Chapter 194: The Yin-Yang Kun Fish That Will Never Intersect
Chapter 194: The Yin-Yang Kun Fish That Will Never Intersect
"Senior Brother, can you give me more detailed information about the spirit beast conundrum?" Lu Chen asked.
"Of course," the middle-aged Confucian gentleman replied. "The fellow disciple who owns that pair of ancient exotic beasts is named Ge Pu. He's in the late stage of the Qi Refining realm and entered the sect in the same batch as I did. We've shared quite a few experiences, so we're somewhat close."
"However, his talent and aptitude far surpass mine, and he is now one of the seventeen true disciples of the sect."
"True disciple?" Lu Chen was a little surprised.
"That's right," the middle-aged man explained, seeing the confusion on Lu Chen's face. "After becoming inner disciples, the elders of the sect who have formed their Golden Cores will select the most talented and gifted individuals and assess them over several rounds. Finally, they choose a small number of true disciples."
"Each true disciple receives a significant amount of cultivation resources, and with their exceptional talent, they are practically reserves for achieving the Golden Core stage."
Lu Chen nodded, understanding. With his own talent and aptitude, he estimated that he wouldn't even qualify for the first round of selections, so he didn't dare to entertain such fantasies. Even if his cultivation improved rapidly, others would still view his potential as far inferior to those with extraordinary gifts.
However, he didn't mind. After all, he already possessed the light group reward, a magical external aid. Whether or not he became a true disciple didn't matter.
"The exotic beasts raised by Brother Ge Pu are extremely rare; they are remnants from ancient times, and even many cultivators have never heard of them. Now, this pair of exotic beasts is facing a critical moment of gestation, and since I see that you, Junior Brother Lu, have a unique talent in raising spirit beasts, I would like to invite you to give it a try."
Lu Chen had once easily solved the dietary problem that had plagued the Ink-scaled Flood Dragon that the middle-aged Confucian gentleman had been raising. Additionally, he had heard that Lu Chen had significantly improved the fertility rate of the spiritual cranes in the Beast Taming Hall, so he now held a glimmer of expectation for Lu Chen.
"Alright, I'll give it a try, but I dare not promise a smooth solution. I can only promise to do my best."
"It would be a great joy if you can solve the problem, but it's fine if you can't," the middle-aged Confucian gentleman nodded.
Lu Chen followed him, and they swiftly flew through the peaks. Soon, they arrived at a bizarre mountain peak.
The two of them passed through the mountain's defensive formation and entered.
Lu Chen looked around, taking in the simplicity of the peak—it was monochromatic, with only black and white hues. Even the spiritual plants lacked the vibrant green color that represented life.
The mountain's interior was hollow, and floating within it was a spherical mass of water hundreds of zhang in size. Half of the sphere was deep black, while the other half was a pale white, with each half constantly surging and colliding, attempting to merge with the other, yet remaining distinct. At first glance, it resembled a Taiji diagram.
Within the massive water sphere were two gigantic fish, each over twenty zhang in length—one black and one white. They swam freely within their respective colored waters.
Below them sat a handsome cultivator dressed in white robes, with white hair and an otherworldly air, like a fallen immortal. His eyes were particularly striking—one was deep and dark, while the other was pale and indifferent.
Seeing the middle-aged Confucian gentleman and Lu Chen approaching, the handsome cultivator stood up to greet them.
"This is Senior Brother Ge Pu," the middle-aged Confucian gentleman introduced. "Senior Brother, this is Junior Brother Lu Chen. He has an extraordinary attainment in the way of spirit beasts, and he's here to see if he can help with your ancient exotic beast problem."
"Greetings, Senior Brother Ge," Lu Chen said politely, bowing slightly. The man before him, with his black and white irises, had a cultivation far surpassing his own, and with the status of a true disciple, he was practically on the verge of achieving the Golden Core stage. Lu Chen didn't dare to be the least bit negligent.
"Junior Brother Lu, I've heard Senior Brother Qingfeng mention you more than once," Senior Brother Ge said.
"I'm troubling you this time, asking you to help me with my spirit beast problem.
"This black and white water sphere is a magical artifact I refined specifically to create a suitable environment for this pair of Yin-Yang Kun Fish," Ge Pu explained. "These Yin-Yang Kun Fish are ancient beasts, born from the fusion of the heavens and earth's yin and yang energies."
"I obtained them in a blessed land, and due to the peculiarities of my cultivation technique, I've been raising them to aid my comprehension of Yin-Yang Daoist arts."
"The gestation method of these Yin-Yang Kun Fish is rather unique. Under certain specific conditions, when yin and yang intersect, they produce a pair of offspring."
"The offspring also possess yin and yang attributes, parasitizing within their same-attributed predecessors, absorbing and devouring their nutrients to strengthen themselves. Eventually, the large black and white fish dissipate, and the small fish become the new Yin-Yang Kun Fish."
"This gestation method is similar to rebirth through fire and ashes. After each gestation, they become much stronger than before."
"If this cycle continues, after multiple gestations, their strength will become extremely terrifying."
"Of course, the requirements for each gestation cycle become increasingly demanding. If the conditions are not met, a situation like the one with these two Yin-Yang Kun Fish in my possession may occur."
After explaining, the handsome cultivator, Ge Pu, waved his hand, and the two giant fish, one black and one white, leaped out of the water sphere, joyfully swimming towards each other.
The distance between them gradually closed, but after a long time, they still couldn't make physical contact.
In the end, the two giant fish swam in a circle, the black head chasing the white tail, and the white head chasing the black tail. With their large heads and thin tails, they resembled a rotating Taiji diagram at first glance.
Seemingly intertwined, yet separated by an untraversable distance, no matter what, they couldn't touch each other.
So close, yet so far—a bitter irony.
"The Yin-Yang Kun Fish are born as a pair, attracting and repelling each other," Ge Pu, with his black and white irises, explained to Lu Chen and the middle-aged Confucian gentleman. "Unless the surrounding environment meets their requirements, the yin and yang fish will not engage in reproductive activities."
"Otherwise, a situation like this occurs, where they have the desire to mate, but no matter what, they cannot touch each other."
"What methods have you tried, Brother Ge?" Lu Chen asked curiously.
"In the beginning, when the gestation conditions were easily met, I would directly create a suitable environment for them to reproduce naturally, and then they would regenerate into a new generation of Yin-Yang Kun Fish," Ge Pu replied.
"But as their strength grew to the level of a fourth-grade demon beast, the requirements for their reproductive environment became increasingly demanding. Recently, no matter what I tried, I couldn't satisfy their needs."
"Some time ago, I even considered forcing them to unite, but after several attempts, my cultivation was still insufficient to make them naturally intersect."
"An extreme, violent approach might work, but I worry that it would damage the gestating Kun Fish, so I ultimately abandoned the idea."
"I wonder if Brother Lu has any insights after witnessing this."
Ge Pu turned to Lu Chen, a hint of anticipation in his black and white eyes.
The middle-aged Confucian gentleman had mentioned how Lu Chen solved the dietary problem of his Ink-scaled Flood Dragon, and hearing this had increased Ge Pu's confidence in Lu Chen's abilities.
"Brother Ge, could you provide me with some of the food you usually feed the Yin-Yang Kun Fish? I'll feed them, hoping to increase the bond between them and lay a foundation for further examination." Lu Chen slowly spoke, knowing that he needed to gather more information before making a decision.
(End of Chapter)
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