More Treasure Fish! Rapid Growth

More Treasure Fish! Rapid Growth

Commanding the Six-Whiskered Catfish had truly been worth every penny. It had been less than five days since it found the Bullhorn Pomfret, and today it brought another surprise.

If he could catch a Treasure Fish every five days on average, probably no one in the entire Yang Martial Hall could afford such extravagance, right? At the thought, Liang Qu quickened his pace and returned to Yi Xing City in half an hour.

Ping Yang Town was also bordered by marshlands, so he could have entered the water directly. But to avoid drawing attention, he still chose to return to the dock.

Once at the dock, Liang Qu used the directional sense from the Mental Link to set out in his boat toward the nearby area. His oars slapped the water, and the Zhu Po Long that had received his summons surfaced to meet him.

The Jianghuai Marshlands were not as Calm and Peaceful as they appeared. Leaving aside the Great Demons lurking in the depths, some species of Zhu Po Long in the Shallow Water Area could grow four or five meters long. Flipping a Small Sampan would be effortless for them. With Cannot Move as a guard, it was much safer.

Liang Qu took up his dip net and dived into the water. After eating the Bullhorn Pomfret, he had gone off to sell fish and learn martial arts. He had not entered the water since his fusion rate increased, and now he felt nothing but easy, unrestrained comfort.

Cauldron Master: Liang Qu

Refined Marsh Spirit: Water Monkey (White) (Fusion Rate: 8.3%)

Marsh Essence: None

River's Favor: None

Commanded Water Beasts: Taihua Crocodile, Six-Whiskered Catfish

Evaluation: The Water Monkey Marsh Spirit originated from the great Lord of the Huai River Waters. Its potential has not been fully awakened; a petty figure with a meek nature and frail fate.

The fusion rate had reached 8.3%. The water flow he could control had reached fifty jin, and his control had improved somewhat, proving that Liang Qu's original idea had been correct.

Increasing the Marsh Spirit's fusion rate not only strengthened the water flow, but also improved his control over it. Turning it into water blades and controlling blood were now within sight. Everything was flourishing.

And when Liang Qu Looked Again at the evaluation at the very bottom, he had some thoughts as well.

Ever since obtaining the Ze Cauldron, he had often studied the Patterns upon it. If he had not guessed wrong, the so-called Lord of the Huai River Waters was most likely the famed Wu Zhiqi.

Wu Zhiqi's Main Body was a gigantic ape, with an azure body, white head, golden eyes, and snow-white teeth. It matched the most eye-catching pattern on the Ze Cauldron.

Legend had it that even Da Yu, joined by Yinglong, had been unable to kill it and could only imprison it beneath the waters.

Who was Yinglong?

He was the creator god of ancient myth and legend, a god of creation, the true dragon and progenitor of the dragon race. Legend said that fish and shrimp could become true dragons just by drinking a mouthful of Yinglong's urine! The difference was plain to see.

As for the other Patterns, they should have been other water gods. The one with a human head and serpent body was suspected to be Gonggong.

Liang Qu did not know who the Black Emperor on the other side was, but his instincts told him the figure was terrifyingly formidable. Especially that Divine General holding a spear—the spear looked remarkably like a three-pointed, double-edged blade. Could it be Erlang Shen? Was Erlang Shen a water god? If so, then the Ze Cauldron was absolutely an extraordinary divine artifact.

It was said that Flood Dragons lay dormant in the deepest reaches of the Jianghuai Marshlands. They slept for sixty years at a time, and upon waking, stirred wind and raised waves. Yet before Wu Zhiqi, they were nothing more than a strip of spicy snack.

Sadly, he was only a Water Monkey, separated from the Lord of the Huai River Waters by a distance of a hundred thousand li.

The road ahead was long. He still had to work hard!

Escorted by the Zhu Po Long, Liang Qu found Fat Catfish and discovered that the so-called Treasure Fish was actually a big-headed fish covered from head to tail in orange Tiger Spots! It was precisely the Tiger Head Grouper someone had caught at the neighboring dock last month! Only, this one was enormous, as long as an arm and nearly six or seven jin. If sold, it might fetch even more than the Bullhorn Pomfret! "A Fei, you really are my lucky star!" Liang Qu happily patted Fat Catfish's head, then had the two Water Beasts head in different directions and close in with him from three sides.

With the Water Monkey's ability, fish did not easily notice Liang Qu. He had Fat Catfish and the Zhu Po Long launch the first attack.

Startled, the Tiger Head Grouper turned and fled, only to rush straight toward Liang Qu and discover that someone had already been lying in wait. By the time it tried to escape again, it was too late. The tremendous inertia made it impossible to turn.

Dozens of jin of water pressed down upon the Tiger Head Grouper, pinning its Body Shape in place.

Liang Qu twisted his body and swept his dip net, as though striking a beautiful golf ball, scooping the Tiger Head Grouper into the net! Beautiful!

