18 Chapter 18 Azure Dragon Carp_1

"My teacher is an alchemist, but because of my age, I don't have a certificate yet," said the girl in white.

Not every cultivator could apply for and take the Hundred Arts of Cultivation Immortal Certificate exam. To screen and reduce their workload each year, the Immortal Sect stipulated certain restrictions such as age and specialty.

For example, a high school student like Chen Mobai would not meet the first requirement due to his age.

And the white-robed girl had the same issue.

The only drawback of Water Method Alchemy is its time consumption. A single alchemist would have difficulty keeping an eye on the process from start to finish.

Thus, though the Immortal Sect dictates that only an Alchemist is allowed to make medicines, apprentices and the like do assist in handling some of the simpler auxiliary medicinal materials. This is considered customary within this profession.

Chen Mobai speculated that the girl in white standing before him was likely an apprentice pharmacist in training.

He pondered the Spiritual Water preparation method recorded in Blackwater Cultivation, but did not know how to begin asking about it without any pretense.

"Excuse me."

Eventually, Chen Mobai uttered two words and turned to leave the pharmacy.

"What a strange person."

Qing Nu felt that Chen Mo Bai had questions to ask, but she was unsure why he chose to remain silent in the end.

Watching the young man disappear around the corner, she shook her head and returned to the back room to extract medicinal materials.

...

Water Mansion.

Chen Mobai nervously pulled out the black Array Flag. The giant dome of light above his head started to reverberate slightly.

He immediately followed the Qi circulation method explained in the teaching material, injecting his spiritual power into the Array Flag. Then his other hand fashioned a couple of simple gestures.

Splash!

In no time, the flawless giant light dome concaved a two-meter-diameter opening towards the direction pointed by the black flag.

Barely containing his excitement, Chen Mobai resecured the flag and walked over to the entrance he had opened in the formation.

He extended his hand which slightly trembled as it overstepped the boundary of the light dome, and touched the water outside.

Chilled to just the right degree, and smooth as silk.

After playing with water and confirming that there were no dangers outside, Chen Mobai began to stick half his body out.

Having never cultivated a water-avoiding spell, he could only rely on his deep breathing to manage.

Still, he managed to catch a glimpse of the scenery outside the Water Mansion.

It was an immense lake, the shore of which was nowhere in sight. A certain type of seaweed radiating blue luminescence grew at the bottom of the lake, making it especially conspicuous under the dim environment.

Blue carps were seen frolicking among the seaweed.

Chen Mobai confirmed that they were the same type of fish he had eaten before.

Raising the needle box in his hand, he let his Five Elements Cultivation flow and spiritual power pour in. A golden ray shot forth.

Though his manipulation of the magic artifact was admittedly still stiff, his linear aim, by using his spiritual power without reservation, successfully punctured the blue carp that didn't have the time to escape.

Seeing his successful catch, Chen Mobai raised his other hand. Two glass beads, accompanied by the spiritual power from his Five Elements Cultivation, were shot out like twin rainbows and ensnared the falling dead blue carp.

After retrieving the food and the flying needle, Chen Mobai again drew out the black flag and resealed the Azure Water Formation's entrance.

He inspected the blue carp in his hand. There was a dark blue line that seemed like a tendon along its back, and two long barbels were present beside its mouth. It felt chilling and cold, as if holding an ice cube.

"This carp bears some resemblance to the Azure Dragon Carp, a second-grade protected species in the Immortal Sect."

Chen Mobai murmured to himself. The bloodline of the Azure Dragon Carp originated from a Water Jiao in the deep sea. It was caught with great effort when the Immortal Sect opened up the sea territory.

It was said that a cultivator could absorb a trace of Water Jiao Qi from the flesh and blood of the Azure Dragon Carp when cooked in a specific way, thus randomly enhancing the potency of their Water Spirit Root by 1-5 points.

However, the only Azure Dragon Carps raised in the Immortal Sect were kept at Kunpeng Daoist Institute, they were considered forbidden delicacies by a Nascent Soul elder. Twenty years ago, this elder added wild Azure Dragon Carps to the Sect's latest Spirit Beast Protection List, banning cultivators from killing it for food.

Chen Mobai hesitated for a moment, but eventually, couldn't resist the temptation and took out the short sword he had gotten from the old man.

The rules of the Immortal Sect dictate that wild Azure Dragon Carps are protected spirit beasts, while the ones that are bred can be eaten.

Although these blue carps have some similarities to the Azure Dragon Carps, they also have differences. They didn't have any spiritual energy, and since they were raised outside the Water Mansion, they could be classified as farmed fish.

Scaling, gutting, and filleting the fish, Chen Mobai's movements were fluid and practiced.

This short sword was not a magic artifact, but it was exceptionally sharp. He had tried cutting gold with it and found it as easy as cutting tofu, so using it to fillet the fish felt a bit overkill.

This time he planned to eat it chilled, having brought ice cubes and seasoning from home.

However, the flesh of the carp was already cold, so he could skip the part about chilling it.

Chen Mobai even took out a can of soda. If he had a wine glass, the occasion would be even more complete.

Too bad it was just him eating alone.

A slight regret accompanied the icy and tender fish melting in his mouth; mixed with the vintage vinegar ordered from Wangwu Cave, the indescribable sour and refreshing taste exploded on his palate.

As the fish went down, a chill spread throughout his body, causing Chen Mobai to shiver, before being replaced with a sense of hearty satisfaction. It felt like taking a refreshing cold shower on a scorching hot day; comfortable and invigorating.

After finishing his meal, Chen Mobai let out a burp, and the first thought that came to him was: the previous fish was wasted when he had boiled it.

Of course, he has not forgotten about the main task at hand.

After tidying up using the Cleaning Technique, he sat on the cushion and began Grand Circulation of his Five Elements Cultivation.

The adaptable spiritual power cultivated was intercepted by Chen Mo Bai before it could return to the Dantian, and infused into the freshly bought Spiritual Power Test Paper.

This was a simple tool to measure one's Spirit Root, but it was only usable for cultivators who practice Five Elements Cultivation.

Since everyone in the Immortal Sect was a cultivator and virtually every child started to learn Qi Refining and Immortality Cultivating Technique at the enlightenment stage, the Imperial Medical Academy invented this Spiritual Power Test Paper for a simpler and quicker way to measure Spirit Roots.

As soon as Chen Mobai's spiritual power was absorbed by the paper, it was swiftly dyed five different colors. Subsequently, a string of figures appeared on the paper corresponding to the proportion of the Five Elements' brilliance.

[Gold 23, Wood 27, Water 25, Fire 17, Earth 10]

As expected, his Water Spirit Root increased by 2 points.

Chen Mobai confirmed it, the next step was to conduct more tests.

Fighting the building excitement within him, he rose once more and activated the Azure Water Formation.

Whiz! Whiz! Whiz!

Series of golden rays lit up outside the Water Mansion, several blue carps that were playfully nibbling at seaweeds unexpectedly became Chen Mobai's next meals.