Xiuxian: But It's Not a Game

Chapter 40 The Bottom of the Yuanjiang River, Tracking

Every morning when he went there, He was killing monsters at the bottom of the river.

When he finished work and returned to the city, He was still grinding monsters at the bottom of the river.

Even when Su Yu was asleep, the panel would occasionally notify her that she had gained killing experience and a few points of cultivation.

At Ao Run's insistence, after Su Yu finished work, their experience ratio would be adjusted to 1:9, with him getting 10% and Ao Run getting 90%. When Su Yu went to work during the day, the ratio would be adjusted back to 7:3.

In just four or five days, He was promoted another level.

"I was saying I was only level 121 when we met in the secret realm last time, but this time I was already level 126. I didn't know you were so diligent!"

This is a good thing; it means there's potential.

Both the man and the dragon were so diligent, gaining experience incredibly fast. In particular, the dragon dealt with high-level monsters, all of them level 80 or above. Occasionally, they would dive into the riverbed and catch some elite monsters and mini-bosses of level 80 or 90. In addition, there was a 10% bonus when resting at night. By the end of the day, their total income had exceeded 1.8 million kill experience points.

Another month has passed in the blink of an eye. Looking at the 6120 million kill experience points accumulated in the experience pool, Su Yu is full of motivation.

"In another half month or so, we can raise the Taibai Sword Scripture to the sixtieth level. By then, Lan Yiying will no longer be a great threat."

"Dante Lingyu."

Su Yu pinched the bridge of her nose, feeling that something was still missing.

"Defense can be broken, but defeating it is not easy."

"I need at least another sixth-tier flying sword to be confident of victory, but if I want to win for sure, either I need to upgrade the Taibai Sword Manual to the sixtieth level, or I need to improve my swordsmanship level by another level."

"Considering that Ding Lingyu will definitely not stay stagnant and will make progress, we must grasp both of these conditions."

Su Yu pondered for a moment, then sent a message to Chu Xinyue:

"Guild leader, I wonder if there are any swordsmen in the guild who would like to give me some pointers on swordsmanship?"

She replied briefly:
"The guild has several sword masters, the strongest of whom is Sword Immortal Liao Fusheng. His sword energy and thunderous sound have reached a divine level, and he has also mastered the techniques of condensing sword into threads and differentiating sword light. His strength is extremely powerful."

"But he spends most of his time in his own sect, rarely coming back even once a month, and his courses are very expensive, costing 10 gold coins per lesson, which lasts for one hour."

"So expensive?"

The price startled Su Yu.

“There’s a reason why it’s expensive. He has always been very trustworthy. He takes money and does his job well. You’ve been figuring things out on your own by looking at the memory stone. You can’t grasp a higher level of swordsmanship just by relying on that. You definitely won’t lose out if you learn a few lessons from him.”

Su Yu pondered for a moment, gritted her teeth, made up her mind, and asked:

"I don't know how to register, and I don't know Mr. Liao."

"Leave this to me. I'll have Xiaoyu contact you when he comes back next time."

"Thank you, Captain."

After turning off the communication, Su Yu's thoughts turned to Ding Lingyu.

"To secure a victory against Ding Lingyu, we need to focus on both aspects."

"I will definitely have enough killing experience to upgrade the Taibai Sword Manual to the sixtieth level before the next small test. What I lack now is a good flying sword to cooperate with Yanri."

Ice Soul is only at the fourth level, its destructive power is too low. It can't even break through Lan Yiying's defense, let alone Ding Lingyu.

"A sixth-tier flying sword costs at least 100 gold or 5,000 contribution points. If you want a good flying sword, you need to prepare at least 7,000 to 8,000 contribution points."

"We need to set aside some money to register for the course. We definitely can't afford to buy a flying sword, so we can only exchange it for contribution points."

After pondering for a moment, Su Yu sent a message to Chu Xiaoyu:
"Sister Xiaoyu, are there any activities in the second guild that can earn guild contribution points recently?"

Chu Xiaoyu responded quickly:
"There haven't been any major operations lately, just some simple daily tasks to collect resources in exchange for contribution points. This guild also offers these; you can check it out yourself."

"Oh!"

He closed the communication and opened the guild channel panel, where he quickly found the two daily tasks that Chu Xiaoyu had mentioned.

There are only two daily tasks that can be done indefinitely, both of which are collection tasks.

One method involves collecting various medicinal herbs over a long period and distributing contributions based on the quality of the herbs.

One method involves collecting various spirit ores over a long period and distributing contributions based on the grade of the spirit ores.

You don't need to collect these two tasks; just submit any unwanted materials to the logistics department.

“Spiritual ore, spiritual medicine.”

Su Yu pondered for a moment, stroking her chin. Suddenly, her eyes lit up. She went out to Qianyu Pavilion, bought something, and then took to the air, flying towards the outskirts of the city.

After a short while, he arrived at the Chensha River and plunged into the water, diving to a depth of over a thousand meters in one breath. He then swung his sword and killed the aquatic monsters wandering nearby, and waited in place.

