Chapter 119: Truly a Serendipitous Mystic Realm, and He Liked It

Chapter 119: Truly a Serendipitous Mystic Realm, and He Liked It

Chen Qiu's hook was completely bare, without any bait, and he had no fishing skills to speak of. As a complete novice, he cast his line twice, and both times he caught something. Naturally, he didn't attribute this to any innate fishing talent.

The mystic realm would only last for three hours.

Without further delay, Chen Qiu cast his line again, this time waiting a bit longer. After thirty or forty breaths, he finally hooked another green fish, which also transformed into three spirit stones.

He then stored the fishing rod in his storage ring and headed straight for the cabin below deck.

Having fulfilled the condition of catching two green fish, he could now attempt the second gate again and upgrade his fishing rod.

Stepping into the second gate room below deck...

He returned to the empty deck.

"Second Gate: Defeat four Foundation Establishment Eighth Stage fish monsters within a hundred breaths."

Not far from the deck...

Four fish monsters exuding the aura of the Foundation Establishment Eighth Stage, armed with tridents, charged towards him in the instant the panel in front of them disappeared into the clouds.

"Boom!"

With a casual wave of his hand, Chen Qiu unleashed a hundred Lightning Dragon Strikes, and these fish monsters had barely taken two steps before they turned into green mist and dissipated in mid-air.

"That's the power of an Alchemy Cultivator."

Chen Qiu smiled lightly at the weak fish monsters before him. He relished the feeling of effortlessly overwhelming his opponents with a single strike. In his opinion, this was the true strength of an Alchemy Cultivator.

Soon...

Chen Qiu emerged from the cabin below deck, and the fishing rod in his hand had turned yellow, like wax.

"Yellow Fishing Rod."

"Can catch yellow-level fish. To upgrade to blue, catch three yellow fish and pass the third gate below deck."

"Cast!"

Standing at the edge of the deck, Chen Qiu confidently cast his line. Within ten breaths, the fishing line trembled vigorously, and he quickly reeled it in, pulling up a large white fish.

". . ."

Chen Qiu looked at the white fish on the deck, which had transformed into a spirit stone, and his eyebrows furrowed slightly.

But he didn't think much of it and prepared to cast his line again. Since the highest level fish he could catch was yellow, it was unlikely that he would always hook a white fish.

Just then...

"Wow!"

Exclamations erupted from the crowd nearby. About a dozen people surrounded a young man with an excited, flushed face. On the deck in front of him was a fish whose body glowed with alternating shades of gray, green, and rainbow colors.

Above this peculiar fish, a panel shrouded in clouds appeared, displaying three fish.

"Which fish did you catch?"

"Gray, green, and rainbow."

"Make your choice within ten breaths."

The surrounding cultivators offered their opinions, surrounding the young man. After careful consideration, he chose the gray fish with a serious expression.

This option was clearly testing his greed. If he maintained his composure and chose wisely, he would surely receive the best reward.

After the man made his choice...

The fish on the deck, which had been glowing with changing colors, slowly transformed into a gray fish. As the gray fish disappeared, a copper coin appeared on the deck.

At the sight of the copper coin, the young man who had been calm a moment ago suddenly froze. Then, he sat down on the deck, his emotions seemingly shattered, looking nothing like a Foundation Establishment cultivator.

The surrounding cultivators, who had been offering their opinions, dispersed with satisfied expressions. This outcome was clearly a highly satisfying one for most of them.

If one didn't have a serendipitous encounter, it would be a painful experience.

But witnessing someone else's serendipitous encounter was even more painful.

"That panel looks so familiar."

Fei Long's expression was peculiar as he turned his head towards the man who had just been sitting on the ground, his emotions in tatters. "At first, I thought the gray fish was the correct answer, but now it seems like the rainbow fish might be the right choice?"

"Impossible."

Chen Qiu cast his line again, gazing at the horizon. "The rainbow fish won't be given so easily. Even if you choose it, it'll likely turn into a gray fish. I think the green fish might be the correct choice. If you choose the green fish, you might actually get a green fish."

"Oh?"

Fei Long pondered, "That makes sense."

"I've got one!"

As the fishing line quivered vigorously, Chen Qiu finally caught his first yellow fish. When the yellow fish was pulled onto the deck, it transformed into ten spirit stones amidst a white light.

"More spirit stones?"

Chen Qiu raised his eyebrows, surprised. He had expected something special, but all he caught were spirit stones. If this was all the mystic realm had to offer, even if he upgraded his fishing rod to the highest level and fished for the full three hours, he would only get a few thousand spirit stones at most.

