Spirit Monster

Spirit Monster

Liang Qu wanted to reclaim his territory.

After eating the Treasure Fish last time, his Marsh Spirit fusion had risen to a full 11.7. The strength of the water currents he could control had reached nearly seventy jin, and the time he could remain active underwater had lengthened once more.

Most crucially, his range of perception had changed. The range of detailed perception had not changed, but his rough perception range had expanded by one meter, reaching a full six meters—a fairly enormous sphere.

After practicing martial arts for more than half a month, he was no longer the frail little fisherman he had once been.

With the help of Zhu Po Long and Fat Catfish, there were practically no beasts in the Shallow Water Area that could rival him.

He believed the monster that had seized his territory could not be too strong. Otherwise, it would not have watched helplessly as Fat Catfish took away the most precious pieces of lotus root.

The River Wind was rather strong today. Liang Qu sank a Stone tied to a rope to keep the skiff from drifting away, then took his wooden spear and pig bladder into the water. Led by the two beasts, he returned to the riverbed where they had found the lotus roots.

The riverbed was very quiet.

Sunlight pierced through the water, scattering into dense, bright threads and providing decent visibility.

Jagged Stones littered the silt. Unnamed plants grew between the cracks, their long, thin strands swaying gently with the current.

Cannot Move lay flat against the ground and crept forward with extreme care. It still seemed deeply wary of that so-called giant fellow; it did not even dare brush away the strands of water grass hanging from its head.

Fat Catfish beside it likewise pressed itself to the ground, slowly swishing its tail to disturb the current as little as possible.

Many fish with keen senses could detect changes in the current. If they took too large a step, they really might be discovered.

Liang Qu slowed as well, wading through the rolling, uneven mud. After passing a massive boulder, he saw chunks of lotus root spreading across the ground.

The two beasts sent warnings through the Mental Link.

They were very close.

Liang Qu lowered himself and crossed another patch of gently undulating mud. An irregular figure appeared in his sight, utterly motionless, as abrupt as a protruding black rock. By the look of it, it stood a little over a meter tall.

"What is that? A Stone? Is that the monster?"

Liang Qu was certain there had not been such a rock here before. He looked toward Cannot Move and Fat Catfish and received their affirmative response.

Strange. He too could not tell what kind of creature it was. It was like a chunk of rock, with none of a fish's long, streamlined Body Shape. It did not resemble an aquatic creature at all.

Like Cannot Move in the beginning, it seemed to have claimed this area as its territory.

Was it a crustacean?

A possibility suddenly occurred to Liang Qu.

Only crustaceans had such strange shapes. When lying low, they resembled huge rocks.

Gurgle, gurgle.

Large amounts of Bubbles drifted out from some part of the "rock," proving that it truly was some kind of crustacean.

What kind of crustacean could grow that large? Had it become a Spirit Monster?

Liang Qu was startled. Having been in this world for so long, he knew that Demon Beasts existed.

He had thought the beast the two creatures could not handle might be a Giant Crocodile four or five meters long, or something else. Never in his wildest dreams had he expected a Spirit Monster.

Yet as he looked at the broad stretch of lotus root bed that had been eaten away, his brows drew tightly together.

They had only just found this Treasure Plant. How could he let that Spirit Monster have it? Everything had clearly been moving in a better direction, yet a Spirit Monster had appeared out of nowhere and occupied his most precious resource.

Liang Qu gripped his long spear tightly.

How much Marsh Essence would eating a Spirit Monster provide?

Ten-plus, perhaps even dozens? A thought suddenly surfaced in his mind, and he was shocked by it.

That was a Spirit Monster, not an ordinary Water Beast! Perhaps it was not impossible?

Liang Qu's thoughts leaped and scattered without end.

Crustaceans had many weaknesses as well—for instance, beneath the abdomen. A single thrust of his spear would be enough to kill it.

There were also its exposed eyes, which would be easy to deal with. A creature that relied on sight could do nothing without its eyes.

And it truly was not that strong. Otherwise, it would not have watched helplessly as Fat Catfish took away the best pieces of lotus root.

The more he thought, the more unsettled he became. The Palm gripping the spear kept clenching and loosening.

