Li Xiaoyan looked at the old man, adopting a patient and gentle tone. "Old man, you've been fishing for quite some time, haven't you? But you haven't caught a single fish. How about letting us give it a try? If we catch anything, we'll split it equally."
The old man turned his head, glancing Li Xiaoyan from head to toe. With a sly smile, he asked, "Do you even know how to fish?"
Li Xiaoyan shook her head but replied confidently, "No, I don't. But my Junior Brother does."
Chen Li's eyes widened in shock. When did I ever say I know how to fish? Have you ever seen me fishing? Do you think I'm a jack-of-all-trades?
The old man glanced at Chen Li thoughtfully before nodding. "Alright, I agree. If you manage to catch a fish and split it equally, I'll guide you out of this forest."
Li Xiaoyan's eyes lit up. "So, old man, you really know the way out of this forest?" she asked eagerly.
But the old man didn't answer her question. Instead, he stood up, giving up his fishing spot, and gestured for them to proceed. "Come and fish."
Li Xiaoyan handed the fishing rod to Chen Li with an encouraging smile. "Junior Brother, you can do it. I believe in you."
Chen Li didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Resigned, he took the fishing rod and sat down in the spot the old man had vacated. As he examined the rod, he realized although it seemed ordinary it gave off an unusual feeling.
"This is at least a heavenly spirit treasure," Chen Li thought, "meaning it can integrate with spirit energy."
Driven by curiosity, Chen Li channeled a small amount of his spirit energy into the rod. To his surprise, it accepted the energy easily. However, something felt wrong almost immediately.
The rod began drawing his spirit energy uncontrollably. He couldn't stop the flow, and within moments, the single drop of spirit liquid within his Spirit Sea was completely drained. His body began to feel weak and fatigued, yet the rod showed no signs of stopping its absorption.
Desperation set in as the rod started leeching energy from his physical body. If this continued, Chen Li knew he'd be doomed. At that moment, the Nine Oceans Pearl within his Spirit Sea suddenly shone with a radiant light, emitting a strange energy. This energy spread throughout his body before being absorbed by the fishing rod.
The moment the rod absorbed the Pearl's energy, its rampant absorption ceased. The fishing line shot into the air, and the hook descended smoothly into the lake.
The entire ordeal happened so quickly that Chen Li didn't fully process what had occurred until it was over. Realizing he had narrowly escaped a disaster, he felt his heart racing. His back and forehead were drenched in sweat. Then, a gentle breeze swept over the lake, chilling his sweat-soaked body and giving him goosebumps.
When the fishing hook entered the water, it emitted an invisible wave that spread throughout the lake, especially reaching the bottom.
At the bottom of the lake, a massive pair of eyes suddenly opened. These ancient eyes seemed to perceive everything above the water. A glint of delight flashed through them, as if greeting an old friend after millennia of separation. But moments later, a cold and disapproving light replaced it as it noticied something.
As the eyes opened, an invisible wave rippled outward from the lake, spreading across the entire forest traveling further in eight directions.
Neither Chen Li, Li Xiaoyan, nor the old man noticed it, but a handful of powerful cultivators in the alliance—deep in secluded cultivation—sensed the disturbance and opened their eyes.
Initially, Chen Li felt a sense of annoyance as he sat fishing. But as time passed, an unnatural calm washed over him. His mind and body felt serene, as though they were on the brink of understanding something intangible. He felt that if he could take just one step, he could reach it. Yet, the step seemed separated by a chasm as vast as the heavens.
Minutes later, a wondrous, indescribable sensation filled Chen Li. The barrier seemed to dissolve, and he felt ready to take that step. Just as he focused on reaching it, a deliberate cough shattered his concentration.
"Ahem..."
The old man's cough jolted Chen Li from his trance. The formless sensation vanished like a distant star disappearing into the void. He frowned, certain the old man had interrupted him intentionally. It was too coincidental to ignore.
Without confronting the old man, Chen Li calmed his mind and resumed fishing.
"Boy... what are you doing?" an unfamiliar voice echoed suddenly.
