Faced with Yan Xiaohu's words, Zhou Qing was momentarily stunned.
Soon, he understood the whole story.
It turns out that just three days ago, there was a sudden earthquake at the back of Divine Peak, followed by countless underground water seeping out.
In just one day, it directly formed a large lake.
Soon, someone discovered that in the lake, spiritual energy vortices would form from time to time, and even some parts of the lake surface would freeze instantly.
The Sect Leader personally went to investigate, and to his delight, he found the presence of Ice Soul Ghost Scale Fish.
Ice Soul Ghost Scale Fish is an extremely rare type of Spirit Fish, and besides its delicious meat, it is also a natural Spirit Medicine.
Just one fish is worth a fortune, and if refined, it not only strengthens the foundation and nourishes the essence, but with good luck, it might even help break through cultivation.
For this reason, the Sect Leader directly gave that lake as a gift to Lu Yaoyao, considering it a formal apprenticeship gift.
Unexpectedly, Lu Yaoyao not only didn't keep it for herself, but shared it, inviting all the core disciples to fish.
Whoever catches a fish gets to keep it, and besides that, she also prepared some small gifts and food, as well as a bonfire for the evening, to formally get to know everyone.
It must be said, Lu Yaoyao not only looks beautiful, but her actions are also pleasing to others.
"Let's go, this Ice Soul Ghost Scale Fish is priceless. If the two of us are lucky enough to catch a couple, it would be greatly beneficial to our cultivation!" Yan Xiaohu dragged Zhou Qing away.
Zhou Qing actually wanted to refuse because he still wasn't sure about Lu Yaoyao's true intentions. What if it was another trap waiting for him?
However, the allure of the Ice Soul Ghost Scale Fish was too great, especially after refining the Spirit Concealing Insect, his cultivation surged to the ninth level of Qi Condensation, just one step away from Foundation Establishment.
He also knew about the Ice Soul Ghost Scale Fish, it was simply a natural tonic, especially for strengthening the foundation and nourishing the essence, which was greatly beneficial for someone who just had a breakthrough.
Moreover, with so many people around, he might even be able to gather some ignore points.
"Let's go. I know what you're worried about, but don't worry. As long as we don't provoke her, we'll be fine. If she approaches us, we'll just avoid her." Yan Xiaohu said.
After a brief hesitation, Zhou Qing agreed.
Not long after, when the two arrived at the back of Divine Peak, they were greeted by a large lake.
Under the sunlight, it shimmered with a mysterious bluish glow. The lake surface was calm, with occasional breezes causing slight ripples, like the sleeves of immortals gently floating.
Moreover, wisps of spiritual qi rose, forming an ethereal mist above the lake, dreamlike and fantastical.
Even the wild grass around emitted a gentle glow.
On the lakeshore, some core disciples from various peaks were either sitting or standing, quietly fishing.
Their fishing rods varied; some were made of jade with a faint spiritual glow, while others were ancient and heavy wooden rods.
Everyone's faces were filled with concentration and anticipation, constantly praying for the luscious Ice Soul Ghost Scale Fish to take the bait.
After all, according to Lu Yaoyao, there seemed to be only two or three of these fish.
"Damn, we are late!"
Seeing this, Yan Xiaohu immediately panicked. There was no other way; Little Spirit Peak was too far from Divine Peak.
"Hurry up and find a spot!"
After tossing a fishing rod and a bucket to Zhou Qing, Yan Xiaohu rushed off in a particular direction.
Zhou Qing glanced around and soon noticed Lu Yaoyao fishing with her eyes closed in the distance. At that moment, she stood gracefully like a lotus, attracting many core disciples who occasionally stole glances at her.
Quickly, Zhou Qing crouched down and cautiously headed towards a secluded place while she was not paying attention to him.
He couldn't care less about catching fish, as long as he didn't draw any more attention, so he could quietly gather ignore points.
Of course, if he was lucky enough to catch an Ice Soul Ghost Scale Fish, it would just be a bonus.
Soon, Zhou Qing chose a spot surrounded by weeds, which didn't look like an ideal place for fishing at all.
The only advantage was that he couldn't see Lu Yaoyao from here, and there were two other core disciples on the opposite side.
He avoided her but wasn't completely hiding.
Then, he gradually stepped back, using his waist's strength to fiercely swing the rod forward.
The fishing rod bent, resembling a large bow in mid-air, flinging the fishing line into the lake ahead!
Afterwards, he sat down and waited.
Time passed slowly, and soon, a familiar sound made Zhou Qing's lips curl up.
[Ignore Point +1]
[Ignore Point +1]
[Ignore Point +1]
...…
Lu Yaoyao opened her eyes and glanced around, quickly locking onto Yan Xiaohu in the distance.
