Chapter 118: "The Green Fishing Rod"

Chapter 118: "The Green Fishing Rod"

Having already mastered the Law Cult Heritage, the Forbidden Sea was now inaccessible to him. He had no idea where to find Old Man Cao, so he decided to try his luck in the Formation Cult Heritage, hoping to encounter the old man there.

". . ."

Chen Qiu withdrew his gaze from the Eight-Petaled Flame Lotus floating above the Mock Heaven Sect and ran to the nearby mountain to replenish his essence qi. Only then did he lead Scholar and the others back to the sea of fire, preparing to use Scholar's bloodline entry to return to Scholar's brother's side.

The space within the Little World was separated from Great Xia.

They couldn't teleport directly from the Little World to Scholar's brother's side.

Just then—

As they appeared in the sea of fire, a gigantic eyeball emerged before them, staring intently at their group.

"Swoosh!"

In an instant, Chen Qiu's thoughts moved, and he teleported dozens of zhang away into the depths of the fiery sea. He narrowed his eyes, gazing at the enormous demonic beast in the distance.

It was a tiger.

A colossal tiger, several dozen zhang in size, its entire body enveloped in flames. Its eyes were filled with anger as it stared at them, ready to launch an attack at any moment.

Its massive size was intimidating, and its eyeball alone was significantly larger than them. It seemed to possess some level of intelligence, but it wasn't particularly high.

"Roar!"

The tiger, engulfed in flames with its reddish fur, strode through the fiery waves, letting out a long howl. Its roar echoed throughout the underground sea of fire. Then, it charged towards Chen Qiu and the others.

"Let's go!"

Chen Qiu didn't want to engage in a battle. Instead, he lightly patted Scholar's shoulder.

The next moment—

Chen Qiu and the others vanished from their original spot.

The tiger, having missed its target, had a fleeting look of confusion in its massive eyes. It then began to paw at the surrounding flames in frustration, causing waves of heat to surge outward.

After returning to Scholar's brother's side in Windward City, Chen Qiu and his group didn't linger. They continued their journey towards the Zodiac Sect.

At that moment—

The Zodiac Sect Master, who had already given up hope but remained standing by the fire pit, gazed at the Earthfire within, which was gradually calming down. His entire body trembled with excitement as he exclaimed,

"It's done! It's really done!!!"

The Earthfire had finally calmed down.

This meant that the Zodiac Sect would not have to relocate.

It was beyond their expectations that even the Patriarch couldn't resolve this issue, but Chen Qiu had managed to do so!

The Grand Elder and the others gathered nearby, their eyes gleaming with uncontrollable excitement. The Earthfire was of utmost importance to the Zodiac Sect!

Just then!

Chen Qiu, led by the guardian disciple, appeared at the door. He smiled at the Zodiac Sect Master and asked, "Is the problem resolved now?"

"It's resolved! It's resolved!"

The Zodiac Sect Master, overwhelmed with excitement, spoke with a wide grin, "From now on, the Zodiac Sect will be the closest ally of Fellow Daoist Chen. For any matters related to pills, feel free to come to us. As long as it's within our capabilities, we will provide them for free!"

"Please, come this way. I will personally refine the Spirit Repair Pill for Fellow Daoist Chen."

Although he didn't know why Chen Qiu had appeared outside, at this moment, he couldn't afford to think about it. He was eager to share this good news with the Patriarch, even if he was already in the afterlife.

The Patriarch's sole obsession in life was the Zodiac Sect. If he heard this news, even in the afterlife, he would be overjoyed and unable to close his mouth.

Night had already fallen.

Chen Qiu sat in the guest room, leisurely sipping the Spirit Tea offered by the Grand Elder. The tea had a pleasant taste, similar to Spirit Wine, and when he drank it, a faint essence qi flowed into his internal organs, providing a refreshing sensation.

In the somewhat hot environment of the Endless Desert, it was just right.

It was already past midnight.

