Cultivating immortality in the seas, I created an immortal island of eternal life.

With a single thought, Gao Yao's lifespan of a hundred years vanished in an instant.

[Dojo: Turtle Reef Island (Foundation Building) has been activated]

[Advanced Dojo Facility: Level 1 Fish Pond]

At the same time, the requirements for advancing to the second-tier fishpond and other dojo facilities came to mind.

[Fishpond (Tier 2): Fish fry growth rate +20%, semi-spirit fish evolution probability slightly increased, 1 drop of Jade Spirit Liquid can be produced every 7 days]

[Advanced Requirements: 100 years of lifespan, 60 low-grade spirit stones, 30 pieces of Qingke bamboo, and carving a spirit-gathering array]

[Chicken Coop (Tier 1): One spirit egg is laid per day (maximum of 3 spirit chickens), containing trace amounts of spiritual energy]

[Advanced Requirements: 30-year lifespan, 30 *Echinochloa crus-galli* seedlings]

[Cave Dwelling (Tier 1): Cleanses away dust, walls heal themselves, and provides a minor boost to spirit gathering.]

[Advanced Requirements: 30 years of lifespan, 60 cubic meters of Qinggang rock, 100 kilograms of seashell mortar]

......

A second-tier fishpond can actually produce Jade Spirit Liquid?

This is a good thing; it can restore spiritual energy and aid in cultivation. However, one drop of it costs five low-grade spirit stones in the market.

Before Gao Yao could even rejoice, the calm fishpond suddenly churned violently, and a blinding golden light burst forth from the water.

He subconsciously took a half step back, thinking it was a half-spirit fish advancing to the next level, but the golden light was not a fish shadow, but a turtle phantom covered with spider web cracks.

The tortoise's shadow hovered in the air, lowering its body towards the direction where Gao Yao was.

A voice, neither male nor female, suddenly rang in his mind.

"This disciple kowtows in gratitude for the Sage's enlightenment!"

A sage? An enlightener?

Gao Yao was puzzled and subconsciously wanted to ask for the reason.

However, his ability to adapt to unexpected situations, honed over many years as an actor in his previous life, made him stop.

Gao realized that asking rashly would only expose his ignorance, so it was better to wait and see and wait for the other party to reveal more information.

He quickly concealed any extraneous expression on his face, and simply stood calmly with his hands behind his back, responding to this unexpected turn of events in silence.

After a long while, seeing that the sage remained silent, the tortoise spirit felt even more apprehensive.

It was originally a spiritual stone from the seabed that took human form. After a thousand years of arduous cultivation, it finally acquired the body of a spiritual turtle, but its spirituality was destroyed under the heavenly tribulation.

Only a wisp of its soul remained, clinging to the tattered tortoise shell, relying on instinct to draw upon the faint moisture from the earth's veins to eke out a living.

The immense creative power that had just drawn upon the origin of heaven and earth and nourished all things was like a long-awaited rain after a drought. It not only repaired its nearly destroyed soul but also rebuilt its spirit.

Aside from the legendary sage touching one's head, who else could possess such heaven-reaching and earth-shattering power?

Looking at the few semi-spirit fish in the pond below, disturbed by his appearance, the turtle spirit suddenly understood the sage's profound meaning.

Yes!

The sage enlightened me and gave me a new life; this is the greatest grace!

The sage is silent at this moment, surely testing my character and understanding!

The sage hides in the mortal world, taking the form of this young fisherman; there must be a profound meaning behind it!

This power of creation seems to have a deep connection with the spirit fish in this pond...

Could this be an indication that I should guard against arrogance and impatience, and repay the kindness of all living beings with concrete actions?

Seeing Gao Yao silently gazing at the fishpond, Gui Ying became more and more certain, and his awe and gratitude towards the sage reached their peak.

"This humble disciple is foolish but willing to exert my utmost strength to repay the kindness of your life-saving grace!"

The tortoise's shadow suddenly contracted, transforming into a golden stream of energy, carrying the last breath of innate spiritual energy it had accumulated during its spiritual transformation, and swooped down to merge into the fishpond.

hum!

A golden ripple spread across the surface of the fishpond, as if it had been infused with life, faintly emitting a fluorescent glow.

At this moment, the Mountain and Sea Token in Gao Yao's consciousness also updated its information:

[The innate tortoise spirit, mindful of the grace of awakening, used the residual innate spiritual energy from its own transformation into a spirit to bestow blessings upon the first-tier fishpond.]

[Blessed Dojo Facility: Spirit-Nourishing Fish Pond (Tier 1)]

[Spiritual Fish Pond (Tier 1): Fish fry growth rate +30%, semi-spirit fish evolution probability greatly increased, produces 1 drop of Jade Spirit Liquid every 7 days]

[Spiritual Nurturing Ground: Has a mild nurturing and stabilizing effect on aquatic creatures that are just beginning to develop spiritual awareness.]

Gao Yao's mind was in turmoil as he looked at the fishpond in disbelief.

