With a depth of around ten meters, the pond was not too deep. Beyond that was where the spatial seal that led to the next dimension lay.
Instead of entering the spatial seal, Zhang Xuan chose to swim around its vicinity to take a closer look.
But even after swimming all the way around once, he was unable to find anything at all. Putting aside any lifeforms, he could not even find any rocks, ores, or anything that could remotely resemble an artifact. It was all clear water.
“Did I guess incorrectly? Does the crux of the dimension not lie here, or could it be that… someone has beaten me to it?” Zhang Xuan frowned. “No, that’s not right. If someone had claimed the crux of the formation, the poison lingering in the air would have receded by now…”
In the desert dimension, the desert had vanished after he took the Berserk Yellowsand Wood. In the forest dimension, as he had left together with the Five Monarchs, it was not clear what had happened after they departed. Nevertheless, no longer restricted by the authority of the Five Monarchs, it was unlikely for the beasts in the dimension to remain so orderly.
The same applied to the poison dimension as well. Considering how poison was still lingering in the air and the pond still possessed the properties of an antidote, it was likely that the crux of the dimension had not been found.
“Eye of Insight!”
Zhang Xuan scrutinized every nook and cranny within the pond, and soon, he noticed that something was amiss.
The substance that would neutralize the surrounding poison seemed to be growing scarcer and scarcer.
Zhang Xuan pondered for a moment before flying out of the pond. He waited for a few seconds before checking on the pond once more, only to find that the substance had fully regenerated within.
“Teacher, have you found it yet?” Zhao Ya asked.
“Not yet. However, I have a good guess as to what the crux of the formation is. Bring me a bamboo pole!” Zhang Xuan instructed with a smile.
Zhao Ya left the area. Shortly after, she returned with a bamboo pole in hand.
Taking the bamboo pole, Zhang Xuan shook it lightly, jolting the leaves off. Driving his zhenqi through the bamboo pole, he manifested his zhenqi as a thin thread at the other end of the bamboo pole before concentrating his zhenqi at the very tip of the thread, as if preparing a delicious bait for the prey to be reeled in.
“This is… a fishing rod? Teacher, are you intending to fish at this pond?” Zhao Ya was taken aback.
“Fish with a rod and not with a net; hunt not those back in their nests1. If I’m not mistaken, the crux of this dimension can only be fished out. Other methods will only drive it further away!” Zhang Xuan explained with a smile.
In the past, he had read a book about Kong shi, and one of them depicted ‘Fish with a rod and not with a net; hunt not those back in their nests’. What it meant was that Kong shi fished with a fishing rod and not through fishing nets, and even though he did use the bow and arrow to hunt animals, he would never attempt to shoot down those that were resting.
This was an analogy to display Kong shi’s benevolence, but it seemed like it had a deeper meaning. Using forceful means would not get him what he wanted within the pond. The only way was to literally fish!
Zhang Xuan placed a venomous worm inside the pond before sitting quietly by the side.
Fishing could temper one’s state of mind and rid one of restlessness and anxiety, allowing one to be more aligned with nature.
Even ordinary mortals could fuse into their surroundings while fishing, creating a scene as still as a painting, let alone cultivators at his level of cultivation.
As the fishing line that he had made out of zhenqi swayed along with the ripples on the pond, Zhang Xuan suddenly felt that the poison dimension was not as frightening as it seemed. It was another creation of nature, and it was both real and authentic.
In ancient times, when the world was rich with spiritual energy, no humans would dare to step into the primordial forests. Miasma lingered in those places, and venomous creatures prowled the area, ready to sink their toxins into any unwary souls. It was rather similar to the poison dimension that he was in.
This dimension was not an artificial creation. It was one of the primordial forests that had withstood the test of time.
In there, one could experience the true nature of nature.
Driving the cultivation technique that he had practiced while achieving a breakthrough to Great Sage, Zhang Xuan seemed to have become a part of the natural world as well, fusing in with the boulders, trees, and dirt around.
Under the extreme calmness, his Soul Depth began to rise…
29.91!
29.92!
…
Huala!
