All the actresses were staring intently at the surface of the sea, apparently eager to reel in the little cutie Qi Yuan had mentioned.
Seeing that Qi Yuan truly seemed keen on that thing, Carnival ordered all his subordinates to fish there as well.
"Whoever reels it in gets a little gift from me," Qi Yuan said lazily.
The actresses present and Carnival's subordinates all grew tense at once.
A small gift from an important figure like Mr. Qi was bound to be worth a fortune.
Perhaps it might even be several hundred thousand, or even millions, of Qinyuan coins.
With hands resting on their fishing rods, they gazed out over the water, brimming with anticipation.
Carnival was sea fishing as well, and he lowered his voice to ask, "Could this little... cutie be related to immortal cultivation?"
After all, anything capable of drawing Qi Yuan's interest ought to be tied to the legendary immortal cultivation.
"No," Qi Yuan said, shaking his head. "It should be related to the martial path."
"The martial path?" Carnival froze for a moment.
As a noble of the Qinyuan Kingdom, Carnival naturally understood martial arts quite well.
He had once dabbled in practicing martial arts out of curiosity, but he found it far too weak. It lacked the practical utility taught by any random military combat instructor, to say nothing of gene medicine.
"Isn't the martial path very weak?" Carnival could not help but remark.
He had met the strongest in the martial world before—a champion of the Martial Arts Tournament.
The man possessed a bit of skill, but only that much.
"There are no weak paths in this world, only weak people," Qi Yuan replied lazily.
Hearing this, Carnival still could not understand. "Isn't your path immortal cultivation, sir?"
"My primary cultivation is the immortal path, but here... I want to take a look at the martial path. I am a man destined to become the Myriad Dao Martial God, after all."
Becoming the Myriad Dao Martial God was Qi Yuan's mission upon arriving in this world.
Before attaining the rank of Myriad Dao Martial God, he had to become the Human Dao Martial Master and the Spirit Dao Martial Master.
The Human Dao Martial Master was simple enough, but Qi Yuan had no leads whatsoever regarding the Spirit Dao Martial Master.
"By the way, if it's convenient for you, help me look into information regarding the Myriad Dao Martial Master," Qi Yuan said.
"Understood," Carnival agreed without hesitation.
Running errands for Qi Yuan seemed to bring him joy as well.
"Right. The cultivation art I sold you is only an incomplete version for now, but it's enough to keep you cultivating for several years.
"Once my wife descends, I'll pass you the subsequent stages," Qi Yuan said.
The *Super Invincible Somewhat Explosive Art* was currently only at the Qi Refinement stage, not even having reached the perfection of Qi Refinement.
This was because Qi Yuan still bore a curse and could not overthink things. Only when his strength grew would he be able to flesh out the subsequent stages of the technique.
Hearing that, many thoughts flashed through Carnival's mind.
On second thought, if it truly was an immortal cultivation method, how could one hundred million buy a complete version anyway?
More importantly, was that money spent merely to purchase a technique? It had purchased a connection to Qi Yuan.
"No problem at all," Carnival said hurriedly.
Of course, had he known Qi Yuan's true strength, buying an incomplete technique for not just one hundred million, but ten billion, a hundred billion, or even a trillion would have been a staggering bargain.
After all, that was an art Qi Yuan had created himself.
Its sheer value went without saying.
Thoughts swirled through Carnival's mind.
At that moment, Qi Yuan said, "Since we're just waiting around anyway, bring over some materials. I'll process them... right, the metal, water, and wood herbs..."
He was fishing here now.
Practicing fist forms was out of the question.
As for cultivating the immortal path, the curse caused it to circulate very slowly as well.
He might as well gather some materials, refine them into medicinal concoctions, and boost his strength a bit.
Besides, he also intended to use other means to lure the little cutie out of the sea.
"Right away!" Carnival felt a surge of excitement inside; it seemed he would finally get to see Qi Yuan make a move.
Soon, he and several subordinates returned with a pile of materials.
Seeing this, the actresses present all looked on with puzzled eyes, unsure what was going on.
"Bring over a blender, then a high-temperature pot, and also..." Qi Yuan instructed an expectant Carnival.
Carnival blinked upon hearing the request, but still gave the orders to his subordinates.
Perplexity filled his heart. What did he need... these things for?
Qi Yuan merely clapped his hands. "If one can be lazy, one naturally should be lazy."
Before long, the blender and various equipment arrived. Qi Yuan picked up the plants and tossed them into the blender one stalk at a time.
The hum of the machine starting up rang out.
The onlookers watched with faces full of curiosity as the plants were ground into mush.
Of course, there were also people watching the water, hoping to hook the little cutie.
"Alright, done."
Qi Yuan picked up a wine glass and poured a dark teal medicinal fluid into it.
He downed the liquid in one gulp, and his cultivation technique began to churn madly at that very moment.
His cultivation also climbed steadily in tandem.
