Chapter 35: The Beauty of the Tidal Flat

However, the Bone Fish was incredibly swift, vanishing from its spot in the blink of an eye, causing the Princess's attack to strike only empty water.

Before the Princess could react, a barrage of bone needles pierced through the current, shooting directly toward it. The Princess immediately activated "Steel Feathers." In the next second, its black plumage transformed into silver metallic quills; the bone needles caused not even a scratch upon impact, instead being deflected away one after another.

At this moment, Fanxing, above the surface, began to exert her power. She channeled her "Water Control" ability to its absolute limit. Under normal circumstances, it was difficult for her to unleash the full potential of this skill. But things were different now; she was on the ocean, specifically in the Spirit Source Sea, where the water-type spiritual energy was exceptionally abundant. Consequently, the skill, which usually operated at 80% capacity, was pushed to 120% by Fanxing.

The previously calm sea surface suddenly began to boil. Massive amounts of seawater surged together, and within moments, several water dragons took shape.

"Roar!" The water dragons let out a growl, then dove into the depths, quickly surrounding the Bone Fish.

The Bone Fish attempted to flee, but its escape routes in every direction were blocked by the dragons. With another roar, a water dragon lunged at the Bone Fish, wrapping its slender, fluid body around the creature.

The Bone Fish was agile; it flickered and vanished from its position, narrowly evading the attack. However, no sooner had it stopped than another water dragon struck, followed by a third, a fourth... No matter how well the Bone Fish dodged, it could not escape the siege of so many dragons.

Finally, one water dragon succeeded in seizing the fish, coiling around it and rising above the surface.

Looking at the two-meter-long, monstrous Bone Fish before her, Fanxing thought: *So this is a "Beach Beauty"? I don't see anything beautiful about it.*

The fish had no flesh, only a stark, white skeleton, with two purple lights flickering rapidly within its hollow eye sockets. Yet, ugly as it was, it was indeed a D-rank spirit creature, superior to both the "Gold Abundance" and the "Snow Crag." Fanxing could sense the rich spiritual energy emanating from its bones.

At this point, the Princess broke the surface. Seeing that its master had captured the Beach Beauty so easily, its eyes were filled with admiration. *As expected of my master!*

Noticing the Princess, Fanxing waved to it. "Princess, come here. Take this to the shore first!"

"Coo!" The Princess nodded, its form suddenly growing larger, and it flew toward the shore while clutching the Beach Beauty. The creature tried to struggle, but its strength was no match for the Princess, who held it in a death grip.

Time flew by, and the morning passed in an instant. Fanxing and her team had caught 42 Gold Abundance, 2 Snow Crags, 2 Blood Grits, and 2 Beach Beauties. Blood Grit was an E-rank spirit creature similar to the Snow Crag, named for its blood-red color and scales that looked like they were embedded with gravel.

Fanxing fed all the Gold Abundance, Snow Crags, and Blood Grits to Yedo. Everything was currently prioritized around Yedo’s evolution. It had now consumed 46 fish-type spirit creatures; it only needed 54 more to meet the requirements for evolution.

However, as time passed, the number of spirit creatures in their current area dwindled, and they could barely find a single Gold Abundance anymore. Fanxing pondered for a moment before saying to Yedo and the Princess, "Shall we... head a bit deeper?"

"Coo!"
"Meow!"

Both pets agreed with raised claws and wings. "Then it's settled."

With that decision made, Fanxing continued into the deeper parts of the sea with the Princess and Yedo. After traveling for a while, the Princess, who had been diving, suddenly burst from the water, dragging a massive green crab with it. Excluding the claws, the crab's body was a full meter wide.

Fanxing recognized it at once from the *Compendium of Aquatic Spirit Creatures*. It was a "Green-Scaled Crab," a D-rank creature just like the Beach Beauty—rare, highly nutritious, and delicious.

The Princess and the crab were already locked in combat. The large crab was fierce, raising its massive pincers to snap at the Princess's neck, but the Princess swatted it away with a wing. Fanxing did not hesitate to intervene; she controlled the water to form several ropes, firmly binding the crab's two pincers and eight legs. Seeing this, the Princess delivered a swift blow to the crab’s head with its wing, knocking it unconscious.

Fanxing gave the Princess a thumbs-up, beaming. "Princess, well done!"

The Princess proudly dragged the dazed crab to Fanxing, casting a deliberate glance at Yedo—a look filled with smug triumph. *You good-for-nothing, you do nothing but eat. Unlike me, I can help my master catch fish and crabs.*

For some reason, Yedo felt that this was exactly what the look meant. It was furious, yet it had to admit the truth. Up until now, it hadn't contributed anything other than eating.

Fanxing removed the crab's legs and pincers and stacked them into her black bracelet’s storage space. The space was limited, and it was barely enough to fit one large crab. "Our lunch is sorted for today," Fanxing said happily. Both the Princess and Yedo couldn't help but drool at the mention.

***

The large crab was undoubtedly delicious. After traveling a bit further, they spotted a small island standing in the middle of the sea.

"Shall we go to the island for lunch?" Fanxing suggested.
"Meow!"
"Coo!"

Her proposal was met with unanimous approval; they couldn't wait to taste the Green-Scaled Crab. "Alright, that’s decided. Let's pick up the pace!"

Fanxing dashed across the surface of the sea toward the island. The Princess, finding swimming too slow, spread its wings and took flight, while Yedo had no choice but to transform into a ball of black mist and chase after them in frustration.