His Heavenly Path Cultivation Pills for the night had arrived—499 Foundation Establishment Low Rank Cultivation Pills and 15 Foundation Establishment Middle Rank Cultivation Pills. These were his rewards for climbing up the Reputation Ranking.

At this moment, he noticed that the Reputation Ranking had disappeared.

It seemed that the time limit had been reached. This was a temporary ranking before the Heavenly Path version update, and it had disappeared just as he no longer needed the Cultivation Pills.

Perfect timing.

Just then—

The Zodiac Sect Master, looking exhausted, strode into the tea room and handed Chen Qiu a jade box. With a serious expression, he instructed, "I've minimized the pill's potency, ensuring that even at your Foundation Establishment Peak, you can consume it."

"Due to the reduced potency, the effects of one pill might not be sufficient."

"Here are three pills."

"First, swallow one pill and absorb its properties entirely. Then, take the next one to ensure you can withstand the Spirit Repair Pill's potency."

"Alright."

Chen Qiu smiled and nodded lightly.

The Zodiac Sect Master, filled with gratitude, gestured for Chen Qiu to sit down. The two of them chatted while seated.

After about half an hour, Chen Qiu stood up to bid farewell.

He left the Zodiac Sect and headed towards Transport City.

Transport City.

A small city near the Endless Desert, not one of Great Xia's 365 major cities. Chen Qiu and his group stayed in an inn within the city for the night.

Fat Dragon and the others had already retired to their rooms for the night.

Chen Qiu sat cross-legged on the bed, gazing at the empty jade box before him, his expression filled with mixed emotions.

Indeed, blessings and misfortunes are intertwined, and who can fathom their extremes?

He had nearly lost his life under the full assault of the Ten Thousand Toxins Sect Master, but just as he was choosing an entry, he selected the "Life or Death Line" entry at the last moment. The entry saved his life, but it also severely damaged his Sea of Divine Perception.

When he went to the Zodiac Sect to seek a pill, he encountered their crisis and helped them resolve the Earthfire disturbance. He also acquired a heavenly material that he didn't recognize but was undoubtedly valuable.

He also conveniently obtained the Ten Thousand Toxins Sect Master's Second Rank Golden Core.

At this moment, he had fully absorbed all three Spirit Repair Pills, and his damaged Spirit Sense had been completely restored, as if nothing had happened. Strangely, he now had an additional Core Formation Vengeful Spirit, a Second Rank Golden Core, an Eight-Petaled Flame Lotus, and the Ten Thousand Toxins Sect Master's storage ring.

"Not bad."

Chen Qiu looked towards the small world within, where his small warehouse was now fully stocked, and he couldn't help but feel satisfied.

He had organized his recent gains, categorizing and neatly arranging them inside the small world warehouse.

For tonight, he would rest here temporarily.

Then, when morning came, he would go to the Wang Family in Transport City to find Liu Zide. Although there had been some unexpected events along the way, overall, the plan had proceeded smoothly.

That night, instead of cultivating, Chen Qiu slept soundly.

Early the next morning, he sat with Fei Long and the others at a street stall in Transport City, enjoying a bowl of cold noodles.

Transport City was close to the Endless Desert, and even in winter, the climate was relatively hot.

The owner of the cold noodle shop was a chatterbox, talking non-stop as he served them, "The weather has been getting weirder and weirder. Just a while ago, the heat waves from the Endless Desert kept surging towards Transport City, but today, for some reason, it feels much cooler than usual."

"Hey, that's really odd."

Chen Qiu smiled lightly and didn't speak, simply using his spoon to taste the local delicacy. The cooler weather was most likely due to him acquiring the Eight-Petaled Flame Lotus, which had calmed the Earthfire, preventing the heat waves from surging out.

After finishing their breakfast, they inquired and quickly located the Wang Family in Transport City. The Wang Family was quite influential in the city, especially in recent days, as they were said to be thriving.

"Brother Chen."

Liu Zide, who had been strolling by the gate in a short robe, holding a birdcage, was delighted to see Chen Qiu and the others visiting. He immediately greeted them, "Why are you guys in Transport City?"

"To see you."

