What a talent.
A damn genius!
Seeing both sect leaders return empty-handed, he still insisted on fishingâclearly setting up Sect Leader Luo for a loss, spending a million Celestial Crystals of someone elseâs money just for his own amusement.
Having a guest like this is truly bad luck.
Elder Liu was left speechless by Yi Fengâs words, feeling like heâd just witnessed something extraordinary.
After a brief pause, $2e turned to Luo Pengfei with a bow, offering him an out.
"Sect Leader Luo, what do you think about this�"
Luo Pengfeiâs heart skipped a beat at the question.
That million Celestial Crystals was as good as gone.
But at this point, $2ven if he was destined to become a laughingstock, he couldnât back down. He had to double down and play along!
From the moment he decided to visit Yi Feng, Luo Pengfei had weighed the costs.
As long as he could curry favor with this man, even the mere backing of a fifth-tier expert would elevate his sectâs prestige. Any price was worth it.
Damn it.
Consider this million a tribute to the island master!
As for face?
That intangible, worthless thing meant nothing.
Ignoring the mocking gazes from around the lake, Luo Pengfei forced a smile through gritted teeth.
"Weâll fish, of course weâll fish!"
Elder Liu was taken aback but nodded slightly.
"Very well. Since itâs Sect Leader Luoâs wish, this old man wonât say more."
His tone dripped with resignation.
The remaining onlookers by the lake were all from top-tier factions on the island.
They saw right through Luo Pengfeiâs desperation to please Yi Fengâthrowing away a million Celestial Crystals for nothing, shamelessly groveling. Even Elder Liu couldnât bear to watch. ĆĂŁÎÈȘđĐđš
The outcome was inevitable.
Though wary of the two menâs influence, the bystanders didnât dare voice their disdain openly. Still, they crossed their arms and watched coldly, expressions shifting between scorn, derision, and pityâeach acting like a noble, principled gentleman.
With the crowd already writing him off, humiliation was imminent.
Xu Baichuan, seasoned by decades of storms, managed to keep his composure. But Luo Pengfei, the one actually holding the rod, stood stiffly by the shore, his mind far from fishing.
Seeing this, $2i Fengâwho had just observed the fishing demonstrationâpicked up his rod and walked over.
"Donât worry."
"I know a thing or two about fishing."
Luo Pengfei forced a smile.
"Of course. With Master Yiâs skills, youâre bound to catch something."
Empty words, just politeness.
He had no expectations left, only hoping to humor Yi Feng and endure the hour-long ordeal until this social suicide could end.
The contrast between Luo Pengfeiâs strained smile and Yi Fengâs relaxed demeanor was stark.
Elder Liu couldnât bear to watch.
With a flick of his right hand, golden light condensed into an hourglass, sand beginning to flow.
"Begin."
After the announcement, Elder Liu lowered his gaze and waited by the shore.
This was his duty.
As for Yi Fengâs bravado? Just a fool throwing away moneyâhardly worth his attention.
The other onlookers smirked in amusement.
With a soft splash, $2i Feng cast his line, his movements fluid and effortless, as natural as breathing.
Seeing this, $2u Baichuan and Luo Pengfei froze in shock.
Theyâd fished for millennia and met countless masters, but never had they seen such flawless, graceful casting.
Luo Pengfei couldnât help but blurt out,
"That was like a painting."
Even the bystanders, though reluctant to admit it, couldnât deny the beauty of that cast.
A single cast, $2nd the gathered elites all fixed their eyes on Yi Feng, sensing something extraordinaryâŠ
The crowd didnât understand, but they were impressed.
Elder Liu, however, saw far more.
That castâthe angle, the forceâwas flawless. Even in his imagination, it couldnât have been better.
After guarding Snow Lake for millennia, $2e prided himself on his fishing expertise. Yet this single cast left him in awe.
This wasnât just "like a painting."
It was the painting.
A rookieâs first castâperfect.
How?
It had to be luck, right?
Eyes wide with disbelief, Elder Liu stole glances at Yi Feng, replaying the cast in his mind.
But within moments, $2is eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets.
The once-still lake surface rippled.
The fishing line tensed.
The rod bent slightly.
As if⊠a fish had bitten.
No way.
Shock spread through the crowd as tension mounted.
The two sect leaders by the shore stood frozen, their own rods slipping from their hands unnoticed.
Before anyone could react, Yi Feng pulled.
Splash!
A gleaming white fish arced through the air, water droplets scattering like diamonds under the sunâa breathtaking spectacle.
Instantly, $2he lakeside erupted.
"Holyâ!"
"A Dao-Transforming Sturgeon?!"
"Am I seeing things? He actually caught one?!"
"First cast in millennia to land one!"
"This⊠this is divine!"
As the sturgeon emerged, Luo Pengfei and Xu Baichuan stood dumbfounded.
"Donât just stand there. Get a net or something."
Only at Yi Fengâs calm reminder did Xu Baichuan snap back to reality, rushing toward Elder Liu.
Luo Pengfei, meanwhile, burst into ecstatic laughter.
A sect leader, yet he waded into the icy water without hesitation, cradling the sturgeon like a treasure.
One look at it, and his joy overflowed.
Raising it high, he roared with laughter.
"Master! Master!"
"Itâs real! We got one! Hahaha!!!"
Soaked from the waist down, Luo Pengfei didnât care. Clutching the fish, he beamed like an overgrown child, triumphant as a returning hero.
Under the sunlight, the sturgeonâs silver scales shimmered.
The crowd surged forward, stunned.
Even Elder Liu was speechless.
Who couldâve imagined?
A rookie, first cast, landing a Dao-Transforming Sturgeonâunseen for centuries?
And outside fishing season, no less!
Was this the legendary "beginnerâs luck"?
This defied heaven itselfâŠ
As the commotion grew, space itself seemed to ripple. Even those whoâd left earlier reappeared, jaws dropped.
Within moments, $2he once-quiet lakeside was packed with dozens of island elites, louder and more chaotic than before.
Watching the frenzy, $2lder Liu slowly lowered his left hand, face unreadable.
Only when Xu Baichuan rushed over did he snap back.
"Elder Liu, lend us some gear! We came unprepared!"
Elder Liu hurriedly produced a crystal container and handed it over.
As Xu Baichuan dashed off, $2lder Liuâs chest tightened.
Listening to the awed chatter around him, envy flickered in his eyesâalong with unease.
Luck.
Pure luck.
Even if the island master found out, $2ith this stroke of fortune and three million Celestial Crystals, losing one sturgeon could be justified. No blame would fall on him.
But this wouldnât happen again.
One sturgeon was already defying the heavens!
Quickly rationalizing, Elder Liuâs expression steadied.
After millennia guarding Snow Lake, $2eâd seen it all.
Losing one sturgeon?
A minor hiccup.
This is what you call vision.
The more Elder Liu thought about it, the more convinced he became. Stroking his beard with confidence, he steadied his mind.
Just thenâ
The crowd on the shore erupted once more, waves of astonishment crashing through!
"He got one?!"
"Another Dao Transformation Sturgeon!"
The uproar was even more frenzied than before. The powerful figures on the island, usually dignified, now carried on like common cultivators, shouting and exclaiming without a care for their status!
Another one?!
Impossible!
Elder Liu's hand jerked in shock. He hurried forward, raising his gaze to look.
Through the dense crowd, his eyes landed on Luo Pengfei striding ashore, his arm raised highâclutched in his grip was a Dao Transformation Sturgeon, over a foot long, twice the size of the previous one!
At the sight, $2lder Liu was utterly stunned, his voice cracking in disbelief.
"Holy shtâŠ"