Chapter 40: The Riverbed of the Yuan River, Following

When Su Yu walked past every morning, It was grinding mobs at the riverbed.

By the time he finished work and returned to the city, It was still grinding mobs at the riverbed.

Even when Su Yu was asleep, the system panel would occasionally prompt him that he had gained kill experience, and occasionally a few points of Dao cultivation.

At Ao Run's strong demand, after Su Yu finished his daily work, the experience ratio between them was adjusted to 1:9—he kept one tenth, while Ao Run took nine tenths. When he went back to work during the day, the ratio was switched back to 7:3.

In just four or five days, It had leveled up once again.

"I remember it was only level 121 during the last secret realm, and now it's level 126 when we met. No wonder it's been so diligent!"

This was a good thing, signifying a promising future.

Both human and dragon were extremely hardworking, farming experience at a blistering pace. In particular, the flood dragon targeted spirits and monsters of very high levels, all of which were major bosses above level 80. Occasionally, it would dive deep into the riverbed to capture elite monsters and minor bosses between levels 80 and 90. Coupled with the 10% passive income earned during nighttime rest, their total daily income had already exceeded 1.8 million kill experience points.

Unwittingly, another month passed. Looking at the 61.2 million kill experience accumulated in his experience pool, Su Yu felt fully motivated.

"Another half a month or so, and I'll be able to elevate the *Great White Sword Classic* to the sixtieth tier. By then, Lan Yiying's threat will be minimal."

"But Ding Lingyu..."

Su Yu pinched the bridge of his nose, feeling that he was still falling a bit short.

"His defense can be broken, but defeating him won't be easy."

"I need at least another sixth-tier flying sword to be confident. But for a guaranteed victory, I either need to advance the *Great White Sword Classic* to the sixtieth tier, or raise my swordsmanship realm by another level."

"Considering that Ding Lingyu certainly won't stand still and will also be progressing, I must secure both conditions."

After pondering for a moment, Su Yu sent a message to Chu Xinyue:

"Guild Leader, I wonder if there are any swordsmanship masters in the guild who have time to guide my swordsmanship."

Shortly after, she replied:

"There are a few swordsmanship masters in the guild. The strongest among them is Immortal Swordsman Liao Fusheng. His Sword Qi Thunder Sound has reached perfection, and he has also mastered Thread-Like Sword Condensation and Sword Light Division. His strength is formidable."

"However, he spends most of his time at his own sect and is rarely seen back here even once a month. Moreover, his lesson fees are very expensive—10 gold per class, with each class lasting one hour."

"So expensive?"

This price gave Su Yu quite a shock.

"High prices naturally come with valid reasons. His reputation has always been excellent; he takes money to deliver results and teaches earnestly. You've always been exploring on your own and relying on projection stones, which alone won't allow you to comprehend higher-level swordsmanship realms. Taking a few lessons from him will definitely be worth it."

After contemplating for a brief moment, Su Yu gritted his teeth and made up his mind, asking:

"How do I sign up? I am not acquainted with Elder Liao."

"Leave that to me. When he returns next time, I'll have Xiao Yu contact you."

"Thank you, Guild Leader."

Closing the communication, Su Yu's thoughts drifted back to Ding Lingyu.

"If I want a guaranteed victory against Ding Lingyu, I must pursue both fronts simultaneously."

"Before the next minor assessment, I will definitely accumulate enough kill experience to elevate the *Great White Sword Classic* to the sixtieth tier. What I lack now is a good flying sword to coordinate with the *Obscuring Sun* technique."

The *Ice Soul* was only fourth-tier, and its lethality was too low; it couldn't even break Lan Yiying's defense, let alone Ding Lingyu's.

"A sixth-tier flying sword costs at least one hundred gold or more, or over five thousand contribution points. If I want a truly good flying sword, I need to prepare at least seven to eight thousand contribution points."

"Since I need to reserve a portion of money to enroll in the lessons, buying a flying sword with cash is out of the question. I can only rely on redeeming contribution points."