Chen Qiu helped Liu Zide straighten the wrinkles on his short robe and smiled, "Looks like you're living quite well here."

"Hey."

Liu Zide waved his hand awkwardly, "There's no Golden Core cultivator in Transport City, and rarely any powerful cultivators visit. My lord is the strongest here, but there's not much development. Still, it's a peaceful and leisurely place."

"It's not as good as Brother Chen's situation, of course."

"Recently, Brother Chen's reputation has been so loud that even in this small city, I can't help but hear about it. It's a pity my strength is insufficient, or I'd also like to follow Brother Chen and personally slay the Evil Tribes. If there's a chance, I'd like to do something for Brother Chen again."

"You really mean that?" Chen Qiu asked with a smile.

"Of course, I do."

Liu Zide patted his chest and said earnestly, "How could I lie about this? It's definitely true."

"Good."

Chen Qiu patted Liu Zide's shoulder and said with a sigh, "There's actually something I need your help with. I need someone to go to Fat Province to purchase a large quantity of Malevolent Wood and Eight Directions Fruit. These are common items there, and while the Eight Directions Fruit is slightly rare, it's not very expensive."

"I can't find a suitable person."

"After much thought, I think you're the most suitable."

"Well..."

Liu Zide hesitated and turned to look at the Wang Family's gate, "I don't have any issues, but I'm not sure about my lord..."

"Don't worry, your lord can come along too."

Just then, the head of the Wang Family happened to walk out from the gate. He initially confidently refused on Liu Zide's behalf and even revealed an Exploding Entry and his Fourth Layer Foundation Establishment cultivation.

Before he could say more, Chen Qiu also revealed his Exploding Entry and his Foundation Establishment Peak Perfection cultivation.

The head of the Wang Family immediately expressed his sincere and solemn commitment to completing the task.

The entire communication process went extremely smoothly.

And so, Chen Qiu temporarily placed Liu Zide and the head of the Wang Family in his small world, planning to release them in Fat Province when they returned. He would then leave them with a sum of Spirit Stones, asking them to acquire large quantities of Eight Directions Fruit and Malevolent Wood for him in the long term.

There were only two days left until the Heaven's Pride Ranking competition.

Early morning, two days later, the competition would begin in the capital city, attracting countless people. Besides the participating geniuses, there would also be numerous spectators.

Chen Qiu and his group didn't stay long in Transport City, as it was a neglected and remote small city with little development. The Wang Family was already the largest clan in the city.

With his Foundation Establishment Peak Perfection cultivation, Chen Qiu was undoubtedly the top cultivator in Transport City.

Even the city lord's cultivation was far inferior to his.

After sampling some local specialties in Transport City, he took Liu Zide and the Wang family patriarch and headed back towards Fat Province. As they passed through Mountain Opening City, he released the shopkeeper.

The restrictions on the storage rings had all been successfully cracked.

The most significant gain was over fifteen thousand low-grade Spirit Stones, which Ning Taiping had used to boost his own reputation. After passing them through his hands, he kept them all.

The rest were miscellaneous items, a large number of armament forging materials used by Artificer Cultivators, which he tossed into another warehouse dedicated to storing such items.

Just as he was about to leave Mountain Opening City, he noticed something unusual.

Many Qi Condensation and Foundation Establishment Cultivators had gathered here. Based on his experience, this often indicated the opening of a Mystic Realm. Upon inquiring, he learned that a Celestial Mandate Scroll had appeared the previous day, announcing that a Mystic Realm would open in Mountain Opening City half a day later.

However, it wasn't a Celestial Path Secret Realm.

Instead, it was a random encounter Mystic Realm, restricted to Cultivators at the Foundation Establishment Peak Perfection stage and below, which explained the large number of Qi Condensation and Foundation Establishment Cultivators drawn to the location.

Since they were passing by, there was no reason not to enter. He was at the Foundation Establishment Peak Perfection stage, and no one in this Mystic Realm could defeat him. To put it bluntly, even if someone were a once-in-a-million Peerless Genius, he wouldn't believe that anyone of the same cultivation level could beat him.

