80: It's better to lose both than to win alone

The bluestone platform at the edge of the Enlightenment Pool was somewhat cool.

Tantai Qinghuang's fingertips traced the bamboo nodes on the surface of the fishing rod; the bamboo pole was dark green, with a subtle sheen, but holding it in her hand, she felt something was off.

"This fishing rod is refined from hundred-year-old Heart-Observing Bamboo," Liu Qi squatted by the pool, dipping the end of the rod into the water, watching the ripples spread out in circles.

"It's used for fishing Tai Ling Fish and also serves as a medium for us to connect with the Enlightenment Pool and comprehend the Great Dao."

"Inspector Huang said that three wisps of divine sense are enough to condense a fishing line. But this rod requires ten wisps to activate, and while the consumption of divine sense is minor, the key is having to divert attention to maintain the fishing line's stability. How can one then focus on comprehending the Dao?"

"This secret realm trial is already time-sensitive; how can we afford such a hassle?"

Tantai Qinghuang didn't speak, merely resting the fishing rod across her lap, her fingertips meticulously tracing the bamboo nodes.

When she touched the third section of the bamboo, she suddenly stopped, her thumb pad brushing over a barely noticeable depression.

"The inside of this Heart-Observing Bamboo has been termiteed." (Note: There is a Chinese character ' termite' in the input that means 'worm-eaten' or 'moth-eaten'. Since the instruction states not to include any translator notes or explanations, I have transliterated it as ' termiteed' to maintain accuracy to the source text while adhering to the constraint. If a more natural English equivalent is preferred, please let me know for future translations.)

Her brows furrowed slightly, and she tapped the bamboo rod with her fingertip, producing a slightly hollow sound. "Someone tampered with it; several of the bamboo's innate meridians are broken, which is why it requires more divine sense to compensate."

"What?" Liu Qi suddenly leaned over, snatching the fishing rod and examining it repeatedly. "Could it be a mistake? Perhaps this Heart-Observing Bamboo was naturally flawed."

The two exchanged glances, both seeing doubt in the other's eyes.

"Let's go ask."

The two hurried back to the entrance; a teacup on a stone table was still steaming, and the bamboo chair swayed slightly, indicating the owner had just left. Yet, there wasn't a single ripple of spiritual energy around, as if he had vanished into thin air.

"Where is he?!"

Tantai Qinghuang's voice turned cold. "Someone deliberately set this up."

...

East Mu Continent Immortal Academy.

Zhang Wen stood with his hands behind his back, a cold sneer on his face, looking at Huang Mu's somewhat uneasy expression. "Old Huang, you're still so naive."

"Do you really think cultivating a few geniuses and achieving some results will get you promoted?"

"In this Great Xia Immortal Dynasty, what truly matters has never been capability, but connections."

...

By the Enlightenment Pool, Liu Qi angrily jabbed her fishing rod into the ground: "It must be that old geezer Zhang Wen's doing!"

She looked around and saw that the other examinees were all concentrating on their fishing, their lines condensing into almost invisible threads of light in the morning sun, interwoven with the spiritual energy of the Enlightenment Pool.

Looking at the fishing rods in her and Tantai Qinghuang's hands, they seemed increasingly glaring.

"This broken secret realm doesn't even allow us to use magic power, otherwise I'd just snatch a few usable ones!"

Tantai Qinghuang took a deep breath, tightening her grip on the fishing rod.

Su Chen's figure flashed through her mind, that Ancestor who could always find a solution in desperate situations. If he were here now, he would surely have a way.

But she quickly shook her head.

This secret realm was thousands of miles away and isolated from the outside world; even if the Ancestor possessed immense divine abilities, he might not know the situation here.

Moreover, the Ancestor was not omnipotent; many things ultimately had to be handled by herself.

Her gaze swept over the Heart-Observing Bamboo growing by the pool. Those new bamboo shoots were verdant and tall, and though young, they were full of spiritual energy and flawless.

A thought quietly emerged.

"Come here."

Tantai Qinghuang walked to the edge of the bamboo forest, pulled out the short knife from Liu Qi's waist, and with a flash of the blade, cleanly cut a new, arm-thick bamboo shoot at its base.

"You want this to be..." Liu Qi paused, then immediately realized, "Make your own fishing rod?"

"The rules only say we can't engage in combat, not that we can't cut bamboo," Tantai Qinghuang said, deftly stripping the branches with the short knife. "This new bamboo is young and lacks spiritual charm, but it's complete, which might make it better than the worm-eaten one."

Soon, two simple bamboo rods were laid on the bluestone platform. The new bamboo had its green skin peeled off, revealing the white pith inside. Though not as exquisite as the original fishing rods, they exuded a vibrant spiritual energy.

Liu Qi picked one up and tried it, exclaiming in surprise, "Qinghuang, you're so smart! I never would have thought of cutting bamboo to make a rod."

Tantai Qinghuang held the other bamboo rod and infused three wisps of divine sense into it. The tip of the bamboo trembled slightly, and the condensed fishing line was a bit more stable than before, but still appeared thin.

