"..." Wang Mu.

"Our Water Clan Spirits... place great importance on bloodlines..." Qiao Ge whispered. "The disparity in bloodline is too great; when facing their innate pressure, our strength is forcefully reduced by a degree."

So that was it.

"Hold on..." Wang Mu thought for a moment. "I remember, isn't that little one a disciple of Immortal Bi You? Is the Evil Flood Dragon Young Master that bold? Daring to snatch even her?"

Qiao Ge fell silent for a while.

"What's wrong?"

"Little Xi is a Registered Disciple of the Great Immortal..." Qiao Ge said softly. "Indeed, normally speaking, forget the Evil Flood Dragon Young Master, even the old flood dragons of the Black Demon Abyss wouldn't dare think of snatching a disciple of the Great Immortal. Immortal Bi You has subdued countless evil flood dragons. If those old flood dragons of the Black Demon Abyss dared to cause trouble, Immortal Bi You wouldn't mind subduing another one."

"But first, the Evil Flood Dragon Young Master isn't snatching her openly. He's merely following the rules of Glazed Lake. Even if Immortal Bi You came, she couldn't openly intervene..."

"Secondly..."

"Little Xi says she hasn't been able to contact the Great Immortal recently, for some unknown reason... She might be in seclusion..."

Wang Mu's heart skipped a beat.

Ever since Nanrong Biyou left that time, she hadn't returned...

Could it be some important matter? She wouldn't go so far as to ignore her own Registered Disciple, would she...?

Wang Mu pondered.

"How is your situation now?" Wang Mu asked directly.

"Not good..." Qiao Ge said in a low voice. "The other Water Clan members of Glazed Lake stand with us. Knowing what's at stake, they all sent their elite warriors. But none could withstand a single blow from that Evil Flood Dragon."

"Currently, only our Merfolk Clan remains..."

"How strong are you?" Wang Mu asked.

"Our Merfolk Clan has great potential..." Qiao Ge said. "But Cultivation is difficult... We need to reach the Nascent Soul Stage to possess great strength..."

Understood. So they're quite weak in the early stages.

"Alright..." Wang Mu nodded. "Your rules don't forbid sending a member of the Human Clan, do they? I'm Little Xi's friend. You can send me up later; I'll give it a try..."

Qiao Ge looked at Wang Mu with surprise and uncertainty.

"You... seem to only have the aura of the Qi Cultivation Ninth Layer..."

"Don't judge by appearances..." Wang Mu said earnestly. "I'm actually... well, not too bad, I suppose. That little one must have mentioned it to you, right?"

"Not really..." Qiao Ge said. "She only mentioned that you're very good at Fishing, with average strength. But you're a very interesting and fun person, um, with great potential."

"..." Wang Mu.

So Little Jiao Huo only remembers that I'm very good at Fishing, huh? Did she say I have 'great potential' because she remembered I'm the companion to the Divine Fish manifestation, the one connected to Immortal Bi You?

As the surface they were on sank downwards, all sorts of odd stone houses appeared before his eyes, one connected to another.

Qiao Ge, leading Wang Mu, arrived at a region enclosed by giant sea stones. Through a gap in the sea stones, they saw a flat Sea Stone Platform ahead.

Various strange Water Clan Spirits were crowded there, encircling the place in layers upon layers.

From inside, angry and alarmed shouts echoed occasionally...

"You should first meet with Grandma..." Qiao Ge whispered. "Or, meet Little Xi so Grandma can send you away from here..."

Wang Mu didn't speak, simply following Qiao Ge to another stone house. Before they even went in, a crying voice came from inside.

"BOO HOO HOO... Grandma, I really don't want to go with that big earthworm... He's so ugly!"

The voice continued, "He's ugly and mean..."

"Don't worry, Grandma won't send Little Xi to that Evil Flood Dragon..." a deep voice responded.

"Grandma, hurry and make me ugly... super ugly... The kind even the Sea Dog Clan would shake their heads at! Otherwise, making me old is fine too, as old as you..."

"..."

"..." Wang Mu.

"..." Qiao Ge.

TAP. TAP. TAP.

Qiao Ge knocked on the mushroom-like stone door.

The stone door opened, and an old Merfolk woman with a very withered appearance and white hair walked out.

