On the pleasure boat, servers brought out delicious fish soup and meat, with each guest receiving a plate of fish and a bowl of soup.
The sound of rumbling stomachs filled the boat, especially Xiao Xianger's, who was eager to start eating as soon as the fish soup arrived.
"Xianger, Su is our host. How can you eat before he does?" Dong Fang Mu said politely. In truth, he was concerned about potential issues with the fish soup and wanted to observe others' reactions first.
However, as he finished speaking, he noticed that others had already begun eating, particularly Su Hao, who had stuffed a large piece of fish into his mouth.
Upon tasting the fish, Su Hao discovered it was incredibly tender. After swallowing, he felt a unique energy entering his body.
Suddenly, a few physically weak rich kids started having nosebleeds, experiencing a sensation of over-nourishment.
"This is beneficial for martial artists. What a waste! I was foolish," Su Hao thought, his expression changing.
The fish king had consumed spirit stone fragments, which had nourished its body for years, explaining its enormous size. For martial artists, this fish was truly a treasure.
Some martial arts family members had already noticed this effect. They devoured the fish, feeling energy coursing through their bodies, sensing that eating more might lead to a breakthrough.
Several practitioners at the third or fourth level of the Human Realm experienced a small advancement after eating for a while.
"As expected of a fish king, it can replenish internal energy!" Dong Fang Mu thought, observing the changes in others.
He began eating, his expression becoming joyful as he felt his Earth Realm fourth-level strength improving after consuming the fish and soup.
"If I could eat this entire fish, I might break through to the fifth level of the Earth Realm," Dong Fang Mu mused.
Beside him, Qin Hao was also rapidly absorbing the energy from the fish and soup. His Earth Realm third-level strength showed signs of advancement.
In the blink of an eye, all the fish and soup before Su Hao's group was consumed.
"Brother Hao, eating this has filled me with strength. As expected of a fish king! Quickly bring out the rest!" Gu Huai called out to the servants while Su Hao was considering how to enjoy it alone.
Su Hao was stunned, then wanted to laugh bitterly. This guy was too wasteful; couldn't they have enjoyed it themselves?
Martial artists naturally had high energy consumption. A Earth Realm practitioner could easily consume dozens of pounds of meat if they ate without restraint.
Although there was plenty of fish meat and soup, it couldn't withstand such voracious appetites. Soon, the entire fish king was devoured, leaving not even a drop of soup.
"This fish king was truly delicious!" Xiao Xianger exclaimed, patting her belly.
"Thank you for your hospitality, Brother Su. We should be on our way now," Dong Fang Mu said, feeling energy accumulating in his body and wanting to return to refine it.
"Until we meet again," Su Hao replied, cupping his hands. He now regretted wasting such a valuable resource on others.
Suddenly, Su Hao sensed a wave of malice. His gaze unconsciously turned towards Qin Hao, who was leaving with the others.
At that moment, Qin Hao's heart was filled with resentment towards Su Hao. He believed that if only the three of them had enjoyed the fish king, he could have reached the fourth level of the Earth Realm. The difference between early and mid Earth Realm was significant, with internal energy nearly doubling.
"I heard Su Hao was planning to visit a nearby county. Perhaps I could have the Qingyu Bandit group kill him on the road," Qin Hao thought.
"It must be this guy harboring ill intentions towards me. I treated him to a meal, and he dares to hold a grudge? Looks like I'll need to find an opportunity to deal with him," Su Hao thought, watching Qin Hao's retreating figure.
"Brother Hao, everyone's left. Shall we head back? By the way, after eating the fish king's meat, I've reached the fifth level of the Human Realm. I'm full of energy, but I can't help feeling like we've missed out on something," Gu Huai muttered, seemingly realizing something.
"You're just now figuring this out? I hadn't planned on giving them seconds, but you went ahead and had everything brought out. How could I stop it?" Su Hao said, feeling like he wanted to beat Gu Huai.
"Brother Hao, I just didn't realize at the time," Gu Huai replied, unconcerned.
"Let's go back," Su Hao instructed the boatman to head towards the shore.
As they reached the shore, Qin Hao's group had already disembarked. His guards quickly gathered around to escort them away.
"This Qin Hao has quite a few guards. No wonder he was so arrogant earlier," Gu Huai remarked disdainfully.
"Qin Hao is from the Qin family of the Northwest Prefecture. It's normal for him to have these guards. However, Dong Fang Mu and Xiao Xianger likely have even higher status, or else Qin Hao wouldn't have been so eager to please them. Let's go; we've had a good harvest today," Su Hao said, preparing to leave.
Suddenly, Su Hao sensed a familiar presence. He looked up towards the crowd on the riverbank, his eyes narrowing.
A woman wearing a silver mask suddenly emerged from the crowd, her sword striking like lightning. The sword's path was nearly imperceptible until sword energy appeared around Qin Hao.
"Roar!" Qin Hao, caught off guard by the attack, let out a low growl. Despite his surprise, his Earth Realm third-level strength allowed him to react. He released bursts of black energy from his mouth, attempting to block the incoming sword energy.
His roar carried a tiger-like quality, creating ripples of energy that slightly weakened and deflected the sword energy.
The deflected sword energy still struck Qin Hao, leaving a deep gash on his body. Blood gushed from the wound.
A blue-robed warrior beside Qin Hao quickly reacted, launching a punch at the silver-masked woman. She swiftly retreated after her failed attack, dodging the incoming fist and dashing towards the lakeside forest.
"Capture her! Alive if possible, dead if necessary!" the injured Qin Hao roared at the blue-robed warrior. Already full of resentment earlier, the pain in his chest now made his face contort with fury.
The blue-robed warrior's figure blurred as he gave chase.
"This Qin Hao is really unlucky to be targeted for assassination. Too bad he wasn't killed," Gu Huai remarked, looking at the blood-covered Qin Hao with a hint of regret.
"You head back first. I'll go take a look," Su Hao whispered to Gu Huai, his brow furrowing as he watched the fleeing figure. He then quietly slipped into the crowd, following the assailant.
He had recognized the silver-masked woman as Yue Ying from the Moonlight Tower. Having spent many years sleeping in her chambers, he was familiar with her form and presence.