In the fish basket.
Four large fish of various colors and shapes were squeezed together, their scales glistening wetly in the sunlight.
The massive fish tails blocked the basket opening completely, leaving only a few barbels poking through the gaps at the rim, twitching slightly.
Duan Hongling possessed incredibly sharp eyes; with just a single glance, she identified the origins of these four fish.
“Jade Fat Carp... Ink-Tail Chub... Green-Patterned Crucian Carp...”
Her red lips parted slightly, and as she reached the last one, her voice suddenly rose a few pitches:
“A Silverback Fish!!”
Duan Hongling suddenly looked up, her beautiful eyes filled with utter disbelief. She stared blankly at Shen Xiuhan, her voice trembling slightly.
“You... you understand the way of fish?”
Shen Xiuhan smiled slightly, cupping his fists with neither arrogance nor obsequiousness.
“This humble one was born into a fishing family on Cloudwater Lake and grew up in the water, so... I know a little.”
“You know a little?”
Duan Hongling muttered, repeating those words, the way she looked at him completely changing.
What do you mean, “a little”!
To catch four different kinds of Precious Fish in half a day, including a Tier Two Precious Fish—this was clearly the work of an extremely seasoned veteran fisherman!
In an instant, Duan Hongling's furrowed brow smoothed out, and her tone softened significantly.
“Good... great! Junior Brother Shen, you've done this job beautifully. I am very pleased.”
She threw down the large net in her hand and leaned over to lift the fish basket.
“There's no time to lose. Go on and attend to your duties. I will personally deliver these fish to the Elixir Pavilion to avoid any delays on the way.”
With that, she turned and left, carrying the fish basket.
“Senior Sister Duan...”
“Hmm?”
Hearing him call from behind, Duan Hongling paused and turned around. A warm, gentle smile graced her face as she spoke softly:
“Is there something about cultivation you don't understand, Junior Brother? Or perhaps you're lacking in food, clothing, or daily necessities? You can speak frankly with me, and I will make sure everything is taken care of for you.”
Compared to her frosty demeanor yesterday, her attitude now was night and day, making Shen Xiuhan a bit uncomfortable.
He rubbed his nose and cupped his fists.
“Senior Sister, when I accepted the assignment at the Logistics Hall, I heard the disciples there mention that in addition to our monthly salary, we can also receive one Precious Fish. I was wondering... how exactly does that rule work?”
“Oh, you mean that.”
Duan Hongling waved her hand dismissively. “You can just go to the lake and catch one yourself—”
She cut herself off mid-sentence.
Duan Hongling narrowed her eyes, looking at Shen Xiuhan with deep meaning, seemingly pondering something.
After a moment, she pursed her red lips and spoke slowly, “Well... the rule is set like this: any disciple on duty at the Precious Fish Pond may catch one Precious Fish from the lake on the last day of each month for their own use. As for what tier you catch... there is indeed no explicit restriction.”
By this point, Duan Hongling had already figured out most of Shen Xiuhan's plan.
This kid...
He wants to rely on his superb fishing skills to catch a higher-tier Precious Fish from the lake...
It sounded like he was taking advantage of a loophole in the sect's rules.
But then again...
So what?!
If the sect had no explicit regulations against it, then it was perfectly reasonable and feasible!
Besides...
Ordinary disciples would have to rack their brains just to catch a single Tier One Grass Spirit Fish in these dozens of miles of water;
Only with immense, heaven-defying luck would they occasionally stumble upon a Tier Two fish.
No matter how great Shen Xiuhan's fishing skills were, catching a Tier Two Silverback Fish would be his absolute limit.
As for Tier Three?
According to the early survey and predictions of Academy Head Wen of Tingquan Academy, there were at most a dozen or so Tier Three Precious Fish in these dozens of miles of water.
Let alone catching one, ordinary people couldn't even catch a glimpse of their shadows!
Duan Hongling did not believe Shen Xiuhan had that kind of fortune.
As for Tier Four?
That was even more of a pipe dream.