It wasn't a small amount, but it was much less than he had imagined.

Without further thought, Chen Qiu continued fishing. Even the smallest fly, once in the mouth, was worth chewing. These few thousand spirit stones were not an insignificant sum to him.

After a short while...

Three yellow fish had been caught, transforming into thirty spirit stones.

Chen Qiu immediately stood up and headed for the cabin below deck.

He returned to the empty deck once more.

"Third Gate: Defeat five Foundation Establishment Ninth Stage fish monsters within a hundred breaths."

"Hmm?"

Chen Qiu's eyes widened in surprise as he looked at the five fish monsters before him. Had they already become opponents of the same cultivation level at the third gate?

This gate would trap nine out of ten cultivators.

It meant that nine out of ten cultivators would have their fishing rods upgraded to yellow at most, with almost no chance of reaching the blue level.

Generally speaking, even the geniuses within cities or sects would struggle to take on five opponents of the same cultivation level, as it would be too taxing, unless they had an overwhelming advantage in terms of Spirit Treasures, spells, or other external means.

Chen Qiu shook his head, not giving it much thought. He casually unleashed hundreds of Thunder Dragon Strikes, and as the clouds and mist filled the deck, he once again walked out of the cabin onto the deck.

By this time, the fishing rod in his hand had upgraded to a blue one.

It was as blue as the vast ocean, and when held, one could even see tiny specks inside the rod, like countless stars in the sky. Its quality was evidently several times better than that of the yellow fishing rod.

"What a pity," Chen Qiu lamented as he held the rod, wishing he could take it out of the Mystic Realm. It would have made a great keepsake, as its smooth texture felt much more comfortable than the jade fan he had bought from the Wentiangong Market.

He glanced around.

At that moment, about sixty percent of the people on the deck were using green fishing rods, ten percent were using white ones, and the rest were using yellow ones.

Only Chen Qiu had a blue fishing rod.

However, when he had entered the third gateway earlier, he had seen several people sitting cross-legged at the entrance, holding Spirit Stones to restore their Essence Qi. They had probably failed one or two attempts but were determined to try again.

Perhaps the next attempt would be successful.

Chen Qiu quickly scanned his surroundings and, without further hesitation, held the blue fishing rod and confidently strode onto the deck. With a powerful swing, he cast the hook to the farthest point.

---

"Blue Fishing Rod."

"Can catch blue-level fish. To upgrade to purple level, catch four blue-level fish and pass the fourth gateway below the deck."

---

Fat Dragon had a yellow fishing rod, which was already the highest level he could attain with his current strength. Scholar, on the other hand, had a green fishing rod, which he could only obtain after acquiring the Sword Bone. Otherwise, he wouldn't even have been able to possess a green fishing rod.

Scholar had very limited Essence Qi to work with and almost no offensive capabilities, so the green fishing rod was already pushing his limits.

This time, the blue fish seemed particularly gentle. After a few breaths, Chen Qiu had caught a large blue fish and pulled it onto the deck.

"Plop, plop!"

The blue fish flopped around on the deck for a few moments before transforming into 100 Spirit Stones.

"100 Spirit Stones?" Chen Qiu's eyes widened in surprise. The yellow fish could only turn into 10 Spirit Stones, and this blue fish, just one level higher, was worth ten times that amount.

There were still over two hours before the Mystic Realm's closure.

Even if Chen Qiu stopped upgrading his fishing rod now and simply sat there with the blue fishing rod, he felt that by the end of the Mystic Realm, he could take away several thousand Spirit Stones—a substantial fortune.

Many others on the deck witnessed this as well.

"A blue fish is worth 100 Spirit Stones?"

"Damn!"

In an instant, numerous cultivators who had previously attempted the third gateway but fell short rushed below the deck without hesitation. They were determined to try again, even though fighting five fish monsters of the same cultivation level was challenging. However, they were all core disciples from various sects.

They had almost succeeded, and initially, they didn't want to waste time trying again, thinking that the blue fish might not be much more valuable than the yellow one. But now, seeing the tenfold difference, they were eager to catch the blue fish instead.

Catching one blue fish was equivalent to ten yellow ones.

After catching a few more green and yellow fish, Chen Qiu finally managed to catch four blue fish within two rounds of tea time. With the fourth gateway cleared, he could upgrade his fishing rod again.

He strode down the deck and entered the fourth gateway.

The deck was empty, except for ten Fish Monsters at the Foundation Establishment Ninth Stage, holding fish spears.

