Chapter 224: Tier Six Water Immortal, Fish-Eating Grass, Azure Sea Cloud Vine (8K)

The two boxes Zhao Xing carried, one was a tool chest and the other a bamboo box.

Zhao Xing handed the bamboo box to Old Chen to carry, while he opened the tool chest.

"What are these segmented things inside?" Long Xiao curiously gathered around. "They look like fishing rods to me?"

"They are fishing rods." Zhao Xing grinned.

Xia Jing: "..."

"The Tier Six Fish Dragon Rod, the Heaven and Earth Fishing Rod, the Yellow Dragon Fishing Rod."

"Seven-Star Hooks, Tianhe Line, Hundred Vines Silk, Shen Luo Silk..." Ji Ji Ziyun, quite knowledgeable, picked one up in his hand. "Eh? A custom model?"

Xia Jing, subjected to a barrage of 'fish' character attacks, immediately frowned and retreated behind the others.

"Brother, why are you retreating? You have a share in the fishing too." Zhao Xing grabbed Xia Jing and pulled him over. "You need to overcome this."

"I..."

"Young Master Qi, Zhao Xing spent quite a bit of money; do not disappoint his good intentions." Ji Ji Ziyun said. "These items are luxuries, not cheap at all."

"Alright." Xia Jing nodded helplessly. "I will have to suffer this ordeal sooner or later."

"That's more like it." Zhao Xing nodded in satisfaction.

Ji Ji Ziyun was right; buying these things did cost Zhao Xing quite a bit of money.

However, when Zhao Xing captured the Fire Dragon Pass and the Soul Sacrifice Pass, he also received a large share of the spoils.

Generals like Liao Ru and Wen Shaoyang were very generous.

They did not take the bulk; the bulk was distributed among the mid-to-low-level generals.

Thus, Chen Shijie, Zhao Xing, and Long Xiao were wealthier than Liao Ru, Wen Shaoyang, and others.

After returning to the Ten Yang Grotto-Heaven, all of this was converted into points.

Before going out of Yangcheng to explore for treasures, Zhao Xing had already collected the points from Long Xiao and Chen Shijie.

They pooled the funds together to purchase quite a few items.

As for Xia Jing, he also contributed, but he actually had less money.

Because he was actually a pauper too; in the Black Armor Army, Xia Jing was also a leading general, just like Liao Ru, distributing the spoils to the people below.

Moreover, the Heir was much more generous; seeing the truce, with no battles to fight, he didn't keep much for himself.

Ji Ji Ziyun, since they were not very familiar at the time and the preparations were nearly complete, did not participate.

It could be said that the liquid assets of Zhao Xing, Chen Shijie, Long Xiao, and Xia Jing were basically all converted into items and stored on the Qilin Skyship.

"The Extreme Night Sea was originally a famous location; I suspected we would definitely have to make a trip here, and now the items in this box will come in handy."

Zhao Xing asked, "Brother Ji, how is your fishing skill?"

Ji Ji Ziyun said, "A little knowledge."

Ji Ji Ziyun was the type of modest gentleman; when he said "a little knowledge," it meant his skill was quite good.

Zhao Xing immediately let him choose one first.

"Wait, does fishing require skill?" Long Xiao scratched his head. "Isn't it just casting the line and that's it?"

"Baiting, chumming, fishing spots, fishing positions, fish habits, differences in water bodies, changes in weather, the flow of Yuan Qi... which of these is not skill?" Chen Shijie said. "You are thinking too simply."

"How did I not know you became a fishing enthusiast at some point?" Long Xiao looked at his good brother in confusion.

"During the two years after arriving in Gucheng, I often felt bored and anxious, so I frequently went to East Lake to fish." Chen Shijie said. "To temper my patience."

Hearing the two's conversation, Zhao Xing immediately picked up two fishing rods from the box: "Long Xiao, you use this Shen Luo Rod."

The Tier Six Shen Luo Rod was foolproof operation, perfectly suitable for a beginner like Long Xiao.

"Old Chen, you use the Heaven and Earth Fishing Rod."

"Xia Jing, you also use the Shen Luo."

After distributing, Zhao Xing turned to Ji Ji Ziyun and said, "Brother Ji, trouble you to assemble and rig the lines, and teach them how to set up the rod and cast; Old Chen and I have other matters to attend to."

Ji Ji Ziyun smiled and said, "No problem."

"Young Master Qi, Long Xiao, let's go."

