The lotus leaves swayed gently, and the lotus flowers bloomed in full splendor.
Li Quanqing stood on the water's surface, scattering handfuls of fish food into the pond. Thousands of fish competed for the food, their emerald-green backs breaking the surface of the water.
The shimmering ripples created a beautiful sight.
Despite the allure of the fish food, a dozen stubborn adult green carp continued to spit water arrows, seemingly enjoying themselves, their fish eyes gleaming with delight.
"These fish are getting out of hand. In a couple of days, I'll sell them all and exchange them for spirit stones!"
These green carp weren't worth much only one spirit grain per fish. A hundred spirit grains could be exchanged for a single low-grade spirit stone.
The Li family's true specialty was a type of spirit beast known as the Azure Jade Carp.
Moo! Moo!
A deep, muffled sound echoed, and the fish suddenly stirred, parting like subjects making way for their ruler.
Two Azure Jade Carps leisurely surfaced, their scales shimmering like jade under the sunlight. They weren't large, only about the length of a forearm, but their scales were imbued with a faint demonic aura, radiating intelligence.
The difference between the Azure Jade Carp and green carp was like that between cultivators and mortals outwardly similar but fundamentally worlds apart.
Seeing the two-spirit fish, Li Quanqing couldn't help but smile, taking out specially prepared high-grade fish food to feed them.
Azure Jade Carps were highly valuable. Their flesh was rich in spiritual energy, even more delicious than spirit rice. Their blood could be used to make spirit ink, and their bones and tendons could be boiled to create bone-healing ointments. Their thin, tough scales, which had excellent spiritual energy conductivity, were natural materials for crafting magical artifacts.
A single Azure Jade Carp at the early Qi Refinement stage could fetch a high price of 3 to 10 spirit stones.
This pair of male and female Azure Jade carp was a benefit provided by the family. Every Li family member who reached the age of fifteen could receive a pair of fry for free. After that, additional fry would require spending spirit stones or family contribution points.
After feeding the two young Azure Jade Carps, Li Quanqing carefully touched their scales.
[Optimistic and Cheerful] Azure Jade Carp: "I feel like I've gotten even prettier. When can I have babies~"
[Maturity: 98%]
[Lazy and Carefree] Azure Jade Carp: "Eat, eat, eat~ Sleep, sleep, sleep~ Phew, I almost starved to death earlier!"
[Maturity: 94%]
This was another function of Li Quanqing's golden finger. By touching a spirit beast, he could see their mental state and maturity level.
As for why he didn't use this ability on the green carp, it was simply because there were too many of them. These worthless fish could be left to grow wild and fend for themselves.
Watching the male Azure Jade Carp devour the high-grade spirit food, Li Quanqing couldn't help but clench his fists.
Eat, eat, eat! All you do is eat!
You eat so much every day, so why hasn't your maturity level increased?
As a proud spirit beast, laziness is forbidden!
If the spirit fish don't work hard, how will I save enough spirit stones to become an artifact refiner?
Li Quanqing then touched the beautiful female Azure Jade Carp, finding her much more pleasing to the eye. Not only did she grow quickly, but she also always seemed to consider her master's needs. Once she laid eggs, he wouldn't need to spend spirit stones to buy more fry from the family, saving him a considerable amount.
By the time he finished feeding the fish in the twenty-acre pond, over two hours had passed.
Li Quanqing, deeply aware of the importance of cultivation, didn't waste any time and began cultivating using the spiritual energy in the pond.
He sat cross-legged on the lotus platform, eyes slightly closed, hands resting on his knees. With each breath, wisps of spiritual energy entered his body through his nose and mouth, where they were refined.
In this world, humans were born with all five spiritual roots, but their strengths varied. Li Quanqing had a mid-grade water spiritual root and low-grade metal and wood spiritual roots. His fire and earth spiritual roots, however, were so weak that they couldn't even be detected by a spirit-measuring platform.
If all five spiritual roots were too weak and there was no special physique, one would be a mortal with no chance of cultivating immortality.
Metal generates water, so Li Quanqing practiced the Li family's foundational technique, the "Gold-Water Art." If he wanted to build his foundation in the future, he would need to switch to a more advanced cultivation method.
By the time he finished cultivating, the sun was already high in the sky.
"Half a day of cultivation is only equivalent to a third of a spiritual energy cluster," Li Quanqing sighed inwardly, pulling out the dry rations he had prepared earlier to eat for lunch.
With his talent, if he didn't rely on his cheat, reaching the peak of Qi Refinement would likely be his limit.
"Quanqing, just having lunch?"
Outside the pond, someone called his name through the formation, their voice familiar.
Li Quanqing looked up, his heart sinking as a sense of foreboding washed over him.
Why is he here?
The visitor was a thin, middle-aged man with a gloomy demeanor, holding two large green carp at the bow of his boat. His expression gave off an air of frustration and unfulfilled ambition.
"Has my nephew grown up and forgotten his uncle?"
Li Yuheng touched the cold, solid formation in front of him, forcing a smile. The thought of the recently discovered ancient cave dwelling made him feel anxious as if he couldn't wait to rush in with his spirit boat.
"Uncle, is there something you need?"
Li Quanqing opened the formation to let him in, his expression neutral, his smile neither warm nor cold.
Both of the original host's parents were members of the Li family. His father came from a mortal family but was later found to have a spiritual root and embarked on the path of cultivation. His mother, however, was of true Li family lineage, with ancestors who had once reached the Foundation Establishment stage, though the family had long since declined.
This man was his maternal uncle, someone he had rarely seen since childhood.
Li Yuheng entered the pond, rubbing his hands together and coughing lightly. "It's just that the recent fish harvest has been bountiful, so your aunt asked me to bring some for you to try."
Looking at the lively green carp, Li Quanqing sighed. "Uncle, just say what you need to say."
Li Yuheng looked slightly embarrassed, a sheepish smile on his face. "There's a recently discovered immortal cave near the coast. I want to explore it, but... I'm a bit short on spirit stones..."
Exploring ancient treasures was no simple task. Magical artifacts, spirit armor, talismans, and elixirs each required a significant amount of spirit stones. Those who were unwilling to spend spirit stones had long since perished in the sea, becoming food for the fish.
Li Quanqing had considered many possibilities, but this was the worst one.
He looked at his uncle, feeling a vein throbbing at his temple. "My parents died at the hands of sea demons, and their storage bags were lost. Where would I get spirit stones to lend you?"
Li Yuheng chuckled dryly. "There's still the family contribution points left by Yu Ru. If you use them as collateral, you could get a few hundred spirit stones."
As if realizing how shameless his request was, he quickly added, "Don't worry, nephew. I'll use the deed to my Class B fish pond as collateral. I won't let you suffer any losses!"
"Class B fish pond?"
Hearing this, Li Quanqing's interest was piqued.
The Li family divided the thousands of miles of sea around the Qingyu Archipelago into eight ring-shaped regions based on spiritual energy concentration. The first four regions were occupied by Li family members, while the latter four, along with their islands, were leased to wandering cultivators and smaller families.
"A Class B fish pond has abundant spiritual energy, enough to support the growth of Azure Jade Carp Kings at the mid to late Qi Refinement stage. It could also support the cultivation of more spirit fish and sea beasts."
Li Quanqing's heart stirred. "Let me see the deed."