"Care for a glass?... Though you have to pair it with the *Super Invincible Somewhat Explosive Art*." Qi Yuan poured a glass for Carnival as well.
There was not much spiritual energy on Arch Star.
It was vastly inferior to the Canglan Realm.
That was why these medicinal liquids were needed to assist in cultivation and produce better results.
Of course, Qi Yuan also faintly sensed that the spiritual energy on Arch Star seemed to be slowly increasing.
It was just that the rate of increase was exceedingly sluggish.
Hearing the offer, Carnival was overjoyed. "Yes, please!"
He immediately recalled the cultivation art Qi Yuan had sold him, circulating his energy according to what the technique prescribed.
Yet, for some reason, when he tried to circulate it, his body felt out of control. That breath of inner qi would not move at all, seemingly blocked by something.
Right then, Qi Yuan tapped a finger onto Carnival's body.
"Continue."
Carnival felt a sudden wave of enlightenment, and the chaotic qi inside his body instantly began circulating at high speed.
"Drink."
Qi Yuan's voice sounded again, and Carnival hastily gulped down the glass of green fluid.
An inexplicable sensation of refreshing euphoria washed over him, leaving him walking on air. This pleasure was tens or hundreds of times more intense than an orgasm.
Carnival snapped his eyes open, his face filled with shock and delight. "An immortal art! It must be an immortal art!"
The sensation was intoxicating.
It even made Carnival wonder if he had consumed some hallucinogenic narcotic.
Yet the raw ingredients for the liquid had clearly been ordinary plants, containing no banned substances whatsoever.
"Your talent is far too poor. It'll probably take you a month or two just to grasp the basics," Qi Yuan remarked offhandedly.
After all, had Carnival not been practicing Qi Yuan's self-created art, even with a manual in hand, he likely would have squandered a decade just to enter the threshold.
His lifetime achievement would have amounted to hovering at early-stage Qi Refining.
Hearing that, Carnival breathed a sigh of relief.
A month or two—he could afford to wait that long.
Just then, Qi Yuan picked up another glass of medicinal fluid and gently tapped the rim.
Suddenly, a red glow emanated from the glass.
Beside him, Wu Qi was stunned by the sight. "Is... is this magic?"
The other actresses were equally astonished.
After all, a beverage freshly prepared just moments ago had suddenly begun glowing red.
It was thoroughly unscientific.
Qi Yuan smiled faintly. "I added a bit of bait to see if it can attract the little cutie."
As he spoke, he tossed the glass toward the sea.
*Bang!*
The glass abruptly burst apart in midair.
The red liquid rained down like a shower of droplets.
This sight shocked everyone present.
One actress covered her mouth, unable to hold back: "Has Mr. Qi taken gene medicine?"
Gene medicines were extremely expensive, categorized into different grades.
To achieve the effect Qi Yuan had just displayed, it had to be a high-grade gene medicine. Even wealthy ordinary people lacked the channels to purchase one.
Recalling that a hereditary viscount treated Qi Yuan with great respect, it seemed only natural that Qi Yuan would possess advanced gene medicine.
As for ordinary gene medicine, celebrities like them could afford to purchase and use it.
However, certain gene medicines conflicted with beauty serums by nature and could compromise bodily flexibility, which was why few women took them.
Low-grade gene medicines carried the risk of ruining their physical aesthetic.
Thus, female stars rarely chose gene medicine.
On the other hand, some male martial arts actors used it to achieve better performance results.
"No," Qi Yuan said, shaking his head. "Keep your eyes peeled. My little cutie might take the bait any second now."
Hearing this, the others quickly resumed fishing.
As the minutes ticked by, Qi Yuan continued drinking the medicinal fluid.
The cultivation within him climbed without pause.
Before long, he stepped into the mid-stage of Qi Refinement.
Of course, this meant little to him.
With a bit more resources, he would soon cross into Foundation Establishment.
None of that mattered. To Qi Yuan, becoming the Myriad Dao Martial God was the true purpose of entering this game of Arch Star.
The liquid dispersed into the sea.
Many sea creatures soon gathered in the previously tranquil waters.
Shoals of fish swam toward them.
More and more people hooked fish, mostly prized catches.
Yet to the disappointment of those reeling them in, none of the fish were the little cutie Qi Yuan sought.
Suddenly, a burly man in a suit turned red in the face. "It's huge! I can't pull it up!"
As the man spoke, his stance began to wobble.
Seeing this, two or three other mercenaries stepped forward to help him haul the fish up.
The surrounding actresses showed expressions of pleasant surprise.
"Could he have hooked a shark?"
Just then, the mercenary's face grew frantic. "No good, the rod is going to snap!"
The creature below was too strong. Even with three or four mercenaries pulling together, they could not drag it up, and the rod was on the verge of breaking.
One had to realize that the rod and line were forged from special alloys, capable of easily landing hundred-jin sea fish.
For a situation like this to occur proved that the thing in the water was extraordinarily bizarre.
