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

The unusual activity in the fishpond was quite strange.

Gao Yao squatted by the pond, following Wu Ling's gaze, his brows furrowed for a long while.

In the past, every three to five days, one or two fish in the pond would successfully advance to the next level. Although it wasn't a high yield, it was stable.

However, production has dropped significantly in the last two weeks.

Gao Yao squatted by the pond and counted. There were only three newly advanced spirit fish, and several semi-spirit fish were skin and bones, as if they had been starving for many days.

Weird.

The seaweed was added on time, and the water quality remained unchanged. Although Wuling spent most of its time asleep, it never made a mistake in taking care of the fishpond.

Gao Yao was puzzled when he caught a glimpse of a shadow flashing past at the bottom of the pond.

The shadow wasn't large, but its movements were surprisingly fast. It didn't stay with the other fish; instead, it swam close to the pond wall, as if it were hiding from something.

Gao Yao stared intently for a while before he could make out that it was a carp.

The half-spirit fish is not very big, and its scales are grayish-brown, making it inconspicuous when mixed in with other fish.

But it has a scar on its head.

Extending from between the eyebrows to the dorsal fin, it looked as if it had been cut by some sharp weapon, leaving a fleshy protrusion after healing, which at first glance resembled a centipede crawling on its head.

Wu Ling's voice rang in Gao Yao's mind: "Sage, what I want to talk about is this fish."

"What's wrong with it?"

Wu Ling paused, seemingly organizing his thoughts: "It's strange, really. Of this batch of fish fry, it was originally intended as bait to feed the spirit fish. Most of the fish fry that were put into the pond at the same time have been devoured, but it survived and even evolved into a semi-spirit fish."

Gao Yao raised an eyebrow. In order to prevent the semi-spirit fish from being attacked by the spirit fish, he adopted a strategy of regularly releasing ordinary fish fry to maintain the survival-of-the-fittest ecosystem in the fishpond.

It's truly remarkable that a small fish fry can survive such intense competition.

"That's not all," Wu Ling continued. "This disciple discovered that this fish deliberately swims among the spirit fish, inciting fights."

"Several black iron carp had their scales burst because of this, and the red-skinned green one also had impact marks on its head, all thanks to it."

Gao Yao was stunned.

Can you really be this calculating about a fish?

Gao Yao became interested and gestured for Wu Ling to continue.

Wu Ling then began to recount the strange things that had happened in the pond over the past few days.

First, the spirit fish started fighting each other.

The black iron carp and the red-skinned blue carp originally kept to themselves, each swimming in their own separate waters.

But in the last few days, the pond has been making a ruckus every few days, with water splashing everywhere and scales flying all over the place.

At first, Wu Ling thought it was just her heat cycle and didn't pay much attention.

Later, they realized something was wrong. Every time things got heated, that scarred carp would swim around nearby, as if it were stirring up trouble.

It doesn't directly participate in the fighting, but it instigates conflict.

He would wave in front of the Black Iron Carp, and when the Black Iron Carp got angry, he would slip away to the Red Skin Green Carp, causing the two sides to fight each other.

Black iron carp have hard scales, so being bitten a few times isn't a big deal, but they can't withstand the constant fighting. Several scales have fallen off, revealing the tender flesh underneath, which looks painful.

The red-skinned bluefish fared even worse. Its skin was already thin, and after being gnawed by the black iron carp, it had several bloody holes in its head. It had been listless for the past few days and couldn't even swim.

Gao Yao was somewhat stunned: "Did this fish really cause trouble on purpose?"

"I have observed for several days and it is indeed so," Wu Ling said with certainty. "Moreover, this fish is very cunning. Every time the Sage comes to check, it hides in the crevices of the rocks at the bottom of the pond and never shows itself. Therefore, the Sage has never noticed it."

Gao Yao fell silent.

He crouched down and examined the scarred carp closely.

The fish seemed to sense that it was being watched. It lingered by the crevice in the rock for a while, but finally couldn't resist and swam out.

It swam slowly, its tail swaying leisurely, and the scar on its head was particularly conspicuous in the morning light, like some kind of medal.

Gao Yao inexplicably felt a sense of familiarity with this fish.

It wasn't because it was smart, but because its tenacity in surviving in the cracks reminded him of himself.

Didn't he go through the same thing on the Luofu Sea?

