Chapter 856-860: Treasured Fishing Pond (6k+ words)

"Fish bite bait because they want to feed. What is it that these light spheres are seeking?"

Sitting on the endless starry sky, Ji Shaoli pondered this question.

"From a vague glimpse, it can be seen that these light spheres contain items, techniques, supernatural powers, or combat experiences."

"This fishing pond may be an immortal tool that sets certain thresholds and specifically rewards certain things."

As his gaze swept through light spheres of white, cyan, blue, purple, and orange, Ji Shaoli contemplated.

"The more valuable the things, the higher their level. So, attracting them becomes more difficult."

"But now, with only residual consciousness, even if I want to catch those white light spheres, it all depends on luck. Not to mention the higher-level ones."

After trying various methods, Ji Shaoli still couldn't add "bait" to the falling fishing line.

And his luck was really bad.

After a long time, not a single white light sphere was attracted.

It seemed that there was also a time limit in this starry sky.

The surrounding starlight became dimmer, as if layers of ripples scattered, and Ji Shaoli returned to the real world.

The result of this fishing session turned out to be an empty rod!

Ji Shaoli, frustrated, immediately prepared to cast another rod. But he remembered that there was only one chance per day to activate the power of fishing the starry sky.

He could only take a deep breath and wait for tomorrow to come.

For the next ten days, Ji Shaoli participated in fishing with one rod every day.

In total, only six light spheres were caught.

Five white and one blue.

The white light spheres contained only some minerals, spirit herbs, and similar things.

They didn't have much value.

In the blue light sphere, however, a jade slip was obtained.

"'Tai Kang Geng Golden Sword Qi'?"

Ji Shaoli carefully read the contents of the jade slip.

"It's indeed not a product of the Xuanhuang Realm."

This 'Tai Kang Geng Golden Sword Qi' came from the 'Taiyi Realm,' a technique of the Sword God Sect.

The situation in the Taiyi Realm was generally similar to the Xuanhuang Realm.

However, there were five great cultivators who reached the pinnacle without ascending to the Immortal Realm but chose to transcend through enlightenment, merging with the Heavenly Dao of the Taiyi Realm. They were called the 'Taiyi Five Emperors.'

Tai Kang was one of these five emperors.

"With the power of Emperor Tai Kang, can the sword technique be cultivated all the way to the Unity Realm?"

"How is it a blue-quality item?"

After reading the contents of the jade slip, Ji Shaoli couldn't help but feel a bit stunned.

As the saying goes, adapting to local conditions.

This sword technique was specially created based on the specific situation of the Taiyi Realm. The necessary condition for cultivation was the power of Emperor Tai Kang.

And in the Xuanhuang Realm, there was no such thing as "Emperor Tai Kang."

So, this technique naturally couldn't be practiced.

If it weren't for having a Unity quality, it would probably have to be categorized as a white one.

"This fishing platform can actually reassess the value of items based on the environment?" Ji Shaoli couldn't help but marvel.

Although it was almost equivalent to having no harvest, Ji Shaoli was not angry.

He observed Zhong Shentong's fishing process during these ten days.

After all, having been in contact with this fishing platform earlier, Zhong Shentong seemed to have mastered some tricks.

In ten opportunities, not a single rod came up empty.

Although it was only eight white and two blue, it was still far better than Ji Shaoli!

After pondering for a while, Ji Shaoli decided not to consume more.

On this day, when Zhong Shentong was about to take a nap after a full meal, his expression suddenly changed.

A golden light cover enveloped the entire small temple, including the fishing pond.

Countless golden snake-like thunderbolts were generating in the sky.

It seemed like they were about to strike in the next moment.

"Master!" The little disciple washing dishes turned pale in shock.

"Luli, come quickly behind me!" Zhong Shentong grabbed the little disciple, shielding him.

At the same time, he took out a command flag and inserted it into the ground.

A tan-colored energy formed a sphere, enveloping the two.

"Who is it? Can you come out to meet me?"

"There might be some misunderstanding among us!"

Zhong Shentong shouted loudly, while Ji Shaoli could see clearly that despite his words, Zhong Shentong had quietly taken out a wooden sword.

