Chapter 1: Dragon Ji Hao

In August, the warmest month in the Arctic, the sun seemed to hover almost eternally at the horizon’s edge.

The Arctic research vessel, Dragon Polaris, moved slowly across the boundless ice sheet, its bow emitting a constant, piercing sound as it broke through the ice.

By noon, the temperature had risen to minus seven degrees Celsius. Unlike previous days, there was no biting wind, so First Mate Zhao Meng announced that all research team members could come to the deck for fresh air and activity.

Zhao Meng was Li Weiyi's senior fellow disciple. In his younger years, he had trained in martial arts for six years within their lineage. He later joined the navy, steadily rising through the ranks to become an officer, gaining extensive maritime experience. On this expedition, he was responsible for personnel management, hull maintenance, and other related matters on the ship.

Having been cooped up in the cabins for several days, everyone was excited to be on deck. Some stretched out their arms, breathing deeply with relief, others shouted loudly, while some picked up uncleared ice and snow from the deck and threw it afar. An accompanying journalist was recording material for a broadcast, and meteorological researchers released weather balloons.

"Auspicious snow amazes a thousand miles,Dark clouds obscure the boundless sky.The land seems like a moonlit night,The mountains like a morning of white clouds."

Among the seven or eight students who emerged from the cabin with Professor Xu, one short student, moved by the scene, recited a poem loudly for everyone, his breath forming visible puffs of white mist. No one mocked or felt embarrassed; instead, everyone empathized, feeling spirited and inspired. To be chosen for an Arctic expedition while still in university certainly added a significant and vibrant chapter to their life's resume.

Li Weiyi sat alone on the stern's gangway, detached from the boisterous laughter, playful antics, and soaring spirits elsewhere on deck. He had a handsome and refined face with a high nose bridge, and his lips were slightly chapped from the cold. Having just finished his first year of university, he was considerably younger than the group of master's students led by Professor Xu.

From the collar of his thick orange cold-weather suit, he pulled out an ancient ornament hanging around his neck. As he caressed its patterns, a wave of longing washed over him, and his face was etched with bitterness and sorrow. This ancient ornament, named "Dao Ancestor Tai Chi Fish," was the sect master's token of the Chanmen sect, purportedly passed down from the time of King Wen of Zhou. It consisted of two bronze fish, joined head to tail, forming a Tai Chi symbol. The fish scales were clearly carved, but one of the fish eyes was missing. The eyes of the two fish represented the Lesser Yin and Lesser Yang within the Tai Chi. The single remaining eye was slightly greenish, the size of a bean, and made of a peculiar material that resembled jade, stone, and bone, imbued with a strong ancient aura. The old sect master said it was the frontal bone of the Dao Ancestor.

Two months prior, as the old sect master lay dying, he passed the Dao Ancestor Tai Chi Fish to Li Weiyi, who then naturally became the new generation's sect master of Chanmen. Having lost his parents at a young age, Li Weiyi had grown up with the old sect master, and their bond was like that of a grandfather and grandson. The old sect master's death was a great blow to him. It was then that Zhao Meng, who happened to be visiting his master back at the mountain, was entrusted with Li Weiyi by the old sect master in his final moments. Seeing Li Weiyi consumed by grief for days, Zhao Meng suggested taking him out to clear his mind. Only after boarding the research vessel did Li Weiyi realize that his senior fellow disciple had brought him to the distant Arctic to clear his mind.

"Weiyi, thinking of the old sect master again?" Zhao Meng walked over from the deck. With his towering 1.86-meter physique, broad face, large ears, and thick sideburns, coupled with the already bulky cold-weather suit he wore, his arms appeared as thick as pillars, giving him a mountain-like, imposing masculine presence.

Li Weiyi quickly composed himself, looked up, and revealed a pair of clear, bright eyes. "Senior Brother, you don't need to worry. I'm fine. Two months have passed, and everything can fade and be accepted with time." He possessed inner strength, capable of facing life's storms alone, and was not one to burden his loved ones with negative emotions.