Half an hour later, a dragon swam over. Su Yu flipped over and climbed onto Ao Run's back, patted the ice-blue, jade-like scales, and asked:
Have you ever seen any spiritual herbs or minerals at the bottom of the river?

Ao Run spoke in human language:

"What kind of elixirs and minerals?"

Su Yu took out the jade slip containing the complete guide to spiritual herbs and minerals that she had just bought from Qianyu Pavilion and pressed it against Ao Run's forehead, saying:
"You can keep an eye out at the bottom of the river in the future, and collect anything you see there."

Ao Run stood quietly in the water, slowly receiving the numerous data stored in the jade slip. After nearly a quarter of an hour, he awoke and spoke:
"I previously discovered many blue-green lotuses on the seabed somewhere in Yuanjiang."

Su Yu immediately checked the jade slip, which showed that a 100-year-old Azure Lotus could be obtained for 1 guild contribution point. He quickly asked:

"Where is it? Is it far?"

"It's thousands of miles away."

"Is it dangerous?"

Ao Run turned around and glanced at him:
"It's somewhat dangerous for you."

"It's okay, I can hide myself."

Two layers of mustard seed concealment combined with invisibility should be enough.

If all else fails, upgrade the invisibility technique by one level. Two layers of Mustard Seed Concealment Technique plus two layers of Invisibility Technique will definitely be enough.

"Wait for me by the river. I'll go back and prepare some things first."

Su Yu immediately returned to Qianyu City and purchased some items from the Qianyu Merchant Guild.

I spent a full 10 taels of gold to buy a 100-slot storage bag, a few incense sticks to attract demons, a few incense sticks to repel demons, and some items that might be useful.

This storage bag is different from their personal space. The stacking limit for similar items is only 100. It cannot store living things, nor does it have a preservation function. Food and the like will spoil after being put in for a long time. Moreover, it takes up a magic item slot when equipped.

Merchants typically used it for transporting goods or as a warehouse.

After making preparations, Su Yu hurriedly left Thousand Feather City and flew westward.

But he didn't notice that there was a person on the west city wall looking at himself in a mirror.

"Boss, I saw him. He just left the city and headed west."

"Follow him, we're coming right away."

On a Taiyi Azure Spirit Boat a hundred meters above the Yuanjiang River not far from Qianyu City, Kong He'an turned off the communication and loudly called out to his subordinates who were leveling up:
"Everyone gather."

His subordinates quickly flew over, and he immediately urged the Taiyi Azure Spirit Boat to take off and fly towards Thousand Feather City. One of his subordinates immediately asked:
"Boss, have you found them?"

“That brat has left the city. Let’s go and intercept him.”

"We finally caught him. This time we'll teach him a lesson."

Kong He'an looked up into the distance and said coldly:
“I, Kong He’an, am not so easily taken advantage of. He either has to compensate me for my losses or lose 20 years of his life. Let’s see what he chooses.”

He knew that these things depended on skill, and if he didn't get one, he could only blame himself for not being good enough. But the thought of two low-health bosses being snatched right under his nose, and that his whole group failing to outmaneuver someone else, just wouldn't let him swallow his anger.

At the bottom of the Yuanjiang River, Su Yu had already reunited with Ao Run.

He sat atop the enormous dragon's head, the Black Water Pearl expanding the waterless space, rising and falling continuously in the water.

The dragon kept diving deeper into the water, and in no time it had reached a depth of three or four thousand meters. Below it was the riverbed, a place rarely visited by people, but it was not the deepest part yet.

The Yuan River is two to three thousand kilometers wide, and its deepest point is tens of thousands of meters deep, several times deeper than the Mariana Trench.

He definitely wouldn't go to that place; even Ao Run wouldn't dare go there.

Although He is powerful, He is only a little over level 100.

In the depths of the Yuanjiang River, tens of thousands of meters below the surface, even ordinary monsters are over level 100, and level 200 monsters frequently appear. No matter how strong Ao Run is, he could never be a match for a level 200 monster.

The bottom of the Yuanjiang River is rugged, but the aquatic vegetation is extremely rich, with all kinds of strange and wonderful aquatic plants growing there. From time to time, you can see aquatic creatures and monsters hidden deep in the water.

A shrimp spirit over ten meters long.

A blue-backed crab spirit with a shell that is twenty or thirty meters long.

A turtle lying motionless at the bottom of the water, like a giant rock.

The enormous river snails and clams, deeply embedded in the bottom of the water.

There are also all sorts of strange aquatic creatures and monsters, such as loaches, eels, and water centipedes.

The level is at least 70 or 80 or above. Occasionally you will see monsters that are over 100 levels high, but most of them are ordinary experience monsters. Although they are over 100 levels, they are not strong and are far inferior to the dragon. When you see the dragon from afar, turn around and run away.

At these moments, Ao Run would be even more excited than him, rushing forward like an arrow to fight him.

Su Yu was thrown off and could only summon her flying sword to assist from the side.

With Jiaolong as the main tank and damage dealer, he only needs to assist from the sidelines. Jiaolong alone can handle everything, and he can gain tens of thousands of kill experience and a few points of cultivation in just a few minutes.