Even though Ji Shaoli's realm surpassed the opponent, he still felt a trace of deadly crisis from the small sword.

Without revealing himself, Ji Shaoli coldly said, "Friend Zhong, if you don't want the matter of the fishing pond to become widely known, it's better not to resist!"

"In fact, I don't have any malicious intent. Just as a fellow fisherman, I'm equally curious about it!"

After this statement, Zhong Shentong completely lost his composure.

The greatest secret had been exposed, and Zhong Shentong's mind was in chaos.

His facial expression changed constantly, and eventually, he put away the wooden sword.

"Alright, please come out and meet me! Hiding your head and revealing your tail, what does that count for?" he said in a deep voice.

"Hehe, friend, if you don't want to be known about your treasures from that fishing pond, you better not act carelessly," Ji Shaoli didn't buy into his words.

Instead, he inquired about the method to catch higher-quality light spheres.

"Don't try to deceive me; I'm well aware of your gains in these ten days," Ji Shaoli said with a mocking tone.

Zhong Shentong's heart sank completely.

For so many days, the other party had almost examined him thoroughly.

And he was completely unaware of it.

This was enough to indicate that the other party's strength must far exceed his own.

With overwhelming strength, he still remained so cautious...

Zhong Shentong couldn't help but curse inwardly.

Helplessly, he could only share the insights he had summarized.

"On the fishing platform, the more you cast the rod, the stronger the connection it forms."

"Perhaps there were other ways to directly increase the connection in the past. But now, you can only rely on the number of attempts and time to grind it out."

"When the connection strengthens to a certain extent, you can use your own 'intent' as bait to attract the light spheres around you."

"The light spheres seem to have spirituality and can perceive the content in the 'intent' bait."

...

Zhong Shentong confessed.

Ji Shaoli listened carefully, distinguishing the truth from his words.

"You don't need to worry about me deceiving you; try it yourself, and you'll know."

"Since the day I discovered the secret of this fishing pond, I knew that I couldn't monopolize it forever."

Zhong Shentong sighed deeply.

"Unfortunately, this fishing pond seems to be integrated with the heavens and the earth, fixed in place. It can't be moved or taken away."

"Otherwise..."

Zhong Shentong said helplessly.

"I just hope you spare Luli's life. If you want to kill, just kill me." He pleaded.

At this moment, Ji Shaoli finally revealed his figure.

"Hehe, friend Zhong, you'd better put away your magical treasures."

"I don't mean to monopolize the secret of this place."

Hearing this, Zhong Shentong looked suspicious, but he still secretly held a purple-golden gourd without letting go.

(End of this chapter)

Chapter 857: Cunning Words Manipulate Divine Power

Ji Shaoli spoke confidently, "If my guess is correct, the treasures each person can obtain from this fishing pond are relatively independent and do not affect each other. In other words, you and I don't have a life-and-death competition. That's one point."

"Furthermore, we both have a common goal. That is to keep the number of cultivators who know the secret of this fishing pond as low as possible. Friend Zhong, do you think, relying solely on your strength, you can guard this secret?"

"Today, I discovered the anomalies here. Sooner or later, other cultivators will find out too. Can you stop them?"

Ji Shaoli stared at Zhong Shentong, asking without reservation.

Zhong Shentong could only remain silent.

"But if we help each other, we can significantly reduce the risk of other cultivators discovering it. It might even be possible to permanently occupy this treasure!" Ji Shaoli said with a smile.

"We?" Zhong Shentong's expression finally changed.

After much hesitation, he reluctantly put away the purple-golden gourd in his hand and said, "Friend, come down and talk."

At this moment, the sense of crisis that lingered in Ji Shaoli's heart finally disappeared when he descended from the clouds.

"Friend Zhong, is this purple-golden gourd also fished out from the fishing pond?" Ji Shaoli's gaze flickered as he asked.

But he didn't get closer.

Zhong Shentong smiled, "I've been guarding this fishing platform for most of my life and only fished out such a treasure."

