Chapter 21: The Monstrous Fish of the Cold Pool

At the very moment when all his vital energy was evenly distributed and condensed to its utmost limit, it erupted like a sudden mountain flood. Xu Xuan’s gliding posture, like a bird soaring through the air, was abruptly shattered in an instant.

“Hah!”

With a thunderous shout that seemed to shake wind and clouds, he borrowed the momentum of his glide, his feet stamping fiercely upon the void.

One step, two steps, three steps… Three strides taken in midair!

Soaring!

As his vital energy dispersed throughout his body, Xu Xuan’s figure twisted through the empty space like a swallow, flipping several times and finally traversing to the mountainside.

When he had leapt over the chasm before, he was already not far from the cliff’s edge. Now, with three steps in midair, he crossed to the mountain’s side and invoked the “Floating” Technique, his feet tapping rapidly—step, step, step!

His body tilted, head down, still dozens of meters above the ground, flying downward with those steps.

But the cliff face was jagged and irregular. After leaping a dozen meters, he was forced out into open air again, his form like a great bird suddenly plummeting toward the earth.

Just before hitting the ground, he managed a desperate midair flip, doing his utmost to reduce the force, then landed feet first, his body coiling like a serpent.

Bang!

Upon landing, his tall frame bent from the lower limbs upward, curling in an instant like a wildcat, then coiling into a snake’s posture, dispersing the impact as much as possible.

Nevertheless, at the moment he hit the earth, his entire body trembled, both legs numb and insensible.

Spitting out a mouthful of blood, he collapsed helplessly onto the damp, soft soil.

To have survived a fall from a cliff over a hundred meters high—what a stroke of fortune in the midst of disaster!

Lying there, Xu Xuan recollected that brush with death, his heart pounding with lingering fear. Had he not, at that critical moment, entered a mysterious state and elevated his Floating Technique to its finest level, his fate would have been sealed.

If he were to attempt the feat again, he had no confidence he could replicate it; that sudden transcendence at the edge of life and death was now beyond his comprehension.

After a moment’s labored breathing, Xu Xuan realized he was badly wounded, with injuries both internal and external.

Though utterly exhausted, he did not pause, but immediately closed his eyes and began circulating his Breathing Technique.

As he did so, his vital energy flowed gently through his body like a nourishing drizzle. Drawing on past experience, Xu Xuan knew how to operate the technique to hasten his recovery.

It took two or three hours before his internal wounds were mostly healed—this, only because he had responded quickly and begun treatment at once.

Struggling to his feet, his legs and waist still throbbed with pain as he sat cross-legged, directing his vital energy to the most critical injuries.

After surviving that ordeal, he found his mastery of the Breathing Technique had grown smoother and more refined.

The fourth level of the Breathing Technique had reached its peak of perfection.

At the same time, he sensed his essence, energy, and spirit had subtly advanced, leaving him only half a step from the fourth stage of Body Refinement.

After several more hours of focused breathing, most of his external wounds had healed, enough for him to walk.

By now, the sun was setting, and hunger gnawed at his belly.

He gazed up at the sheer, jagged cliff overhead. Climbing it was nothing short of a fool’s dream.

Besides, after such a desperate struggle and narrow escape, he was nearly spent.

“If this goes on, I won’t be killed by Xu Dahuo—I’ll starve to death first.”

Gritting his teeth, Xu Xuan staggered forward a short distance.

At last, before sunset, he found a cold, deep pool in the valley.

Splash!

From time to time, a fish leapt from those unfathomable waters.

Xu Xuan’s eyes lit up. He broke a nearby branch, sharpened its tip against a rock, and approached the pool, taking a deep breath.

Activating the Breathing Technique, his mind calmed to a glassy stillness, his eyes shining like torches, all senses heightened.

He could see four or five meters into the water.

Finally, at a certain moment, a large fish leapt before him.

Xu Xuan’s eyes flashed like lightning, and the sharpened stick in his hand shot forward like a flying spear.

Thud!

The two- or three-pound fish was skewered clean through.

Overjoyed, Xu Xuan quickly found a dry spot and drilled a fire.

Soon, the aroma of roasting fish filled the air, and he devoured his meal ravenously.

