A sense of reminiscence washed over Wei Xun, yet none could find a voice to join him.

Most of those present were entirely ignorant of the “old days” he spoke of.

Fortunately, this brief “reminiscence” soon faded.

Wei Xun’s serene gaze swept over each person in attendance, as if peering into their very souls. “Do you understand the Sea Clan?” he inquired.

Among the extraordinary cultivators of the Near Sea Islands, who wouldn’t have some awareness of the Sea Clan, especially those privileged enough to witness this grand assembly at Tianya Stage?

But who among them dared to claim true understanding before Wei Xun?

“All know that the Sea Clan are powerful, a great foe to our human race. Yet how many truly know the extent of their power? Or where their true strength lies?”

Wei Xun sat稳稳, his words carrying the weight of ages, the ebb and flow of time itself. “The Dragon Clan are the masters of the aquatic races. In the Age of Emperors, the Human Emperor Lieshan banished the Dragon Clan to the vast seas. From that day forth, the Dragon Clan vanished from the world of mortals, never to be seen again. The aquatic races were sundered. Some remained in the rivers and lakes of this world, allied with humanity. But the greater part followed the Dragon Clan into the endless seas, awaiting the day of their return. The Dragon Clan mingled with that greater part of the aquatic races, adapting to the harsh environment of the seas, gradually evolving into what we know today as the Sea Clan.”

He spoke of how those aquatic races, once accustomed to the rivers and lakes, adapted to the seas, how they tamed the marine beasts, how they overcame the perils that already lurked within, how they developed the “Sea Lord Manifestation,” how they truly became masters of the seas, and how they mingled to evolve into the Sea Clan of today.

From the Sea Clan’s perspective, this was undoubtedly a magnificent and heroic history.

From humanity’s point of view, it was enough to know it had happened, to understand that the Sea Clan were a race with a great history and legacy, not to be underestimated.

“The Sea Clan’s occupation of the seas began in the Age of Emperors. But from that time until now, their efforts to return to the mortal realm have never ceased. This is no ordinary opponent. Their war with our human race has spanned countless years, across the Age of Emperors and the Near Age!”

Wei Xun continued, “We have never dared to underestimate our enemy, but perhaps we have still underestimated them.”

The others pondered his meaning.

Wei Xun had already called out a name, “Real Person Yang, does Yang Valley have any news?”

This question put everyone on alert.

Being suddenly addressed, Yang Feng had no choice but to speak. “Recently, some changes have occurred within the Sea Clan. Their Sea Lord Manifestations have evolved to the level of the Divine Soul.”

Like a thunderbolt shattering a tree, or hail pounding tiles.

The news was shocking!

It had to be said that, compared to humans, the Sea Clan seemed to be naturally blessed.

The marine beasts they kept as pets and servants were already at the Pulse Opening to Heaven Reaching Realm.

Even ordinary members of the Sea Clan, the warrior caste, possessed the power of Ascending Dragon Realm cultivators.

The vast majority of humans, on the other hand, were ordinary people who had never embarked on the path of cultivation. They were no match for even common wild beasts, let alone the gigantic marine beasts.

They had to diligently train their bodies, nurture their flesh, strive for the Pulse Opening Pill, and upon consuming it, manifest the Celestial Palace to embark on the path of transcendence, cultivating step by step.

Aquatic races were also born with manifested Dao meridians, naturally extraordinary, superior to humans. But they still had to cultivate step by step from Pulse Opening to Celestial Circulation to Heaven Reaching Realm, unlike the Sea Clan, who were born with the strength of Ascending Dragon Realm cultivators.

The reason the Sea Clan, who shared the same origin as the aquatic races, were so naturally powerful was due in part to the harsh environment of the seas; those who were born weak simply couldn’t survive. But the most important reason was the Sea Lord Manifestation.

The reason the Sea Lord Manifestation was so terrifying was not because it was such an incredible secret art, but because, under the guidance of the Sea Clan’s ancestors, it had become a kind of natural endowment.

Every member of the Sea Clan could manifest the Sea Lord Manifestation, which was the foundation of their claim to be the “Sea Lord Race.”

Humans had created countless powerful Dao techniques, as numerous as the stars, but not everyone could learn any given technique.

Human cultivators sought the hidden treasures within their inner mansions, plucking Seeds of Divine Powers, which were undoubtedly powerful, many even stronger than the Sea Lord Manifestation… but the vast majority of extraordinary cultivators never managed to pluck a Divine Power.

It could be said that the significance of the Sea Lord Manifestation to the Sea Clan was no less than the significance of the Pulse Opening Pill to humans in the late Age of Antiquity.

Due to the harshness of the marine environment, the Sea Clan faced even greater difficulty in producing offspring than the aquatic races in the rivers and lakes. But to this day, the strength of the Sea Clan was vastly different from that of the aquatic races who remained in the mortal realm. The Sea Lord Manifestation had played a crucial role in this.

And now, the Sea Lord Manifestation had undergone a new “evolution,” advancing to the level of the Divine Soul?

The Sea Clan, who already had the advantage in innate physical strength, had now made a qualitative leap in terms of Divine Soul?

This was truly terrifying.

“Real Person Qi,” Wei Xun asked again, “What about Jue Ming Island?”

“Jue Ming Island has made the same discovery,” Qi Xiao replied with a serious expression.

“Not just some Sea Clan,” Wei Xun shook his head. “All of them.”

He repeated, “All of the Sea Clan have changed. The Sea Lord Manifestation has undergone a fundamental transformation. I personally went to the World of Illusions and fought with three Sea Clan True Kings, examining thousands of Sea Clan members firsthand, and have confirmed this!”

The clash between human True Monarchs and Sea Clan True Kings must have been an epic struggle. Even to imagine the scene, or to hear only a few words about it, was enough to be awe-inspiring.

But even that couldn’t overshadow Wei Xun’s conclusion—the Sea Lord Manifestation had undergone a fundamental transformation.

What it meant was clear to everyone.

This could be a great crisis involving the entire human race!

Because humanity’s strength hadn’t undergone a fundamental leap, yet the Sea Lord Manifestation had been improved for every member of the Sea Clan. When one’s opponent takes a leap forward, standing still is as good as falling behind!

Among the cultivators present, apart from the higher-ups of the Sea Fishing Tower, only Yang Feng and Qi Xiao showed little emotional fluctuation, because they already knew about this matter before coming, and in fact, they were here specifically because of it.

Compared to this, the life and death of Zhu Biqiong, Jiang Wang, and even Granny Bizhu were insignificant. Even if they were matters of life and death, matters that could shake the heavens for them, requiring them to devote all their wisdom and courage… they were ultimately insignificant compared to the grand affairs of the entire sea region.

“I like young people, I like young geniuses, because they represent the future of the human race. Things that we cannot achieve, they may be able to achieve in the future.”

Wei Xun changed the subject. “But some geniuses indulge in pleasure, some are trapped in power struggles. Pitiable! Only those geniuses who fight for the human race, for the big picture, are the future of our human race. And not just the future of the Sea Fishing Tower.”

He raised his eyelids. “Zhi Tao, come and tell everyone about your investigation.”

Chen Zhitao stepped onto the Tianya Stage in this atmosphere.

Everyone looked at him, watching him with awe.

His youth, his Divine Descent cultivation, his status as the chief disciple of the Sea Fishing Tower, all made him important, but not important enough to warrant such attention.

Rather…

A True Monarch expert was personally paving the way for him!

What were the Sea Fishing Tower’s expectations for him?

How high would this person’s future be?