"The Primordial Purple-Golden Gourd, purple quality. I don't know which cultivation realm it comes from, but it contains the essence of the Primordial Dual Qi. With a single thought, it can turn the Primordial Dual Qi into flying knives to confront enemies. It is said that even Nascent Soul cultivators can be instantly killed. Unfortunately..."

Zhong Shentong shook his head slightly, "This is only effective in other cultivation realms. In our Xuanhuang realm, cultivators above the Nascent Infant stage have already merged with the heavens and the earth. As long as the heavens and the earth exist, the cultivators won't perish. So, the power of this Primordial Purple-Golden Gourd is not as formidable here."

This explanation revealed why Zhong Shentong didn't easily choose to take action.

Under the influence of many protective treasures, Ji Shaoli's aura had already surpassed the scope of a Foundation Establishment cultivator.

Zhong Shentong couldn't accurately determine his true cultivation level and lacked confidence in a decisive strike.

Hearing about the possible existence of an organization behind Ji Shaoli, Zhong Shentong had to give up.

"Friend Zhong, how many years have you discovered the mysteries of this fishing pond?" Ji Shaoli finally descended from the sky at this moment.

Zhong Shentong's eyes flashed with a hint of recollection, "I can't remember too clearly. It was when I was still young, time flies..."

Ji Shaoli, indifferent, quietly observed the disciple Luli, who had been protected by Zhong Shentong all along.

Delicate like a porcelain doll, with exquisite features.

Wearing a loose Daoist robe, a sudden glance didn't reveal the gender.

At this moment, Luli peeked out with a head, not showing much fear in the eyes.

Just puffing up the cheeks, glaring fiercely at Ji Shaoli.

"This little one..."

Zhong Shentong smiled wryly, "Just an adopted mortal orphan..."

At this moment, Luli widened the eyes, looking up at Zhong Shentong in shock, "Master, didn't you say I was also fished out from this pond..."

"Oooh..."

Before the words were finished, Zhong Shentong hastily covered his mouth with regret.

"Hahaha." Ji Shaoli burst into laughter, then suddenly stopped.

He looked at Zhong Shentong with a stern expression, "Friend Zhong, if you insist on this, don't blame me for being merciless."

"Lingling!"

Luli also realized he had caused trouble, no longer struggling.

Zhong Shentong didn't blame him. He just patted the little disciple's head, soothing the teary-eyed Luli.

Both sides confronted each other for a while.

As a figure appeared in the sky, the pressure of the combined Daoist aura enveloped them.

Zhong Shentong's face turned extremely pale. He sighed deeply, finally giving up resistance.

"Little Luli, indeed, I fished you out from the fishing pond."

"At first, it was just a transparent fruit like Luli's. I was about to eat her when I faintly heard a baby's cry from within."

...

Giving up resistance, Zhong Shentong sat on the ground and slowly narrated.

Chapter 857: Lin Ling's Curiosity

Lin Ling was very curious about this beautiful little Daoist disciple, continuously scanning the figure with his divine sense.

Surprisingly, the little girl sensed Lin Ling's scrutiny and defiantly stared back at Lin Ling.

Both stared at each other, neither giving way.

This scene made Zhong Shentong laugh and cry, and his anxious unease disappeared.

When the opponent revealed the strength of the Combined Daoist, he felt desperate.

However, judging from the actions of this Combined Daoist, the situation didn't seem as bad as he imagined.

At this moment, Ji Shaoli also walked to the side of the fishing pond.

With his back to Zhong Shentong, he said slowly, "I am not a murderer. Unless absolutely necessary, I am unwilling to cause unnecessary bloodshed. However, the secret of the fishing pond must not be revealed."

"Friend Zhong, you now have two choices."

"One is to sacrifice yourself. If so, I promise you, I will ensure that this little girl lives worry-free for the rest of her life."

"The second option is..."

Zhong Shentong squinted his eyes, intentionally pausing as he listened to Ji Shaoli's words.

"That is to join our Multiverse Alliance. As long as we are one family, there is no need to worry about secrets leaking."

"Multiverse... Alliance?" Hearing this completely unfamiliar name, Zhong Shentong was momentarily stunned.

However, with a Combined Daoist presiding, it couldn't be simple.

