The Turtle Has Grown Big

New Era, Year 563. Winter, December.

The White-robed Empress, who had vanished for three years, appeared once more.

She established her Dao field on White Phoenix Mountain, naming it the White-robed Emperor Palace.

She threw open its gates and broadly recruited the proud talents of the world.

The world was shaken by the news. Countless major powers sent their congratulations.

Although the White-robed Emperor Palace had only just been founded.

It had only one person, one mountain, one thatched cottage, and nothing else.

Yet that did not stop the world's gifted youths from flocking to it like ducks.

Because that one person was enough!

That one person was worth countless geniuses and famous masters.

That one person was worth an entire sect.

That one person was a King!

A True King!

That alone was enough.

As for all the other external things, they could bring their own.

In the blink of an eye, ten years passed.

Externally, the Xia Clan had the Ice Snow Empress sitting in powerful command, intimidating every race.

Internally, it had the White-robed Empress teaching the Dao and dispelling doubts, nurturing heavenly talents and strengthening the Xia Clan's foundations.

Everything flourished with vigor.

Ten years later, Chu He's Nine Transformations Golden Body Technique had also reached the perfect ninth layer of the Fourth Turn and was advancing toward the Fifth Turn.

His Dharma Aspect Golden Body had likewise been cultivated to the perfect third layer. Once his Dharma Aspect emerged, he resembled a god or Buddha and could slay enemies a hundred li away!

"Squeak, squeak!"

Great Turtle clumsily pushed a rag around as it finished cleaning the Book Repository.

More than ten years had passed, and its cultivation had reached the perfect ninth layer of the Innate Realm. It had now begun accumulating its foundations.

It had grown bigger and bigger, changing by the day. It had once been a little mouse; now it was a great clumsy elephant.

Cleaning used to be effortless, but now it was incredibly awkward. It was like watching a fat man clean a cramped classroom—painful just to look at.

Still, this was how it accumulated its foundations. Once its cultivation broke through and it used those foundations to shatter the barrier, it would be able to freely alter the size of its body.

Otherwise, at this rate of growth, even the Book Repository would no longer be able to keep it!

The repository was small, but the turtle was big.

If Chu He had not set up numerous measures within the Book Repository, then if Great Turtle carelessly failed to hold back its strength, the entire repository might have collapsed!

"It's getting dumber and dumber. It's just simple cleaning, yet it keeps making such a racket."

Chu He looked at Great Turtle with naked disdain.

It was so huge that it was no longer easy to pet, and the bigger it got, the uglier it became.

Great Turtle wore an aggrieved expression.

Could it be blamed for that?

It did not want this either!

It felt awful too!

In such a tiny place, even turning around was uncomfortable. Cleaning while pushing around a little rag was simply torture.

Come to think of it, this place was already so clean. Why did it still have to clean every day?

Its master had not even ordered it to do so now, had he?

Why was the first thing it did every day after getting up to push a rag around and clean?

Why?

Great Turtle suddenly froze and began to ponder deeply.

"Why do I feel like this turtle is about to get depressed?"

Chu He watched Great Turtle space out again and felt that it needed to go outside and unwind!

Ever since it had developed intelligence, this fellow had stayed in the Book Repository and had never seen the outside world. Like a canary raised in a cage, sooner or later something would go wrong.

This was the turtle that was supposed to compete with him over who lived longer.

It could not croak halfway through because of some other problem.

Besides, it really had grown too large, and more importantly, this was not even its limit.

What he needed to consider now was where to toss this fellow.

Inside the Xia Clan was definitely out of the question!

With a body this huge, even if it caused no trouble, it would certainly be hunted down as an alien race on sight. That would be troublesome.

It would also be an alien race among other clans, so it would not have an easy time there either.

And around the Xia Clan, he had not heard of any turtle clans.

"Wait, turtle!"

Chu He slapped his forehead.

Ever since Great Turtle had been brought to his side, it had left the water behind and basked in sunlight every day. Chu He had nearly forgotten that, strictly speaking, this fellow belonged to the aquatic race.

That made things easy.

Find a great river or an ocean, and the problem would be solved.

"Come, Little Green. I'll take you home for a look."

Without caring whether Great Turtle agreed or not, Chu He grabbed its neck, now thicker than a water bucket, and flashed out of the Book Repository with it before soaring into the sky.

Blue River!

It was a great river that crossed the Xia Clan's four commanderies, and within Lin Commandery lay one of its tributaries.

Carrying Great Turtle, Chu He spent a little over a minute reaching the edge of Blue River.

Then he patted Great Turtle on the head and spoke.

"Little Green, this is your hometown. For the next few years, stay home properly, have fun, relax, and go on down."

Great Turtle was completely dumbfounded!

What did that mean?

What was going on?

Why did it have to go down?

It remained as still as a mountain, its huge eyes staring straight at Chu He.

"Get down!"

Unable to stand its pitiful resentment any longer, Chu He kicked it into the river.

Splash! Splash!

Something awkward happened!

Great Turtle seemed to be afraid of water. It flailed desperately in the river like a landlubber who had fallen into the water. Combined with its enormous size and its two great fleshy paws flapping like wings, it looked utterly ridiculous.

"You're a turtle, not a chicken. What are you afraid of water for? The river is your home! Stop struggling. Relax, take deep breaths, and paddle with all four limbs."

Standing on the bank, Chu He began teaching Great Turtle how to swim, even gesturing through the movements as he spoke.

He had never even taught a person to swim, much less a turtle.

He had no experience at all and could only teach it according to the breaststroke method he himself had once used.

"Squeak, squeak, squeak!"

Great Turtle opened its mouth and blew bubbles nonstop.

It looked exactly like an ordinary person drowning.

Chu He's eyelids twitched as he watched.

Could this fellow really survive in the water?

Fortunately, a turtle was still a turtle.

It possessed an innate familiarity with water.

After struggling for a while, Great Turtle was able to paddle normally in the water.

All four limbs moved together in an authentic dog paddle.

And it was fast, like a little electric motor.

With a whoosh, it returned to the shore.

Then a paw thicker than Chu He's thigh grabbed onto his trouser leg.

Its water-bucket-thick turtle head shook fiercely.

Now it understood. Chu He was planning to leave it outside.

"Don't look so pitiful. I'm just letting you relax outside, not abandoning you! Stay in there until your body reaches its maximum size. Once you break through and can shrink down again, then you can return to the Book Repository."

"Don't worry, I'll come see you often! It's such a short distance—just treat it as coming to the riverbank for some fresh air!"

"Remember, when I'm not here, stay obediently in the river. Don't come ashore recklessly, and don't hurt anyone!"

Chu He said.

Great Turtle was already highly intelligent, at least as smart as an eleven- or twelve-year-old child, so it naturally understood Chu He's words.

In the end, under Chu He's urging, it could only swim back into the water unwillingly.

"Squeak, squeak, squeak!"

After its body had fully submerged, it left a section of its neck above the water and called back at Chu He.

"Don't worry, I'll come see you often!"

Chu He smiled.

This fellow even knew to make him keep his word.

P.S. Thanks to Water Far, Mountains Long for the generous reward of five thousand.

Thanks to 4633 Mo Hao for the reward of one hundred.

Thanks to Ten Realms of Great Desolation for another reward of one hundred.

Thanks to DK98 for another reward of one hundred.

Thanks to My Name Is Great Dao for the reward of one hundred.

Thanks to 20181215010514580 for the reward of one hundred.

Thanks to 20180626001737707 for the reward of one hundred.