Pondering for a moment, Su Yu sent a message to Chu Xiaoyu:

"Sister Xiaoyu, are there any activities recently in the Second Group that can earn guild contribution points?"

Chu Xiaoyu responded promptly:

"There are no major operations recently, just some simple daily tasks involving the collection of materials in exchange for contributions. The guild hall offers these as well; you can check them out yourself."

"Oh!"

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

There were only two infinitely repeatable daily tasks, both of which were collection quests.

One was the long-term collection of various spiritual herbs, with contributions distributed according to the grade of the herbs.

The other was the long-term collection of various spiritual ores, with contributions distributed according to the grade of the ores.

These tasks did not need to be officially accepted; any unwanted materials could simply be turned in directly at the logistics department.

"Spiritual ores, spiritual herbs."

Su Yu rubbed his chin and thought for a moment before his eyes suddenly lit up. He stepped out, headed to the Thousand Feathers Pavilion to buy an item, and then soared into the air, flying out of the city.

Arriving at the Sisha River shortly after, he plunged straight into the water, diving a thousand meters deep in one breath, dispatched the wandering aquatic spirits nearby, and waited in place.

Half an hour later, a flood dragon swam over. Su Yu flipped over and mounted Ao Run's back, patted its ice-blue, jade-like scales, and asked:

"Have you seen any spiritual herbs or spiritual ores at the bottom of the river during your usual routines?"

Ao Run spoke in human language:

"What spiritual herbs and spiritual ores?"

Su Yu took out the *Encyclopedia of Spiritual Herbs and Ores* he had just bought at the Thousand Feathers Pavilion, pressed it against Ao Run's forehead, and said:

"In the future, you can pay attention while at the riverbed. If you see the items inside, you can collect them."

***

Ao Run stood quietly in the water, slowly absorbing the vast amount of data stored in the jade slip. It took nearly a quarter of an hour before it regained consciousness and spoke:

"I previously discovered a large patch of Azure Water Cold Lotus at a certain riverbed in the Yuan River."

Su Yu immediately checked the jade slip, which indicated that 100-year-old Azure Water Cold Lotuses were worth 1 guild contribution point per stalk. He hurriedly asked:

"Where is it? Is it far?"

"Several thousand miles away."

"Is it dangerous?"

Ao Run turned its head and glanced at him:

"It has a certain degree of danger for you."

"It's fine, I can conceal myself."

Two tiers of the *Mustard Seed Hiding Technique* combined with the *Invisibility Technique* should be enough.

If worse came to worst, he could elevate the *Invisibility Technique* by another tier; two tiers of the *Mustard Seed Hiding Technique* plus two tiers of the *Invisibility Technique* would definitely suffice.

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

Su Yu immediately returned to Thousand Feathers City and purchased several items at the Thousand Feathers Chamber of Commerce.

He spent a full 10 taels of gold to buy a 100-slot storage bag, a few sticks of monster-attracting incense, a few sticks of monster-repelling incense, and some other potentially useful props.

This storage bag was different from their personal space; the stacking limit for identical items was only 100, it could not store living creatures, and it lacked any preservation functions. Items like food would still spoil over time if placed inside, and once equipped, it occupied a magical treasure slot.

Generally, merchants used it to transport goods or as a warehouse.

Having made his preparations, Su Yu hurriedly left Thousand Feathers City again and flew westward.

However, he failed to notice that on the city wall of the West Gate, a person was holding a mirror and reflecting him.

"Boss, I see him. He just left the city and is heading west."

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

On top of a Taiyi Azure Spirit Boat hovering one hundred meters above the surface of the Yuan River not far from Thousand Feathers City, Kong He'an closed his communication, turned around, and shouted to the subordinates who were currently leveling up:

"Everyone, gather."

His subordinates flew over rapidly. He immediately activated the Taiyi Azure Spirit Boat, soared into the air, and flew toward Thousand Feathers City. One of his subordinates immediately asked:

"Boss, did we find the target?"

