Chapter 859: Emptying the Fishing Pond
Following the principle of sustainably draining the pond to catch all the fish, Ji Shaoli didn't choose a particularly outrageous target for his first attempt at condensing a thought-bait.
Although he was quite eager to see what would happen if he used figures like Mr. Bai, a True Immortal, Chaos, Hunger, or even [Truth] itself to form the bait.
But the Fishing Pond was, after all, an immortal artifact, and its inner workings were mysterious and unfathomable.
If he insisted on such a course, there was no telling if he might reel in some indescribable monster.
One that might, like the True Immortal from his 115th life, brutally annihilate the Xuanhuang Realm.
This current life had only just begun, and his plans were merely starting to bear fruit.
Li Fan had no plans to use [Truth] just yet.
"Perhaps when this life, too, is nearing its end, I can give it a try."
Returning to his first thought-bait, Ji Shaoli visualized the very same seven-colored divine light that Zhong Shentong had fished up in the previous life!
At the same time, this was also an experiment.
If things went as he predicted, and it was indeed easier to catch known items...
Then with the aid of [Truth], he could undoubtedly reduce the difficulty of fishing by a massive margin.
With enough cycles of reincarnation and sufficient attempts, he could build a complete inventory of every light cluster within the Fishing Pond.
Perhaps one day, he might even completely empty this seemingly inexhaustible Fishing Pond!
Most crucially, the resources produced by this Fishing Pond were completely independent, unaffected by any other events in the Xuanhuang Realm.
No matter which different plans Li Fan enacted in each life, leading to different historical trajectories, the Fishing Pond would remain a steadfast and stable supply base for treasures.
The significance of this was monumental.
Of course...
This all hinged on the premise that Li Fan's hypothesis was correct.
Within the dazzling cosmos of the Fishing Pond, the various characteristics of the seven-colored divine light, as previously demonstrated by Zhong Shentong, surfaced in Ji Shaoli's mind.
The seven-colored divine light was a continuous, unending stream.
Not only was its destructive power astonishing, but its travel speed was also terrifyingly fast.
At the Foundation Establishment stage, it could rival the speed of a Nascent Soul cultivator.
Furthermore, it seemed to possess a special, latent ability to protect its master.
In his 114th life, Zhong Shentong had been able to travel freely through the white mist with its aid, completely immune to the effects of the soul-devouring fog.
It was a truly all-in-one marvel of offense, defense, and escape, with endless practical uses. Once obtained, one would need no other treasure.
Even with Li Fan's vast experience from countless reincarnations, the sheer miraculousness of this seven-colored divine light ranked among the very top of all he had ever witnessed.
To exhibit such power at just the Foundation Establishment stage was remarkable.
What about at the Soul Transformation, Dao Integration, or even the Longevity realm? Would the divine light reveal even more incredible properties then?
...
As Ji Shaoli's visualization continued.
A faint, seven-colored shadow slowly materialized at the end of the dangling fishing line.
Because he only knew its external appearance and hadn't truly mastered it as Zhong Shentong had, the condensed thought-bait was still slightly different from the actual seven-colored divine light.
But even so, the moment the bait formed, it was like a single drop of water hitting the surface of a still pond.
Ripples swiftly spread outwards in concentric circles.
The countless light clusters seemed to sense something, each reacting in its own distinct way.
The vast majority remained indifferent, as if they hadn't noticed a thing. These were mostly white clusters, with a few blue ones scattered among them.
A few others, however, drifted toward the thought-bait with a hint of curiosity, as if encountering a kindred spirit. These clusters were a mix of blue and purple.
But upon drawing closer, most of them seemed to realize it wasn't the real thing.
None of them took the bait.
Ji Shaoli paid no mind to these lower-quality clusters.
Instead, he concentrated his focus, watching intently to see if any golden clusters—or even higher—were being drawn in.
But just as Zhong Shentong had explained, the range of the thought-bait's influence was extremely limited.
After traveling a certain distance, the invisible ripples rapidly weakened.
Eventually, they faded completely into the endless starry expanse.
The outcome of this attempt was plain to see.
He had failed to catch the seven-colored divine light.
His only prize was a blue light cluster containing a defensive treasure.
He casually stored it away, feeling no sense of disappointment.
He simply waited patiently for the next day to arrive.
This attempt had, at the very least, confirmed that the method of visualizing items already present within the Fishing Pond was indeed effective.
It was merely a matter of bad luck; he hadn't cast his line into a region where the seven-colored divine light could sense it.
"It's like searching for a needle in a haystack, but I can afford the cost of trial and error. There's no rush."
"However, an ordinary cultivator doesn't have nearly infinite opportunities to try as I do..."
"Perhaps the technique that complements the Fishing Pond includes a method for targeted casting."
Ji Shaoli gazed at the shallow yet profound water of the pond, musing to himself.
"I wonder if a cultivator of supreme talent could reverse-engineer the method to control this Fishing Pond based on their needs. Though it is an immortal artifact..."
"...it's still just an artifact. There must be a vast chasm between it and a true immortal."
An image of a figure robed in white flashed through Ji Shaoli's mind.
For the next while, Ji Shaoli continued his attempts with relentless patience.
The thought-bait never changed.
It was always the seven-colored divine light!
The light clusters within the Fishing Pond seemed to possess a genuine intelligence of their own.
As the invisible ripples of the imitation seven-colored divine light spread out time and time again, fewer and fewer clusters were drawn in, and even fewer were willing to take the hook.
This had a direct consequence: in the beginning, Ji Shaoli had managed to catch a few blue light clusters.
But as time went on, the blue clusters all but vanished.
Even the white clusters appeared with decreasing frequency, and most of his casts came up completely empty!
This caused Zhong Shentong, who had been observing Ji Shaoli's progress, to shake his head in private sympathy.
But Ji Shaoli felt no frustration at this outcome.
On the contrary, a sense of joy began to build within him.
For when all the wrong answers have been eliminated, what remains must be the only correct one!
Thus, Ji Shaoli's twentieth consecutive day of catching nothing arrived.
On this day, Zhong Shentong watched as Ji Shaoli slowly rose from the pond's edge, apparently empty-handed once more.
He finally couldn't resist offering some words of comfort. "Fellow Daoist, you mustn't be discouraged. In the art of fishing, returning with nothing is the norm. As long as you can endure the solitude, your luck is bound to turn one day, and you'll reel in the great fish of your dreams."
Ji Shaoli's expression was serene. "Fellow Daoist Zhong's words are most wise."
"I couldn't agree more."
"My sixty-odd days of waiting have not been in vain..."
"I finally have a small harvest to show for it."
Hearing the first part of Ji Shaoli's reply, Zhong Shentong nodded along.
But the more he listened, the more he felt something was amiss.
A flicker of bewilderment crossed his face.
But as a radiant golden light descended, that bewilderment instantly transformed into utter, incredulous shock.
In Ji Shaoli's hand, a golden light cluster pulsed with an incomparably dazzling brilliance.
It was like a second sun, its light so intense that it momentarily blinded everyone else in the small temple.
(End of Chapter)
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