Horned Serpent (Please Read On)

"I know you were chosen from a fishing village as an immortal seedling, so you can't bear it..." Senior Brother Ye in blue sneered. "But think about it—without us immortal masters, where would these mortals come from? Without us guarding the islands, these ants would've long become fodder for demon beasts. Not to mention that we bestow spirit grain upon them, filling the bellies of countless people. What great merit is that? A mere blood sacrifice is but a tiny flaw in flawless jade; it doesn't affect the bigger picture..."

The young man surnamed Ye spread his hands.

"What's more... these Horned Serpents carry a trace of Flood Dragon blood. Once they break through to Second-Order, they're far more likely to produce Demon Cores, the main ingredient for refining Foundation Establishment Pills! Without them, how many Second-Order demon beasts would our Azure Sea Sect have to slaughter deep in the Demon Sea before we were lucky enough to obtain a single Second-Order Demon Core? What would become of the paths of cultivation for so many Qi Refinement disciples in our sect? Junior Brother Zhang, if you defy this, you're defying the greater interests of the Azure Sea Sect. Even if your master is a Foundation Establishment cultivator, he won't be able to protect you!"

Junior Brother Zhang could only fall silent as he watched Senior Brother Ye form hand seals with both hands and mutter an incantation.

As spiritual power surged, a strange blood talisman was activated and sank into the Horned Serpent atop the hillside.

The Horned Serpent struggled without pause, but its strength was lacking.

It was merely a demon beast that had just entered the ranks, equivalent to an Early Qi Refinement cultivator. How could it possibly be a match for Senior Brother Ye, who was at Mid Qi Refinement?

Not to mention there was the Demon-Controlling Talisman, specially designed to suppress its bloodline.

At once, the vicious gleam in its eyes rapidly faded, replaced by a trace of docility.

"Haha, good little snake. Come with us."

Senior Brother Ye laughed loudly and rode his Green Leaf artifact away.

Amid gust after gust of wind, Junior Brother Zhang's voice drifted faintly over. "Can all one hundred and eight islands succeed?"

"You're overthinking it, Junior Brother. Even with the medicinal wine we specifically have the villagers brew, plus the vital blood of martial artists to aid them, it'd already be remarkable if two or three out of ten succeeded... Most disciples of our sect will return empty-handed. And once they become demon beasts, releasing them back into the wild makes it difficult for them to advance to Second-Order. They must be brought back to the sect and aided by the Dragon Transformation Pool before there is any hope... And that's only because these Horned Serpents possess Flood Dragon blood. For ordinary demon beasts to advance to Second-Order is like us cultivators reaching Foundation Establishment—a chasm as vast as heaven itself..."

"Then the wondrous sight of Ten Thousand Fish Paying Homage after the Sea Dragon Birth... was that those half-demon Treasure Fish sensing an opportunity for a breakthrough and coming to fight over it?"

"Haha, Junior Brother, you truly are gifted—draw one inference and grasp three more... After all, those mortals feed the snakes with their bodies. We have to offer them some benefits, or how could it continue year after year..."

Day had broken.

Fang Qing pushed aside a rock and emerged from the earthen hole where he had hidden the night before.

The hole had naturally only been meant to deceive others. After leaving the altar the previous night, he had immediately dug down several feet and hidden himself. Then, using the Dao-Born Pearl's omnipresent ability, he had returned to the Land of Ancient Shu for a good night's sleep.

"Wait... what's this?"

Just as he was about to leave, cold sweat suddenly formed on his forehead.

Outside the hole where he had hidden, there was unexpectedly a strange trench.

A peculiar fishy stench lingered within it. Yet after smelling it for too long, he could even sense a rich, fragrant sweetness.

Fang Qing followed the trail for a few more steps and arrived at Coiled Dragon Mooring, where he found a complete mess.

The many offerings lay scattered everywhere. The wine jars had shattered, and the medicinal wine inside had vanished.

The strongmen were in much the same state.

He picked up several shattered blue scales from the ground, their surfaces flashing painfully beneath the sunlight.

"So hard!"

With only a slight test, Fang Qing knew he definitely couldn't break those scales.

"There was an expert among those strongmen... Unfortunately, I was the one who survived in the end."

He shook his head, then looked at the trail, which was even thicker than a water bucket, and roughly understood. "A snake trail... a demon snake?"

"If it was a serpentine demon beast, mortal martial artists wouldn't stand a chance against it."

"Even... it discovered where I was hiding last night. That means this snake demon has exceptional tracking and scouting abilities... If I hadn't truly been off the island, things would've likely ended badly for me... Old Man Cha, you owe me a huge favor now."

As Fang Qing muttered to himself, the first ray of morning sunlight finally shone upon Coiled Dragon Mooring.

Splash, splash, splash!

The water glittered and rippled like rolling ocean waves.

But they weren't ocean waves. They were the backs of fish. Countless huge fish had packed together, forming the wondrous spectacle of Ten Thousand Fish Paying Homage!

"This mooring... must have a waterway connected to the sea... That's how there can be so many sea fish..."

Fang Qing murmured, then his gaze suddenly sharpened as he accurately spotted several unusual specimens amid the vast schools of fish.

One of them had scales as red as fire. It was a Treasure Fish—Red-Scaled Porgy!

Another had a third eye growing from its forehead. It was a Three-Eyed Porgy.

"Little Azure Dragon, Treasure Fish, Autumn-Killing Bladefish, Golden-Tailed Grouper..."

Fang Qing swallowed. The Treasure Fish knowledge Old Man Cha had taught him was far too limited; he could barely recognize them all.

"Hurry!"

His eyes reddened slightly. He immediately rushed to the edge of the water, dove in headfirst, and forcibly squeezed his way into the tide of fish, his face brimming with the joy of harvest.

