I Outworked the Entire Cultivation World

Chapter 750: Chapter 696: Fish-Keeping Journal

[Year of the Rooster, Eighth Month, Eighteenth Day, Clear Skies]

Aaaaaah!

The Immortal Monarch’s fish are about to die, what should I do?!

It’s been less than a month, if I kill all the Immortal Monarch’s fish, will he kill me out of anger?

These damn fish are too delicate, each requiring a different living environment; some need river water, some need seawater, some need rainwater, some need boiling water, and others need ice springs.

And even the river water, the temperature varies, requiring extremely meticulous blending to create a mist suitable for them, and the mist between different areas needs a gentle transition; the mist here cannot affect the mist there.

I really want to make a stew out of them!

That damn He Luo Fish, with one head and ten bodies, shot a face full of water at me the day it entered the Immortal Palace, requiring water between river and seawater to survive.

I tried dozens of times, and each time the proportion of river and seawater was wrong, and those pesky fish became more listless.

The Immortal Monarch has a book that records: ’He Luo Fish, one head and ten bodies, its sound like a barking dog, eaten as an ulcer cure, tastes exceedingly delicious.’

Anyway, there are so many here; should I just eat the few listless ones...

No, no, I am not hungry, I drank a stomach full of lake water in the Thunder Marsh of the Earth Spiritual Realm, I am already full, just a little curious about just how ’exceedingly delicious’ tastes.

And there’s this fish called ’Self-Joy’, loves to be where the commotion is, follows behind me daily, watching me fuss over the water, constantly letting out ’haha’ sounds, making me incredibly irritable.

Compared to my misfortunes, Anan is doing everything with ease.

Her Water Spirit Body makes her exceptionally sensitive to different waters, even though she practices demon cultivation. She can’t condense Water Spirit Energy directly from within, but can perceive through Divine Sense and merge different types of water out of thin air, transforming it into mist.

This makes me feel like a mountain boar, gobbling everything without discerning flavor, while Anan is like a refined lady, chewing slowly to savor the myriad flavors.

To the extent that now all the fish in the Immortal Palace like circling around Anan, while only the Ha Ha Fish follow me all day long, laughing endlessly.

My Chaos Body can devour like a whale, but only now do I start reflecting that I can use the Chaos Body to disguise as a human body, with all details emulating my original self.

I can also use the Chaos Body to transform Phoenix True Fire, because I often use it and am very familiar with Phoenix True Fire.

But right now, I cannot transform these subtly different waters with the Chaos Body, indicating that my control over the Chaos Body is still not meticulous enough.

Chaos should be like water, capable of generating all things, but right now I can’t do this at all.

I’m gradually beginning to understand why the Immortal Monarch had us raise fish, just like when my master taught me to meticulously manipulate Spiritual Energy; it’s the same principle.

Equal amounts of Chaos Qi compared to Spiritual Energy should be a hundred times more powerful than ordinary Spiritual Energy, but for me, I haven’t exploited the advantage of Chaos Qi as much as I should have, I really need to reflect on this.

Anan comforts me, telling me not to get flustered and suggests I start from where I’m skilled.

Where I’m skilled...

Alright, I’ll head to the Library to memorize and ponder, leaving the fish care to Anan for now.

...

[Year of the Dog, Second Month, Twentieth Day, Continuous Rain]

The Immortal Monarch has postponed another teaching session, making it the third time. Plus, it’s been raining for half a year; I wonder if the Immortal Monarch has encountered some bottleneck.

It should... have nothing to do with me, right?

The last session didn’t have enough time; I couldn’t ask all my questions. The Immortal Monarch seemed tired and eager to return to cultivation, so I thoughtfully stuffed all my questions into a Jade Scroll and handed it to him, asking him to answer them when convenient.

After that, the Immortal Monarch kept postponing the teaching sessions, and the weather remained gloomy.

Did I ask too many questions? Or were they too profound?

He is a Mahayana Immortal Monarch! Surely, he can’t be unable to answer my simple Nascent Soul-level questions, right?

I think the most challenging question I asked was just ’What exactly is Dao Fruit? How is it formed? Among the known Dao fruits in this world, what are their abilities? Can two opposing Dao fruits mutually steal the Dao from each other?’

Uh... alright, that’s not really a single question.

Postponing the teaching session three times has made my questions accumulate... (in fright, words ran on the page)

Scared to death!

Just now, a thunderclap above brushed over my scalp.

Is this the Immortal Monarch startled, or is it spring thunder?

Must be spring thunder; after all, the Immortal Monarch is in the Mahayana stage, nothing should be able to frighten him.

