21: The first underling!

It was another unremarkable afternoon.

Chen Meng practiced her skills in the courtyard while Li Qing did chores in the corner, sweeping the floor and wiping weapons.

His movements were neither fast nor slow, playing the role of a dutiful follower to perfection.

Chen Meng glanced at him occasionally; seeing that he still looked thin and dull, she stopped paying him any attention.

In her eyes, the Li Qing before her was short and thin, useless except for being dull.

He was nowhere near as interesting as Senior Brother Lu!

He finally managed to endure until dark.

Back in the quarters, Hou San was already sprawled out on the bed, snoring loudly.

"Li Qing, you're back."

Hou San rolled over and muttered.

"You seemed distracted today; are you homesick?"

"Third Brother, a little," Li Qing responded vaguely, quickly undressing and getting into bed.

He wasn't homesick; his heart was itching with impatience, and he couldn't wait to go out and explore the Great River.

Closing his eyes, he began the familiar process.

Consciousness, switch!

Splash!

The cold, dark river water instantly enveloped his body as he felt the majestic power, vast as mountains and seas, within the Black Armored Turtle's body.

Li Qing moved his massive four-meter-long body, churning up the silt and sand at the bottom of the river.

This small tributary where he had hidden for several days was now no different from a bathtub in his eyes.

With a thought, the Black Armored Turtle's massive body glided silently into the murky current like a black submarine.

With a gentle swing of its limbs, its form shot toward the depths of the Great River like an arrow from a bow.

Its speed was more than several times faster than before!

This time, his goal was clear.

The deep-water reef area where he had fought the Black Water Mystic Serpent yesterday.

The terrain there was complex and the currents were rapid, making it an excellent place to hide and a paradise for Vicious Beasts.

It used to be a dangerous place, but now, it was his designated territory!

Soon, the cluster of reefs, as jagged as animal bones, appeared in his perception.

The smell of blood had long since been washed away by the river, but the traces of yesterday's battle remained.

A reef cracked by a snake's tail and several claw marks deeply embedded in the silt all showed the battle that had taken place here before.

Li Qing was in no hurry to find prey; instead, he first patrolled his territory.

His massive body wove through the reefs, and the Mystic Water Manipulation talent activated naturally.

The surrounding water became incredibly docile, causing not a single unnecessary ripple.

He was like a ghost, patrolling his kingdom.

This area was even larger than he had imagined.

After patrolling for a while, Li Qing stopped in a circular valley naturally formed by three giant reefs.

The terrain here was treacherous and easy to defend but hard to attack, with the water forming a large slack-water zone.

The internal space was also large enough to be a perfect lair.

Just as he was about to designate this place as the "Turtle Mansion"...

A violent and overbearing aura emanated from a massive cave at the bottom of the valley.

The intensity of the aura was surprisingly at the Second Order!

Li Qing's eyes lit up.

Just when he was getting sleepy, someone brought him a pillow.

I'll use you to test my new talent!

He didn't hide his form; instead, he swam openly to the cave entrance, his massive body nearly blocking the light completely.

[Domination]!

An invisible pressure, originating from his Bloodline and rank, flooded into the deep cave like mercury spilling on the ground.

"Come out and submit to me!"

A simple, domineering thought exploded on a spiritual level.

Inside the cave, that violent aura suddenly stalled, then became even more frenzied!

"Roar!"

A dull, thunderous roar came from the cave, churning the water.

A terrifying giant fish, over four meters long, covered in a black cuticle and possessing an exaggeratedly huge mouth, charged out of the cave!

[Black Armored Giant Catfish (Second Order Middle Stage Vicious Beast)]

[Violent temperament, extremely territorial, capable of swallowing rocks in one bite, with astonishing defensive power.]

Second Order Middle Stage!

It was even a notch stronger than that Black Water Mystic Serpent!

This Black Armored Giant Catfish was clearly the local tyrant of this area; being provoked at its doorstep, its ferocity immediately erupted.

Especially the consciousness that had just entered its mind demanding submission.

Instead of yielding, its giant fish eyes burst with a fierce light. It opened its mouth, large enough to swallow a cow, and bit down hard toward Li Qing's Turtle head!

Want to eat me?

A trace of disdain flashed in Li Qing's Turtle eyes.

Facing this fierce bite, he neither dodged nor avoided it, not even bothering to fully activate his Mysterious Armor talent.

"It seems that just using my domineering aura isn't enough; I have to let you feel what true strength is!"

Li Qing made a prediction in his heart.

He snorted coldly to himself.

He also raised his Turtle head, striking second but arriving first, just an instant before the Black Armored Giant Catfish's jaws closed.

That Turtle beak, shimmering with a cold metallic light, pecked precisely onto the giant catfish's forehead!

For this strike, he only used thirty percent of his strength.

Thump!

A dull, loud sound echoed, like a massive bell being struck.

The Black Armored Giant Catfish's mouth, capable of crushing rocks, was forcibly knocked back by the force of the peck.

Its massive body tumbled several times in the water before it managed to stabilize itself.

Its head buzzed as if it had been hit head-on by a small mountain; stars danced before its eyes, and it felt completely dizzy.

The Black Armored Giant Catfish was dazed.

It had been a tyrant in these waters for many years; when had it ever suffered such a loss?

What kind of monster was this pitch-black Turtle?

How could its strength be so terrifying?

Before it could react, Li Qing's massive figure approached again.

Great Strength erupted!

The Black Armored Turtle's giant claw, carrying the Power of Six Elephants, didn't strike its body but instead slammed hard against a nearby reef that was over a person's height!

Boom!

The water vibrated violently; under the giant claw, that incredibly hard reef shattered instantly like a sandcastle, turning into countless fragments that were swept away by the current.

The power of a single strike was so terrifying!

The Black Armored Giant Catfish's giant fish eyes stared fixedly at the vanished reef.

Its fish body froze in place, not daring to move.

A thought finally surfaced in its not-so-clever brain.

I can't win!

Run!

Just as this thought arose, Li Qing's cold and majestic spiritual command descended once more.

"Submit, or die!"

This time, the command contained undisguised killing intent and the absolute power that had just crushed the reef!

The Black Armored Giant Catfish's massive body trembled violently.

The instinct for survival and the dignity of a Vicious Beast fought a fierce battle in its mind.

The pressure originating from the Bloodline and the insurmountable gap in strength finally crushed all its will to resist.

Its giant head slowly and unwillingly bowed down.

[Tamed Second Order Middle Stage Vicious Beast Black Armored Giant Catfish. Would you like to grant it a name?]

It's done!

Li Qing was overjoyed.

Grant a name?

He thought for a moment, and a simple and crude name came to mind.

"From now on, you shall be called Catfish Head."

[Naming successful: Black Armored Giant Catfish — Catfish Head]

Through his Domination talent, he issued the first command to Catfish Head.

"Guard this valley well; you are the sentry here."

"If any powerful creature approaches or if you find glowing aquatic plants, notify me immediately."

After taming the Catfish Head before him, his consciousness could be directly fed back into Catfish Head's mind.

Catfish Head could also transmit the consciousness in its mind.

Catfish Head's giant head nodded, indicating its understanding.

Then, it obediently swam to the valley entrance and lay in wait like a dutiful guardian deity.

Li Qing looked at his first underling with satisfaction.

With this Catfish Head as an enforcer and scout, he could Cultivate in peace in this "Turtle Mansion" or order it to scavenge for resources.

He had truly taken the "Gou" tactic to a new level.

From today on, this reef area belongs to the Li family!