On the ice layer, a golden greatsword spun rapidly, with a cloud-like white aura flowing around the blade's edge. The sword tip emitted sword energy like a drill, quickly boring downward.
"Crack, crack, crack~" Ice shards flew in all directions.
When the sword tip pierced through ten meters of ice, it stopped rotating.
Long Xiao controlled four golden swords simultaneously, positioning them at the cardinal directions—north, south, east, and west—each 200 meters from him. In the next second, the swords trembled slightly, and the white aura around the blades transformed into a serrated flow.
The golden sword, which had just served as a drill, now acted as a cutting tool, beginning a horizontal slice.
"Long Xiao's precious swords are really doing work they were never meant for," Zhao Xing laughed.
"I never thought I'd see the day when a sword cultivator became a worker," Xia Jing shook his head, feeling something within him shatter.
Sword cultivators, once revered as noble and ethereal beings, had now become down-to-earth laborers!
"But his speed is impressive," Ji Ziyun commented. "If it were me, a warlock, I definitely wouldn't be this fast."
The ice was too thick, and in this case, physical tools worked better than spells. Even if Zhao Xing were to try, he didn't have any techniques that could melt the ice quickly.
The best spell for melting ice was fire.
However, Zhao Xing's Heavenly Fire was only at the intermediate mastery stage, and expecting it to melt through several meters of ice was wishful thinking. If it were up to him, he'd likely have his straw puppets slowly chisel away with tools.
Nearby, Mountain Cat used its claws to scratch at the ice alongside one of Long Xiao's swords.
"Crack, crack, crack~" Soon, the cat had dug out an ice hole. But it seemed to lack a sense of direction, burrowing down and reemerging from another spot.
"Meow?" Like a mole, Mountain Cat quickly turned the once-flat ice surface into a mess of holes.
"Come on, Aotian, head back inside. I'll get you some fish later," Zhao Xing, feeling his obsessive-compulsive disorder flare up, couldn't stand seeing the neat ice surface ruined.
Long Xiao's cuts were clean and square, pleasing to the eye. Having a few crooked, irregular holes scattered about was torment for someone with such inclinations.
"Meow~" Mountain Cat huffed and ran back to the nearby cabin.
"Long Xiao, when you help Brother Ji move the broken ice later, try to make less noise. There are a lot of fish under the ice, and we don't want to scare them off," Zhao Xing called out.
"Got it."
Zhao Xing was standing on the ice in his true form.
He had a total of eighteen Myriad Straw Puppets. Nine of them were acting as bodyguards for Ji Zixuan and Murong Xue, while the other nine were accompanying him.
At that moment, three of his Myriad Straw Puppet clones were observing the underwater situation from a depth of a thousand meters.
The roots of the Azure Sea Cloud Vine had extended to three thousand meters below the surface and were still growing deeper.
However, the growth had slowed, a result of Old Chen's advanced foundational techniques.
At intervals of every 500 meters, a thick, bulbous section had formed along the vine's root, making it look like three villas had grown underwater.
Zhao Xing had broken through six layers of the vine's walls and opened several skylights in different directions of the outermost layer.
He tossed out a few luminous pearls and sealed the openings with mirrored surfaces from the Kirin Airship.
Then, lying inside the vine, he used the Heavenly Eye technique and Five Elements Observation to monitor the underwater environment.
"Gurgle~"
A bubble rose from the depths.
Soon after, a three-meter-long fish with purple scales and a faint golden glow on its head, resembling a longsword, swam by.
A school of fish quickly followed, swimming past the root of the Azure Sea Cloud Vine.
"So many big fish," Zhao Xing's fingers itched as he watched, feeling the urge to shoot something.
But without the right tools and fearing he might scare the fish away, he suppressed the thought.
"Once the Azure Sea Cloud Vine takes root on the seabed, I can explore the depths and search for treasures," he mused.
If he could reach the seabed, his Divine Travel Guard technique would come in handy.
Touching the ground would allow him to tap into the earth's veins and unleash the full power of Divine Travel Guard. He could then search for treasures hidden beneath the sea.
After all, the Extreme Night Sea wasn't only rich in fish!
As the sword cultivator broke the ice and the warlock assisted in moving the ice blocks, they carefully lifted each chunk away, avoiding startling the fish.
