Immortal of the Nine Realms

In the endless mountain ranges, a deep black lake that seemed to absorb all light lurked. If stared at for too long, this abyssal lake would appear terrifying in the eyes of the onlooker.

Generally, mortals and low-level cultivators avoid this area altogether. That was because, although the Black Dragon Fish in the lake was highly sought after by Golden Core cultivators, the lake was also fraught with dangers.

When Fang Chen and the others arrived, they could already see thousands of Golden Core Realm cultivators fishing around the Black Dragon Lake. Despite the large number of people, the lake’s vastness meant it didn’t feel crowded. The lake appeared almost endless to the naked eye.

”Ah, Brother Cheng, you’re here again? And you’ve brought quite a few companions this time. Looks like you’re planning to have a big catch,” said a young cultivator who appeared from the sky.

The young cultivator’s clothing was distinctive. He wore a green robe embroidered with a dragon-headed black fish. The fish depicted even had claws under its belly. It was a rather peculiar design.

”Nan Gong, let me introduce you. These are my fellow disciples. This time, we’re aiming to catch just ten Black Dragon Fish and nothing more,” Cheng Yuhan said with a smile.

He then introduced Nan Gong to Fang Chen. ”Junior Brother Fang, you can just call him Nan Gong. He is one of the Black Dragon Manor’s officials. He is the one responsible for collecting entry fees and renting out fishing gear.”

”I don’t think I have seen you here before, Brother Fang. Is this your first time here? Please make sure to visit often and support our business. Brother Cheng has already contributed quite a few mid-grade spirit stones,” Nan Gong chuckled, his tone friendly.

He asked Cheng Yuhan, ”How many people are entering?”

”Just me and Junior Brother Fang,” answered Cheng Yuhan.

Handing Nan Gong ten mid-grade spirit stones, Cheng Yuhan glanced at Wang Hu and added, ” As for Junior Brother Wang, let’s forget it. He’s useless.”

After that, he took out 200 low-grade spirit stones. ”As usual, rent us the best fishing gear you have. Don’t skimp on us. If it breaks halfway through, you need to refund us.”

Nan Gong smiled. ”Sure.”

After receiving the spirit stones, he gave Cheng Yuhan and Fang Chen a jade token and a set of fishing gear each.

”Here are the rules again: you have three days. Any Black Dragon Fish you catch within that time frame is yours to keep. If you exceed the time limit, you must leave immediately.

”You cannot purchase an extension, as ruled by the Manor Lord. This is to prevent anyone from bringing trouble upon themselves. Before you leave, please return the jade tokens. You cannot return unless three months have passed.”

”Understood. I already know the rules very well,” Cheng Yuhan impatiently said.

Fang Chen noticed the significance of the Black Dragon Fish. The high entrance fee indicated its substantial value. The fishing gear had to be rented, and the price for renting the best gear was relatively reasonable. 100 low-grade spirit stones. While this might be a lot for those in the Qi Refining and Foundation Building Realms, it was not a major expense for Golden Core Realm cultivators.

The main concern was the entrance fee. 5 mid-grade spirit stones for entry was not a small amount. Those who could afford this were likely people of high status. They could be from an Immortal Court, an Immortal Sect, or at least from a prominent family like the Langya Clan.

So, fishing for Black Dragon Fish wasn’t for every Golden Core cultivator out there; only those with connections could try their hand at it.

Cheng Yuhan eagerly led everyone to a spot to prepare for fishing. However, not far away, someone glanced in their direction and immediately exclaimed in surprise, ”Hey, isn’t that Brother Cheng? Everyone, this is the same Brother Cheng who lost 20 mid-grade spirit stones to me last time. Quite generous, indeed!”

Upon hearing this, the speaker’s friends burst into laughter and began scrutinizing Cheng Yuhan’s group, evidently looking for more potential ”suckers.”

Cheng Qing and the others exchanged puzzled looks, repeatedly glancing at Cheng Yuhan.

Cheng Yuhan seemed both embarrassed and annoyed. He glared at the young man who had spoken and said angrily, ”Stop spouting nonsense. I don’t know you!”

”Senior Brother, you really lost 20 mid-grade spirit stones to him? I remember… you didn’t have many left,” Cheng Shuang remarked thoughtfully. ”If Martial Uncle finds out about this, I’m afraid...”

Alarmed, Cheng Yuhan tried to quickly calm the situation. ”Don’t listen to him. He’s full of crap! Cheng Shuang, don’t pay attention to his lies.”

Cheng Qing was visibly angry. ”Wang Hu, has my brother really lost 20 mid-grade spirit stones? You came with him last time, didn’t you? Why didn’t you tell me about this?”

”I had no idea we’d run into that guy…” Wang Hu replied, his handsome face souring, looking uncomfortable.

The other party seemed to notice Cheng Yuhan’s embarrassment. Rather than letting it go, they became bold and leered at Langya Wenqiu, Cheng Qing, and Cheng Shuang.

”Stop staring. I’ll gouge your eyes out,” Langya Wenqiu said coldly.

The other party wasn’t angry and instead laughed, saying, ”Sister, following Brother Cheng means you’ll be left out in the cold. Why not come with me? If I catch a Black Dragon Fish later, I’ll give you one.”

”Let’s see you catch one first,” Langya Wenqiu shot back with a cold smile.

Black Dragon Fish were notoriously hard to catch.

”Let’s not bother with him,” Cheng Yuhan quickly changed the topic.

He then began teaching Fang Chen how to use the fishing gear and shared his experience with catching Black Dragon Fish.

In reality, this wasn’t Fang Chen’s first time fishing. Although the Black Dragon Fish were unique, the basic principles were similar. The fishing gear was simple: a rod, line, hook, and three types of bait, likely one for each day.

The fishing gear and bait both carried a spiritual aura and were of exceptional quality.

After instructing Fang Chen, Cheng Yuhan excitedly began setting up his fishing spot.

In the meantime, Fang Chen moved about fifty to sixty meters away with his gear. Langya Wenqiu was tagging along.

”Brother Fang, have you fished before? Brother Cheng and I have been here a few times. If you have any questions, just ask me. I’ll be right next to you,” Langya Wenqiu said.

”I’ll give it a try,” Fang Chen replied with a smile.

His eyes gradually revealed a golden hue as he surveyed the Black Dragon Lake.

To others, the Black Dragon Lake appeared pitch-black, hiding the depths beneath. However, to Fang Chen, it was transformed into a network of intricate lines. The gently rippling lines represented the surface waves of the lake.

Deeper down, Fang Chen saw numerous strange fish resembling the one on Nan Gong’s clothing. If he was right, these were likely the Black Dragon Fish.

He didn’t rush to start fishing. Instead, he began observing the situation around him.

Hundreds of meters away, a Black Dragon Fish seemed ready to bite, but its movements were so subtle that there were no visible ripples or bubbles on the water’s surface. The fishing line remained still. The angler, unaware that the bait had been eaten, only noticed something was wrong after seeing that the bait had disappeared.

He cursed under his breath and prepared to put on another bait.

”So, that’s how it is…. Because it’s invisible and the movements of the Black Dragon Fish are so difficult to detect, they are hard to catch,” Fang Chen mused with a smile.

It seemed he might earn a good amount of mid-grade spirit stones today. With some luck, he might even win a chance to open the Three Thousand Dao Realm.

Just as he was about to cast his line, another argument erupted between Cheng Yuhan and the young man from earlier. This time, it attracted the attention of the local managing cultivator, including Nan Gong.