Another Way

The Coral Grove fell silent.

"So it really won't work." Chen Beiwu took a deep breath.

With a treasure like Nine-Breath Chaos, he'd thought he was a favored child of Fortune, blessed with a Fate Pattern that reached the heavens. Now it seemed he'd overestimated himself.

Of course, it was also possible that Nine-Breath Chaos was so mighty that it could conceal its host's Fortune and Fate Pattern, leaving the Darkwater Spirit Turtle unable to detect anything unusual.

Either way, it didn't change the predicament he was in.

Chen Beiwu couldn't use his Fortune and Fate Pattern to win over the Darkwater Spirit Turtle and take it as his Companion Beast.

Noticing the Darkwater Spirit Turtle's focus and hesitation, Chen Beiwu pondered for a moment.

Then he stepped forward of his own accord. "You can't make up your mind about these Spirit Fish. Would you like me to help you analyze them?"

At that, the turtle finally raised its head, looking eager to hear what he had to say.

For turtles, food came first.

When it came to good food, turtles were serious.

It wanted to see what unique insight this country bumpkin cultivator could offer.

Chen Beiwu pointed to the Spirit Fish in the Miniature Water Realm and analyzed them one by one.

"Jade Marrow Carp, a Second-Tier spirit creature. Its flesh is tender, and its bones are like jade. If you use Cold Lotus Leaves as a bed and steam it with Azure Rainbow Water, you can seal in the spiritual energy while making the flesh even sweeter and more tender-so tender it practically melts in your mouth."

"Slurp."

Hearing this, the Darkwater Spirit Turtle began to salivate and couldn't help licking its lips.

"Redblood Fish, a Second-Tier spirit creature. Its scales are like flames, and its skin is juicy. The best way to prepare this Treasure Fish is as sashimi.

"All you need is a drop of Earth Marrow Milk to stimulate the fire essence in its body. Then it'll ignite that essence and slowly roast itself."

Chen Beiwu's voice turned enticing. "Roasted this way, the fish's skin becomes crisp while the flesh inside stays tender and juicy. It also develops a unique taste, with ice and fire intertwined.

"With one bite, you'll feel the fire-form and ice-form spiritual energy explode together in your mouth, creating an incredible freshness that leaves you craving more. The more you eat, the more you want."

The Darkwater Spirit Turtle hurriedly wiped the drool from the corner of its mouth and gazed at Chen Beiwu with shining eyes.

"Roar?"

Seeing an opening, Chen Beiwu felt a flicker of delight. "That's right. If you want to eat it, I can make it."

The Darkwater Spirit Turtle's face revealed a struggle it could hardly conceal.

It came from a noble lineage; it wasn't just some glutton.

But steamed Jade Marrow Carp and Redblood Fish sashimi sounded so delicious that it couldn't help yearning for a taste. It could hardly wait to try them.

So be it. I'll give this guy a chance. The Darkwater Spirit Turtle slowly closed its eyes, circulated its Magic Power, and immediately activated its Spirit Bond Sense talent.

Seeing the Darkwater Spirit Turtle's unusual behavior, the cultivators present were all dumbfounded.

No way. That worked too?

Brother Turtle, what happened to your dignity as someone with Demon King Blood?

How could you be swayed by a little good food? This was ridiculous!

This guy really is a genius! Guan Ange put down his phone and stared at Chen Beiwu gravely.

Honestly, if he hadn't seen it with his own eyes, he couldn't have come up with such an unusual way to win it over, no matter how hard he racked his brains.

"Boom!"

"Boom!"

"Boom!"

After the resonance of Magic Power ended, the Darkwater Spirit Turtle opened its eyes, finished its sensing, and took a step forward.

At long last, Chen Beiwu had caught a glimpse of hope. Tension showed plainly on his face.

Yet in the end, the Darkwater Spirit Turtle still shook its head.

Seeing this, the cultivators present all breathed a sigh of relief.

That was the sensible outcome. Compared with the great path of cultivation, a trifling desire for good food was nothing.

"What a shame." Chen Beiwu sighed and turned to leave.

The Darkwater Spirit Turtle flew into a rage and stepped directly in front of him.

"Didn't you just reject me?" Chen Beiwu asked, feigning surprise.

"Roar."