"That's good then." Zhao Meng plopped down beside Li Weiyi, took out a cigarette pack, pulled out one, lit it, and said, "Talk more with everyone. Don't keep everything bottled up by yourself. Want a puff?"

Li Weiyi gently shook his head and asked, "Senior Brother, what happened on the ship last night?" Zhao Meng had assigned Li Weiyi to the security team, where he was responsible for maintaining basic safety and order on the fifth deck. Last night, something significant seemed to have occurred in the lower cabins, as there were prolonged sounds of running and shouting, and even the ship's hull had shaken a few times. He had wanted to go down and investigate at the time but was prevented, and his curiosity lingered.

Zhao Meng said, "Nothing major! Apparently, there was a fire in Lab 705, but it was quickly extinguished." Lab 705, located on the lowest deck, was conducting a secret experiment. Its security level was very high, and it was not under Zhao Meng's jurisdiction. Li Weiyi had heard people mention that armed guards were stationed outside the lab.

"Those people are so secretive; they won't even let us check if the lab contains dangerous explosives. I just hope they don't cause any trouble," Zhao Meng grumbled, his expression worried. They said it was a fire, but the ship had clearly vibrated, indicating they were deliberately concealing something. The Dragon Polaris was over a hundred meters long and weighed nearly fifteen thousand tons. How much force would it take to shake it?

Recalling the real reason he came to see Li Weiyi, Zhao Meng's expression turned serious. "Are Xie Jin and the others giving you a hard time?"

"No." Li Weiyi gently shook his head.

Zhao Meng's large, thick hand clapped him on the shoulder. "With me, Senior Brother, just tell me what's on your mind. The kinder and more tolerant you are, the more they'll take advantage."

Li Weiyi thought for a moment. "Those who join the research vessel's security team are elites, selected through rigorous vetting. I'm just someone with connections, fresh out of my first year of university, yet I've become a member of the security team, assigned to the best deck with a private room. If I were them, I'd certainly feel discontent. So, I don't blame them."

Zhao Meng took a deep drag, stopping only when the lit end was close to the filter, and exhaled thick, pungent smoke from his nostrils. "What 'someone with connections'? Don't I know your abilities? When you were little... I remember you were only this tall, right? When I practiced martial arts under the old locust tree, you'd be right there, grunting and giggling, swinging your little fists alongside me. Master always said my talent barely reached your knees."

Li Weiyi chuckled, "You know how exaggerated Master's words can be, don't you?"

"Oh, come on! Two years ago, when I returned to the mountain to spar with you, I was already no match. Those two years, at seventeen and eighteen, are precisely when one's physique and vitality grow rapidly. Do you think I'd still dare to challenge you now?" Zhao Meng said.

While Li Weiyi was certainly confident in his martial arts skills, the thought of his master's words—"Martial Way, Martial Way, only martial remains, no Way exists. In this era, even martial arts are almost gone"—somewhat dampened his confidence. Yet, the pursuit of the Martial Way and the dream of transcending the ordinary that lingered in his mind did not diminish; instead, they grew even stronger. He was determined to make a name for himself in this era where the Martial Way had been forsaken.

After a long pause, Li Weiyi said, "My joining the security team is still against the rules. Senior Brother, please don't make things difficult for them; I can handle it myself."

"You..." Zhao Meng knew that his junior fellow disciple had grown up in the mountains and had always been a good student, too kind-hearted to understand the treachery of human nature. So, he patiently explained, "I specially recruited you. Even if you weren't my junior fellow disciple, your abilities fully comply. That's the rule! Next time Xie Jin and the others give you trouble, don't just tolerate it. Just teach them a lesson directly." Zhao Meng added, "Speaking of which, this matter has something to do with me too. I had a significant conflict with Xie Tianshu when we competed for the First Mate position, and he's likely behind their instigation." Xie Tianshu was the second mate of this research vessel, responsible for the ship's security, medical services, and other matters.

A research team member hurried over. "Brother Meng, the captain has an urgent matter for you. Please go immediately."

"I've already mentioned your situation to the captain. You don't even have to consider yourself part of the security team; just think of this as a trip to relax." Zhao Meng gave Li Weiyi a few more instructions before following the team member to the bridge.