This was because his luck with random encounters was off the charts.

In such a situation, unless your family had a heritage of over ten thousand years and had focused all its accumulated resources on you, it would be challenging to challenge him at the same level.

And even then, it would only be a chance to challenge him.

"Alright."

Chen Qiu and the others, wearing masks to conceal their identities, stood in the crowd, and Fat Dragon gazed at the dilapidated temple outside Mountain Opening City, saying, "According to the information I gathered, just after we left Mountain Opening City yesterday, a Celestial Mandate Scroll sounded, and this temple is the entrance to the Mystic Realm."

"Many people have gathered."

Wearing masks was essential to avoid being recognized. Initially, without masks, several female Cultivators had even pretended not to know them, flirtatiously asking for directions and dropping Sound Transmission Talismans as if by accident, which was quite awkward.

"The Mystic Realm is said to be a 'fishing' type."

Before Chen Qiu could say more, a white light circle slowly appeared at the entrance to the temple's courtyard, and above it, a panel floated in the air.

-

"Mystic Realm Name": Tide-Defying Sea Fishing.

"Mystic Realm Restrictions": Limited to Cultivators at the Foundation Establishment Peak Perfection stage and below.

"Mystic Realm Type": Fishing.

"Mystic Realm Introduction": Cultivators will find themselves on a vast ocean, and each fish caught will yield different rewards depending on its grade. Cultivators cannot attack each other, and after three hours, all Cultivators will be expelled from the Little World, randomly appearing within a hundred li. Limited to 1000 entrants.

-

"Fishing type?"

Chen Qiu's expression turned slightly strange as he looked at the introduction on the Mystic Realm panel. Judging by the panel, this was indeed a rather peaceful Mystic Realm.

Cultivators couldn't attack each other; they could only fish peacefully on the sea.

It was truly harmonious.

Many Cultivators were already rushing towards the entrance to the Mystic Realm.

Chen Qiu didn't hesitate and led Fat Dragon and the others towards the entrance.

As he stepped into the white light circle, he felt a dizzying sensation of the world spinning. When his vision cleared, he found himself on the deck of a large wooden boat, surrounded by an endless sea as far as the eye could see. The sea was calm, without a ripple.

A damp, slightly salty sea breeze caressed his face.

The entrance to the Mystic Realm hadn't closed yet, and he couldn't move.

Soon—

1000 people had entered, and everyone could start moving freely. The wooden boat was spacious enough for everyone to sit comfortably on the edges and fish. Many had already rushed to the boat's edge to cast their lines.

Not a moment was wasted.

Chen Qiu's hand held a rough wooden fishing rod that had appeared out of thin air. He probed it with his spirit sense, and a panel appeared above his dantian.

"White Fishing Rod."

"Can catch white-grade fish. Upgrade to green-grade by catching 'one white-grade fish' and passing the first checkpoint in the cabin below the deck."

"I knew this Mystic Realm wouldn't be that peaceful."

Chen Qiu raised an eyebrow and glanced at the Cultivators who had already gone to investigate the cabin. Instead of joining them, he walked to the edge of the boat and, imitating others, cast his line.

This was his first time fishing.

Looking at the hook submerged in the seawater, he felt a bit nervous, unsure if he could catch anything. After all, he was a complete novice in this regard.

Just then, he realized he hadn't prepared any bait. As he was about to enter the Little World to find some, he discovered that his connection to the Little World had been cut off after entering the Mystic Realm.

But at that moment—

The fishing line suddenly jerked violently.

"Hey!"

Surprise and joy flashed in Chen Qiu's eyes. He had caught something without any bait!

Is he a fishing prodigy? Chen Qiu immediately raised his fishing rod high and reeled in the line, pulling up a plump white fish. As soon as the white fish landed on the deck, it transformed into a ray of white light and turned into a Spirit Stone.

"This big white fish is a Spirit Stone?"

"And it's only white?"

"What about green?"

