From Family Fisherman to Water Virtue Immortal

Li Quanqing walked into the peach grove, where the bright moon hung high in the sky, and a small stream gurgled gently. A spiritual spring bubbled up from the ground. 

Around the spring, strange rocks stood like sentinels, and dozens of young Li family members were already seated on them. Many were familiar faces from the Artifact Refining Hall. 

Li Quanqing confidently chose a carp-shaped rock to sit on, his gaze restrained but curious as he observed his surroundings. 

This was his first time attending such a gathering, so he was naturally intrigued. 

"The time has come, and all the invited clansmen are present. This Peach Blossom Gathering officially begins." 

Li Quanshu, seated by the spiritual spring, shook a white jade bell, its clear chime ringing out. "As per the old rules, each of you will take turns introducing the spiritual items you need." 

She spoke first, holding up a pearl the size of a longan fruit. "This is a low-grade Treasure Spirit Pearl from the Xie family. I'd like to exchange it for a Chongyuan Pill or any other pill suitable for breaking through bottlenecks at the third level of Qi Refinement." 

The pearl was flawless, and under the moonlight, it emitted a faint, shimmering glow, making it look quite extraordinary. 

"The Xie family? That must be the Foundation Establishment family from the Treasure Pearl Archipelago." 

Li Quanqing thought to himself. The Li and Xie families had a mutually supportive relationship. 

The two Foundation Establishment families had jointly established the Baoqing Market thousands of miles away, earning spirit stones and collecting rent. 

"This Treasure Spirit Pearl contains abundant spiritual energy. It can be refined and stored within one's spiritual energy, making it convenient to use in combat." 

Li Quanshu held the pearl, explaining its precious and unique qualities. 

In short, it was a one-time spiritual energy battery. 

Unfortunately, while the treasure was valuable, breakthrough pills were even more precious. No one stepped forward to trade with her. 

Li Quanshu glanced around, but when no one responded, she had no choice but to give up and pass the jade bell to the next person. 

The order continued, and soon it was Li Quanqing's turn. 

He shook the jade bell in his hand and spoke softly. "Twenty low-grade Water Arrow Talismans, each equivalent to a strike from a third-level Qi Refinement cultivator, and Azure Jade Carp fry. I'm looking to trade for various spirit beast cubs or spirit stones." 

After a moment of thought, he added, "The father of these Azure Jade Carps is a Golden-Striped variant, so their bloodline is extraordinary." 

He took out a Golden-Striped piece left by the male Azure Jade Carp and placed it alongside three fry. The shared bloodline aura was enough to prove his claim. 

The two items Li Quanqing offered were both valuable and naturally, some people were tempted. 

A dark-skinned, chubby clansman spoke up. "I recently acquired a batch of Stone Loach fry, intended for making beauty-enhancing spiritual mud. Would you like to trade?" 

Stone Spirit Loaches? 

Li Quanqing was intrigued. These spirit beasts had only been discovered recently, and he had heard of their reputation. 

Stone Spirit Loaches weren't particularly strong, with only early Qi Refinement potential. However, as they grew, they could alter their environment, producing a type of beauty-enhancing spiritual mud. 

This mud, when applied to the skin, had whitening and beautifying effects, refining the complexion and minimizing pores. It was highly sought after by female cultivators. 

Thus, it commanded a high price. 

"What would you like in exchange?" 

Li Quanqing was very interested. 

"Three Stone Loach cubs for one of your fry. How does that sound?" 

The price was fair, and after some consideration, Li Quanqing agreed to the trade. 

"Does anyone else have something to offer?" 

Li Quanqing waved the water-blue talismans in his hand. "I'm also willing to buy with spirit stones." 

Someone suddenly spoke up. "A couple of days ago, I also managed to obtain some spirit beast cubs. But I'm not interested in what you're offering. Do you have anything better?" 

Li Quanqing looked at the speaker, a tall, thin man around twenty-four or twenty-five years old, also wearing the Artifact Refining Hall's robes. 

His name was Li Quanzhi, and at the fourth level of Qi Refinement, he was the highest-level cultivator present. 