Over the past century, whenever anyone discovered traces of a Tier Four Precious Fish in the lake, it was almost immediately caught by a sect expert to refine medicine, never to be left in the water.
The current Precious Fish Pond did not have a single Tier Four Precious Fish.
Since that was the case, what was there to worry about?
Having reasoned this out, Duan Hongling's smile deepened, and she waved her hand generously.
“Those are indeed the rules. If you have the means to catch a high-tier Precious Fish, Junior Brother, feel free to do so. The sect has always tacitly permitted such things.”
“Thank you for clarifying, Senior Sister,” Shen Xiuhan said with a smile, cupping his fists.
“It's nothing. Alright, I'll head out first.”
Carrying the fish basket, Duan Hongling walked briskly toward the pier at the center of the island, her steps light and her eyes crinkling with joy.
Shen Xiuhan watched her figure recede before withdrawing his gaze and turning back toward the bamboo house.
...
Morning.
The mountain mist was dark like indigo, and a cold river wind swept through the sea of bamboo, making the green canopy across the hills rustle loudly.
At the very top of a thirty-foot-tall, arm-thick purple-spotted green bamboo, Shen Xiuhan stood with his hands behind his back.
His toes rested lightly on the fragile tip of the stalk. He drifted in the wind along with the green bamboo, yet he remained completely motionless, as if rooted to the very tip.
At the same time, he closed his eyes and concentrated, circulating the Golden Eagle Soaring Technique through his acupoints.
The force within his body surged like waves, one higher than the last, rushing and washing through his limbs and bones.
When the majestic force accumulated to its peak at a certain moment...
Shen Xiuhan's gaze sharpened, and he focused his mind on his Renzhong acupoint!
Boom!
The long-accumulated, domineering Anjin force, like a bursting flood, instantly shattered the barrier of his acupoint!
The sixth acupoint!
The Yingxiang acupoint!
Break!
Whoosh!
Shen Xiuhan suddenly opened his eyes.
In an instant.
Within a radius of several miles, due to the opening of the Yingxiang acupoint, his sense of smell reached an unprecedented level of sensitivity!
The fresh scent of bamboo leaves, the muddy odor of the earth, the dampness of the air, and even the faint stench of decaying river food by the water...
Thousands of originally imperceptible scents instantly turned into a surging torrent, pouring into his nasal passages all at once.
Shen Xiuhan's expression changed slightly, and he hurriedly shut down the acupoint.
Only after blocking the sensitive perception of the Yingxiang acupoint did he let out a long breath of turbid air.
The six acupoints of the early and mid-stage Anjin Rank have all been fully cultivated.
Once the final three are cleared, I can begin planning for the Huajin Rank...
He calculated silently in his heart, a sharp gleam flashing in his eyes.
The Huajin Rank...
A threshold that countless people could never even touch in their entire lives!
Yet for him, though this path remained difficult, it was no longer out of reach.
At this thought, Shen Xiuhan leaped, floating down gracefully from the top of the thirty-foot bamboo.
As his robes fluttered, his toes touched the ground soundlessly, kicking up only a few fine specks of dust.
He turned his gaze slightly, looking toward the east of Thousand Pools Island.
The morning light was already bright, the mist on the lake had dispersed, and the vast expanse of blue waves was fully visible.
At the end of that shimmering water, several pale-gold light points, visible only to him, were flickering on and off.
Shen Xiuhan had already used his Daily Intelligence System to probe the area this morning.
Aside from five pieces of intelligence related to Precious Fish, there was only one that caught his attention:
[Intelligence 6: Weng Gui has disguised himself and infiltrated the island under the pretext of delivering provisions. He intends to use the waters under Lu Zhaoyuan's jurisdiction to transport the stolen Precious Fish off the island. Meanwhile, the remaining five of the Six Cangwu Demons are lying in wait outside the island to rendezvous with him!]
“The Six Cangwu Demons... All six are coming?”
Shen Xiuhan ran this intelligence through his mind, a cold light flashing briefly in his eyes.
“This is quite a show.”
Shen Xiuhan with a shift of his feet, his figure swept out like a ghost, darting rapidly toward the east.
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