Ji Ziyun then set up the Ice Well Formation, ensuring that the newly exposed ice wouldn't refreeze anytime soon.
This entire process only took half an hour.
Thanks to Long Xiao's speed in cutting and Ji Ziyun's efficient formation setup, they finished in no time.
"Splash~"
The water began to flow, and soon after, fish shadows darted by to surface for air.
"We haven't even set the bait, and there are already fish?" Ji Ziyun's eyes lit up. "Looks like we chose the right spot. Zhao Xing, should we start baiting?"
He was eager to begin.
"Alright." Zhao Xing quickly flew to the warm shelter and retrieved a Water Immortal Lotus plant.
The Water Immortal Lotus belonged to the lotus family. Its seed pods were small, but its petals were enormous.
As soon as the plant sank into the sea, its blue petals became even more crystalline, and they began to ripple the cold water, spreading waves and creating a field of influence.
The fish, drawn by the vibrations, swam toward the Water Immortal Lotus's domain.
Once within its range, they were reluctant to leave, beginning to search for mates and entering their breeding phase.
Zhao Xing then scattered a bucket of Fish-Devouring Grass seeds.
The grayish-green seeds dissolved quickly upon hitting the water, releasing a scent.
"Gurgle, gurgle~"
Bubbles rose as more fish appeared, clearly attracted by the scent.
Ji Ziyun was thrilled. "So many... Hahaha, Kirin, cast your line quickly!"
Xia Jing, now tasked with fishing, took hold of five rods, hoping his beginner's luck would still be in effect. He gritted his teeth and cast the Divine Luo Rod, followed by the Yellow Dragon Rod and the Heaven and Earth Rod.
But by the time he cast the third rod, he froze.
The lines on the first two rods had already gone taut, and the rods bent sharply under the strain.
Bubbles churned on the surface, making the water look as if it were boiling.
"Splash~"
A half-meter-long swordfish, gleaming with golden light, leapt out of the water.
"Thud~" It landed directly into the fish basket in front of Xia Jing.
Xia Jing: "..."
Ji Ziyun: "..."
"Thud~" Three more fish followed suit, dropping into the basket with a wet splat.
"Splash~"
"Splash~"
"Splash~"
What followed was an unstoppable flood of fish.
Hundreds of fish leapt out of the water, filling the fish basket to the brim.
Soon, they began falling onto the ice, flopping about.
"Gulp~" Xia Jing swallowed hard.
"Zhao Xing... is this normal?"
He wasn't sure what to make of it, but he was thoroughly shocked.
"I..." Zhao Xing hesitated. "It seems I may have scattered too much Fish-Devouring Grass."
After taking a closer look and confirming the situation through his Myriad Straw Puppets, Zhao Xing realized what had happened.
He had indeed overdone it!
The fish below were already in a frenzy!
"Fish-Devouring Grass has an irresistible allure for fish. At the fifth rank, it's known as 'Fish-Food Grass,' but at the sixth rank, it's 'Devouring Grass.' The fish go crazy, rushing in without hesitation."
"The Water Immortal Lotus accelerates their breeding, locking them into the area, making them unable to escape."
"Both food and desire have been perfectly arranged," Zhao Xing sighed. "These hybrid species from Shangluo Academy are way too effective."
In his previous life, Zhao Xing had never used such high-quality bait.
Instinctively, he had dumped an entire bucket.
Plus, the people fishing were different this time.
Zhao Xing and Xia Jing both possessed Derivation Four fortune, and Long Xiao's fortune wasn't far behind, nearing Derivation Four as well.
Ji Ziyun and Chen Shijie also had Derivation Three, though their fortune pillars were slightly weaker. Even Chen Shijie, the weakest, had reached Derivation Three.
With the combined fortune of the five of them, the number of fish far exceeded what Zhao Xing had observed at the root of the Azure Sea Cloud Vine.
Adding to that, the excessive bait had now triggered an unstoppable chain reaction.
"What are you standing around for? Start gathering the fish!" Chen Shijie, having just emerged, was overjoyed. "We don't even need to fish; we can just collect them!"
"We've hit the jackpot!" Ji Ziyun and Long Xiao, after a brief moment of shock, grinned and joined in, gathering the fish.
This haul was far larger than anything they had caught before.
The smallest fish were half a meter long, and the largest were already over three meters!
