Chapter 32
Chapter 32
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 32
Chapter Title: The Inner Waters
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As they spoke, the hundred-zhang ship sailed into the inner waters.
Although both were part of Mirror Moon Lake, the inner and outer waters were like two completely different worlds.
A natural wall of aquatic plants served as a barrier, separating the two realms.
Spiritual mist floated over the jade-green lake, shrouded in a light, misty rain. Lotus petals drifted onto the surface, creating ripples of golden light. Suddenly, a green-scaled creature broke through the fog. As its translucent tail fin swept past, the layered reflections of the crimson sun and auspicious clouds shattered into shimmering gold upon the sparkling water.
*Haaaah~*
The rich spiritual energy prompted the thirty-five new advanced Fishery Farmers to take a greedy breath.
Chen Jianghe's eyes lit up, his heart leaping with joy.
He had heard from Old Gao that the spiritual energy in the inner waters was abundant, but he never expected it to be this rich.
Although cultivating here couldn't compare to absorbing spirit stones, it was at least thirty percent faster than in the outer waters.
This meant that what would have originally taken ten years to reach the peak of the third level of Qi Refining and attempt a breakthrough to the mid-stage...
...would now only take seven.
"`The spiritual energy concentration in the inner waters is merely comparable to a first-tier, mid-grade spirit vein, yet it boosts my cultivation speed this much. I've heard there's a second-tier, low-grade spirit vein beneath Lakeheart Island.`"
"`If I could cultivate on Lakeheart Island, my speed would probably be fifty percent faster than in the outer waters.`"
Chen Jianghe thought to himself.
Chen Jianghe didn't dare to dream of cultivating on Lakeheart Island.
Only by marrying into the Yun Clan could one gain access. Otherwise, even an artisan with a first-tier, high-grade skill couldn't enter Lakeheart Island to cultivate.
Marrying into a clan was not what he desired.
Seeing the Fishery Farmers greedily inhaling the spiritual energy, Yun San's lips curled up, a flash of contempt in his eyes.
He was Yun Bufan's attendant and cultivated on Lakeheart Island, where the spiritual energy was even richer.
He continued to explain the key points of raising the little green fish, as well as the rules of living in the inner waters.
The fry for the little green fish were actually large green fish weighing four and a half jin. The task of the advanced Fishery Farmers was to feed these fry with immortal spirit rice to dispel their violent nature and awaken their intelligence.
This would allow them to advance in rank and become spirit beasts.
The breeding cycle was three years, meaning they would only be paid once every three years.
Unlike junior Fishery Farmers, advanced Fishery Farmers had no base salary.
Each advanced Fishery Farmer would be given one hundred fry. For every little green fish successfully raised into a ranked spirit beast, the reward was one spirit stone.
If, after three years, not a single little green fish had advanced in rank, the payment would be calculated based on their average weight.
Because these large green fish consumed immortal spirit rice, not only would their intelligence be awakened, but their bodies would also shrink.
The smaller their size, the more their spiritual energy would be contained within, nourishing every part of their flesh.
This made them more delicious and also provided cultivators with an auxiliary benefit to their cultivation.
Therefore, for every liang the average weight of the little green fish decreased, they would earn ten grains of spirit sand. It seemed a bit low.
However, the advanced Fishery Farmers still hoped to earn their salary by raising the little green fish to a higher rank.
That was the main source of income for an advanced Fishery Farmer.
Raising one little green fish to become a spirit beast was worth one spirit stone.
"`The aquaculture zone is just ahead. When your name is called, disembark directly. The fry and fish feed will be delivered in three days.`"
The large ship navigated the waterways of the inner lake. Upon entering the aquaculture zone, Yun San began assigning water territories to the newly promoted advanced Fishery Farmers.
One by one, names were called out by Yun San, and the Fishery Farmers on board began to leave in succession.
"`Chen Jianghe, Sector C, Water Territory Twelve.`"
Chen Jianghe gathered his belongings, leaped off the large ship, and channeled the spiritual power from his dantian to his feet, stepping across the water's surface onto a ten-zhang black-canopied boat.
