From Family Fisherman to Water Virtue Immortal

The white light sphere dissipated, and a water-blue talisman appeared in his hand, its texture tough and thick. 

Li Quanqing looked at the water arrow drawn on the surface of the talisman and couldn't help but laugh bitterly. 

This matched the characteristics of the green carp. 

He felt the power surging within the talisman. Its strength wasn't weak at all, comparable to a strike from a third-level Qi Refinement cultivator. 

It could be considered a high-quality low-grade talisman. 

"Could it be that the system noticed I'm not good at combat, so it gave me this kind of reward to let me bombard people with talismans in the future?" 

Li Quanqing stored the talisman in his storage bag, categorizing it properly. 

Fortunately, his father had been a talisman master, so he could come up with an explanation if he ever needed to use it. 

"It's a pity my cheap father left so suddenly without passing down his legacy. Otherwise, trying to become a talisman master wouldn't be a bad idea." 

Li Quanqing's thoughts wandered as he continued searching for mature fish in the pond. 

Soon, he made another discovery. 

An exceptionally plump green carp with a light sphere above its head appeared in his sight. Its short, stubby fins struggled to swim, clearly having overindulged in food. 

[Harvested an adult green carp, rewarded with three spirit grains!] 

This reward was great! 

Feeling the three crystal-clear spirit grains in his hand, Li Quanqing was extremely satisfied. 

A qualified green carp should produce its spirit stones. 

I forgive you for being greedy! 

After feeding the plump green carp, Li Quanqing soon harvested two more spiritual energy light spheres, pushing his cultivation to a new level. 

Green carp typically reach maturity in half a year, but under abundant spiritual energy, this time could be shortened. 

Li Quanqing estimated that in three to four months, this batch of spit-happy fish would collectively reach maturity. 

By then, with the help of the spiritual energy light spheres, he could easily push his cultivation to the fourth level of Qi Refinement. 

With such a cheat, who would bother with tedious meditation? 

"Breaking through a minor realm in half a year isn't that a bit too fast? I feel like I could reach the peak of Qi Refinement by the time I'm twenty!" 

Li Quanqing's brows lifted with joy as he couldn't help but fantasize about his future. 

Once he broke through to the mid-Qi Refinement stage, he could start dabbling in artifact refining. 

If he truly had a talent for it and became an artifact refiner, spirit stones would come pouring in. 

With spirit stones, he could expand his fish ponds, raise more Azure Jade Carps, and use the light sphere rewards to continue breaking through, creating a virtuous cycle. 

Eventually, he could buy a spirit island and become its lord! 

Thud! Thud! 

Just as Li Quanqing was lost in his bright future, the formation protecting the fish pond was suddenly struck with force, producing a dull sound. 

A thirteen or fourteen-year-old boy stood there, his head held high, his face filled with impatience. 

Li Quanqing frowned, carefully examining the brat before hesitantly asking, "Cousin Quanzhu?" 

Quanzhu grunted through his nose, glancing sideways at him. "It's me. Hurry up and open the formation for my family's fish pond!" 

The rude and arrogant boy before him was none other than the only son of his uncle, Li Yuheng. 

Li Quanqing's lips twitched as he forced a smile. "What do you mean, your family's fish pond? Your father has already mortgaged the deed to me. This is now my fish pond!" 

"It's just spirit stones, right? Here you go!" 

Quanzhu took out a storage bag and sneered. "It's only five hundred spirit stones. Give the deed back to my family!" 

Oh ho, this brat is quite cocky! 

Li Quanqing stroked his chin, forming a guess. "Has your father returned?" 

"Of course! Not only did my father break through to the sixth level of Qi Refinement, but he also obtained many treasures in the ruins!" 

Quanzhu boasted proudly. "See this Green Carp Sword? I just bought it!" 

"Staying on the island all day raising fish is so pointless. You reek of fish! Living freely, wielding a sword, and pursuing the path of immortality is the true way for us cultivators. We must advance bravely and tread the path of longevity!" 