Three new aquatic fish appeared in the pond, their size far exceeding that of the other fish, their scales shimmering and dazzling.

The value of a spirit fish is different from that of a half-spirit fish, which is only worth a few fragments of spirit.

The so-called "shattered spirit" refers to fragments of spirit stones.

In theory, ten spirit shards can be exchanged for one spirit stone, but in actual exchanges, there will be a price difference.

The two black iron carp and the one red-skinned blue carp in the pond are all first-tier low-grade spirit fish worth at least 10 low-grade spirit stones.

These three fish had not appeared before, and their appearance was definitely not the result of advancing from the first-tier fishpond. It must be the result of the blessing of this mysterious turtle spirit.

Thinking of this, Gao Yao forcibly suppressed his overwhelming joy, slowly walked to the edge of the pond, squatted down, and stirred the pond water with his finger.

A surge of vibrant energy flowed through his fingertips, invigorating him like a refreshing drink on a hot summer day.

Even the slightly dimmed golden tortoise spirit sensed the saint's approval from his actions and was so excited that it prostrated itself in worship once more.

"Your disciple kowtows in gratitude, and the Sage accepts him!"

Seeing the tortoise spirit so respectful, Gao Yao had a sudden inspiration.

"Since you have awakened your spirit in this land and water, you should know that creation is not easy, so I call you to understand your spirit."

"Thank you, Your Majesty, for bestowing upon me this name! Your disciple Wuling will surely remember Your Majesty's grace and diligently cultivate myself without ceasing!"

The spirit was so excited that its golden light shone even brighter. This name was of great significance to it, symbolizing the saint's recognition and praise.

After a long while, seeing Gao Yao's gaze lowered as if deep in thought, Wu Ling dared not disturb him too much. After bowing respectfully once more, he sank into the deep mud at the bottom of the pond and eventually fell into a deep sleep to recover.

Only after watching the turtle's shadow disappear completely from the bottom of the pond and the water return to calm did Gao Yao finally relax his tense nerves.

Steady!

The Dinghai tax problem is solved!

However, a month of diligent work is not as valuable as a single breath of innate spirit.

Gao Yao was grateful for the resolution of his current predicament, but at the same time, he became more aware of his own strength, which was always the foundation for his survival.

Using his limited knowledge of water manipulation magic, he used a net to scoop out the red-skinned bluefish, a type of spirit fish commonly found in the current season.

"That's it, let's get this done."

......

The next morning, as dawn broke, a number of fishermen had already gathered outside the fish market.

Most of them went out to sea before dawn when the sea fog had dissipated, and now they are dragging their tired bodies ashore with their catch.

Gao Yao squeezed into the crowd, carrying a basket of red and green fish, and waited in line to collect his fish with a calm expression.

Inside the fish market, Manager Chen was sitting behind a long mahogany table, using an abacus in one hand and flipping through the fish catch register in the other.

His eyelids drooped, and he would occasionally glance at the fishermen, his eyes revealing impatience.

"Next!"

Gao Yao quickly stepped forward and gently placed the fish basket on the table.

The reddish-brown fish gleamed with a pinkish glow in the morning light, its gills still twitching slightly, but its scales were somewhat dry, clearly indicating that it had been out of the water for a long time.

Manager Chen raised an eyebrow and used his fingers to part the fish's gills to take a look.

"Red-skinned green? Not bad quality, worth twelve spirit stones." He glanced up and realized it was Gao Yao. "Young Gao, you've got good luck."

The surrounding noise subsided; some people whispered to each other, while others muttered to themselves.

Although red-skinned green leopards are common during this season, catching a live one in the Spirit Sea, especially one of good quality, is no easy task.

After all, spirit fish are a type of demonic beast, and the spiritual sea can also block cultivators' detection methods.

Moreover, Gao Yao was only at the first level of Qi Refining, and some people in the crowd had already recognized this young man who had just arrived and often buried himself in accounting at the fish market.

"We were lucky to find it in a crevice in the reef; it was probably trapped during low tide," Gao Yao smiled shyly. "It just so happened that we had to pay the Dinghai tax."

Unexpected events often occur during fishing. After listening, Manager Chen lost interest and directly crossed out the Dinghai tax from the ledger: "Ten coins to offset the tax, keep the remaining two for yourself."

After saying that, a disciple from the Immortal Sect took out two low-grade spirit stones, each about the size of a thumb, from his storage bag.

Gao Yao quickly accepted it, thanked him, and hurriedly left the crowd with their varied expressions.

Being debt-free is a great relief. Even though selling a spirit fish only left him with two low-grade spirit stones, Gao Yao felt incredibly happy.

Moreover, there are still supplies on the island. If it weren't for the fear of arousing suspicion, along with the remaining two spirit fish, I could gather enough materials for upgrading other buildings in one go.

As Gao Yao was leaving the fishpond, he turned around and bumped into Old Man Ma squatting on a stone bench outside the fishpond, his pipe puffing out wisps of smoke.

"Uncle Ma."