From now on, this would be his home in the inner waters.
The fry wouldn't be delivered for another three days.
He had planned to use this time to bring Xiao Hei over, but he worried that leaving right after entering the inner waters would attract unwanted attention.
After all, all thirty-five of them had purchased a month's worth of living supplies.
"`I'll wait a month.`"
Chen Jianghe made up his mind. He was already in the inner waters, so waiting a month wouldn't hurt.
Recalling what Yun San had said about the rules of the inner waters, a hint of surprise appeared on his face.
"`So advanced Fishery Farmers can actually go to Lakeheart Island.`"
No wonder he rarely saw advanced Fishery Farmers and guest elders at the harbor during the year-end.
It turned out that the advanced Fishery Farmers and guest elders living in the inner waters could visit Lakeheart Island every New Year's Eve to buy or sell cultivation resources.
Of course, their time on the island was limited. They could not stay for more than six hours and had to leave the island before dusk.
Furthermore, there were also egrets in the inner waters that could help deliver letters. The payment, however, was not a green fish but a grain of spirit sand. A clever egret would take the spirit sand to a Yun Clan manager and exchange it for a large green fish from the outer waters.
A single fry from the inner waters weighed four and a half jin and was quite valuable.
There were only a hundred fry in total, and to get the commission based on average weight, there was a prerequisite: the survival rate had to be over ninety percent.
In other words, when the three-year period was up and the Yun Clan came to collect the fish, there had to be at least ninety live fish in your aquaculture territory.
Otherwise, there would be no commission.
If you also failed to raise a single little green fish to the next rank, it would mean three years of work for nothing, without earning a single grain of spirit sand.
Chen Jianghe was puzzled. Why was the Yun Clan raising these little green fish?
If it was merely for the dinner table, it was far too extravagant. Raising a single little green fish would cost at least three spirit stones.
Wouldn't that mean a single little green fish served at a meal would cost at least five spirit stones or more?
How many bites could you get from a fish weighing just over a jin? Even for a dish made from a spirit beast, he felt it was a bit too lavish.
As for whether the little green fish had any other uses besides being served as food, he had no idea.
On the large ship, under Yun San's stern gaze, no one dared to whisper among themselves.
Three days passed.
The Yun Clan delivered one hundred fry, along with a six-month supply of fish feed, which consisted of two types: immortal spirit rice and rice bran.
The immortal spirit rice was to be fed once a month, half a jin each time. For the rest of the time, they were to be fed rice bran.
Immortal spirit rice was even more precious than spirit marrow rice. It not only contained spiritual energy but also had the effect of purifying the mind.
For beasts, it had the additional effect of awakening intelligence.
One jin was worth twelve grains of spirit sand.
After the person from the Yun Clan left, Chen Jianghe released the fry into the lake. Immediately after, he was stunned.
The moment these fry hit the water, they began to attack each other viciously. Their violent aura was thick, their eyes blood-red, filled with the desire to devour their own kind.
"`Separate!`"
Spiritual power surged from Chen Jianghe's dantian. Silver threads shot from his fingertips, flinging apart the fry that were locked in combat.
But his cultivation was insufficient; he could only separate five fry at a time, stopping ten from fighting one another.
Moreover, the fry he flung away would dive back into the school an instant later and resume fighting.
"`Three years!`"
Chen Jianghe wasn't short on time, but he didn't want to work for three years for nothing.
If he couldn't stop the fry from attacking each other, he would truly be raising them for free.
The truth was, he had no real experience in aquaculture. In the outer waters, Xiao Hei had been the one raising the large green fish.
He spent nearly all his time either cultivating or studying spiritual arts.
"`Are they hungry?`"
Chen Jianghe picked up a bag of rice bran, sliced it open with his spiritual power, and poured it toward the school of fish.
*Splash...*
One after another, the fry leaped up, fighting to devour the rice bran. In the ensuing collisions, several of them went belly-up.