Elder Yu sent over quite a few good items, most of which are treasures that help accelerate water cultivation.

[River Dew Grass], fifty stalks, can increase water cultivation speed by fifty percent for a certain period.

[Cold Pond Reed], fifty stalks, can increase water cultivation speed by eighty percent for a certain period.

[Ocean Spirit Frost], ten bottles, can double water cultivation speed for a certain period.

[Moon Clam Beads], five pieces, can increase water cultivation speed by five times for a certain period.

Among these treasures, the best item is naturally the Moon Clam Beads. It is said that the Moon Clam clan is also one of the Boundary River Aquatic Clans of the Eleventh Path, often hunted and killed by other water clans to obtain the clam beads.

Slaughter is the nature of different races, even within the same tribe there is constant fighting, let alone between different races. Hunting other tribes for cultivation is a common occurrence at the bottom of the Boundary River, unrestricted by any moral constraints.

With the good things sent by Elder Yu, Ning Fan’s speed of refining the Sky-hook Jade, undoubtedly increased, and after just one day, he had condensed three Sky-hook Jades.

Another day, the total number of Sky-hook Jades reached seven!

On the third day, the total number of Ning Fan’s Sky-hook Jades reached ten, and he encountered a bottleneck in cultivation, unable to further increase the number.

The cultivation method he obtained was only the first volume of the Tiancong Scrolls, only with the second volume could he continue cultivating beyond ten Sky-hook Jades.

"Freak! This boy is simply a freak! In just six days, he actually completed all the Sky-hook Jade content of the first volume of Tiancong Scrolls! You should know, even many Second Step Fate Immortals can’t cultivate to ten Sky-hook Jades! This boy is already qualified to start the second volume!"

Through the restrictions, Elder Yu perceived Ning Fan’s cultivation progress and felt a profound shock.

After the shock, came wild joy! He found a treasure!

He planned to nurture Ning Fan even more robustly, to have Ning Fan cultivate more Sky-hook Jades, and then... kill Ning Fan, and take his cultivated achievements!

"Someone! Deliver this Inherited Fish Scale to Lower District, Waterway Four Nine Two Six’s fish house!"

A servant was called by Elder Yu, and upon seeing Elder Yu rewarding Ning Fan again, they all sneered, mocking Ning Fan’s fate.

"That kid named 4926 probably doesn’t even know he’s being targeted, maybe still complacent for gaining the favor of Elder Yu?"

"Foolish 4926!"

"It looks like this boy won’t have the chance to break through the Void Fragmentation and step into the Second Step in this life!"

The 4926 the servants referred to was Ning Fan’s number after joining the Tiancong Fish Clan. Lower-ranked members did not deserve to have names; this was the rule of all aquatic tribes. Having a number within the top ten thousand was enough to show how much Elder Yu valued Ning Fan.

However, nobody envied Ning Fan for being valued by Elder Yu because in Gouyu City, everyone knew Elder Yu loved to torture his clansmen. The more he favored someone, the more he plotted against them. Ning Fan received several rewards from Elder Yu in just a few days; this level of favor wasn’t lucky, but rather unfortunate...

The second Inherited Fish Scale was delivered to Ning Fan’s fish house without his asking for it.

Ning Fan slightly chuckled, this Elder Yu was really a ’good person,’ sending him what he wanted without him even asking. With such cooperation, Ning Fan felt a bit reluctant to eliminate him afterward...

Ning Fan swallowed the Inherited Fish Scale and obtained the content of the second volume of Tiancong Scrolls.

The second volume’s content included the cultivation techniques from Nascent Soul Stage to Void Fragmentation peak, as well as the cultivation method for Sky-hook Jades beyond ten.

The cultivation technique was trivial, and the Sky-hook Jade cultivation method in the second volume was exactly what Ning Fan needed.

With the content of the second volume, after one day, Ning Fan’s total of Sky-hook Jades reached 13.

After ten days, the total number of his Sky-hook Jades reached 49.

After one month, the total number of his Sky-hook Jades reached 100, and he encountered another cultivation bottleneck.

In just one month, he had unexpectedly completed even the Sky-hook Jade content from the second volume!

