After a long while spent searching for spiritual herbs, Chen Jinshu finally lay down on the shallow banks beside Longyan Pool, visibly exhausted. There were actually quite a few blood vermilion fruit plants near the pool. She'd spent so long failing to find any earlier that she began to think she must have been blind.
With each transplant, she would bury a fruit in the soil again, so that after a few years new plants would grow, providing resources for future disciples. She also took the opportunity to scatter various spiritual herb seeds nearby.
These seeds were provided free by the sect, meant to ensure sustainable harvesting in this blessed land—essentially turning it into a large medicinal garden cultivated over five or six years.
Splash!
Chen Jinshu had only been meditating for a short while when several spiritual fish leapt out of the Longyan Pool. Each was as thick as an adult's calf, and their white scales gleamed under the light.
"So fat… these fish must be rich in spiritual energy."
She quickly sat up, pulling out the Dragon Fishing Rod she had obtained. Though no dragons had shown up, she'd caught plenty of fish. She hadn't eaten a single one herself yet, but fishing was soothing for the mind and body. It was said that the cultivators of Bihui Peak were fond of fishing, claiming it helped calm their minds and deepen their cultivation.
Chen Jinshu scattered some spirit rice into the pool. In an instant, the fish below surged up from the depths. In less than sixty breaths, all the rice had been eaten, leaving her stunned. She quickly cast her line and tossed more spirit rice. Soon enough, her fishing rod twitched.
With a strong flick, she flung a large white-scaled fish onto the shore. Its translucent scales shimmered as it flopped and gasped.
"The fish from that weird stream in the abandoned village looked sketchy, but these ones should be safe."
Rumor had it that the spirit fish in this pool had evolved from dragonfish that once landed here. Their taste was said to be excellent. She retrieved a large tank from her storage bag and tossed the white-scaled fish in. Still, that fish would barely be a mouthful for Xiao Yin.
Ever since the little beast advanced to the seventh layer of Qi Refining, its appetite had grown. Although a single spirit pill could satisfy it, constantly feeding pills wasn't ideal. So she had begun purchasing all kinds of spirit creatures to feed it instead.
In the blink of an hour, she had caught eight fish. It wasn't for lack of effort—it was just that the fish seemed full now. She could only catch one after long gaps. The fishing rod had now sat still for two full intervals, not a single bite.
"They're all full. Not even nibbling."
She didn't think she had thrown that much spirit rice in, so how were they already full? Maybe they'd already eaten their fill from the bottom of the pond, and her rice was just dessert.
"One last try. I'll pack up after this one!"
This time, she used high-grade crystal rice, tossing just a dozen grains. Despite the small quantity, the aroma was potent. The fish that were already full wouldn't have the fortune to enjoy it.
"Hm? Something's moving!"
Not long after she cast the crystal rice, her rod twitched—but only lightly. She didn't think much of it and reeled in. A tiny golden fish no thicker than three fingers landed on the shore.
"This one's tiny. What kind of spirit fish is this?"
Chen Jinshu frowned at the tiny golden-scaled fish flopping on the ground. She had used premium bait and ended up with this tiny thing—was that a loss or a gain?
"Master! I could swallow that in one bite," Xiao Yin said, raising a sharp claw and gesturing at the little fish.
"Aren't you vegetarian?" Chen Jinshu laughed.
"I've eaten a few small spirit bugs recently. I'm an omnivore now!"
"It's too small. Eat those big ones. Let's raise this one first."
She looked at the golden little fish and couldn't bear to eat it just yet. At least let it grow to white-fish-leg-thickness first.
"The scales are golden… completely different from the white-scaled ones."
Of course, the white-scaled fish had much stronger spiritual energy than the golden one. Still, the golden one's appearance was unique.
Blop!Blop!
Not long after she placed the golden fish into the tank, it flipped belly-up and floated, tiny chubby mouth going blop blop.
Its aura was feeble—looked like it wasn't long for this world.
"…Is this fish, like, dumb or something?"
Spirit fish were notoriously hard to assess in terms of talent—and known for having terrible intelligence. The "three-second memory" rumor wasn't a myth. It was real. Their brains were smaller than other spirit beasts. They'd taken in too much water—there was barely room for thought.
As such, spirit fish were usually just raised for meat. Only those with extremely strong bloodlines could have enhanced intelligence or combat power. Unfortunately, none of the fish in her tank—neither the big white ones nor this tiny golden one—had particularly strong spirit power or intelligence.
Three days passed.
Finally, after much anticipation, the two senior brothers emerged from the Yin-Yang Boundary Trial. Though they looked pale and worn out, both were smiling, eyes shining—they had evidently passed the test.
"Congratulations, Senior Brothers, for returning safely from the trial!"
"I knew our junior sister would beat us to it," Du Yishu said with a hearty laugh.
"Did you see anyone from the Feng clan?" Jiang Daoyu looked around casually.
"One of them came out, but left after waiting a day. Haven't seen the others. They probably have their own way of communicating."
As Chen Jinshu spoke, several Feng family cultivators were transported out of the monument one after another.
"Senior Brothers, this isn't the place to talk. I caught some spirit fish these past days—let me treat you!"
"You're too kind!" Du Yishu had already caught the scent of grilled fish wafting over.
Before Foundation Establishment, they couldn't live off with qi alone. They'd relied on fasting pills and were long sick of them. A day later, the trio decided to head to another resource location.
Their next destination: Zizhu Wu—a place filled with dense purple spirit bamboo. It was one of the top-ranked treasure-hunting sites in the entire pocket realm. They had already scouted many hidden areas, but now wanted to play it safe and explore a more familiar spot. Along the way, they also intended to investigate the recent demonic cultivator intrusion into the realm.
Such infiltrators couldn't have gotten in through normal means—either they were hidden among the disciples of major sects, or someone in Xuanming Sect had secretly fallen to demonic cultivation and remained hidden within.
Given that demonic energy occasionally burst out from Xuanming Sect anyway, no one had seriously considered that there might be traitors within.
As for the truth… they still needed to investigate further.