With no other choice, Zhong Shentong quickly agreed, "I am willing to join you."

"Good! Friend Zhong truly knows the current affairs!" Ji Shaoli applauded and praised.

"Lingling!" He shouted again.

Lin Ling looked at Ji Shaoli and then gently pointed towards the sky.

Afterwards, a blurry image of a faceless stone statue appeared above Zhong Shentong's head.

Although the facial features of the stone statue were unclear, Zhong Shentong suddenly felt a chilling sensation in his heart.

Facing countless light clusters like stars in the fishing pond every day, he had developed an intuition for evaluating the grade of items.

Zhong Shentong almost instantly realized that this stone statue must be extraordinary!

Sure enough, he heard Ji Shaoli respectfully say, "This is the likeness of the Compassionate True Immortal of the Mortal World. All members must recite the oath in front of the statue."

With that, a oath of over two hundred words was transmitted to Zhong Shentong's mind.

"True Immortal..." Zhong Shentong's heart shuddered.

"Could it be that behind the Multiverse Alliance..."

Zhong Shentong dared not think too deeply.

Having seen items from different cultivation realms in the fishing pond, he was extremely certain of the existence of the Immortal Realm that transcended all cultivation realms.

With a solemn expression, Zhong Shentong recited the membership oath in front of everyone.

The process seemed extremely lengthy, and the oath seemed to contain inexplicable and marvelous energy.

(End of this chapter)

Chapter 858: Principles of Fishing

After reciting the oath, Zhong Shentong felt a heavy burden on his heart, as if an invisible shackle had been added.

"Hahaha, good." Ji Shaoli, at this moment, also seemed relieved. He instantly put away all the treasures protecting him, showing no signs of defense.

This made Zhong Shentong even more certain that the membership oath must contain some restrictive power.

"Now that Friend Zhong has joined, how about having Little Miss Lingling join as well?" Ji Shaoli smiled and suggested, although the tone allowed no refusal.

Helplessly, Zhong Shentong gestured for Lingling to comply. No need for special communication; just by hearing Zhong Shentong recite the oath once, Lingling had memorized every word.

After completing the membership oath, Lingling still showed a carefree demeanor, seemingly unaffected by any pressure.

Zhong Shentong couldn't help but sigh inwardly, "Indeed, the young are fearless. This little child doesn't comprehend the mysteries of True Immortals."

Seeing Zhong Shentong's concerns, Ji Shaoli spoke, "Friend Zhong, no need to worry. I have already contacted the headquarters. You will still be in charge of this fishing pond."

"Everything will remain the same."

Surprisingly, Zhong Shentong was greatly astonished by Ji Shaoli's words. "Moreover, we won't hide anything here. After all, only treasures need concealment. What reason is there to specifically protect an ordinary pond? However, Friend, you can set up formations outside this mountain temple to avoid incidents of outsiders peeping."

"If a leak does occur, we can quickly come to support."

After Ji Shaoli's detailed explanation, most of Zhong Shentong's doubts were dispelled. "It seems I was overly cautious. The Multiverse Alliance does live up to its name," he thought.

With Lin Ling's assistance, the protective array outside the small temple was quickly established.

Ji Shaoli also took out some treasures to help defend Zhong Shentong.

This made Zhong Shentong, who hadn't felt cared for in a long time, somewhat embarrassed.

"These things are unnecessary. In my many years, I've fished up too many random items."

"During a crisis, they wouldn't be of much use."

He shook his head, and with a throw, he tossed a storage ring over.

"Take a look inside. See if there's anything valuable that I missed."

Ji Shaoli scanned the space within the storage ring, resembling a junkyard, with his divine sense.

After a moment, he shook his head. "Not much value."

"But..." Ji Shaoli paused slightly.

"Some of these items, despite their low quality, might have additional value. After all, most of them come from other cultivation realms. According to my knowledge, some cultivators are very interested in similar items."

Zhong Shentong nodded slightly, "I understand this reasoning. However, fearing attention from others, I have always chosen not to sell these items."

"But now, you don't need to worry about that anymore." Ji Shaoli put away the storage ring.

"We will have someone handle these items. When the time comes, half of the proceeds will be handed over to the alliance, and the other half will be returned to you."