The three immediately jumped down from the Skyship.

Bone-chilling cold blew upon the three as they landed on the ice layer.

Ahead, there were four or five ice holes that had been chiseled out.

Pei Pei Yuanchang was a good person; he did a good deed to the end.

This area was left behind by them originally.

Originally there were forty or fifty ice holes, but now they are frozen over again, leaving only a few supported by Ice Well Array formations.

Beside the ice holes were a few crude warm-hua sheds.

"Sss, truly cold." Ji Ji Ziyun swiftly cast a spell, his body glowing with a blue light to regulate his body temperature.

As for Xia Jing and Long Xiao, they relied purely on physical constitution to endure it.

Seeing the three go down.

Zhao Xing restarted the Qilin Skyship and flew towards another place.

The military version of the bamboo box was quite large, almost a container-sized bamboo box; he and Old Chen stood beside the bamboo box chatting.

"Just went out to feel it; with the Inner Five Elements of Heaven and Earth in harmony, I still felt bone-chilling cold. The Great Cold solar term here is truly unbreakable." Zhao Xing observed the surroundings.

He and Old Chen did not attempt to release a Solar Term Token to regulate it.

Because it simply could not be regulated.

Even the Fifth Rank Agricultural Official of the Heaven and Time Sect could not change the weather phenomena here with his Solar Term Token.

Otherwise, there would be no need to chisel ice; the Fifth Rank Agricultural Official who went deepest into the water only reached a little over five hundred meters.

"Releasing a Solar Term Token now would result in one exploding for every one released." Chen Shijie said. "The pressure of Heaven is too heavy; the Heaven and Time Solar Term Token is useless here."

"The Earth Advantage Law is about to fail as well," Zhao Xing nodded, saying, "There's no land at all, just ice layers."

"So, everything you brought in here are water-type seeds of the Cold attribute?" Chen Shijie hadn't asked Zhao Xing what he spent the money on, so he didn't know what was inside this container.

"Not entirely," Zhao Xing said, "I also brought some earth."

"You want to build a Wenhua greenhouse?" Both were experts; Chen Shijie understood immediately upon hearing it: "But isn't the level of this military Wen bamboo box too low? Can it be disassembled and assembled into a Wenhua greenhouse?"

A Wenhua greenhouse, to put it plainly, is a fantasy version of a greenhouse, capable of creating its own world. The Seasonal Order and Earth Advantage Law cannot be used outside, but can be cast with ease inside a Wenhua greenhouse.

However, building one here is also very difficult.

Because the one beside them is merely a fifth-rank Wen bamboo box; although large, it is not large enough.

Building a Wenhua greenhouse here would be a huge project.

"I brought it," Zhao Xing smiled, "Didn't you notice the Wenhua cabin has become much larger?"

"I really didn't notice; I haven't gone inside these past few days." Chen Shijie glanced backward just then and immediately noticed the difference.

"Good heavens, your courage is truly bold. The Qilin Flying Boat is a gift from the imperial court; you even dare to radically modify it."

"Hahahaha, you finally figured it out. How is it? Isn't the modification great? Only an expert couldn't tell." Zhao Xing said proudly.

"Indeed, the modification is excellent." After looking closely, Chen Shijie praised.

Zhao Xing cut off a section of the Qilin Flying Boat, added another section, removed some useless decorations, but added a Illusion-Form Array.

So from the outside, it still looks no different from before.

"Mainly because the Qilin Flying Boat is a royal special supply; it has some ready-made devices and materials, and the power supply craftsmanship is first-class. In a short time, it's hard to buy, and custom-making takes too much time; it's better to do a radical modification."

"I believe Your Majesty won't blame me; I am the Minister of Agriculture, after all, practicality comes first."

"No wonder you said the bulk of it is on this flying boat," Chen Shijie said, "It turns out it was literal."

"Yes," Zhao Xing said, "Pity it still lacks a bit of spirit; running with an assembled flying boat just doesn't feel quite right."

"If one reaches the Pure Origin Realm, cultivates the Later Earth Return Origin Secret Scripture to a profound level, completes the second layer of the Yin-Yang Benwo Sutra, makes the Five Elements Qi as fine as silk threads, and elevates all four Benwo Arts to high rank, then one can plant in the Pure Origin soil within the Origin Dantian."