"Ten of them?" Chen Qiu narrowed his eyes, realizing the challenge was not easy. He didn't want to waste time, as he had just upgraded his fishing rod to the highest quality and didn't want to miss out on fishing.

The rules required defeating them within a hundred breaths.

Even if a well-known sect's Heaven's Pride could defeat ten opponents of the same cultivation level through guerilla tactics, this hundred-breath restriction essentially blocked that path.

Chen Qiu casually unleashed hundreds of Thunder Dragon Strikes, and the fish monsters turned into green smoke once more.

For him, unless they were Golden Core cultivators, it didn't matter if they were five, ten, or even a hundred opponents; they posed no threat. His Lightning Summoning Art was far beyond the capabilities of Foundation Establishment cultivators.

His dominance over Foundation Establishment opponents was absolute, except for the inability to use Spirit Sense Attacks, which was similar to how Golden Core cultivators dominated their Foundation Establishment foes.

As he returned to the deck, his fishing rod had transformed into a captivating purple color, almost like a long stick with reduced flexibility and increased rigidity.

---

"Purple Fishing Rod."

"Can catch purple-level fish. To upgrade to red level, catch five purple-level fish and pass the fifth gateway below the deck."

---

"Let's continue!"

A purple fish was equivalent to a medium-grade Spirit Stone.

A medium-grade Spirit Stone was worth nearly 600 low-grade Spirit Stones, and Chen Qiu desperately needed them. He currently had less than thirty medium-grade Spirit Stones, and to break through to the Golden Core stage, he needed to set up a Spirit Gathering Array with 7749 medium-grade Spirit Stones.

When the purple fish transformed into a medium-grade Spirit Stone, Chen Qiu's eyes lit up with excitement. He was even considering not upgrading his fishing rod further and continuing to use the purple one until the Mystic Realm ended. At this rate, he was confident he could catch enough medium-grade Spirit Stones before the Mystic Realm closed.

Perhaps he could even catch enough to set up a higher-quality Spirit Gathering Formation and obtain 108 medium-grade Spirit Stones.

However, it wasn't just Chen Qiu's eyes that turned red upon seeing the medium-grade Spirit Stone; everyone around him also had the same reaction. It was no surprise that almost 90% of Foundation Establishment Cultivators would never have the opportunity to possess a medium-grade Spirit Stone in their entire lives.

But in this mystic realm, all one needed to do was catch a purple fish to obtain a medium-grade Spirit Stone.

They too desired to have the purple fishing rod.

However, the fourth gate was simply impossible for mortals to pass.

At this moment, on the deck, only two people held blue fishing rods, and they were both Heaven's Pride of their respective sects. They were capable of defeating five opponents of the same cultivation level, making them nearly invincible among their peers. But even so...

The two exchanged a glance, and in each other's eyes, they saw the same reluctance and helplessness.

Although they didn't want to admit it, the blue fishing rod was indeed their limit. Defeating ten opponents of the same cultivation level within a hundred breaths was like a fantasy for them!

To pass the fourth gate, it wasn't just about being invincible among peers; one must possess absolute dominance within the same cultivation level.

Chen Qiu caught five purple fish, earning him five medium-grade Spirit Stones, bringing the total in his storage ring to 31. Without hesitation, he turned around and headed back down to the lower deck.

There were only two hours left before the mystic realm closed.

Although the medium-grade Spirit Stones were tempting...

He was more curious about what a higher-level fishing rod could catch.

For example, a red fishing rod.

On the deck, many people watched Chen Qiu leave with complex expressions, but none of them spoke. Chen Qiu had already taken off his mask, and they recognized him as the recently renowned Chen Qiu.

He was the Great Xia's Peerless Genius Alchemy Cultivator who had single-handedly slaughtered tens of thousands of Foundation Establishment Demon Cultivators in the Endless Ice Plain.

Before him, no one had ever displayed such overwhelming dominance among peers of the same cultivation level.

Usually, being able to defeat three opponents of the same cultivation level was considered near-invincible, and defeating five was truly invincible. They had never seen anyone defeat tens of thousands of opponents of the same level before, and they estimated that Chen Qiu would be the only one to achieve such a feat.

No one was surprised that Chen Qiu could pass the fourth gate; defeating ten opponents was probably just a warm-up for him.

Inside the fifth gate.

On the empty deck.

Fifty Foundation Establishment Ninth Stage Fish Monsters surrounded Chen Qiu, who stood in the center. This was the content of the fifth gate: to defeat fifty Fish Monsters of the same cultivation level within a hundred breaths.

