On the fourteenth day, a palpable, sacred tension filled the air of Jade Moon Vale. The clan elders stood a silent, hopeful vigil outside the sealed ancestral pond, their gazes fixed on the shimmering barrier. They had witnessed two weeks of steady, miraculous progress. The dull, listless aura of their valley had been replaced by a new, vibrant energy. The water of their great lake was clearer, the spiritual herbs on the shore grew a little brighter, and the very air felt lighter.
Inside the sealed area, Li Yu took a deep, final, steadying breath. He looked at the two magnificent Dragon Carp resting in the crystal-clear water below. Their bodies were now almost entirely a vibrant, healthy jade-green, only a few faint, grey patches remaining as a testament to their long suffering. The black miasma of the curse was gone, devoured and refined by his insatiable Koi spirit.
He knew this was the final, most crucial step. The curse was gone, but the carp were still weak, their life force a mere fraction of what it should be after a thousand years of accumulation. He had to reignite the flame that had almost been extinguished.
He stepped into the Jade Heart Spring for the last time. He swam down to the silent depths and took up his familiar position, floating in the water between the two great beasts. He reached out to them with his spiritual sense, a message of reassurance and strength. The poison is gone. Now, it is time to be reborn.
He closed his eyes and sank his consciousness into his own dantian. He focused his will on his blood-red Koi spirit. The emerald-green star in his foundation was a source of life, but it was his own. The Koi spirit, however, was a being of pure, boundless vitality, a perfect conduit for nurturing other creatures.
He let its full, untamed power flow free. He was not just projecting a gentle stream of healing energy. He was commanding his spirit to unleash unblemished life that began to echo through the silent, crystal-clear water of the Jade Heart Spring. The crimson-gold light of the Koi enveloped the two ancient carp, a warm, nourishing sun in the deep water.
This time, he did not hold back, the carps needed a big jump start of life to recover now. He poured his own profound spiritual energy into the Koi, a massive continuous injection of pure life essence. It was a staggering expenditure, an act that caused his own face to grow pale and his Qi to churn. But he did not waver.
The two ancient Dragon Carp shuddered. Their bodies, now free of the curse, greedily began to absorb the torrent of pure, life-giving energy from the Koi. It was a divine nectar, a rain after a thousand-year drought. The last of the grey, dead scales flaked away, dissolving into the glowing water. Their flesh, which had been thin and wasted, began to plump, their muscles regaining their immense, dormant power.
The effect was not just a healing; it was an evolution. Their bloodline, purified by the curse's removal and now supercharged by the Koi spirit's heaven-defying life energy, was being pushed beyond its original limits. A new, faint, golden sheen began to appear on their jade-green scales, a sign of a true, atavistic awakening of their draconic ancestry.
With a final, synchronized movement, the two great beasts opened their eyes. They were no longer the dull, weary eyes of a dying creature. They were the brilliant, golden, slitted eyes of a true dragon, filled with a profound, ancient wisdom and a new, terrifying power.
A colossal, vibrant wave of pure, jade-green energy exploded from their bodies, years of accumulated power released in a single, glorious moment. The entire Jade Heart Spring began to boil, not with heat, but with an overwhelming, suffocating torrent of pure life force.
Outside, the clan elders were thrown back by the sheer force of the spiritual pressure that erupted from their ancestral pond, the triple-layered defensive formation groaning and cracking under the strain. The entire valley was bathed in a brilliant, jade-green light, and the spiritual energy in the air began to crystallize, falling like a gentle, green snow.
"They're… they're breaking through!" Clan Head Feng cried, his voice choked with tears of pure, unadulterated joy.
Inside the pond, the two Dragon Carp were greedily absorbing the very energy they had just released, their bodies stabilizing as they took a half-step into the next realm, becoming what the texts called Half-Step Overlords just a step away from rank 7.
As the carps were transforming a massive portion of it saturated the sacred spring, turning the water into a liquid of pure life essence. Li Yu felt this wave of energy wash over him, and he knew this was an opportunity he could not miss.
The void-aspected nature of his core, his «Myriad Rivers Returning to the Sea Art», roared to life. It did not just withstand the torrent; it began to devour it. A massive, invisible vortex formed around Li Yu, hidden within the larger, more brilliant vortex of the two carp. To any outside observer, it would seem as if the two great beasts were the sole cause of the incredible phenomenon.
