Gu Ning felt that he had gained some insight after watching the match with He Chuan Xina.
The final technique He Chuan Xina used appeared to be an earth-type skill, similar to an Earth Escape Jutsu.
At first, when He Chuan Xina used a displacement technique, Gu Ning was startled—he initially thought she had mastered a spatial-type ability.
To be honest, if it really had been a space-type skill, that would have been troublesome—a major threat.
But after closer observation, Gu Ning noticed that every time He Chuan Xina moved, the surface soil would ripple slightly. That's when he realized it was actually an earth-based ability.
That discovery reassured Gu Ning, as earth-type skills are heavily limited at sea.
It also helped him understand why his own Ice Elemental Envoy profession could be considered purple-grade—because it's far more advantageous at sea than other professions.
Although Gu Ning became more alert around He Chuan Xina, he wasn't too worried.
Afterward, Gu Ning entered the arena to begin his own set of matches.
He won every single one—undefeated.
Four hours later, it was already midnight when Gu Ning exited the arena.
Looking at the two people lying in bed—especially Windsor in her silk nightgown—Gu Ning felt a rush of heat.
The silk pajamas had been custom-made by Gu Ning during his free time; he made several sets. Windsor looked even more mature and alluring in them.
Gu Ning sighed, closed his eyes, and thought, "Out of sight, out of mind. Better just go to sleep!"
Suddenly, he felt something soft pressing against his leg. When he opened his eyes, to his surprise, it was Windsor.
Her face was flushed as she sat on his leg. She hadn't fallen asleep. Hearing Gu Ning's sigh earlier made her feel a little guilty, so she gathered her courage and came over.
Gu Ning was pleasantly surprised. He sat up and hugged her.
"What are you doing here? I thought you were asleep," he said softly, his forehead touching hers.
"I heard you sigh, so I came to keep you company," Windsor replied, shivering slightly as she felt his hot breath brush against her.
"Just to keep me company?" Gu Ning grinned, and his hands slid down her waist, giving a light squeeze.
Windsor's body stiffened.
"Don't move! You'll wake An Yue. If she sees this, I'll die of embarrassment!" Windsor grabbed Gu Ning's mischievous hand to stop him.
"Hehe, don't worry. I'll be gentle—she won't notice," Gu Ning said. "Otherwise, I'll be really uncomfortable. You can feel that, can't you?"
He shifted slightly.
Windsor could definitely feel it. She glanced at Gu Ning's longing eyes, then looked back at An Yue lying on the bed, back turned.
In the end, she shyly lowered her head.
That was all the permission Gu Ning needed—his hands went to work.
And so began an intense, restrained battle…
An Yue listened to the sounds behind her, her face burning red. She felt incredibly awkward but didn't dare move, pretending to be asleep.
Actually, she had noticed when Windsor got out of bed, but didn't know how to react—so she chose to act oblivious.
She hadn't expected Windsor to be this bold—to actually go along with Gu Ning's mischief.
During the day, Windsor had seemed like someone who would never do such a thing.
Now, listening to the suppressed noises behind her, An Yue's mind spiraled with thoughts…
Just then, a sudden beeping sound rang out.
All three of them—An Yue, Gu Ning, and Windsor—were startled, their hearts skipping a beat.
Especially Gu Ning and Windsor—at such a critical moment, the alarm was like cold water on fire. They both immediately stopped.
Windsor even let out a startled yelp as if surrendering.
Gu Ning held Windsor, who was lying in his arms, but there was no time to comfort her. He knew immediately: it was the alarm system.
He quickly got up, threw on some underwear, and rushed out of the cabin.
Windsor also realized what was happening. Although she was still weak, she quickly cast a healing spell on herself to regain her energy.
She threw on the dress An Yue handed her and didn't dare make eye contact.
She felt utterly humiliated. How was she supposed to face An Yue after this? It was all A-Ning's fault!
Windsor wanted to die from embarrassment.
Thankfully, An Yue didn't say anything. She immediately walked out of the cabin. Windsor breathed a sigh of relief and followed her.
Outside, they found Gu Ning already fighting off a swarm of fish monsters with Huo Huo, Xiao Lan, and some civilians wielding bows.
Windsor quickly rushed to Gu Ning's side.
"They're mostly low-level, just too many of them!" Gu Ning called out when he saw Windsor and An Yue arrive. "Windsor, take out the higher-level sea beasts!"
"An Yue, protect the civilians. Try to minimize casualties."
Gu Ning had used his Spirit Eye to scan the monsters—they were mostly level 3 or 4, though some were level 7 or 8.
Most were flying swordfish, white-grade, with a skill that shoots sword-like projectiles—not water blades, but bursts of energy.
These creatures posed no real threat to Gu Ning as long as he stayed alert.
But for white-grade civilians, they were dangerous.
Windsor and An Yue responded immediately and sprang into action.
Windsor began shooting light arrows at the higher-level sea beasts, occasionally casting healing spells on injured civilians.
Huo Huo hurled small fireballs and occasionally used Fire Shield or Flame Bind to help protect the people.
As for An Yue, she darted along the boat's edge. Any sea monster that came close was dealt with swiftly—her dagger turned pitch-black, delivering instant kills.
Her movements were fast and precise—each attack fatal. It was like she was dancing—a dance of death. In her hands, killing seemed like a graceful performance.
Xiao Lan stuck to its usual tactics: charging and biting.
Gu Ning cast a shield on himself and fired water arrows, occasionally lobbing Ice Spells into clusters of enemies.
These low-grade sea monsters were basically free loot for Gu Ning, though they gave little experience due to their low levels. Only occasionally would he encounter one his own level.
As time passed, the sea around the wooden ship filled with floating corpses and dropped loot.
The water was thick with blood.
Suddenly, Xiao Lan let out a low, uneasy cry…