"Ribbit—"

Ji Yuan had just returned to Mist Island when he saw the Big Toad showing off its treasure, tossing out the corpse of a Tier Two early-stage Spirit Fish behind him.

The Spirit Fish's flesh had long been eaten, leaving only a skeleton and a single Demon Pill untouched—with even the scales gone. Ji Yuan even suspected the Big Toad ate up the Spirit Fish and then spat out the leftovers…

But it didn't matter; that single Demon Pill alone was worth a solid 20 Mid-grade Spirit Stones.

So Ji Yuan rewarded it with an entire Spirit Pig to help it recover.

This time, returning and being able to settle down and cultivate again, Ji Yuan naturally needed to prepare to buy some small Spirit Pigs.

After collecting the Big Toad's "basic welfare," Ji Yuan found Tu Yue on the island, busily digging and farming, and took the "welfare" from her as well for this period.

The Water Dew produced daily by the Fish Pond.

The Spiritual Soil produced daily by the Chicken Cage.

The Blood Essence produced daily by the Pigsty, plus the monthly output of Jade Fat. As for Quenching Acupoint Pearls, Ji Yuan just completed Foundation Establishment and hadn't had a chance to raise pigs, so there were none.

The Heart's Desire Wine from the Wine Cellar.

And the thousand-year Illusion Spirit Grass from the Spirit Field. Ji Yuan last harvested some just before Foundation Establishment.

Foundation Establishment took a year; naturally, the Spirit Field produced another thousand-year Illusion Spirit Grass.

This means another guaranteed three or four Foundation Establishment Pills are credited to his account.

Ji Yuan was feeling pretty happy inside. This was another big stack of Spirit Stones… Seems he really needed to find time for an auction and sell some off.

Otherwise, carrying these Foundation Establishment Pills around was pointless.

Transferring all the harvests in Tu Yue's Storage Bag into his own, Ji Yuan handed her the now-empty Storage Bag, letting her get back to work.

Then Ji Yuan leapt up, taking a few brisk steps from halfway up the mountain, landing at the base near the Fish Pond.

There was another building ready for upgrading—Ji Yuan could hardly resist the temptation.

As he stood before the empty Fish Pond, just about to upgrade… he suddenly remembered something that happened before.

That was the first time he upgraded the Fish Pond, and one of the semi-Spirit Fish inside actually evolved into a Spirit Fish.

It was thanks to that single Spirit Fish that Ji Yuan got through his predicament then.

Now, he was about to upgrade to Level 3 Fish Pond.

Fish Pond: Level 3 (Upgradeable)

Spirit Effect: Produces three drops of Ice Soul Cold Dew daily, increases Spirit Fish evolution probability, and has a certain chance for ice attribute mutations; growth speed +40%.

Spirit Effect 2 (Rainbow Carp to Serpent): Carp-type Spirit Fish have a tiny chance to produce a Frost Serpent hatchling (Tier Three Demon Beast).

If that's the case, then if the Fish Pond already has some carp-type Spirit Fish inside…

Is there a chance for a critical hit, directly triggering Spirit Effect 2 'Rainbow Carp to Serpent,' and he could instantly have a Tier Three Demon Beast hatchling?

In the spirit of 'better safe than sorry'—might as well try.

Ji Yuan decided to hold off upgrading and first put in more carp-type Spirit Fish into the Fish Pond.

You never know, it might just work!

Besides, if he wanted to raise more fish, the pond's environment was definitely not up to par.

The hundred-mu Fish Pond had been fouled up by the previous Yin Ghost Array.

If he tossed Spirit Fish in now, they'd probably drop dead on the spot.

Ji Yuan first cast several water-type Purification Techniques. They worked—he managed to cleanse the filth from the pond.

It looked clean and clear again, but that gloomy Yin energy still lingered.

No problem; Ji Yuan took matters into his own hands, returned to the Talisman Room, spent a few upper-tier Level 1 Exorcism Talismans, and after a flurry of procedures, finally restored the Fish Pond to its original state.

Next up: get some Spirit Fish.

Catching them himself would take forever—he'd never finish, so Ji Yuan decided to buy them as usual.

And while at it, grab more Spirit Pigs and Spirit Chickens.

Now that he was back for peaceful cultivation, he had to get this farm running, can't waste the effects of all these buildings.

So Ji Yuan spent another couple weeks heading out to nearby Black Water Square and Huaiyin Square, buying some Spirit Pigs and Spirit Chickens.

But carp-type Spirit Fish were way too scarce. After hitting up a few markets, he only managed to buy four.

When Ji Yuan went, he used Concealing Breath Spell to lower his cultivation to the Peak of Qi Refining. Thanks to a kind cultivator's guidance, he arrived at Lishui City.

If you want carp-type Spirit Fish, this is the place with the most.

Because Lishui City has a unique annual tradition: the "Carp Leaping the Dragon Gate" event.

During this event, Lishui City releases a ton of carp-type Spirit Fish, then sets obstacles along the way, letting them race ahead. In the end, whichever Spirit Fish crosses the highest obstacle and leaps through the Dragon Gate wins.

Participating cultivators can bet on whichever Spirit Fish they like, guessing which one will make it through first—or just betting if it'll leap the Dragon Gate at all.

Ji Yuan figured it out instantly—it was just a special kind of gambling.

And a gambling game tailored for cultivators.

When Ji Yuan heard this, Lishui City was right in the middle of the "Carp Leaping the Dragon Gate" event.

If he were any regular cultivator, he'd have rushed over to join the fun.

But, alas, Ji Yuan wasn't a typical cultivator. Once he heard Lishui City was hosting the event, he immediately returned to Mist Island to continue his cultivation.

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.