The tails of the two creatures thrashed back and forth in the water, causing the female’s body to circle Qian Jingrestlessly. The clashing of their two rows of solid teeth under the water sounded like metal weapons meeting.

Qian Jin cautiously stared at the monstrous fish, secretly wondering what its innate magical ability might be. The most terrifying aspect of magical beasts, besides their immense power, was often their unknown innate magic. That hidden power could very well determine the outcome of a life-or-death battle.

The monstrous fish moved slowly, and its smooth, beautiful golden scales, usually pressed flat against its body, suddenly stood erect! Entire rows of scales grew backward! They aimed squarely at Qian Jin! As the water shimmered, they looked like a forest of menacing daggers.

A warning flared in Qian Jin’s mind. He whipped his legs in the water, propelling his body rapidly toward the lake shore, his eyes constantly tracking the subtle muscular movements that caused the scales to ripple. He guessed inwardly: No way? Is it about to transform into a sharp, scaly sphere to roll and shred everything? Or—

Chirp, chirp, chirp!

Three sharp, piercing sounds erupted from the water. The scales on the monstrous fish transformed into throwing knives held by an unseen warrior. Dozens of golden scales, seemingly ignoring the resistance of the water, left a trail of bubbles behind them. Any water grass they encountered was instantly severed in two, as if nothing in the world could stop their trajectory.

Evasion underwater was far slower than on land; even Wan Ying could not be fully deployed here. The reflections of dozens of golden scales appeared in Qian Jin’s pupils. He crossed his arms in front of his chest to guard his head, pushing his Feng Yun Dou Qi to the limit of the forty-seventh turn, maximizing his Feng Yun Jin Shen to forcibly withstand the impact of the scales.

Thwack… thwack-thwack… thwack-thwack-thwack…

The scales struck Qian Jin’s body one after another like blades. The sheer force of the impact pushed him backward relentlessly through the water. The scales seemed to embed themselves into his very form—his arms, shoulders, thighs, and abdomen were all pierced by the protruding scales.

The giant golden fish whipped its massive tail, following the impact of its scales, rapidly closing the distance. A flicker of confusion crossed the monster fish’s eyes. How come these scales, which usually sliced other fish in the water to shreds, failed to draw even a drop of blood from this prey? Did he not possess blood?

Retreating, Qian Jin secretly gritted his teeth in pain. The impact force of those scales was far greater than anticipated. The water resistance of the Extreme Ice Lake not only failed to slow the scales down but seemed to amplify their impact. If not for the Feng Yun Jin Shen and the strange medicine he consumed last night, which had hardened his body to an unbelievable degree, the outcome would not have been scales merely lodging against his skin; he would genuinely be wounded and bleeding.

Qian Jin narrowed his eyes. Seeing the confusion in the golden monstrous fish’s gaze, he deliberately used the momentum of his retreat to tumble repeatedly in the water.

Smack! The golden fish’s massive tail lashed out forcefully in the water. Its robust body propelled itself forward with intense water pressure, opening its powerful lower jaw and snapping directly toward Qian Jin’s head. If that bite connected, half his torso would be severed.

It’s coming! Qian Jin observed the golden monster fish closing in and suddenly straightened his body! The scales embedded in his muscles immediately scattered outward! Apart from faint, shallow crimson marks left on his skin, there was no actual injury.

In the water, Qian Jin knew his speed could not match the golden monster fish. Escaping would likely be difficult; it was better to lure it close for hand-to-hand combat.

The monster fish was too close now; it could no longer retreat to avoid Qian Jin’s powerful, solid punches and kicks. It chose to maintain its initial attack, biting fiercely toward Qian Jin’s body. “You want to eat me?”

Qian Jin pulled his body out of the colder lake water. The Dou Qi inside him rapidly recovered to the sixty-fifth turn. He spread his arms wide, his five fingers splaying open; as the Dou Qi circulated intensely, his joints cracked audibly. Veins bulged on the backs of his hands like wriggling earthworms as he pushed upward against the monster fish’s teeth, which were now alarmingly close to his head.

The monstrous fish felt its teeth practically grazing Qian Jin’s scalp, yet a strange force violently halted its bite.

Creak… creak…

The monster fish exerted its full strength, trying to clamp its jaws shut and crush this troublesome prey, but it could only make its lower jaw snap with a grinding sound, unable to close even a fraction of an inch.

In desperation, its massive tail, lined with backward-facing barbs, swept horizontally like an iron plate, stirring up countless bubbles as it slammed hard against the side of Qian Jin’s body. More scales shot out simultaneously, hurtling like razor blades.

Bang! Qian Jin’s side was struck with a deep, resonant thud, like a drum. Even with the Feng Yun Jin Shen, the pain shot to the bone. His arms, propping open the fish’s mouth, were already bulging with throbbing veins. Dozens of fish scales dug deep into his muscle, compressing the vortex of Dou Qi that had returned to the sixty-fifth turn under the stimulus of the pain!