Many cultivators had already caught their first fish, and upon a quick glance, Chen Qiu noticed that almost all the white fish had turned into Spirit Stones, with only a few transforming into talismans.

Just then, Fat Dragon, the scholar, and the others also caught their first white fish.

"Let's go."

Chen Qiu laughed and strode towards the cabin below deck, eager to pass through the first gate and see what the green fish he could catch with the green fishing rod would bring. This Mystic Realm was quite intriguing.

A pure fishing Mystic Realm.

Below deck, there were seven rooms, and the first room had a sign that read "First Gate."

Many cultivators had already entered through the door.

The room seemed to accommodate a large number of people, and no matter how many entered, there was still space for more.

Chen Qiu approached the door with the "First Gate" sign and pushed it open. Inside, the room was filled with blinding light, and he couldn't see anything, causing his eyes to squint.

But in just a moment, he opened his eyes again.

He found himself back on the deck, alone, with three fish-man monsters holding fish forks staring at him with malicious intent.

Above them, a panel was suspended in the air, shrouded in clouds.

"First Gate: Defeat three Foundation Establishment Sixth Stage fish-man monsters within a hundred breaths."

Immediately—

The three fish-man monsters with fish forks charged towards him, roaring.

"This is interesting."

Chen Qiu curiously observed the scene and casually unleashed a hundred Thunder Dragon Strikes, instantly turning the three Foundation Establishment Sixth Stage fish-man monsters into a wisp of green smoke that dissipated on the deck. The deck was then enveloped in clouds, and when they cleared, he found himself back at the entrance to the first gate room.

His previously rough fishing rod had transformed into a smooth, green fishing rod without any splinters.

"Green Fishing Rod."

"Can catch green fish. To upgrade to the yellow level, catch two green fish and pass the second gate in the cabin below deck."

At that moment—

Fat Dragon appeared beside him, excitedly reporting, "My first opponents were three Qi Condensation Seventh Stage fish-man monsters, and I defeated them easily."

"Qi Condensation Seventh Stage?"

Chen Qiu nodded thoughtfully. The cultivation levels of the fish-man monsters in this gate were not the same for everyone; instead, they were tailored to each cultivator's cultivation level. This meant that even cultivators with higher cultivation levels had no advantage here.

This was a relatively fair Mystic Realm.

Regardless of their cultivation level, everyone started from the same point of fairness.

Even Qi Condensation cultivators could gain something from this Mystic Realm.

This Mystic Realm only restricted cultivators at the Foundation Establishment peak and below, but many Qi Condensation cultivators had entered.

Foundation Establishment cultivators had an overwhelming advantage over Qi Condensation cultivators, so it was no surprise that Fat Dragon had an easy time.

Meanwhile, the scholar also emerged, having passed the first gate, but his younger brother shook his head, indicating that he had failed.

Chen Qiu, holding his green fishing rod, returned to the deck and sat on the edge of the wooden boat to cast his line again. Many others around him now had smooth green fishing rods.

Only a small number still held white fishing rods.

The first gate wasn't challenging for most cultivators, except for a few who were not skilled in combat. Even if one failed at the first gate, there was no life-threatening danger; they would just have to continue using the white fishing rod.

Although the white fishing rod was the lowest-grade, each big white fish was equivalent to a Spirit Stone. With the Mystic Realm lasting three hours, catching enough fish could result in a substantial harvest.

Chen Qiu raised his green fishing rod and cast it again, feeling more confident after his previous successful catch. He had considered flying in the air, but since this Mystic Realm prohibited flying and cultivators couldn't attack each other, he couldn't even summon his Spirit Qi on the deck, which put his plan to fry the fish on hold.

Otherwise, unleashing tens of thousands of Thunder Dragon Strikes would have been devastating.

As he daydreamed, his fishing line trembled violently again.

"Hey!"

Chen Qiu laughed and held the fishing rod high, pulling a plump green fish onto the deck. The catch rate seemed quite high, and as the plump green fish landed, it turned into three Spirit Stones in a flash.

He had never imagined that one day, he, Chen Qiu, would become a fishing master.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end