"Difficult," Chen Shijie said, "Normally, a fifth-rank Minister of Agriculture focuses on cultivating the Heavenly Timing or Earth Advantage Law, not wasting energy on the Benwo Sect."

"None of the conditions you just mentioned are easy to achieve."

The fifth-rank Pure Origin Realm is merely the threshold of the Benwo Sect.

To give birth to Pure Origin soil, to plant within one's own body, and to manifest a 'Pure Origin Projection' is as difficult as climbing to the sky.

Many Ministers of Agriculture reaching the fifth rank only superficially cultivate the spells of the Benwo Sect.

Back at the Sacrificial Soul Pass, Liu Tianning and the fourth-rank Minister of Agriculture Li Yuanzhen of the Black Armor Army appeared on the battlefield simultaneously.

But Li Yuanzhen was overshadowed by Liu Tianning.

It was only because he cast the Heavenly Timing Law; although the spell was considered profound, it was not rare, and many fourth-rank Ministers of Agriculture could achieve modifying the 'Yin Five Elements Heavenly Timing'.

Perhaps not as deft as Li Yuanzhen, but ultimately achievable.

However, Liu Tianning cast the Pure Origin Projection, instantly planting rows of divine trees on the battlefield!

Numerous plant soldiers forged a seventh-rank defensive line!

Even Li Yuanzhen could only admit defeat, because he had not condensed Pure Origin soil and knew this path was arduous.

"Difficult, but I must still try," Zhao Xing said, "I am young; I have plenty of time."

If he could find Mi Fu, obtain the 'Xuan Huang Xi Yuan Art', combine it with some rituals and materials, this time could be greatly shortened, even becoming stronger... Zhao Xing thought.

But this old friend is still missing.

However, Zhao Xing was not in a hurry; he hadn't reached the fifth rank yet.

"How does this place look?" Chen Shijie suddenly pointed downward, "The ice layer here is relatively thin, blocked from strong winds by icebergs on both sides, and the coldness is relatively less severe."

"It's not bad; make a mark and keep looking," Zhao Xing said.

He wanted to build a Wenhua greenhouse; site selection was crucial, otherwise redoing the work later would waste time and be troublesome.

On Pei Pei Yuanchang's tower ship, this direct descendant of the Ling Frost King was handling fishing matters on board.

The harvest now is just average; in a day, they expect to catch only about a thousand jin of fish, and the quality isn't high either.

Not just him; other top exploration teams are much the same.

First, the tools are unfavorable; only after people arrived did they realize what level of equipment was needed here.

Second, Night Fortress No. 98; at this time, the Spirit-Refined Fish phenomenon is not yet large-scale; the few that jump up are a minority, and diving down to catch them is quite difficult.

"Today's harvest is expected to be about 1,200 jin of fish. Most of it is still Qi-type fish."

The invested cost far exceeds the income, yet Pei Pei Yuanchang continues to increase his investment.

He has another icebreaker ship on the way; additionally, he is constantly inviting skilled hands to join his faction.

"Young Master, Zeng Changguang from Taixi Commandery is willing to join under your command," a scholar reported, "He is a martial artist of the early Pure Origin Realm, but his 'Venerable Han Bing True Spirit Art' has reached the seventh layer, and he has cultivated the 'Cold Spirit Martial Body'."

"Oh?" Pei Pei Yuanchang said, "That might work. What are his demands?"

"His demands are a bit high," the strategist said, "He wants to occupy a spot for a High-Rank Exploration Envoy."

"For this harvest, he wants to take seventy percent, handing over thirty percent to us, and this spot must be permanently his; he cannot be dismissed midway."

"Seventy percent? And occupying a spot permanently?" Pei Pei Yuanchang sneered, "His face is indeed quite thick."

A mere martial artist of the early Pure Origin Realm was nothing to Pei Pei Yuanchang.

Because now, a huge number of fifth-rank experts want to come to the Eternal Night Sea, but lack the qualification, so they all stay in Yangcheng.

Additionally, outside the Ten Yang Grotto-Heaven, there are plenty waiting.

The current situation is that qualifications and spots are precious, while manpower is not lacking.

Demanding seventy percent and occupying a spot; these demands are simply too excessive.

"If this person hadn't cultivated the Cold Spirit Body, he wouldn't even be on my radar," Pei Pei Yuanchang said, "Negotiate with him; two proposals."

"First, he takes thirty percent, and the high-level qualification is revoked once the Eternal Night Sea expedition ends; he goes back where he came from."

