"Young man, come help us!"

The net rope was too short. The old man barely managed to return to the shore, grabbing hold of the rope with one hand, yet unable to contend with the Tuo Dragon that was determined to escape.

Upon hearing the call, Shen Wenxing immediately dashed forward to help the old man with all his might.

The two of them together resisted a wave of struggle from the Tuo Dragon, gradually pulling back some of the net rope.

The still-shaken Shen Yuan finally came to his senses, hurriedly rushing to join in pulling back.

The combined efforts of the three gradually dragged the fishing net to the shore.

Seeing the massive Tuo Dragon tangled in the net still struggling and showing signs of breaking free, Shen Wenxing jumped directly onto its back and unleashed a punch to its head!

Bang!

Even though Shen Wenxing was just a Postnatal Martial Artist, the force of the punch was still terrifying.

The Tuo Dragon's head received a punch, opening its large mouth in pain!

Bang!

Bang!

Shen Wenxing landed two more consecutive punches, directly leaving the creature seeing stars, ceasing its struggle.

On the shore, the old man and Shen Yuan combined their strength to finally haul the Tuo Dragon ashore.

The old man flashed forward, smashing his palm onto the Tuo Dragon's head.

"Crack!"

The sickening sound of bones breaking brought the huge Tuo Dragon to instant stillness.

Sigh—

Shen Yuan slumped to the ground, looking at the giant creature nearly two zhang long, feeling a bit heart-palpitated.

The Tuo Dragon is essentially just a crocodile.

But this one was terrifying, nearly six meters long and weighing as much as two oxen!

Under the sunlight, its heavy scaly armor glistened with a metallic sheen. Ordinary swords and knives likely couldn't harm it at all.

This thing, even on land, let alone in water, is not something human strength could subdue.

"Father, we caught a Tuo Dragon!"

Shen Wenxing excitedly approached, stroking the Tuo Dragon's scales, calling out.

The old man's eyes were fixed on the Tuo Dragon, unable to hide his joy, murmuring:

"Much bigger than last time."

"Wonder what effect it has."

Shen Yuan calmed himself, rose, and respectfully said to the old man: "Thank you, elder, for saving my father and me earlier."

If not for the old man's intervention, with the father and son in the water facing another Tuo Dragon's attack, even though Shen Wenxing was a Postnatal Martial Artist, he might not have been able to handle it.

The old man waved his hand with a smile.

"Young brother, I wish to discuss something with you."

"How about selling this Tuo Dragon to me?"

Upon hearing this, Shen Yuan was momentarily stunned, then replied: "This Tuo Dragon is originally elder's, so why would it be sold to you?"

The old man repeatedly waved his hand: "To be precise, this Tuo Dragon was obtained by the efforts of the three of us, and it should be divided equally."

"I hope to exchange your share and your father's share for silver coins, what do you think of that?"

His intention was clear; he wanted the Tuo Dragon all to himself and would pay for the two shares of Shen Wenxing and his father.

Yet Shen Yuan was adamant about not accepting money.

Before casting the net, he had said it would be the old man's catch. Moreover, the man just saved their lives; there was no way he could accept the money.

Both were firm in their resolve.

One insisted on paying; the other refused to accept.

Ultimately, neither could convince the other.

"How about lighting a fire to roast it first?" Seeing the two arguing endlessly, Shen Wenxing noticed his father's soaked clothes and feared he might catch a cold, so he spoke up.

The two could only temporarily cease debating.

The three of them sat around the campfire, where the old man took out a sharp dagger from who knows where, carving a piece of meat from the massive Tuo Dragon and putting it over the flames.

"Are you an Innate Martial Artist, sir?"

Shen Wenxing curiously asked.

He had never encountered an Innate Martial Artist but heard that once a Martial Artist entered the Innate Realm, they could traverse the air, leaping dozens or even hundreds of zhang, a terrifying feat.

The old man had just flown through the air like a grand bird spreading its wings, a feat no ordinary martial artist could achieve.

"One could say that..."

