Mining had drained a lot out of Lin Wei, but thanks to his remaining meat and some special herbs, he had been slowly recovering. His appetite had grown to a level far beyond human norms—he now ate up to six times a day since he started working in the mine, and not in small amounts either. Each meal was a large one, and his body efficiently absorbed every bit to restore his strength.
His body had become tougher. Every swing of his sharp-edged hammer, tempered him further. But today, Lin Wei made a decision that he would go deeper into the cave, leaving this mining spot behind for now. He knew he'd return, though. There were so many spirit stones that even if he mined them all, not even thousands of storage rings could hold them.
The cave was far deeper than Lin Wei had ever imagined. Even after walking for four straight hours, he still saw no end or even a hint of light. Still, he kept going. After about five hours, he heard something faint up ahead—a noise he couldn't quite identify. His chest tightened with nervousness. What if it was something dangerous?
The deeper he went, the clearer the sound became. Despite the tension, he trusted his cloaking robe to help him blend into the darkness. But even with the cloak on, he knew that if he encountered something beyond the Sky Realm, he knew he wouldn't survive.
As he crept forward, the spirit stones around him began to change. Their value increased significantly. Lin Wei even wondered if there might be Divine Spirit Stones in this cave—rare stones used to upgrade divine weapons. But would such treasures exist in the lower realms? He wasn't sure. Still, the deeper he went, the brighter the cave became, glowing with unknown spiritual energy. He could no longer tell what level of stone he was seeing.
Strangely, his senses sharpened. His ability to detect treasures seemed to be growing. "This place is a cultivator's heaven," Lin Wei whispered to himself, amazed at the transformation happening within him. But he couldn't figure out why or how it was happening.
Eventually, the noise became loud enough for him to recognize it as multiple sounds, like voices or splashing water. His spear began to tremble slightly, as if it sensed something powerful ahead. Even his divine dagger, safely stored away in his storage ring, shook with excitement—like it had found a rare delicacy.
Lin Wei didn't want to alert whatever was ahead. The brightness of the cave now made it impossible for his cloak to hide him, so he took it off. As he looked forward, he realized there was an open space ahead. Noises echoed from that direction.
He tiptoed closer and peeked around a rock. What he saw amazed him. Water streamed down from a high wall above the cave, forming a beautiful river that exited through a small tunnel. Dozens of massive fish swam peacefully in the water—each one bigger than him.
Amazing…" Lin Wei whispered, stunned by the sight. The cave was stunningly beautiful, yet he stayed hidden, observing carefully. Something felt off. Earlier, his eye technique had warned him of danger, but now it was silent. And the treasure-sensing ability that had led him here seemed to have faded too. What had changed?
He examined the fish more closely and noticed a strange, faint aura coming from their bodies. His eye technique was reacting. "Are these… treasure fish?" he wondered. He couldn't remember exactly or even was unfamiliar with this kind of fish, so he pulled out his Beast Taming Chronicles and started searching.
After nearly 30 minutes, he found it: the Voidscale Fish—a rare species. Known for their speed, strength, and incredible nutritional value, they were extremely dangerous despite their harmless appearance. Eating one could cleanse impurities, enhance the body, heal hidden injuries, and even awaken latent potential.
There were several types: red was the most common, blue offered greater benefits, and the rarest—the colorless—was legendary. The colorless ones were deadly and could survive outside water. If you weren't strong enough to kill one, you should run. But if you managed to consume it, your body could reach its highest potential.
The book also listed their weakness: they could only be killed if caught off guard. They usually lived near places rich with high-grade spiritual stones, could change color depending on age and type, stored treasures in their stomachs, and their eggs were extremely valuable. They often be venture out during the day and returned at night. When one laid eggs, it would summon others to guard them while it left.
Lin Wei was stunned. Could this really be their dwelling place? The one's he is currently seeing somes in different colours, some are red, some green, they comes in varieties—not the legendary kind. Or perhaps the rare one was out and would return soon, just as the book described.
He wanted to see the legendary fish himself. Even if he couldn't kill it, he had to witness it. He returned to where he'd entered the chamber to avoid alerting the fish and to come back later. But his spear kept trembling while the dagger had gone still.
Curious, Lin Wei placed the spear on the ground. It immediately began vibrating violently, making loud noises that could alert the fish. He quickly tried to pick it up and store it, but before he could, the spear flew into the cave wall and began absorbing spirit stones greedily. The stones around it dimmed and crumbled into dust.
Alarmed, Lin Wei tried to pull the spear out, but it wouldn't budge. Thankfully, it only absorbed stones from the outer wall—not near the fish, so he sighed in relief. He sat down to rest, thoughts drifting to his grandfather and the woman he loved—both lost to fate. Tears streamed down his face.
"I thought I was strong enough… but I'm not," he said softly, tears streaming down even harder. That grief awakened his fighting spirit. "Revenge… I must have it." With that, he fell asleep.
He was later jolted awake by a violent tremor—like the entire cave was shaking. His eyes snapped open. "Is it the Voidscale Fish?" he muttered. His spear was still absorbing stones, though much more slowly now. Lin Wei stood and crept toward the source of the noise. After three minutes, he noticed something strange—the cave's colors were changing.
Wait… is that the legendary fish?" he whispered. He peeked again, and his heart raced. "Shit!" he exclaimed, then carefully ran back to safety.
The fish had clearly noticed something peeking, but when it didn't sense anything nearby, it relaxed. Lin Wei, however, was stunned. The fish he'd seen was massive—far larger than what the book described. He couldn't fight it. He suspected it might be at the Saint Realm, maybe even Immortal Realm. Just its breath alone could kill him.
But then his eye technique activated—it was signaling a golden opportunity. "Is this what I was being drawn to?" he asked himself.
Lin Wei thought of a plan to kill the fish, but nothing came to mind. He was frustrated that such a treasure was within reach but impossible to claim.
Wait—there was something. He remembered the Beast Commanding Blood he possessed, which could enslave any beast below the Saint Realm. But he wasn't sure if this one was beyond that realm already. Just the thought of it being an Immortal Realm beast sent chills down his spine. That would be the highest possible level allowed in the lower realms according to what he heard.
"What if I lure other beasts here? Let them all fight and injure each other. Then I'll swoop in and claim the reward," he thought. That seemed like the best option.
Without wasting time, he began planning. But he couldn't help but wonder—what kind of beast would live in the inner part of this wilderness and still be at such level and can acqually comes in throught that small hole, can it reshape it's body the way it want? Maybe it really did come here to lay eggs, just like the book said, because of the high concentration of spiritual stones that could help the eggs grow strong.