This was almost an impossible task.

However, after nearly a thousand Thunder Dragons roared and howled, leaving behind only ashes, the Fish Monsters finally understood what true dominance among peers meant.

Chen Qiu's eyebrows twitched with anticipation as he held the red fishing rod and strode onto the deck, ignoring the envious and jealous gazes of those around him. He walked to the edge of the deck and cast his line into the depths of the sea with all his might.

"Red fishing rod."

"The highest grade can catch red fish. To upgrade to the golden level, catch six red fish and pass the sixth gate in the cabin below the deck."

Cast!

Reel!

After a hundred breaths, a large, translucent, wine-red fish was pulled onto the deck. It flopped around a few times before turning into a jade slip with a word entry.

"Jade Slip with Word Entry": Crushing it will randomly grant a white word entry.

"Hey!"

Chen Qiu couldn't help but grin. This was a real treasure, whether it was the ten word entries needed for pill refinement at the Core Formation stage or the self-exploding word entry, a powerful trump card.

Although it was a white word entry...

It was exactly what he wanted. He wouldn't even dare to use a better word entry as a pill refinement material.

This time, he couldn't resist and caught six more red fish, and then four more, filling his storage ring with ten jade slips. He then hurried back into the depths of the cabin with slightly hurried steps.

There was only one and a half hours left before the mystic realm ended, and he had to make the most of his time.

These ten random white word entries would be his greatest gain from this mystic realm, instantly relieving his worry about not having enough word entries for pill refinement.

On the deck, the others watched the red fish turn into a jade slip, their faces expressionless and silent. Without Chen Qiu, they would have been excited about this mystic realm, which offered a good harvest without any danger.

But with Chen Qiu's presence, they couldn't help but compare themselves to him. They looked at the jade slip and medium-grade Spirit Stones in Chen Qiu's hands and then at the few low-grade Spirit Stones in their own hands, feeling a sense of dissatisfaction.

The sixth gate.

100 Fish Monsters at the Foundation Establishment Ninth Stage surrounded Chen Qiu, doubling the number from the previous gate. The requirement was still to defeat them all within a hundred breaths, which meant defeating one Fish Monster every breath.

This was almost the highest difficulty.

However, in the instant the cloud panel disappeared at the sixth gate, thousands of Thunder Dragons emerged, leaving behind only ashes once more.

It was just a matter of a few breaths.

Chen Qiu, who had just left the deck, returned with a golden fishing rod that exuded an aura of imperial might. He strode to the edge of the deck with a smile and a hint of regret.

The reason for his regret was that the golden fishing rod's quality had improved again, reaching the pink level. However, there was only a seventh gate below the deck, and no eighth gate, which meant that even if he could improve the fishing rod's quality to the pink level, there was no gate for him to upgrade it further to the rainbow level.

Thus, he would have no chance to catch a rainbow fish.

He had seen the lucky one who caught the grey fish, and the options panel showed a rainbow fish, but there was no rainbow fishing rod. He had been curious about the reward for catching a rainbow fish, but now it seemed that rainbow fish didn't exist.

-

"Golden Fishing Rod."

"The highest grade fish it can catch is the Golden Fish. To upgrade to the Pink Level, you must catch seven Golden Fish and pass through the seventh gateway in the cabin below the deck."

Chen Qiu cast his line!

After catching two green fish and one purple fish consecutively, he finally caught his first Golden Fish!

The fish transformed into an Eight Directions Fruit and lay flat on the ground.

Chen Qiu was quick to act, and before anyone else could see, he stored the fruit in a jade box within his storage ring. He didn't expect that the Golden Fish would turn into an Eight Directions Fruit.

Fortunately, no one noticed.

If the news of the Golden Fish turning into an Eight Directions Fruit were to spread, even a fool would realize that in this Mystic Realm, the Eight Directions Fruit is of a higher grade than the Attribute Scroll and Medium-grade Spirit Stones.

The Eight Directions Fruits that were once ignored in Nan Province would undoubtedly attract a frenzy of purchases.

Although he didn't know the purpose of this fruit, the Mystic Realm considered it more valuable than the Attribute Scroll. It was certain that the wealthy families and major sects wouldn't hesitate to spend thousands of Spirit Stones to acquire these seemingly insignificant items that the Celestial Dao deemed valuable.

Catching Golden Fish was more challenging.

It took him nearly half an hour, and after catching various other fish, he finally caught seven Golden Fish.

