【eternal ark Lv2 (Upgrade Conditions Not Met)】
【Grade: Mortal Weapon (Medium Grade)】
【Main Propulsion: Single Mast Sail】
【Auxiliary Propulsion: Manual Oars】
【Ability 1: Freely change shape and size, reverts to original form when fatally damaged (Disguise)】
【Ability 2: Fish catch yield +100% when retrieving net (Fishing)】
【Upgrade Conditions: Spirit Crystal * 50, Stone-Patterned Wood * 10, Iron Sand * 5 jin】
Ultimately, Jiang Ming still chose the “Fishing” ability.
Because this ability allowed him to earn money quickly, enabling the eternal ark to upgrade again in a short period.
At this moment, he was staring at the data panel that appeared before him, his eyes filled with excitement.
At just level two, it could increase the fish catch yield by a hundred percent.
He could barely imagine what incredible abilities the eternal ark would possess once it upgraded to the Magic Treasure and Spirit Treasure grades.
Initially, after learning that this body's Aptitude was mediocre, Jiang Ming had thought of just living a laid-back life, waiting to die on Iron Sand Island.
Now, having witnessed the eternal ark's abilities, he felt capable again!
As his thoughts swirled, Jiang Ming suddenly remembered that the fishing net he had cast earlier was almost ready to be retrieved.
It was perfect; he was also eager to verify if the eternal ark lived up to its name.
The moment his hands touched the net rope, a feeling of heaviness far exceeding anything before came from his palms.
His heart swelled with joy, and he couldn't help but quicken his pace in retrieving the net.
As the fishing net was pulled up inch by inch, the resistance Jiang Ming felt grew stronger and stronger; a force continuously tried to drag him into the sea.
Based on his past experience, this had to be Half Spirit Fish, as only they possessed such brute strength.
Half Spirit Fish are between Mortal Fish and Spirit Fish; although they cannot use Spells yet, their flesh already contains Qi.
Eating one was enough to equal several days of arduous Cultivation.
Just then, a palm-sized azure sea fish was pulled out of the water.
Information about this fish immediately came to Jiang Ming's mind:
Great Azure Fish, a type of Half Spirit Fish, with delicious flesh, rich in Qi, market price ten Spirit Crystals per fish.
His eyes immediately lit up; this was not a fish, but rather sparkling Spirit Crystals!
The Great Azure Fish, out of water, keenly sensed danger and began to struggle frantically.
Even though its entire body was tightly entangled in the fishing net, making it difficult to exert force, its twisting strength was still astonishing.
Fortunately, Jiang Ming's hands were as steady as a rock, and with the boost from the “Giant Strength Technique,” he steadily dragged the fishing net into the boat's cabin little by little.
After the entire net was pulled onto the boat, Jiang Ming counted and found that the number of fish was indeed twice as many as the previous few retrievals!
Although most of the newly added fish were ordinary miscellaneous fish with no Qi, he was very satisfied with one Great Azure Fish.
One must know that in the previous few net retrievals today, there hadn't been a single Half Spirit Fish.
Looking up, seeing that it was still early, Jiang Ming quickly tidied the fishing net and cast it into the sea again.
After all the busy work, he was exhausted, and most of his magical power had been depleted.
So he sat cross-legged and activated the “Bishui Arts” to restore his magical power.
This was a common water-element Cultivation Technique in the Endless Sea, with the advantage that the total amount of magical power Cultivated was more abundant.
If described as a game, it meant a longer mana bar.
...
The busiest time of day on Iron Sand Island was dusk.
The fish market near the pier was already bustling with activity.
Not only were fishermen returning from the nearby sea gathered here, but many residents of the island also flocked to buy fresh Spirit Fish.
Spiritual Plants were scarce in the Endless Sea, and Medicinal Pills like Qi Gathering Pills that could improve magical power were almost never seen on the market.
For low-level Cultivators who wanted to quickly raise their Realm, consuming Spirit Fish became the primary method.
Although the effect of Spirit Fish might not be as immediate as Medicinal Pills, it had the advantage of not needing to worry about pill toxins or drug resistance.
As long as one had ample Spirit Stones, they could continuously consume Spirit Fish, and their Cultivation speed would be no less than taking pills.
At the entrance of the fish market, Jiang Ming handed five Spirit Crystals to the patrolling enforcer before carrying his fish basket into the bustling market.
Fishermen could fish relatively safely in the waters near Iron Sand Island thanks to these enforcers who patrolled daily to clear out Yao Beasts.
Therefore, the management fee of these five Spirit Crystals was essential every time they entered the market to sell.
