162 Completing the Sword Forging
The normal fishing process went like this: extend your spiritual tendrils, find a Soul Fish, try to quickly wrap it up, have it escape, and end up empty-handed.
Repeat this process until you encounter a particularly slow fish, or until you become proficient enough at controlling your spiritual tendrils to have a chance of success.
Like the two members of the Black Horn society, who, after five days, had finally managed to catch two Soul Fish.
This alone earned them the respect of the other anglers, with those who were still empty-handed coming to them for advice.
This made them feel quite smug.
Although luck played a part, their achievement surpassed most of those present.
Even among the Alchemy Department students, most were still empty-handed, with only a few experts whose soul cultivation had reached the “Hidden-Midst-Manifest” realm managing to catch three or four.
Even the two Alchemy instructors praised them.
But Yan Zhen’s fishing process was completely different:
Extend spiritual tendrils, find a Soul Fish, zap it with a Lightning Whip, bzzt! Alright, first one caught.
Zi Xunyi, beside him, also imbued her spiritual tendrils with the Jade Firmament Violet Fire. When she found a Soul Fish, the violet fire transformed into a claw and grabbed it.
Less than fifteen minutes after they started, they both caught their first fish almost simultaneously, placing them into the prepared baskets.
Such speed immediately attracted attention. They’re so lucky!
Then, to their surprise, another fifteen minutes later, they caught their second fish.
Not just the nearby anglers, but even those further away, and the two Alchemy instructors, noticed Yan Zhen and Zi Xunyi. Their luck is outrageous!
Another fifteen minutes, and their third Soul Fish was caught. People’s expressions changed, realizing this wasn’t just luck.
The two Alchemy instructors looked at Zi Xunyi, recognizing her, and weren’t surprised by her success. This wasn’t her first time here. Last time, she had caught eight Soul Fish, shocking everyone and earning the title “Fishing Goddess” among the Alchemy students.
Others also remembered the “Fishing Goddess” and quickly recognized Zi Xunyi, their eyes filled with admiration. Then, they looked at Yan Zhen beside her.
A six-star Mystic Master with “Hidden-Midst-Manifest” soul cultivation, truly remarkable.
Because he was wearing a hooded cloak to protect himself from the wind and snow, his face wasn’t clearly visible. And having only been in the Inner Academy for a month, although he had already achieved two impressive victories against higher-level opponents, gaining some fame, many students still didn’t recognize him, speculating about his identity.
Some quickly deduced his identity from the “emerald beauty” and the “pink-haired loli” beside him, while others quickly shared his story.
The two Black Horn members exchanged glances, their eyes gleaming with malicious intent.
Under everyone’s watchful gaze, fifteen minutes later, Yan Zhen and Zi Xunyi caught their fourth Soul Fish.
Another half hour, their fifth.
Another hour, their sixth.
…
…
…
Their pace gradually slowed. After a full day, they had caught ten Soul Fish each.
Ten was the limit per person; they weren’t allowed to catch more.
These were the academy’s shared resources, and they couldn’t be monopolized by a single person. This was one of the differences between the academy and a sect.
After a day of fishing, Yan Zhen and Zi Xunyi were exhausted. The icy water of the lake eroded Spiritual Power.
Other students, after fishing for half a day, would become dizzy and have to stop to rest and recover.
Yan Zhen and Zi Xunyi consumed the pills they had prepared beforehand, meditated to recover, and, after another half day, returned to peak condition.
When they woke up, many of the anglers approached, offering to buy their Soul Fish.
Yan Zhen and Zi Xunyi politely declined.
Soul Fish weren’t actual fish but elemental beings like Magma Beasts, essentially condensed Yin Essence.
For a Manifest Realm soul cultivator, refining a single Soul Fish was equivalent to three months of cultivation, a significant advantage over their competitors.
Soul cultivation emphasized enlightenment, but such opportunities were rare and unpredictable. Diligent practice was a more reliable method.
Although Yan Zhen and Zi Xunyi’s soul cultivation was relatively high, the Soul Fish were still beneficial. Refining ten of them was equivalent to months of arduous training.
With the Soul Fish secured, Yan Zhen also discreetly filled a gourd with water from the frozen lake, then woke up Long Ying, who was fast asleep, and Huangfu Wenqing, who was meditating, and the four of them leisurely made their way back.
As they reached the pine forest, the Black Horn members, as expected, ambushed them.
Actually, Yan Zhen was a bit surprised. He had thought that with Zi Xunyi present, the Black Horn members, wary of her strength, wouldn’t dare to attack. He hadn’t expected them to be so bold.
Clearly, they didn’t believe the rumors about Zi Xunyi’s power.
And so—
Three Mystic Generals, nine Mystic Masters, twelve in total. Within fifteen minutes, they were all defeated.
Half the credit went to Long Ying. The little Dragon Girl, eager to prove herself, practically took down one opponent per punch. The other three barely had to lift a finger.
Unfortunately, stealing academy cards and points wasn’t allowed within the secret realm—it would prevent the system from deducting points upon exiting—otherwise, Yan Zhen would have made a fortune.
Leaving the Black Horn members behind, the four of them reached the pine forest separating the inner and outer areas, chose a nearby tree, and jumped onto its wide branches.
“Wenqing, your soul is strong enough to manifest Spiritual Power. Why don’t you try refining a Soul Fish?”
“How do I do that?”
“Just use your Mystic Power. When a Soul Fish comes into contact with Mystic Power, it slowly dissolves into pure Yin Essence. That’s why we use Spiritual Power tendrils to catch them.”
“I see… Then I’ll gladly accept your offer.”
Huangfu Wenqing was secretly delighted, receiving another gift from him, a precious Soul Fish, no less.
“I was planning to use the Soul Fish to advance my soul cultivation, but I had an unexpected breakthrough earlier, so one or two less isn’t a big deal.” Yan Zhen took out another Soul Fish from the basket. “Long Ying, here’s one for you. You can eat it raw. It doesn’t taste fishy and has a pleasant texture.”
Long Ying smiled sweetly. “Thank you, Zhenzhen! I won’t be polite!”
She popped the entire fish into her mouth, the tail still sticking out and wiggling.
Yan Zhen’s lips twitched, recalling another scene of the little Dragon Girl devouring a cicada whole, straight from the tree. The two of them would definitely get along.
He then offered one to Zi Xunyi, who shook her head, refusing. “I-I already have some. You keep it.”
Yan Zhen insisted. “I can’t be biased.”
Zi Xunyi accepted. As a soul cultivator, she wouldn’t refuse such a treasure.
Yan Zhen first helped Huangfu Wenqing manifest her Spiritual Power, then he began refining the Soul Fish. The little dragon formed from the Evil Spirit Dragon Breath Fire swallowed the entire fish in one gulp, then returned to his sea of consciousness, releasing pure Yin Essence that strengthened his soul.
A day later, Yan Zhen had refined all the Yin Essence, his soul cultivation noticeably stronger.
However, advancing from “Hidden-Midst-Manifest” to the “Hidden Realm” was a significant step. Breaking through wouldn’t be easy.
He woke the three girls and told them to leave the secret realm first. He would spend the remaining seven days forging his sword!
Leave a Reply