Fifteen minutes later, they arrived at the island. Upon closer inspection, they realized it was much smaller than they had imagined. The island was crescent-shaped, covered in lush trees, with seabirds flying in and out. They landed on a soft, white sandy beach in the curve of the crescent—the scenery was breathtaking.

After choosing a suitable spot on the sand, Fanxing took out her cookware. "Let's have lunch here."

Yedo and the Princess nodded. Fanxing then assigned tasks: "I'll handle the crab; you two go into the woods and gather some firewood."

The pets chirped in acknowledgment and dashed into the forest. While they were gone, Fanxing cleaned the crab thoroughly. By the time she finished, the Princess and Yedo returned with wood.

Fanxing wasn't skilled enough for complex preparations, so she simply steamed the crab in a pot. As it turned out, with top-tier ingredients, even the simplest cooking method resulted in a meal that was absolutely staggering. Fanxing pried open a crab leg to reveal the snow-white meat, dipped it in a soy-vinegar sauce, and took a bite. The freshness was unparalleled. The Green-Scaled Crab was indeed a D-rank spirit creature, far surpassing the taste of the Gold Abundance or the Snow Crag.

The three of them devoured every last bit of the crab. Afterward, Fanxing felt as though her body was overflowing with spiritual energy.

"Coo..." The Princess sprawled on the ground, looking completely satisfied, and couldn't help but let out a burp.

Fanxing rubbed her belly and laughed. "We ate all this by ourselves without saving any for Xinzhu and the others. That was a bit selfish of us."

"Coo, coo!" *I can catch more!* the Princess said confidently.

"Meow!" Suddenly, Yedo let out a loud cry. Fanxing and the Princess turned to see its aura surging violently. Fanxing was shocked—was it breaking through? It made sense; Yedo had already eaten dozens of spirit creatures, and now, having consumed the highly potent Green-Scaled Crab, a breakthrough was only natural.

Ten minutes later, Yedo successfully broke through, advancing from E-rank to D-rank.

"Meow, meow, meow!" Yedo jumped for joy. The Princess looked on with disdain. *A mere D-rank, nothing to be proud of.*

Fanxing chuckled. "Alright, let's keep fishing. We need to help Yedo evolve and find those five Beach Beauties."

The pets cheered and dove back into the sea. The resources around the island were abundant. By late afternoon, they had collected 46 Gold Abundance, 3 Snow Crags, 2 Blood Grits, 1 Upstream Sturgeon, and 2 Beach Beauties. Although Fanxing wanted to taste the Upstream Sturgeon, she fed it to Yedo to hasten its evolution.

Now, Yedo only needed two more fish-type creatures to meet its evolutionary requirements, and they only needed one more Beach Beauty. Yet, what frustrated Fanxing was that despite being so close, she couldn't find the final three fish. Just as she began considering moving to a new location, the Princess surfaced, calling out to her excitedly.

"Coo-coo-coo! Coo-coo-coo!"

Because of the language barrier, it took a while for Fanxing to understand. "You're saying there's something underwater and you want me to come take a look?"

The Princess nodded vigorously. Knowing the Princess wouldn't act without reason, Fanxing agreed. "Fine, lead the way."

She controlled the water to form a large bubble, encased herself within it, and slowly sank into the depths. Seeing this, Yedo dove into the bubble, joining its master. They followed the Princess down into the abyss. As they descended, the pressure increased, distorting the shape of the bubble. Even the Princess, who was not a water-type spirit but simply a skilled swimmer, began to struggle.

Finally, they arrived at a jagged cliff on the seafloor, where a dark, silent cave entrance awaited. The Princess dove in without waiting for Fanxing to stop it, so Fanxing had to follow closely with Yedo. Inside the cave, it was pitch black. Suddenly, the crown on the Princess's head erupted with light, illuminating the cavern.

Fanxing noticed that the path didn't lead downward or stay level; it sloped gently upward. They followed the Princess until they emerged from the water into a dim chamber. In the center of the room was an irregular, oval pool, and inside it, packed tightly together, were thousands of Gold Abundance.

"Are we about to hit the jackpot?" Fanxing whispered. The Princess nodded excitedly, and Yedo, unable to contain itself, leaped out of Fanxing's arms and began scooping up fish.

"But how are we going to carry so many?" Fanxing wondered aloud.

Just as they were pondering, a movement occurred in the dark corner of the chamber. A figure emerged from the shadows—or rather, glided out.

It was a strange creature: a beautiful young girl from the waist up, with a graceful figure, wearing only a pearl-encrusted bodice. She had long, flowing white hair that rippled like sea foam, and azure eyes that seemed to speak. However, her lower half was a fish tail made entirely of white bone. The upper body was not solid, but rather a translucent, phantom-like projection.

Fanxing pointed her scanner at the girl.

Species: Beach Beauty (Spirit Kind)
Classification: Undead
Attributes: Water, Yin
Trait: Unawakened
Skills: Bone Sword Strike, Dirge of Sorrow, Withered Domain
Rating: C
Role: Attacker
Description: A spirit kind born from the remains of the spirit creature "Beach Beauty." Extremely rare and vicious.

It turned out that the "Beach Beauty" spirit creature wasn't named for its appearance, but because there was a small chance that after death, its remains would give birth to this beautiful, phantom-like spirit kind. These beings were incredibly rare; one might not appear even after ten thousand Beach Beauty deaths.

Fanxing’s luck was truly something else. The thousands of Gold Abundance they saw were, in fact, livestock being farmed by this creature. Seeing its food source discovered, the Beach Beauty let out an angry roar. As its cherry-red mouth opened, it revealed a set of razor-sharp shark teeth.