Liang Qu swiftly flipped the net handle, wrapping the Tiger Head Grouper in the mesh. He stepped forward, hugged both fish and net against his chest, and swam all the way back to the surface before tossing it into the cabin.

Hauling himself into the boat, Liang Qu took out his stone knife and deftly gutted the fish. Its Internal Organs, gills, scraps, and everything else went to the two Water Beasts.

The two Water Beasts opened their mouths and gulped down great mouthfuls. Excited, they Wagged Their Tails wildly, splashing heaps of foam across the surface.

"Wait, have you two gotten bigger?"

Liang Qu was boiling water to cook fish slices when he suddenly noticed that the two Water Beasts seemed to have grown considerably.

He had been too anxious about catching the Treasure Fish to notice earlier. Looking closely now, Cannot Move had previously been nearly two meters long but not quite there. Now it had definitely surpassed two meters.

The same went for Fat Catfish. It had originally been just over two meters long, but now it looked almost half a size bigger, nearly 2.3 or 2.4 meters.

He had commanded the two Water Beasts for less than a month in total. This was absolutely not a normal growth rate.

Liang Qu suddenly recalled the evolution prompt from the Ze Cauldron.

Could it be that after the two Water Beasts ate the Treasure Fish scraps, they absorbed the Marsh Essence within them? He communicated with the Ze Cauldron.

77.9 points of Marsh Essence may be consumed to evolve the Taihua Crocodile into a Jiaomu Crocodile

77.8 points of Marsh Essence may be consumed to evolve the Six-Whiskered Catfish into a Tiger-Head Catfish

Sure enough, it had decreased!

Liang Qu was overjoyed. He had never expected feeding them Treasure Fish scraps to have such an effect. It was completely cost-free recycling of waste!

"Good, growing bigger is good. Big is strong, big is beautiful. Come, eat more. The fish head is yours too."

Liang Qu sucked the fish brain clean and tossed the fish head to the two beasts.

He might look like a heartless boss, letting the two Water Beasts that had discovered the Treasure Fish eat only scraps, but everything was relative.

After being commanded, they had developed intelligence and became far smarter than before. Only then could they deliberately hunt for Treasure Fish.

Previously, they had drifted through life in a muddle. Forget finding Treasure Fish—they did not even know what Treasure Fish looked like. Even if they saw one, they would mistake it for an ordinary fish. So long as they were not hungry, they would not bother catching it.

Treasure Fish were stronger and faster than ordinary fish, and harder to catch as well.

All in all, they were the ones profiting.

After the inedible parts were removed from the seven-jin Tiger Head Grouper, there were still over four jin of meat. Even though the fish flesh was incomparably fresh and sweet, by the end Liang Qu was simply stuffing it down by force. Thankfully, the Marsh Essence it contained did not disappoint him.

Marsh Essence +3.4

After sucking the marrow from the fish bones, he tossed them to the two beasts. Liang Qu was so full he was slightly out of breath, his whole body burning hot, yet he still forced himself to rise and began training according to the Refining Method in Ape Fist.

Training right after eating a Treasure Fish produced the best results. He could not waste such an opportunity.

The Tiger Head Grouper was not as high-quality as the Bullhorn Pomfret, but it won in sheer quantity. Its overall boost to his blood and Qi was even greater.

As Liang Qu practiced his fists, he quickly felt the heat throughout his body being stirred up. Then, that thread of Qi within his Chest appeared once more.

Previously, it had only appeared halfway through the routine. Now it emerged after he had just completed three stances. It was clear how extraordinary the Treasure Fish's effects were.

As the breath circulated, it rapidly grew stronger. Liang Qu began secreting sweat and grease at a frantic pace. By the time he finished the entire set, he looked as if he had been hauled from the water.

Liang Qu drank down the fish soup to replenish his fluids. Feeling that the fish meat in his stomach had yet to be fully digested, he endured his exhaustion and completed another round.

He practiced three rounds in a row until night fell, and the fish meat in his belly was completely digested.

By then, the Qi in his Chest had grown from a thread into something as thick as a lock of hair. Afterward, it did not immediately dissipate, but circulated again for nearly half a quarter-hour.

Liang Qu collapsed in the boat, exhausted beyond movement. His eyelids drooped, and he fell into a deep sleep.

The Zhu Po Long and catfish circled the boat, silently standing guard.

Early the next morning, Liang Qu, sticky all over, jumped into the water and gave himself a thorough wash. When he came ashore again, his muscles had taken on a noticeably clearer outline. He had grown a little taller as well, looking even more valiant and martial.

According to Hu Qi, once the Qi in one's Chest became as thick as a little finger, one could begin the Skin Refining Breakthrough. At his current pace, would it not take less than three months? Breaking Through the Skin Barrier was within sight!

Liang Qu was in high spirits. Watching the rising sun, he seemed to see his own brand-new life.

"A Fei, go catch some fish. Cannot Move, continue guarding the lotus roots."