CHAPTER 269: CHAPTER 269: THE JOY OF FISHING BY THE SEA

[Canglang Coast Activated]

Spending a hundred Spirit Stones, the gray button instantly turned into an option with a colorful picture.

The breathtaking scenery of golden beaches under the azure sky and white clouds struck Jiang Yuan, an inner land child who had never seen the sea with his own eyes.

"It’s ready, we can teleport to the beach now. Do you guys want to take a look?" He was so excited his palms were sweating.

That is a real sea!

Although he had become quite knowledgeable in the Wilderness World during this time, when it came down to it, Jiang Yuan had never really seen the sea.

In reality, he hadn’t seen it, having been born in a small inland village without even a river, and growing up never getting a job in a coastal city, lacking the money to travel before, and now no time to specifically visit the sea;

In the Wilderness World, he stayed on a deserted island during the day; and at night, there was no sea in the Wilderness.

Thus, the urge to see a true sea, with a sunshine beach of high value, surged within him, making him eager to go take a look, enjoy the sea breeze, and maybe try some beachcombing for cat’s-eye snails.

"Is it fixed already?!" Bai Yunqi looked incredulous, even though he knew the Venerable Family was quite skilled in Construction Techniques, but this was, after all, an ancient Teleportation Array!

Could it be resolved so effortlessly?

Hu Zhile was also shocked; in such a short time, a cloud of mist shielded the area, and once it dispersed, the Teleportation Array was operational, with the Venerable Family immediately able to precisely locate the positions of other ancient Teleportation Arrays. How did he ascertain such precise teleportation points? Could it be he had used them before?

"Beach?!" Wan Mingchuan, who had never seen the legendary sea, leaped in excitedly upon hearing the news, exclaiming, "Master, I want to see the sea! Brother Long said the sea is a thousand times larger than Hidden Dragon Lake, is it true?"

Yun Mo hadn’t seen it either; after all, he lived in the Wilderness nights before this, not daring to wander far from Lushan, given the perilous sea in the Wilderness was not a place for a mere Foundation Establishment Realm demon cultivator to explore. Hearing he could join the gentleman in seeing the sea, he too expressed his eagerness.

"Let’s go together." Bai Yunqi wanted to witness the wonders of the ancient Teleportation Array, stepping forward to follow suit.

Fortunately, both the cave and the Teleportation Array were spacious enough, accommodating everyone once Yun Mo squeezed in, allowing for collective teleportation; Jiang Yuan glanced at the cost of this gadget, calculated per head, and found that transporting each person cost five Spirit Stones, which wasn’t too costly.

Triggering the teleportation to Canglang Coast, the next second, brilliance fell before their eyes, and they found themselves on a beach, standing atop a simple to rudimentary Teleportation Array—a stone slab carved with intricate patterns, through which light blue flashes occasionally glimmered.

The sea became golden under the setting sun, and the vast beach showed no sign of other human presence.

The boundless ocean waves rose and fell, evoking a sense of tranquility and joy.

"Wow! Is this the sea? It’s really huge!" Wan Mingchuan gaped in shock, patting Yun Mo’s wing excitedly, "Brother Mo, let’s fly up and take a look!"

Yun Mo spread his wings, carrying him aloft, circled around, then he and the eagle rolled and frolicked on the soft, sandy beach;

Bai Yunqi and Hu Zhile, accustomed to witnessing grand sights, were not so taken with the sea on the Wilderness and focused on closely observing the surroundings and the simplistic Teleportation Array.

Jiang Yuan, equally stirred, took several steps forward, enjoying the pleasant sea breeze, and couldn’t help but grin when he caught sight of the waves meeting the sand, unlocking new culinary delights—seafood!

[Oyster: Edible bivalve, can be processed in the kitchen]

[Swimming Crab: Edible...]

[Tiger Prawn: Edible...]

......

Everywhere his gaze fell, the system continued to excite his nerves.

Such big, fresh delicacies!

Grabbing a shovel from his storage bag, he dashed to the shore and started digging.

