Nine Nether Dragon Emperor-Chapter 76: I’m from a small place, not worth mentioning!
「Blunt Stone Tower, at the center of the ice lake.」
At first, Ning Xuan thought having company would prevent things from getting too boring. He soon discovered he was still too naive. They were both fishing, but while he came up empty every time, the other person was pulling in one fish after another.
After watching the other person continuously catch several more fish, Ning Xuan couldn’t help but ask, "Senior, is there any trick to this?"
The other person didn’t answer. Instead, he shifted his position to turn his back on him.
Uh...
Was I just shunned?
Ning Xuan grumbled to himself. Really? Does he have to be so obvious about it?
"Fishing in the Tower River with a straight hook and no bait; the willing will be caught. Within one hundred years, you must catch one thousand fish to pass the first level. Otherwise, you will be expelled from the sect and your failure proclaimed to the world."
The old man’s voice once again resonated in Ning Xuan’s mind.
Ning Xuan’s grip on the fishing rod tightened. Being expelled from the sect is one thing, but to have it announced to the world for all to know... that would be too humiliating! When I do ’catch’ fish, I’ll be the one parading them around the world, not the other way around.
He glanced at the distant figure and abandoned the idea of buying fish. After all, the other person would simply throw each fish he caught right back into the water.
Ning Xuan no longer hurried to fish. Instead, he began to seriously observe how the other person did it.
Soon, his eyes lit up.
Element Qi!
Although the other person was using a straight hook with no bait, it was imbued with extremely pure Element Qi.
So there’s no such thing as a ’willing’ fish. They’re just after the Element Qi!
He closed his eyes, immersed his mind, and entered a state of detachment from himself and the world. Soon, Ning Xuan sensed the extremely pure heaven-and-earth Element Qi in this place.
But a new problem arose. My cultivation is sealed. How am I supposed to gather this Element Qi?
As soon as the thought arose, the old man’s voice rang out. The moment the voice faded, Ning Xuan was already circulating the ordinary Qi Gathering Technique he had just been taught.
Only half a day had passed in the tower when Ning Xuan suddenly cast his line.
The moment the straight hook touched the water, Element Qi gathered upon it.
「Deep in the Stele Forest.」
Damn it, does he have to be this outrageous?!
The old man was dumbfounded. One had to remember that the fellow inside the tower was the former number one Demon Path prodigy of the Yao Guang Realm—one of the Big Dipper Seven Realms—a man of exceptional talent. It had taken him a full forty-nine days to achieve any results back then.
This little guy, on the other hand, only took half a day! How utterly demoralizing! 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦
「In the Tower River.」
The other angler was the first to notice something was amiss; his fishing rod quivered. The Element Qi on his hook instantly scattered. However, he had been suppressed here for countless ages. His Mental State had been tempered to incredible resilience, and he quickly returned to normal.
"Haha, I caught a fish!"
When the first fish took the hook, Ning Xuan was as happy as a child. He suddenly understood the joy of an angler!
The first step is always the hardest. Ning Xuan quickly grasped the knack, and fishing became easier and easier.
The angler who had kept his back to him without speaking a word—the one Ning Xuan had mistaken for a mere background character—suddenly began to chant, "Little fish, little fish, bite the hook! Little fish, little fish, bite the hook!"
And just like that, Ning Xuan’s fortune took a turn for the worse.
The fish swarmed the other hook like perverts spotting a great beauty, and his was once again ignored.
Element Qi... The Element Qi gathered on his hook is even purer!
Ning Xuan immediately identified the problem. Instead of lamenting his fate, he began to refine his own technique.
Soon, the old man couldn’t hold it in any longer.
What the hell? He modified the Cultivation Technique! How long has it even been?!
He instantly noticed Ning Xuan’s changes and was left completely numb.
He wasn’t the only one who was stunned. So was the guy in the Tower River. He had also modified the Cultivation Technique, but that was a year after he had arrived.
This guy hadn’t even been here for a full day. What kind of monster is he? Is he from the Tianji, Tianxuan, or Tian Shu Realm? Or perhaps a prodigy from an even higher domain?