"Did you know that the Arctic Ocean is the mythical North Sea? In ancient times, when the land was wild and uncultivated, gods, demons, and various monstrous races waged endless wars. After the Chiyou tribe was defeated, the remnants of the Jiuli people fled into the North Sea."

"The North Sea is also known as Beiming, said to be the entrance from the human world to the underworld. There's also a saying that one can only reach the true human realm from Beiming."

The group of master's students led by Professor Xu walked along the passageway by the ship's railing, approaching the stern where Li Weiyi was. The short student who had recited the poem earlier was quite the social butterfly, speaking endlessly as he told two pretty female students mythological tales about the North Sea. Having been at sea for over a month since departure, everyone was utterly bored. Hearing such bizarre and fantastical stories, combined with the boundless ice sheet before them that naturally sparked endless imagination, led to continuous laughter and discussion.

A female student with very fair skin and round, bright eyes said, "Beiming, I know that! 'In Beiming, there is a fish; its name is Kun. The Kun's size is unknown, extending for thousands of miles.' It's written in Zhuangzi's 'Free and Easy Wandering'!"

Another female student teased, "If there really were a fish thousands of miles long, it wouldn't even be able to move in the Arctic Ocean, would it?" Professor Xu and this group of students were responsible for research projects on marine biology, as well as extracting Arctic microbial strains and marine genetic specimens, making their tasks diverse and demanding.

"The vastness of a thousand miles of silver, the endless eternity of the midnight sun. Such a magnificent landscape can only be seen in the polar regions. Shall we take a group photo?"

"Great idea, it would be very memorable."

"Young man, could you help us take a picture?"

Li Weiyi looked at the camera offered by the female student, then met her round, moon-like eyes. After a slight nod, he tucked the Dao Ancestor Tai Chi Fish into his cold-weather suit, stood up, and walked down the gangway to take their group photo.

"Please take a few extra shots." A group of male and female students clustered around Professor Xu, posing for various photos by the ship's railing.

"Click!" He continued pressing the shutter...

Suddenly, Li Weiyi sensed something amiss and discovered something. He scrolled through the photos he had just taken, zoomed in for a closer look, and his pupils abruptly constricted.

"What's wrong, young man?" the female student asked curiously.

Li Weiyi handed the camera to them, letting them see for themselves. He, meanwhile, looked towards the distant snow ridge. The boundless expanse of ice and snow, a flat, silver-cast landscape devoid of any vegetation, was both breathtaking and desolate. On a snow ridge several kilometers away, a massive, purplish-black figure was moving rapidly.

"A bear? What a strange bear-like creature..." The female student was astonished, her gaze fixed on the photo on the camera.

"Let me see, why is it a purplish-black bear? Aren't polar bears white? Could a new species have appeared in the Arctic?"

"Don't you think this bear is a bit strange? It looks skinny, yet its body is unusually massive."

As they huddled together examining the photos, the strange bear-like creature in the distance charged down the snow ridge at an extraordinary speed, heading towards the research vessel. It was too fast! It ran across the ice field like a car, its paws kicking up numerous ice fragments with each stride. Even from a great distance, the thunder-like sound of its running could faintly be heard.

"Something's not right; how can it be so fast?" Li Weiyi squinted, sensing danger. This strange purplish-black bear-like creature was astonishingly large, four to five times the size of an adult polar bear. It was definitely a new species, unknown on Earth. In just one minute, it covered almost two kilometers. Its target was clear: the research vessel.

"It's coming for us," Li Weiyi murmured this, then looked towards the deck and shouted, "Everyone, quickly get back to the cabins! There's danger!"

"What terrifying speed! Even a cheetah at full sprint might not be this fast, right?" Professor Xu and the seven or eight young students nearby were a mix of worried and panicked.

Over the research vessel's public address system, the captain's voice boomed: "Attention all research team members, please return to your cabins immediately. Security team members, please secure all cabin doors."

"Attention all research team members, please return to your cabins immediately..."

A piercing siren blared, echoing throughout the entire research vessel.