"One month! This boy took only one month to complete all the Sky-hook Jades in the second volume!"

Elder Yu was so excited he didn’t know what to say.

One must know, looking at the entire Tiancong Fish Clan, there were very few who could complete all the second volume’s Sky-hook Jades. More than one hundred Sky-hook Jades existed only among 60 to 70 people in the entire clan, and all of them were strong True Immortals who spent several hundred thousand years of bitter cultivation to reach this level.

Yet Ning Fan took only a little over a month to complete what others took hundreds of thousands of years to accomplish. Such speed, perhaps only the legendary Holy Blood Tiancong Fish could compare!

"Could it be, could it be... though his cultivation is low, this boy is actually a Holy Blood Tiancong Fish, which is born once every several million years in our Tiancong Fish Clan?"

"If so, should I kill him, there might be a glimmer of chance to seize his bloodline, advancing to that Holy Blood Tiancong Fish!"

"Nurture him, this child must be nurtured even bigger, then devoured! Someone, take this Inherited Fish Scale to 4926! Oh, his Spiritual Medicine seems to be running out, send him another batch...

"No, no, you’re mistaken! This time don’t send the last Spiritual Medicine! The difficulty of the third volume cultivation is greater, higher-grade Spiritual Medicine is needed to accelerate cultivation, come, you, take my waist badge, and call a batch of Five Million Year Spirit Medicine from the clan treasury..."

"No need to notify the three Revered Immortals, the lords are busy cultivating, don’t disturb them!"

Joking! Elder Yu didn’t want the clan’s Revered Immortals to know he was plotting against a Holy Blood Tiancong Fish.

This was his personal prey! If those three old Revered Immortals knew about this, they’d surely snatch the prey from him, leaving him with nothing...

Shortly after, under Ning Fan’s playful gaze, another batch of servants came delivering cultivation items to him.

Firstly, the Inherited Fish Scale containing the third volume content of the Tiancong Scrolls.

Secondly, a large batch of higher-grade natural treasures.

[Moon Clam Beads], fifty pieces, can increase water cultivation speed by five times for a certain period.

[Leech Pearls], fifty pieces, six times speed.

[Dragon Breath Pearls], twenty pieces, seven times speed.

[Immortal Venerable Merfolk Tears], one piece, eight times speed...

The items Elder Yu sent this time were clearly better than before, but Ning Fan’s attention wasn’t on those items, but on the Merfolk Tears.

Merfolk Tears?

According to ancient legends, tears of the Merfolk could turn into pearls, and it seems to be true... It’s just unexpected that Merfolk Tears could enhance water cultivation speed so much, even Immortal Venerable level Merfolk Tears could increase the speed by eight times...

Ning Fan pondered slightly: It seemed that there was a Merfolk Immortal Emperor imprisoned in his Xuan Yin Treasure. I wonder if making that woman cry would result in tears turning into pearls...

If it were possible, it seems like Merfolk Tears of Immortal Emperor quality could be mass-produced.

This whimsical idea was quickly dismissed by Ning Fan because he thought cultivating the Sky-hook Jade was quite easy, and there was no need for such a troublesome experiment to make women cry.

But who would have thought, when cultivating the Sky-hook Jade reached the third scroll, it suddenly became extremely difficult, and the progress was much slower than before.

Ning Fan used Moon Clam Beads to assist in cultivation, consuming five beads in one day, yet didn’t even manage to cultivate a single Sky-hook Jade.

Relying on the fivefold speed of the Moon Clam Beads, Ning Fan spent four days to cultivate a single Sky-hook Jade...

Then came the Leech Pearls... The Leech Pearls took Ning Fan three and a half days to cultivate another Sky-hook Jade.

Following that was the Dragon Breath Pearls, which also took three days to cultivate a single Sky-hook Jade.

Slow, too slow!

Previously, when cultivating the Sky-hook Jade, several could be cultivated in a single day. How has the speed slowed so much once reaching the third scroll?

Ning Fan was very dissatisfied with the current cultivation speed, yet he didn’t know that the speed he exhibited already shocked Elder Yu beyond measure.

