You Cultivate, I Farm

Lu Xuan sat by the riverbank, eyes half-closed, much like a meditative old monk, quietly gazing at the fishing buoy that was constantly drifting in the dark waters.

The Spiritual Sense of Cultivators could not penetrate into the True River, but his mind was unaffected and could focus on the bait below, allowing him to promptly detect any Spiritual Fish or other Strange Species that might bite.

As time passed, more and more Cultivators came to fish, taking advantage of the imminent surge of spiritual energy, mainly composed of Loose Cultivators who searched for spots around the edges.

“The disparity in the fishing areas compared to the Major Sect Disciples is indeed glaring,”

with Spiritual Sense sweeping across the riverbank, Lu Xuan sighed inwardly.

On the side of the Loose Cultivators, there was one Cultivator every few yards, while in the areas occupied by the Major Sects, there were much larger gaps between anglers, often exceeding ten yards.

“No way to reveal my identity as a Sword Sect Disciple and then fight others for a spot, right?”

Lu Xuan shook his head. This could have been an option if there had been other fellow disciples, but as he was alone and on foreign grounds, it might be possible to compete with smaller sects and families, but dreaming of taking a spot in major places like Taiyi Dao Sect or the likes was mere wishful thinking.

Fortunately, he possessed the special ability to understand any peculiar traits of the Spiritual Fish and other species, so he didn’t worry too much about his position.

“The spot where I sit is the optimal fishing spot.”

Lu Xuan thought confidently.

“Hmm?”

He let out a light hum.

“There’s a Silver Horn Giant Fish in the waters below.”

A slight movement transmitted from the bait on the hook, and his mind immediately fixated on it.

“Silver Horn Giant Fish, Fourth Grade Spirit Fish, massive in size…”

“Good, no need to mix a different bait.”

Ordinary bait had not successfully hooked the Silver Horn Giant Fish.

Lu Xuan wasn’t the least bit worried, his thoughts shifted, and the bait he had prepared, enriched with Thunderstorm Lotus Seeds, materialized in front of him.

“Thinking of escaping after eating my bait? There’s no such good deal. Get hooked nicely.”

Lu Xuan laughed as he cast down the bait.

Within half an hour, his fishing rod conveyed a huge pulling force.

Under the immense pull, even the strength of his Flesh Body made him slightly stumble.

“The surge of the spiritual tide indeed isn’t ordinary; the strength of the Silver Horn Giant Fish has increased somewhat.”

Holding the Ink Jade Spirit Rod in one hand, Lu Xuan wrestled back and forth with the Silver Horn Giant Fish in the True River.

“There’s a Spirit Fish hooked,”

the significant disturbance he caused soon attracted the attention of those around him.

Envy, jealousy, curiosity… The looks from the spectators contained all sorts of complex emotions.

With a swoosh, a disproportionately large-headed giant fish leaped out of the water, its head owning massive horns amidst swirling winds and thunder.

“This Silver Horn Giant Fish must weigh around six or seven thousand pounds.”

“After being processed, the truly valuable Spirit Fish Meat could weigh over a thousand pounds and sell for countless Spirit Stones.”

“This surge in the spiritual tide, catching a Silver Horn Giant Fish alone makes it all worth it.”

People chattered amongst themselves.

“Congratulations, Friend Lu!”

Shi Zichen clasped hands and spoke, his tone carrying a hint of sourness.

Lu Xuan handled the fish briefly and then stored the Silver Horn Giant Fish in the Gluttonous Insect Pouch.

He then took out another portion of bait mixed with Thunderstorm Lotus Seeds and continued fishing.

Two days later.

Again, there was a whoosh, and the Ink Jade Spirit Rod in his hands bent into a full moon.

This soft sound, when it fell on the ears of the nearby “Cultivator”, seemed unbearably piercing.

“What is this? Are we all fishing in the same spot? Why does that Silver Horn Giant Fish only bite Friend Lu’s hook?”