"All of them are spirit fish!"
At first, Xia Jing had been reluctant—he had only just started enjoying fishing and still didn't like the taste of fish. But what was this?
The fish were jumping into the basket on their own, insulting his efforts!
But as more and more fish kept coming, Xia Jing found that he no longer felt nauseous.
There were simply too many!
Because of the abundant spiritual energy, Xia Jing was now trembling with excitement.
His excitement overpowered his aversion to fish, and he even started picking them up by hand!
"Thud, thud, thud~"
All over the surface of the water, fish were leaping out. In no time at all, hundreds of fish had jumped onto the ice.
In just fifteen minutes, they had collected nearly a thousand fish!
"How much bait did you use? How is this even possible?" Chen Shijie, coming over, was stunned by the scene.
"I used the whole bucket."
"What?" Chen Shijie exclaimed. "Who uses that much bait?"
"I didn't plan to fish anymore," Zhao Xing shrugged, raising his hand. A whirlwind of energy formed above the water. "There's no point in fishing now."
"Just absorb it!"
"..."
Chen Shijie scolded him, "You're a disgrace! Zhao Xing, you're the disgrace of all fishermen! There's no skill involved at all!"
Despite his words, Chen Shijie began using a whirlwind technique to join in the gathering.
The fish that had jumped ashore were only a fraction of the total.
The fish being sucked up by the whirlwinds were far more numerous.
Fish rained down from the sky.
"Oh-ho-ho~" Long Xiao shouted excitedly, acting like a child. "Aotian, eat as much as you want!"
"Meow!" Mountain Cat was ecstatic, darting from fish to fish, sniffing one and biting another, as if trying to claim them all.
All mine, all mine!
But after fifteen minutes, the situation suddenly changed.
"What the—why are these fish attacking me?" Long Xiao flailed, as five fish with wings and sharp, spiked mouths charged at him.
"Splash~" Zhao Xing's heart skipped a beat.
"Brother Zhao, could there be something big coming?" Ji Ziyun, who had initially been thrilled, began to sense that something was off. "Why are the fish all desperately jumping onto the ice?"
"Let me check." Zhao Xing quickly directed his Myriad Straw Puppets to observe the sea below.
"Boom!" The Azure Sea Cloud Vine suddenly shook, as if something had struck its roots, causing the vine walls to tremble violently and pierce through three or four layers.
Splash~
Water rushed in, slamming into the fifth layer of the vine wall.
Zhao Xing quickly cast a spell to seal the breach.
As he activated the Heavenly Eye to observe, a shadow passed by, dark and enormous.
The shadow stretched thirty meters long, and Zhao Xing saw five or six Sword-Toothed Blackscale Sharks swimming toward the Water Immortal Lotus.
Each shark was seventy or eighty meters long, and all of them gleamed with spiritual energy!
"Something big has definitely arrived. If we can take one down, it would be a huge boost! Brothers, get ready—"
Before Zhao Xing could finish his sentence, his heart suddenly tightened, as if something had grabbed it and twisted hard.
His true body gasped for breath, unable to speak.
In the depths of the sea, through his Myriad Straw Puppet's eyes, his vision was suddenly blocked by something white.
Golden and white stripes intertwined as they moved upward.
It took ten seconds for the scene to clear.
Zhao Xing immediately realized what had just passed by.
"No way…"
Zhao Xing's scalp tingled.
A massive creature appeared before him. Its tail fin alone was three or four hundred meters long!
Its pale white belly shimmered with golden patterns, the same patterns that had blocked his view earlier.
A row of spiked scales adorned its dorsal fin, each spike twenty or thirty meters tall.
"Moooo~"
A deep, ancient-sounding bellow echoed from the ocean depths into the root of the Azure Sea Cloud Vine.
Zhao Xing then saw the giant creature open its massive mouth, devouring the Sword-Toothed Blackscale Sharks in one gulp.
"It's a Dragon Whale!"
"Run!"
Zhao Xing's hair stood on end as he whipped up a whirlwind, gathering up the fish baskets, people, and cat.
Without a word, he yanked everyone toward the warm shelter.
"What are you—"
Long Xiao, who had been busy gathering fish, suddenly felt an overwhelming sense of danger explode in his mind.
He instinctively sped up, pulling Chen Shijie with him.
