My Arts Evolve When Perfected

Without anyone realizing, the number of users on the Yin Net had already dropped to one hundred and ten thousand. Within the Dharma Realm, save for a scant few with truly exceptional Talents, nearly everyone had perished.

A great number of those in the Peeping Dao Realm had also died. In these circumstances, Jiang Qiu noticed that the sky had brightened. The seawater reflected the daylight, becoming clear and translucent.

However, he still couldn’t see what lay beneath the water, nor were there any ripples on its surface. It was as if it were a gigantic mirror, not a liquid at all.

In the middle of devouring another fish, a new message about the Laws materialized from the void, unfurling into a vast spectrum—

[The Fish of Two Lives has been fished.]

"???"

Stunned for a moment, Jiang Qiu narrowed his eyes, scrutinizing the spectrum’s message. He confirmed there was no mistake, but... ’what exactly is this Fish of Two Lives?’

’Does this mean the Secret Realm has entered a new stage?’

BANG!

Before he could give it much thought, a huge splash suddenly erupted from the sea’s surface. A large, purple-black, sword-shaped fish shot out, its passage marked by a sharp whistle that tore through the air. The killing intent it carried was palpable.

"[Snow], be careful!"

At that moment, Jiang Qiu reached for [Snow], who was still dangling her legs from the fishing platform. A flicker of surprise crossed his face as he felt an eerie chill sweep over his skin.

’If that purple-black sword-fish’s beak so much as grazes my Soul Body, I’ll be torn apart like paper. There’s no way to defend against it.’

’This is a special type of fish that specifically kills Soul Bodies!’

But...

Jiang Qiu had just grabbed [Snow]’s left wrist when her free hand made a grasping motion into the air. Though she was far from touching the great fish that had burst from the water, an invisible ripple spread out from her hand.

"HIIISSS—" With a bizarre shriek that pierced the very soul, the purple-black sword-fish died instantly. Its massive, ten-foot-long body crashed onto the shore as if it had killed itself.

"..."

Still holding [Snow]’s left wrist, Jiang Qiu stood there, stunned. "How did it die?"

"I don’t know. I just used a little of my Soul to pull at it, and it died on its own."

[Snow] said, shaking her head.

...

"HUFF... PUFF..."

"HUFF... PUFF..."

In another part of the waters, the [Dream Demon] had just survived a great battle. His weakened Soul Body was slowly solidifying from a translucent state. He stared grimly at the Fish of Two Lives on the ground; its purple-black beak had nearly skewered his heart.

’So this is the Fish of Two Lives that Emperor [Chen] mentioned—the one that can easily tear through a Soul Body. It seems I can’t afford to underestimate it. I was almost hit.’

The [Dream Demon] walked forward, step by step, his heart still pounding with lingering fear. His ghostly green eyes were filled with the relief of a survivor.

’If Emperor [Chen] hadn’t prepared that wisp of Dragon Race bloodline aura for me, I never would have successfully hooked the Fish of Two Lives. That aura slightly restricted its method of attack; otherwise, it would have been impossible to predict its trajectory.’

This was the terror of the second stage of the Dragon Spirit Secret Realm. The previous night-like Death Realm had been inverted. The Fish of Two Lives, once dormant at the bottom of the water, had awakened and were now bursting from the surface, poised to slaughter any angler who dared to seek the Dragon Spirit Fish.

The Fish of Two Lives were not particularly powerful in themselves, but they inflicted special damage against Soul Bodies. A single touch meant injury, and for the weaker cultivators, it meant instant death.

’I have to be extremely careful when dealing with these things!’

Just as the [Dream Demon] was lost in his myriad thoughts, he suddenly heard a GURGLE from the water’s surface. His taut nerves instantly sang with alarm. He looked up to see ripples bursting across the endless expanse of water.

Countless ripples overlapped, forming a bizarre, square-shaped resonant surface, like a vast and intricate net. This was a sign that something was about to emerge from the water.

A great many things.

