The Principles of Fishing

Having finished reciting the oath, Zhong Shentong felt a sudden weight on his heart, as though an invisible shackle had settled over him. "Hahaha, wonderful." Ji Shaoli looked as if a heavy burden had been lifted from his shoulders, immediately stowing all the Dharma treasures that had shielded him and dropping his guard entirely. This made Zhong Shentong all the more certain that the induction oath carried some manner of binding power. "Now that Fellow Daoist Zhong has joined, why doesn't little Liuli take the oath as well?" Ji Shaoli suggested, his face brimming with smiles. Though framed as a suggestion, his tone brooked no refusal. Helpless, Zhong Shentong could only signal Liuli to comply. There was no need for divine sense transmission. Having heard Zhong Shentong recite it once, Liuli had already memorized every word. She immediately repeated it in proper fashion, not missing a single syllable. Yet even after completing the induction oath, she remained utterly carefree, looking as though she felt not the slightest pressure. Zhong Shentong could not help but sigh inwardly. *Truly, a newborn calf knows no fear of tigers. A mere child does not fathom the wondrous mysteries of a True Immortal.* Seeing Zhong Shentong weighed down by heavy thoughts, Ji Shaoli spoke up. "Fellow Daoist Zhong, you need not worry. I have already contacted headquarters. This fishing pond will remain under your care. "Everything continues as before." At these words, Zhong Shentong was taken aback. "Furthermore, we will make no attempt to conceal this place," Ji Shaoli said in a measured voice. "After all, only treasures require concealment. What reason is there to deliberately guard an ordinary little pond? However, we can lay down a formation outside this mountain temple of yours, so as to prevent outsiders from snooping around again. "If word truly leaks, we can also rush over swiftly to provide support." ... Ji Shaoli's thorough explanation dispelled most of the doubts in Zhong Shentong's heart. *It seems I was being overly cautious. This Myriad Realms Association truly lives up to its name,* he thought to himself. With Lin Ling's assistance, the protective formation outside the small temple was quickly completed. Ji Shaoli then moved to take out several Dharma treasures for Zhong Shentong's self-defense. Having not experienced such care in a very long time, Zhong Shentong felt somewhat embarrassed instead. "There is no need for these," he said, shaking his head. "Over the years, this old Daoist has fished up far too many miscellaneous items. "If a true crisis arises, they won't be of much use anyway." With that, he tossed over a storage ring. "Fellow Daoist, take a look inside and see if there is anything I failed to recognize." Ji Shaoli swept his divine sense through the interior of the storage ring, which resembled a junkyard piled high with clutter. After a moment, he shook his head. "Nothing of great value. "However..." Ji Shaoli paused briefly. "While some items are of modest quality, they might possess other secondary value. After all, the vast majority hail from other cultivation worlds. As far as I know, certain cultivators are exceptionally interested in such curiosities." Zhong Shentong nodded slightly. "I understand that logic, of course. But fearing it would draw unwanted attention, I simply chose never to sell them." "From now on, you won't need to worry about that." Ji Shaoli put away the storage ring. "We will have dedicated personnel dispose of these goods. When the time comes, half the proceeds will go to the Federation, and the other half will be returned to you." Zhong Shentong had no objection to this distribution. He even sighed with feeling, "Having a backer truly beats fighting alone." "The fishing pond is a treasure of extraordinary rarity. The Federation will maintain strict secrecy regarding its existence. Beyond the occasional person coming to fish, visitors will be few and far between," Ji Shaoli explained, outlining the arrangements moving forward. These measures put Zhong Shentong increasingly at ease. Afterward, Ji Shaoli consulted him regarding his experience with fishing in the starry sky. "What exactly does 'using intent as bait' entail? "Can any kind of intent serve as bait?" Zhong Shentong pondered for a moment before explaining, "The fishing pond came with no instructions; I had to figure out everything on my own through trial and error. "Judging by my experience over the years, using intent as bait generally follows the principle of like attracting like. "Within the fishing pond, the orbs of light are beyond count, naturally divided into different attributes. "Orbs of light that resemble the condensed intent bait are far easier to catch." Zhong Shentong brought out the Hunyuan Purple-Gold Gourd once more. "Take this gourd, for example. It was only because I visualized a lethal gourd-shaped Dharma treasure I had seen in the past that I managed to hook it by sheer luck." Ji Shaoli grew thoughtful upon hearing this. "If we treat those orbs of light as possessing their own consciousness, doesn't that mean they are drawn to intent bait that is similar to them, or that piques their interest?" Zhong Shentong nodded. "That being said, luck still plays a dominant role," Zhong Shentong said with a frown. "The starry sky within the fishing pond is far too vast. Each time, the range of influence of the intent bait covers merely a single corner. For the fishing line to drop down and happen to encounter an orb that can be attracted... "Hard, hard, hard!" Zhong Shentong repeated the word three times, conveying his helplessness. "I suspect there should have been a specialized technique meant to be used alongside this fishing pond. But it has long since vanished, leaving only the pond behind in the world," he lamented. Ji Shaoli nodded in agreement. The conversation between the two had been carried out entirely via divine sense transmission. Liuli and Lin Ling, standing to the side, remained unaware of it. Yet in this brief span of time, the rapport between them had warmed considerably. No longer glaring at each other, they had begun playing together. Watching this scene, Zhong Shentong was filled with even more emotion. "It seems this sen..." After hesitating for a moment, Zhong Shentong refrained from uttering the word 'senior.' "This young lady named Lin Ling appears quite young?" he asked probingly. Ji Shaoli nodded. "It has been barely a dozen years since she was born, and she has experienced little of the world. Thus, she still retains the temperament of a child." These words completely stunned Zhong Shentong. "A dozen years? Dao Integration?" "Heh, Fellow Daoist, you need not be astonished. Within our Federation, peerless geniuses are beyond count. Someone of this caliber... is nothing extraordinary." Ji Shaoli offered an enigmatic smile and gave only a brief explanation. Zhong Shentong's thoughts ran wild in his profound shock. Ji Shaoli, meanwhile, attempted fishing once again. Settling his mind, his consciousness drifted into the boundless, brilliant starry sky. *Using intent as bait...* He attempted to condense his visualized intent into bait. Unsurprisingly, he failed. Yet this time his luck was decent, and he managed to haul up a blue orb of light. Its exact purpose was indistinguishable; it appeared to be a fragment of some Dharma treasure. After examining it to no avail, Ji Shaoli put it away for the time being. In the period that followed, he remained at the small temple, steadily building up his proficiency each day. As he grew more familiar with Zhong Shentong and his disciple, his progress accelerated rapidly under the old Daoist's guidance. Half a month later. Ji Shaoli finally succeeded in condensing intent bait for the very first time.