Gao Yao walked over and greeted him respectfully.

When he first arrived, it was this old man who became his guide and taught him many fishing skills.

"Good lad!" Old Ma nodded at him. "The old man was right about you. You've only been here a month and you've already caught a red-skinned green dog."

With so many people and eyes in the fish market, news spread quickly. Obviously, it wasn't long before Old Man Ma also learned that Gao Yao had caught a spirit fish.

He put down his pipe, lowered his voice, and looked around: "But don't squander your money now. Young people need to learn to save some for a rainy day."

Gao Yao felt a warmth in his heart and quickly nodded, "Thank you for the reminder, Uncle Ma."

Old Man Ma looked around again, and after confirming that no one was paying attention, he suddenly leaned closer: "Young man Gao, how about coming out to sea with this old man?"

"The Immortal Sect has hunted down a first-tier, high-grade Ironclad Black Tortoise thirty nautical miles to the northwest and needs manpower to help cut it up and transport it. The reward is generous, with at least five low-grade spirit stones per person."

Ironclad Black Tortoise?

A first-tier superior-grade demonic beast is equivalent to a late-stage Qi Refining cultivator in the human race.

The Iron-Armored Black Tortoise's shell is as hard as iron, and it is said that even a Qi Refining Realm cultivator can withstand attacks from a Foundation Establishment cultivator.

"Uncle Ma, we're just low-level Qi cultivators. What if we encounter danger..."

"Don't worry! With disciples of the Immortal Sect escorting us, it's perfectly safe." Old Man Ma patted his chest to assure him. "Besides, the corpses of high-level demonic beasts are a deterrent to low-level ones; what fool would dare to approach?"

Gao Yao looked conflicted, though he had already refused, because he remembered Wang Yao's warning before he left.

"Do not leave this place in the next few days."

"I'm sorry, Uncle Ma, the fishponds on the island are just starting to look good, I really can't leave..." After hesitating for a moment, Gao Yao suddenly grabbed Old Man Ma's hand and lowered his voice: "Forgive me for overthinking, but I just feel that this delivery is not right."

"You once taught me that high-level demonic beasts in their slumber stage are more likely to come out and hunt for food. If you absolutely must go, please stay far away from that turtle corpse..."

Old Ma paused, his pipe tapping, a look of confusion on his face.

"Old Ma, don't make things difficult for Xiao Gao." Just as Old Ma was about to say something more, the one-eyed fisherman who was traveling with him suddenly interjected, "He's still young, and he has many opportunities. It's better to play it safe."

Old Ma sighed and ultimately just patted Gao Yao on the shoulder.

Gao Yao watched them leave, clutching the spirit stones in his hand tightly.

......

A week later, life in Gaoyao gradually started to improve.

He was squatting in front of the fish fry stall, carefully selecting the fry of the semi-spirit fish.

Apart from the two spirit fish that successfully advanced and remained in the fishpond, all the semi-spirit fish that had failed to advance had been sold.

Gao Yao believes that the advancement of spirit fish is essentially a probability problem. Only by constantly rotating and increasing the total number of spirit fish that have passed through can the number of spirit fish that have successfully advanced be increased efficiently.

At the same time, introducing new seedlings helps Gaoyao accumulate longevity.

Moreover, they can't always sell the best quality fish, as that would be too conspicuous among the lower-class fishermen.

In addition, considering the price difference between buying and selling these different qualities of semi-spirit fish, it's a profitable deal no matter how you look at it.

The stall owner, an old man missing a front tooth, was boasting with spittle flying about how healthy his fish fry were, while Gao Yao remained calm and continued to nitpick and haggle.

Just then, a commotion suddenly broke out at the east end of the market.

"Something's happened! The convoy transporting ironclad turtles has been attacked; more than twenty people have died!"

Gao Yao frowned, turned around and strode towards the chattering crowd. From afar, he could hear several fishermen talking loudly.

"Even the Sea-Stabilizing Pearl is useless?"

"They say they encountered a group of Iron-Wire Silver Sharks on the return journey, and several of the outer sect disciples escorting them died!"

"This is strange. Silver sharks have always only appeared in the central waters, so why are they suddenly swimming in the shallows?"

"At the mid-year fishermen's conference, the Immortal Sect will surely give all the fishermen an explanation. Otherwise, their lives and safety cannot be guaranteed, and who would dare to go out to sea..."

The fish basket slipped from Gao Yao's hands and fell to the ground, a buzzing sound ringing in his ears.

Wang Yao's warning, Old Man Ma's invitation, the sudden appearance of a swarm of sharks...

Familiar faces always disappear silently one day!

All the clues connected in his mind, startling Gao Yao and making his heart clench.

Without lingering, he quickly bought what he needed and then sailed back to Turtle Reef Island.

As the sun sets, the sea glistens with a blood-red hue.

Standing at the bow of the boat, looking at the newly built chicken coop on the island, Gao Yao felt a sense of unease; Wang Yao would be back soon.

"I really want to run away."

.....