There are plenty of fishermen stronger than you, and you could be swallowed up if you're not careful.

Survival isn't about brute force, it's about intelligence, the ability to assess situations, and knowing when to hide and when to step forward.

As for inciting the spirit fish to fight each other...

Gao Yao's lips curved slightly.

To be honest, he didn't think there was anything wrong with it. In this place, if you don't fight or grab, you won't even have bone fragments left.

This fish has survived until now thanks to its cleverness.

"Scarface Carp," he casually named it.

The fish flicked its tail, as if in response.

Gao Yao watched for a while, then suddenly turned to look at Wu Ling.

"Let it go."

Wu Ling was taken aback.

"The sage said..."

"Release it." Gao Yao stood up, nodded, and said, "Throw it into the sea and give it a chance to live."

Wu Ling stood there, stunned, for a long while without saying a word.

It looked at Gao Yao's profile; his young face remained calm and expressionless.

But something in his eyes made this tortoise spirit, who had lived for thousands of years, suddenly feel a tightness in its throat.

The sage is...

Emulate the way of Heaven and the virtue of cherishing life?

No, not only that.

Wu Ling recalled that he had also suffered a spiritual collapse and was on the verge of death. It was only through the enlightenment of a sage that he was able to continue his life and be reborn.

This little fish, though only a half-spirit, managed to survive in a desperate situation thanks to its quick wit.

The sage saw this and must have felt compassion for him.

But the sage did not speak of it.

The sage simply said, "Let it go," as if casually brushing away dust from a table.

This is true compassion.

Unassuming, selfless, and quietly beneficial.

Wu Ling's spirit trembled slightly, and she bowed deeply.

"The sage's benevolence and virtue are deeply admired by his disciples!"

Gao Yao glanced at it, wondering what it had figured out this time, and didn't dare to reply.

He didn't really think that much about it; he just felt that the fish resembled himself, and since he could survive, why couldn't he spare its life too?

As for whether it's benevolence or not, that's just Wu Ling overthinking things.

"Go ahead," Gao Yao waved his hand.

Wu Ling respectfully agreed, and his illusory figure sank to the bottom of the pond.

A moment later, a stream of water carrying the scarred carp rose from the pond and slowly drifted toward the sea.

The fish flicked its tail a few times in mid-air, as if glancing back at Gaoyao, before falling into the sea and disappearing after a few splashes.

Gao Yao stood on the shore and watched for a long time.

The sea surface was shimmering, and nothing could be seen.

He turned and went back to the shack to start cleaning the fishpond.

Since we're going to let go, we might as well let go completely.

Gao Yao suddenly remembered the end of the night when the inner demon attacked him. Before the ghostly thing died, it exploded, and a few wisps of black gas leaked into the fishpond and chicken coop.

Wu Ling said at the time that the black energy was weak and insufficient to corrupt the spirit bird's mind.

But what if?

Could those wisps of black mist be the trigger for the sudden change in the spirit fish's temperament?

He plans to sell all the fish in the pond and buy a new batch of fry.

Firstly, it would give me more spirit stones, and secondly, it would prevent any further trouble.

Replace with a fresh batch, and make sure it's clean.

Moreover, with the autumn examinations approaching, it's always a good thing to have more spirit stones on hand.

Elixirs, talismans, and magical artifacts—all of these cost money.

If you get injured on the field, you'll have to pay out of your own pocket for a healing pill.

Gao Yao considered the spirit fish he had on hand.

There were three black iron carp, two red-skinned blue carp, one snow silver trevally, and a few other half-spirit fish of average quality.

At market price, this batch of goods could be sold for sixty or seventy low-grade spirit stones.

Adding to what I had saved up before, I have about a hundred coins on hand.

Not much, but enough for an emergency.

He scooped them up one by one, put them into a fish basket, and carried them onto the sampan.

Wu Ling watched from the side, wanting to say something but holding back.

"What's wrong?"

"Sage..." Wu Ling hesitated for a moment, "I have carefully investigated that black aura, and it has indeed completely dissipated. Sage, there's no need for that..."

"I know," Gao Yao interrupted, smiling. "It's not that I don't believe you, it's just that everything in this world is predestined."

Upon hearing Gao Yao's profound and mysterious words, Wu Ling bowed respectfully and said no more.

......