Anan is getting even better at taking care of the fish, and recently she suddenly announced she would go into a minor seclusion like she realized something. I feel she increasingly resembles a body of water, standing amidst the clouds, with hints of disappearing.

Having her practice here turned out to be the right decision!

Since Anan has improved, I must hurry and work hard too. There are so many books in the Immortal Monarch’s collection. Although there aren’t any cultivation techniques, the various miscellaneous skills benefit me greatly, onward!

...

[Year of the Dog, Tenth Month, Twentieth Day, After Rain Sunshine]

The Immortal Monarch finally came out to see us; his cultivation didn’t seem to go smoothly, making him look very exhausted.

However, he answered all my earlier questions this time, and I asked nothing further, giving the time to Anan.

After she emerged from minor seclusion, her ’Water Strike Three Thousand’ reached Great Success; with one sword stroke, a hundred types of Water Element Sword Intent spanned the sky, like the different waters in the Immortal Palace, distinct yet coexisting peacefully, each bearing different potency.

When a sword strikes, there’s always a certain Sword Intent difficult for others to withstand.

The Immortal Monarch, after seeing it, praised Anan, saying she was well suited for the Water Path, that reaching such a realm within a year is rare.

The Immortal Monarch even personally pointed out the flaws and shortcomings in Anan’s moves, encouraging her to continue improving.

I could tell from the Immortal Monarch’s gaze; he seemed somewhat interested in Anan. He previously mentioned fearing a future scene seen in the Time River becoming real, hence wanting to pass on his lifetime learning to Wen Su, unfortunately, Wen Su colluded with the Demon Clan.

Perhaps, Anan could be that person; she has a Water Spirit Body, making her most suitable to inherit the Immortal Monarch’s Water Path.

Finally, the Immortal Monarch asked me about my gains over the past year; all I could do was awkwardly scratch my head, ”I have read thirty percent of the books in the Library, does that count?”

The hateful Ha Ha Fish behind me kept laughing, sooner or later I’ll stew them!

Before the Immortal Monarch left, I thickened my face to bring out a box of Jade Scrolls, giving a deep bow.

The Immortal Monarch seemed helpless but accepted the box.

I also asked why it’s been raining so often recently; is it because the Immortal Monarch is in a bad mood?

The Immortal Monarch said his mind was at peace, attributing it to natural phenomena.

I thought so; the mood of a Mahayana Immortal Monarch shouldn’t be easily swayed by my questions. The Immortal Monarch isn’t like my master or Uncle Fuyi.

The Immortal Monarch also said he should thank my questions, as they made him realize some overlooked minor issues, spending more time in reflection over the past year than in decades before.

He reminded me not to blindly read books but to focus on cultivation too, sealing the Library temporarily until I make progress in cultivation, then reopening it for me.

...

[Year of the Pig, Fourth Month, Fifth Day, Thunderstorms]

The Immortal Monarch must have realized something recently or reached a critical point in cultivation, as the Nine Rivers Realm is filled with lightning and thunder.

Rain fell ninety percent of the time over two years, wondering if the Lower Three Tours people were affected. The Heavenly Inference Sect, with the Immortal Monarch’s Great Array, shouldn’t get flooded right?

Through continued exchanges with Anan, I suddenly began to think, if water can accommodate all things, then if I transform the Chaos Body into ’water,’ could I merge everything I’ve learned over my life into one?

Just like how I fused Yin Yang Double Thunder from the Five Thunders Righteous Method, what if I continue to merge?

If different Daoist Techniques can be merged, if different cultivation techniques can be merged, can the myriad paths become one?

Unfortunately, given my insight, I cannot verify this matter and can only wait for the Immortal Monarch to come out to consult with him.

Oh no!

Another bolt of thunder, the weather of the Nine Rivers Realm grows worse, despite being in the Constant Realm, it feels like it’s on the brink of destruction.

I’ll set aside ’All Things Unified’ for now; recently watching Anan practice ’Water Strike Three Thousand’ I had some inspiration. She integrates various Sword Intent into one move, so I can also use ’Beiming Fish’ to manifest a hundred fish.

In terms of water comprehension, I cannot match Anan’s speed, but diligence can supplement shortcomings. These years, with countless efforts, I have already caught up.

Currently practicing ’Beiming Fish,’ at the stage of transforming water into fish, I can use the refined Spiritual Energy manipulation taught by my master to observe the Ha Ha Fish, using spells to manifest the appearance of the Ha Ha Fish.

Imagining a sky filled with Ha Ha Fish, laughing ’hahaha,’ I can’t help but laugh.

Practice, practice!