Though he had no notable background, his talent in artifact refining was said to be exceptional, which made him somewhat arrogant. 

"What kind of spirit beast is it?" 

"Ironbone Crabs." 

Li Quanzhi explained. "These spirit beasts feed on iron ore. Their claws are extremely hard and can assist refiners in processing ores. There's even a minuscule chance they can evolve into Copper Armor Crabs." 

"Metal-attribute spirit beasts?" 

Li Quanqing's eyes lit up. 

Since learning the Golden Metal Finger, his progress had stalled at the beginner stage, still far from reaching proficiency. 

These Ironbone Crabs were exactly what he needed. 

Perhaps they could yield a light sphere reward for the Golden Metal Finger. 

After some thought, Li Quanqing took out a jade slip. "This contains some of my ancestors' experiences in refining the Green Carp Sword. Would this satisfy you?" 

Of course, this wasn't some ancestral legacy. He had just secretly copied a few ideas into the jade slip. 

But it was more than enough to fool someone who wasn't even a formal refiner yet. 

Sure enough, after seeing the contents of the jade slip, Li Quanzhi was delighted. "I'll trade for this!" 

Neither of them had brought the spirit beast cubs with them, so the actual exchange would take place after the gathering. 

But Li Quanqing was already satisfied. 

Unexpectedly, Li Quanshu also seemed very interested in the refining experience. "Would you be interested in trading for the Xie family's signature spirit beast, the Moonlight Clam?" 

Li Quanqing recalled the pearl she had shown earlier and made a guess. "Is that Treasure Spirit Pearl produced by these Moonlight Clams?" 

"Exactly." 

Li Quanshu didn't deny it. "These clams are rare and precious. The Xie family rarely trades them. I managed to raise a few through my father's connections, and they've started producing pearls. I'm willing to part with them." 

Li Quanqing frowned. "Adult clams? Do you have any young ones?" 

Li Quanshu was momentarily taken aback and tried to persuade him. "It takes three to four years for clams to produce pearls. Raising them from a young age isn't cost-effective." 

But Li Quanqing was firm. "My cultivation level is low, so it's safer for me to raise them from a young age." 

Li Quanshu looked at the young man, only at the third level of Qi Refinement, and thought to herself that this clansman was indeed cautious. 

"I'll contact my father. If there's any news about Moonlight Clam spawn, I'll let you know immediately." 

"Thank you, Senior Sister." 

The trading gathering lasted until late into the night, and Li Quanqing gained a wealth of knowledge. 

However, his life had always been simple, and he rarely left the family. With his cheat-like cultivation, there wasn't much that caught his eye. 

Early the next morning, the dark-skinned clansman delivered the Stone Loach fry. 

True to their name, they looked like shiny black stones, their hard skin covered in earthy yellow patterns. 

[Creeping in Darkness] Stone Loach: "Ahhh, that big fireball in the sky is so bright! I just want to crawl back into the dark mud!" 

[Maturity: 18%] 

[Stubborn as a Rock] Stone Loach: "Life is so boring. I just want to turn into a motionless rock and drift with the currents~" 

[Maturity: 16%] 

... 

Li Quanqing touched the loaches and felt a sense of relief. 

Spirit beast cubs with a maturity level above 50% weren't recognized by his golden finger. 

The clansman, seeing the lifeless loaches, also felt a bit embarrassed and explained, "These spirit beasts are easy to raise. Just bury them in the mud at the bottom of the fish pond, and they'll grow slowly. They don't need to be fed and hate sunlight." 

"As the Stone Spirit Loaches grow, they gradually transform their surroundings, producing the beauty-enhancing spiritual mud." 

Not needing to feed them was certainly convenient. 

Li Quanqing traded for twelve loaches and buried them in the mud at the bottom of the pond. 

The loaches seemed to have returned to their happy place, rolling around in the mud and almost turning themselves into mud balls. 

Then they just lay there, motionless, even when the green carp nudged them around. 

Just as Li Quanqing finished settling the loaches, Li Quanzhi arrived, bringing a basket of crab fry to trade.