Qiao Ge started, "Grandma, Wang Mu is here..." but before he could finish,

"Wang Mu!!" A petite figure dashed out from inside the house. Her delicate little face, tear-streaked like pear blossoms after rain, was filled with surprise as she lunged towards Wang Mu. Mid-charge, she hesitated briefly, looking at Wang Mu. "Eh, Wang Mu, you seem to have become even more handsome..."

Suddenly, she snapped back to reality and lunged again.

"Oh hurry, Wang Mu, take me with you! Take me back to your Sword Sect! I want to pursue Cultivation too!"

Wang Mu placed a hand on Little Jiao Huo's forehead, effortlessly keeping her at bay no matter how much she lunged.

"You're a disciple of Immortal Bi You; the Sword Sect won't accept you," Wang Mu said, annoyed.

The Sword Sect actually did take in Spirits. However, they usually only took them as Spirit beasts. Of course, the Merfolk Clan was also considered part of the Spirit Clan. If they could pass the Sword Sect's entrance test, the Sect would accept them as well, just like the Feathered People Clan.

"Ah..." Little Jiao Huo's face fell, her previously bright cheeks immediately deflating.

"Sir..." The Merfolk Grandmother uttered in standard human speech, looking at Wang Mu with furrowed brows. "What brings you here?"

Wang Mu glanced at Little Jiao Huo and replied, "I'm her friend. Since she's in trouble, it's only natural for me to help."

Little Jiao Huo had kept watch for him underwater for so long, and they had a good relationship. For both sentimental and logical reasons, Wang Mu felt compelled to help.

"Friend?" The Merfolk Grandmother was taken aback, asking, "And how do you wish to help? This is Glazed Lake, where the rules differ from those of the human world."

"Then we'll follow the rules of Glazed Lake," Wang Mu said. "I'll help drive away that Evil Flood Dragon Young Master. Didn't Qiao Ge, this brave warrior, say that only your Merfolk Clan remains? If there's no rule against calling for external help—er, hiring helpers—may I fight on your behalf?"

"You..." The Grandmother sized up Wang Mu for a moment. "Do you... realize where you are?"

"Glazed Lake."

"..."

The Grandmother frowned and said, "In this place, never mind a Qi Refining Realm cultivator like you; even a Golden Core cultivator at the bottom of Glazed Lake, without their Water Control Ability, couldn't use even half their strength..."

"Exactly, exactly..." Little Jiao Huo whispered. "Wang Mu, don't be reckless... You're the Great Immortal's..." She paused. "I don't want anything to happen to you..."

Immortal Bi You would be heartbroken!

Hmm? The Grandmother looked at Little Jiao Huo, her eyes sharpening slightly.

"I have my own methods," Wang Mu declared. "If you don't have a surefire way to win, why not let me give it a try?"

The Grandmother contemplated for a few seconds, then suddenly said, "Fine, I will let you try."

Little Jiao Huo was startled and hurriedly tugged at the Grandmother's arm. "Grandma, what are you doing...?"

"It's alright, Grandma has her own plans," the Grandmother stroked Little Jiao Huo's head. "Even if he loses, I won't let him come to harm. Human, I admire your courage. Your actions remind me of that human from the past..."

The Grandmother paused.

"If you really can win, I can grant you one request..."

Wang Mu waved a hand dismissively. "Let's talk about it after I win."

After saying this, Wang Mu glanced at Little Jiao Huo and said, "I'm so skilled at Fishing; what's a mere Evil Flood Dragon? Just think of him as a fish, and I'll reel him in with a couple of swishes..."

Little Jiao Huo giggled, the tear stains at the corners of her eyes diminishing somewhat...

"Do you have Little Xi's conch shell on you?" asked the Grandmother.

Wang Mu nodded.

"Good. With that conch shell, you can be considered a guest representative of our Glazed Lake Merfolk Clan and can replace our Merfolk warriors in the arena," the Grandmother said. "Qiao Ge, take him there."

Qiao Ge hesitated for a moment, then nodded and started leading Wang Mu toward the vast central Sea Stone Platform...

"Grandma, I want to go watch!" Little Jiao Huo clutched the Grandmother's arm.

"Very well."

The Grandmother nodded and led Little Jiao Huo towards the upper viewing stands...

Next chapter will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.