Fish Dragon Dance

"Finally, it's over." Yun Shou sighed with emotion. Even though he wasn't the main character in the latter half, this was still the longest simulation he had ever lived through.

Because he had gotten lucky with a hot-headed gamble and chosen to follow the protagonist group, he not only avoided the later demon army's purge against the Demon Slaying Alliance, but also stayed far from the front lines, comfortably settled in the rear, living out his days until he died of old age.

[Please select one of the following rewards to inherit:

1. Detailed memories spanning one hundred and nineteen years.

2. Memories related to Martial Master cultivation progress, martial arts, and combat techniques.

3. Increase foundation by 119%.]

No hesitation—choose 3.

[Foundation Amplification: 127% → 246%]

Foundation directly doubled!

This wasn't simply reaching the level of a genius in martial talent aptitude; it was a leap in life essence itself!

Yun Shou's martial cultivation didn't change at all—Extreme Viscera Enhancement was still only thirty percent complete—but his stamina, strength, physical toughness, and energy quality all underwent a soaring transformation!

"With this strength, I can definitely suppress Gang Leader Xu Ruohai!"

Feeling himself about to get cocky again, Yun Shou quickly reminded himself: "Can't get cocky, can't get cocky. At fourteen, I'm a top-tier prodigy, but there's still a fifteen-year-old Grandmaster and a twenty-year-old Great Grandmaster out there."

He brought up that unborn "Child of Destiny" to warn himself.

"Right now, I can only beat that waste from Qing He Gang. In the city, there are at least three martial arts schools and at least three Martial Masters!"

He had no other flaw—just being cowardly.

He had no other virtue—just being steady.

"Set sail."

He went out on the boat with a playful mindset.

Now, he could firmly suppress Xu Ruohai in a fight, forcing the man to lower his head and admit weakness.

But if he stepped on his face... that would be worse than killing him!

On the streets, a gang leader who founded his own faction valued face more than life itself!

If Xu Ruohai got enraged and struck out, it wouldn't be good if Yun Shou got hurt.

"Let the simulator version of me handle the hot-blooded stuff. The real me only plays winning games."

If a Martial Master or even a Grandmaster stepped on his face, Xu Ruohai might even smile and adjust the angle of his cheek to make it more comfortable for them!

"I'm getting more and more excited for tomorrow's simulation. After only four runs, I've become a young First-rate Martial Artist with the potential of a Grandmaster. If I do forty runs..."

Yun Shou began to fantasize: "Could I beat an Alien Demon to a pulp, or even trade blows with Zhu Baowen?"

From the fact that Bei Chenguang, wearing Demon Armor, could fight an Alien Demon head-on, it could be inferred that an Alien Demon's strength was only about one realm higher than a Great Grandmaster.

But in martial combat, even the slightest gap could become the deciding factor in victory or defeat.

A Great Grandmaster might be able to output enough damage to injure an Alien Demon, but their bodies were too fragile. The further a martial artist progressed, the greater the proportion of energy in their power...

"Still, that Demon Blood Forging thing in the simulation is really absurd." This was another point Yun Shou couldn't figure out: if an Alien Demon's blood could forge divine weapons, why didn't it use its own blood..."

"Then again, in some novels, human blood can be used for alchemy, but how many people would use their own blood for that? And Demon Blood Forging seems limitless, but maybe the limit is that very Alien Demon."

"From the Simulator's description, all demon blood originates from that one Alien Demon, so even the lowest-grade Demonized Soldier has an extremely high essence in their diluted demon blood."

The lake rippled gently as Yun Shou drifted on its surface.

Seeing that the water wasn't stirring up any major waves or winds, he took off his cloth shoes, rolled up his trouser legs, held onto the boat's edge, and slowly dipped both feet into the water.

The azure energy, dyed by his Minor Accomplishment in Flowing River Technique, rippled the water at a certain frequency around his feet. Yun Shou let go of the boat and actually stood on the lake's surface.

