After the master's men assembled, they swiftly descended the mountain, led by the man in black, their movements coordinated and purposeful. A short while later, the man in black halted behind a massive rock, crouching in its shadow, and the others followed suit, concealing themselves among the terrain.

"Master, that's the cloud," the man in black whispered, pointing to a faint dot gliding across the sky far ahead.

The master squinted, his eyes tracking the distant speck, and said, "Hoo, that one, eh? It's quite far, but we can't get too close, because if she spots us, we have no way to catch her if she flees, so we'll keep this distance for now."

One of the men clicked his tongue and muttered, "Tch, that's ridiculously convenient, traveling so easily like that, just where did she get that cloud?"

Another man smirked and said, "Heh, it doesn't matter, because once it's in Master's hands, he'll figure out its origin soon enough."

The master nodded and commanded, "Alright, Gin, lead the way again."

Gin, the man in black, replied, "Yes, master, everyone, follow me quietly, and stay alert, we don't want to attract any demonic beasts while tracking her." The group resumed their stealthy pursuit, trailing the cloud from a cautious distance.

Two days later, their chase was halted by a vast body of water, an ocean-sized lake stretching before them, its surface shimmering under the sun. The cloud they had been following had vanished from sight, having crossed the lake, leaving them stranded on the shore.

One of the men clicked his tongue and said, "Tch, Master, what do we do now? She crossed the ocean, and we can't follow her anymore."

The master's eyes narrowed, his voice sharp with determination, and he replied, "So what? Are you giving up? I'm not, it's just a lake, and we'll find a way to cross it, so tell me, did any of you notice anything while we were tracking her?"

The men exchanged glances, their faces blank, except for Gin, the man in black, who stood apart, his expression focused. None of the others had picked up on anything significant.

Gin spoke up, his voice steady, "The cloud never changed its direction."

The master nodded, a sly grin forming, and said, "Exactly, it's been heading in the same direction since we started following, which means her destination is likely straight ahead."

With a flick of his wrist, he summoned a large round object from his space ring, revealing a globe carved from a boulder, its surface painted with a world map. If Anda and Tamina had been present, they would have instantly recognized it as identical to the world map globe in Lapin's Museum, though this one was faded, its colors dulled by time.

Despite the wear, the map's outlines, etched directly into the stone, remained clear and legible, offering a detailed guide to the world's layout.

One of the men, a burly figure, scratched his head and said, "Master, isn't this the map we found in that ruined city? Why'd you bring it out? I don't think a boulder like this can float and carry us across the lake."

The master's face twisted with irritation, and he snapped, "Shut up, Bodo! Every word out of your mouth is dumber than the last! Who in their right mind would use a boulder as a raft?"

Bodo's massive frame seemed to shrink under the scolding, and he mumbled, "Sorry, master, I'm not smart."

The master scoffed, his voice dripping with disdain, and said, "Hmph, I know body cultivators aren't known for brains, but this is ridiculous, to think I wasted a precious pill on someone like you, what a waste, I could've gotten a smarter slave. A strong man was supposed to be useful in a place like this, but your stupidity causes more trouble than it's worth."

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

Bodo hunched further, his confidence crumbling under the master's harsh words.

The other men snickered at Bodo's expense, their laughter echoing while Gin, the man in black, remained stoically silent, his gaze fixed on the globe.

The master whirled on them, barking, "Hmph! What are you idiots laughing at? You ugly fools aren't any better, just as useless! I can only rely on Gin to handle tasks properly."

The men's laughter died abruptly, their faces sheepish, and they muttered, "Uhh…"

The master turned to Gin and ordered, "Gin, show these morons why I brought out this map!"

"Yes, master," Gin replied calmly, stepping forward to face the massive globe. He had scanned the map moments ago and already grasped its significance. With careful precision, he rotated the boulder until the desired region faced the group.

"Look at this area," Gin said, pointing to a carved section of the map. "This depicts the massive lake before us, and our current location is right here."

Gin traced a straight line with his Qi across the map, his finger steady, and said, "Based on the direction the cloud is moving, it will pass directly through this spot, a lone island in the middle of the lake, which is most likely the woman's destination. The only issue now is how we reach it, since we can't fly like her."

Bodo, having already shrugged off the earlier scolding, raised his massive hand excitedly and blurted, "I know, I know! We can swim there!" His hulking frame practically vibrated with enthusiasm, as if he had just come up with the perfect solution to impress everyone.

The master felt the familiar surge of irritation rising in his chest again. But this time, instead of lashing out with the usual insults, he chose to play along, though his expression darkened slightly.

"Oh? It seems our dear Bodo has a brilliant idea this time. In that case, why don't you lead the way? Show us how to swim there," the master said, his voice unusually pleasant.

"Dohoho! Leave it to me, master! I'll show you right now!" Bodo beamed with excitement and ran toward the lake without hesitation.

As he approached the shore, his leg muscles suddenly swelled to twice their size. With a thunderous boom, he launched himself forward, flying over a kilometer before crashing into the lake with a powerful dive, completely vanishing from view.

Ten minutes passed, yet there was no sign of him returning. Only faint disturbances rippled across the lake's surface.

"Heh, this idiot. Did he get himself killed in there? Who the hell jumps straight into a lake full of demonic beasts? Swim there, he says. Yeah, right," one of the men scoffed, shaking his head.

"Hmph. Unfortunately, the idiot is still alive," the master said, his tone flat.

"Eh?" The men turned toward him in surprise.

Another few minutes passed before a figure suddenly emerged from the water and sprinted toward the group. It was Bodo. His hulking body was covered in wounds, and all of his clothes were gone. He was completely naked, his bloodied manhood swinging with each step.

Large bite marks and deep gashes marred his skin, and a few broken, jagged teeth were still embedded in the dense muscle of his arms and chest, likely from the beasts that had failed to chew through him. Yet despite the gruesome state of his body, he didn't appear to be in pain. He moved and spoke as casually as ever.

"Master, we need to cancel the swimming plan! I don't think we can do it," Bodo reported breathlessly. "There are too many demonic beasts down there trying to eat me while I was swimming. I couldn't even swim properly. I tried fighting them all, but it's impossible, so I had to just run away."

Everyone rolled their eyes. They didn't need him to personally confirm what they already knew, that the waters were dangerous.

"Put on some damn clothes, you idiot! I don't want to see your stupid dick! It should've been bitten off just now," the master barked, clearly irritated but for an entirely different reason this time.

"Sorry, master. I didn't mean to show my stupid dick," Bodo said, quickly pulling out a spare set of clothes from his storage and putting them on.

"Hmph. Let's return first and think of a way to cross the lake safely. That woman must have made that island her base. There's no doubt about it. Just wait. I'll get that cloud and whatever treasures are hidden on that island, no matter what it takes. If we have to, we'll modify and turn an airship into a proper ship. You can handle that, right, Cid? Finally a chance for you to be useful," the master said, his tone sharp but focused.

"Heh, no problem at all, master. Well, not without the proper materials, of course," Cid replied with a grin.

"Good. This world is full of untouched resources. We just need to find them. Let's go," the master ordered as he stored the globe back into his space ring. Without wasting any more time, he turned around and dashed toward the mountain they had come from. The others quickly followed.

A few days later, Leyvi, Anda, and Lilian welcomed Valenia, who had just arrived at the mansion.