These ordinary and useless level 100 monsters are also experience monsters. Although their level exceeds 100, their strength is far inferior to the level 100 monsters of elite or higher templates that have survived the Heavenly Tribulation. They are specifically designed for rogue immortals who have survived one Heavenly Tribulation to level up.

These monsters typically roam deep within mountains, rivers, lakes, and the sea.

Like sedimentary sand rivers, these sediments only appear at the very bottom of the center. They occasionally appear in the Yuan River at depths of three to four thousand meters, and are common at depths of tens of thousands of meters.

Although it's not a BOSS, it's still over level 100, and Su Yu can gain cultivation points by killing it at her current level.

Although it's not much, just one or two points, it's still something.

Realizing this, Su Yu didn't rush Ao Run to go, but instead slowly swam across along the riverbed.

And there's an unexpected bonus: with this level 100 monster here, even the materials it drops are far more valuable than those from lower-level monsters. Even a single fish scale can sell for thirty or forty copper coins.

When you farm level 100 monsters at level 60, the drop rate increases slightly. You'll get loot every two or three runs, and each time you get twenty or thirty pieces, which is nearly one or two taels of silver.

If you're diligent and refresh a couple hundred times a day, that's no problem, which means you'll earn at least 50 taels of silver.

If you're a bit luckier and find some high-value materials, plus the occasional sight of spiritual herbs or minerals growing in deep water at the bottom of the river, you can earn one or two gold coins a day, or even three or four gold coins.

Su Yu felt as if she had discovered a new continent and quickly put the search for the Azure Lotus out of her mind.

Inside the Taiyi Azure Spirit Boat, which is a hundred meters high on the Yuanjiang River, a dozen cultivators stood in a group, led by Kong Anhe. The group stared at the mirror in Xia Ning's hand for a long time without saying a word.

Are you sure he's underwater?

Holding the mirror, Xia Ning said with certainty:
"I'm certain. I've used this Water Mirror Searching Technique so many times, when has it ever gone wrong?"

Kong He'an nodded, waved his hand, and the group jumped out of the flying boat and plunged into the water.

"We'll split into four teams, two people per team. Xia Ning, you'll stay with me. Once we find him, we'll split up and surround him. Make sure you pin him down. I want to capture him alive."

"Roger that!"

"receive."

The dozen or so people separated one by one and slowly submerged into the water.

About half an hour later, the group of more than ten people slowly descended to the bottom of the water. Xia Ning followed the group, carrying the precious mirror. After a while, Kong He'an turned around and asked:

"How far is it?"

Xia Ning carefully examined the somewhat blurry image on the magic mirror and replied:

"There are still about two thousand meters left, we're very close."

Kong He'an nodded, then turned and gave the order:
"Prepare invisibility talismans and concealment talismans."

A dozen seconds later, the figures of the dozen or so people slowly faded away, quickly becoming transparent and blending into the lake water.

A thousand meters away underwater, a man and a dragon had arrived at a cliff at the bottom of the river. Further ahead, a ravine appeared, about two or three kilometers wide, of unknown length, and bottomless. The man and the dragon stopped in front of the ravine.

Su Yu looked up at the dark abyss ahead, seeing no fish to her left, right, or above. A nameless fear gripped her. She turned to look at Ao Run:

"Do you dare to go down?"

His enormous dragon head swayed back and forth:

"Don't go in, it's dangerous here."

"Is a powerful demon lurking inside?"

Ao Run nodded.

Su Yu decisively leaped into the air, preparing to swim across the ravine, but after flying less than a hundred meters, she heard Ao Run remind her:
"return."

He quickly turned back and saw Ao Run pointing one of his dragon claws to the side:
"Go around it, you can't go up there."

As soon as he finished speaking, Ao Run suddenly turned around and looked behind him, his large head shaking left and right as if sniffing something, and said in a deep voice after a moment:

"I feel like something is watching me."

Su Yu looked behind her with a puzzled expression, but there was nothing there.

However, he trusted Ao Run's intuition and said:
"Use the Gui Water Divine Thunder to blast it."

The dragon waved its claws, and blue Gui Water elite light spots gathered within a few hundred meters in front of it, condensing into Gui Water Divine Thunder that exploded with a bang. Invisible dark currents surged in all directions, but nothing was found.

"grass!"

Having retreated to a boulder a kilometer away, Kong He'an slammed his fist into a rock, his face contorted with rage.

"He actually subdued that dragon!"

He was already unwilling to accept it, but seeing this scene now made Kong Anhe even more unwilling, and the resentment in his heart was hard to bear.

"This should be mine."

At this moment, Xia Ning leaned closer and asked in a low voice:

"Boss, he actually tamed that dragon as a spirit pet, what should we do?"

"So what if he's a dragon? Even a dragon can't save him."

Kong He'an gritted his teeth, suppressing his anger, and said in a low voice:

"Fang Zeyang and Tian Qi, you two go ahead of them and lure a few level 100 monsters to attract the dragon's attention. We'll take the opportunity to ambush it from behind and kill it before it can react."

"Row."

(End of this chapter)