"That little brat has left the city. Let's go intercept him."

"We've finally caught him. We'll make him pay this time."

Kong He'an looked up into the distance and said coldly:

"Kong He'an's advantages aren't so easy to take advantage of. Either he compensates for my losses, or he loses 20 years of lifespan. I want to see how he chooses."

Actually, he knew very well that such matters depended entirely on capability, and failing to snatch the loot only meant one lacked the skill.

However, the thought of two bosses on the verge of death being snatched right under his nose—while a whole group of them failed to beat a single outsider—was something he simply could not swallow.

At the bottom of the Yuan River, Su Yu had already rendezvoused with Ao Run.

He sat atop the massive flood dragon's head, the Black Water Mysterious Pearl supporting a water-free space that bobbed up and down in the current.

The flood dragon continually dived deeper into the water, reaching a depth of three to four thousand meters in no time. Below lay the riverbed, rarely visited by anyone, though still not the deepest part.

The Yuan River was two to three thousand kilometers wide, with its deepest points plunging tens of thousands of meters down—several times deeper than the Mariana Trench.

He certainly wouldn't go to that place; even Ao Run dared not venture there.

Powerful though it was, it was only at level one hundred, after all.

In the depths of the Yuan River tens of thousands of meters down, even ordinary minor mobs were above level 100, and level 200 major bosses appeared frequently. No matter how strong Ao Run was, it could not possibly match level 200+ major bosses.

The riverbed of the Yuan River was rugged and uneven, but the aquatic vegetation was extremely lush, filled with all sorts of bizarre aquatic plants. From time to time, aquatic spirits deeply concealed at the riverbed came into view.

A dozen-meter-long shrimp spirit.

A green-backed crab spirit with a shell twenty to thirty meters wide.

A turtle-tortoise lying motionless on the riverbed like a massive boulder.

Colossal river snails and river clams embedded deep into the riverbed.

As well as loaches, eels, water centipedes, and all kinds of weird aquatic spirits.

They were at least level 80 or above, and occasionally major bosses exceeding level 100 could be seen. However, most of them were ordinary-template experience monsters. Although their levels exceeded one hundred, their strength was not formidable and far inferior to the flood dragon. Seeing the flood dragon from afar, they would turn tail and flee.

Whenever this happened, Ao Run was even more excited than him, darting forward like an arrow to engage in fierce combat.

Su Yu would be shaken off and could only deploy his flying sword to provide auxiliary support.

The flood dragon acted as the main tank and damage dealer while he merely assisted. The flood dragon alone could handle them, netting tens of thousands of kill experience points and one or two points of Dao cultivation in just a few minutes.

These level 100 major bosses with ordinary and trash templates were also experience monsters. Although their levels exceeded one hundred, their strength fell far short of elite-template major bosses who had survived heavenly tribulations. They were specifically meant for scattered immortals who had undergone one heavenly tribulation to level up.

Such major bosses typically haunted the depths of mountain ranges, the depths of great rivers and lakes, and the oceans.

In places like the Sisha River, they only appeared at the very center of the bottom, whereas in the Yuan River, depths of three to four thousand meters saw them appear occasionally, while ten thousand meters down was where they were common.

Although they weren't bosses, their levels exceeded one hundred, so slaying them granted Dao cultivation points at Su Yu's current level.

Though the amount was small—just one or two points—it was still something.

***

Realizing this, Su Yu was no longer in a hurry to urge Ao Run forward, choosing instead to slowly cruise along the riverbed.

Furthermore, there were unexpected bonuses. Given that these level 100 major bosses had their levels right there, the value of the materials they dropped was far higher than those of lower levels. Even a single fish scale could sell for thirty or forty copper coins.

Farming level 100 major bosses at level 60, the drop rate increased slightly, yielding loot roughly every two or three kills. Each drop consisted of twenty to thirty pieces, translating to nearly one or two silver coins of income.

Being a bit diligent could yield one or two hundred kills a day without a problem, meaning a minimum income of 50 silver coins.

