In the depths of the sea, Xia Qiu opened his large mouth and swallowed a pomfret into his belly. He looked around; all the other fish had fled, yet his stomach remained hungry.
After half a month of growth, Xia Qiu's body length had approached two meters, weighing around 200 jin. His appearance had undergone a significant transformation.
Firstly, his physique was spindle-shaped, extremely robust, and covered in silvery-white scales.
Secondly, his head was enormous, somewhat resembling a catfish's, but not flat. The top of his head was rounded, with a slight bulge in the center forming a vertical line.
Furthermore, his mouth had a large gape, capable of opening at unbelievable angles.
The teeth in his mouth had been replaced twice more. They were longer, thicker, and sharper, now arranged in four layers.
Then came the barbels. Xia Qiu had grown a pair of barbels near his mouth, about thirty centimeters long.
These barbels served a great purpose, acting as a measuring tool to gauge whether he could pass through a certain space.
They could also sense ocean currents and provide feedback upon touching objects, aiding in hunting at night. Their utility was immense.
In addition, Xia Qiu's dorsal fin had changed. It began to thicken and grow spines.
The first dorsal fin was a vertical triangle, with spines growing at the front, covering the fin.
The second dorsal fin was longer, rectangular in shape, but it had four to five spines that protruded from the fin and were connected to it. As a result, the dorsal fin undulated like waves, with a distinct point at its highest position.
The growth of spines on the dorsal fin improved his vertical balance, making him more stable in the water and providing a certain capacity for defense and attack.
Meanwhile, Xia Qiu's appetite was astonishing. He could consume seven to eight jin of food in one sitting, with a maximum of twelve jin. He needed to feed several times a day, with his daily intake exceeding half his body weight.
Fish that only ate small fish, plankton, crustaceans, sea worms, and algae could no longer satisfy Xia Qiu.
Xia Qiu had to expand his hunting grounds, venturing into more distant areas to prey on larger sea fish.
Swish.
Xia Qiu swam towards the distance. The water depth increased, and the light in the ocean depths grew dimmer.
The surrounding fish were becoming larger, with many reaching lengths of fifty to sixty centimeters.
Were those bass?
Xia Qiu locked onto a fish in the distance, about sixty centimeters long, with a laterally compressed body, a high back, a somewhat pointed head, and a large mouth.
Its body was covered in fine ctenoid scales, its gill cover was serrated, and it possessed a fierce temperament, feeding on fish and shrimp.
Bass could grow up to about one meter in length, weighing over twenty jin.
The fish in front of him was sixty centimeters long and weighed around eight jin.
That's the one.
Xia Qiu immediately darted out, charging towards the distant bass.
Splash.
The bass sensed Xia Qiu. Its massive body exuded an oppressive aura. Even with its fierce nature, it chose to flee.
Swish.
The bass twisted its body and swam away.
But it hadn't gone far before Xia Qiu's enormous form caught up. As he neared, he accelerated again and bit towards its tail.
Crunch.
His massive head swallowed more than half of its body. The four layers of sharp teeth closed, and a piece of the other's body was instantly torn away.
Splat.
The bass's rear half exploded in a cloud of blood mist, utterly dead.
Xia Qiu continued to tear and swallow, consuming its entire body except for its head.
Need to find more food.
Xia Qiu intended to eat more to reach his maximum intake, which would prolong the digestion time.
But at this moment, a school of fish swarmed towards him, shimmering silver.
These fish weren't particularly long, only thirty to forty centimeters. They had slender bodies, relatively large heads, and wide mouths that gleamed silver.
There were many of them.
Approximately thirty to forty in number, this was the largest school of fish Xia Qiu had ever seen. He slowly lowered his body, waiting quietly, planning to attack them once they arrived.
The fish swam towards him. As they approached, some began to feed on the blood and flesh scattered from the bass.
A few fish lowered themselves to gnaw on the bones below.
But more of them surged towards Xia Qiu.
"Huh?"
Xia Qiu was slightly taken aback and moved his body, intending to retreat.
But in the next instant, Xia Qiu was surrounded by these fish. The next moment, they opened their large mouths and lunged at him, biting.
These fish had sharp teeth in their mouths.
This is bad.
These fish, though small, had sharp teeth and were numerous enough to attack fish much larger than themselves.
No wonder they could live in this area.
Facing these fish, Xia Qiu rapidly retreated, but some still managed to bite him.
Snap.
A faint sound echoed. Their teeth couldn't penetrate Xia Qiu's scales at all. Furthermore, Xia Qiu's body was rather rounded, so their open mouths couldn't engulf him to bite; they could only try to pierce his body with their teeth. Protected by his smooth, hard scales, they couldn't inflict any damage on Xia Qiu.
No threat.
Xia Qiu stopped retreating, opened his large mouth, and bit down on one of the fish.
Crunch.
The fish was instantly crushed and swallowed.
Xia Qiu swallowed two or three more fish in succession. The other fish didn't flee; instead, they continued their attack.
Useless.
You can't break through my defenses.
Just as Xia Qiu thought this, he suddenly felt a pain.
Ah!
Pain radiated from Xia Qiu's barbels, the area near his tail and dorsal fins, his pectoral fins, and his abdomen.
These areas were either unprotected by scales or relatively vulnerable.
Damn it.
Xia Qiu was somewhat angered but knew he couldn't linger. He twisted his body, pushing the fish away.
However, some fish remained on him, especially on his abdomen.
So, Xia Qiu lowered his body and moved forward, rubbing against the sandy bottom to press them off.
Bang.
Xia Qiu swung his tail, hitting two fish and sending them flying before he dashed into the distance.
The small fish behind him pursued, but they couldn't match Xia Qiu's speed at all, falling further and further behind.
Before long, Xia Qiu returned to the shipwreck.
Injured.
A section of his barbel had been bitten off, his abdomen was bitten, his pectoral fins were bitten, as was the connection between his tail fin and his tail.
Damn it.
Getting injured at the bottom of the sea, who knew how long it would take to heal? And with so many marine microorganisms, infection was likely.
But just then, the food in Xia Qiu's belly began to digest, transforming into a surging heat that spread throughout his body.
And with the appearance of the heat, a tingling sensation spread from the injured areas of Xia Qiu's barbels, abdomen, and other spots.
Healing.
His wounds were healing.
In just an hour, the food in his belly was consumed, and Xia Qiu's barbels had fully recovered.
His recovery ability was very strong; as long as he had enough food, his injuries could be repaired.
However, repairing injuries consumed extra energy, thus increasing his hunger.
Xia Qiu realized this and completely relaxed.
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Translation by: randomtranslator.com
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