Crossing the River, the Soul Crystal Bream That Was a Treasure from Head to Tail (Continued)
"Besides, these sea bream are valuable from head to toe."
"Their meat is incredibly tender, and consuming it can significantly enhance mental strength."
"Fish eyes can improve eyesight and may even restore sight to some blind people."
Fish bones are also an excellent material for crafting spiritual artifacts.
He paused, then pursed his lips. "Of course, I don't Soul Crystal Bream's just for those things."
"It's not so much about collecting more illustrations of Rare fish, but about gaining an advantage over those old guys when the appointed day arrives."
After he finished speaking, Shen Xing nodded in realization, then fell into silence and pondered.
This passage contains a lot of information.
First and foremost is the value of this 'Soul Crystal Bream'.
Indeed, as the old man said, every part of him is a treasure.
In addition, he learned that one of the conditions for Master to break through to the Grandmaster level was to condense some kind of 'Primordial Soul'.
And it sounds quite difficult.
The 'Soul Crystal' inside this sea bream seems to be able to significantly accelerate this process.
No wonder the other party was willing to spend hundreds of years of their lifespan to fish it up.
"I see... Thank you for clearing up my doubts, senior." Shen Xing cupped his hands in thanks, expressing his heartfelt gratitude.
The old man waved his hand, then sat down again, like a withered tree stump, emitting not a trace of life.
The small boat continued towards the center of the river, and the water beneath its feet became increasingly turbulent.
Shen Xing looked at him for a while, then couldn't help but ask again, "Senior, why did you stop fishing?"
The old man didn't even lift his eyelids, and said in a muffled voice, "We're out of bait. I'll wait until we get to the middle of the river to fish. 'Soul Crystal Bream' likes to congregate in that area."
"Not enough bait?" Shen Xing thought for a moment and asked, "Senior, I have some food here, see if you can use it?"
As he spoke, he took out several pieces of [Moonfire Fried Meat].
A strong aroma of wheat mixed with the smell of roasted meat filled the air on the small wooden boat.
The old man glanced at him in surprise, then shook his head. "You're a kind-hearted little fellow, but the 'Soul Crystal Bream' isn't Common fish; it doesn't eat this kind of food."
"They are only attracted to things that are extremely bright and yang; the stronger the light, the more they will bite the bait."
"The intense light..." Shen Xing asked tentatively, "Can't we use a lantern?"
The old man let out a hoarse chuckle, "Hehe... you'll see when you try."
Shen Xing thought for a moment, then took out a lantern from his backpack and lit it.
But strangely enough...
The level 10 lantern, which could originally illuminate an area of 500 meters, now seemed to be suppressed by some invisible force, and could not even reach a range of one meter.
Moreover, the closer you get to the center of the river, the smaller the lighting range becomes.
"See?" the old man chuckled. "This Blackwater River suppresses all light sources, especially in the white mist area in the center. Your little lantern will be completely useless there."
"The bait I just used may look Common, but it was actually refined using the energy of an entire flint mine."
"There are only a few left; we'll have to wait until the middle of the river where the fish are most concentrated before using them."
Shen Xing nodded again in realization, understanding the difficulty of catching the 'Soul Crystal Bream'.
The very first step—finding the ferryman on the Blackwater River and having to sacrifice one's lifespan to board the boat—has stumped countless people.
Moreover, one must reach the center of the river and use the energy of an entire flint mine in exchange for a chance to bite the hook.
No wonder this old man is so powerful, yet he has spent so many years here without catching anything.
As he pondered these thoughts, the hunchbacked boatman's distant voice drifted over.
"The white mist has arrived, and wandering spirits roam within it..."
"Do not leave this boat, and do not respond to any sounds..."
His voice was hoarse and slow, as if he were talking to himself, or perhaps warning the people on the ship.
The group exchanged glances, their expressions gradually becoming serious.
Only Gorehowl looked completely bewildered and couldn't help but ask, "Boss, what is this old man babbling about? I don't understand a word he's saying."
Shen Xing glanced at him speechlessly. "It means we're almost at the White Fog Zone. Monsters are roaming in the fog. We're not to leave the ship, and we shouldn't answer any sounds we hear."
"After we return to the territory, follow Old Man Fordring and have him teach you more books."
"Study!?" Gorehowl's face immediately fell.
He had absolutely no interest in this, even though Hellscream had previously taken two books intending to teach the orcs to read.
