Becoming a God from a Water Monkey

Chapter 1193 A Major Upheaval (Seeking monthly votes, combined)

The night wind was chilly, and the mountains were desolate, but the people of Huangzhou were as enthusiastic as fire, their noise deafening.

On the mountaintop, Xu Wanxing, the three patriarchs, Su Guishan, Yang Dongxiong, and others were still in shock from the Whale King's Great Fin Pen, their hearts pounding, and a sentence echoing in their ears.

Let all the martial arts masters and demon kings of the world participate! Furthermore, let Liang Qu help formulate the competition rules!
"Gudu."

Xu Wanxing wiped the sweat from his forehead, leaving damp marks on his sleeves. Even the two Zhenxiang from the Xu family in the local area required him to be extremely careful, afraid of saying or doing the wrong thing. The Yaolong was like the sun in the sky. Just seeing him was enough to scorch one's skin; such a powerful figure was unimaginable. For such a powerful figure to gather together and compete like these young people?
The vast expanse of Yunmeng is hidden, while the magnificent Zhanghua Pavilion stands tall.

How magnificent! How grand!
If I could go and witness it in person, I would die without regret!

However, with so many martial saints and demon kings leaving their posts, and even more so in the Southern Frontier and Northern Court, won't there be trouble between the countries, leading to chaos in the world?
"I held the Great Hunt and used the Xuanhuang Token to secure my dominance... But what is the Whale King's purpose in intervening, holding the East Sea Great Hunt, and inviting heroes from all over the world?"

As Liang Qu leaned on the railing and gazed into the distance, he had promised the Whale King, but his thoughts were not at all at the grand hunting party below; they had drifted off to who-knows-where.

Starting a fire against the wind will only lead to your own demise.

He used the Huangzhou Grand Hunt to gain dominance, while the Whale King used his Grand Hunt to gain "fun." Both of them were fish talents who used any opportunity to their advantage without leaving any loopholes.

The Whale King didn't say when the East Sea Hunt would be held.

"It's still early..."

The grander the event, the more time is needed for preparation. Many martial saints spend half a year in seclusion during their cultivation.

The preparations were rushed, and many martial saints might not even know the news by the time they emerge from seclusion.

The more participants, the more lively the competition. The invitation system with generous rewards should naturally be announced to the public beforehand, waiting for the "greatest common denominator" of the participants who are available.

We must return to the underworld as soon as possible...

"Fight! Fight! Fight!"

"Oh no! Oh no! My money!"

"You're hopeless! You're hopeless!"

"Refund! Refund! Refund!"

On the "big screen," Huo Guanyu, a top contender who had a chance to make it into the top fifteen, was eliminated in a major upset. It turned out that he was tricked by several juniors from the Xu and Chi families, who used the mist beasts and waterways to slip out of the water tower in one fell swoop.

The gambling den erupted in boos, followed by two or three bursts of enthusiastic cheers.

The game isn't over yet, there's no result. It's obvious they bet on which big shot will be eliminated on which day. Because of the many qualifiers and conditions, the odds for such bets are extremely high, often hundreds of times the stake! One or two taels can turn into hundreds of taels, making you rich overnight.

Xu Zishuai was itching to get his hands dirty.

He recalled the scene of his junior brother defeating Huo Hongyuan last time and making a fortune, feeling quite dashing for a while. However, this time Liang Qu was not participating, and he couldn't see any potential for success. He might really lose everything, so he only bet a dozen or so taels with Ke Wenbin and others for fun.

The competition is getting more and more intense.

More and more prominent families are becoming aware of the wonders of the waterways in the river.

"The path between immortals and mortals is clear, relying entirely on a pair of ducks on the soles of one's feet to soar through the heavens and earth, roaming freely in the world. From Danqiu in the east to Taihua in the west, one can travel to the North Sea in the morning and Cangwu in the evening."

You can come to the Great Hunt during the day and go home to sleep in bed at night.

With this convenient means of transportation, members of all the prominent families surrounding Pengze came to Huangzhou to watch the competition from the mountaintops, and even urged their own children to participate.

Even those in their teens or twenties have to participate in the Galloping Horse and Four Passes competitions. Their parents claim that ranking doesn't matter, the focus is on "building courage" and "broadening horizons," as if the Tower of Heaven isn't some grand hunting party where people compete for fame and fortune, but rather an alchemical furnace that turns stones into gold, refining them with each turn and improving their quality.

On this occasion, Xu Rongguang also found two suitable "life extension" clients for Liangqu who were qualified to build the project.

They agreed to extend their lives before the New Year. Both clients were generous people. With Xu Rongguang as guarantor and Liang Qu's reputation, they were willing to pay one million taels first to recruit people before the New Year and build two fiefdoms and ports.