A “Cultivator” exclaimed, his voice betraying signs of a shattered dao heart.

“Pure luck, pure luck. I sincerely wish all dear friends can quickly catch various Spirit Fish and Strange Treasures.”

Lu Xuan, with a smile, placed the Silver Horn Giant Fish into the Gluttonous Insect Pouch and spoke to soothe them.

Less than ten days later, he had caught two Fourth Grade Spirit Fish. Many “Cultivators” around him—more than half, in fact—had not yet managed to catch even one.

Such efficiency either made people numb or filled them with envy, but because everyone around was a “Cultivator”, they couldn’t easily show it.

“Ah? Shi Mou has caught one too!”

Shi Zichen suddenly stood up excitedly.

“Congratulations to Stone Daoist.”

Lu Xuan communicated telepathically.

After baiting with Thunderstorm Lotus Seeds, he found it easier to attract the Silver Horn Giant Fish. Sitting next to him, Shi Zichen was using high-grade bait, and Lu Xuan had anticipated that he would catch a Silver Horn Giant Fish in a short amount of time.

Others weren’t as fortunate as he was.

They lacked Lu Xuan’s clarity in understanding the specifics of the biting Spirit Fish, preventing them from creating specialized bait to easily attract the Spirit Fish and increasing the chances of them biting again.

Most “Cultivators” used bait that had some attraction for the Spirit Fish, but not much; catching one depended mainly on luck.

This resulted in a vast difference in fishing efficiency between them.

Even those “Cultivators” who learned of certain preferences of some species of Spirit Fish found their knowledge of very limited use.

After all, the Thousand Treasures True River was vast and unfathomably deep, and given the large range of activity of the Spirit Fish, there was no guarantee the species they knew would be near their fishing spot.

In such a case, specialized bait was barely different from ordinary bait.

Lu Xuan continued to sit in his original spot, his mind always attuned to the fish hook deep in the True River.

Suddenly, the Ice Silkworm Fishing Line moved slightly, and his spirits dropped.

A thought flashed through his mind.

“A Tiger Fish, a Fifth Rank Spirit Fish, with a head like a dragon, a body sheathed in scale armor, and legs like tiger claws; a Strange Species born from a union between a Chi Dragon and a Tiger Demon, possessing innate colossal strength, mastery of Water Element Divine Power Secret Technique, its meat usable for refining the flesh body or for Alchemy.”

“It inhabits the depths of the Thousand Treasures True River, fond of devouring all sorts of treasures, often yielding rare and uncommon Strange Treasures upon dissection, also known as the Treasure Swallowing Fish.”

“A Fifth Rank Spirit Fish!”

“Tiger Fish, also known as Treasure Swallowing Fish, likely harboring all sorts of unknown treasures within—this is a big win!”

Lu Xuan thought excitedly.

Patience he maintained, but the Tiger Fish below did not bite on the hook.

“It seems the bait’s attraction is still insufficient.”

He sighed silently within himself.

“The Tiger Fish, a Strange Species Fish Demon, likes to devour the Strange Treasures that fall into the Thousand Treasures True River; only a High Rank Treasure Item can possibly catch it.”

“Ordinary bait seems mundane to its instincts.”

“Yet, even if its Spiritual Intelligence is lost within the vast True River, no matter how difficult it is to catch, it cannot escape the instincts of a demon beast, and with that in mind, the task becomes manageable.”

Lu Xuan’s consciousness delved into the Gluttonous Insect Pouch.

The Gluttonous Insect Pouch had been refined by him into a Space Treasure, which he could control at will.

Given the crowd and prying eyes, it wasn’t prudent to prepare the bait in front of everyone, so he had thought of another method.

With a thought, a strangely shaped Spirit Grass emerged from the depths of the Gluttonous Insect Pouch.

It was the Thousand Forms Grass, greatly attractive to both demon beasts and the demon race.