Before he could find an answer, the old man’s voice echoed in his mind.
"By the reckoning of the Blunt Stone calendar, you have been suppressed for one hundred thousand years. I have a task for you. This boy comes from a higher domain. As long as you can prevent him from completing his task, he will take your place guarding this level."
The old man felt he had to phrase it this way. Otherwise, if this demon were to learn that Ning Xuan comes from the lowest-level continent, the resilience he’s built over 100,000 years would probably shatter in an instant!
At this, the man was overjoyed.
Immediately, he turned around and took off his straw raincoat and cloak.
"Hey, let’s chat," he said, taking the initiative.
Ning Xuan looked up, somewhat surprised. The other party wasn’t an old man at all; he appeared to be young and around the same age.
Realizing he had found a peer in this place, Ning Xuan grew instantly excited. The next hundred years certainly wouldn’t be lonely! "Are you a disciple of Stele Forest too?" he asked eagerly. "What’s your name? How long have you been here?"
The other man’s mouth twitched.
Outside, the old man’s did as well.
Isn’t that just rubbing salt in his wound?
Suddenly, the old man felt his decision had been a bit hasty. Thankfully, the demon had been in the tower for more than a day or two.
"Shentu Yi of the Yao Guang Realm," he stated, introducing himself. "I’ve been here for quite a while." He then began to lecture Ning Xuan. "Your Mental State is weak. You must remain unperturbed even if a mountain were to collapse before you."
Outside, the old man nodded. But soon after, his heart was in his throat.
If this kid blurts out that he’s Ning Xuan from the Yuan Ling Continent, things are going to get ugly!
Fortunately, while he was still pondering how to conceal this, Ning Xuan spoke. "Your surname is Shentu? Do you know someone named Shentu Yan?"
Shentu Yi shook his head.
"Oh, good. That’s a relief. I killed her. If you two were acquainted, I’d probably be spending the next long while alone again."
Shentu Yi’s eyes flashed. As expected of a prodigy from a higher domain. He boasts so effortlessly!
"Wait, the Yao Guang Realm? What place is that? I’ve never heard of it," Ning Xuan suddenly asked with curiosity.
Shentu Yi became even more humble. "I come from a small place. It’s not worth mentioning!"
Outside, the old man was terrified and quickly intervened. "Ning Xuan, you are a real disappointment! After all this time, haven’t you realized that your Mental State is constantly being affected?"
Ning Xuan was startled, then instantly understood.
This damn tower is terrifying! It doesn’t just infinitely magnify negative emotions! Excitement, curiosity... all emotions are being amplified! Be calm. I must be calm!
Ning Xuan quickly took a deep breath and continued his great endeavor of fishing.
Next to him, Shentu Yi, remembering his task, babbled incessantly, peppering him with pointless topics.
For instance: How many sweethearts do you have?
How old are you?
What’s your favorite position?
...
The questions became increasingly outrageous.
Ning Xuan remembered the old man’s words and just smiled. In the end, Shentu Yi was left with a dry mouth, while Ning Xuan remained as steadfast as a mountain.
Damn it! At this rate, Shentu Yi’s 100,000 years of hard work will all be for nothing!
The old man’s brow furrowed tighter and tighter. He had no choice but to remind Shentu Yi.
"Is your mouth the only thing you know how to use? You’re a Demon Path prodigy! What is the Demon Path? Have you forgotten? Stop yapping and do something!"
Shentu Yi finally snapped out of it.
He continued to fish. This time, however, he started throwing the fish he caught directly under Ning Xuan’s line. Just as a fish was about to bite Ning Xuan’s hook, his disturbance scared it away.
Shentu Yi laughed. "Brother Ning, just a joke. You’re not angry, right?"
Ning Xuan shook his head.
Shentu Yi breathed a sigh of relief. To be honest, he was really afraid that Ning Xuan would retaliate. To be precise, he was afraid this was all a conspiracy by the old man—a form of entrapment.
The old man was speechless.
