11: Chapter 11 Shock and Acceptance, the Vitality of Clean Water

On the vast Yunmeng Marsh, wind and snow raged.

Accompanied by the sound of a conch horn, a Tower Ship slowly approached Reed Island.

A young man stood on the deck of the Tower Ship.

This person was named Manager Lin Hua, with a cultivation level of the fourth layer of Qi Gathering, and he was a cousin serving as a manager in the main branch.

Wind and snow fell on his heavy cloak, quickly condensing into ice crystals, making him shiver uncontrollably from the cold.

"This damned weather! Even the protective spiritual light can't block the yin cold from the water veins!"

Manager Lin Hua cursed under his breath. His gaze pierced through the heavy snow toward the isolated island ahead, which was shrouded in a grayish-white Formation light barrier, a hint of contempt flashing in his eyes.

"Reed Island... such a godforsaken desolate place. Plus, with the Yao Beast disturbances in the depths of Yunmeng Marsh these past few months, the shipping routes have been cut off."

"Without Family supplies for five whole months, that trash Lin Ze with his Pseudo-Spiritual Roots of water, wood, and earth has probably starved to death or been frozen into an ice sculpture by the cold, hasn't he?"

Manager Lin Hua had come to inspect by order, but he didn't actually expect to see any "reclamation results."

In his view, The Old Patriarch had sent Lin Ze here as nothing more than a pawn to be discarded, perhaps just to try his luck.

His mission today was merely to confirm whether Lin Ze was dead or alive. If he was dead, he would reclaim the Formation Plate and head home.

"Clang."

The Tower Ship's massive hull came to a steady halt ten zhang away from the outer perimeter of Reed Island's Formation, dropping its Profound Iron Anchor.

Manager Lin Hua cleared his throat, preparing to circulate his mana to transmit his voice into the island.

However, before he could speak...

The light barrier of the Water-Moon Heaven-Blurring Array ahead opened a passage to both sides.

A gust of warm wind blew out from inside the Formation!

At the end of the passage...

An exquisite and primitive wooden house on the water stood quietly.

On the wooden house's terrace, a thin youth dressed in a thin green robe stood with his hands behind his back.

The youth's black hair fluttered gently in the breeze as he looked at Manager Lin Hua on the ship.

"Cousin Hua, it has been a hard journey through the wind and snow."

Lin Ze's clear voice reached Manager Lin Hua's ears.

"You... you're not dead?!"

Manager Lin Hua cried out in shock, his face full of disbelief.

Not only was he alive, but what was with the aura on Lin Ze's body?

Although Lin Ze tried his best to restrain it, as a Cultivator at the Middle Stage of Qi Gathering, Manager Lin Hua still keenly sensed that the spiritual energy fluctuations within the youth before him were extremely stable, even more robust than some Cultivators at the Peak of the third layer of Qi Gathering!

"He broke through to the third layer of Qi Gathering?!"

"On such a cold, desolate, isolated island without supplies?!"

Manager Lin Hua leaped down from the Tower Ship and walked into the grand Formation.

As soon as he stepped into the Formation, Manager Lin Hua gasped again.

The concentration of Spiritual Qi here was actually thirty percent denser than at the side Peak of the Feiyun Island main branch where he lived.

"Brother Ze, you... you've managed this island quite well."

Manager Lin Hua's tone unconsciously softened, and his original contempt had completely vanished.

"Cousin, you overpraise me. I'm just barely surviving, relying on the grand Formation bestowed by the Family to eke out a living."

Lin Ze led Manager Lin Hua toward the cold spring.

"Cousin Hua, you must have come on behalf of the Family to inspect the growth of the spiritual fish, right?"

Hearing the words "spiritual fish," Manager Lin Hua finally snapped out of it and sneered inwardly.

So what if you coincidentally broke through in your cultivation?

Farming and fish rearing are slow, painstaking tasks.

In five months, even the fish fry wouldn't have passed their critical stage.

"Indeed."

"The Clan Chief is very concerned about you disciples sent out on assignments."