At this moment, inside his storage ring, seven Eight Directions Fruits lay quietly in a jade box.

Just as the Attribute Scroll described, they had eight corners, resembling enlarged octagonal shapes, or even loquats.

There was only one hour left before the Mystic Realm closed.

Chen Qiu quickly reeled in his fishing rod and stored it in his storage ring. Without further delay, he strode towards the last gateway, the seventh gateway, in the cabin below the deck.

"The seventh gateway: Within a hundred breaths, defeat two Fish Monsters at the Golden Core First Stage."

".

Chen Qiu narrowed his eyes as he stood alone on the deck, gazing at the two Fish Monsters carrying the terrifying Golden Core cultivation. His heart pounded with apprehension.

This was the last gateway, the seventh gateway.

He wasn't sure if these Golden Core Fish Monsters could launch Divine Sense attacks. If they could, it would be difficult for him to withstand them.

In this situation, he had to take the initiative.

Almost immediately, he crushed the two random white Attribute Scrolls he had just caught, without even bothering to read their contents. In the instant the cloud panel disappeared, the scrolls self-destructed.

Two Golden Core Peak cultivators unleashed their Lightning Summoning Art with all their might, akin to Heavenly Retribution, and in the moment the cloud panel vanished, they struck the two Fish Monsters with the might of heaven and earth.

The Fish Monsters didn't even have time to react before they were instantly reduced to ashes.

"Phew,"

Chen Qiu breathed a sigh of relief. Luckily, either these Golden Core Fish Monsters didn't have time to launch a Divine Sense attack, or they didn't possess such an ability. Nevertheless, the final gateway had been overcome.

He had used up two of the white Attribute Scrolls he had just caught.

He hoped the Pink Fishing Rod would not disappoint him.

His eyes glinted with anticipation as he looked at the Fish Monsters, now dissipating into green smoke, hoping to see a Golden Core drop. However, there was none, only the green smoke swirling as the deck was once again enveloped in clouds.

Chen Qiu reappeared at the entrance of the seventh gateway room and was about to head back to the deck when he suddenly froze, his body stiffening as he turned to look beside the seventh room, where an eighth room had mysteriously appeared.

The eighth room.

The entrance to this room was a rainbow whirlpool, and Chen Qiu instinctively looked down at the pink fishing rod in his hand.

"Pink Fishing Rod."

"The highest grade fish it can catch is the Pink Fish. To upgrade to the Rainbow Level, you must catch eight Pink Fish and pass through the hidden rainbow gateway in the eighth room below the deck."

"Huh."

Chen Qiu stared at the rainbow whirlpool of the eighth room, a smile spreading across his face. Without hesitation, he strode towards the deck, eager to catch the eight Pink Fish and see what treasures the Rainbow Fishing Rod would bring.

He had stumbled upon a Foundation Establishment Mystic Realm with incredible rewards.

Indeed, it was a true Mystic Realm, and he loved it.

Chen Qiu cast his line!

Finally, after half an incense stick's worth of time, he caught his first Pink Fish.

A large, pink fish fell onto the deck and transformed into a pink pill.

"Hmm,"

Chen Qiu picked up the pink pill and examined it. To be honest, he didn't know what this pill was for, and this was what he disliked the most. Just when he had something good, he had no idea what to do with it.

He didn't even know if it was a poison pill.

"This..."

The scholar, who had been quietly fishing with a green fishing rod, suddenly had his eyes shining with excitement upon seeing the pill. His voice trembled with excitement: "Brother Qiu, I recognize this pill! It's pink all over, and the surface of the pill has the character for 'poison' engraved on it."

"It's the Divine Path Detox Pill, capable of curing all poisons."

"After I was poisoned, I extensively gathered information about this, but this pill is said to be a product of several Celestial Dao versions ago. I never thought I'd encounter it here today."

"Oh?"

Chen Qiu was also surprised. Could it cure all poisons? That was incredibly powerful!

He soon realized: "Can it cure the poison in your body?"

"Absolutely!"

"Good."

Chen Qiu smiled and took out a jade box from his storage ring, placing the pill inside before tossing the box to the scholar: "After we leave, find a place to detoxify yourself. Once your Dao Foundation recovers, obtain the Sword Cultivation Heritage, and I'll rely on you for my third Nascent Soul body."

"I'll do my best."

Chen Qiu's Nascent Soul body was just one piece away from completion, and now he had found a potential candidate for his third body. The scholar perfectly met the requirement of maintaining purity amidst the great ups and downs.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end