The development of the fiefdom is thriving!

More than a million taels of silver flowed in every day, creating a torrent in the major markets. Small merchants and vendors moved among the crowds, and the Huai River and Pengze were filled with painted boats, their lights twinkling, and nightly revelry taking place. For a time, the prosperity was no less than that of Southern Zhili!

The moon rises and sets, the sun rises and sets again.

The Great Hunt has traditionally lasted for two days and three nights.

More than a million people in the mountains were eagerly awaiting the results; even tigers were scared away by the throngs of people.

The final night had arrived, and the struggle had reached a fever pitch. Many people no longer hesitated to act, vying for the treasure fish of others, and the "unable to move" status was being refreshed wave after wave.

The gambling dens stopped opening new betting pools. Each manager tore up two copies of the tickets, distributed them, and the odds remained unchanged. No new entrants were allowed to participate.

Of the hundreds of waterways that run through the area, 80% are controlled by the group. "Lucky Boy" is as lucky as ever, secretly developing his abilities without being discovered.

Of the ten treasure fish released by the old man in the straw hat, eight were caught. Four people grabbed them and immediately withdrew, desperately swimming towards the outside of the tower, hoping to keep the treasure fish as a guaranteed reward. Three of them succeeded, while one was intercepted halfway.

Inside the Tower of Heaven, only a Blood Lion and a translucent silver-tailed fish remain.

The silvertail fish is valued for its camouflage, making it difficult to spot, and its own agility; however, its actual value is only in the middle to lower range of the ten treasure fish.

The Blood Lion is purely poisonous and extremely potent. Fortunately, it didn't encounter a powerful hunting tiger. Its value ranks first, several times that of the Silvertail Fish, and its difficulty in catching it is also the highest.

"Hehe, no one has caught it... so the treasure fish is mine, right?" Liang Qu grinned.

The furnace is so valuable; once something is given away, it's definitely not something you can ask for back—you can't afford to lose face like that.

If no one manages to grab it, then it's a "surplus".

A 20-pound blood lion is quite rare, and it has at least 40,000 essences, maybe even 50,000. The lotus seed production of the dragon people for half a year is not small at all.

"Elder, Elder, look, look!" Long Yao craned her neck and stood on tiptoe, grabbing Liang Qu's arm and shaking it, beaming with joy. "Someone has discovered the treasure fish! It's Guan Congjian!"

"What? Which treasure fish?"

"Blood Lion!"

Liang Qu was shocked and zoomed in on the image.

Eleventh floor.

The Blood Lion shook its head and wagged its tail as it explored the water tower, with Guan Congjian lurking behind it, wielding two black water forks and a silver net, acting suspiciously!

Worthy!

Guan Congjian! What are you trying to do?!
You usually eat so much rice from me, and now you want to eat Master's Big Treasure Fish?

If you still consider me your advisor, turn around and leave right now, immediately!

However, Liang Qu and Guan Congjian had no spiritual connection and could not exchange messages. They could only watch each other's actions helplessly.

Guan Congjian rubbed his nose, suppressing the urge to sneeze, and looked around, but didn't see anyone lying in ambush.

"Strange, I have a feeling that someone is talking about me behind my back... It must be that kid Qi Hongyuan who is jealous that I was able to come to Huangzhou! Sigh, I haven't had a decent meal in three days, I'm so bored, I have to go to my advisor's house for a big meal later."

With the precious fish before him, further contemplation was futile. Guan Congjian removed the fishing net from the Xuan Shui spear.

The Blood Lion is too fast; using a fishing net will actually slow it down.

Guan Congjian often ate at the advisor's house, saw all kinds of precious fish, and often heard Old Toad and Wu Cangshou boast. Although he ate little, he knew their strengths and weaknesses. The Blood Lion's weakness was that it could dive fast but retreat slowly. Its sharp spikes were extremely sensitive to water currents, just like a fly. You had to aim at it from the front and trick it.

Grip tightly a waterless, water-resistant harpoon.

Guan Congjian, his muscles bulging, threw the ball with all his might.

The Xuan Shui spear merged into the water, transforming into a sharp arrow that grazed the forehead of the frightened blood lion as it fled in panic. The blood lion staggered backward, and just then, a second Xuan Shui spear struck, hitting the fish's tail.

The immense force caused the Xuan Shui Spear to pierce through the fish's body, splitting it in two and sending out a plume of bloody smoke.

"Ah! Hit!"

Guan Congjian happily swam forward and hugged the Blood Lion.

I often see the advisor enjoying his meal, but he himself has never tasted such a fine fish.

