Chapter 311: Chapter 207: Gathering_1

Another month passed, and the seasons came full circle, bringing with it the deep winter at year’s end.

Though the end of the year was fast approaching, there wasn’t a trace of festivity over Wuzhe Lake, only an expanse of biting cold.

For reasons unknown, this year’s winter was harsher, colder, and more difficult to endure than previous years had been.

However, life had to go on, boats still had to sail, and fish still had to be caught.

At dawn, before the sky had brightened, Qing stepped out of the cabin, just as a gust of northern wind blew, making her body shiver under her straw raincoat.

It was cold, very cold; even though she wore all the clothes she could and was wrapped in a thick wind-breaking raincoat, she still felt her body stiffen, her hands and feet icy, not a single spot of warmth on her person.

“Is it… snowing?”

In the midst of the northern wind, snowflakes drifted down, melting the moment they touched her face, turning into freezing droplets that seeped into her clothes.

Snowing, in Wuzhe Lake?

Having lived so long, this was Qing’s first time seeing snow.

But she did not feel excited, just worried.

“If it’s so cold that it’s snowing, what should we do next?”

“We’ll just have to get through this winter for now, drink more fish soup if we run out of salt and rice…”

Shaking her head, Qing steered the sampan back into the reeds, lit the stove, and began to cook fish porridge.

Elsewhere…

“Twelfth layer, perfected!”

On the small island, inside the bamboo hut, Xu Yang opened his eyes, which glowed with divine light, brightening the dark room.

Perfecting the twelfth layer of Qi Refinement, he reached the pinnacle state for body, mana, and Divine Soul.

One more step and he would reach Foundation Establishment, where essence, energy, and spirit integrated, forging the foundation for a cultivator’s path.

In just three months, Xu Yang had elevated his cultivation to this plane, just one step away from the extraordinary feat of building his foundation in a hundred days.

The underlying reasons, such as the blessings of his Spiritual Root and the accumulation of his potentiality, were an old tune not worth repeating.

But there was one point worth mentioning: the aid of external objects.

In that time, even though he hadn’t found any Heavenly and Earthly Spiritual Objects and his farming venture bore no fruit, he had many gains from fishing.

No need to elaborate on the Spirit Fish, as they were all being nourished in the fish pond, prepared to be used to cultivate subordinate Spirit Monsters.

It was the demonified monster fish, with “Black Night Fork” as their representative, that hid in Wuzhe Lake. Whenever Xu Yang fished for Spirit Fish, these creatures caused trouble, but ended up on his hook.

These monster fish were tainted by Demonic Qi and were extremely ferocious and untamed, impossible to domesticate for the time being.

If they couldn’t be tamed, then they had to be cooked.

In the end, most of these monster fish ended up on Xu Yang’s dinner table, and a small portion were turned into bait or used for Artifact Refining. In short, he made full use of them without waste.

With this as his resource, in three months, Xu Yang not only perfected his techniques but had also crafted a few low-tier Magic Artifacts for himself.

Though they were only low-tier artifacts, incomparable to the previous Spiritual Treasures, they managed to pull him out of the ranks of the “wild Loose Cultivators and penniless novices.”

“Three months have passed, only ten days remain!”

“There’s no need to force Foundation Establishment within a hundred days, but it’s not out of the realm of possibility.”

“Murder and arson for a golden belt, I too shall play the role of a Robbing Cultivator in Wuzhe Lake.”

With a smile, Xu Yang stood up and strode outside.

Having perfected Qi Refinement, it was time for him to seek Foundation Establishment.

With his cultivation background and his body’s talents, even without using any Foundation Building Pills, his chances of succeeding in establishing his foundation were a hundred percent.

That’s right, a hundred percent. His Five Elements Spiritual Root was comparable to a superior Heavenly Spirit, and until Nascent Soul Condensing, there were no bottlenecks — without pills or Spiritual Objects, foundation building would still be guaranteed, and Core Formation would be unimpeded.