Zhong Shentong had no objection to this distribution and even exclaimed, "Having support is indeed better than going it alone."

"The fishing pond is an extremely rare treasure. Within the alliance, strict confidentiality measures will be taken. Rarely will outsiders come for fishing, and it won't happen too frequently," Ji Shaoli explained the future arrangements to Zhong Shentong.

Various measures made him more and more at ease.

After that, Ji Shaoli consulted him on the experience of fishing in the starry sky.

"What exactly is the 'bait of intention'? Can any kind of intention be used?"

After pondering for a while, Zhong Shentong explained, "The fishing pond doesn't come with any instructions; everything relies on my own exploration."

"Based on my experience over the years, the principle for using intention as bait generally follows the rule of 'like attracts like.'"

"In the fishing pond, there are countless clusters of light, each with its distinct attributes."

"Light clusters similar to the condensed intention bait are more easily caught."

Zhong Shentong then took out the Mixed Element Purple Gold Gourd and said, "For example, this gourd is a killing-type magical treasure shaped like a gourd, just like the one I envisioned that fortunately got caught."

Hearing this, Ji Shaoli contemplated, "If we consider those light clusters as having their own consciousness, doesn't it mean they will be attracted by intention baits that are similar or interesting to their own consciousness?"

Zhong Shentong nodded.

"Although that's the case, luck still plays a role. The starry sky within this fishing pond is vast. The influence range of the intention bait is only a small part of it. It's difficult for the fishing line to precisely encounter a light cluster that can be attracted."

"Difficult, difficult, difficult!" Zhong Shentong repeated three times, expressing his helplessness.

"I think there should be a special technique that accompanies the use of this fishing pond, but it has disappeared, leaving only the pond in this world," he sighed.

Ji Shaoli agreed with a nod.

The conversation between the two was carried out through telepathic communication, unnoticed by Lingling and Lin Ling.

In just a short time, their relationship had quickly warmed up, transitioning from glaring at each other to playing together.

Zhong Shentong watched this scene with mixed emotions.

"I wonder about this senior..."

After hesitating for a moment, Zhong Shentong didn't utter the word 'senior.'

"This young lady named Lin Ling seems quite young?" he tentatively asked.

Ji Shaoli nodded, "She's only a dozen or so years old, inexperienced in worldly matters, so she still has a childlike nature."

This information completely shocked Zhong Shentong.

"Dozen or so years old? Dao Companion?"

"Hehe, Friend, don't be surprised. Within our alliance, there are countless extraordinary geniuses. This level..."

"Is nothing."

Ji Shaoli mysteriously smiled and briefly explained.

In the midst of astonishment, Zhong Shentong contemplated.

Ji Shaoli tried fishing again.

Calming his mind, he entered the boundless and radiant starry sky.

"Intention as bait..."

He attempted to condense his contemplative consciousness into bait.

As expected, it failed.

But this time, luck was on his side, and he caught a blue light cluster.

Unable to discern its specific use, it seemed to be a fragment of some magical treasure.

After a fruitless examination, Ji Shaoli temporarily stored it away.

For some time afterward, he stayed in the small temple, diligently gaining proficiency every day.

As he became more familiar with Zhong Shentong and his disciple, progress accelerated with their guidance.

Half a month later.

Ji Shaoli finally succeeded in condensing an intention bait for the first time.

(End of this chapter)

Chapter 859: Emptying the Fishing Pond

Adhering to the principle of sustainable fishing, Ji Shaoli, for his first attempt at the intention bait, did not choose any particularly outrageous targets. Although he was eager to see what would happen when figures like Mr. Bai, True Immortals, Chaos, Hunger, and even "True" formed intention baits, the fishing pond was still a mystical and unpredictable Immortal-level artifact. If he insisted on such targets, no one could be sure if he might catch some unimaginable monsters, leading to a situation similar to the True Immortal in the 115th era brutally destroying the Xuanyellow Realm.

The world had just begun, and Li Fan currently had no intention of doing such a thing. "Perhaps waiting until the end of this world might be worth a try."

