Two days later, Ji Yuan was handling the sale of four half-spirit fish when he heard about the appearance of a Foundation Establishment Immortal Mansion on Maple Island.
After hearing it... he just felt indifferent about it.
He wasn't as thrilled as the other fishermen.
Immortal Mansion?
Can it be upgraded?
I might as well upgrade my Cave Mansion to level 100; who knows, it might transform into a Divine Hall!
Rule the heavens!
After indulging in his fantasy for a while, he sold the four half-spirit fish, which cost him four Spirit Stones, for a total of six Spirit Stones after raising them for half a month.
Ji Yuan spent four Spirit Stones to buy four more half-spirit fish.
He saved the two Spirit Stones he earned.
Thinking about the Immortal Mansion made him consider upgrading his own [Cave Mansion].
By then, he could boost the spiritual qi concentration by 20% at night, which would aid in cultivation.
Or perhaps he could upgrade the [Pigsty].
In seven days, a Spirit Dolphin could gain a hundred pounds of muscle, with its flesh having body tempering effects and even aiding in healing.
Other people's Spirit Dolphins didn't have these capabilities; at most, they just tasted good with a faint hint of spiritual qi.
What Ji Yuan valued was the body tempering.
From the original owner's memory, he learned that in this Cultivation Realm, body refinement was a minor path.
Even if one became a Martial Saint in the eyes of mortals, they couldn't compete with a mid-stage Qi Cultivator.
After all, no matter how good your martial arts are, a cultivator could summon a flying sword with the Artifact Manipulation Technique and obliterate you from hundreds of meters away.
So most cultivators focused only on cultivating immortality and wouldn't take time to refine their physical body.
But Ji Yuan didn't think that way; physical strength was also power... to put it bluntly, with a stronger body, one could exert more force even during dual cultivation, or farm more plots of land.
Besides, if eating and drinking can improve strength, why not?
When Ji Yuan returned to his small house on the shore of Cloud Rain Marsh with four half-spirit fish, he saw Old Man Huang and Lin Youwei squatting at the door, seemingly discussing something in low voices.
Seeing Ji Yuan return, Lin Youwei first glanced at the half-spirit fish he was carrying, then waved him over, "Ji Yuan, come over for a chat."
What is there to talk about now, it's mostly about the Foundation Establishment Immortal Mansion event that has taken over Zengtou City... Ji Yuan nodded, "Alright, I'll go in to put the fish away and come out."
Soon, Ji Yuan squatted beside Lin Youwei.
"You went to Zengtou City, heard about the thing on Maple Island, right?" Lin Youwei asked.
"Yeah, I heard about it."
Old Man Huang grinned with his toothless mouth, "So, are you interested, kid? How about the three of our families join forces to venture onto Maple Island?"
Forget it, even late-stage Qi Cultivators are vying for this Foundation Establishment Immortal Mansion, you two at the fourth level of Qi Cultivation also want to go deliver yourselves... Ji Yuan smiled.
"I'm just at the early stage of Qi Cultivation, better forget about it."
"You can't say it like that," Lin Youwei quickly retorted, "Opportunities aren't something anyone can predict, besides, we don't go on the island, we're just looking to try our luck on the periphery."
Old Man Huang took out his old pipe, stuffing it with some tobacco.
"Let's be straight, we're not heading to the Immortal Mansion with any purpose in mind, we're just there to profit off the dead."
"It's not just Zengtou City; people from neighboring Taian Square and Jingde Square are coming too. Who knows how many Qi Cultivators will be there, lots of deaths and injuries, we're going to make a fortune from that."
"Without the strength of level eight or nine in Qi Cultivation, who would dare to really aim for that Immortal Mansion?"
That makes sense... Ji Yuan's expression showed a little interest upon hearing this, but after some struggle, he still shook his head.
"I'm timid, plus I've just advanced to the third level of Qi Cultivation, and I don't know any techniques or excel in fighting, so I won't go and hold you back."
After saying that, Ji Yuan even stood up and cupped his hands towards them, then turned and returned to his room.
He didn't give them any chance to persuade him further.
They were right, this kind of chaotic battle is a good opportunity to profit from the dead, but nobody can say for sure who will be alive or dead.
Ji Yuan could upgrade his buildings on his own, so there was no need to risk his little life for this.
Outside the door.
Lin Youwei and Old Man Huang exchanged a glance, "What do we do?"
"Our whole family will go! The more people, the more caution others will have towards us."
Lin Youwei gritted his teeth, ultimately making up his mind.
"That's fine, having more people means having more support."
The Lin Family's plan to send everyone to Maple Island to seize the opportunity couldn't be hidden from Ji Yuan, who was just a wall away.
Lin Youwei and Old Man Huang even knocked on Ji Yuan's door to ask him to look after their home.
For such a small favor, Ji Yuan naturally didn't refuse again.
So, he leaned against his door frame, watching Old Man Huang summon his Mantis Boat, while Lin Youwei called forth his Black Wood Boat.
Lastly, Lin Youwei took Zhou Ling and Wu Qin on board, while Lin Hu boarded Old Man Huang's fishing boat.
The group of five set off grandly into the vast expanse of Cloud Rain Marsh.
Ji Yuan gazed at the misty lake surface, pondering for a long while before quietly closing the door, going to the backyard, taking out a Spirit Egg, and beginning his day's cultivation life.
Since learning about the happenings on Maple Island, Ji Yuan went out even less.
He stayed in the backyard to cultivate, and with his neighbors absent, he even practiced his techniques at home, yielding some results after days and nights of hard work.
For example, he firmly settled at the third level of Qi Cultivation, and could even attempt to break through to the fourth level at any time... which is mid-stage Qi Cultivation.
Ji Yuan hadn't attempted it yet because he knew his Spirit Stones weren't enough.
Using just Spirit Eggs, the effect might not be ideal.
Breaking through is an all-out effort, so he planned to sell another Spirit Fish, and use the Spirit Stones earned to attempt breaking through to mid-stage Qi Cultivation.
Furthermore, he had also mastered the techniques the original owner knew.
Even the Water Arrow Technique, he could now cast it instantaneously.
Essentially, he hits wherever he aims.
Five days later, the second set of four half-spirit fish Ji Yuan purchased hadn't yet crossed any thresholds, but had grown to their maximum size, so he had to take them to the Fish Cage to sell.
He earned 4 Spirit Stones.
With 3 Spirit Stones, he continued to buy half-spirit fish, making a small profit of 1 Spirit Stone.
This time out, even though Ji Yuan wasn't intentionally seeking information, he still overheard a lot about the situation on Maple Island.
For instance, many fishermen from the three markets of Zengtou City, Taian Square, and Jingde Square have headed there, and several fights broke out even before reaching the island.
Each with its casualties.
Most of the dead were mid-stage Qi Cultivators.
Also, there was a Qi level nine Cultivator from Taian Square who forced his way onto the island with his cultivation but was killed on the spot by an unknown sword aura from the island.
Which slightly calmed down other fishermen eager to seize the opportunity.
In addition, due to this battle, offensive items like elixirs and talismans in Zengtou City have seen a slight price increase.
But none of this concerned Ji Yuan, who now was like a bystander watching the Cloud Rain Marsh.
The tides rise and fall.
But what surprised him was, upon returning home with the half-spirit fish, just as he was about to toss them into the [Fish Pond], he suddenly noticed a long black shadow inside the [Fish Pond].
A half-spirit fish... had evolved!