Witnessing Ning Fan step into the third scroll and still maintain the speed of cultivating one jade every few days, Elder Yu was out of adjectives to describe Ning Fan’s monstrous talent.

You must know, the first two scrolls of the Tiancong Scrolls were only basic cultivation methods. Anyone could cultivate them successfully by following the steps; the only difference was the duration needed.

However, starting from the third scroll, the cultivation of the Tiancong Scrolls greatly tested a master’s intuition. Among a hundred people, often only one or two could cultivate it successfully; the rest were limited by their intuition, lacking even the eligibility to cultivate. And, even for those capable of cultivating, their speed would not be too fast.

Starting from the third scroll, the cultivation speed of the Sky-hook Jade was not just linked to bloodline level; more important factors were actually the cultivator’s intuition.

Even the legendary Holy Blood Tiancong Fish, once at the third scroll, required months or even years to cultivate a single Sky-hook Jade; someone like Elder Yu, given his bloodline level and talent, needed ten thousand years to cultivate a single Sky-hook Jade through the third scroll’s method. He had lived for millions of years but hadn’t completed the third scroll yet, showing how difficult it was to cultivate.

Yet what was Ning Fan’s speed? Upon reaching the third scroll, he could still maintain the speed of cultivating one jade every few days; this was already more monstrous and defying the heavens than the Holy Blood Tiancong Fish, wasn’t it!

Ignoring the bloodline level, solely from the perspective of this individual’s high intuition, he might be unmatched throughout the history of Tiancong Fish!

"Given the speed of this individual’s cultivation, if the supply of spiritual medicine is ample, this individual will likely finish cultivating all the contents of the third scroll within ten years; even without the supply, he could finish within a hundred years."

"Although our clan’s treasury is rich, my access is quite limited, and it’s impossible to allocate too much precious spiritual medicine for this individual to cultivate the third scroll. Another point is that if too many precious spiritual medicines are allocated, the clan’s three Eternal Immortal Venerables will definitely take notice. When that happens, I won’t be able to monopolize this individual... Hmm, it is still better to proceed slowly, giving this individual a hundred years to slowly finish the third scroll. After a hundred years, I will then eliminate this individual, seize his bloodline, and officially break through to the bottleneck of becoming an Eternal Immortal Venerable! Hahaha! In another hundred years, I shall become an Eternal Immortal Venerable! Hahaha!"

Ning Fan had no knowledge of the insane joy Elder Yu was experiencing. Even if he did know, he wouldn’t care.

The third scroll’s content contained the entire method for cultivating up to a thousand Sky-hook Jades. Based on the current cultivation speed, Ning Fan estimated it would take him at least six to seven years to finish the third scroll.

Six to seven years? Sorry, he didn’t have that much time to spend in Gouyu City. Who knows when those different race Immortal Emperors will make a comeback, emerge again, and come after him.

Ning Fan decided to use his only Merfolk Tear to assist in cultivation.

This was the Immortal Venerable Merfolk’s pearl tear, whose effect in enhancing water-element cultivation, although stronger than the Dragon Breath Pearls, was still limited.

Even with the consumption of this Merfolk Tear, Ning Fan’s cultivation progress did not accelerate much; he initially wanted to wait and see if Elder Yu would provide better cultivation materials, but sadly, after this batch, Elder Yu didn’t send any precious spiritual medicines; even when sent, they were only ordinary spiritual medicines.

"It seems I can’t solely rely on the Tiancong Fish Clan to supply resources for my cultivation..."

Ning Fan’s massive fish body suddenly closed its eyes to feign sleep.

While it looked like he was exhausted from cultivation and fell asleep, in reality, Ning Fan’s Spirit exited his body, concealing itself from Elder Yu’s perception, and stealthily flew into the Xuan Yin Treasure.

He didn’t have much time to waste at the bottom of the Boundary River; thus, he needed even better tools to help him increase his cultivation speed and complete the third scroll as quickly as possible.

Eventually, he set his sights on Aflo.

At this moment, Aflo was imprisoned in a solitary cell within the repentance palaces, shackled by Charm Art Chains at the limbs, with her cultivation sealed, unable to move.

She suppressed the torment of the bewitching technique inside her, constantly writhing her fish tail, feeling extremely uncomfortable.

