Waiting for the Hare

Bright moonlight spilled over the deep, secluded Blackwater Pool, coating its ink-dark surface with a layer of silver radiance.

The Blackwater Mysterious Snake coiled atop a reef in the middle of the pool, its thick tail slapping the water irritably and sending droplets sparkling with fragmented silver light beneath the moon.

"Hiss—"

As its scarlet tongue flicked in and out, a rare trace of human-like irritation appeared in the Blackwater Mysterious Snake's cold vertical pupils.

It raised its head to look at the full moon in the night sky, suddenly realizing a fact so alarming it felt like its head was about to explode.

That damned human was growing stronger at an absurd rate!

Ten days ago, he had been a little Dou Zhe it could chase until he fled in a panic. Now, he actually dared to provoke it precisely from over a hundred zhang away.

When he used Cloud-Chasing Steps, he was more than thirty percent faster than before. Even more terrifyingly, when that brat had dodged the poisonous mist yesterday, the Dou Qi barrier around his body had actually held for three breaths before being completely corroded!

The Blackwater Mysterious Snake suddenly felt an inexplicable chill as it recalled that detestable human standing on a distant cliff that morning, holding up a wild rabbit roasted golden and dripping with fat.

That aroma was simply... no, wait!

This was not the time to think about that!

"If this keeps up, I might actually get outsmarted!"

Its thick tail violently smashed a reef to pieces, and the Blackwater Mysterious Snake made a major decision.

It slowly swam toward the bottom of the pool. In the darkness beyond the reach of moonlight, three Qi Nurturing Fruits glowed with a faint green radiance.

Its slender tail nimbly wrapped around the fruit plants. The instant it uprooted them, the millennia-old silt at the bottom of the pool churned violently, and the murky sludge dyed the entire pool black.

"I'm not playing with you anymore!"

The Blackwater Mysterious Snake cast one last look at the nest it had lived in for five years, then plunged without hesitation into the underground river at the bottom of the pool that led deep into the mountains. Its massive body crushed the pebbles on the riverbed, startling a school of silver-scaled fish into fleeing in all directions.

Before entering the underground river, it deliberately used its tail to disturb the traces along the shore, then spat out a cloud of poisonous mist to conceal its aura.

The next morning, Jiang Donghua arrived at his usual spot, humming a little tune.

He had specially prepared a plump pheasant today, marinating it all night with his custom-made spices.

"Hey, giant worm! Wake up and eat breakfast!"

There was no response.

Only faint ripples stirred across the surface as the morning breeze passed.

Jiang Donghua raised an eyebrow and walked another fifty zhang forward.

"What? Tired from chasing me yesterday?"

He picked up a pebble and flicked his wrist, sending it in a perfect arc.

"Plop."

It landed in the center of the pool.

Ripples spread outward in circles before eventually settling into stillness.

"Something's wrong."

The Blazing Fire Cultivation Method began circulating silently, and a faint crimson layer of Dou Qi emerged over Jiang Donghua's body.

He cautiously approached the pool's edge. When he pushed aside the final clump of reeds, the sight before him made his eyes widen instantly.

The pool water was unbearably murky, its once-clear surface now floating with huge amounts of silt.

What alarmed him most was that the three Qi Nurturing Fruits, along with the reef they had been rooted in, had vanished without a trace. Only three enormous, shocking pits remained.

On the damp soil by the shore, a snake trail half a zhang wide was clearly visible, stretching all the way toward the depths of the mountains.

"Holy shit?!"

Furious, Jiang Donghua kicked the roasted pheasant from his hand into the air.

"That beast ran off with my Qi Nurturing Fruits?!"

Jiang Donghua stood beside Blackwater Pool, his expression shifting constantly.

There was only a stagnant pool of murky water, so clouded that not even a fish could be seen.

"That beast!"

He slammed his fist into a nearby rock. With a boom, the hard stone shattered into pieces from the force of the punch.

The strength of a Four-star Dou Master was on full display, but what use was that?

"A hundred thousand gold coins!"

Jiang Donghua crouched down with gritted teeth, grabbed a handful of damp soil, and clenched it fiercely.

Those three Qi Nurturing Fruits would fetch at least a hundred thousand gold coins at an auction house. If they were refined into pills, their value would multiply several times over.

The soil trickled through his fingers, just like his shattered dream of getting rich.

"It sure ran fast."

Jiang Donghua stood up and looked around.

For the past ten days, he had come to Blackwater Pool every day to check in and match wits with that Blackwater Mysterious Snake.

Though he had been chased into a sorry state every time, the thrill of walking along the edge of life and death had made his cultivation speed more than thirty percent faster than usual!

And now? His opponent was gone, and so was the fun.

"Four-star Dou Master!"

Jiang Donghua felt the surging Dou Qi in his body, a bitter smile appearing at the corner of his lips.

Under normal circumstances, breaking through one star in ten days would have made him drag a few drinking buddies out for a wild celebration.

But now?

There was not even anyone to witness it.

[Host: Jiang Donghua]

[Realm: Four-star Dou Master (0/4000)]

[Main Cultivation Method: Sky-Burning Incantation (Mysterious-grade Mid-tier)]

[Idle Gain]

Clone 1: 5 points/hour

Clone 2: 5 points/hour

[Current Total Gain: 10 points/hour]

"Even if it was just a snake."

