From Family Fisherman to Water Virtue Immortal

 Evergreen Hall, Spirit Fish Annex. 

"Young man, it's been half a year since you last came to sell fish, hasn't it?" 

An elder with a somewhat familiar face stroked his graying beard, his eyes narrowing into a smile. "That's the Green Carp Sword on your back, isn't it? Not bad, not bad! You've got a bit of the swordsman flair I had in my youth!" 

Li Quanqing touched the treasured sword behind him, his eyebrows lifting with pride. "You've got a sharp eye, Elder! I just bought this magical weapon. I've been sleeping with it, hoping to cultivate an invincible sword heart!" 

"Oh! Where's this nephew making his fortune now?" 

"Your sword aura is bursting forth, sharp and unstoppable. I can almost see the rise of a peerless swordsman!" 

"See, my dear granddaughter? Grandpa didn't lie to you. Even a fisherman can save up enough spirit stones to buy a flying sword!" 

For a moment, the air, tinged with the smell of fish, was filled with a cheerful atmosphere. 

Magical weapons require a breaking-in period. They need to be refined with spiritual energy through close contact before they can be wielded as effortlessly as one's arm. 

It wasn't that Li Quanqing was deliberately showing off. 

After selling the large green carp, another 20.24 spirit stones were added to his account. 

In Li Quanqing's eyes, those plump, white spirit stones were perhaps the most adorable things in the world. 

At the Jade Dragon Pond market, Li Quanqing walked into his usual shop and purchased tens of thousands of pounds of fish bait, which was delivered by a specialized courier. 

Walking along the emerald-like pond, and seeing that no one was around, Li Quanqing took a deep breath and dove into the water. 

The pond was deep and icy cold. Even with his spiritual energy protecting his body, he couldn't stay submerged for long. 

Li Quanqing took out a shovel and skillfully dug into the pond's bottom. The mud there was a bluish-black, sticky like black oil, mixed with fine shards of ice. 

[Green Spirit Mud: A treasure fermented over hundreds of years, imbued with the aura of a high-level demon beast. Prolonged exposure is beneficial for the growth of Stone Spirit Loaches and Azure Jade Carps.] 

This was a secret Li Quanqing had read about in a book titled The Essentials of Fish Breeding from the scripture pavilion. After verifying it with his special ability, he confirmed that it was indeed highly beneficial for spirit fish. 

"A high-level demon beast? Could it be that deep within Jade Dragon Pond, there is a guardian spirit beast protecting the clan?" 

Li Quanqing dug up seven or eight bags of spirit mud before resurfacing for air. 

The story of the guardian spirit beast was something every member of the Li clan had heard as a child. 

He gazed into the depths of the pond, where mist and waves stretched endlessly. He wondered if there truly was a colossal creature silently guarding Azure Jade Island. 

... 

"Little fishies, dinner's ready! Dinner's ready!" 

Li Quanqing floated on the water's surface, standing on a lotus platform, his long green robes billowing in the wind. With a sword on his back, he looked like an immortal, carefree and at ease. 

In reality, he was just a humble fish feeder, a cafeteria worker in charge of bait. 

Utterly ordinary. 

He scattered handfuls of bait into the water. The sour, pungent smell was repulsive to humans but an irresistible temptation to the fish. 

"Splash! Splash!" 

In a corner of the fish pond, separated by a formation, dense schools of young green carp surfaced. They had just hatched not long ago and were huddled close to their parents. 

"Moo! Moo!" 

The Azure Jade Carps, catching the scent, also poked their heads out, their mouths wide open as if drooling. 

After half a year of cultivation, only 20 juvenile Azure Jade Carps remained. They were now in the midst of their growth spurt, eating voraciously and growing plump and round, their fish eyes gleaming with naive stupidity. 

"Come here, let me check how you're growing!" 

Li Quanqing used his water control technique with masterful precision, easily lifting the spirit fish out of the water. 

[Pondering Life] Azure Jade Carp: "To eat or to sleep, that is the question." 

[Maturity: 66%] 

Li Quanqing: 

I think you look more like a problem yourself. 

[Flirty Fish] Azure Jade Carp: "Fish Six tried to steal my food this morning. Fish Two is so considerate, always giving his share to me. But last night, Big Brother Fish One was amazing~" 

[Maturity: 71%] 

Li Quanqing: Oh no! I've been tainted! 

[Lazy Fish] Azure Jade Carp: "I took a nap, and Sister Fishy tried to touch me. Ugh, who cares about females when there's food to eat!" 

