Green Jade Islands, the foundation-establishing Li Family.
As the sun barely rose above the clouds and the dawn sky was still early, numerous Li Clan members were already hurrying towards their own fish ponds.
A light boat broke through the mist on the water, agile and lively, stirring up ripples that glinted with fragmented gold.
Li Quanqing was seated on the boat, appearing to be only sixteen or seventeen years old, with a tall figure and well-proportioned features. Even in simple clothing, he could not hide his spirit light.
Not seen to be poling or rowing, mana streamed out in wisps, allowing him to steer the fishing boat through the winds and waves, speeding forward.
A hundred boats raced along, and the cool mist hit their faces, energizing the clan members who rose early.
Before long, a vast stretch of lotus flowers came into view—delicate pink and pristine white, bulbs poised to bloom, while rollicking dewdrops cascaded from the fresh green lotus leaves.
These lotus flowers were distributed in an orderly fashion, creating a picturesque scene that divided the water surface into numerous fish ponds, barely concealing the schools of fish swimming below.
"Quanqing, you're up so early again!"
A fishing boat drew near, on which sat an old man with gray hair and beard, wearing a raincoat and a bamboo hat, with steam rising from a purple sand pot on the stove.
"Uncle Nineteen, have you had your meal? I meditated all night and feel invigorated, so I came a bit earlier," Li Quanqing replied with a smile, gesturing with the dry food he had brought.
This old fisherman was named Li Kunshui, two generations above him in the clan, with a Qi Refining Fifth Level cultivation.
"Cultivation is good, really good! Like that good-for-nothing son of mine, he should get a good thrashing from his dad!"
The old man rambled on, his rough, knobby hands gripping a jade-mouthed pipe that doubled as a magic artifact, tapping it against the wooden rafter of the boat.
Over the years, the rafter, made of copper and wood, had visibly indented, blackened by the fire.
"Quanqing, you've really changed a lot in this year and more!"
Li Kunshui exhaled a puff of smoke, his bark-like old face relaxing, his words filled with emotion: "But having undergone major changes, it is to be expected."
Li Quanqing heard this but simply smiled without replying.
As per tradition, he was a transmigrator.
His parents died in an accident, and the original body succumbed to extreme sorrow, which allowed him to usurp his place.
Splash!
Waves surged, striking the bow of the boat and splashing up bursts of spray.
Li Quanqing stopped the boat, revealing a square fish pond in front of him, the water wide and nearly twenty acres large, encircled by lotus flowers.
Section Bingchen, Pond Number 13.
Li Quanqing took out a token, poured mana into it, and immediately the array patterns on the petals of each lotus flickered, emitting a rosy glow, revealing an array formation that enveloped the whole fish pond.
These tall and upright lotus flowers were not merely plants, but served as bases for the array.
The array patterns covered the waters, not only preventing the Spirit Fish from escaping but also gathering spirit, locking all the spiritual energy from miles around within this twenty-acre fish pond.
A Spiritual Lotus bloomed into a platform as large as a millstone; Li Quanqing, holding the token, stepped onto it and slowly entered the array.
Splash!
Undercurrents surged, and several large blue carps surfaced, spitting out water arrows.
Pop! Pop!
These water arrows were as thick as thumbs, and if they hit a mortal, at the very least, they would be toppled into the lake, drenched throughout.
But with a flash of light from the Lotus Platform, the patterns on the petals instantly coalesced into a light shield, blocking all the water arrows outside.
"A bunch of foolish fish that can't be trained, just starve for a while."
Li Quanqing shook his head, reached out his hand to form a spell, and released a basic magic.
Water Control Skill!
Water condensed into ropes, binding the carps together before being thrown into the depths with a splash.
These large blue fish could not yet be considered real Spiritual Objects, lying somewhere between Mortal Beasts and Demon Beasts.
But nourished by spiritual energy, they had considerable strength, their flesh was greatly nourishing, and fish soup made from them was extremely delicious.
