Chapter 1: Fish Pond Lv1
"Tomorrow I’ll come again. If you still can’t pay this month’s Immortal Residence Fee, then get the hell out of our Zengtou Market."
"Got it."
"……"
Ji Yuan watched the man in the black robe stumble along the muddy bank as he walked away.
Just as Ji Yuan was about to close the courtyard gate, someone else unexpectedly stepped out from the neighboring yard.
It was a bald old man smoking a dry tobacco pipe.
Seeing Ji Yuan’s gloomy expression, he grinned and said,
"Little Brother Ji, why don’t you go borrow some from Liu the Leper? Pay the Immortal Residence Fee first."
"Otherwise, with your second-layer Qi Refinement cultivation, once you leave Zengtou Market, you’re as good as dead."
Borrow from Liu the Leper?
That damn usury rate, with compounding interest—if he borrowed from him, his life would be ruined forever… Ji Yuan nodded slightly and replied, "I’ll find a way."
After speaking, he shut the courtyard gate.
Old Huang didn’t try to persuade him further. He had only mentioned it for the small referral fee. Whether Ji Yuan agreed or not didn’t really matter to him.
Ji Yuan returned to the shabby little house, looked around at the miserable surroundings, and couldn’t help cursing in his heart, "Damn it, I’ve transmigrated to cultivate immortality, and I still have to pay rent?!"
"With these conditions, three lower-grade spirit stones per month—why don’t they just rob me?!"
In his fury, Ji Yuan was indeed furious for a moment.
But he knew the reality all too well.
Just like Old Huang had said, as a second-layer Qi Refinement rogue cultivator, once he left Zengtou Market and ventured into the wilderness, he would be nothing but a lamb waiting to be slaughtered.
Either he would be robbed clean and then killed to silence him.
Or worse, killed first and then robbed clean.
Even within Zengtou Market, rogue cultivators sometimes turned into bandits, preying on others, let alone outside in the wild.
In this world, houses were worthless, land was worthless.
But safety was priceless.
Three days ago, Ji Yuan had still been a corporate slave on Earth, eating hotpot and singing karaoke with friends after work.
Who would have thought that after falling asleep, he would wake up in this place called Cangluo Continent?
And he had even possessed the body of a boy with the same name, Ji Yuan, in Zengtou Market, which was under the jurisdiction of the Water Dragon Sect.
The Water Dragon Sect bordered the vast Yunyu Marshlands, which spanned thousands of miles.
They had established many marketplaces along the shore to gather nearby low-level rogue cultivators to catch Spiritual Fish and collect rare herbs and materials for them.
These rogue cultivators were all called "Fishers."
Zengtou Market was one such marketplace, and the original Ji Yuan had been one of these Fishers.
His parents had been Fishers too. However, two months ago, when they went out to sea, they died at the hands of a mid-stage Tier-1 Spiritual Fish.
Now, he was an orphan, about to be kicked out of Zengtou Market for owing rent… What a catastrophic start!
But not entirely hopeless.
Usually, this was when the cheat would kick in.
Ji Yuan thought back to the novels he had read on Qidian in his previous life. In a daze, a light screen actually appeared in his field of vision…
The light screen was filled with text.
【Fish Pond Lv0 (Upgradeable)】
【Lv1: Spiritual Effect: Fish fry growth speed +20%, Semi-Spiritual Fish have a certain chance to evolve into Spiritual Fish】
【Upgrade Requirements: 1 Lower-Grade Spirit Stone, Plant Purifying Reed, Clear Waterway (Completed)】
【Chicken Coop Lv0】
【Lv1: Spiritual Effect: Produces one Spiritual Egg per day, contains trace spiritual energy, can sustain one through fasting】
【Upgrade Requirements: 2 Lower-Grade Spirit Stones, 50 Jin of Regular Rice (Not Met)】
(Ps: 1 Jin = 0.5kg or 1.something pound
50 Jin (25 kilograms / 55 pounds)
【Pigsty Lv0】
【Lv1: Spiritual Effect: Spiritual Pig gains 100 Jin of muscle in seven days, flesh contains body tempering properties, can accelerate wound healing】
【Upgrade Requirements: 5 Lower-Grade Spirit Stones, 50 Jin of Iron Ingots, 10 Jin of Coarse Salt (Not Met)】
【Cave Dwelling Lv0】
【Lv1: Spiritual Effect: Self-repairing walls, basic dust-repelling barrier, +20% spiritual energy concentration at night】
【Upgrade Requirements: 5 Lower-Grade Spirit Stones, 3 Buckets of Glutinous Rice Paste, Repair Broken Tiles (Not Met)】
【Spiritual Field Lv0】
【Lv1: Spiritual Effect: Crop growth cycle -30%, yields imbued with faint Wood Spiritual Qi】
【Upgrade Requirements: 5 Lower-Grade Spirit Stones, 50 Jin of Plant Ash (Not Met)】
【……】
What kind of cheat was this?