"Second, the high-level qualification is given to him for two months; for one of those months, he must stay in the Eternal Night Sea, and all harvests belong to me."

"My condition is already far better than those of other powers," Pei Pei Yuanchang said. "If he does not agree, there is no need to say more."

Although the seven exploration groups have united to form an alliance, excluding other powers and sealing off the sea area. (Liu Tianning has not arrived, so he cannot count as a faction.)

Yet they are still competing against one another, essentially engaging in a military race, all striving to expand rapidly and dominate wider sea areas with more spiritual vitality.

Among the seven exploration groups today, his territory is the smallest.

The conditions offered by Pei Pei Yuanchang are indeed somewhat better than those of other powers.

But how precious is the qualification for a Senior Exploration Envoy?

That alone could secure a favor from a King. A Fifth-Rank Martial Artist thinks he can trade it away after working a few days? Impossible.

"Very well, I will make further contact to see if he intends to lower the price or truly lacks self-awareness," the strategist said.

"There is also a Fifth-Rank Si Nong named Ren Fang, currently outside the Ten Yang Grotto-Heaven. He is leveraging the connection of 'Duke Mingwei'."

"What did Duke Mingwei say?" Pei Pei Yuanchang asked. Duke Mingwei is the commander of the Black Armor Army, while Duke Mingwu is the commander of the Tiger-Whale Army.

"Duke Mingwei merely passed along a message; he did not appear in person."

"Does this person possess even one-tenth of Liu Tianning's capability?" Pei Pei Yuanchang asked again.

"I estimate he does not."

"Is he affiliated with the Benwo Sect?"

"He primarily cultivates the Heavenly Timing School."

"Reject him," Pei Pei Yuanchang said. "Given the current situation in the Eternal Night Sea, both heavenly timing and earthly advantages are difficult to shift. Except for a Benwo Sect Si Nong who might still be useful, others will find it hard to achieve anything."

In fact, even a Benwo Sect Si Nong depends on whether they have cultivated 'Pure Origin Soil'.

Otherwise, their utility remains limited.

However, since he primarily cultivates the Heavenly Timing School, there is no need to ask further.

A Fifth-Rank Si Nong is not someone like Liu Tianning for everyone.

If this person possessed even one-tenth of Liu Tianning's capability, Pei Pei Yuanchang would have to go personally to welcome him in and honor him as a guest of distinction.

After the strategist departed, Pei Pei Yuanchang attended to another batch of affairs.

As the ruler, Pei Pei Yuanchang has reached the peak of the Pure Origin Realm, so naturally he need not venture outside to endure the cold, yet there are still many matters requiring social interaction.

After two hours of work, he finally remembered Zhao Xing.

Mainly because he saw news about Liu Tianning again: "Liu Tianning has decided to arrive at the Eternal Night Sea in one day? I wonder how Zhao Xing and the others are doing... Someone!"

"Young Master."

"How are Zhao Xing and the others doing?"

"Replying to Young Master, Duke Yuanrang and others have constructed a Warmth Pavilion about twenty li southeast of us. It appears to be of the Sixth Rank."

"Oh?" Pei Pei Yuanchang said in surprise. "Has another member of Liu Tianning's group arrived? Why was no one notified of this?"

"Young Master, no one else has arrived."

"Then where did his Sixth-Rank Warmth Pavilion come from?" Pei Pei Yuanchang had just spoken when he understood, and immediately waved his hand, saying, "Very well, you may go down. Do not mention this matter to anyone."

"Yes."

After the subordinate left, Pei Pei Yuanchang could not help but reveal a faint smile.

"What a Duke Yuanrang; his actions are truly unconventional."

The Qilin Flying Boat is a symbol of status and honor, a gift from Emperor Jing. Others would eagerly enshrine it, yet Zhao Xing used it for a radical modification simply because some of its materials and craftsmanship were useful.

"This person truly displays the pragmatism of a Si Nong to the fullest extent."

"I heard that when he was Seventh-Rank, he already mastered high-level techniques of the Benwo Sect. No wonder Liu Tianning took notice of him. I wonder what wonders he will cultivate now," Pei Pei Yuanchang said, a hint of expectation in his eyes.

"Fifth-Rank seedling Water Immortal, Fifth-Rank seedling Fish-Devouring Grass, Fifth-Rank seedling Azure Sea Cloud Vine."