The old man smiled faintly: "Actually, even I don't know what realm I would fall into nowadays."

"I am Xu Xiu, from Han City."

Han City?

Shen Yuan was somewhat surprised, saying: "Is that the Han City in the Western Regions that was sacked and destroyed!?"

Xu Xiu nodded slightly, his eyes filled with a touch of reminiscence.

After a long while—

He looked at the father and son, asking: "Do you two believe there are Immortals in this world?"

The father and son exchanged a glance, neither answering.

Xu Xiu went on to tell them a story.

One hundred and twenty years ago, he was a soldier stationed at the border army guard of Han City. Once, while pursuing Barbarian Race scouts with the Hundred Generals Captain, they ventured into the depths of Hidden Dragon Mountain.

After several battles, the team was scattered. He accidentally fell into a valley, where he saw an elderly figure meditating under an ancient tree, a faint radiance surrounding his body.

He intended to approach and awaken the old man to ask for directions, yet no matter how much he called, the elder seemed like a corpse, unresponsive.

With no alternative, he sat nearby, intending to wait until the elder woke up.

Exhausted from the travel and battles, he drifted into sleep unknowingly.

When he awoke, the elder was gone, leaving behind only an unnamed book.

Xu Xiu scoured the valley but found no trace of the elder and, unable to leave the valley, he began to read the unnamed book.

"It was a kind of Breathing Technique," Xu Xiu said wistfully.

"Breathing Technique?" Shen Wenxing was somewhat unfamiliar with the term.

"I named it the Breathing Technique because the book taught one how to breathe."

"I practiced according to that technique, and my body became increasingly light until, eighty years ago, I left the valley."

"In the timeless mountain, I only found out after leaving that forty years had passed, and my homeland was in ruins, my family killed by the Barbarian Race."

"For decades, I cultivated the Breathing Technique, yet seemed to reach a bottleneck, unable to advance further."

"The Innate Martial Artist you mentioned I have seen before; they were weaker than imagined."

Weaker still?

Shen Wenxing felt astonished upon hearing this.

An Innate in Martial Arts was a legendary figure; people like Huang Qingzhou and Huang Yunxiao had been unable to advance past the Postnatal Martial Artist phase in decades, never reaching Innate Martial Artist status.

Xu Xiu's tale seemed implausible, yet Shen Yuan found it intriguing.

"May I ask, sir, is there anything special about the fish in Black Water Pool?"

Xu Xiu shook his head with a smile: "I'm not exactly sure what makes them peculiar."

"When passing by Black Water Pool, I felt the Power of Heaven and Earth was denser here than elsewhere."

"The fish in the pool seemed quite spiritual, so I thought of fishing some to try. But oddly enough, both fish and Tuo Dragon seemed to deliberately avoid me."

"Were it not for young brother's help last time, I might still not know the wonders of Black Water Pool's fish."

Chuckling, Xu Xiu added: "Mentioning last time, I feel somewhat ashamed."

"After you left, I happened to capture that Tuo Dragon."

Shen Yuan realized.

No wonder he found his fishing net thrown aside in the bushes last time he was at Black Water Pool.

"Although I don't know the exact special qualities of Black Water Pool's fish, after consuming them, I did feel an increase in the Power of Heaven and Earth within my body."

During their conversation, the Tuo Dragon meat on the campfire was cooked. After sharing the meal, Shen Yuan did not feel the so-called "Power of Heaven and Earth," only a noticeable rise in strength.

Shen Wenxing carefully sensed but unfortunately also felt no difference.

"I have a dull aptitude, a century of earnest practice to no avail, and in recent years have realized somewhat faintly that to go further, one must cultivate the mind."

"Meeting is fate. Since young brother refuses to take silver, I'll give this Breathing Technique and my cultivation insights to your son, as a goodwill gesture."

"If one day, he understands the path ahead, may he guide me a little if I haven't passed away?"

Xu Xiu finished, taking out an ancient book from his bosom, handing it to Shen Wenxing.

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