A farming-type cheat?
Before Ji Yuan could think more about it, countless memories suddenly surfaced in his mind. His golden finger was called the "Building Upgrade Panel".
In short, as long as the specified conditions were met, the panel could upgrade corresponding buildings to grant special abilities.
For example, the only building that could currently be upgraded was the fish pond in his home.
The requirement was one Lower-Grade Spirit Stone, plus planting Purifying Reeds and clearing the waterway.
In Zengtou Market, every fisher’s household had a small fish pond to store the Spiritual Fish they caught from the Yunyu Marshlands. So the requirements of planting Purifying Reeds and clearing the waterway had naturally long been fulfilled.
As for the one Lower-Grade Spirit Stone… all Ji Yuan had left in the world was exactly one spirit stone.
Otherwise, he wouldn’t have fallen behind on rent in the first place.
There had been more saved up before, but they had all been spent by his parents on pills and talismans for their last fishing expedition.
Who would have thought that they’d lose their lives in the Yunyu Marshlands?
Upgrading the fish pond from Lv0 to Lv1 would provide +20% fish fry growth speed and give Semi-Spiritual Fish a chance to evolve into Spiritual Fish.
The first effect was easy to understand. As for Semi-Spiritual Fish and Spiritual Fish, Ji Yuan had also learned about them from the original owner’s memories.
The fishers like him mostly hunted Semi-Spiritual Fish and Spiritual Fish.
Simply put, Spiritual Fish were fish-type demon beasts—spiritual monsters.
Whether it was their flesh, scales, or certain special body parts, all were valuable resources in the cultivation world.
Spiritual Fish were first-rank demon beasts that had officially entered the ranking system.
In the water, it generally took at least a fourth-layer Qi Refinement cultivator to handle an early-stage first-rank Spiritual Fish.
The original owner’s father had been at the fourth layer of Qi Refinement, yet he still died when he encountered a mid-stage first-rank Spiritual Fish.
Semi-Spiritual Fish were species that existed between ordinary fish and demon beasts. They were the main targets for low-level cultivators like Ji Yuan.
And right now, there happened to be one Semi-Spiritual Fish left in Ji Yuan’s fish pond.
It was the Seven-Star Perch that the original owner had risked his life to catch three days ago.
The original owner had died on that very trip in the vast Yunyu Marshlands, leaving his body behind for the current Ji Yuan.
Ji Yuan took out his last remaining Lower-Grade Spirit Stone… If he had more—say, five—he might have hesitated.
But with only this one, there was no reason to hold back.
Upgrade!
As Ji Yuan activated the panel with a thought, the spirit stone in his hand turned to powder.
At the same time, the panel updated with the new Lv2 Fish Pond effects and upgrade requirements.
【Fish Pond Lv2】
【Spiritual Effect: Produces 1 drop of Water Essence Dew daily, increases Semi-Spiritual Fish evolution chance, +30% growth speed】
【Upgrade Requirements: 30 Lower-Grade Spirit Stones, 5 Jin of Cold Iron Sand, Engrave Ice Condensing Talisman】
It could produce Water Essence Dew at Lv2?
That was a real treasure.
It could heal injuries, restore spiritual energy, and even be used for cultivation.
Just one drop could sell for 8 Lower-Grade Spirit Stones outside.
Before Ji Yuan could celebrate, he heard splashing sounds coming from the fish pond in the backyard.
"Not good!"
Ji Yuan hurried into the backyard and saw ripples in the small fish pond in the northwest corner.
Floating above the fish pond was a line of small text that only he could see.
【Fish Pond: Lv1】
Inside the fish pond, there was now a black shadow about the length of an arm. Ji Yuan hesitantly walked closer.
With just one glance, he was stunned.
Originally, the pond held only a single Semi-Spiritual Fish—the Seven-Star Perch—worth about one spirit stone.
But now, that Semi-Spiritual Fish was gone.
In its place was an early-stage first-rank Spiritual Fish—the Cold-Blooded Perch—worth at least 15 Lower-Grade Spirit Stones.
So this was the effect of the Lv1 Fish Pond?!