Fang Qing's swimming skills were average. Still, after learning for several months, he could barely manage.

More importantly, amid this tide of fish, he was completely carried along by the current.

He paddled with all his strength, drawing closer to several Treasure Fish.

"This takes far more strength than swimming..."

Every part of Fang Qing's body ached when suddenly, a flash of crimson entered the corner of his eye!

"Red-Scaled Porgy!"

He struck like lightning. Both his hands turned crimson as he accurately seized that streak of red.

Slippery! Hard!

Then came a tremendous force, so powerful that Fang Qing nearly thought he had grabbed not a fish, but a bull!

Though he had been incomparably careful, the feel of fighting in water was ultimately different from on land.

The crimson porgy gave a violent twist and immediately escaped the restraints of his Red Sand Hand, disappearing back into the school.

"Damn it... again!"

Fang Qing immediately turned and reached for another Little Azure Dragon...

"Quick... faster! We might still make it in time for Ten Thousand Fish Paying Homage!"

Old Man Cha mixed among the crowd. The instant he set foot on the island, he ran toward Coiled Dragon Mooring.

There was shame on his face, but also anticipation.

That young man... hopefully he had survived.

Ruan Qi blended into the crowd as well, but his mind was occupied by far more thoughts.

When everyone arrived at Coiled Dragon Mooring, they found the altar in ruins. The fish in the lake had already dispersed, leaving only a drenched youth holding a Little Azure Dragon in his hand.

"Fang Qing?!"

Old Man Cha's voice was filled with delight.

Ruan Qi's expression, however, was incomparably dark. Especially after failing to find his younger brother, his face seemed ready to drip water.

"Not bad luck. Not only did I survive, I even caught a Little Azure Dragon..."

Fang Qing lifted the bluish sea fish in his hand and flashed a bright smile, revealing his white teeth. "Perfect. I can take it back and give Zhu'er an extra meal..."

Dahua Fishing Village.

Fang Qing looked at the sky and prepared to eat.

The main meal was still the same seaweed cakes, with a bit of dried fish added on occasion.

Just then, Old Man Cha entered, carrying a large blue-and-white porcelain bowl in his hands. "Fang Qing... sigh, this old man has nothing to say. This is Azure Dragon Soup, made with quite a few precious medicinal ingredients. Drink it..."

Fang Qing accepted it, a smile appearing on his face. "Uncle Cha, you're too polite. This was what we agreed on before. How could I covet Zhu'er's things?"

"Zhu'er has plenty. Too much is as bad as too little... Drink the Azure Dragon Soup, and you'll gain at least three years of skill. You'd be able to make a living even by going out to sea on your own..."

Old Man Cha took out another money pouch containing several Silver Shells. "Take these as travel money. If you aren't selected, leave this place... Ruan Qi suffered a stifling loss this time. I'm afraid he'll come looking for trouble with you."

"Thank you."

Seeing Old Man Cha's expression, Fang Qing did not refuse. He accepted the Azure Dragon Soup.

The soup was mainly fish broth, with some grass roots and leaves mixed in. Its flavor was quite ordinary.

He frowned and drank it all. Before long, a warm current rose from his lower abdomen.

"Ha!"

Fang Qing clenched his fists and immediately assumed a stance, beginning to train his Red Sand Hand.

Once! Twice! Three times!

The limit that usually left his entire body sore after two hours did not appear in the slightest this time.

It was as though he had broken through some restriction, and he practiced the Red Sand Hand again and again, forgetting both food and sleep...

By the time he came back to himself, the moon was already high in the sky.

"So strong!"

Fang Qing looked at his hands, now simple and unadorned, white and smooth. "Now I can beat several of my former selves... So this is a Treasure Fish? According to Uncle Cha, it's worth three years of skill?"

With a thought, the force of his Red Sand Hand instantly transformed into Origin Qi, then converted into the cultivation of Thousand-Kilogram Drop.

At this moment, Fang Qing discovered that his Origin Qi had already reached the size of half a grain of rice.

"Thousand-Kilogram Drop!"

As he unleashed Thousand-Kilogram Drop, his thighs abruptly swelled thicker, and his feet seemed to ride the wind.

Thousand-Kilogram Drop was a clumsy technique, but once cultivated deeply, it instead transformed toward agility.

With a thought, Fang Qing's body shot out like a wisp of smoke. He dashed straight out of Old Man Cha's home and arrived at an uninhabited reef.

After entering a rocky cave half-surrounded by seawater, Fang Qing connected with the Dao-Born Pearl and returned to the Land of Ancient Shu.

Inside the cave.

Looking at the two Treasure Fish pierced through the gills, their bodies stretched taut into half-bows yet still lively and vigorous, Fang Qing nodded in satisfaction. "As expected of half-demons. Their vitality is truly tenacious... Of course, my fish-tying technique deserves some credit too."

This opportunity was rare. Naturally, he had not caught only one Treasure Fish; he had transferred the other two here.

"Sigh... How long has it been since I last ate grilled fish?"

Fang Qing sighed, took out his fish-cleaning knife, and began with the Three-Eyed Porgy.

The most valuable part of this Treasure Fish was the third eye between its brows, which could improve one's eyesight.

Fang Qing sliced off a white, translucent piece of fish flesh. After considering it, he still couldn't get used to sashimi, so he roasted it over the fire. It gave his mouth a faintly numbing sensation when he ate it.

"The warm current from this Three-Eyed Porgy actually rushes to my head after I eat it... It's different from the Azure Dragon Soup earlier..."

A while later, he rubbed his stomach and looked toward the final Golden-Tailed Grouper. This Treasure Fish somewhat resembled an eastern star grouper, except its tail was gold.

After thinking it over, Fang Qing cut off its tail and head, then stewed a pot of fish soup.