"These three varieties are already Fifth-Rank during the seedling stage. All are derivative species, prepared by high-grade Si Nong. Just purchasing them cost a great deal of money. Once the environment is suitable, there is a chance they will grow to Sixth-Rank."

"Old Chen, we must amplify these probabilities." Inside the Warmth Pavilion, Zhao Xing pointed to the seedlings in the black soil.

Chen Shijie looked at these three seedlings and was momentarily stunned.

Of the three plants Zhao Xing mentioned, besides the Water Immortal which he had heard of, he had never even heard of the other two!

Why? Because these are derivative species!

They do not exist naturally in the world but are new varieties artificially cultivated by humans.

Old Chen is familiar with native species, but derivative species lie beyond his knowledge.

Moreover, the two Zhao Xing mentioned are not ordinary derivative species.

They are research achievements of high-grade Si Nong from the Shangluo Academy in the Martial Realm.

In other words, these are cutting-edge, high-end goods, circulated only within a small circle and not yet officially released.

How were they obtained? Naturally, they were Si Nong Dao through Liu Tianning's connections.

"You only bought sixty plants?" Chen Shijie asked. For seedlings, this quantity is already extremely small.

Having read the gazette daily, when the high-end technology from the gazette actually arrived at his doorstep, Chen Shijie found himself hesitant to act.

He feared ruining these precious seedlings; a single slip would mean all previous investments would be wasted.

Regardless of their level, plant life is relatively fragile during the seedling and seed stages.

If not nurtured properly, they will simply die before your eyes.

As for mutation and demotion, that is even more common.

"Old Chen, be bold. There is no need to fear," Zhao Xing said with a smile. "You have already undergone a transformation within the Heavenly Gate."

"You have one Foundation-Building Art that has reached the high level. Speaking of which, your high-level Foundation-Building Art is best suited to tend the Azure Sea Cloud Vine."

Having followed Zhao Xing these past days and constantly encountered such lofty things, Chen Shijie felt somewhat unaccustomed.

Furthermore, since so little time had passed, he had not yet realized that he was actually already formidable, a genius even among Sixth-Rank Si Nong.

However, at this moment, prompted by Zhao Xing, Chen Shijie regained his confidence.

"Rest assured, I will take care of the Azure Sea Cloud Vine."

"Not only that, you must do more work; you will control the seasonal changes within the Wen Hua greenhouse," Zhao Xing said.

His realm in the Seasonal Command was inferior to Chen Shijie's, mainly because he had little time to cultivate; the seclusion during the Soul Sacrifice trial lasted less than two months.

It was sufficient for cultivating individual spells, but for cultivating the sect's classics, the time was far too short, utterly inadequate.

"Agreed." Chen Shijie immediately began to activate it.

Zhao Xing also began to tend to the 【Water Immortal】 and the 【Fish-Devouring Grass】.

Both of these plants served as bait.

The Water Immortal emitted low-frequency waves; the vast majority of fish would be attracted to it and enter their mating and breeding season early.

The seeds of the Fish-Devouring Grass were the thing fish loved to eat most; its nature was just like a cat encountering catnip.

These two items, once raised, were used for chumming.

Using a sixth-tier plant for chumming was, speaking of it, somewhat wasteful.

But at this moment, it was entirely worth it!

"Since we cannot enter the water, we shall make the fish come up to us voluntarily," Zhao Xing said with a smile. "These fish cherish the spiritual elegance of heaven and earth, but they are still fish; they will not refuse the hook."

As long as the chumming is done well, there are no fishing enthusiasts who return empty-handed!

"Let's get to work, let's get to work!"

The two immediately became full of energy.

At the location of the Ice Well Formation, Long Xiao, Ji Ji Ziyun, and Xia Jing stood with their backs to Bingshan, fishing for spiritual elegance.

Previously, Zhao Xing had also kept some ordinary third and fourth-tier fish baits.

Thus, he was not worried about lacking fish bait.

"It's moving, it's moving!" Long Xiao shouted loudly, grabbing the Shen Luo Rod and yanking it up with a mighty heave.

"Whoosh~" The fishing rod and line snapped up violently, swinging sideways and raising a misty green radiance.

Then they smashed into Ji Ji Ziyun and Xia Jing, who were fishing.

Xia Jing: "..."

Ji Ji Ziyun: "..."

Ji Ji Ziyun helplessly untangled the fishing line wrapped around his body.

"Brother Long, perhaps... you should take a rest first."