"Yay!" Long Li cheered. She was very happy that the best fish had been taken by an acquaintance, and it was also Li Chan's husband. But she was only halfway through her cheer when Long Yao nudged her lower abdomen with her elbow. Long Li rubbed her stomach and said angrily, "What are you doing?"

Long Yao pouted.

Looking in that direction, Long Li saw Liang Qu with a drooping mouth and looking sullen.

"What's wrong with the elder?"

"I don't know, it just happened after you reminded me." Long Yao shrugged. "Ask Sister E'ying, she's like a tapeworm, she'll definitely know."

The two tiptoed quietly around to the left side of Liangqu and tugged at Long Eying's sleeve.

After hearing the words, Long Eying realized that Liang Qu was not happy. At first, she thought it was because of the Whale King, but then she thought that Liang Qu would never show it in such an important matter. Combining the "reminder" that Long Yao said, she looked at the picture on the water tower and immediately understood. She pulled Long Yao and Long Li and whispered in their ears.

"Hahaha!"

"So that's how it is! How petty!"

boom!boom!
Two sharp blows to the forehead.

"Ouch." "Elder, why did you hit us?"

"You're not smart, and you're so close to me, do you think I can't hear you?"

"A little bit."

Liang Qu raised his finger again, and the two immediately squatted down and huddled in Long Eying's arms, with Long Eying hugging the little head like a mother hen.

Mrs. Xu and her group of wives were all smiles.

"He's still young. If it weren't for his impressive reputation, I would have forgotten that the Prince of Huai and my grandson are the same age."

"Yes, it's all thanks to the young people, otherwise there wouldn't be so many tricks up their sleeves. I was never interested in the Great Hunt before, it was pitch black at night and I couldn't see anything. It's much more interesting now."

"Well, there's nothing I can do, he's always so fast." Mrs. Xu said helplessly. "Sometimes I wish he could slow down, then he wouldn't be so busy."

The ladies opened their mouths, but then fell silent.

With Blood Lion captured, the competition reached a fever pitch.

However, the focus did not shift away from Guan Congjian; instead, it intensified the emotional response.

Guan Congjian, who had captured the precious blood lion, neither swam out of the water tower to withdraw from the competition, nor put the fish in his waistband to carry. He took out a dagger, pulled out the blood lion's venom sac and spikes, and ate it raw!

"What a waste! What a waste! Such a rare blood lion should be supplemented with fine medicine and made into a body-tempering elixir. To eat it raw like this is a complete waste of its resources! What a waste of its resources!"

"No, that's not right, he's breaking through! Is he planting a seed of divine power?"

A commotion arose from the hilltop.

The two immortals also turned their gazes towards it.

"So you've planted a seed of supernatural power?" Liang Qu exclaimed in surprise.

Guan Congjian was about the same age as him, only two years older. He was born with martial talent and was only thirty years old this year. His realm was similar to that of Zhu Zongwang, the Tail Fire Tiger. He had joined the Hunting Tigers, but he had not buried any supernatural talent seeds. He was much worse than Huo Hongyuan. He was a top ten favorite, but not a favorite to win the championship. Supernatural talent seeds were what made the difference between the Hunting Tigers.

Huo Hongyuan is 35 years old this year. He has already buried two stones and is about to bury a third. But now, if he succeeds, the gap between the two will be narrowed to just one stone! With good luck, it's not impossible for him to win the championship!
Liang Qu clearly remembers the scene when Guan Congjian broke through to a breakthrough right after the first battle. Regardless of victory or defeat, as long as the battle was fought, it was exhilarating. Exhilaration meant gaining something, and gaining something meant a possible breakthrough...

Glance at the scoring board.

Hunting mist beasts and stealing treasure fish are both ways to increase your score.

Huo Hongyuan, who is in first place, has reached a terrifying 7,832 points.

The second place is also very close, with over 6,900 points.

The disciples of Huaiyin Martial Arts School mostly ranked outside the top 100, with the highest score being around 200. These scores would be converted into academic credits proportionally.

Because of the Mist Beast mechanic, in the past, if the Treasure Fish was taken away in the Great Hunt, all that would be left was the registration points. Now, however, there is a guaranteed reward that cannot be taken away, and many people have even shifted their focus to specializing in Mist Beasts.

Guan Congjian...

"Ninth place, over three thousand points? That's quite a difference." Liang Qu glanced at the list and noticed it was all Treasure Fish points. "Strange, didn't he go to fight the Mist Beasts? The Mist Beasts keep respawning, but his Treasure Fish points are much higher than many others. Has he been catching fish all the time?"

Those with innate martial arts talent have a huge advantage below the True Immortal realm, at least able to cross a small realm. Guan Congjian's strength should be among the top five.