"What do you mean?" Chen Li replied irritably. "Can't you see I'm fishing?" He was about to turn toward the old man when he realized the voice had come from in front of him, not behind.
Looking up, Chen Li froze. His eyes widened in shock, and his jaw dropped. In front of him, rising from the lake, was a massive black tortoise intertwined with a snake. The creature was so immense that Chen Li felt like an ant before it. Strangely, he could see the entire tortoise clearly, yet felt no oppressive aura nor could he sense it with his spirit sense.
"Boy... I have a mission for you. Are you willing to take it?" the black tortoise asked gently, though its voice boomed with power.
"Yes," Chen Li answered without hesitation, completely mesmerized by the colossal being.
"I will send you to a location," the tortoise continued. "Your mission is to guard the Xuan Kingdom for 100 years. This is the price of saving your life."
Before Chen Li could respond further, a gentle force pushed him backward. A crack appeared in the air behind him, and he was sent hurtling through it.
Once Chen Li vanished, the black tortoise-snake transformed into the old man. Sighing lightly, he muttered, "I gave him an opportunity, but that damn old boy interrupted. If not for the vow, I'd have already... but perhaps this is fate."
The old man shook his head. "Still, I must teach that damn boy a lesson. How dare he act so brazenly before me? Such disrespect." With a wave of his sleeve, a strange energy rippled across the entire forest, emanating from the lake.
The old man's gaze then shifted to Li Xiaoyan. His eyes seemed to pierce through her very soul. "This girl's fate has shifted slightly. But can she endure the destiny ahead?"
After speaking, the old man disappeared, and the ancient eyes at the bottom of the lake closed once more.
Li Xiaoyan and the old man standing nearby suddenly regained their senses. The fishing spot was empty, and Chen Li was gone.
"Where's Junior Brother Chen? He was fishing here just a moment ago!" Li Xiaoyan exclaimed, her face pale with confusion. She turned toward the old man, suspicion in her eyes.
"This is your doing, isn't it? You led us here to fish!" she accused, her tone sharp.
The old man frowned but gave no reply. His silence enraged Li Xiaoyan.
"Why aren't you answering me? Are you dumb?" she snapped.
Her harsh words angered the old man. "How dare you speak to me in such a tone? Even if you are Li Wang's granddaughter, you cannot disrespect me! Yes, I brought you here. So what? I killed your Junior Brother. So what? What can you do about it?"
Li Xiaoyan's eyes filled with tears. She wiped them away with her sleeve and, without a word, drew her sword from her space ring.
"In that case, I will avenge my Junior Brother. Prepare to die!" she shouted as her sword flew toward the old man.
"Humph," the old man sneered, waving his sleeve dismissively. But to his shock, no power emerged. Before he could thought what had happened, Li Xiaoyan's sword pierced his chest, and blood began to flow.
"How... how is this possible?" the old man stammered, staring at the blade lodged in his chest. "Where is my power? When did it disappear?"
With those words, his body collapsed to the ground and become unconscious.
Before long, a sudden beam of white light descended from the sky, landing beside Li Xiaoyan. A majestic white dragon and an elderly man in white robes appeared.
"Grandpa!" Li Xiaoyan cried, running into the old man's arms. She sobbed uncontrollably, saying, "Junior Brother is gone. I... I killed him!"
The elderly man embraced her gently, patting her back. "Don't cry, Xiaoxiao. Grandpa is here. You're safe now. I'll protect you."
Once Li Xiaoyan calmed down, the old man asked, "Xiaoxiao, tell Grandpa everything that happened."
Between sobs, Li Xiaoyan began recounting the events in detail—from finding her Junior Brother to killing the mysterious old fisherman.
After listening to his granddaughter's words, the elderly man had already pieced together what had truly happened. However, he chose to remain silent, a thoughtful expression crossing his face as a plan began to form in his mind. With a subtle nod to the white dragon, he signaled for it to clear the scene.
As for him, he carried his precious granddaughter in his arms and vanished without a trace.