Among cultivators in the early stages of Qi Refinement, they were quite popular.
The Lotus Platform slid across the water, revealing that the entire fish pond was divided by the array into a large and a small section.
The larger pond was stocked with over a thousand grown large blue fish, while the smaller pond contained immature fry.
"Little fishies, time for dinner."
Li Quanqing looked towards the small fish pond, raised his hand and sprinkled a handful of fish food, shimmering on the surface of the water.
This specially made bait was rich in fragrance, the water rippled with fish scales as many young fish rushed to the surface to compete for the food.
Li Quanqing watched without blinking, suddenly his eyes lit up when he found his target.
It was a green fish about half a foot long, with bright scales and strong fins, slapping the competitors around, monopolizing the food.
Most importantly, in Li Quanqing's eyes, this green fish had a bright white light group right on its forehead!
"It's you!"
He chuckled, and his Water Control Skill gathered into a big hand, snatching the young fish into the air.
Even though the green fish was strong, outside of the water, it was powerless.
Li Quanqing reached out his arm, effortlessly touching the light group which exploded into streams of white light, merging into his body.
[You have harvested an adult big green fish, rewarded with one group of Spiritual Energy!]
Accompanied by the flashing text, a large group of pure spiritual energy appeared out of thin air in his meridians.
Li Quanqing circulated the Golden Water Technique, refining the group of spiritual energy into strands of Pure Magic Power, sending it all into his Dantian.
The sensation of his cultivation rising rapidly was just too delightful.
This was exactly the Golden Finger Li Quanqing had awakened after transmigrating.
Whenever he raised a beast to maturity, capable of breeding offspring, he would receive a light group reward.
One effort, double gain!
"Now that it has reached maturity, you should go join the adults' table."
With a flick of his wrist, Li Quanqing tossed the green fish into the large pond, where it quickly swam away and vanished from sight.
He rolled his eyes, continuing to search for the presence of light groups among the hundreds of young fish.
[You have harvested an adult big green fish, rewarded with one group of Spiritual Energy!]
[You have harvested an adult big green fish, rewarded with one group of Spiritual Energy!]
[You have harvested an adult big green fish, rewarded with one group of Spiritual Energy!]
With three more groups of spiritual energy entering his body, Li Quanqing felt absolutely comfortable, every bone tingling pleasantly.
The euphoria of gaining without the effort of meditation was simply too addictive.
He felt that in less than a month, he would be able to break through to the Qi Refining Third Layer.
Among the younger generation of the Li Family, he would definitely be considered a prodigy.
Perhaps the frequent catching of fish had provoked their anger, a green fish with exceptionally thick scales suddenly leapt out of the water; its mouth shot out a clear Water Arrow.
Such an attack naturally couldn't break through the defenses of the lotus platform.
But Li Quanqing was excited – this fish also had a light group!
"Dare to spit water at me, I'm taking you!"
A little Spirit Fish, of course, was easy to handle.
[You have harvested an adult big green fish, rewarded with one portion of Water Control Skill experience!]
Looking at the text before him, Li Quanqing excitedly stroked the fish's head in agitation.
This kind of experience reward had occurred twice before, directly raising his control over the Water Control Skill by a large margin.
The white light entered his mind, with massive amounts of text emerging one after another, which he easily grasped.
Having digested this bout of experience, Li Quanqing no longer needed to form hand signs.
With a light point of his finger, he directly deployed the Water Control Skill, with effortless ease and heart's content.
The water stream was formless but became utterly obedient in his hands, easily condensing into myriad shapes.
Water Control Skill, Great Success!
A stream of water took the form of a big green fish, plunging into the fish pond, lifelike and full of vigor, splashing high waves and rampaging, disturbing the tranquility of the fish crowd.
Mud and silt were stirred up, and murky water churned, forcing all the young fish to surface, gaping with dead fish eyes, discontentedly spitting bubbles.
Seeing that no new light group had appeared, Li Quanqing finally gave up the search and prepared to go feed the schools of fish in the large pond.