The beachcombing techniques he once learned from an online beachcombing video streamed into his mind, coupled with the system’s tools and tips, ensuring each dig was accurate.

"This shovel sure is effective!" Jiang Yuan couldn’t help praising the system’s creation.

A single shovel could remove a cubic block of 20x20 cm in area and about 30 cm deep, auto-collecting any seafood into the storage bag—tremendously more thrilling than watching beachcombing videos through a screen.

Finally discovering a cat’s-eye snail, he took it out of his storage bag; fresh, a half-palm-sized cat’s-eye snail that had yet to retract in surprise, squeezing its tender white meat, spraying water everywhere!

Instantly feeling relaxed from inside out, Jiang Yuan, delighting in the joy of beachcombing, couldn’t help but laugh out loud.

"So the Venerable Family enjoys collecting these little trinkets," Hu Zhile couldn’t understand but expressed comprehension, strolling along the beach collecting a few nice large shells, shading his eyes and gazing into the distance.

Bai Yunqi stood with arms crossed, gazing at the vast sea, and remarked, "The scenery is indeed nice; if one could ride a small boat into the sea to fish, it might offer a unique pleasure."

Hu Zhile, hearing this, was taken aback, pondering if this was the return-to-nature mindset of the elites?

With Bai Senior’s strength, he could control an entire sea area, yet he envisioned leisurely enjoying himself in a small boat; and the Venerable Family, with his power to set the shore trembling with a stomp, relished using a shovel to dig one by one...

Indeed, he realized he should learn from the two seniors, striving to cultivate his mindset, possibly perceiving the joy of returning to simplicity and elevating his cultivation further.

[Canglang Sea: After upgrading the fishing rod, deep-sea fish can be caught; crab traps and bait can be set, yielding various marine products daily]

Wielding the Jiang Sea Method of beachcombing, Jiang Yuan glanced at the nearby sea, prompting a system message.

Having already reaped a significant harvest of shrimp and crabs, Jiang Yuan put away the shovel, found a proper spot, and cast his fishing rod, patiently waiting for a bite.

[Seaweed +1]

[Bass +1]

[Ribbon Fish +1]

......

Bai Yunqi saw the Venerable Family also interested in fishing, joining the fun.

"Xiao Bai, let me ask you something." Jiang Yuan, with time to spare, recalled Liu Qiang’s mention of splitting the Origin and, while fishing, simply described and consulted whether he had encountered such evil techniques.

"Of course!" He played with a pebble in his hand, smiling, "It’s quite similar to the Devouring Technique I learned."

After a pause, Bai Yunqi complemented, "It’s a broken version of the Devouring Technique I studied, without the heart method. In essence, it involves devouring people or animals, refining their residual soul power for personal use, naturally encompassing their elusive Lifespan and Fortune.

However, from what the Venerable Family described, it appears more like a modified offshoot of this kind of cultivation technique.

In truth, cultivation techniques are akin to recipes. Some people train strictly by the book without daring any deviation; others have a flash of inspiration and tinker with ideas.

Orthodox wisdom suggests only after one’s path reaches a higher level of enlightenment is one qualified to modify or even create new cultivation techniques. Those purely creative types tend to produce evil techniques that spread in secrecy."

Devouring Life Energy?

Jiang Yuan nodded silently, recalling Liu Qiang’s admission of consuming those victims, seemingly confirming a similar route. But, where did these evil techniques originate from?

Could there indeed be a connection between the real world and the Wilderness side?

"Regarding the method of splitting one’s Origin that the Venerable Family mentioned..." Bai Yunqi smiled gently, "It’s similar to crafting a clone but belongs to a lower-tier evil technique. Many ordinary people, unable to absorb Spiritual Energy to cultivate, often look to such evil techniques for extraordinary powers, among which is this method.

Should the Venerable Family be interested, I know a small magic skill that can detect whether an ordinary person’s divine soul is intact. Should you encounter those Evil Cultivators who partition their souls as backup measures to repair crippled bodies, it would be apparent at a glance."

[Contract Pet Bai Yunqi offers you a new skill—Fire Eyes Golden Gaze, do you accept?]