Chapter 343: Zhao Wuji, You Are Courting Death
Long Ao stared, utterly dumbfounded. “A Golden Fin Dragon Carp… That’s worth fifty points!”
Not only had they met the sixty-point requirement, but they had also blown past it.
How bizarre.
One moment, he couldn’t catch a single fish. The next, he was landing Dragon Whisker Koi and now a Golden Fin Dragon Carp all at once.
Jiang Chen surveyed the large fish before him, thinking, *So, my top-grade Golden Wine works on deep-sea Dragon Carp as well.*
“Junior Brother, we have enough points! Let’s get out of here!” Long Ao urged, his voice filled with excitement.
Jiang Chen shook his head. “Not yet.”
“Why not?” Long Ao asked, his expression puzzled.
“If we leave now, any experienced fisherman will know at a glance that this spot is teeming with valuable fish,” Jiang Chen explained. “We need to call Jin Fugui and Senior Brother Chen over before we go.”
Why let outsiders profit when they could secure the advantage for their own people? With a haul like this, they might even have a shot at the top ten and its generous rewards.Without delay, Jiang Chen used his Communication Talisman to contact Jin Fugui and Chen Bo. As for Mo Yu… he was still making his way over. His raft was simply too slow; there was no telling how long it would take for him to catch up.
When Jin Fugui and Chen Bo learned that Jiang Chen had already met the point requirement, they were utterly shocked. Not even half an hour had passed since everyone had arrived in the Storm Domain. While others were painstakingly accumulating five or ten points, Jiang Chen had already finished. It was almost unbelievable.
Jiang Chen, however, kept the secret of his top-grade Golden Wine to himself, only mentioning that the chances of catching big fish were higher in this particular spot. The wine’s lingering effects were still active in the water, so whether they could capitalize on it was up to them.
Time flew. Once Jin Fugui and Chen Bo had taken their positions, Jiang Chen gave them a nod, then steered the Calyx Boat away from the Storm Domain, leaving the others behind.
“Is that Fairy Beiyun? Is she offering someone fish?”
“No, look at her heading! She’s going to hunt water demons and sea monsters!”
“As expected of Fairy Beiyun! Her speed and efficiency are unmatched!”
The moment the Calyx Boat departed, the crowd of onlookers erupted in discussion. However, when they realized it was heading toward the next stage of the event, their eyes widened in collective shock.
The event was divided into six steps:
Step One: The Launch Ceremony
Step Two: Journey to the Target Point
Step Three: Fishing in the Storm Domain
Step Four: Hunting Water Demons and Sea Monsters
Step Five: The Return Journey
Step Six: Securing Victory with the Fastest Time
In reality, a closer look revealed there were only five actual steps. Step Six was more of a final objective than a regulated stage.
Yet, who would have thought that the occupants of the Calyx Boat were already beginning Step Four? In a race like this, a single step ahead meant staying ahead for the entire competition.
Aboard the Shattered Moon Flowing Frost, a disciple asked in surprise, “Did they misunderstand the rules?”
Mu Beiyun pondered this for a moment before replying, “Perhaps… this is my destiny, a bond between myself and the Calyx Boat.”
She had already taken a liking to the magnificent vessel, and now, the crowd was mistakenly attributing its success to her. In the grand tapestry of fate, it seemed all threads were converging. It was destined that this magnificent flower boat would be hers.
Little did she know that this very misunderstanding was shielding Jiang Chen from a great deal of unwanted attention.
***
Meanwhile, Jiang Chen pushed the Calyx Boat to its limits, carving a path through the waves as it sliced through the open sea. He had left everyone so far behind that not a single ship, boat, or shuttle was visible on the horizon.
“Junior Brother,” Long Ao reminded him urgently, “quickly check the point rules for hunting the demons and monsters.”
Jiang Chen produced his jade pendant and extended his spiritual sense into it. “Here they are,” he began.
“Wave-Chasing Shrimp Demon: 5 points per kill.”
“Ink Octopus Demon: 8 points per kill.”
“Crab-Armor Warrior: 15 points per kill.”
“Snake-Neck Sea Demon: 25 points per kill.”
“Ice-Fin Demon Shark: 40 points per kill.”
“Lightning Eel King: 50 points per kill.”
After hearing the list, Long Ao mused, “Water demons should be easy enough, but sea monsters are a different story. They aren’t just dangerous; they possess unique abilities.”
To put it simply, most water demons were creatures that even a Qi Condensation cultivator could handle. Sea monsters, however, were massive, incredibly dangerous, and could only be hunted successfully through the coordinated efforts of Foundation Establishment cultivators.
Given their current cultivation—one at early Foundation Establishment, the other at Foundation Establishment Perfection—killing water demons would be effortless. But hunting a sea monster? That carried the very real risk of their boat being capsized.
Besides, Jiang Chen had always focused on his farming. He wasn’t a combatant. It was a given that Long Ao would be doing most of the hunting, with Jiang Chen providing support from the sidelines.
An unknown amount of time passed before the color of the sea ahead began to shift. The deep cyan gradually gave way to a murky brown. The further they went, the darker and more foul-smelling the water became. Where the two colors collided, a stinking foam churned on the surface. Even the Spirit Qi here felt turbulent and frayed, a chaotic energy that grated on the senses.
Jiang Chen and Long Ao exchanged a look. “If the map is correct, this must be the Turbid Current Zone. It’s supposed to be infested with water demons.”
There were two designated hunting grounds. The first was this Turbid Current Zone, which was filled primarily with water demons and the occasional sea monster. The second, much farther out, was the Raging Waves Domain. That area had few water demons but was home to colossal sea monsters.
In terms of points, hunting sea monsters was the faster way to reach the sixty-point goal. The problem was the massive leap in difficulty.
Long Ao stepped forward. “My Water Spirit Root gives me the advantage here. I’ll scout ahead. You keep watch from the boat.”
His figure flickered and vanished. An instant later, he reappeared on the surface of the Turbid Current Zone, standing calmly atop the churning, foul water as if it were solid ground.
Watching him, Jiang Chen thought, *From this point on, there are no more shortcuts.*
On the water, Long Ao’s spiritual sense, amplified by his Spirit Root, already detected a water demon lurking beneath the waves, preparing an ambush. A cold smirk touched his lips. Activating his perfected Water Form technique, the ethereal tentacles of a Void Jellyfish materialized in the air behind him.
*Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!*
Like razor-sharp blades, the tentacles shot forward, piercing through the murky waves. They revealed a Wave-Chasing Shrimp Demon, its eyes wide with shock and terror. Before it could even react, a tentacle punched through its head, and a foul, yellowish-brown ichor gushed out.
Seeing how easily it was dispatched, Long Ao began to fight with less restraint.
From the boat, Jiang Chen gave him a thumbs-up.
Just then, a faint vibration emanated from his Jade Green Gourd. He quickly retrieved it and saw that the Communication Talisman from Jin Fugui was glowing.
He activated it, and Jin Fugui’s frantic voice poured out.
“He stole our spot! Fished away several Dragon Whisker Koi! That bastard has already met the sixty-point requirement, and now he’s heading straight for you!”
“Our boat is damaged! We might be disqualified!”
Jiang Chen’s eyes narrowed, and a murderous glint flared within their depths. “Zhao Wuji,” he growled, his voice laced with ice, “you are courting death!”