Once full, he sat cross-legged to meditate, healing his injuries once more.

By nightfall, his wounds had almost completely healed. Drawing a deep breath, he howled up at the sky.

“Xu Dahuo… If I don’t die today, I will return another day!”

Brimming with confidence and heroic spirit, Xu Xuan began practicing the Nine Transformations of Dragon and Serpent.

He worked through the first transformation all the way to the third; strange, electric warmth coursed through him from time to time.

Upon reaching the fourth transformation, his movements grew stiff and slow.

After completing the sequence, drenched in sweat, he leapt into the cold pool with a splash.

The icy water pierced his skin and bones, but Xu Xuan did not feel cold; instead, he sensed his vital energy surging.

After swimming a while, he unconsciously activated the fourth level of the Breathing Technique, diving deep into the pool. With the technique perfected, he could almost hold his breath like a turtle, staying underwater for an extended time.

Suddenly, he noticed a strange herb at the bottom, silver and frosted in appearance, radiating an aura unlike any ordinary plant.

Yet before he could approach, a powerful current swept in, forcing him to dodge instinctively.

Crash!

A massive creature struck him, drawing a muffled grunt.

Bubbling to the surface, Xu Xuan looked back to see a monstrous fish, two meters long, baring its fangs and bloody maw as it chased him.

Startled out of his wits, Xu Xuan swiftly used the Floating Technique, leveraging the water to bound out of the creature’s reach.

Back on shore, he clenched his teeth in frustration.

He had glimpsed the beast’s outline: a century-old giant fish, corrupted by the chilling energy of the pool over many years, growing ever more refined.

“This creature hasn’t fully become a demon yet,” Xu Xuan mused, recalling memories from his past life.

Resolute, he picked up his sharpened branch and, without hesitation, plunged back into the cold pool.

Using the turtle-breathing technique, he carefully approached the same spot.

Soon, the monster fish attacked from the side once more.

This time, Xu Xuan was ready. Standing his ground, he gripped the stick tightly.

As the beast lunged, jaws agape, Xu Xuan unleashed his vital energy, his eyes shining with focused intent. The sharpened stick thrust forward like a lightning bolt.

With a sickening thud, the tip pierced straight through the creature’s gaping maw and into its belly.

Blood spattered, water churned.

Xu Xuan was tossed about by the force, swallowing a few mouthfuls of water.

At last, he dragged the monster to shore and inspected it. The fish was nearly two meters long, weighing over three hundred pounds—likely one or two centuries old, nearly a full-fledged demon.

If it had completed its demonization, it would rival a cultivator in Qi Refinement.

Fortunately, its wits were lacking, allowing Xu Xuan to kill it with borrowed force.

After living in the cold pool for so long and absorbing its chilling spiritual energy, the fish’s flesh was no less valuable than a rare treasure.

Without hesitation, Xu Xuan split open its belly and drank its blood.

At first, a wave of warmth spread through him, but soon a chill seeped into his body.

Instead of fear, he was elated, immediately practicing the Nine Transformations of Dragon and Serpent and pairing it with the Breathing Technique.

Within moments, the internal cold and the heat generated by his exertion began to counteract each other.

During this process, Xu Xuan’s movements flowed like water, elegant and unbroken.

Crack! Crack! Bang! Bang! Bang!

He felt utterly smooth in his motions, the cold inside him stirring his hot blood. The interplay of forces bred a newfound resilience within.

Suddenly, his energy and spirit surged, and even the most difficult movements of the fourth transformation—the “Coiling” Technique—were executed in one go.

“Again!”

Completing the challenging moves, he drank more of the monster’s blood.

Waves of heat and cold contended within, his blood boiling, his fighting spirit aflame.

Crack! Bang! Bang! Boom—

At the peak of the fourth transformation, the internal struggle between heat and cold reached its climax.

At that instant, he completed the entire fourth transformation in one continuous motion.

A wild, burning current swept through his body, flooding his limbs and bones.

In that moment, Xu Xuan felt his essence, energy, and spirit break through a stubborn barrier, ascending to a new level.

As he floated in this almost transcendent state, a resilient, unyielding force arose within him.

“This is… inner strength!”

Xu Xuan marveled at the profound power born from his vital energy, trembling with excitement.