Chapter 653: Defaulting

The Black Dragon Fish, weighing around two pounds, flopped around, splashing water and mud onto Langya Wenqiu’s skirt. However, she didn’t mind at all, bending down joyfully to pick up the fish. "Junior Brother Fang, you caught a Black Dragon Fish! This one is at least two pounds, worth 5 mid-grade spirit stones!"

"Isn’t this guy way too lucky?"

"This is his first time here, and he catches a Black Dragon Fish right after casting? I wish I had that kind of luck."

"The stars must have aligned."

Many cultivators were filled with jealousy at the sight.

Cheng Yuhan also noticed it. He gasped in disbelief as he looked at the Black Dragon Fish in Langya Wenqiu’s hands. "This, this, this..."

Wang Hu smiled when he saw that. He commented, "Senior Brother Cheng, looks like Junior Brother Fang isn’t just skilled at combat, he’s also quite the lucky fisherman. I’ll go over and have a look."

He stood up and moved over to Fang Chen’s side.

Cheng Qing and Cheng Shuang quickly followed, leaving Cheng Yuhan alone.

"Since Junior Brother Fang has made a good start! I can’t fall behind!"

Cheng Yuhan suppressed his complex thoughts and stared intently at the pitch-black water, as if trying to peer through its darkness and see below the surface.

Glancing at Fang Chen’s side, Lin Hai’s face soured. He couldn’t help but mutter under his breath, "Just pure luck."

His friend was visibly worriedly. "He’s already started off well. We need to catch at least one Black Dragon Fish weighing two pounds today to match them."

Lin Hai snorted coldly. "Two pounds isn’t a big deal. Don’t worry."

Even on the worst day, he could catch one Black Dragon Fish; the Supreme Response Technique wasn’t anything to scoff at.

Meng Tianshu's eyes betrayed a sliver of emotion. "He has caught one...."

"That guy is really lucky."

"Just a blind cat stumbling upon a dead rat, huh?"

A group of Gold Core Realm cultivators nearby whispered among themselves, their voices tinged with jealousy.

Luck?

Meng Tianshu chuckled softly. Others might attribute it to luck, but he didn’t see it that way.

***

Fang Chen removed the hook from the Black Dragon Fish’s mouth and cast the line again.

Wang Hu and the others were already discussing the Black Dragon Fish.

"Senior Brother Fang, if the Black Dragon Fish dies, its effectiveness diminishes. How about letting Junior Sister Wenqiu help you process it so you can eat it now?" Cheng Qing suggested with a smile.

Cheng Shuang nodded. "Indeed, the Black Dragon Fish I ate last time was bought from someone else, and it had been dead for several days. The effect was indeed slightly less."

"This Black Dragon Fish is so tender; even raw, it has a sweet taste. If I hadn't already eaten enough, I might have bought a few to eat," Wang Hu said, gulping.

Fang Chen was a bit surprised. "You've all eaten enough?"

Cheng Shuang shared with a smile, "Senior Brother Wang only needed to eat 9 to reach his limit. Cheng Qing and I ate 12 and still feel we could eat more. Though, we need to save on spirit stones to do that."

"I've only eaten 6." Langya Wenqiu sighed. "I wonder how much I need to eat to reach my limit."

"You’re in luck. Even if it’s expensive, it is worth it to eat many of these." Wang Hu said. He then said in frustration, "Unlike me, whose limit is 9. Any more won't have an effect."

Lanya Wenqiu smiled. "Yes, that’s actually not a bad thing."

She then expertly helped Fang Chen process the Black Dragon Fish.

This fish was eaten raw. Fang Chen casually took a slice of fish meat and put it in his mouth; the texture was tender, and it tasted sweet.

After swallowing the fish meat, a warm current flowed into his Sword Core. It might be a delusion, but the Sword Core seemed to have improved a little.

The others looked at Fang Chen with faces full of smiles. "How is it, Senior Brother Fang? The effect of the Black Dragon Fish is quite good, right?"

Fang Chen nodded, quickly finishing the remaining fish meat. "It does have some effect."

The two-pound Black Dragon Fish mostly consisted of head and bones, with only a few ounces of fish meat. The improvement to the Sword Core was noticeable but subtle.