[Maturity: 67%] 

Purebred, just like your dad. 

Hopeless. Start over! 

After inspecting them, Li Quanqing couldn't help but sigh deeply. 

These Azure Jade Carps were giving him a headache. 

Fortunately, after all this time, there was one reliable fish. 

[I Will Become a Dragon] Azure Jade Carp: "Dragon! Dragon!! Dragon!!!" 

[Maturity: 69%] 

Li Quanqing couldn't help but smile. This Azure Jade Carp was the most promising one in the pond. 

From the day it was born, its only thought was to become a dragon. A natural overachiever. 

The carp held its head high, its eyes burning with determination. Its body was long and robust, and its scales were beginning to show faint golden spots. 

Good! Very spirited! 

Li Quanqing rubbed the fish's head with satisfaction, feeding it a spirit worm pellet before turning to the rest of the fish. 

He wasn't even trying to hide his favoritism. 

"Here, eat up!" 

A large amount of bait rained down from above. The spirit fish, of course, couldn't understand human words, but they ate with relish. 

Crunch! Crunch! 

Under the water, an Ironbone Crab quietly peeked out, its claws swishing through the water, directing the bait toward itself. 

Ptooey! 

The dragon-aspiring Azure Jade Carp had sharp eyes and was the first to notice the trick. It spat out a water arrow. 

Splash! Splash! 

It was as if a hornet's nest had been stirred. All the Azure Jade Carps erupted into action, firing water arrows that hit the surface like raindrops on banana leaves. 

In an instant, the hungry Ironbone Crab was tossed about by the waves, dizzy and seeing stars. 

Clack! Clack! 

It struggled in the turbulent water, snapping its claws wildly, making a unique sound as it called for its companions. 

One by one, more Ironbone Crabs swam up, striding through the waves, their claws waving menacingly as they began to fight for the food. 

The spirit fish and crabs formed their groups, facing off across the lotus platform like two armies ready for battle, their cries filling the air. 

Though Li Quanqing couldn't understand them, he was sure they were cursing each other out. 

Ever since the formation separating them had been removed, the Azure Jade Carps and Ironbone Crabs had been fighting every few days. 

This was the innate nature of demon beasts marking territory, excluding outsiders, and banding together. 

Li Quanqing didn't stop them. He encouraged it. 

These young creatures were full of energy, and it was good for them to vent their frustrations. It kept them healthy and prevented infighting among their kind. 

Moreover, a little competition could stimulate their sense of crisis, motivating them to cultivate harder and reach maturity sooner. 

This way, Li Quanqing could harvest their light orbs more easily. 

Once the fish and crabs had tired themselves out, Li Quanqing leisurely distributed enough bait to feed them all. 

[Iron-Willed] Ironbone Crab: "Ugh, I didn't perform well in that shouting match earlier. I'll have to review it tonight!" 

[Maturity: 86%] 

Li Quanqing teased the large crab with a piece of iron ore, taking the opportunity to assess their growth. 

In just four or five months, these Ironbone Crabs would reach maturity and enter the early Qi Refining stage. 

It was clear that these demon beasts had much lower potential compared to the Azure Jade Carps. They'd be lucky to break through to the third level of Qi Refining. 

In the demon beast hierarchy, bloodline determined status. The more ancient and noble the bloodline, the longer the growth period. 

For example, the male Azure Jade Carp from before, with its ancestral bloodline and golden markings, had the potential to reach the late Qi Refining stage or even the peak. 

Its growth rate was much slower than that of the female Azure Jade Carps. 

However, compared to the Ironbone Crabs, the Stone Spirit Loaches had even lower potential. 

Li Quanqing took out the Green Spirit Mud he had dug up earlier. With the Green Carp Sword circling him, he carefully dove to the bottom of the pond. 

Dim light filtered down from above, illuminating the mounds of dirt that rose from the pond bed, almost blending into the seabed. 

No one would have guessed that the Stone Spirit Loaches lived inside those mounds, encased in mud shells, not eating or drinking for months. 

Like insects trapped in cocoons, they silently gathered strength, waiting for the day they would break free and transform. 

In Li Quanqing's unique vision, faint white light emanated from the mounds, a sign that the light orbs were slowly forming. 

He evenly spread the Green Spirit Mud over them and waited until nightfall. 

The special substances in the mud were gradually absorbed by the loaches, and the white light grew stronger. 

Finally, it fully formed!