Xia Jing wasn't far behind, activating his Azure Dragon movement technique to accelerate alongside Zhao Xing's whirlwind.
Mountain Cat, meanwhile, grabbed the slightly slower Ji Ziyun in its mouth and darted ahead, stepping on lightning as it moved through the wind.
The ice surface suddenly grew eerily calm.
Two breaths later.
"Boom!"
"Crack, crack, crack"
The water exploded, and the surrounding ice shattered.
The ice layer that Long Xiao had expanded instantly doubled in size!
A massive whirlpool formed on the surface, pulling in the surrounding energy and matter, crushing it all.
In the next moment, a giant mouth engulfed the ice, water, and all the fish in one gulp!
The creature revealed half of its body, but even this portion looked like a mountain.
Its black-gold scales gleamed under the light.
As it dove back into the water, it seemed as if a mountain were rising from the sea. After devouring its meal, the creature lunged forward once again.
"Boom!"
The ice shattered again, sending a massive wave soaring over a hundred meters into the air!
"My god~" Ji Ziyun's face turned pale. "It's a Dragon Whale!"
"How can a Dragon Whale be this big?!" Xia Jing stood frozen, his nausea forgotten, replaced by a crippling fear of the giant creature.
"Old Chen, hold the wave!" Zhao Xing shouted. "We can't let it destroy the warm shelter behind us!"
"Understood." Chen Shijie reacted quickly.
Together, they cast their spells to protect the warm shelter behind them.
As the waves surged toward them, Chen Shijie and Zhao Xing held their staffs high.
Facing a hundred-meter-high wave, they joined forces, summoning a cloud barrier to cover the shelter.
The cloud barrier layered and undulated like a mountain range.
Despite the immense wave, the barrier stood firm like a reef amidst the storm.
"Whoosh~"
A few minutes later, the waves finally subsided.
The Dragon Whale disappeared.
Everyone breathed a collective sigh of relief, feeling as if they had narrowly escaped death.
"A Dragon Whale… I never expected to see such a massive Dragon Whale in the Extreme Night Sea," Chen Shijie murmured, still in shock. "Its size is a hundred times larger than a normal Dragon Whale!"
Zhao Xing nodded. "The spiritual energy contained in a Dragon Whale far surpasses that of ordinary fish. It has devoured countless spirit fish, growing stronger and stronger."
"Thankfully, you warned us in time," Ji Ziyun said, still shaken. "Otherwise, we'd have been swallowed whole, with no chance of escaping the Dragon Whale's 'Heaven-Swallowing Whirlpool.'"
"Meow!" Mountain Cat let out a fearful cry. That Dragon Whale had nearly scared the life out of it!
Fortunately, the Dragon Whale had lunged forward, eating and then swimming away.
Zhao Xing and the others, reacting quickly, had fled in the opposite direction, far from the Dragon Whale's feeding zone. Otherwise, their fate would have been grim.
"Fortune comes and goes. After such a long streak of good luck, it's only natural that we finally ran into bad luck," Zhao Xing said, his face somewhat pale. "We've had continuous good fortune and have forgotten the most basic principles."
For more than ten days, everything had gone smoothly, with no real danger in sight.
Now, they had finally encountered a stroke of misfortune.
Zhao Xing pinched his fingers together, calculating. "No wonder my earlier reading revealed 'Nine-Two: Danger in the Abyss, with only minor gains.'"
"It was warning us of this."
"I've been careless," Zhao Xing reflected. "I nearly got everyone swallowed."
"Brother Zhao, what are you saying?" Xia Jing frowned. "As brothers, shouldn't we share both fortune and danger?"
"Exactly, Zhao Xing," Ji Ziyun agreed. "This wasn't your fault, and you gave us a timely warning."
Chen Shijie and Long Xiao remained silent, but they didn't hold any grudges against Zhao Xing. Their bond as brothers was unspoken and needed no explanation.
"We didn't come away empty-handed," Ji Ziyun said, gesturing to the fish they had gathered. "Even though we didn't get all of them, we still have a thousand or two left."
"You're not a god, nor are you omniscient. Don't be so hard on yourself."
Although they said that, Zhao Xing still reflected on his actions.
Their treasure-hunting journey had been too smooth. With his Five-Finger Destiny reaching advanced levels, he had become less cautious, forgetting the basic principles of fortune and relying too much on his confidence in avoiding danger.