He had always remembered something his university advisor once told him.

"When it comes to things that can change your life, you must take risks. Things of extraordinary significance mostly happen by chance. Only unimportant matters have meticulous plans."

Risk—a word that had run through the entirety of human development.

Dangerous, yet alluring.

He would not accept this!

He wanted to take back what was his! Liang Qu clenched his Fist, crushing the current in his grip. Water rushed out through the gaps between his fingers and scattered into white foam.

He had never had a habit of handing over what he had already obtained.

Zhang TieNiu had stolen his boat, so Zhang TieNiu had died.

Since he had a certain degree of confidence now, he would gamble on it. He would gamble on whether he or the Spirit Monster had the greater ability!

Inside Yang Martial Hall, Li LiBo and Chen Jiechang were sparring, attempting the Fighting Method within the Three Fists Technique.

Unlike Liang Qu, who had learned all of the Three Fists Technique, Li LiBo had learned only Ape Fist and Tiger Fist, while Chen Jiechang had learned only Tiger Fist. The remaining Two People did not intend to study further, instead preparing to focus on cultivating the blood Qi in their chests.

On one hand, Lu Shaohui had not taught them with much care. On the other, Liang Qu's learning speed was right there for all to see, giving the two of them a faint sense of pressure. In any case, learning the remaining two techniques would only broaden their horizons. What they would truly practice most was still the Ape Fist and Tiger Fist best suited to them.

The two simply gave up on them, intending to spend more time improving themselves and see whether they could break through within three months, then remain at the Martial Arts School.

If they could break through, they could almost be considered to have risen above the masses.

Perhaps in Ping Yang Town, a Martial Artist who had broken through only one barrier was nothing worth mentioning and could not even receive a tax reduction. But in Yi Xing City, it was already enough. Their quality of life would see a leap forward.

The simplest example was watering crops. What if a dispute arose? People on both sides would definitely want to find someone to help. Who would they seek?

The farmers of Yi Xing City would naturally think of the Martial Artist in their village who had broken through a barrier. But would asking someone for help mean they helped for nothing? Surely they would have to bring along several dou of rice?

As time passed, their prestige would only grow. Would the village chief still have the nerve to remain in office while drawing a salary for doing nothing?

Making one's fortune in a small place did not require anything too complicated. The two were fishmongers now, but no one could say what they might become in the future.

The two trained against every second, their hearts filled with hopes for a bright future.

"Hey, you two over there, you stink to high heaven. Can you roll farther away?"

Li LiBo and Chen Jiechang's movements stalled. A moment later, they continued with their training, but their movements visibly "weakened."

"Can't you hear me? I mean you two! Fish sellers!"

"Looks like their ears don't work either."

"Hahaha!"

On one side of the Martial Arts Field, three young men squatted and sat about, pointing at them as they talked.

Others saw it, yet not a single person stepped forward.

"Your words are too harsh, Lu Tingcai." Another person came over.

Hearing the voice, Li LiBo and Chen Jiechang relaxed inwardly. They exchanged a glance and let out a breath.

"Oh?" The young man called Lu Tingcai tugged at his trouser leg and sat sprawled on the bench, shifting lower. He cocked his head. "Then, Xue Dingyi, can't you smell them either?"

"That's true." The young man who had seemed to be speaking up for them suddenly broke into a smile. "Then let them roll farther away!"

Li LiBo and Chen Jiechang froze. The muscles at the sides of their jaws bulged high as humiliation, anger, and inferiority surged into their hearts all at once.

Whenever they came to the Martial Arts Field, they chose the farthest corner, carefully avoiding everyone. Yet they had never been humiliated like this.

They clearly had no grudge against one another, so why—

"How about this?"

Lu Tingcai suddenly stood and walked toward the two.

Only then did Li LiBo and Chen Jiechang realize that the man was terrifyingly tall, nearly six and a half chi. At close range, they had to look up at him!

Lu Tingcai looked down at them, bared his teeth, and revealed a row of gleaming white fangs. "As payment for our tolerance in letting you continue staying here, Two Taels of Silver each. How about it?"

Lu Shaohui, standing nearby, seemed to treat the scene before him as air, lifting his stone lock on his own.