Threat

Wang Mengde's eyes lit up.

He poured out spiritual power at top speed, exerting the Entwining Silk Technique with all his might.

In an instant, strands of spiritual-power threads shot from his hands and burrowed into the sea.

Those threads were invisible and colorless, fine as hairs, yet tough as steel.

They spread swiftly through the seawater, instantly ensnaring the foremost twenty Golden-Thread Spirit Trout.

Thread after thread coiled around them, binding the fish tight and wrapping them like rice dumplings.

The twenty Golden-Thread Spirit Trout widened their eyes and struggled desperately.

But the threads were too tough, and the bindings too tight.

They could not move at all. They could only stare wide-eyed, their mouths opening and closing as their bodies twisted futilely.

This was the terror of an Entwining Silk Technique mastered to its peak.

With a thought from Wang Mengde.

The threads of the Entwining Silk Technique slowly contracted, silently drawing the twenty Golden-Thread Spirit Trout over.

The surrounding school of fish was not disturbed.

They continued fighting over the bait, shoving into one another and slapping their tails, turning the water into chaos.

Wang Mengde pulled the twenty Golden-Thread Spirit Trout to the side of the boat, picked up the net with his other hand, and quickly scooped them up one by one.

He tossed them into the fish basket.

He cast the Entwining Silk Technique again.

Another twenty.

He pulled them over.

He scooped them up with the net.

He tossed them into the fish basket.

Again.

Another twenty.

Then another twenty.

One enormous fish basket was packed to the brim.

Yet just then.

Nine hundred meters away.

Zhao Youming cast the Spirit Eye Technique again, sweeping his gaze around before looking in Wang Mengde's direction.

With the Spirit Eye Technique enhancing his vision, his eyesight greatly improved.

Though more than nine hundred meters separated them, he could still clearly see what was happening on Wang Mengde's side.

He saw blue shadows churning beside Wang Mengde's boat, along with golden threads.

Zhao Youming's pupils shrank.

Golden-Thread Spirit Trout.

Those were Golden-Thread Spirit Trout.

And there was more than one.

A flash of greed passed through Zhao Youming's eyes.

Golden-Thread Spirit Trout were schooling creatures. Seeing one meant there was a whole large school nearby.

That brat Wang Mengde had discovered a huge school of Golden-Thread Spirit Trout.

Zhao Youming did not hesitate in the slightest.

He abruptly reeled in the iron anchor he had cast into the sea and crazily poured spiritual power into his spirit boat.

The skiff spirit boat jolted violently, then shot toward Wang Mengde like an arrow loosed from the string.

The bow cleaved through the sea, throwing up towering white spray.

Wang Mengde caught sight of this from the corner of his eye, and his expression shifted slightly.

Zhao Youming was coming over.

He had seen the Golden-Thread Spirit Trout.

Wang Mengde's mind raced.

He could not keep fishing at a leisurely pace.

He drew a deep breath, a trace of ruthlessness flashing through his eyes.

The Entwining Silk Technique, unleashed at full force.

In an instant, two hundred fine spiritual-power threads shot from his hands and burrowed into the sea.

These threads were thinner and shorter, unable to bind the fish completely.

The fish sensed danger and struggled wildly.

Their tails lashed hard, their bodies twisted frantically, and they fought desperately to break free.

The surrounding Golden-Thread Spirit Trout were startled and scattered in every direction.

The blue school of fish burst apart like fireworks, fleeing madly in all directions.

At the same time.

The surrounding cultivators had all been watching the activity around them.

They saw Zhao Youming suddenly pull up his iron anchor and steer his spirit boat madly toward Wang Mengde's position.

Everyone was momentarily stunned.

Then they all caught on.

There had to be something good there.

More than a dozen skiff spirit boats hauled up their anchors almost simultaneously, spiritual power flooding into them as they shot toward Wang Mengde.

More than a dozen streaks of white spray simultaneously tore across the sea's surface, creating a rather spectacular sight.

Wang Mengde narrowed his eyes as he caught sight of the crowd rushing toward him.