"Fate is unpredictable and profound. Although we avoided disaster this time, we must remain vigilant in the future," Zhao Xing resolved, feeling that his understanding of the Five-Finger Destiny and Derivation Qi Observation had deepened.
"Alright, let's divide the fish," Chen Shijie said, noticing that Zhao Xing had recovered. "But first, we should assess the damage."
"Good idea," Zhao Xing nodded.
Chen Shijie entered the warm shelter. Although some ice blocks had fallen, the overall structure remained intact.
However, there were some cracks in the foundation. Luckily, the ice layer was thick enough, and the Dragon Whale hadn't struck directly at the shelter, so the damage was minimal, and the ice layer hadn't fully broken.
The warm shelter had suffered little.
"The fishing rods are gone," Long Xiao remarked. "All five rods are missing. I don't know if the Dragon Whale swallowed them or if they were swept away by the waves."
Given the situation at the time, who cared about fishing rods when they were busy gathering fish?
"They were swallowed," Zhao Xing said, closing his eyes. "They're in the Dragon Whale's belly."
"How do you know?" Long Xiao asked.
"You did it on purpose, didn't you?" Ji Ziyun asked, realizing something. "Those sixth-rank rods were custom-made, with seven-star hooks that have a tracking function. Even if the line snaps, you can track them. You made sure to take the fish baskets with you, so why not the rods?"
"That's right," Zhao Xing nodded. He had indeed thought of that in the heat of the moment.
"You've got your eyes on the Dragon Whale, haven't you? But with our current strength, do you really think we can take it down?"
"I can't do it," Zhao Xing smiled. "But someone else might be able to. Even if there's no chance, the worst that could happen is losing five rods."
"Besides, we don't need fishing rods to eat fish."
"You've got a point," Ji Ziyun glanced at the fish lying on the ground. "We didn't catch these with rods; we just gathered them."
"Nonsense!" Xia Jing snapped. "I filled a whole basket earlier! Cousin, are you jealous that I caught more than you? Is that why you're ignoring my superior fishing skills?"
"Fishing skills? Ha! The fish jumped right into your basket," Ji Ziyun retorted disdainfully.
"Xiaoguang, you've gone too far!"
"You rascal—"
Just as Ji Ziyun was about to argue, Zhao Xing cut in. "Brother Xia, stop pretending."
"You were about to pick a fight with Brother Ji, pretend to be angry, and leave so you wouldn't have to eat any fish, right?"
Xia Jing's expression turned awkward. "Is it that obvious?"
"You think my Heavenly Eye is just for show?"
Zhao Xing was speechless. They were on the verge of dividing the fish, and Xia Jing was trying to back out.
How much do you hate eating fish?!
"Well, it's not that I'm scared. I just thought I'd let you all have some first..." Xia Jing's voice trailed off under the weight of their stares.
"Fine, but can I eat less?"
"You're cultivating the Gluttony Technique. Can you really eat less?"
"Can we at least cook the fish? Start a fire, boil some oil, and fry them? Don't you have everything prepared on your Kirin Airship?"
"I had considered it," Zhao Xing said, pointing at the warm shelter. "But the Kirin Airship has already been dismantled. Where would we find a stove and oil?"
"Besides, neither I nor Old Chen are master chefs. The spiritual energy in the fish needs to be handled carefully. If we cook it, most of the effect will dissipate."
"Do you want to waste such precious material?"
"Alright, alright... I'll eat!" Xia Jing grumbled. "Ever since we teamed up for training, I knew this day would come... Damn it, what kind of karma is this?"
"Man up and eat! No crying!"
"..."
On the icebreaker ship, Pei Yuanchang was tallying the day's catch with his advisor.
Suddenly, one of his subordinates burst in, not even bothering to knock.
"Young master, something big has happened!"
"Watch your manners!" Pei Yuanchang scolded. "Can't you see I'm in a meeting?"
"Next time, wait for permission. Now, what is it?"
The subordinate wasted no time and pulled out a Mirage Pearl, projecting a scene in front of them.
"You told me to keep an eye on Zhao Shennong, in case anything happened."
"I've been watching from a distance, and here's what I recorded two hours ago."
Pei Yuanchang looked up at the projection.
At first, the scene was normal enough, with Long Xiao cutting the ice and moving the blocks.