That damn little thief Ning, actually using bewitching techniques to torment her; should she escape to freedom, she would undoubtedly make Ning suffer!

With a creak, the cell door opened, Ning Fan’s Spirit flew into the cell, hovering before Aflo.

Although Aflo had never seen Ning Fan’s Spirit before, she could surely recognize Ning Fan, holding back her breath, she cursed at Ning Fan,

"Despicable... despicable..."

"Despicable? You Shui Clans colluded with my companions, lured me into a trap, and gathered sixteen Shui Clan Immortal Emperors and thousands of Shui Clan experts to ambush me. I never called you despicable, yet you remarked I was despicable first. Haha, if being cruel to enemies is despicable, then I am despicable. What’s wrong with that? Besides, what kind of woman are you? I’m merely humiliating a fish; you don’t even have legs; making you my Cauldron Furnace, I feel too disdainful to start..."

"You’re the fish! You’re the Cauldron Furnace! I am the noble Merfolk, a higher existence than your Zidou descendants!"

Aflo was enraged, and amidst her fury, became rather clear-headed, her speech articulate.

How could she not be angry! Ning Fan dared to compare her with lowly fish, even calling her a Cauldron Furnace... Such a hateful man, she truly wished to tear him apart!

Seeing Aflo angry made Ning Fan smile with satisfaction. Normally, he wouldn’t bother wasting words with enemies, but he came today specifically to bully Aflo. Naturally, he wasn’t stingy with words, intending to provokes and infuriate Aflo.

Making her cry would be best, since crying would grant him Merfolk Tears, right?

Regrettably, an Immortal Emperor wouldn’t shed tears that easily, and naturally wouldn’t be moved to tears by just a few of Ning Fan’s words.

Ning Fan continued taunting Aflo verbally, while Aflo, although angry, simply closed her eyes, choosing to ignore Ning Fan completely.

Not a hint of crying in sight?

Upon seeing this, Ning Fan helplessly shook his head.

Using civilized methods seemed unable to make Aflo cry.

Thus, he could only resort to uncivilized ways to make Aflo shed tears.

Of course, if this lady willingly cried and gifted him some Merfolk Tears, he would happily take them. Though knowing the hope was slim; he decided to discuss it with Aflo.

"Is your name Aflo? After learning the Shui Clan’s language, I now understand that Aflo means ’Most Beautiful Woman of the Water Realm.’ Hmm, a very beautiful name. Allow me to introduce myself: I am Ning Fan, wishing to discuss some matters with you."

"..." There was no response. But in her heart, Aflo was startled by Ning Fan’s words.

What nonsense is this man spouting? How does he know the meaning of my name!

He learned the Shui Clan’s language?

How is that possible! Who taught him!

The Shui Clan would rather die than teach their language to Eastern Celestial Cultivators; it is equivalent to abandoning their pride! But why does this man understand the Shui Clan’s language? Could it be that there’s a traitor among the Shui Clan...

"Here’s the situation: I need some Merfolk Tears for cultivation. You are an Immortal Emperor, and your tears must be very helpful for water cultivation. Although we are enemies, I am still willing to give you a choice. Do you voluntarily shed some tears for me, or do I have to force you to cry?"

"..." Still, there was no response.

But suddenly, Aflo opened her eyes, looking at Ning Fan in disbelief.

With that glance, she felt the presence of the Sky-hook Jade from the Tiancong Fish Clan on Ning Fan!

In an instant, she understood why Ning Fan wanted the Merfolk Tears! It was actually for cultivating the Sky-hook Jade!

"How did you cultivate the Lang Ya Tian Gou Yu! You should know that we Shui Clan would rather die than teach our ancestral skills to enemies! Although the Tiancong Fish Clan is small, they would definitely not do such a traitorous thing! Could it be that the Tiancong Fish Clan betrayed the ancestral vow!"

"How I cultivated the Sky-hook Jade is none of your concern; all you need to do is cry and give me some Merfolk Tears."

"Impossible! I am a noble merfolk and would never do something to help the enemy; you can forget about getting my tears!" Aflo responded firmly.

