If walking into the hallways we used to roam around was memorable, the sight of the bathing area itself made me a little emotional.

Even with the importance of what we are checking out here, it still feels crazy that it was only a few months ago that I was getting to know Gong, Ai, and Lin right here. Living day by day, with us learning how we could move forward in this world.

Sneaking a glance at Gong, her upturned lips show me I’m not the only one nostalgic for times that weren’t so long ago.

Outside of my feelings, though, I can’t deny that the closer we get to the water, the more clearly I can feel the emotions of the fish spirit beast sleeping within.

And it seems to have finally recognized me.

Unsurprisingly, I’m sensing more positive feelings from it, considering my regular time with Gong before.

Of course, I’ve shared my findings at every step on the way.

At the point where we are now inside the room, I now focus on both the seen and unseen aspects of this place.

The pools and rivers of water haven’t changed here, still having those Flow-Following Scalefish swimming within. Like their name suggests, they are formed from the scales of the same fish watching us.

As I squat down to take a closer physical look at the fish, I can’t help but vocalize a question.

“Gong, how did you find out about the rampant qi within these scalefish? If you were just to eat it without cultivation, it would make you terribly sick, but you wouldn’t have been able to tell why…”

While I ask this, Sister Nuan has already spread out her spiritual sense a bit towards them, clearly noticing the scalefish innately has rampant qi flowing through its body. Dangerous for non-cultivators to eat. But for cultivators…

She immediately heads over to the river, picks up the fish, and performs a terrifying action.

CHOMP.

She bites into the middle of it.

Bones and all. I can even hear the bone crunching like chips between her teeth and gums.

From a living fish.

At my shocked look, she only says a little.

“What? Most benefits are best received when eating them alive.”

I mean I know that… especially as an alchemist. But it’s one thing to know it and another to actually do it. Seriously, cultivators are way too eager to just do crazy things for cultivation benefits. Though, the benefits would be even higher if the cooking cultivators were reestablished…

This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

While she continues munching away, I turn back to Gong, who had already answered my question, while I was gawking at Sister Nuan.

“I only found out later once I checked with Big Sis Crane. I was definitely a bit surprised at that, considering all the times I’ve had to munch on them to survive.”

She gives a pause, before casually gesturing at the holes that the water and fish pour in from.

“…You know, I always wondered what was on the other side of these holes. Imagining that there would be bigger fish on the other side, since the very biggest ones were always the size of the holes themselves. I never would have imagined that they would actually be from a still living spirit beast.”

Her change of subject is punctuated by her once again shrinking down to a small size, to reach into the stream and effortlessly catch a fish.

All to immediately chomp into it, just like Sister Nuan.

I try not to think about how much more natural it seems for her to do so than Sister Nuan, and what that might really be saying about me.

Like the others, though, I reach down and grab my own fish. Bringing it up to my lips.

… God, it smells bad.

The things cultivators do for power, huh?

I take a bite.

It tastes just as bad as it smells. As if I was chewing a weird combination mushroom, dense muscle, and actual fish scales.

However, the benefit of eating it instantly presents itself, as qi flows through my mouth and into my meridians. Nothing even remotely resembling a spirit stone, but a sizeable amount that could save time on cultivation.

Wow, no wonder the culinary sects were so popular in their day. That they can increase the amount of qi that a person can absorb and, in many cases, even the qi from the food itself, is crazy.

It’s a serious travesty that they were wiped from the map. Something that I’ll one day rectify.

From this point, only the sounds of chewing sound in the room, as each of us takes two more fish from the river. Circulating the qi carefully within ourselves to use every piece of it.

As with many things, though, there is always a few additional elements to keep track of.

We can’t have too many of them, as that might disrupt our natural qi flow.

While spirit stones are pure qi and are easy to take in, other sources require more work and can have a build-up of other elements. Of course, I could bypass these downsides with the healing aura, but getting into good habits is important, if only to show others in my group later.

Not only that, but I have to keep my cultivation progress at a certain speed to maintain the benefits for the next rank.

So, as everyone finishes up, I do a quick check to verify that the fish spirit beast isn’t irritated by our eating of the scalefish.

Which the answer is, of course, no.

For something of that size, it’s akin to bugs eating your skin cells on the ground after you pass. It’s not even on their radar. Heck, it might have even directed some of them here to feed Gong and the demihumans.

Of course, if it hated us, then even that would be a different story. After all, it isn’t only cultivators that are horribly vindictive and petty in this world.

But this was all part of the plan, either way. Leading to one conclusion from us all.

“Well. This was underwhelming.”

Which comes from Sister Nuan.

After all, her role was to use her spiritual sense to figure out more about the situation.

“It looks like it’s exactly as we thought. They are definitely sealed behind some heavy-duty formations. Ones that we can’t even access from our side.

“Overall, we can probably assume that they can’t do anything, even if they wanted to.”

Dang. How deeply is this spirit beast locked down, if she’s saying that?

Nonetheless, that adds a bit of peace in our hearts, knowing that it is relatively safe.

That matches up with the small scans I’ve been running to make sure everything would be alright.

At the worst, they would awaken once a certain trigger occurs. And if I’m right, that may be a security measure tied into the very curse that is on all the demihumans.

… I only hope that it will be friendly.

After this brief investigation, we all shuffle out of the room to head over to the rest of the group, even as I get used to its eye upon us.

Watching.

Waiting.

Judging.