At that moment, the fear of death enveloped the [Dream Demon]’s heart. The corners of his eyes and mouth twitched in unison.

...

"PHEW—"

Letting out a long breath, Jiang Qiu hooked another Fish of Two Lives. He sent out a sliver of his Soul, blended with [Snow]’s, and the creature instantly stiffened and died, leaping suicidally onto the shore to join a pile that had become a hundred-foot-tall mountain.

At the foot of the enormous mountain of Fish of Two Lives, Jiang Qiu and [Snow] looked minuscule. Their Soul Bodies, however, were filled to the brim, teetering on the very edge of a breakthrough.

At this moment, Jiang Qiu sensed an opportunity for advancement in both his My Dao and the Hundred Ghosts Dao. The level of his Soul blending with [Snow]’s had reached a bottleneck. They would have to attempt a grand fusion to achieve a breakthrough.

As for his My Dao, he had no clear path to a breakthrough yet. He could only confirm that his Cultivation in the Dao Entry Realm was complete, having reached the Peak in both soul and body.

He was just waiting for a world-altering opportunity to attempt his ascension to the Fusion Realm in one fell swoop!

"With [Snow] around, this Dragon Spirit Secret Realm is a walk in the park. It’s nowhere near as difficult as people on the Yin Net described," Jiang Qiu said with a smile, taking a moment to rub [Snow]’s head. "At this rate, we have a great chance of catching a Dragon Spirit Fish."

Meanwhile, the Yin Net was abuzz with heated, desperate discussions. Cries and curses filled the forum: "Holy shit, I never should have come to this Dragon Spirit Secret Realm! Dammit, the Fish of Two Lives has locked on to me! I can’t get away!"

"Fuck! I don’t have any way to defend against soul attacks! I just got grazed by a Fish of Two Lives, and even with my Cultivation at the Half-Step Fusion Realm, I’m seriously wounded!"

"It’s fucking impossible for any Peeping Dao Realm Cultivators to get through this safely! If I’d known, I never would’ve come! I want out... (User has gone offline)"

"FUCK FUCK FUCK! This Secret Realm is an isolated dimension! You can’t get out! You can’t get... (User has gone offline)"

"No way... even masters at the Half-Step Fusion Realm have started to perish? We can’t handle the Fish of Two Lives at all! This son-of-a-bitch Secret Realm should’ve been labeled ’No entry for those below the Fusion Realm’!"

No matter how much the Cultivators wailed, it couldn’t change the fact that the number of users online was plummeting. Some claimed they could see swarms of Fish of Two Lives dancing in the sky, that death itself was calling to them.

They were completely unable to defend against the beaks of the Fish of Two Lives. Even if they did their utmost to dodge, they would still be pierced through. The fish swarmed them like dogs that had just spotted fresh shit, practically wagging their tails as they came in for the kill.

In this place, the Fish of Two Lives treated the sky as just another body of water. It made no difference to them whether they were above the surface or below it; they could "swim" anywhere.

The most spectacular sight was a sky full of Fish of Two Lives flying right toward you, like a purple-black meteor shower streaking across the daytime sky... followed by the thought of your own life, as fragile as paper.

"Everyone, stay calm! Hold on for just a little longer! The Dragon Spirit Secret Realm may be about to enter its third stage. When that happens, it will be time to fish for the Dragon Spirit Fish!"

Just as the surviving Cultivators below the Fusion Realm were succumbing to despair, the [Elder] spoke up once more. He hadn’t died; in fact, he seemed to be holding up quite well.

He knew a great deal about the Secret Realm Laws, and there appeared to be many stone tablets around him. In fact, much of the information Jiang Qiu had obtained came from his contributions.

Now, hearing him say they had almost held out long enough for the Dragon Spirit Fish to appear, Jiang Qiu’s eyes lit up.

’As long as I can get a Dragon Spirit Fish and absorb it, both [Snow] and I could break through to the next High Realm and achieve a unique kind of fusion and transformation.’

’I have to get one!’