Fish Dragon Dance

"At last, it was over." Yun Shou sighed. Though he had not been the protagonist in the latter half, this had truly been the longest he had ever lived in a simulation.

Because his hot-blooded gamble had paid off and he had chosen to follow the protagonist's group, he had not only avoided the Demon Slaying Alliance's purge by the demon army in the later stages, but had also stayed far from the front lines, living peacefully in the rear until he died of old age.

Please choose one of the following rewards to inherit:

1. Detailed memories of one hundred and nineteen years.

2. Memories related to a Martial Master's Martial Cultivation progress, Martial Arts, Combat Techniques, and so on.

3. Increase Foundation by 119%.

There was no hesitation. He chose 3.

Foundation Amplification 127% → 246%

His Foundation had directly doubled!

This was not simply his martial Talent Aptitude reaching genius level; even the very essence of his life had been elevated along with it!

There was not the slightest change in Yun Shou's Martial Cultivation. Extreme Viscera Enhancement was still only thirty percent complete, yet his stamina, strength, physical toughness, Force Qi quality—everything had undergone a leap!

"With this strength, I can definitely keep Qing He Gang's leader, Xu Ruohai, under my thumb!"

Feeling himself about to get carried away again, Yun Shou hurriedly warned himself, "Don't get cocky, don't get cocky. Fourteen-year-old me may be a First-Rate prodigy, but there's still that fifteen-year-old Grandmaster and that twenty-year-old Great Grandmaster."

He dragged out that not-yet-born "Child of Destiny" to caution himself.

"At most, I can beat up that useless bastard from the Qing He Gang. Once I enter the city, there are still three martial arts schools, with at least three Martial Masters!"

He had no other flaws—only cowardice.

And no other virtues—only steadiness.

"Set sail."

He took the boat out with the mindset of having some fun.

As he was now, he could steadily suppress Xu Ruohai, forcing him to lower his head and bow in submission.

But if he stepped on Xu Ruohai's face... he might as well kill him!

Those who roamed the underworld and established gangs valued face more than life itself!

If Xu Ruohai flew into a rage and attacked, it would not be good if Yun Shou got hurt.

"Let the simulated me handle hot-blooded matters. The real me only plays crushing victories."

If a Martial Master or even a Grandmaster stepped on his face, Xu Ruohai might even smile and adjust the angle of his skin so he could be stepped on more comfortably!

"I'm looking forward to tomorrow's simulation more and more. It's only been four runs, yet I've become a young First-rate Martial Artist with the potential of a Grandmaster. If I do it forty times..."

Yun Shou let his imagination run wild. "Could I beat Alien Demons senseless? Maybe even contend with Zhu Baowen?"

From the fact that Bei Chenguang could battle an Alien Demon while wearing Demon Armor, it could be inferred that an Alien Demon's strength was likely only one realm above that of a Great Grandmaster.

Still, when martial artists fought, even the slightest gap could become the key to victory or defeat.

A Great Grandmaster might be able to injure an Alien Demon with their attacks, but their bodies were too fragile. The further martial artists progressed, the greater the proportion occupied by Force Qi...

"It's just that the Demon Blood Forging from the simulation is absurd." This was also something Yun Shou could not understand. Alien Demon blood could forge divine weapons, so why did it not use its own blood...?

"Then again, some novels say human blood can be used to refine pills, but how many people would use their own blood for that? Besides, Demon Blood Forging may look limitless, but perhaps its limit is that very Alien Demon."

"Judging from the Simulator's description, the source of all demon blood was that Alien Demon. So even the thin demon blood within the lowest-ranking Demonized Soldiers possessed an extremely high essence."

Lake waves rippled as Yun Shou drifted across its surface in his boat.

Seeing that the lake water was calm and free of great waves, he took off his cloth shoes, rolled up his trouser legs, held onto the side of the boat, and slowly lowered both feet into the water.