She knew Zhou Qing had arrived, but she didn't know where he was.
She wanted to get up but seemed to think of something, bit her lip, and sat back down, softly muttering to herself.
"Hold back, you must hold back. If anything changes, I will lose everything, and I need to know who my mother is..."
...…
[Ignore Point +1]
[Skill Fragment +1]
Originally, Zhou Qing was almost dozing off, but suddenly he was startled awake, thinking he had misheard. He quickly looked at the panel.
[Name: Zhou Qing]
[Age: Nineteen]
[Cultivation: Qi Condensation Level Nine]
[Cultivation Technique: Taiqing Profound Qi Skills]
[Talent Skills: Lowering Presence]
[Level: LV1 (64/100)]
[Skill Fragments: 2/3 (unattainable)]
He was so excited when he saw that there were indeed two skill fragments.
Now, he only needed one more to acquire a new talent skill.
This time, he had truly come to the right place.
Looking at the motionless fishing rod, he changed to another position to lie down, ready to take another nap. Just then, a clear voice suddenly came from behind him.
"Senior Brother Zhou, how's the fishing going?"
Zhou Qing immediately sat up straight. Turning his head, he saw Lu Yaoyao slightly leaning forward, her eyes bright as stars, curved into crescents, with the perfect upturn of her mouth, her voice crisp as a bell, carrying a touch of playfulness and curiosity.
If this had been in the past, being approached by a beauty while fishing, he wouldn't know how delighted he would be; but now, ever since he started suspecting "revenge," he had become much more cautious.
He quickly got up and said, "So it's Junior Sister Lu. No, no, my luck has never been good. I'm just here to make up the numbers. I plan to try another spot."
As he spoke, Zhou Qing was about to reel in his line and leave.
However, Lu Yaoyao said, "I think this spot is quite good. Maybe an Ice Soul Ghost Scale Fish will swim by shortly."
Zhou Qing chuckled.
In this corner, there's no fish at all.
Before Zhou Qing could speak, Lu Yaoyao suddenly leaned closer, blinking her curious eyes, and asked, "Senior Brother Zhou, what kind of girls do you like?"
Zhou Qing instinctively took a step back, immediately becoming wary.
There's something going on!
Definitely something fishy!
Is she trying to set a trap for me?
"Do you like silver hair?" she asked eagerly, fiddling with her hair. Zhou Qing was surprised to spot a faint layer of silver under her black hair.
Zhou Qing took another step back. So this is what she's been waiting for.
He quickly said, "Junior Sister Lu, I don't like silver hair. I like green hair."
"Green hair?" Lu Yaoyao was stunned, full of shock.
Zhou Qing nodded, just about to speak when the sound of rustling footsteps was heard.
Li Daoxuan, the head disciple of Divine Peak, and his four junior brothers were hurriedly approaching with their fishing gear.
Zhou Qing quickly said with a laugh, "Yes, green hair. Well then, Junior Sister Lu, you do your thing, I'll find another spot."
After saying that, he hastily left.
Lu Yaoyao stood there, her brows tightly furrowed.
"Green hair? That's impossible!"
At this moment, Li Daoxuan and the others jogged over. Seeing Zhou Qing's hasty departure, they all exchanged puzzled glances.
Lu Yaoyao asked, "Senior brothers, do you like girls with green hair or silver hair?"
They were confused, but quickly replied in unison, "Black hair."
...
Zhou Qing found another spot. After confirming that Lu Yaoyao hadn't followed, he breathed a long sigh of relief.
Then a wave of gratitude washed over him.
"Haha, giving me such an obvious hint, I still won't fall for it. You must be furious now."
He then walked towards the water, carefully scrutinizing himself and feeling his chest muscles.
"I don't look too bad, but it's unlikely for someone to fall in love at first sight. Not to mention, Li Daoxuan looks better than me in every way. Whether it's status or cultivation, he's worlds apart from me. This situation must be fishy."
Zhou Qing talked to himself, deciding that once he returned, he would ask his master.
To see if he had ever killed anyone resembling Lu Yaoyao because this was the karma he had sown, so why should Zhou Qing bear the consequences?
He cast his line again and waited quietly.
Across the water, people occasionally caught one or two fish, but none were Ice Soul Ghost Scale Fish. They cursed and cast their lines again.
Zhou Qing lay down, completely indifferent to the Ice Soul Ghost Scale Fish now. He might as well use this opportunity to work on his Ignore Points.
Just then, Zhou Qing felt a sudden chill, even shivering uncontrollably.
"What's going on?" Zhou Qing looked around, and when he saw the lake surface in front of him, his pupils contracted.
"No way!!!"