The Dou Qi in the Dou Qiao generated an even greater rebound under the compression! After being scraped by Oulala and Blaket, the Dou Qi that had already reached the peak of the Jiang Mo Third Battle seemed to ignite at this moment, generating a new surge of explosion. Waves of newborn power spread to every corner of his body. Thick Dou Qi erupted continuously. The Dou Qi vortex, which had already reached its rotational limit, instantly generated a new one—

Jiang Mo Fourth Battle! Qian Jin’s body was saturated with surging Dou Qi. He clearly felt that the apex of the Jiang Mo Third Battle had completely broken through at this moment, aided by the pressure and impact of the fish scales! He had entered the realm of the Jiang Mo Fourth Battle! Although he hadn't carefully counted the high rotation speed of the Dou Qi, he knew it had increased to a full one hundred and twenty turns!

In just a fraction of a second, Qian Jin’s strength more than doubled. His arms, which were supporting the monster fish’s upper and lower jaws, simultaneously pushed outward with explosive force.

Crack… snap… CRUNCH!

The monstrous fish felt an intense, searing pain in its lower jaw. Its inner ear registered a string of bone-snapping sounds—a sound it was intimately familiar with. It was the sound made every time it chewed its prey in this lake, breaking their bones. Yet this time, it clearly hadn't broken the prey’s bones.

“Open up for me!”

Qian Jin felt the monster fish’s lower jawbone snap. He poured explosive power into both hands, gripping the left side of the lower jaw and wrenching it violently sideways. The last remaining bone connecting the fish’s lower jaw was completely torn away, ripping flesh along with it. Blood instantly dyed a small area of the surrounding lake water red.

“Heavens! This kid…” The old man stood trembling on the shore, watching Qian Jin’s display of divine might in the water. “He actually tore the Xiong Feng Fish apart alive? And he went from the Jiang Mo Third Battle to the Jiang Mo Fourth Battle in less than ten days? Even if he was at the peak of the Third Battle, this breakthrough is still too fast!”

Qian Jin held half of the monster fish’s lower jaw in his hand, watching the dying creature thrash wildly in the lake. Waves of shrill, agonizing screams vibrated through the water and reached his ears, like the sharp cries that heralded the arrival of legendary undead spirits.

The monster fish struggled in the water for a short while, its movements slowing until it finally stopped struggling altogether. Even the bleeding from the wound ceased.

Qian Jin slowly submerged, dragging the carcass of the dead monster fish, and slowly swam back to the shore. He smiled at the three spectators nervously watching from the bank and said, “After eating roasted vultures for over a month, today we’re upgrading the menu—we’re eating fish!”

The Zhan Ma Dao split open the monster fish’s belly. Intestines and organs spilled onto the ground, emitting a pungent, fishy odor. Qian Jin dug deep inside, searching until he pulled out a dark, stone-like Demon Core.

Although the monster fish’s abilities were still inferior to the Moon Demon Flower Spider, it was significantly stronger than the Three-Armed Gorilla and the Centaur. Naturally, the quality of its Demon Core was superior.

Bi Luo held the monster fish’s Demon Core, which Qian Jin had washed in the lake, staring blankly, unable to speak for a moment, even unable to muster the strength to refuse. She yearned so desperately to become a great magician!

Shui Lian Ying’er watched Qian Jin’s actions, shaking her head lightly, sighing repeatedly in a low voice. “You aren’t helping her. Three Demon Cores might open a certain path for her, but what about later? What happens when she consumes the cores? Is this extension of time meaningful?”

Qian Jin jumped back into the lake to wash the foul-smelling residue off his body. The icy lake water had no other special ability, but it could effortlessly wash away the stench. He tilted his head up slightly, looking at Shui Lian Ying’er, and smiled faintly. “Three cores aren't enough. I’ll kill thirty magical beasts for her and get thirty Demon Cores. If thirty aren’t enough, then three hundred! If that’s still not enough, we’ll find Magic Crystals!”

Shui Lian Ying’er stared blankly at Qian Jin as he swam toward the deeper parts of the lake. Thirty? Three hundred? Such absurd promises, uttered with a smile, carried no hint of ridicule; it seemed as if these things that others deemed impossible, he absolutely could achieve.

“Why?” Shui Lian Ying’er still couldn't understand. Qian Jin’s relationship with Bi Luo didn’t seem…

“You cannot understand because you have no dream.” Qian Jin turned back to look at Shui Lian Ying’er. “Indeed! When you have someone in your heart that you value more than your own life, you will be just like her.”

Shui Lian Ying’er stood by the water’s edge, staring dazedly at Qian Jin. The conversation replayed incessantly in her mind, leaving her momentarily bewildered. “What is my ideal?”

“My dream…” The eyes of Shui Lian Ying’er, which usually held a spark of heroism, clouded with moisture. Memories of the joyful times with the Flame Adventurer team flooded her mind. Her cherry lips trembled with a sob. “My… my dream… it’s already shattered…”

The old man sat on the bank, gazing thoughtfully at Qian Jin as he swam toward the deeper recesses of the lake. A sudden realization dawned on him, and he murmured softly, “So, the reason he could risk his life every time was because there was someone in his life whom he valued more than his own existence.”

“Then so be it!” The old man slammed his fist heavily onto the ground, his eyes flashing with an unprecedented sharpness. “Good! Within half a year, I will send you to the dividing line between the center of the Blazing Lake and the Extreme Ice Lake, and I will forge you into a true Super Warrior!”

This is today’s third update. Send Moon Tickets! Qian Jin is about to leave the valley, the ** is coming soon, throw your Moon Tickets at me!!

[Unintelligible characters suggesting excitement/noise]