Returning to the first attempt at the intention bait, Ji Shaoli envisioned the colorful divine light that Zhong Shentong had fished up in the previous era!

If we talk about similar attractions, what could be more suitable than the items themselves in the radiant starry sky?

At the same time, this was an experiment. If, as expected, known items could be more easily caught with intention bait...

Then, with the help of "True," it would undoubtedly significantly reduce the difficulty of fishing. As long as the cycles and attempts were numerous enough, a comprehensive inventory of the light cluster items in the fishing pond could be established.

Perhaps one day, even the seemingly infinite fishing pond could be completely emptied!

The most crucial point was that the resource output of this fishing pond was entirely independent and not affected by anything else in the Xuanyellow Realm. Each era's different plans and different historical paths caused by Li Fan would not hinder the fishing pond from becoming the most stable source of magical treasures.

It was of great significance.

Of course...

All of this was premised on whether Li Fan's speculation was correct.

In the radiant starry sky of the fishing pond, the clone Ji Shaoli in his mind displayed various characteristics of the colorful divine light that Zhong Shentong had previously displayed.

The colorful divine light was continuous, not only with astonishing killing power but also with terrifying speed. Even in the Foundation Establishment stage, it could rival the Nascent Soul stage. Moreover, it seemed to have a special protective function for the master.

In the 114th era, Zhong Shentong could freely shuttle through the white mist using the colorful divine light, unaffected by the devouring white mist.

It truly combined offense, defense, and escape, with versatile uses, making other magical treasures unnecessary.

Even Li Fan, with his experience and having witnessed scenes from various eras in the cycles, considered the colorful divine light to be one of the most miraculous items.

To achieve such performance in the Foundation Establishment stage alone was impressive. What about in the Core Formation, Nascent Soul, and even Immortal Ascension stages? Would the colorful divine light reveal even more incredible features?

...

As Ji Shaoli continued to contemplate, a blurry rainbow light gradually formed at the end of the fishing line.

Since he only knew its external appearance and did not fully comprehend it like Zhong Shentong did, the intention bait he condensed had some differences from the actual colorful divine light.

Even so, at the moment of the bait's formation, it fell into the pond like a droplet of water.

Ripples quickly spread out around it.

Countless light clusters seemed to sense something, exhibiting different changes.

The majority remained indifferent, seemingly unaware. These were mostly white, occasionally with some blue light clusters.

Others floated towards the intention bait as if encountering their own kind, showing some curiosity. Among these light clusters, blue and purple were mixed.

However, upon approaching, most of them recognized the situation.

None of them took the bait.

Ji Shaoli paid no attention to these low-quality light clusters.

Instead of dispersing his focus, Ji Shaoli paid attention to whether golden or higher-quality light clusters were being attracted.

However, as Zhong Shentong introduced, the range influenced by the intention bait was extremely limited. The invisible ripples quickly decayed after spreading over a certain distance.

They eventually completely vanished into the endless starry sky.

The result of this fishing attempt was evident. He couldn't catch the colorful divine light.

The only harvest was a blue light cluster containing a defensive magical treasure. Ji Shaoli casually put it away, not feeling discouraged. He patiently awaited the coming day.

At least this attempt confirmed the method of envisioning the existing items in the fishing pond, which was indeed effective. It was just a matter of unlucky casting that didn't reach the area where the colorful divine light could sense.

"Although it's like finding a needle in the sea, I have enough trial and error costs. No rush. However, ordinary cultivators don't have nearly infinite opportunities like me..."

"Perhaps the method of casting associated with the fishing pond has a targeted casting method as well."

Ji Shaoli looked at the shallow yet profound pool of water and contemplated silently. "I wonder if exceptionally talented cultivators can reverse engineer the method to manipulate the fishing pond according to their needs. Although it's an immortal artifact..."

"But after all, it's just a tool. There should still be a considerable gap from a true Immortal."

In Ji Shaoli's mind, a white figure flashed.

In the following period, Ji Shaoli persisted in patient attempts. Each time, the intention bait remained the same—colorful divine light!

The light clusters in the fishing pond seemed to have spiritual intelligence. As the invisible fluctuations emitted by the colorful divine light increased, fewer were attracted and willing to take the bait.