He suddenly shouted, "I've got a lot of Golden-Thread Spirit Trout here! They're fleeing in all directions! Come fish over here!"

His booming voice carried far across the sea.

At his words, everyone's eyes flashed brightly.

Golden-Thread Spirit Trout.

Those were good stuff.

They sped up even more, pouring out spiritual power as they shot over.

Meanwhile, Wang Mengde seized this last bit of time to control the two hundred threads with all his strength.

The two hundred Golden-Thread Spirit Trout caught in the threads struggled frantically, but though the threads were thin, they were tough enough.

The fish could not break free.

Wang Mengde swiftly dragged them over to the side of his spirit boat.

The net whirled.

One.

Two.

Three.

His hands moved with astonishing speed, the net practically leaving afterimages.

Golden-Thread Spirit Trout after Golden-Thread Spirit Trout were scooped up and tossed into the fish basket.

The second fish basket was full.

Soon, the last Golden-Thread Spirit Trout went into a basket.

The third fish basket was nearly full.

All two hundred had been taken.

Added to the previous four batches of eighty, that made two hundred and eighty in total.

Wang Mengde swiftly covered the fish baskets, then took out two talismans—a protective talisman and a light-body talisman—and quietly infused them with spiritual power.

Just then.

Zhao Youming's spirit boat arrived first.

He stopped beside Wang Mengde's boat. Without bothering to speak to Wang Mengde, he immediately cast the Spirit Eye Technique and scanned the seawater.

The others arrived one after another as well.

More than a dozen spirit boats surrounded Wang Mengde's boat in the middle.

Everyone cast the Spirit Eye Technique, searching through the seawater.

Sharp-eyed Zhao Youming was the first to spot a fleeing Golden-Thread Spirit Trout.

His eyes lit up, and he instantly cast the Entwining Silk Technique.

A strand of spiritual-power thread shot out, accurately wrapping around the Golden-Thread Spirit Trout and violently yanking it up.

The others also began moving.

Spirit Eye Technique.

Fishing Technique.

Entwining Silk Technique.

The sea surface descended into chaos.

More than a dozen people fought and scrambled, madly catching the Golden-Thread Spirit Trout fleeing in all directions.

For a time, fish shadows churned and spray flew everywhere.

Soon.

Everyone had caught all the fleeing Golden-Thread Spirit Trout nearby.

Those who caught more had over ten; those who caught fewer still had four or five.

The crowd panted heavily, excited smiles on their faces.

Then.

They all looked toward Wang Mengde's boat.

Toward the three covered fish baskets on Wang Mengde's boat.

Three whole fish baskets.

At the very least... over two hundred fish?

Intense envy and jealousy flashed through everyone's eyes.

Over two hundred Golden-Thread Spirit Trout.

Each one was worth over forty spirit sand.

That meant...

Over nine thousand spirit sand?

They only earned a few dozen spirit sand a day.

This single haul of Wang Mengde's was worth several months of their income.

Zhao Youming's eyes turned red.

He took a deep breath, suppressing the greed in his heart. Forcing a smile onto his face, he said:

"Mengde, with so many Golden-Thread Spirit Trout, I'm afraid your little boat can't hold them all."

He paused, swept his gaze over the crowd, and raised his voice slightly.

"Why not let us help you share some of the burden?"

With one sentence, he pulled everyone onto his side.

At his words, threads of greed immediately appeared in everyone's eyes.

Share the burden?

They would be more than happy to.

Wang Mengde's expression changed slightly.

That damned bastard was truly hateful.

He swept his eyes over the crowd.

More than a dozen people, at the second and third levels of Qi Refining, surrounded his boat.

Every one of them looked at him with a mixture of eagerness and greed.

At this moment, a tall, lean cultivator spoke.

His name was Zhou Lie. He was at the third level of Qi Refining, usually a man of few words, but ruthless and vicious.

Zhou Lie stared at Wang Mengde's fish baskets and said lazily:

"Too many fish can sink a boat."

He paused, giving Wang Mengde a meaningful look.

"If the spirit boat sinks to the bottom of the sea, that would be troublesome."

A naked threat.