Manager Lin Hua put his hands behind his back, assuming the air of a manager, and swept his arrogant gaze toward the cold spring.

"Disperse the Formation mist. Let me see how many fish fry you've kept alive over these five months."

"Even if only thirty percent survived, I will certainly say a few good words for you in front of the Clan Chief when I return..."

Before Manager Lin Hua could finish his sentence...

"Splash!"

Slender spiritual fish leaped out of the water.

They traced arcs in the air, creating a mist of Spiritual Qi above the cold spring.

Manager Lin Hua was as if struck by lightning, freezing in place.

He stared at the massive creatures in the water, which were as thick as an adult's forearm, and even his breathing stopped.

"This... this is the Green Jade Cold Fish?!"

"How can they be this big?!"

"This color, this Spiritual Qi density... these are definitely mature Rank One Low Grade spiritual fish!"

Manager Lin Hua's body began to tremble uncontrollably.

He turned his head and looked at Lin Ze as if looking at a monster.

"Five months!"

"You only took five months to bring the Green Jade Cold Fish to maturity?!"

"And... this quantity, there must be no fewer than two hundred!"

"Lin Ze, are you a human or a ghost?!"

"What did you do?!"

It was no wonder Manager Lin Hua lost his composure.

In the Family records, even the top Spirit Planters and Spirit Fishermans, with the help of numerous precious Formations and Spirit Medicines, would take at least two years to raise Green Jade Cold Fish to maturity.

Looking at Manager Lin Hua's expression, which looked as if he had seen a ghost.

Lin Ze felt a secret thrill in his heart, but on the surface, he still maintained a simple and honest appearance.

"Cousin, please don't overpraise me."

Lin Ze sighed and gave a bitter smile. "I know my Aptitude is dull; with Pseudo-Spiritual Roots, it's hard to achieve the Great Dao."

"Since The Old Patriarch entrusted this cold spring to me, I could only stake my life on it."

"Over these five months, I've worked day and night without rest, spending almost all my mana on casting the Fish Rearing Technique. When my mana was exhausted, I meditated, and once it recovered, I continued casting."

"Perhaps it's because Heaven Rewards Diligence, or maybe this cold spring itself contains some kind of good fortune, that I luckily matured these two hundred spiritual fish."

Lin Ze's half-true, half-false words fell into Manager Lin Hua's ears.

Manager Lin Hua was stunned.

Casting the Fish Rearing Technique day and night without rest?

Who could persist for five months without sleep or rest in such an extremely boring basic Spell that consumes mana and tortures the mind?

What terrifying Dao Heart and perseverance!

"He's a ruthless one..." Manager Lin Hua swallowed hard, his contempt for Lin Ze completely vanishing.

In the world of immortal cultivation, one doesn't fear geniuses, but rather such desperate madmen.

"Good!"

"What a 'Heaven Rewards Diligence'!"

Manager Lin Hua took a deep breath, stepped forward, and patted Lin Ze on the shoulder.

"Brother Ze, you've performed an extraordinary feat this time!"

"These two hundred top-quality Green Jade Cold Fish are enough to make The Old Patriarch see you in a new light!"

"According to the rules, eighty percent must be handed over, which is one hundred and sixty fish."

"The remaining forty are your personal share."

"Brother, how do you plan to handle them?"

"Will you convert them directly into Spirit Stones, or exchange them for Family supplies?"

The real meat of the matter was here.

Lin Ze lowered his eyelids, having already made his calculations.

"To be honest with you, Cousin, what I lack most on this isolated island isn't Spirit Stones, but cultivation and safety."

Lin Ze looked up, his eyes burning as he stared at Manager Lin Hua. "I will convert all forty of these top-quality cold fish into supplies."

"I want three bottles of Rank One Low Grade 'Qi Gathering Pills'!"

"The rest, exchange all of it for Formation Flags and core Formation Plate Materials to reinforce the Water-Moon Heaven-Blurring Array!"

"That's easily done, easily done."