While Zhang Xuan was in a trance, the water before him suddenly rippled. Following which, an anxious voice filled the air.
“Teacher, a fish has taken the bait!”
Lowering his head, Zhang Xuan saw a bright red koi hanging on his zhenqi thread, struggling desperately. Water splashed all around the area.
“What a pity!”
It was great that he had caught the fish, but it had also jolted him out of his trance.
Had it not, his Soul Depth might have reached 30.0, thus hitting the prerequisite for him to become an Ancient Sage!
Hu la!
Zhang Xuan lowered his wrist lightly before swinging it backward powerfully. The bright red koi fish was flung right out of the pond.
Hu la!
Thrown out of the water, the koi fish struggled on the ground a while as its mouth opened and closed desperately, as if it could not catch its breath. A moment later, it flipped over with its eyes bulging from their sockets, seemingly having breathed its last breath.
“Teacher, is the fish… dead?” Zhao Ya asked in uncertainty.
Isn’t this the crux of the dimension?
Why did it die as soon as it was fished up?
Was it not meant to be fished up?
“Alright, that’s enough!” Zhang Xuan kicked the body of the koi fish lightly, and it bounced up a few times in response to the stimulus before falling still once more, as if it was truly dead this time around.
Rendered speechless, he flicked his finger and gathered a bundle of black flames infused with the lightning and threatened, “Haven’t you had your fun yet, or do you want to be roasted?”
“Cough cough!” The koi fish on the ground flipped upward and stood up on its tail. “My apologies, it’s just a habit of mine. I haven’t been on the shore for so long that I had some trouble breathing when I came up, and I thought that I would suffocate to death…”
Zhao Ya’s cheeks twitched upon hearing those words.
A fish actually stood up and began speaking.
Furthermore… the fish seemed to have quite an eccentric personality.
“Don’t estimate this fellow. It’s a Sempiternal realm consummation cultivator. Put aside coming onto shore, he wouldn’t die even if he was thrown into a pot of boiling oil!” Zhang Xuan explained.
Zhao Ya’s initial shock slowly turned into intrigue as she asked, “If it possesses such strength, how did it end up being fished up?”
A Sempiternal realm consummation fish was likely to be a being of great intelligence. Yet, it had been fished up by an ordinary bamboo pole… This was unbelievable!
“I can’t help it—it was out of habit! In the past, Kong shi would often come to fish me. He would hook me up each and every time before releasing me shortly after. Each time, I would be caught dozens of times, so I eventually got used to it!” the koi fish explained.
Zhao Ya’s cheeks continued to twitch.
Despite its strength, it still allowed itself to be hooked up each and every single day… Furthermore, from the looks of it, it seemed like it enjoyed the process. Was it really that bored?
More importantly, to fish the same fish every single day… Kong shi must have been bored to death!
“Don’t listen to his nonsense. If I’m not wrong, Kong shi also used his zhenqi as his fishing line and bait. What that fellow is interested in is not just the bait but the fishing line as well, am I right?” Zhang Xuan shook his head with a light chuckle before turning his gaze to the koi fish.
“This… It’s all fleeting clouds!” the koi fish said in embarrassment.
“I see!” Zhao Ya widened her eyes in realization.
It was no wonder an ordinary fish was able to cultivate to Sempiternal realm consummation. It turned out that it had been consuming Kong shi’s zhenqi all along.
Naturally, there was no way that it would pass on such a delightful task to any other fish.
“I thought that I’d hidden myself quite well earlier. How did you find me?” asked the koi fish doubtfully as it turned to Zhang Xuan.
The way that it had hidden itself was extremely discreet, such that it would have been nigh impossible for even those who possessed the Eye of Insight to see through its disguise. There were a few other groups who had arrived prior to them, but they had failed to notice its presence.
Yet, the young man had actually known that he needed to use a fishing rod to hook it up, and that had left it feeling itchy all over. As a result, it could not help but bite the bait and allow itself to be hooked up.
“The antidote that you have left inside the water is similar to my zhenqi. It’s not something that anyone could create,” Zhang Xuan explained. “If I’m not mistaken, it probably originated from Kong shi, right?”
