Transcending the Mundane, Entering the Treasure

Splash!

"Got it!"

A jubilant figure emerged from the inner perimeter of the Chen Family Water Farm.

It was Hong Ming!

He avoided the beaten path, choosing instead to frequent areas rarely visited by others, where he could unleash his Water Breathing and reap a bountiful harvest.

While the Water Breathing trait provided no direct bonus to his clam-harvesting technique, its various auxiliary abilities were maxed out, pushing his performance to the limit.

This allowed him to move with ease in any environment within these waters.

Swish!

Sliding onto his boat like a loach, Hong Ming shook the heavy lake water from his body.

He then sat cross-legged, grabbed his heavy sack of clams, and instead of picking through it, dumped the entire contents onto the deck.

A rhythmic clattering sound erupted across the deck as clam shells of various colors and sizes tumbled out like peas.

They piled up in overlapping layers, resembling a sand dune and radiating a brilliant, multicolored luster.

Hong Ming couldn't be bothered with tools; he pried the shells open one by one with his bare hands, his movements practiced and efficient, never pausing to dwell on the contents.

Only when he spotted a superior-grade pearl did he hesitate, though he quickly returned to his rhythm.

By the time he finished, he had paused exactly twice, indicating he had secured two superior-grade pearls!

"A bit small, though."

Hong Ming set the two superior-grade pearls aside, a look of regret on his face.

These two pearls were exactly the Condensed Light Pearls that Sun Dazhuang had described—flawless and full of luster.

They were of a much higher quality than the medium-grade pearls Hong Ming had harvested in the past.

Alas, they were only the size of peas; while they would sell, they wouldn't fetch a premium price.

Setting the superior pearls aside, Hong Ming turned his attention to the rest.

The number of superior pearls was low, but there were plenty of medium and lower-grade ones, not to mention the countless flawed pearls.

"If I take these to the fish market and sell them to the Chen family, they should be worth about five taels."

Hong Ming applied his past experience to the haul, and the result was pleasing.

If he were lucky enough to maintain this level of income daily, he would soon earn enough to cover his cultivation resources for the coming days.

After sorting and storing the pearls, Hong Ming rowed his boat slowly back toward the shore.

As soon as he arrived, he saw a surging crowd by the lake, the air filled with clamor.

"What happened?"

Hong Ming was confused, but after drawing closer, he learned the reason.

The Chen Family Water Farm had produced a Treasure Fish!

The words "Treasure Fish" struck him like a bolt of lightning, instantly seizing his attention.

He hurriedly cast his gaze toward the center of the lake, where he saw members of the Chen family directing Sun Dazhuang and others in an attempt to capture the fish.

"Is that a Black Bass?"

Hong Ming's eyesight had been exceptionally trained; despite the distance, he could see clearly.

The treasure the Chen family was hunting was not an Azure Dragon Fish, but a black fish about half the length of an arm.

"It's not a naturally born treasure fish, but a Black Bass that has evolved into one!"

The moment he identified the species, Hong Ming made his judgment.

The Black Bass was a common fish in the waters of Clear River City, unlike the innate treasure that was the Azure Dragon Fish.

While rarely evolving into a treasure, it wasn't unheard of; every year, a few such cases appeared in the fish market.

But for an ordinary fish to become a treasure was no easier than an ordinary person becoming a martial artist—the path was fraught with peril, like a thousand troops crossing a single-plank bridge.

Though this Black Bass had managed to evolve, it was not yet a true treasure.

A true Black Bass Treasure Fish would be as long and thick as a martial artist's arm; anything less was at most a Half-Treasure Fish.

A Half-Treasure Fish had already crossed the most difficult hurdle; all it lacked was time.

Unfortunately, time was not on this fish's side, as it was clearly struggling to escape the heavy encirclement.

After a brief moment of envy, a new thought occurred to Hong Ming: I've been to this Chen Family Water Farm many times and never sensed any treasure-fish fluctuations. Where did this Black Bass Half-Treasure Fish come from?