But when Zhao Xing transplanted the Water Immortal Lotus and scattered a bucket of Fish-Devouring Grass seeds, things quickly spiraled out of control.
"What's going on? Why are there so many fish?" Pei Yuanchang was stunned.
The following scenes left him even more shocked.
The fish began jumping into Xia Jing's basket, with even more leaping onto the ice.
Soon, Zhao Xing and Chen Shijie were using whirlwinds to pull the fish out of the water.
Fish were literally raining from the sky.
"What?!"
Pei Yuanchang shot to his feet.
Even the advisor next to him was dumbfounded.
"How could there be so many fish in this area? This is..."
Pei Yuanchang was utterly speechless.
His crew had worked hard all day, and they'd only caught about a thousand catties of fish.
Even though their efficiency was improving, they still couldn't compare to Zhao Xing's group.
Just from a quick glance, it looked like they had pulled in over a hundred thousand catties of fish!
"How... how did he manage that?" Pei Yuanchang wondered if he was hallucinating.
His subordinate had no answer. How could he possibly know?
He was just there to record the scene!
"Young master, I don't know what kind of technique Zhao Shennong used, but it seems to be related to his warm shelter."
"Also, young master, keep watching—something even bigger happens later!"
Pei Yuanchang collected himself, calming his emotions as he sat back down.
But only a moment later, his heart skipped a beat, and he shot to his feet once more.
"A Dragon Whale!"
"How can there be a Dragon Whale of that size?!"
Pei Yuanchang couldn't sit still anymore.
He bolted out the door.
"Young master, young master!" The advisor hurried after him but paused at the door.
"This must be kept secret. Do not let word of this spread."
"Yes, sir," the subordinate nodded.
With that, he too exited the icebreaker ship, flying in Zhao Xing's direction.
"Ugh~"
Xia Jing clutched his stomach with one hand and the doorframe with the other, gagging.
But nothing came out. At the seventh level of the Gluttony Technique, it was rare to find anyone even in the fifth rank who could match him.
He only absorbed the essence of the fish, which was quickly digested. There was nothing left to vomit up.
"Brother Long, cover Kirin's mouth and nose. Don't let him spit anything out!" Ji Ziyun said sternly. "We have to help him break this bad habit."
"Hahaha," Zhao Xing and Chen Shijie laughed. Ji Ziyun really was ruthless.
"Got it," Long Xiao spat out a fishbone and moved to grab Xia Jing.
"You bastard, stay away!" Xia Jing waved his hand. "Do you think you've eaten more than me?"
"I've already eaten over three thousand catties!"
Xia Jing was on the verge of tears.
These guys were ruthless!
Because he cultivated the Gluttony Technique, they made sure he ate the most, justifying it by calling it a 'test for poison'!
So he ended up eating the most!
In less than an hour, he had eaten over three thousand catties of fish!
"Maybe we should stop torturing Brother Xia. He's had a hard time," Zhao Xing said with a smirk.
"Don't act like the good guy," Xia Jing grumbled. "You were the one who fed me the most!"
"Meow!" Mountain Cat waved its paw in agreement.
Even this cat hadn't eaten as much as Xia Jing!
"Hahaha!"
Zhao Xing stopped teasing Xia Jing and focused on devouring the fish.
The fish meat was rich in spiritual energy, with various types of spirit energy.
Thanks to the large quantity, he was able to be selective in what he ate.
By now, Zhao Xing had absorbed a considerable amount of water energy.
"If I can fish a few more times and refine enough water energy, I'll have the water element completed. Next, I need to gather spirit energy from the wood, metal, and earth elements, and I'll be able to break through. The Extreme Night Sea definitely has the opportunity to complete this."
"And if I can get a piece of that Dragon Whale…"
Zhao Xing's eyes burned with excitement.
The Dragon Whale was one of the greatest treasures in the Extreme Night Sea.
In his previous life, he had only heard of it but never actually tasted its flesh.
"Even if I can just eat a few pieces of meat and obtain a few drops of blood essence, my Hou Transformation Technique might allow me to start internal cultivation earlier."
The Seventy-Two Hou Transformations' internal cultivation would allow him to transform into the divine serpent Tengshe!
That would solve many of Zhao Xing's shortcomings in close combat.
Of course, it would be best to begin the internal cultivation after breaking through to the fifth rank.