But after listening for less than five minutes, these guys started to feel drowsy and some even felt dizzy.
So far, apart from Hellscream, all the other orcs in the territory are untrained and have no intention of continuing their studies.
But since it was the lord's order, Gorehowl had no choice but to obey.
"My lord, look ahead," Leina suddenly reminded her.
Upon hearing this, Shen Xing quickly looked up.
At that moment, not far from them, the pervasive mist gradually turned from gray to white, churning and surging on the river surface.
From a distance, it looks like a wall of mist; stepping into it is like entering another world.
Everyone subconsciously quieted down, even their breathing became soft.
The hunchbacked boatman continued to pole his boat, slowly approaching the white mist, one stroke at a time.
Shen Xing saw that the area illuminated by the lantern in his hand was gradually shrinking.
It has shrunk from nearly one meter to less than half a meter, and it continues to shrink.
The moment they fully entered the white mist, a chilling sensation swept over them, raising goosebumps.
The light from the lantern was reduced to the size of a pinhead, and visibility also decreased sharply.
They could barely make out the people on the small boat, but even that was obscured by a thin layer of fog.
Even though they were right next to each other, it felt like they were separated by several worlds, their presence so faint that they were almost imperceptible.
"Waaaaah... Waaaaah..."
At that moment, faint cries could be heard coming from within the white mist.
Immediately afterwards, various faint sounds rang in my ears.
"Take me away... please..."
"Kind person... please let me ride on your boat... I will serve you forever..."
"I want to go home... Mom... I've finally saved enough money..."
On the boat, everyone tacitly kept their mouths shut, feeling a chill run down their spines.
Shen Xing leaned back in his wheelchair, gazing thoughtfully at the surrounding white mist and the occasional dark shadows that swam through it.
This Blackwater River was more mysterious and terrifying than I had imagined.
No one knows how many secrets are hidden here.
"According to Nimue, whoever gains the approval of the [Blackwater Scepter] can become the master of this river..."
"I used to think it was just a matter of going into the water and finding the scepter."
"Now it seems there's more to this than meets the eye."
Shen Xing sighed softly, "As expected, legendary weapons aren't so easy to obtain."
At that moment, the old man squatting at the stern of the boat moved.
He flipped his right hand, and a bright red light appeared in his palm, even dispelling the white mist that surrounded him for more than ten meters.
Then, he attached the red light to the fishing hook and cast it into the water.
"Thump..."
With a soft splash, the red light disappeared into the river and quickly dimmed.
Everyone became interested and stared expectantly at the red light that sank to the bottom of the water.
They weren't kept waiting too long.
In less than two minutes, the fishing line in the old man's hand suddenly snapped straight, as if some huge creature had suddenly bitten the hook.
"You got it!"
The old man exclaimed in surprise, quickly gripped the fishing rod, and began to slowly and steadily pull the fishing line.
They saw the red light darting back and forth in the water, stirring up waves on the river's surface.
The force was so great that the boat tilted slightly.
But the old man remained Mount Tai mountain, not moving an inch.
Gorehowl asked curiously, "Boss, why didn't he just pull the fish up in one go?"
Shen Xing explained, "Fishing isn't about brute force, but about having enough endurance and patience."
"These fish are incredibly strong in the water; the harder you pull, the more desperately they struggle to break free."
"If the fishing line snaps in the end, you might lose everything."
"So we need to exhaust its strength first, and then pull it up when it's completely worn out."
"I see..." Gorehowl nodded in understanding, then rubbed his hands together excitedly. "Then if the boss wants to go fishing in the future, let me lure them away. Orcs have plenty of strength!"
Shen Xing smiled and said, "Let's talk about it another time."
They looked back at the stern.
At this moment, the old man still gripped his fishing rod tightly, locked in a stalemate with the giant creature underwater.
Time passed slowly.
Everyone saw that the red light beneath the river's surface was gradually dimming.
It was as if something was consuming its energy, and it would soon be completely extinguished.
The old man seemed to be getting a little anxious, his brows furrowing slightly.
Suddenly.
The old man switched to holding the fishing rod with one hand, his whole body tense.
Immediately afterwards, he slowly extended his other hand forward, his five fingers loosely clenched as if to grab something.
A vast spiritual wave swept out, even smoothing out the churning river surface.
Before Shen Xing's astonished eyes, a gigantic, pitch-black ghost claw rapidly took shape on the river's surface.
"The Hand of the Void?!"