This directly led to a decrease in the appearance of blue light clusters, and eventually, they almost disappeared. Even the probability of white light clusters decreased, with most attempts resulting in an empty hook.

Seeing Ji Shaoli's continuous unsuccessful attempts, Zhong Shentong couldn't help shaking his head.

However, Ji Shaoli was not disheartened; instead, he gradually felt pleased. Because when all the wrong answers were excluded, what remained was the only correct answer!

So, Ji Shaoli continued with twenty consecutive empty hooks.

On this day, Zhong Shentong watched as Ji Shaoli slowly stood up by the pond, seemingly still without any gains. Unable to hold back, he comforted, "Friend, there's no need to be discouraged. Going home empty-handed in fishing is normal. As long as you endure the loneliness, one day, luck will burst forth, and you'll catch the big fish you dream of."

Ji Shaoli remained calm, "Friend Zhong speaks the truth."

"I deeply agree."

"It wasn't in vain that I sat for more than sixty days..."

"Finally, a small gain."

Hearing the first part of Ji Shaoli's statement, Zhong Shentong nodded repeatedly. But the more he listened, the more he felt something was amiss. A puzzled expression appeared on his face, but with the arrival of a brilliant golden light, the puzzlement instantly turned into unbelievable shock.

In Ji Shaoli's hand was a golden light cluster, radiating an incredibly dazzling brilliance. It seemed like another sun, momentarily blinding everyone in the small temple.

(End of this chapter)

Chapter 860: Refining the Heavenly Light Treasure

If it weren't for the protective array Lin Ling had previously laid around the mountain temple, the dazzling brilliance of the golden light cluster in Ji Shaoli's hand would likely have immediately attracted the attention of other cultivators.

"This... this..." Zhong Shentong was dumbfounded, pointing at Ji Shaoli, unable to complete a sentence for a long time.

"Ah, it's a pity it's not a purple-gold or dark-golden light cluster. But it's still acceptable." Ji Shaoli casually said, reaching into it and groping in front of everyone.

The golden light gradually dissipated, replaced by a spherical object radiating a colorful halo.

Witnessing this colorful sphere, Zhong Shentong couldn't help but feel a complex emotion—greed, mixed with a sense of loss and regret. It made him uneasy.

"Seven-colored Jade Void Iridescent Radiance..." the moment Ji Shaoli touched the sphere, information about this object naturally appeared in his mind.

Originating from a cultivation world named Chongyan, where the sky had no sun or moon, only seven streams of colored light would alternately appear, illuminating the world. Later, a great cultivator collected and refined these seven streams of radiance into a supreme magical treasure, which directly led to the destruction of the Chongyan world.

As time passed, that cultivator had long since fallen. The magical treasure he refined had ended up in the fishing pond.

Ji Shaoli's heart was instantly shaken. Not just because the Seven-Colored Divine Light was of extremely high quality, surpassing ordinary Dao fusion. Even more so because a magical treasure of this level in the fishing pond was only of the golden rank.

What about those purple-gold and dark-golden light clusters? How terrifying could they be?

And what level of magical treasure was this fishing pond that could encompass them all?

"It's definitely not an ordinary Immortal Artifact."

"But they are all ownerless..."

"What happened in the Immortal World?"

Countless thoughts surged in Ji Shaoli's mind, and he did not immediately refine the Seven-Colored Divine Light. He just put it away, intending to hand it over to his main self later.

Coming back to his senses, looking at Zhong Shentong, who was still in shock, he asked with some confusion, "What's wrong? Is it difficult to catch this golden light cluster? With your abilities, occupying this fishing platform for decades, you should have caught many. Why such surprise?"

Zhong Shentong opened his mouth, wanting to speak but hesitated.

"Heh... heh..." Zhong Shentong's eyes were full of confusion, and he could only respond with a dry laugh.

"Well, luck is conserved. This time, what was caught is good. If you don't control it, I'm afraid a lot of effort will be in vain for a long time to come."

"The matters here, I'll leave them to you, Friend Zhong. The affairs of the Union are busy, and I can't stay here all the time," Ji Shaoli said regretfully.