Fang Chen noticed that some cultivators in the distance seemed to sense the subtle movements with their intuition. Using intuition to fish for Black Dragon Fish might not guarantee success, but it had a higher success rate than relying on pure luck.

Perhaps I should try that too?

However, Fang Chen quickly suppressed this thought. With the Primordial Immortal Eye, he didn’t need to do that. Without a doubt, having an edge was always comfortable.

Fang Chen pulled on the rod, and another two-pound Black Dragon Fish flew out.

Wenqiu and the others were stunned, but they also noticed the golden veins spreading across Fang Chen's gray-white eyes.

This must be some kind of eye technique; it’s highly likely that this technique is very helpful for fishing for Black Dragon Fish!

"He caught another one?! This isn't just luck anymore...!"

"Is that person some kind of expert? I thought he was just a newcomer."

The people around realized that if the first catch could be attributed to luck, the second one had to indicate skill. Two casts, two Black Dragon Fish were caught. This couldn’t be attributed to luck anymore.

Cheng Yuhan was completely taken aback.

I never knew Junior Brother Fang was such an adept fisherman. He catches Black Dragon Fish so easily! Any river or lake would be no problem for him.

No wonder he was able to make those Immortal Seedlings cry and beg, Cheng Yuhan thought to himself.

He had no intention of comparing himself with Fang Chen. He smiled and looked over at Lin Hai, who was staring intently at Fang Chen’s side. "What are you staring at? Just prepare the 40 mid-grade spirit stones. If you don’t, you might as well admit defeat now to avoid affecting your fishing mentality later."

Lin Hai responded coldly, "Just two Black Dragon Fish. What’s the rush? Luck won’t last forever."

After speaking, he snubbed Cheng Yuhan and maintained a dark expression. He hadn’t expected Cheng Yuhan’s friend to be a wolf in sheep’s clothing.

"This is not luck; this is clearly skill!"

The cultivator beside Lin Hai showed a wry smile. "Fellow cultivator Lin, do we still have hope?"

"

What’s the rush? If necessary, we can always default on our debts. We haven’t signed any formal agreement,

" Lin Hai transmitted, his eyes revealing a hint of cold laughter.

As a prominent figure of the Great Expansion Dao Gate, he expected his reputation alone to command a certain degree of respect.

Soon after Fang Chen finished eating the second Black Dragon Fish, the third fish was caught.

As Fang Chen continued to reel in one fish after another, news quickly spread, attracting thousands of Golden Core Realm cultivators from various factions. Some even moved closer to Fang Chen, believing that the Black Dragon Fish were abundant in this spot.

As a result, Fang Chen was affected, and the speed at which he caught fish decreased due to the influx of people crowding around him.

"Hey, don’t go too far! The local rule is to maintain at least five yards between fishing spots. You’re practically sitting right next to us!" Wang Hu said, looking angrily at one of the cultivators.

A cultivator gave an awkward smile and moved further away with his fishing gear.

Fang Chen chose not to switch places, knowing everyone would just follow him anyway.

Time passed slowly.

In just half a day, Fang Chen had consumed 30 Black Dragon Fish. When he started eating the 31st fish, he noticed that it no longer had any effect on him. His Sword Core had been significantly enhanced, with his strength improving by about one or two points. Though the improvement was modest, it was achieved in just half a day.

Nan Gong and the others were visibly astonished.

31 fish in half a day....

This was an unprecedented achievement.

Suddenly, Cheng Yuhan’s angry voice rang out. "Hey! Where are you two going!?"

Everyone turned to see Lin Hai and his companion packing up their fishing gear and seemingly preparing to leave.

Lin Hai sneered. "We have urgent matters to attend to. Do you intend to stop us?"

Cheng Yuhan was enraged. "Even if you’re leaving, you should first hand over the 40 mid-grade spirit stones before you go."

"That’s a joke. Only half a day has passed, and the winner hasn’t been determined yet. I’ll come back and finish the remaining time with you when I have time," Lin Hai scoffed.

Everyone quickly realized that Lin Hai and his companion were planning to back out of the bet, and they watched with interest, anticipating the unfolding drama.

Fishing disputes like these were not uncommon at Black Dragon Lake.