"Long Xiao, do you know how to fish at all?" Xia Jing also scolded, "In two double-hours, you have smashed into me and my cousin thirteen times!"

"Are you fishing for fish or for people?"

Xia Jing angrily untangled the fishhook from his hair bun.

The Seven Stars Hook grows large when encountering great force and shrinks small when encountering little force.

If the fish's vitality is weak, the hook remains only normal size.

If the fish's vitality is strong, the hook will rapidly expand and grow larger.

Otherwise, how could one say that a single fishhook is sixth-tier?

Just now, when it came smashing over, the Seven Stars Hook had turned into a Seven Stars Anchor!

The Seven Stars Hook also came with a locking effect; Xia Jing could not avoid it in time.

Fortunately, he reacted quickly, locking his vitality, so the fishhook shrank significantly as it approached.

"Sorry, sorry." Long Xiao was extremely embarrassed; he simply was not cut out for this. "I will listen to Brother Ji and take a rest."

"How is it that you are so focused on practicing swordsmanship, yet you cannot sit still for a moment while fishing?" Xia Jing was puzzled.

Long Xiao had fought with him before; during their previous interactions, sparring and mutual practice were common.

Sword cultivators possess a very high degree of focus; Long Xiao was the type of man who could practice swordsmanship for days and nights without sleep, and even while sleeping, he would hold his sword.

"This... I cannot explain it clearly either." Long Xiao scratched his nose. "As soon as I see that fishhook move, I cannot help but want to come up and look."

Alas, fishing is far more difficult than practicing swordsmanship.

"Forget it," Xia Jing said. "Come rest by my side; I will fish for you to eat."

"Great!" Long Xiao put away his fishing gear and ran over to Xia Jing's side.

Strangely enough.

For the past two double-hours, the one with the greatest harvest was not Ji Ji Ziyun, who knew how to fish.

It was Xia Jing.

Not long after speaking, Xia Jing raised both hands, and the Shen Luo Rod quickly shrank while the fishing line reeled in rapidly.

"Splash~"

A fish shimmering with faint silver Bai Guang leaped out of the water; then Xia Jing flicked his wrist, the fish came off the hook, and fell into the fish basket twenty meters in front of Xia Jing.

"Flap~ flap~"

The fish thrashed in the basket, possessing immense strength.

However, after a short while, it fell silent.

"Young Master is amazing!" Long Xiao ran over to look, then ran back excitedly, "You already have fifteen! Brother Ji only has seven."

"I suppose it is just luck," Xia Jing said, revealing a slight smile.

He did not like eating fish; the smell of fish made him nauseous.

Now that his luck was good and he had caught more than his cousin, he actually began to like the feeling of fishing.

"We are both beginners; how did you do it?" Long Xiao asked humbly.

"This Shen Luo Rod, it must..." Xia Jing shared his experience with great seriousness.

Ji Ji Ziyun, listening from a distance, was quite puzzled; how could he be inferior to his cousin?

They fished for another two hours.

At this moment, Zhao Xing flew over.

"Xia Jing, Brother Ji, Long Xiao, how is your harvest?"

"I didn't catch a single one," Long Xiao said, "but Brother Xia caught a huge amount; look!"

He lifted the fish basket, inside which colorful fish were swimming.

"Hmm? Did Brother Xia catch all of these?" Zhao Xing was also somewhat surprised; could this be the new player's halo?

Xia Jing lifted his head, his chest unconsciously puffing out.

"Impressive!" Zhao Xing praised.

However, Xia Jing's habit remained unchanged; he even placed the fish basket twenty meters away.

"What about Brother Ji?"

"I only have ten small catches." Ji Ji Ziyun looked somewhat depressed; he was well-versed in this art.

The fish they caught were not even half as heavy as Xia Jing's.

"Hahaha, no matter, let's change locations," Zhao Xing laughed. "Next, you will have your hands full."

"Oh? What do you mean?" Ji Ji Ziyun asked.

"Just follow me."

Outside the Warm Flower Pavilion.

At this time, the Qilin Flying Boat had only a small fraction remaining.

The rest had become part of the Warm Flower Pavilion.

It covered an area of seven or eight mu; why was it so large?

Because the Warm Flower Pavilion Zhao Xing built had a main body accumulated from blocks of ice.

Materials and devices removed from the Qilin Flying Boat were inlaid within and suspended inside, expanding it to this size.

"Good heavens, you dismantled the Flying Boat," Xia Jing laughed. "You really are willing to part with it."

