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Chapter 898: An Inevitable Step in Fishing
Chapter 898: An Inevitable Step in Fishing
Lu Chen followed the middle-aged cultivator's instructions, riding his sword light down the Thousand Treasures Spirit River.
As Shi Zichen had said, not every stretch of the riverbank was suitable for angling. Only at certain special spots did cultivators quietly fish.
Along the way, he encountered over ten solitary Core Formation cultivators. At one point, he also came across several cultivators gathered together, wearing identical sect robes, clearly from a renowned sect.
When these cultivators noticed Lu Chen, some glanced at him curiously while others eyed him warily. Of course, most of their attention remained on their fishing rods.
As Lu Chen neared his destination, his gaze was drawn to a simple wooden cabin.
The cabin faced the river and had a wooden door, beyond which faint spiritual light shimmered, hinting at a wondrous space within.
"This should be the place," Lu Chen murmured, estimating the distance discreetly. He approached the cabin cautiously and, after scanning the area with his spiritual sense to ensure there were no anomalies, called out, "Fish Shop Owner, I am Lu Chen, a junior cultivator. I've come to purchase a fishing setup. Please forgive any disturbance."
"Come in." A short, hoarse voice echoed in Lu Chen's ears.
He passed through the shimmering light and found himself in a spacious room, much larger than the exterior suggested.
The room was simply furnished, with over a dozen wooden racks placed haphazardly around, displaying various treasures related to fishing.
"It seems this wooden cabin is a spatial treasure, similar to the Thousand Treasures House," Lu Chen mused as he surreptitiously examined his surroundings.
Towards the back of the room, he spotted a diminutive old man.
The old man had sunken cheeks and a face full of wrinkles, appearing exceedingly ordinary. His knobby fingers were busy polishing a fish hook made from white bone.
But to appear near the ethereal Thousand Treasures Spirit River was no ordinary matter.
Lu Chen immediately understood the old man's identity.
"Junior Lu Chen greets the Fish Shop Owner," he said respectfully, bowing.
The diminutive old man, however, seemed not to have heard him and continued polishing the fish hook, oblivious to his surroundings, as if the hook were a priceless treasure in his eyes.
Even before coming here, Lu Chen had learned about the shop owner's temperament from Shi Zichen, so he paid it no mind and continued to peruse the wares.
"Self-service."
"No haggling."
He noticed a wooden sign on one of the racks, with a few hastily written large characters.
"Uyaw Spirit Rod... One hundred and eight thousand low-grade spirit stones? Why not just rob people?"
Lu Chen immediately spotted a Uyaw Spirit Rod similar to the one Shi Zichen had, though with some subtle differences. Both were crafted from Uyaw stone spirit ore.
"To ask for such a high price for a fishing rod primarily used for angling treasures!"
"One hundred and eight thousand low-grade spirit stones. This price is already higher than many magical artifacts of the same rank."
Lu Chen was secretly astonished, once again realizing the wealth and generosity of the fishing enthusiasts.
The fifth-grade Uyaw Spirit Rod was only moderately priced among the collection of rods. Lu Chen also noticed several sixth-grade rods, each priced at no less than three hundred thousand low-grade spirit stones.
This made him marvel at the shop's exorbitant profits.
As he was only intending to try out fishing, Lu Chen focused his attention on the third and fourth-grade rods.
"Ink Jade Spirit Rod, fourth-grade, crafted from Ink Jade Bamboo, possessing both hardness and excellent flexibility. Capable of catching fifth-grade spirit fish-demons. Price: twenty thousand low-grade spirit stones."
"Clear Spirit Rod, fourth-grade, forged from a large quantity of Clear Spirit stone spirit ore. When paired with the Clear Spirit Hook, it emits a faint clear spirit aura, effective at repelling evil spirits and demons in the nearby waters. It also has a certain probability of attracting similar treasures. Price: twenty-six thousand low-grade spirit stones."
Lu Chen hesitated for a moment before settling his gaze on the Ink Jade Spirit Rod.
Among all the spirit rods, the price of this fourth-grade rod was more acceptable to him and would be perfect for his experimental purposes.
More importantly, the rod was crafted from fourth-grade Ink Jade Bamboo, and if he ever wanted to cultivate similar spirit bamboo in the future, he could consider adding it to his cultivation fields.
"Ice Silk, made from a large amount of silk spit by third-grade Ice Silkworms. It can withstand the impact of a fifth-grade demon beast for a short period, but the longer the duration, the higher the likelihood of breakage."
"A fourth-grade fishing hook, the 'Agarwood Hook', is made by grinding agarwood over a long period. It exerts a significant allure on many varieties of spirit fish and water beasts, causing them to momentarily lose their senses."
After observing for a while, Lu Chen finally selected the fishing line and hook.
The fishing line was a large bundle of third-grade Ice Silk, priced at eight thousand low-grade spirit stones.
The fishing hook, made by grinding agarwood, wasn't exceptionally sharp or keen, but it had its unique properties. It was priced at fifteen thousand low-grade spirit stones.
Lastly, he spent another ten thousand low-grade spirit stones on a box of the most ordinary bait and approached the diminutive old man.
"Senior Fish, I've selected four items: the Ink Jade Spirit Rod, Ice Silk, Agarwood Hook, and a box of ordinary bait."
Lu Chen dared not hide anything from the Nascent Soul True Lord and spoke truthfully.
"Here are five hundred and thirty medium-grade spirit stones. Please have a look, Senior."
He took out a pile of radiant medium-grade spirit stones and presented them to the diminutive old man.
"Correct."
Without turning his head, the Fish Shop Owner continued polishing the white bone fish hook in his hand.
The pile of medium-grade spirit stones in front of him quietly disappeared, presumably stored away in some spatial treasure.
"I bid you farewell, Senior."
Seeing this, Lu Chen cupped his hands and left with his newly acquired fishing tools.
"Quite a promising fishing talent."
After Lu Chen's figure disappeared, the diminutive old man lifted his head, his cloudy eyes gazing in the direction Lu Chen had left. He let out a soft sigh.
Lu Chen was oblivious to this and hurried off with his four new treasures to meet Shi Zichen.
"Just the basic equipment cost me over fifty thousand low-grade spirit stones. Fishing in the Thousand Treasures Spirit River seems like a bottomless pit."
He couldn't help but marvel at the expense.
Since this was just an experiment, he had chosen equipment that was of average quality at best. Even so, it had cost him a small fortune, and he could only imagine the staggering expenses incurred by the veteran cultivators who frequented the riverbanks.
"Fishing treasures add a bit of excitement to my life in this Imperfect Cavern."
"Of course, it's also to verify a hunch I have."
"The first step in fishing is to attract the attention of spirit fish, water beasts, and other strange creatures, luring them to bite the bait."
"This is an inevitable step, and in doing so, we also complete the feeding process."
"Perhaps, through the fishing rod and line, and even the terrifying waters of the Thousand Treasures Spirit River, I can discern the true nature of the creature that bites my hook?"
"If this works, it would be a significant advantage for me."
Lu Chen's heart raced with anticipation. Without using his spiritual sense, he could simply use his mind to probe and identify whatever he had hooked.
This way, he could avoid the dangers posed by evil creatures like demons and devils, and also tailor his bait to the preferences of the spirit fish, water beasts, and strange creatures, making it easier to hook them.
(End of Chapter)
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