He became intrigued. If the Chen Family Water Farm could produce a Half-Treasure Fish, there was bound to be the potential for more.

By tracing the source, he might be able to profit from it himself.

Just as he was mulling this over, the panicked voices of the Chen family's fishing team rang out from nearby: "Oh no, the treasure fish has broken through the net! Stop it!"

The Black Bass was not as agile as an Azure Dragon Fish, but it was fierce and possessed great strength.

Now that it had evolved into a treasure, it was even more formidable; once it broke free, catching it would be harder than ever.

Chen Hong was naturally aware of this, and though he felt a flicker of panic upon hearing the news, he quickly steadied himself and continued to issue orders in an orderly fashion.

Rip!

His commands were flawless, yet in the end, they were no match for the fortune of the Black Bass.

As if blessed by great luck, the Black Bass was destined to escape from the jaws of death.

Under such a frantic and desperate encirclement, it broke through layer after layer of restraints in the blink of an eye, charging headlong to carve out a path to freedom and vanishing without a trace.

"Quick, catch it! Whoever manages to capture the Treasure Fish, this young master will reward them handsomely!"

Witnessing the Black Bass break free and leap toward the vast expanse of the lake, Chen Hong's expression shifted drastically, and he shouted repeatedly in sheer frustration.

Though he knew that, aside from the Chen Family fishing fleet, there was no one nearby capable of trapping the Treasure Fish, he had no choice but to treat a dead horse as if it were still alive.

He did not expect these scattered fishermen and clam-divers to actually capture the Treasure Fish; he only hoped they could stall for time, allowing the Chen Family fishing fleet to catch up.

Splash! Splash!

Wealth moves the heart.

No sooner had Chen Hong's voice fallen than a steady stream of people responded to his call.

In an instant, the sounds of bodies hitting the water rose in a chorus.

Whether it was the Chen Family fishing fleet or the onlookers nearby, everyone dove into the water as if injected with adrenaline, eager to test their speed against the Treasure Fish!

Sun Dazhuang and Liang He were among them.

The two men exerted the greatest speed of their lives, their arms acting like oars as they parted the waves with lightning-fast precision.

They looked less like men and more like two agile water snakes, surging forward with all their might, racing neck and neck in the direction of the fleeing Black Bass.

Before long, they had pulled far ahead of everyone else, catching a glimpse of hope in capturing the Black Bass.

Yet that hope grew increasingly dim!

Having survived such a calamity, the Black Bass's instincts were further stimulated, erupting with a fierce desire to live.

This desire transformed into a continuous source of power, allowing it to burst forth with astonishing speed.

Though its back seemed injured, its tail fin struck the lake water with force, and as it leaped and dove, its body wove flexibly through the emerald waves.

How could the speed of an ordinary man, no matter how hard-trained, compare to the speed of a Treasure Fish?

The distance between man and fish not only failed to shrink, but it was visibly widening.

Seeing this, Chen Hong clenched his fists tightly, his eyes filled with anxiety and resentment.

Watching the Black Bass drift further and further away, leaving Liang He and the others far behind, the emotions on his face finally settled into a near-tangible sense of helplessness.

What a pity!

Although this Half-Treasure Fish was not a true Treasure Fish, if he had managed to secure it, it could have slightly eased the Chen Family's current predicament.

Now, it was all for nothing—a wasted effort!

Chen Hong sighed inwardly and shook his head slightly, preparing to call his men back.

Yet in that very instant, a streak of cold light, swift as lightning, struck his vision. In the blink of an eye, it rode the wind and waves, striking the Black Bass—which had surfaced—with unerring precision.

Snap!

The sound was faint, but the result was gratifying.

The sharp arrowhead drove into the back of the Black Bass like a steel nail, shattering layers of scales and piercing through flesh and blood, blooming a smear of crimson in the deep, dark lake water.

The pale red blood slowly rippled out with the waves, blending into the color of the lake.

A moment later, it was firmly held in the hand of one person!