader of Cyan Blue’s three giants, Yanhua naturally enjoyed the best development rights. This flat area contained twenty to thirty buildings and, from a distance, looked like a "village in the stone mountains."

At the entrance to the base, a figure sat cross-legged atop a huge boulder, apparently standing guard...

The man appeared to be in his forties or fifties and wore a military uniform, but on his back was a ghost-headed greatsword with a red silk ribbon tied to its hilt.

Yang Shen’s gaze sharpened. In his vision, as the man breathed, a massive amount of Spiritual Qi from the air was drawn into his abdomen, only to be exhaled moments later as a vibrant stream of energy...

’Cultivation? No... Cultivation isn’t related to breathing, and it’s an ironclad rule that Martial Artists cannot directly absorb the "Source" from the air...’

’It looks more like some kind of "Qi Daoist Technique"... The Spiritual Qi is being used to temper the physical body, but I’m not sure of the specific effect.’

Normally, a Martial Artist of Yang Shen’s level shouldn’t be able to see the "Source," so he didn’t stare.

Shen Juanzhou waved from a distance. "Colonel, we’re back!"

The man opened his eyes and smiled gently. "Go on in. I’m on duty today."

Yang Shen asked in a low voice, "What’s his realm?"

"Late-stage Jade Viscera."

Yang Shen nodded. ’Same Martial Arts Realm as Deng Ming. That’s probably equivalent to Mid-stage Foundation Establishment, so there’s no need to waste my Life Chart Inspection ability.’

’Maybe I’ll meet someone even stronger today.’

’This "Harmony Island" really isn’t harmonious at all, needing guards like this.’

"Is Huo here?"

"I wouldn’t know. He spends most of his time in the Noon Realm."

Full of curiosity, the group walked into the "Temporary Base." The place was a scene of thriving activity, with one half already in use and the other half still under construction.

Large equipment couldn’t be brought in, but Yanhua’s incredible "Martial Arts Engineers" were pouring reinforced concrete with their bare hands. The efficiency was off the charts. According to Shen Juanzhou, there were only four or five buildings when she left, and only tents when she first arrived.

Yang Shen even saw people wearing the attire of the "Tattooed Guest"... He wasn’t sure if they were newcomers from the Noon Realm or survivors from the Big Pharmacy incident...

After entering the base, the group was led to a two-story building in the center. It had a very standard Yanhua architectural style, built in a long, narrow line.

Many village committee offices were built just like that.

Inside a room on the first floor, Yang Shen saw a man he had only met once but felt he had been dealing with from the shadows for a long time: Xu Mo.

Even here on an island in the Vast Sea Center, 10,000 kilometers from Yanhua, the man was still in his signature white coat, looking as refined and gentle as ever. It gave Yang Shen a disorienting feeling, as if he were back in Jianghuai.

Xu Mo saw the group arrive and gave a gentle nod. But Deng Ming strode right up to him, pulled Xu Mo into a hug, and exclaimed, "Long time no see, Mo!"

Xu Mo was a bit flustered but still replied, "It has been a long time, Deng Ming. And Beiwang!"

The three good brothers from the old days were reunited, overcome with emotion for a moment.

Deng Ming’s eyes were a little red...

’What a pity, Xu Cheng.’

’You, the protagonist, are gone, but we supporting characters have lingered on...’

’A new Exotic Realm... a new world order...’

’This great upheaval, unseen in a century, should have been the stage for a heaven-sent genius like you, yet you are absent...’

Deng Ming turned to look at Yang Shen and said heartily, "I’ve gotten to know your Xu Family’s young son-in-law on the way here, and he’s quite outstanding! Mo, you’ve been hiding him for so long!"

Yang Shen gave a dry laugh.

In truth, none of it was official. Having Xu Bamboo return to the Xu Family as Xu Cheng’s daughter was, so far, just Deng Ming’s wishful thinking.

But Deng Ming had figured it out: only if the Xu Family treated Yang Shen well would Xu Bamboo treat the Xu Family well.

But Xu Mo shook his head.

"I invited him as a key talent on behalf of the Yanhua Official project team. He is outstanding in his own right, which has nothing to do with his relationship with the Xu Family."

"Now that everyone’s here, let’s have a brief meeting. I’ll tell you about the situation in the Noon Realm."