As soon as he stepped into the fish market, Jiang Ming ran into a group of people.
Leading them was a robust man with a sturdy physique and coarse hair and beard.
This man was named Xu Ba, a Middle Stage Qi Refining Cultivator, but secretly, everyone called him Smiling Tiger.
He laughed heartily and was the first to greet Jiang Ming:
“Yo, Little Jiang, haven't seen you in two days, caught any Spirit Fish again?”
Jiang Ming quickly put on a smile:
“Brother Xu, my luck isn't bad today!”
After catching the Great Azure Fish, he also netted a Yellow Scale Fish, and their values were similar.
Xu Ba looked down into the fish basket and, upon seeing two Half Spirit Fish inside, couldn't help but exclaim in surprise:
“Your luck is really good today, kid!”
Generally speaking, for a Cultivator like Jiang Ming, who was in the Early Stage of Qi Refining, catching one Half Spirit Fish within two or three days was considered good.
Catching two in one day was somewhat rare.
“Just lucky, just lucky,” Jiang Ming said humbly.
Xu Ba didn't suspect anything; after all, fishing had a certain element of luck.
He had been in the fish market for so many years and encountered such situations almost every now and then, so it wasn't surprising.
Then he changed the subject and got to the point:
“Since you've made a fortune today, you should definitely pay the protection fee of three Spirit Crystals, otherwise, you'll surely be targeted by ill-intentioned people.”
“You mean targeted by your Giant Whale Gang people, right!”
Jiang Ming secretly grumbled in his heart, but on the surface, he readily handed over the last three remaining Spirit Crystals he had to the other party.
“If everyone was as sensible as Little Jiang, Brother Xu would have a lot less to worry about!”
Xu Ba took the Spirit Crystals, laughed contentedly, and patted Jiang Ming's shoulder before leaving with a few of his subordinates.
Jiang Ming watched them walk away with a plastered smile on his face before finding an empty stall to start selling fish.
Don't let Xu Ba's seemingly kind demeanor fool you; if you didn't pay the protection fee, he would turn into a vicious tiger that devoured people without spitting out their bones.
Not only would he make things difficult for you in the fish market, but once you left, your life would be in danger.
The leader of the Giant Whale Gang, to which Xu Ba belonged, was a Foundation Establishment Cultivator, and the gang itself had hundreds of Cultivators.
What could these bottom-level fishermen do but swallow their anger?
A single Half Spirit Fish could only be sold for ten Spirit Crystals, and after being exploited by “management fees” and “protection fees,” only two Spirit Crystals were left in hand.
Most fishermen, after a year of hard work, couldn't save much.
In fact, the Spirit Fish caught could be eaten by themselves, in which case no fees would need to be paid.
But to survive on Iron Sand Island, Spirit Stones were needed everywhere: monthly rent, repairing damaged fishing nets, buying Spell Cultivation Techniques…
Therefore, fishermen had no choice but to sell them at the fish market to earn Spirit Stones.
And for Jiang Ming, Spirit Stones had an even more important use: upgrading the eternal ark.
After Spirit Fish died, the Qi in their bodies would slowly dissipate.
Buyers naturally rushed to buy the freshest ones at dusk.
Jiang Ming's two Half Spirit Fish were quickly sold, bringing in twenty Spirit Crystals.
Excluding the eight Spirit Crystals he had previously handed over, he only earned twelve Spirit Crystals this time.
The Materials needed for the eternal ark's next upgrade were fifty Spirit Crystals, ten units of Stone-Patterned Wood, and five jin of Iron Sand.
Stone-Patterned Wood was highly water-resistant, lightweight, and had good toughness, making it a common wood for building Mortal Grade boats, costing about ten Spirit Crystals.
As for Iron Sand, it might be precious elsewhere, but Iron Sand Island was where it was produced, so five jin was not worth much at all.
In other words, he now only needed to save sixty Spirit Crystals to upgrade.
With his fish catch doubled, catching one to two Half Spirit Fish daily seemed to be no difficult task.
This meant that within a month, he could accumulate the necessary funds for the upgrade.
However, this thought only lingered in Jiang Ming's mind for a moment before he decisively rejected it.
It was too conspicuous!
With the eternal ark, his future was bound to be limitless, so there was no need to rush.
The most important thing right now was: caution! Caution! And still, goddamn caution!
Jiang Ming immediately decided: for the next few days, all Half Spirit Fish caught would be consumed by himself.
It was a good way to boost his Realm; the Qi Refining Second Layer Realm was simply too low.
As for upgrading the eternal ark, he could just take two or three months to slowly save money.