"It seems like there aren't many." Xu Zishuai realized this after being reminded.

"I don't remember much," Xiang Fangsu shook her head.

“He didn’t fight much,” Ran Zhongshi replied. “I saw that he mostly went to catch treasure fish, and only fought when he came across them. He didn’t go looking for them.”

"That's strange. Isn't this kid the one who loves fighting the most? Wait a minute." Liang Qu realized a possibility.

"boom!"

The golden bell's true energy rippled through the flowing water.

Guan Congjian let out a long sigh, threw out a treasure fish, summoned the finless porpoises along the way, jumped on them, and pulled himself across the eleventh level!
With his aura completely exposed, many hunters noticed him as he entered the range of a hunting tiger mist beast.

The mist beast on the eleventh floor has reached the initial stage of the Tiger Hunting Realm, which is quite remarkable.

However, Guan Congjian was breaking through, his momentum was unstoppable, and his Golden Bell True Qi burst forth from his body, actually suppressing the mist beast!
A crowd gathered, trying to snatch the beast's head at the last minute, but Guan Congjian was not injured even after the fight was over, so they left disappointed.

boom!
White smoke exploded and dispersed.

Points +242.

After finishing the battle, Guan Congjian let out a long sigh of relief, his muscles and bones cracking, and then threw out five more treasure fish.

"Cannot move!" It swam out of the water, opened its mouth and swallowed the five treasure fish, and green light flew out from the wooden horn on its head.

A radiant light enveloped everything.

The momentum, which had slightly declined, surged rapidly, even surpassing its peak before the fight against the Mist Beast!

The people were in uproar.

"Good boy!"

Liang Qu understood why Guan Congjian had been catching the treasure fish; it was to refresh the "cannot move" status.

One should press on with one effort, but the momentum will wane with the second and be exhausted with the third!

Those with higher cultivation levels than him are active on the twelfth or thirteenth level.

The eleventh-layered mist beast was just the right strength, and no one could threaten him.

A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

Three immortals gathered at the summit, millions watched, the perfect image was restored, the autumn wind blew during the Hunting Moon Festival, the Martial Saint Competition, a perfect opponent, a repressive environment... countless conditions combined to create a unique stage, and this kid was "exhilarated" to the extreme!
Guan Congjian rode the Yangtze finless porpoise and went to search for the mist beast again.

Just half an hour.

The three-headed mist beast was defeated, and Guan Congjian's breakthrough results were surprisingly stabilized in this battle. The Blood Lion Treasure Fish in his belly continuously provided energy, and "Unable to Move" helped him recover his condition every time!
Dark horse!

A dark horse that no one noticed!
People unfamiliar with Guan Congjian would not understand his operation at all; only people from Pingyang and those from the Hebo Institute would know what was going on with him.

They would fight any beast they encountered and rob any person they met.

He swept through the entire eleventh level in one hour, his points skyrocketed by a thousand, his ranking jumped to seventh, and carrying an invincible momentum, he charged into the twelfth level!

When the power is strong, the people are strong!
Compared to the beginning, Guan Congjian's strength has increased by at least 30%!

Time passes slowly.

Liang Qu zoomed in on Guan Congjian's screen until it occupied half of the screen. Everyone watched as he swept through the competition, regretting that they hadn't placed a big bet on this kid earlier and missed the opportunity.

With his cheek muscles bulging and his jaw muscles protruding like ropes, Guan Congjian wore a terrifying smile, completely immersed in the battle.

Another hour and a half.

Two Tiger Hunters at the initial stage were defeated and fell to the pigs, and all the treasure fish on their bodies were confiscated. Guan Congjian's ranking soared to third place!

Guan Congjian was shirtless, his entire body a deep red, like a piece of red iron forged through countless hammer blows, his aura constantly surging.

"Wow."

The silver hook swung.

Submerged in the water tower.

Another twenty-pound blood lion!
Two!

Depend on!
Liang Qu stared wide-eyed at this cheating-like act, yet he was helpless.

All rules are powerless against one thing—the immortals like it.

Two large, blood-red lions suddenly appeared in front of him. Guan Congjian was taken aback, but didn't think much of it.

eat!
He threw out two black water spears, and repeated the same method twice, hunting down the blood lion again, removing the poisonous thorns, and eating the raw fish flesh and sucking its blood.

Its crimson skin turned even redder, and the water around it seemed to be boiling, constantly emitting dense white steam that rose upwards.

"call!"

Crackling.

The bones cracked.

Guan Congjian embraced the finless porpoise, and together they rode into the thirteenth floor in a grand procession.

"Boom!"

The Yaksha's steel fork struck the golden bell.

The heavenly sounds resonated.

(End of this chapter)