So, Xu Yang could very well proceed directly to Foundation Establishment.

But he did not want to miss the opportunity to purify his Spiritual Root and enhance his potentiality.

As a result, he had to find a way to acquire Five Elements Spiritual Objects.

Following the original plan, gathering enough Spiritual Objects of the Five Elements would take years or even decades of accumulation.

But the situation changed; the Spirit Fish tide in Wuzhe Lake provided him with an opportunity, one that could significantly advance his plans.

That opportunity was to rob!

Currently on Wuzhe Lake, various forces had gathered, ready to divide the Spirit Fish, and even vie for the Fish King.

Although most of these forces were worldly people, Martial World warriors, some, like Li Suhong, were extraordinary cultivators, seemingly quite wealthy.

Therefore, Xu Yang decided to rob them, to see if he could procure the needed Five Elements Spiritual Objects from them.

Robbing the rich to aid the needy was an old craft of his, one that had to be picked back up.

However, before robbing, there was one thing he had to do.

Fishing!

Not that kind of fishing, but real fishing — fishing for the Spiritual Fish King of Wuzhe Lake.

Spiritual Objects were a creation of Heaven and Earth, a hope for survival in desperate situations, capable of effectively purifying Demonic Qi.

Such objects, if consumed, would not only be a waste of heaven-sent gifts but a dead end for oneself.

Xu Yang would not let that happen; he wanted to capture this Spiritual Fish King and raise it.

Even if he couldn’t tame it in the end, keeping it as a “Demon Qi Purification Machine” would be beneficial.

Furthermore, the emergence of the Spirit Fish had brought too much suffering to the fishermen of Wuzhe Lake; it was time to end this mad charade.

Xu Yang was satisfied with Wuzhe Lake and planned to take root and develop there. The future fishermen would fall under his governance, the subjects of his teachings and law. How could he allow them to suffer heavy losses amidst this Spirit Fish tide?

He had not taken action before because his strength was not enough.

Now that his Qi Refinement is perfect, with the strength and capital in hand, he naturally can do some things.

The north wind howled, snowflakes fluttered.

Wuzhe Lake was like the sea, vast and boundless.

Armored battleships, each occupying its own area on the lake.

This area was the deep heart of the lake, below which great fish wreaked havoc; small boats could not withstand it, only such armored ships could navigate worry-free.

But even now around the big ships, small boats were released, robust men naked to the waist, brandishing harpoons and leaping into the water, before long blood surfaced, and monstrous black-scaled fish were speared.

These were all Martial Artists, masters of aquatics.

Dependent on mountains, they eat from the mountains; dependent on water, they eat from the water. Each major power from the Three Mansions of Wuzhe has cultivated many Martial Artists proficient in aquatics, aiming at the Spirit Fish tide that happens every few decades, or even centuries, and other various resources within Wuzhe Lake.

Feed the soldiers for a thousand days, use them for a moment — now was the time, no matter how cold the world might be, it could not stop people’s actions. Blackfork Fish like water demons were hauled aboard, with the occasional cunning Spirit Fish appearing.

Lively shouts from the hardworking men below rang out continuously as the boats were equally bustling.

“Spirit Fish vary in type, all kinds abound.”

“This Spiritual Fish Feast is a banquet of ten types of Spirit Fish.”

“This is Azure Dragon Soup, this is Steamed Barramundi, this is…”

“If it wasn’t for welcoming Immortal Master Zhu Yang to cleanse the dust from his journey, how could we commoners be fortunate enough to enjoy this Spiritual Fish Feast?”

“Hahaha!”

Banquets unfolded, songs and dances flourished.

Clad in a fiery red robe, the uncommonly handsome young Taoist Man Zhu Yang sat at the center, surrounded by Li Suhong and others, toasting and reveling with high spirits.