The water only reached three inches past his ankles. He stood in the middle of the lake, swaying gently with the rippling waves.

"Walking on water?"

Yun Shou shook his head: "No, still a bit off. My calves are submerged a bit—it's not at the level of crossing a river without getting wet."

Part of the reason was that he was just standing still. If he were running, with the impact force of stepping on water, he could probably run across the lake surface with only half his soles submerged.

"Hm?" Just as he returned to the boat, Yun Shou suddenly sensed something. His gaze shifted to the water surface not far away.

There, the lake surface rippled strangely, forming a circular area like an underwater whirlpool. Fish bodies occasionally swam half a length out of the vortex before diving back under.

—It wasn't a real whirlpool; it just looked like one.

Yun Shou grew curious. He leaped several steps forward to dive in and see what was happening... That was impossible.

What if there was danger underwater? He had long since dispersed his Water Dragon Skill several simulations ago, so he wasn't proficient in aquatic combat (he could swim, but not fight underwater). Naturally, he rowed the boat over to take a look.

A First-rate Martial Artist could hold their breath for up to ten minutes, but that was static breath-holding without any intense activity.

Being able to hold your breath ≠ being good in water.

As the boat drew closer, the flowing water broke the mirror-like reflection of sunlight, allowing Yun Shou to glimpse the wonder beneath the surface.

Fish Dragon Dance!

Countless fish—thousands of them—gathered together, linking head to tail underwater to form a living, swirling fish dragon!

This is a Spiny Fin Fish. Adult fish grow to a foot and a half in length, with a dark green, translucent color, and fins that protrude with three spines spread out like a duck's foot.

This type of fish has little meat and heavy bones, making up a considerable proportion of its body weight. Fishermen aren't very fond of it because, relatively speaking, Spiny Fin Fish are more aggressive than ordinary fish, struggle harder when caught, and sell for less money.

"Fish Dragon Dance... Could this mean a Fish King has been born?" Yun Shou grew interested. A Fish King is nothing like ordinary fish.

A few years ago, his still-living parents had mentioned the Fish King.

Every Fish King is smarter, larger, and more ferocious than ordinary fish!

Once, a fisherman caught a Fish King. Three men couldn't haul it up, and two of them fell into the water, dying under the Fish King's attacks.

The value of a Fish King far exceeds that of ordinary fish. Qing He Gang's purchase price for a Fish King is over a hundred times that of a regular fish. According to rumors, a Fish King helps martial artists train!

Combining this with the information from the simulation, Yun Shou formed a guess.

"This should be like the Fierce Tiger King from the simulation—a type of anomaly that surpasses biological limits. These anomalies contain some special substance within them, such as Heaven and Earth Vital Energy or spiritual energy, which can strengthen a person's foundational roots."

Speaking of which, since fish can have a Fish King, then humans...

Yun Shou seemed to understand why that Alien Demon chose to feed on humans.

(Although later it began implementing a human farming plan, it basically adopted a laissez-faire attitude toward the resisters and the Demon Slaying Alliance in the forest, not directly Pushing Across them. It was probably harboring the idea of free-ranging a batch of martial artists to harvest in the future.)

Fortunately, the Alien Demon's own life level—or rather, its martial realm and foundation—was so high that even millions or tens of millions of people couldn't supplement its foundation and Talent Aptitude to a higher level.

Otherwise, Bei Chenguang wouldn't have been able to fight it all the way to the end of the East Sea, shattering the ground itself.

Unfortunately, the Alien Demon's initial level was too high; otherwise, it should have long been surrounded and killed by those Great Grandmasters.

"If not for that Alien Demon, the martial world of this realm would be fairly normal. At least there wouldn't be people with world-dominating demonic arts, practicing 'cannibal-style' martial arts to achieve Major Accomplishment in their divine techniques."

(The next few chapters might feel like filler to some, but my intention is to flesh out more details to make this world and this novel feel a bit more real... My writing skill is lacking. If it feels like filler, I can only apologize. (?′д｀) Humble.jpg)