"Let me handle it."
Qi Yuan rose to his feet and grabbed the rod.
The bent rod instantly snapped straight.
Qi Yuan looked at the sea, his gaze seeming to pierce through the depths.
A smile tugged at the corner of his lips.
"It really... is my little cutie."
He gave the rod a sharp flick.
The fishing rod that four or five mercenaries had failed to hold steady turned utterly motionless.
In a flash, the line whipped back.
A dark silhouette was flung onto the floor of the reception hall.
Everyone's eyes landed on the creature.
"So... so ugly!"
One actress covered her mouth, unable to hide the revulsion in her eyes.
Wu Qi pressed her slender legs together, nearly falling over in fright. Half-crouching, the fabric of her evening dress stretched tightly over her round, shapely rear as she seemed to tilt toward Qi Yuan, whether intentionally or not.
"What is this?"
Looking at the strange dark shape, everyone present showed astonishment.
The head of the dark lump resembled a chicken, yet it was featherless, and the blood-red tumor on its forehead looked thoroughly grotesque.
Its lower half was a clump of black, gelatinous substance, sticky and bizarre.
It did not look like a normal creature of Arch Star at all.
"Is this... a sea monster?" Carnival was knowledgeable and recognized the creature at a glance.
"A sea monster?"
"This is actually a sea monster!"
The actresses present all gasped in surprise.
One actress looked nauseated, having previously tasted sea monster soup.
She had never seen what a sea monster actually looked like.
"My little cutie is a sea monster?" Qi Yuan's eyes shone as he looked at the hideous creature.
For some reason, looking at the sea monster made his mouth water, giving him an urge to swallow it whole.
"No, this isn't an ordinary sea monster. This is a mutated sea monster!" Carnival cried in astonishment.
The sea monster was quite small, not even the size of a soccer ball.
Ordinary sea monsters still obeyed basic physical laws.
Four or five of his mercenaries had failed to drag it up.
That proved the sea monster was highly unusual and defied normal rules.
Which meant it was a mutated sea monster.
Sea monsters were expensive, and mutated ones were the rarest of the rare.
This specimen, no larger than a soccer ball, was probably worth millions.
"A mutated sea monster, is it?"
Qi Yuan bent down, intending to touch it.
Carnival's face tightened. "Be careful, mutated sea monsters are dangerous!"
A mutated sea monster meant the unknown and peril.
Its flesh might well harbor radiation; touching it carelessly without protection could easily prove fatal.
"It's fine. It isn't a mutated sea monster; it's my little cutie.
"Perhaps... it might even become the moonlight of my heart."
Qi Yuan squeezed out a smile.
He ran his hand over the mutated sea monster's slimy skin. The creature, previously aggressive and ferocious, now shivered violently as if confronting its natural predator.
Carnival was startled by the sight.
He had seen mutated sea monsters before and knew their temperament well.
They were violent, chaotic organisms.
Fear simply did not exist in their minds.
Yet at this moment, it was trembling like a petrified pet.
Beside them, Wu Qi suppressed her disgust and drew closer. "Mr. Qi truly is kindhearted, showing such tenderness to a sea monster with such a... distinctive appearance."
She was flattering Qi Yuan.
After all, Qi Yuan had said the creature might become the moonlight of his heart.
Wasn't it completely normal for powerful figures to have peculiar tastes?
"At first glance, this sea monster looks a bit odd, but the more you look at it, the cuter it gets. The little fellow looks quite... unique." Wu Qi lied through her teeth, eager to cozy up to Qi Yuan.
Qi Yuan could not help but glance at Wu Qi. Taking in her long, shapely legs clad in sheer stockings, he decided that when Ning Tao came down, he would have her wear a pair as well; it would surely possess a unique charm.
"Deep-fry it," Qi Yuan said.
Deep-fry... the little cutie?
Wu Qi froze on the spot.
Hadn't he just called it the moonlight of his heart?
Carnival immediately gave the order upon hearing that: "Deep-fry this mutated sea monster!"
Qi Yuan then turned to the mercenary who had hooked the beast.
The mercenary's face flushed with irrepressible delight.
"I'll reward you with a glass of... a piece of paper."
As Qi Yuan spoke, he pulled a napkin from his pocket.
Taking a twig, he dipped it into the medicinal liquid and drew something onto the napkin.
A few moments later, a napkin bearing a bizarre talisman landed in the mercenary's hands.
"It can save your life once," Qi Yuan said indifferently.
He had drawn the defensive talisman casually.
Even if an artillery shell struck him, it would keep him alive.
"Hurry up and thank Mr. Qi!" Carnival urged.
Though confused, the mercenary hurriedly tucked it away and expressed his gratitude.
He figured this might be a piece of artwork created by a big shot, perhaps worth tens of thousands.
The thought of it fetching tens of thousands delighted him.
The other actresses looked on with envy, Wu Qi in particular.
Chapter 287