The azure Force Qi produced by the Minor Accomplishment Flowing River Technique brushed the water in a certain rhythm around his feet. When Yun Shou released the boat's edge, he actually stood atop the lake.

The water only covered three inches above his ankles. Standing in the middle of the lake, his whole body gently swayed with the rippling waves.

"Walking on water?"

Yun Shou shook his head. "No, I'm still a little short. Part of my calves is submerged. I haven't reached the level of crossing a river without getting wet."

There was also the fact that he was merely standing still. If he started running, the impact of striking the water would let him use the lake surface as footing with only half his feet submerged.

"Hm?" Having just returned to the boat, Yun Shou suddenly sensed something. His gaze shifted toward the water not far away.

That patch of lake water was undulating strangely, forming a circular area like an underwater whirlpool. From time to time, half a fish body would swim out of the vortex before diving back beneath it.

—It was not a real whirlpool. It merely looked like one.

Yun Shou became interested. He leaped forward several steps and dived underwater to see what was happening... That was impossible.

What if there was danger underwater? He had already dispersed the Water Dragon Skill several simulations ago, so he was not skilled in water combat. He could swim, but he could not fight underwater. Naturally, he would row the boat over to take a look.

A First-rate Martial Artist could hold his breath for several dozen minutes, but that was static breath-holding without engaging in any strenuous activity.

Being able to hold one's breath did not mean being skilled in water.

As the boat drew closer, the flowing water shattered the sunlight reflected off the lake like a mirror, allowing Yun Shou to glimpse the wondrous sight below.

Fish Dragon Dance!

Fish gathered densely together by the thousands. Beneath the water, they connected head to tail, forming a living underwater fish-dragon vortex!

These were Spiny Fin Fish. Adult fish measured a foot and a half long, their bodies a translucent dark green, with three spines protruding from each fin like the spread toes of a duck's webbed foot.

This kind of fish had little flesh and heavy bones, with bones accounting for a considerable proportion of its weight. Fishermen were not particularly fond of them, because Spiny Fin Fish were fiercer than ordinary fish, struggled more violently, and sold for less money.

"Fish Dragon Dance... Has a Fish King been born?" Yun Shou's interest was piqued. A Fish King was not the same as ordinary fish.

A few years ago, his parents, who had still been alive then, had mentioned Fish Kings.

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

Once, fishermen had caught a Fish King. Three men had failed to haul it aboard. Instead, two of them had fallen into the water and died beneath the Fish King's attack.

A Fish King was also worth far more than ordinary fish. The Qing He Gang bought Fish Kings for over a hundred times the price of regular fish. According to rumors, Fish Kings aided martial artists in their training!

Combining that with the information from the simulation, Yun Shou made a guess.

"This should be like that Fierce Tiger King from the simulation. Both are strange species that surpass biological limits. Such creatures contain special substances within their bodies, such as Heaven and Earth Vital Energy, spiritual energy, and the like, which can strengthen a person's innate Foundation."

Come to think of it, if fish could have Fish Kings, then humans...

Yun Shou seemed to understand why that Alien Demon had chosen humans as blood food.

Although it later began implementing a human-breeding plan, it had largely adopted a laissez-faire attitude toward the resisters and the Demon Slaying Alliance in the forest. It had not directly swept them aside, most likely intending to free-range a batch of martial artists and harvest them later.

Fortunately, the Alien Demon's own life level—or rather, its Martial Cultivation realm and Foundation—was far too high. Even millions or tens of millions of people could not replenish its Foundation and Talent Aptitude to a higher level.

Otherwise, Bei Chenguang could not have fought it all the way to the end of the East Sea, smashing even the ground apart.

Unfortunately, the Alien Demon's initial level had also been too high. Otherwise, those Great Grandmasters should have surrounded and killed it long ago.

"If that Alien Demon did not exist, the martial world in this world would be quite normal. At the very least, there would not be people whose demonic arts overshadowed the world, practicing the 'human-eating path' just to bring their divine arts to Major Accomplishment."