"It’s just a shame... It feels like something’s missing..." Bian Yixia murmured.
The night before, Zou Feng had passed outside the Practice Room and happened to hear Bian Yixia complaining about whether her adoptive father had held something back.
So, hearing her words now, he had no choice but to change the subject. "Miss, when is the Gang Leader coming back?"
Bian Yixia’s expression immediately changed, a rare flash of anger crossing her face. "How should I know!?"
"That’s enough. Let’s go eat!"
With that, Bian Yixia turned and strode out of the Practice Room, leaving Zou Feng standing there.
However, to Zou Feng, it seemed less like Bian Yixia had been angry and more like she was... afraid!
"What are you spacing out for? Let’s eat!" When she reached the door, she seemed to have recovered, turning back to urge him on.
Every meal with Bian Yixia inevitably included fresh Spirit Fish, an opportunity Zou Feng would never pass up.
He now realized that the journey from Eighth to Seventh Grade was really just a process of accumulating a massive amount of Inner Qi.
For Ninth to Eighth Grade, comprehension was paramount, as you needed to develop sophisticated control over your Inner Qi and achieve Integration and Mastery in at least one Cultivation Skill.
But progressing from Eighth to Seventh Grade was primarily a matter of resources and accumulation.
High-quality Elixirs, Spiritual Food, and the like—the more, the better.
In other words, as long as the resources were there, an Eighth Grade Martial Artist could most likely "grind" their way to Seventh Grade, provided their aptitude wasn’t too poor and they hadn’t developed any training-related injuries.
However, the leap from Seventh to Sixth Grade, which required a qualitative transformation of Inner Qi into Gang Qi, couldn’t be achieved by simply amassing resources.
Now that Zou Feng understood the importance of "accumulation," he naturally wouldn’t pass up any opportunity to acquire resources.
"Miss, did the Fishing Team catch more Spirit Fish last night?" Zou Feng asked as he caught up.
The Black Flood Dragon Gang had a dedicated Fishing Team, but they didn’t operate in the waters where the Dragon Gate Boat was moored.
To catch Spirit Fish, they had to venture at least twenty li away, to the wider and deeper parts of the Jiayue River.
Catching Spirit Fish was also a rather dangerous job. The great river wasn’t just home to Spirit Fish that were ripe for the picking.
Some Spirit Fish were as dangerous as Exotic Beasts or even Demon Beasts, and they loved nothing more than when humans came to serve as bait.
Despite the dangers, fishing for Spirit Fish was still one of the Black Flood Dragon Gang’s most important industries.
Furthermore, three of the Gang Leader’s own disciples were stationed with the Fishing Team.
It was worth noting that among Gang Leader Deng Guangxin’s six disciples, while Bian Yixia was currently the only one at Seventh Grade, the strength of the others was not to be underestimated.
Old Third, Old Fourth, and Old Fifth were stationed with the Fishing Team.
The eldest, Bian Yixia, held command on the Dragon Gate Boat, while Old Sixth was responsible for affairs within Yuan Guang County Town.
The one currently thought most likely to break through to Seventh Grade soon was, of course, Old Sixth, Song Sixing—the one who enjoyed "taking care of" other men’s wives.
As for Old Second... just like the Gang Leader, his whereabouts were unknown.
"That’s right. They caught a few Firefin Fish last night. Their taste and nourishing effects are far superior to those Dragon Beard Colored Scale Fish from last time," Bian Yixia said. "You should eat your fill later!"
Zou Feng took the opening. "Thank you, Miss, but... I feel ashamed for always freeloading like this..."
Bian Yixia laughed. "None of that. You’ve earned it!"
"Being available to spar with me on a moment’s notice is a great merit in itself. And don’t think I haven’t noticed. Even though you look unfazed and can take a real beating after activating your Tribulation-Indestructible Body, you’re actually enduring a lot of pain, aren’t you?"
’You’d have to ask Brother Ji about that,’ Zou Feng thought. ’I’m not enduring anything. It’s not difficult for me at all.’
"Also, you deserve the primary credit for taking down that stronghold of the Ten Directions Sect remnants."
"Not to mention that many of our gang brothers who were struck by the Great Compassion Hand recently have you to thank for their speedy recovery..."
Hearing this, Zou Feng replied modestly, "I was just doing my duty."
"Rewards must be given where they are due. I’ve already sent people to negotiate with the disciples from the Celestial Essence Sword Sect. We’ll most likely get three Nine Yang Profound Qi Pills, and when we do, one of them is for you."
She then turned to look at Zou Feng and added, "This is also thanks to Chen Jingsheng fighting hard on your behalf. It’s clear he thinks very highly of you..."
Zou Feng gave an awkward smile. "Miss, what exactly does that Nine Yang Profound Qi Pill do?"
"It has many effects, but you only need to know one of them: after taking this pill, barring any accidents, you won’t be far from advancing to Eighth Grade."
’It’s that powerful?!’
Zou Feng was instantly energized. He had been taking Qi Blood Pills and similar elixirs recently, but perhaps because he’d consumed so many, he was starting to build up a tolerance.
It wasn’t that they had no effect at all, but it was minimal.
’Even though I’m already Eighth Grade, a High-Grade Elixir like the Nine Yang Profound Qi Pill will definitely help me achieve the accumulation needed to go from Eighth to Seventh Grade.’
’Besides, as my cultivation progresses, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to hide the fact that I’ve already reached Eighth Grade.’
’I had been worried that a breakthrough this fast would attract unwanted attention.’
’But now, with the Nine Yang Profound Qi Pill, advancing to Eighth Grade won’t seem so conspicuous.’
’However, of the three Nine Yang Profound Qi Pills, I’ll get one. Bian Yixia can certainly justify taking another, since she personally killed the Ten Directions Teaching Envoy.’
’So what will happen to the last one?’
’But that’s not my concern.’ He immediately pushed the thought away.
He followed Bian Yixia to the Dining Hall and into her private booth. Two fresh Firefin Fish were already served on the table.
Zou Feng had assumed it would be like last time, with the two of them sharing a single fish.