"What is there to be unwilling about? Once we earn merit, there will be plenty of rewards," Zhao Xing said. "Three of you, please enter."

Entering the ice gate, the temperature inside suddenly rose; the color within remained predominantly snow-white.

But a striking patch of green caught the eye in the middle.

Amidst the white snow, a patch of grassland had actually appeared.

Flowers bloomed in the shallow pools on both sides.

In the center, a vine wrapped around a tree; a single leaf was enough to be four or five meters long.

Chen Shijie bent his waist, like a diligent old farmer, harvesting grass seeds.

The Solar Term Orb in the sky emitted light and heat, like a miniature sun.

Due to the temperature difference, mist rose inside, flowers and plants bloomed, and a hazy breath lingered, as if instantly moving from an ice-and-snow world to a farmhouse manor.

"The position of the Minister of Agriculture is truly divine," Ji Ji Ziyun could not help but exclaim. "Even in ice and snow, it can create miracles of life."

Xia Jing only cared about the function, because he was somewhat addicted to fishing and wanted to start fishing quickly. "What are these things used for?"

"Water Immortals transplanted to the water surface; Fish-Eating Grass seeds used to create bait spots, or they can serve as bait," Zhao Xing introduced.

"Then what about this tree?" Long Xiao stared at the giant-leaf tree in the center.

"It is not a tree," Chen Shijie corrected. "It is a vine, the Azure Sea Cloud Vine."

"A vine? What is its function?"

Zhao Xing smiled, walked to the side of the Azure Sea Cloud Vine, parted a leaf, and actually opened a door on the tree.

"The Azure Sea Cloud Vine can take root ten thousand li deep in the sea bottom and shoot up to the nine heavens."

"Of course, this specimen of mine is not that old, and I have treated it with the Branch-Breaking Method; now its roots only extend downwards and have not fully grown. Eventually, it should reach about ten li."

Zhao Xing opened the door, revealing the space inside: "The vine is thick and hollow inside; we can follow the roots of the Azure Sea Cloud Vine downwards and directly reach below the water surface."

"This way, we can observe the environment below the sea area; whether there are fish will be clear at a glance, so we won't scatter empty bait or create useless bait spots."

"Its roots and stems are layered; if cut horizontally, the cross-section shows more than a dozen concentric circles."

"We can even open a hole in the first layer of the vine, let fish in, and once enough have gathered, seal the hole again."

"In this way, we can try for the big fish beneath the sea bottom... why are you all looking at me?" Zhao Xing suddenly paused.

"You damn ghost of a genius," Xia Jing said with a strange expression. "I feel like you've done this kind of thing many times before."

Ji Ji Ziyun nodded; he felt the same.

"This was discussed by Old Chen and me, and it is our first attempt," Zhao Xing said, his face unchanged.

It was indeed discussed, but he had guided Old Chen to think in this direction.

In his previous life, he had certainly done it many times; going up to the sky and down to the earth, patrolling mountains and searching seas; what hadn't the Minister of Agriculture done?

Some Minister of Agriculture players were most keen on exploration, then sharing experiences of various ways to die.

The Azure Sea Cloud Vine; after learning farming in his previous life, Zhao Xing had also tested it once; it was quite good, a proper small underwater base.

"So now, do we go down first, or fish first?" Long Xiao asked.

"Old Chen and I have already gone down once," Zhao Xing said, closing the wooden door. "There are many fish schools beneath this ice layer; it should be better than the place where you were originally fishing."

"The ice layer here is also relatively thin; breaking the ice is simple. Even a martial artist using a sword can chop out a cracked layer; afterwards, one only needs to clear the floating ice."

"Expand the fishing water surface, then create bait spots and test the effect," Zhao Xing said.

"Breaking the ice layer and moving the floating ice, I will handle it," Long Xiao said, touching his sword.

"Reinforcing the fishing surface and arranging the formations, I will handle it," Ji Ji Ziyun said, brushing his sleeve.

"Grass seed bait and farming spells, I will handle it," Chen Shijie spoke.

"Undersea observation and creating bait spots on the water surface, I will be responsible," Zhao Xing said.

"Then what do I do?" Xia Jing was a little bewildered, feeling that his teammates had already finished everything.

The four exchanged a glance and, as if by unspoken agreement, broke into mischievous grins: "You're in charge of catching fish."

Xia Jing: "!!!"