The boy delivered an impassioned speech, his eyes shining with longing for the outside world. He was clearly at that rebellious, idealistic age. 

Then, the back of his head received a solid slap. 

"Ouch! Who dares hit me?" 

Quanzhu clutched his head and shouted, but when he turned around, his bravado instantly deflated. 

An elderly man dressed as an artifact refiner stood there, dignified and imposing, with a thick beard and a robe embroidered with fiery fish and dragons. He looked like a towering iron mountain. 

"G-Grand Elder!" 

Quanzhu visibly tensed, his words stumbling as he spoke, resembling a deflated quail. 

All his earlier arrogance had vanished. 

Li Quanqing had already noticed the old man approaching across the waves and respectfully opened the formation. "Greetings, Third Elder!" 

Li Kunli is the head of the Artifact Refining Hall and the family's top artifact refiner. 

More importantly, he was the younger brother of one of the Li family's Foundation Establishment cultivators. 

"Did you just say you look down on the Li family's fishermen?" 

The old man's tiger-like eyes glared, his voice booming like a bell, making the boy's ears ring. 

"I... I didn't!" 

Quanzhu stiffened his neck, scrambling for an excuse. "I just think that our Li family cultivators should be more assertive. We need more sword cultivators who are invincible among their peers!" 

"Otherwise, people will keep calling us the 'Green Carp Li Family' instead of the mighty 'Azure Jade Li Family'!" 

Li Kunli snorted at this and raised his large hand to deliver another slap. 

Slap! 

"Some idle gossip didn't steal our spirit fish or rice. If it bothers you so much, why didn't you curse them back on the spot?" 

"You're just as cowardly as your father!" 

Slap! 

"What's wrong with the 'Green Carp Li Family'? I think the name suits us just fine." 

"Without the spirit fish raised by our clansmen, where would we get the materials to forge the Green Carp Sword in your hand? Where would the family get the spirit stones to pay our stipends?" 

Slap! 

"Now get lost!" 

Quanzhu pitifully clutched his swollen head, his eyes misty with wrong. 

He didn't dare vent his frustration and was about to slink away when his forehead received another slap. 

Slap! 

"Leave the storage bag. Don't you want your family's deed back?" 

The glowing bag arced through the air and landed in Li Quanqing's arms. 

Just as he was about to take out the deed, his cousin had already fled, his cries faintly audible in the distance. Li Quanqing had no choice but to let it go. 

Li Quanqing turned to the old man, swallowing hard, feeling a bit intimidated. "Elder, what brings you here?" 

Li Kunli strode into the formation with vigorous steps, exuding an aura of power. 

A wave of scorching heat washed over them as if a fiery furnace had been placed on the water's surface, threatening to boil the entire pond. 

"I'm here to distribute last quarter's stipends to the clansmen. I couldn't find you at the Class C fish pond, so Brother Kunshui told me your new location." 

Stipends? 

Li Quanqing was both surprised and flattered. 

The Li family's stipends were distributed every three months, and previously, they had been handed out by the stewards of the Evergreen Hall. 

The head of the Evergreen Hall was the family's Grand Elder, while the head of the Artifact Refining Hall before him was the Third Elder. 

The underlying power struggles... 

Li Quanqing didn't dare think further. 

The covert battles among the family's upper echelons were not something a small branch member like him could understand, let alone participate in. 

"The stipend for a second-level Qi Refinement cultivator is two spirit stones. Here you go..." 

Li Kunli was about to take out the spirit stones when he suddenly paused, noticing the change in the boy's cultivation level. "You've broken through to the third level?" 

Earlier, with the lotus platform formation in the way, he hadn't noticed. 

Li Quanqing didn't plan to hide it and cupped his hands respectfully. "I broke through half a month ago but haven't had the chance to report it to the family yet." 

"Not bad. You're better than those useless direct lineage kids." 

Li Kunli smiled and took out two more spirit stones. "Since you've broken through, we'll follow the rules. A third-level Qi Refinement cultivator receives four spirit stones per quarter."