"You... You can control water?!"
Wu Xian exclaimed in astonishment, as this was truly beyond belief.
Seeing his reaction, Lan Hao Tian couldn't resist boasting:
"Impressive, right? This is the power of a water master. Let me tell you, very few people in this world are born with this talent."
He was not only bragging, but also educating the crew at the same time. It was a two-for-one deal, and he felt quite proud of himself.
Wu Xian, on the other hand, was even more curious. He asked, "So what else can you do? Do you have any attacks with it?"
Lan Hao Tian grinned, looking every bit the seasoned expert. He raised his hand, and water droplets began to condense in the air, forming the shape of an arrow.
Following his command, the arrow shot forward, plunging straight into the sea. The water splashed into the air, demonstrating just how powerful it was.
"Teach me! Teach me!" Wu Xian said, excited. This was absolutely amazing to him. He felt that if he could control water, it would make him so impressive.
At that moment, all thoughts of Lan Hao Tian being unreliable vanished. All that remained was his desire to become a water master.
Lan Hao Tian, noticing the dramatic change in the crew's attitude, tilted his head back proudly. He said:
"Ha ha, let me give you a little knowledge. A water master is classified into five levels. I've never seen someone at level five, but I have met a few at level four. Even so, they never showed me their true power, so I can't be sure how strong they are. As for me, I'm only at level two, but I've been practicing for years. So, if you can't make it, don't be too disappointed."
Wu Xian only caught parts of his explanation. It didn't matter much to him, as he believed he could do it.
"Teach me! I will definitely learn."
"Ha ha, if you fail, I won't laugh at you." Lan Hao Tian chuckled. He felt that confidence was great, but there were some things that weren't just about confidence to succeed.
"Alright, if you can do what I tell you here, then you can become a water master. Focus your mind and feel your surroundings. Feel the flow of water in nature, including both in the sea and in the air. If you can feel it, then use your willpower to control it as you wish. If you can't feel it, then you don't have the talent to become a water master."
Wu Xian paused his rowing upon hearing this. He sat still on the boat, focusing all his mental energy.
Lan Hao Tian didn't interrupt him. He was curious to see if this unexpected crew member might surprise him in some way.
But very soon, things began to unfold in a way beyond what he could have imagined.
He could see that the water around the boat was moving unusually.
"No way... Seriously? Is it possible to do this after just a bit of practice? This is ridiculous."
He had to admit, although he was a genius, it had taken him a full year to reach this level.
But just as he was getting used to the shock, something even more unbelievable happened. He stared wide-eyed at the droplets of water that were slowly gathering above Wu Xian's head.
"What the hell is this? Is this even human? This is way too insane. He's already reached level two in just ten minutes! It's only a preliminary step into level two, but still, this is absurd."
Lan Hao Tian couldn't help but curse under his breath. He felt like all the years of practice he'd gone through amounted to nothing.
At that moment, a water arrow took shape, and Wu Xian slowly opened his eyes.
With a gentle flick of his hand, the arrow shot forward, plunging straight into the sea. The water splashed up, though not as much as Lan Hao Tian's earlier demonstration. Wu Xian smiled and said:
"This is my limit. As expected, Captain, you're still stronger than me."
He spoke earnestly, but for some reason, when those words reached Lan Hao Tian's ears, they sounded like bragging.
However, he wasn't angry. On the contrary, he was delighted because he had stumbled upon a treasure. Think about it: no matter how strong or talented the other person was, wasn't he still part of his crew?
"Haha, that's more like it! Now that's what I call a true crew member. From now on, I'm promoting you. You're the vice-captain of this pirate crew."
Wu Xian, hearing this, asked curiously:
"So, what are my responsibilities after this promotion?"
Lan Hao Tian thought for a moment, then clapped his hands and said:
"Of course, you'll row the boat. What, do you expect the captain to row the boat?"
"What?" Wu Xian thought he must have misheard. But thinking about it again, what could he expect from a pirate crew with only two members?
At that moment, bad news struck...
Crack! Crack!
The tremors from the skill tests had caused the boat to crack under pressure. The boat's hull broke apart and began to sink.
At that point, the boat was reduced to a large piece of wood still intact, while the rest was scattered into pieces.
"Damn it!" Both of them cursed in unison, then quickly stabilized themselves on their new wooden raft.
"Think of something! With a raft like this, how are we supposed to be pirates?" Wu Xian said, naturally leaving the responsibility for the captain to figure out.
"I... I... wait a minute. Look over there, it seems there's a large ship coming our way."
Just when things seemed dire, help arrived. Right when they lost their boat, a larger ship was approaching. Lan Hao Tian couldn't be happier at that moment.
Wu Xian also looked in the direction he pointed and saw indeed a large ship getting closer. He frowned and asked:
"What does a large ship have to do with us?"
Lan Hao Tian gave him a "you're such an idiot" look and smirked:
"You still don't get the pirate mentality? Of course, as pirates, we're supposed to rob the rich!"
Wu Xian's eyes lit up as if he had been enlightened. He nodded enthusiastically in agreement.
"You're absolutely right! As pirates, it's only natural to rob from the rich and give to the poor."
Lan Hao Tian froze for a moment, not remembering that he had said such a thing.
"Hey, hey, did you just misspeak? Why are we robbing from the rich to give to the poor?"
"Look at what we have now! A broken raft and two paddles. We're the poor ones!" Wu Xian said, as if this was an obvious truth.
This time, it was Lan Hao Tian who felt enlightened. He laughed heartily:
"Hahaha, now that's understanding the pirate way! Well done, you're truly a member of my crew!"