"As expected, reasoning is useless, huh... Looks like I’ll have to take them myself." Ning Fan’s eyes narrowed, a flicker of cold light flashing through them.

"Even if you use torture on me, I will not shed a single tear for you. If you don’t believe it, go ahead and try." Aflo sneered disdainfully.

The merfolk clan is renowned for two things.

First, their tears can turn into pearls.

Second, their unyielding spirit.

Merfolk shed blood, not tears, and it’s extremely difficult to obtain a merfolk’s tears. Even if Ning Fan were to execute her today, she was confident she wouldn’t shed a single tear!

"I’ve heard tales of the merfolk. If it’s just pain, it probably won’t make you cry. Given that..." Ning Fan’s Spirit flew closer, his small hand slowly caressing the back of Aflo’s hand.

As Ning Fan touched her, Aflo’s face turned pale; she knew how Ning Fan intended to get her tears! He wasn’t planning to use torture but was intending to do something indescribable!

"How dare you! How dare you! Don’t touch! Get your filthy hand off me! Or I’ll tear you to pieces!"

"This is just your hand back, and you’re so resistant. Have you never touched a man before?"

"Hmph! I am a noble merfolk, schooled in propriety and integrity! Unlike your lowly Eastern women who casually touch men! Naturally, I have a sense of resistance!"

"You won’t casually touch men, so now, what is touching you, a ghost..."

"Not here! Stop it! Please! What do you want to stop..."

"Very simple! Just cry once, give me some Merfolk Tears for cultivation, and I’ll stop humiliating you; I might even slightly improve your life in captivity."

"Impossible! You are a Zidou Descendant; I will never give you tears! You’re dreaming!"

What a stubborn woman!

Ning Fan’s gaze turned cold as his Spirit’s small hand began to do this and that, that and this.

Aflo took a sharp breath, as with Ning Fan’s this and that, she began to this and that...

...

A quarter of an hour later.

"To think you still don’t yield; I must say, I admire you somewhat, but unfortunately, since we’re enemies, I can show no mercy. Are you really not going to give me any tears?"

"Ah! So comfortable! So comfortable!"

Listening to Aflo’s intoxicated voice, Ning Fan felt like his head was about to explode.

This damn woman, how has she started enjoying this instead, with no awareness of being a prisoner?

When Aflo realized she couldn’t escape, she simply let go of her inhibitions. Like a dead fish not fearing hot water, that was the situation!

Kill me if you want.

Shame my body if you want to.

For the honor of my ancestors, I will never hand over the precious Merfolk Tears to a Zidou Descendant!

What now, you can’t do anything, can you? When I let go of even my last bit of shame, I have become invincible, with no weaknesses!

"Ah... So comfortable! Foolish Zidou Descendant, is this all you’ve got? Haha, you better give up, you won’t get any benefits from me!" Aflo said smugly.

"You’d better not provoke me..."

"Tch, I’m provoking you, what will you do!"

"Heh, in that case, let me show you even more powerful means!"

...

Another quarter of an hour later.

"Ah! Let go of my tail, please, please..."

Ah!

Aflo finally couldn’t hold on any longer.

Afloat in the clouds, Aflo had traces of satisfied tears in her eyes.

Those tears fell to the ground, transforming into translucent pearls—Merfolk Tears.

Not just ordinary Merfolk Tears.

This is a Merfolk Tear from a Half-Step Quasi-Saint, and because it’s a tear of affection, it holds a special quality.

Ning Fan picked up one of the Merfolk Tears and sensed it slightly, instantly rejoicing.

If his perception is correct, this Merfolk Tear can at least accelerate water cultivation speed by hundreds of times, far surpassing the Immortal Venerable Merfolk Tear from before!

"Haha, seeing your resolve as firm as iron, I initially gave up on obtaining Merfolk Tears from you. But I didn’t expect... after your peak, you would shed tears..."

Ning Fan couldn’t help but marvel at the wonders of fate.

He had many women, some of whom, upon reaching their peak, would cry inexplicably.

The crying wasn’t due to sadness, but rather a personal physiological reaction. Unexpectedly, this Merfolk named Aflo in front of him had such a physiological response.