At present, Zhao Xing was close to reaching the peak of the Heavenly Gang stage.
Although his official position was still at the upper sixth rank, his cultivation had reached the later stages of Heavenly Gang.
His Essence Gathering had already reached the forty-eighth level!
"A few more fish, and I'll reach the forty-ninth level, which would be the peak of the Heavenly Gang stage."
There were over two thousand fish, with the smallest weighing seven or eight catties and the largest exceeding five hundred catties!
Zhao Xing had gathered only the finest.
"The fiftieth level is the Pure Essence realm of the fifth rank. However, the gap between the forty-ninth and fiftieth levels can't be crossed just by eating these fish."
Although the quantity was large, not all of it was useful after removing the bones and guts.
Moreover, breaking through in Essence Gathering required a specific kind of "spirit energy" that matched the cultivator's path. The fish here contained various types of spirit energy, but not all of them were useful to Zhao Xing.
Now that Zhao Xing was at the sixth rank, the higher his cultivation level, the more specific and rare the spirit energy needed for breakthroughs.
Reaching the forty-ninth level would be relatively easy, but to break through to the fiftieth level, regular fifth-rank spirit energy wouldn't suffice. Only sixth-rank spirit energy would provide noticeable progress.
However, this was just a matter of quantity. Breaking through the Pure Essence realm also involved refining the body and comprehending Dao techniques. While large amounts of spirit energy were necessary, they weren't the only requirement.
"I've reached the peak of the Heavenly Gang stage," Long Xiao suddenly announced. "My Essence Gathering has reached the forty-ninth level."
"Oh? Congratulations," Ji Ziyun said. "In that case, I'll stop eating and leave more for Brother Long. As a sword cultivator, you'll need a massive amount of spirit energy to forge your Pure Essence Sword Body at the fiftieth level."
"You don't have to be so considerate," Long Xiao replied. "Even if I ate all the spirit energy here, I wouldn't reach the fiftieth level. I'd need at least a hundred times more."
"I've also reached the peak of the Heavenly Gang stage," Chen Shijie said, slowing his eating pace.
"Same here," Zhao Xing clapped his hands, discarding the fishbone. "I've reached it too."
"Does that mean I don't need to eat anymore?" Xia Jing asked. "I reached the peak of the Heavenly Gang stage long ago."
"You haven't absorbed enough water energy yet," Zhao Xing noted, observing Xia Jing's fortune pillar. "You should eat a bit more. Besides, it wouldn't be as fun if Brother Ji ate alone."
"Yes, let's accompany Brother Ji and eat together," Long Xiao teased.
"You guys get out of here!" Xia Jing fumed.
"Someone's coming," Chen Shijie suddenly looked outside. "It's Pei Yuanchang."
"He must have caught wind of our haul," Long Xiao said. "We just finished, and now he's here."
"I'll go meet him," Zhao Xing stood up. He didn't mind Pei Yuanchang keeping an eye on them.
After all, this was Pei Yuanchang's territory, and Zhao Xing's activities here were bound to be noticed. If anything had gone wrong, Pei Yuanchang would be the one held responsible by Liu Tianning.
When Pei Yuanchang entered the warm shelter, his eyes widened.
In just a few hours, all five of them had reached the peak of the Heavenly Gang stage!
Even Xia Jing had eaten to the point of nearly throwing up!
Looking down, Pei Yuanchang whistled. Even Mountain Cat had reached the peak of the Heavenly Gang stage!
And there were still plenty of live fish left!
"Brother Zhao! You've had quite the harvest this time!"
"I was just about to send some to you, Brother Pei," Zhao Xing said with a smile, pointing to two large fish baskets. "But I hadn't gotten around to it yet."
"The fish are yours. I didn't come to take them," Pei Yuanchang shook his head, declining the offer.
Though he was curious how Zhao Xing had managed to catch so many fish, he wouldn't ask. Otherwise, it would seem as though he were taking advantage of the situation or seeking favors.
Pei Yuanchang wasn't the type to do that.
He was already at the peak of the fifth rank, so the fish would be more useful for his subordinates or as gifts.
"So, what brings you here, Brother Pei?"
Pei Yuanchang's expression turned serious, a hint of expectation in his eyes. "I came to ask about the Dragon Whale's whereabouts."