Blazing a New Trail

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Chapter 40: Blazing a New Trail

Silence settled over the coral thicket.

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

With an ultimate treasure like Nine-Breath Chaos, he had thought he was a favored son of fortune whose destiny reached the heavens. Now it seemed he had overestimated himself.

Of course, it was also possible that Nine-Breath Chaos possessed unparalleled power and could conceal its host's fortune and destiny, keeping the Darkwater Spirit Turtle from detecting anything unusual.

Whichever possibility was true, neither could change his current predicament.

Chen Beiwu could not win over the Darkwater Spirit Turtle with his fortune and destiny and make the turtle his Companion Beast.

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

Then he stepped forward of his own accord. "Having trouble deciding between these Spirit Fish? Would you like me to analyze them for you?"

At this, the spirit turtle finally raised his head, looking eager to hear more.

Food was a turtle's heaven.

When it came to fine dining, this turtle was serious.

He wanted to see what unique insights this country bumpkin of a cultivator could offer.

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

"Jade Marrow Carp, a second-tier spiritual creature. Its flesh is tender, and its bones are like jade. If you lay it on a bed of cold lotus leaves and steam it with azure rainbow water, you can lock in its spiritual energy while making the flesh sweeter and more succulent-so tender it melts in your mouth."

"Slurp."

At this, the Darkwater Spirit Turtle began salivating and could not resist flicking his tongue.

"Redblood Fish, a second-tier spiritual creature. Its scales are like fire, 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 activate the fire essence within it, and it will ignite that essence to slowly roast itself."

Here, Chen Beiwu's voice became positively tempting. "Fish roasted this way has crisp skin and plump, juicy flesh, but it also develops a unique texture where ice and fire intertwine.

"Take one bite, and you'll feel fire spiritual energy and ice spiritual energy explode together in your mouth in a burst of exquisite flavor. You won't be able to stop-the more you eat, the more you'll want."

The Darkwater Spirit Turtle hastily shook the drool from the corner of his mouth and stared at Chen Beiwu with burning eyes.

"Roar?"

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

An unmistakable struggle appeared on the Darkwater Spirit Turtle's face.

He was of noble birth, not some mere glutton.

But steamed Jade Marrow Carp and Redblood Fish sashimi sounded so delicious that they tickled his heart, leaving him desperate for a taste.

Oh, fine. I'll give this fellow a chance. The Darkwater Spirit Turtle slowly closed his eyes and circulated his magical power, immediately activating his Spirit Bond Sense talent.

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

Seriously? This worked too?

Brother Turtle, where was that lofty bearing you had when you ignored the Demon King's blood?

How could a little fine food sway you? This was beyond absurd!

This fellow really is talented! Guan Ange put down his phone and regarded Chen Beiwu solemnly.

He searched his heart. Had he not witnessed it himself, he could have racked his brains to pieces without coming up with such a peculiar way to tame a beast.

Boom!

Boom!

Boom!

As the resonance of magical power ended, the Darkwater Spirit Turtle opened his eyes, ended his sensing, and took a step forward.

Having finally glimpsed a sliver of hope, Chen Beiwu visibly grew nervous.

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

Seeing this, all the cultivators present breathed sighs of relief.

Now that was a normal outcome. Compared with the great path of cultivation, a mere craving for food was hardly worth mentioning.

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

The Darkwater Spirit Turtle flew into a rage and planted himself directly in Chen Beiwu's path.

;psme&;psme&

"Didn't you refuse?" Chen Beiwu asked, feigning surprise.

"Roar." ;psme&;psme&

The Darkwater Spirit Turtle swallowed and pointed his tail at the Redblood Fish in the water realm.

His meaning was clear. He had already given Chen Beiwu his chance. Now Chen Beiwu could forget about leaving until he had prepared the Redblood Fish sashimi.

Chen Beiwu furrowed his brow, pretending to consider.

After a minute of this standoff, he compromised. "I can prepare the Redblood Fish for you."

The Darkwater Spirit Turtle was overjoyed.

"But I'll need payment."

The Darkwater Spirit Turtle's expression froze, and he stared at Chen Beiwu in disbelief.

He was only a three-hundred-month-old baby. How could this man have the nerve to take a mile when given an inch?

"No? Then forget it." Chen Beiwu pretended not to care and turned as though to leave.

The Darkwater Spirit Turtle stayed where he was, quietly watching Chen Beiwu walk away.

One step!

Two steps!

Three steps!

As Chen Beiwu took his fourth step, a trace of surprise rose within him.

Why had this gluttonous mutant spirit turtle still not spoken up? Had he put on too lofty an air?

"Roar."

Fortunately, in the next instant, the Darkwater Spirit Turtle stretched out his head and clamped his jaws firmly around Chen Beiwu's sleeve.

Relieved, Chen Beiwu took the opportunity to turn and look at the Darkwater Spirit Turtle.

The turtle waved his tail and finally relented, indicating that Chen Beiwu could choose one Spirit Fish from the Miniature Water Realm as payment-but he must not go too far.

Success!

Suppressing his wild delight, Chen Beiwu calmly turned his gaze toward the brilliantly colored Rainbow-Horned Pomfret.

The Darkwater Spirit Turtle's eyes widened, and he immediately blocked Chen Beiwu's view with his tail.

The Rainbow-Horned Pomfret was a third-tier treasure fish bestowed by the ancestor. He treasured it so much that he could not bear to eat it himself. How could he possibly give it away?

"All right, all right. I'll pick another."

Feigning resignation, Chen Beiwu turned his gaze toward a little cutie at the edge of the water realm, laboriously swishing its tail fin.

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

Its body was round and plump, its belly bulging like a basketball, giving it an endearingly goofy appearance. Among the generally slender Golden Scales, it was a complete oddball.

As it swam, its rounded mouth curled slightly upward. It looked like an agile fat fellow struggling to swish its tail fin, seemingly finding even breathing difficult.

For the first time in his life, Chen Beiwu saw a pale golden pig-fish struggling up and down through the water.

Whenever it stopped swishing its tail fin for even a moment, its corpulent body would sink to the bottom like a stone, unable to rise again.

[Species]: Golden Scale

[Attribute]: Water

[Bloodline]: Second-tier lower-grade (Spirit Beast)

[Talent]: Golden Scales (Its scales resemble gold, granting defense far beyond that of water-attribute fish-type Spirit Beasts of the same tier)

[Possible evolutions]: 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)

[Assessment]: Golden Scales typically inhabit deep lakes rich in spiritual energy, feeding on spiritual algae and small spiritual shrimp.

Named for their slender bodies and scales that gleam like gold, they possess exceptional defense and can ignore the vast majority of first-tier Variant Arts.

As the information about Golden Scales surfaced in his mind, Chen Beiwu's heartbeat quickened slightly.

Although Golden Scales were second-tier water-attribute Spirit Beasts, they were hardly rare, and few cultivators chose them as Companion Beasts.

Their talents were narrow, with almost everything invested in the defense of their scales rather than the affinity for water spiritual energy that cultivators with water spiritual roots valued most. They were also difficult to evolve.

Yet before absolute fortune, everything else was merely drifting clouds.

In Chen Beiwu's eyes, this seemingly witless, pig-ball of a fish was a golden legend as judged by Nine-Breath Chaos!

(End of chapter)