After being served by his lips and tongue, she unexpectedly reached her peak and shed four drops of Merfolk Tears... Despite claiming she wouldn’t give him Merfolk Tears, her body was quite generous.

"Tears? Are you out of your mind? How could I possibly shed tears? I barely have time to enjoy myself. How could I possibly..."

Aflo mockingly opened her beautiful eyes and giggled.

But when she saw the Merfolk Tear in Ning Fan’s Spirit’s small hand, she couldn’t laugh anymore.

She had shed tears!

How could she possibly shed tears!

Her spirit sense was as hard as stone, no amount of punishment could make her yield or feel pain; she shouldn’t be able to shed tears!

But why, why...

"Your tears, I’ve collected them. Once these four Merfolk Tears are used up, I’ll come again."

With those words, Ning Fan left contentedly.

In the cell, only Aflo remained, blushing and stunned.

She was filled with shame and fury!

Even though she surrendered her dignity and principles, she still shed tears, benefiting Ning Fan!

Why, why is this happening!

Now, all her enduring Ning Fan’s teasing was nothing but a joke!

"Ning Fan! Ning Fan! Ning Fan!"

"I want to kill you! Kill you!"

"I won’t allow you to use my tears for cultivation, I won’t allow it! Arrgh! I’m so mad!"

...

Ning Fan didn’t pay attention to Aflo’s anger.

He believed he had shown considerable tolerance to this enemy. At this moment, having obtained the Merfolk Tears, he was in an excellent mood and didn’t mind Aflo’s angry words offending him.

The Merfolk Tears he obtained were not ordinary Merfolk Tears; they could increase water cultivation speed by hundreds of times, which was exceptionally rare at the Boundary River’s bottom!

Aflo’s Half-Step Quasi-Saint cultivation was only part of why these Merfolk Tears were so potent. Another reason was that these Merfolk Tears were not ordinary tears but were Lovers’ Tears shed by female merfolk after reaching their peak, hence their unusually strong potency.

If they were merely ordinary tears, they wouldn’t have such a significant effect, even if shed by Aflo, they would only increase water cultivation speed by about ten to twenty times.

These four Lovers’ Tears were extremely precious, though Ning Fan was unaware of the distinction.

He only knew that with the Merfolk Tears in hand, he could resume cultivating the Sky-hook Jade. Previously, only one Sky-hook Jade could be cultivated every few days; now, with Aflo’s tears, he cultivated fourteen Sky-hook Jades in just one day!

The next day, the total number of Sky-hook Jades reached 133.

The third day, 147.

The fourth day, 163.

Lovers’ Tears were extremely short-lived, with one drop used up daily, four drops of tears were exhausted in just four days.

Having no choice, Ning Fan once again projected his Spirit, entered the Xuan Yin Treasure, and came to Aflo’s cell.

Upon seeing Aflo emaciated, unconscious in the cell for several days, he was greatly astonished!

This woman, for some unknown reason, was suffering from nutritional deficiency, weak in vital energy, unconscious!

"Could it be that by providing me four drops of tears, she consumed a large amount of vital energy?" No wonder those four Merfolk Tears were so potent.

For a moment, Ning Fan felt a little guilty, though it was only a little. Aflo was his enemy, and being ruthless to enemies is what he learned from the old monster, he always acted this way...

But... this woman...

Ning Fan furrowed his brow. If he did not act to rescue Aflo, with her Exotic True Spirit, she might not die, but would certainly fall in realms and harm her foundation.

After brief hesitation, Ning Fan decided to expend expensive pills to save Aflo.

Under Ning Fan’s treatment, Aflo’s complexion improved.

Today, let this Merfolk rest first. Once her vitality recovers, he can come for more Merfolk Tears. And before collecting Merfolk Tears in the future, it would be wise to nourish her, lest she suffers from depleted vitality afterward...

Ning Fan mused and left the cell. At the moment his Spirit left the cell, Aflo weakly opened her eyes, a hint of confusion in them.

She couldn’t understand.

Why had the notorious descendant of Zidou saved her?

If her realm fell, wouldn’t she be easier for him to control?

She didn’t understand. So tired, forget it, time for a nap; oh, this damned prisoner life...