The Darkwater Spirit Turtle swallowed and pointed its tail at the Redblood Fish in the Miniature Water Realm.

Its meaning was obvious: it had already given him his chance. Chen Beiwu wasn't leaving until he made the Redblood Fish sashimi.

Chen Beiwu furrowed his brow and pretended to think it over.

After they had been at an impasse for a minute, he relented. "I can prepare the Redblood Fish for you."

The Darkwater Spirit Turtle was overjoyed.

"But I need payment."

The Darkwater Spirit Turtle's expression froze. It stared at Chen Beiwu in disbelief.

It was only a baby three hundred months old. How could he have the nerve to push his luck?

"If not, forget it." Chen Beiwu acted as if he didn't care and turned as though he were about to leave.

The Darkwater Spirit Turtle stood where it was, silently watching Chen Beiwu walk away.

One step!

Two steps!

Three steps!

When Chen Beiwu took his fourth step, a flicker of surprise welled up inside him.

Why wasn't this gluttonous Variant Spirit Turtle saying anything? Had he set his demands too high?

"Roar."

Fortunately, the next moment, the Darkwater Spirit Turtle stretched out its head and clamped down hard on his sleeve.

Chen Beiwu felt a quiet surge of relief. He turned around and looked at the Darkwater Spirit Turtle.

The turtle swished its tail, then finally let go. It indicated that Chen Beiwu could choose one Spirit Fish from the Miniature Water Realm as payment, but he couldn't ask for too much.

It worked!

Chen Beiwu suppressed his excitement and calmly looked at the brilliantly colored Rainbow-Horned Pomfret.

The Darkwater Spirit Turtle's eyes widened. It immediately used its tail to block Chen Beiwu's view.

The Rainbow-Horned Pomfret was a Third-Tier Treasure Fish bestowed by its ancestor. It had kept it in its collection, unable to bear eating it itself. How could it possibly give it away?

"Fine, fine. I'll pick another one."

Chen Beiwu feigned helplessness and turned his gaze to the little cutie at the edge of the Miniature Water Realm, struggling to flap its tail fin.

It was an extremely unusual fish-type Spirit Beast, a whole two sizes larger than an ordinary Golden Scale.

Its body was round, its belly bulging like a basketball. It looked a little foolish and adorable, and among the Golden Scales, whose bodies were generally long and slender, it was a complete oddball.

As it swam, its round mouth tilted slightly upward. It looked like a nimble fat man struggling to wag its tail fin, as if even breathing was a little difficult.

For the first time in his life, Chen Beiwu saw a light-gold Pigfish struggling to swim up and down in the water.

If it stopped wagging its tail fin for even a moment, its fat body would sink to the bottom like a stone and never float back up.

[Variety]: Golden Scale

[Attribute]: Water

[Bloodline]: Second-Tier Lower Grade (Spirit Beast)

[Talent]: Golden Scales (Its scales are like gold, and its defense far surpasses that of water-attribute fish Spirit Beasts of the same tier.)

[Can Advance To]: Red-Gold Scale (Second-Tier Upper Grade Metal-Attribute Spirit Beast), Black-Gold Scale (Second-Tier Upper Grade Metal-Attribute Spirit Beast), Golden Dragon Carp (Third-Tier Lower Grade Water-Attribute Treasure Beast)

[Evaluation]: Golden Scales usually inhabit deep lakes rich in spiritual energy, feeding on spiritual algae and small Spirit Shrimp.

They are named for their long, slender bodies and golden, gleaming scales. Their defenses are exceptional, allowing them to ignore most First-Tier Variant Arts.

The information about Golden Scales flooded into Chen Beiwu's mind, and his heartbeat quickened slightly.

Though the Golden Scale was a Second-Tier Water-Attribute Spirit Beast, it wasn't particularly rare. Few cultivators chose it as their Companion Beast.

That was because the Golden Scale's talents were limited, with most of them invested in scale defense rather than the affinity for Water-Form Spiritual Energy that Water-Attribute spiritual-root cultivators valued most. It was also difficult to advance.

However, in the face of absolute Fortune, everything else was just a passing cloud.

In Chen Beiwu's eyes, this pig-ball fish that looked like an idiot was a legendary Golden rarity, according to Nine-Breath Chaos!

(The End of the Chapter)