Looking at the calm surface of the water, he suddenly missed that enraged Blackwater Mysterious Snake a little.

At least whenever that beast chased after him, it would let out earth-shaking hisses. That presence, that pressure—it had been exhilarating!

Now the pool was silent, without even a splash.

"Coward!"

Jiang Donghua angrily kicked a piece of gravel by the shore and turned to leave.

His shadow stretched long beneath the sun, making him look especially lonely.

Jiang Donghua returned to his cave, lay down on the stone bed, and stared blankly at the ceiling.

"At this rate, it'll take sixteen more days of idling to break through to Five-star Dou Master."

He counted on his fingers and immediately found it dull.

"No, I need to find myself some fun!"

Since the AFK System cultivated automatically anyway, he could go out and have some fun!

So Jiang Donghua packed his belongings, brought along a few pieces of dried rations, and headed out humming a tune.

"Magical beasts, your Uncle Jiang is here!"

Jiang Donghua wandered around outside the cave for an entire day without seeing so much as a strand of magical beast fur.

"Tch, the Blackwater Mysterious Snake's reputation really isn't for show."

He kicked at the pebbles by his feet, feeling somewhat depressed.

He had originally thought that once the Blackwater Mysterious Snake ran away, the nearby magical beasts would come swarming in.

"But there isn't even one here for a drink?!"

He squatted beside Blackwater Pool, staring blankly at the murky water.

"Are these magical beasts' noses useless? They can't even smell from ten li away that the Blackwater Mysterious Snake is gone?"

Jiang Donghua sighed, stood up, and dusted off his backside.

"Forget it. The AFK System is still running, so I'll just wait slowly!"

In the blink of an eye, ten days passed.

Jiang Donghua lay listlessly in his cave, one leg crossed over the other, a grass stem dangling from his mouth.

[Host: Jiang Donghua]

[Realm: Four-star Dou Master (2788/4000)]

[Main Cultivation Method: Sky-Burning Incantation (Mysterious-grade Mid-tier)]

[Idle Gain]

Clone 1: 5 points/hour

Clone 2: 5 points/hour

[Current Total Gain: 10 points/hour]

"Just a few more days of idling, and I'll break through to Five-star Dou Master."

He yawned and turned over.

During those ten days, he had gone to Blackwater Pool every day for a look, but unfortunately—

"There's still not even a damn ghost in sight!"

Still, he had not gained nothing at all.

"At least this place is quiet. Good for sleeping."

Another seven days passed.

[Ding!]

[Congratulations, Host! You have broken through to Five-star Dou Master!]

Jiang Donghua sprang up from the stone bed, clenched his fists, and felt the surging Dou Qi within him.

"I finally broke through!"

He grinned, just about to go out and stretch his limbs.

"Boom!"

Suddenly, a tremendous noise came from the distance!

Jiang Donghua froze, then his eyes lit up.

"Something's happening?!"

Without another word, he grabbed his sword and charged outside.

Beside Blackwater Pool.

A massive Ironback Grey Wolf was lowering its head to drink, while behind it—

More than a dozen magical beasts were slowly approaching!

Jiang Donghua hid behind a tree, the corners of his mouth slowly curling upward.

"Finally, I've waited long enough!"

Jiang Donghua crouched on a tree branch, narrowing his eyes as he observed the pack of Ironback Grey Wolves.

"Tch, three are four-star, five are three-star, and the rest are all two-star."

He counted on his fingers. If he truly fought them head-on, he, a Five-star Dou Master, could handle them. The problem was that these beasts were too united!

Wolf-type magical beasts were the most troublesome because they held grudges. If he killed one today, he might have to face the entire pack hunting him tomorrow.

"Not worth it."

Jiang Donghua rubbed his chin, then suddenly grinned.

"Why not learn from that giant worm?"

Over the next few days, Jiang Donghua squatted in the reeds with a grass stem in his mouth, listlessly staring at the calm Blackwater Pool.

After drinking their fill, the dozen or so Ironback Grey Wolves shook out their fur and slowly left, never giving him the slightest chance to strike.

"Tch, a bunch of cowards."

He spat out the grass stem and stretched lazily. By now, he had figured it out.

The lingering might of the Blackwater Mysterious Snake was simply too strong. Low-level magical beasts did not dare linger at all. Even when drinking water, they acted like thieves, fleeing the moment they finished.

As for those three-star and four-star magical beasts—

"They're all smart as hell. The moment there's the slightest disturbance, they howl once and bolt together."

Jiang Donghua sighed and slowly walked back to his cave.

Waiting for the hare?

He had not even gotten a single hare hair!

"Splash—"

Words traveled between magical beasts just as well as between people. At the very least, the Blackwater Mysterious Snake of Blackwater Pool had vanished somewhere unknown.

More and more magical beasts dared to go there for a drink.

At last, there was movement beside Blackwater Pool.

A sturdy Ironclad Boar swaggered up to the pool and began drinking noisily.

Jiang Donghua instantly perked up!

"It's here!"

"Wait!"

He narrowed his eyes and observed carefully.

This boar—

"Five-star Dou Master level. Thick hide and tough flesh, but not very smart."

"Most importantly, it's alone!"

Jiang Donghua's lips slowly curled upward.

"Finally, one suitable target!"

He silently crept closer.