The pure, ancient, draconic life essence of the carp was a divine nectar of unimaginable quality. It poured into his foundation, nourishing the emerald-green star at its heart, causing it to pulse and grow with a brilliant, blinding light. He felt his own cultivation, which had been stable at the Second Stage, surge forward with an unstoppable momentum. The barrier to the Third Stage shattered without resistance. The torrent of energy did not stop. It pushed him onward, its quality so high that it was a force of pure, irresistible evolution. The barrier to the Fourth Stage, a wall that should have taken him a long time to breach, also crumbled like dust. In the space of a few hours, fueled by the released essence of two thousand-year-old beasts, he had taken two monumental leaps. He had stepped directly into the Fourth Stage of the Foundation Establishment Realm.
The process lasted for three full days. When the torrent of energy finally subsided, the Jade Heart Spring was calm once more. The water was clearer, the spiritual energy purer, and the entire valley felt as if it had been reborn.
When Li Yu finally emerged from the sealed area, his face pale but his eyes burning with an inner light, he was greeted by the sight of the three clan elders on their knees, their faces wet with tears of joy.
The gratitude of the Clearwater Jade Carp Clan was absolute. They did not offer him spirit stones; they knew such a thing would be an insult. Instead, Clan Head Feng offered him a single, jade-colored token, carved in the shape of a leaping dragon-carp.
"Young Master Li," he said, his voice filled with a profound, unshakeable loyalty. "You have not just saved our clan; you have given us a new life, a new future. From this day forward, our Clearwater Jade Carp Clan is your eternal ally. This token represents the authority of our patriarch. If you ever have need of us, we will answer your call."
"We cannot offer you our own ancestral breeding pairs, for they are the very soul of our clan," the elder continued, his honesty a sign of true respect. "But our clan has also cultivated another, unique beast for centuries. They are called Three-Tailed Spirit Eels. They are a Rank 5 beast, known for their incredible speed and their lightning-attribute attacks. We would be honored if you would accept a breeding pair for your own personal collection, a small token of our eternal gratitude."
He then gestured to several large, water-filled crates that had been prepared. "We also know you are building a grand menagerie. Please, accept these two breeding pairs of our Rank 3 Moon-Fin Trout. They are a hardy and delicious breed that we believe will thrive in your new valley. There is enough market for us both to prosper."
Furthermore, he offered Li Yu a permanent position as the clan's "Honored Physician," a retainer role that would grant him a steady, generous supply of their highest-quality spiritual fish and access to their ancient, hidden library, in exchange for a yearly visit to ensure the health of their bloodline.
Li Yu graciously accepted. The eels would be a fine addition to his hidden army in the Koi's Sanctuary, while the trout would be a valuable new product for the Deepwater Menagerie's public farms.
"Before you depart, Young Master Li," Clan Head Feng said, his expression eager, "would you do us the honor of staying for a few more days? We… we wish to learn. Your understanding of our Ancestors is deep. Any wisdom you could share would be a priceless treasure."
Li Yu smiled. This was the true beginning of their alliance. "I would be honored, Clan Head."
For the next few days, Li Yu did not cultivate. He walked the shores of the Jade Heart Spring with the clan elders, sharing the insights he had received from the two ancient Dragon Carp during his communion.
"The Ancestors felt a lack of deep-earth minerals in their water," he explained, pointing to a section of the pond. "They have a longing for the taste of Black Iron Ore. Placing a small vein of it here would not only please them but also strengthen the shells of your younger carp."
He spoke of the specific types of water-weeds that would best complement their diet, of the optimal water temperature for spawning, and of a subtle, almost unnoticeable shift in the valley's Qi flow that could be corrected with a few minor adjustments to their formations. Each piece of advice was a pearl of wisdom, a solution that would have gone unnoticed for who knows how long.
The elders listened with the rapt attention of students, their respect for the fifteen-year-old boy growing into a deep, profound reverence. He was not just a powerful cultivator or a lucky physician. He was a true Beast Taming Grandmaster, a man whose understanding of the aquatic dao was as deep as the ocean itself. The bonds of their new alliance were being forged not in debt, but in a shared passion and a mutual, growing respect.