Manager Lin Hua nodded repeatedly. At this moment, how could he dare to put on manager airs? He completely regarded Lin Ze as a future cash cow for the Family.

He very readily took out three jade bottles filled with Medicinal Pills and a small bag of glowing Formation Materials from his Storage Pouch and handed them to Lin Ze.

Then, he took out a specially made large Spirit Beast Bag and began helping Lin Ze harvest the one hundred and sixty spiritual fish to be handed over.

Half an hour later.

The transaction was complete.

Lin Ze looked at the Medicinal Pills and Materials in his Storage Pouch.

He thought to himself.

This haul was a massive gain!

With these supplies, his cultivation would experience a blowout explosion, and the Formation's defensive power would also increase several times over.

"Brother Ze, since the supplies have been handed over clearly..."

"Next, I must convey another of The Old Patriarch's supreme orders."

After putting away the spiritual fish, Manager Lin Hua's expression became serious.

He pulled a crimson Jade Slip from his robe and solemnly handed it to Lin Ze.

"Although the remnants of the Black Water Gang have been cleared, surrounding forces are eyeing the waters we've conquered."

"The Family Elder council has resolved that we must accelerate our practical control over these waters!"

Manager Lin Hua pointed toward the vast wind and snow outside the grand Formation.

"This time, the Tower Ship didn't just bring supplies; it also brought five hundred Mortal fishermen from the Lin Family's side branches!"

"The Old Patriarch's intention is to settle these five hundred Mortal clansmen on the shallows around Reed Island, setting up camp to establish an outer fishing village."

"They will be responsible for catching Mortal fish and shrimp in safe waters, providing the Family with Mortal resource accumulation."

"At the same time, they will serve as a visual defensive line for Reed Island."

Manager Lin Hua gave Lin Ze a deep look and added with emphasis, "And you, as the guarding Cultivator of Reed Island, must be responsible for protecting them!"

Lin Ze took the crimson Jade Slip, his eyebrows twitching slightly.

Five hundred Mortals?

In the eyes of Cultivators, Mortals are like ants.

Asking a Cultivator at the third layer of Qi Gathering to protect five hundred Mortals is undoubtedly a huge burden.

Lin Ze thought to himself.

Population means labor.

It means an infrastructure army that doesn't require his own hands, and even more, it means... he can build this isolated island of his into a true kingdom!

"In addition, this is a batch of new Rank One Medium Grade 'Moon-Tear Pearl Clam' fry."

Manager Lin Hua pulled out several sealed jade jars and a slightly worn ancient book.

"As for this Water Purification Art, it's an unranked basic Spell that can only be used to purify Mortal water sources and dispel weak cold-poison miasma."

"The Family specifically instructed this for you; after all, if those five hundred Mortals drink the raw water of Yunmeng Marsh, they probably won't survive three days."

"Practice it when you have time, as a means of looking after those Mortals."

"It might come in handy later."

Manager Lin Hua patted Lin Ze on the shoulder and spoke with earnest intent.

"I understand. I certainly won't fail the Family's heavy trust."

Lin Ze respectfully took the Water Purification Art and the clam fry.

Manager Lin Hua nodded with satisfaction and boarded the Tower Ship with the Storage Pouch full of top-quality spiritual fish.

"Wooo—"

The horn sounded once again.

The Tower Ship slowly sailed away from the grand Formation, and behind it, dozens of Black-awning boats piloted by Mortals were braving the wind and snow, closing in on the shallows around Reed Island.

Through the Formation light barrier, Lin Ze could see those ragged Mortal clansmen gazing at the light barrier in the center of the island.

Lin Ze stood in the wind with his hands behind his back, his gaze deep.

He didn't look at those Mortals, but instead looked down at the Water Purification Art in his hand, which Manager Lin Hua had called "unranked."

The moment his fingers touched the cover of the ancient book...

In his mind, that semi-transparent panel erupted with a burst of golden light.

[Spell: Water Purification Art (Uninitiated) 0/100]