"It's still a bit lacking," she shook her head. "It's too young and lacks spiritual essence, so it still requires five wisps of divine sense to maintain stability."

Liu Qi's smile faded slightly, but she still cheered up: "It's better than ten wisps. Let's try it first."

The two sat down again by the pool, casting their fishing lines into the Enlightenment Pool.

The pool water was deep blue like a mirror, and the moment the fishing line sank, countless tiny specks of light climbed up the line and surged into their foreheads.

Tantai Qinghuang closed her eyes, and a massive amount of information instantly flooded her sea of consciousness.

Details she had overlooked during her past cultivation of the Void Emperor Scripture emerged one by one: the subtle tremors of her meridians when circulating spiritual energy, the precise control of her soul when condensing her double pupils, and even the angle of the spatial rift during her last sparring match with Liu Qi, all gained new insights.

Her divine sense connected with the Enlightenment Pool through the fishing line, as if the rhythmic flow of the Great Dao of the entire world was flowing past her ears.

She subconsciously mobilized her divine sense, and the Dao charm on her fingertips condensed into a pale golden bait, slowly sinking into the water.

In just a moment, the fishing line suddenly dipped. Tantai Qinghuang opened her eyes and saw a completely transparent Tai Ling Fish biting the bait, its tail glowing with starlight.

"It's on the hook." She flicked her wrist, and the Tai Ling Fish was reeled in, transforming into a streak of light in the air and disappearing into the jade basket beside her feet.

Liu Qi watched enviously and quickly composed herself.

With Tantai Qinghuang's example, she quickly entered a state, spiritual light flashing in her sea of consciousness, and pale green Dao charm bait gradually condensing on her fingertips.

"Almost there." Liu Qi felt a slight joy in her heart. According to the rules Inspector Huang had previously revealed, usually catching three Tai Ling Fish would pass the first round.

Although they had wasted some time and their fishing rods weren't as good as others, as long as things went smoothly from now on, there was still a chance.

Just as her bait was about to be bitten by a Tai Ling Fish, the fish suddenly flicked its tail, turning around and swimming towards the adjacent water.

Liu Qi looked up and realized that at some point, five examinees dressed in White Mountain Province attire had surrounded them. The fishing lines from their five rods interwove in the water, blocking the fishing spots of her and Tantai Qinghuang.

"Are you crazy?" Liu Qi yelled angrily. "All crowding here, do you not want to pass the next round?"

The five, however, didn't even lift their heads. The leading young man in green even deliberately moved his fishing line into Tantai Qinghuang's water area.

Liu Qi wanted to argue further, but Tantai Qinghuang held her back. She pointed to the five people's jade baskets; each basket contained at least three Tai Ling Fish, clearly indicating they had already met the basic requirements.

"Why are you doing this?" Liu Qi's voice was a little anxious.

The young man in green finally looked up, a cold sneer on his lips: "There's no why, the scenery here is just good."

Another round-faced cultivator chimed in: "I advise you not to think about moving either. If you dare to move, we few wouldn't mind 'escorting' the two of you over."

"You... you..." Liu Qi's voice was laced with grievance.

She came from a fifth-rank noble family and had never suffered such humiliation since childhood, but the secret realm rules restricted fighting, making it impossible to even strike back.

Tantai Qinghuang's fingertips tightened slightly. There was only one Tai Ling Fish in her jade basket, two short of the passing line.

If she couldn't pass the first round, not only would she miss out on the secret realm's opportunities, but she would also be ridiculed if the news got out, let alone reviving the Tantai Family.

If the Ancestor knew she couldn't even handle such a small matter...

Pressure surged like a tide, but Tantai Qinghuang suddenly became calm.

At the point where her divine sense connected with the fishing line, spiritual light suddenly exploded. In her sea of consciousness, the operation trajectory of spatial laws became clearer than ever before.

Another wisp of Dao charm condensed into bait, slowly sinking into the water.

A Tai Ling Fish approached, wagging its tail, and was about to take the bait.

"Splash!"

Suddenly, there was a splash from nearby. The young man in green abruptly pulled up his rod, stirring the water into a muddy mess.

The Tai Ling Fish was startled and instantly disappeared into the deep water.

"You're asking for death!" Liu Qi trembled with rage.

"Oh my, I'm so scared." The round-faced cultivator deliberately swayed his fishing rod, drawing chaotic trajectories in the water. "If you've got the guts, come hit me, haha."

Liu Qi felt a wave of powerlessness wash over her. As the direct daughter of the fifth-rank Liu Family, this was the first time she had experienced being bullied so helplessly.

"Qinghuang, I can't stand this..."

She turned to look at Tantai Qinghuang, only to see that the young woman had stood up at some point. Seizing the moment while the five people's attention was on the water, she suddenly rushed over.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

Three muffled thuds, and three people were kicked into the pool by her. At the same time, their nearby jade baskets were overturned, and the Tai Ling Fish inside turned into streaks of light, all escaping back into the Enlightenment Pool.

The other two immediately protected their jade baskets when they saw this.

"If you like playing dirty, I'll play with you," Tantai Qinghuang clapped her hands, her eyes cold.

"A lose-lose is better than a one-sided win."