"By the way, there may be prodigies from the Union coming to fish from time to time in the future. I'll inform you before they arrive." Throwing a communication talisman to Zhong Shentong, Ji Shaoli took another reluctant look at the fishing pond before finally calling Lin Ling and leaving the mountain temple.

Zhong Shentong looked at the familiar yet unfamiliar scenery in the small temple. The experiences of this period felt like a dream, leaving him a bit confused.

Just as he was feeling bewildered, the faceless stone statue suddenly appeared before him, instantly awakening Zhong Shentong. After contemplating for a long time, he sighed slightly and reluctantly accepted this fact.

Then he looked at the fishing pond and stubbornly sat back down.

Even though he had used up his daily fishing attempts today, he still wanted to find a feeling.

Even if Ji Shaoli surpassed him in cultivation, realm, divine abilities, and other aspects, Zhong Shentong would not feel uncomfortable.

Only in such a short time, Zhong Shentong caught the golden light sphere that he had only caught twice in his entire life, making him completely unable to accept it.

"The way of fishing, I am not weaker than others!"

Zhong Shentong gritted his teeth, constantly rehearsing the swinging motion of his fishing rod in his mind.

---

Above the mountain temple:

Ji Shaoli, hidden in the shadows, carefully monitored Zhong Shentong's life for two or three days. Seeing that, besides becoming increasingly obsessed with fishing, he had no other unusual behaviors, Ji Shaoli left with reassurance.

"Relying solely on the reputation of the compassionate True Immortal in the mortal world is not a long-term solution."

"To ensure that the secret here will not be leaked, some other means are still needed."

"With Foundation Building cultivation, there's no need for true lure fruit. After my main self completes the breakthrough, the Bloodline Crossing technique will suffice."

The endless treasures in the fishing pond are evidently not something that can be fully explored in a short period. Therefore, Ji Shaoli did not plan to squat here and fish every day. Relying on him alone, even if he fished for a hundred years, it would be like a drop in the ocean compared to the brilliant starry sky. Moreover, fishing without knowing the specifics of the treasures would be too inefficient.

"Well, in the future, anyone in the Union who makes outstanding contributions can come here to fish once."

"Even if some extraordinary treasures are fished up, there's no need to fear. In the end, they will all belong to me."

After some contemplation, Ji Shaoli went to the Spiritwood Realm with Lin Ling, handed over the Seven-Colored Jade Void Iridescent Radiance to his main self, and then returned to Haixuan Island.

As usual, he checked through the Tianxuan Mirror. During the time he was dedicated to fishing, the situation in the Wanxian Alliance was not calm.

Most of the hundreds of candidates for the "Thirty-Three Immortal Selections" had returned, with only thirty-three cultivators remaining at the Alliance headquarters. This meant that the selected immortals had finally been determined!

Everyone knew that these selected immortals were undoubtedly destined for a boundless future with their Dao fusion cultivation.

Their backgrounds had long been thoroughly investigated.

Whether it was to cater to the situation or to build relationships in advance, as long as the cultivators were not lacking in insight, they began to figure out ways to connect with these thirty-three selected immortals.

As for Wei Qizheng, who successfully made it through, although he was a lone individual, many cultivators came from afar to establish connections with Wei Qizheng's friends.

Naturally, the organization Wei Qizheng had once participated in, the Congyunhai Mutual Aid Association, was exposed to the public eye.

However, after investigation, everyone found that the members of this mutual aid association were all cultivators within the Alliance system and had no profound foundations. Moreover, their highest cultivation level was only at the Yuanying stage.

"It's just a group keeping warm together."

This conclusion couldn't help but be drawn.

People could only marvel at the luck of this small group. With so few members, they actually produced a selected immortal.

Initially, the members of the mutual aid association were a bit nervous when faced with the numerous inquiries. But when they noticed that these so-called "major forces" of cultivators paid no real attention to them and just chatted briefly before shifting their focus to Wei Qizheng, they gradually let go of their worries.

However, they didn't really have any secrets to reveal. The secrets of the mutual aid association were all known by Ji Shaoli alone.

(End of this chapter)