Although he was revered as “Immortal Master,” he didn’t carry even a trace of an Immortal’s haughtiness; on the contrary, he embodied a libertine disposition, openly indulging in drink and savoring fine food.

“This taste is indeed good!”

“Immortal Master likes it, that’s great.”

“Suhong, you try some too.”

“Indeed, it’s delicious…”

“Wuzhe’s Spirit Fish truly live up to its reputation, I just wonder what the flavor of the legendary Spiritual Fish King tastes like.”

“The Spiritual Fish King?”

The guests and hosts were thoroughly enjoying themselves while unwinding and jesting, soon leading to the critical topic.

At this moment, Zhu Yang’s gaze sharpened, and then with a raise of his hand he stood up, disregarding the surprised looks of everyone, and said to Li Suhong beside him, “Friends from Great Xing Mountain have arrived, your teacher will go meet them. You all enjoy yourselves!”

As he finished speaking, he transformed into a streak of red light, flying towards a large ship.

That ship was moored on the lake, its prow marked with dragon patterns signifying extraordinary dignity.

As the red light approached, it landed on the ship, revealing the figure of Zhu Yang who cupped his hands towards a man and said, “Loose Cultivator Zhu Yang from Jiangning pays his respects. Might I inquire the esteemed name of the friend from Great Xing Mountain?”

The young man appeared youthful but his expression was cold, resembling the icy chill of the Northern Territory, exuding a sense of prideful solitude: “Great Xing Mountain’s Yuwen Jie!”

“So it’s Supervisor Yuwen!”

Zhu Yang gave a courtesy bow; though his words were respectful, he was neither humble nor overbearing.

Beside the man stood a woman, dressed in grand crimson palace attire, equally radiant.

Unlike Yuwen Jie’s cold demeanor, the woman sized up Zhu Yang, and then with a sweet and seductive voice said, “So you are Taoist Man Zhu Yang, I’ve long heard about a Qi Refiner being a retainer for the Le Family in Jiangning Mansion, hard to match in all three mansions and five lakes, having the demeanor of a Golden Core. Now that I see you, it’s indeed as they say.”

Zhu Yang smiled, “Where, where, seeing the lady’s appearance, you must be Fairy Shen Hongyu from the Twelve Fairy Seekers of Great Xing, right?”

The woman also smiled, “Just call me Lady Yu.”

“The fairy is indeed approachable.”

Zhu Yang shifted his gaze, surveying his surroundings, “Is it just the two revered friends who have come this time?”

“Hmm!?”

Yuwen Jie’s expression grew cold, while Shen Hongyu lightly laughed, “What, aren’t the two of us enough? Or does Taoist Man Zhu Yang also have designs on the Spiritual Fish King?”

“Of course not, how could Zhu Yang, with his modest virtue and ability, dare to touch such a Spiritual Object.”

Zhu Yang shook his head, explaining, “It’s just that the emergence of the Spirit Fish has attracted quite a few friends, all with extraordinary methods, intent on securing the Fish King for themselves. I fear there will be a fierce battle. Although the two friends are powerful, they may find it hard to fight alone against many…”

“Hmph!”

Before the words were finished, a cold huff was heard, Yuwen Jie spoke arrogantly, “Ants may swarm but they’re of little concern.”

Shen Hongyu also smiled, saying, “But what the friend said does make sense. If you are willing to lend us a hand with this, aside from the Spiritual Fish King, I can promise you a third of the other Spirit Fish shares.”

“Good!”

“It’s a deal.”

Zhu Yang promptly agreed, laughing, “I will surely do my best to assist the two friends in securing the Fish King of Wuzhe.”

“Huh!”

“Hmm~!?”

As soon as the words fell, a north wind blew in, and both Yuwen Jie and Shen Hongyu turned their gazes.

Zhu Yang also noticed, turning to look back, only to see from a distance in the snowy sky, a small black-cloaked boat was approaching.

How could a small boat dare to enter the heart of the lake?

Because there weren’t any, that’s why it stood out now.