If luck was slightly better and high-value materials dropped, coupled with the spiritual herbs or spiritual ores occasionally spotted growing in the deep water along the riverbed, daily earnings could reach one or two gold pieces, or even three or four.

Feeling as though he had discovered a new continent, Su Yu quickly cast the matter of searching for the Azure Water Cold Lotus to the back of his mind.

Inside the Taiyi Azure Spirit Boat floating a hundred meters above the surface of the Yuan River, a dozen cultivators stood clustered together, led by Kong He'an. The group stared fixedly at the mirror held in Xia Ning's hand, remaining silent for a long time.

"Are you certain he is at the bottom of the water?"

Holding the mirror, Xia Ning spoke with absolute certainty:

"Certain. I've used this water-mirror tracking method so many times, when has it ever failed?"

Kong He'an nodded, waved his hand grandly, and the group leaped out of the flying vessel one after another, plunging into the water.

"We'll split into four teams later, two people per group. Xia Ning, follow me. Once we find the target, we'll encircle him from separate directions. Be sure to immobilize him—I want him alive."

"Understood!"

"Understood."

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

About half an hour later, the dozen cultivators had slowly descended to the riverbed. Xia Ning, holding the precious mirror, followed the team. Shortly after, Kong He'an turned his head and asked:

"How much further?"

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

"About two thousand meters more. We're already very close."

Kong He'an nodded, turned back, and commanded:

"Prepare invisibility talismans and breath-concealing talismans."

A dozen seconds later, the figures of the dozen people slowly faded, soon becoming transparent and blending seamlessly with the river water.

A thousand meters away at the riverbed, the human and the flood dragon had arrived at a submersed cliff. Further ahead, the riverbed suddenly gave way to a deep, bottomless ravine roughly two to three kilometers wide and of unknown length. The human and dragon stopped before the abyss.

Su Yu raised his head to survey the pitch-black abyss ahead. Not a single fish could be seen to the left, right, or above, and an inexplicable sense of terror gripped his heart. He turned back to look at Ao Run:

"Do you dare to go down?"

Its massive dragon head shook back and forth:

"Don't go in, there is danger here."

"A great demon is hiding inside?"

Ao Run nodded.

Su Yu decisively leaped into the air, preparing to fly across the ravine, but before he had flown even a hundred meters, he heard Ao Run's warning:

"Come back."

He quickly retreated, seeing Ao Run point one of its dragon claws to the side:

"Circle around it. We cannot go over the top."

Just as the words fell, Ao Run suddenly turned to look behind it, its large head swaying left and right as if sniffing something. A moment later, it said in a deep voice:

"I feel like something is watching me."

Su Yu looked back with a puzzled expression, but saw nothing.

However, trusting Ao Run's perception, he said:

"Use the Lesser Yin Water Divine Thunder to blast the area."

The flood dragon waved its claw, gathering blue Lesser Yin Water elite light spots within a radius of several hundred meters, condensing them into a Lesser Yin Water Divine Thunder that exploded with a roar. Invisible undercurrents surged in all directions, yet nothing was discovered.

"Damn it!"

Having retreated over a thousand meters to hide behind a giant boulder, Kong He'an slammed his fist fiercely against a rock, anger blazing across his face:

"He actually tamed that flood dragon!"

He had already been unwilling to let it go before, but seeing this scene now made Kong He'an even more resentful, the pent-up frustration in his chest feeling suffocating.

"This should have belonged to me."

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

"Boss, he actually took that flood dragon as a spirit pet. What should we do now?"

"So what if it's a flood dragon? A flood dragon can't save him."

Kong He'an gritted his teeth for a moment, forcefully suppressing the anger in his heart, and said in a low voice:

"Fang Zeying and Tian Qi, you two go ahead of them and provoke a few level 100 major bosses to draw the flood dragon's attention. We'll take the opportunity to launch a sneak attack from behind and finish him off before the flood dragon can react."

"Understood."