Chapter 90

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Chapter 90: Title

"If he says you needn’t repay him, then don’t," the white snake spoke, its tone sharp and unfriendly, revealing a temperament far less amiable than the Fish Spirit’s.

Li Canghai sensed hostility in the serpent’s gaze. Though he couldn’t recall offending this creature, he attributed the animosity to the inherent tension between spirit cultivators and humans. Unbeknownst to him, the white snake was inwardly fuming, frustration gnawing at it like a bitter poison.

Over a month had passed since their exodus from the Mountain and Sea Realm. Through eavesdropping on lakeside visitors, the serpent had pieced together humanity’s current state – cultivators here peaked at Tier One strength, with even Tier Two or Three practitioners reduced to Tier One capacity by the world’s laws.

This revelation stung. The white snake realized it needn’t have confined itself to West Lake’s depths with its Tier Three power. Few in the human realm could challenge it, save perhaps the enigmatic Dragon Lord mentioned in whispers – one of the Nine Extreme Demon Lords, sovereigns of the spirit realm.

This puzzled the serpent. Spatial rifts between realms shouldn’t permit passage for high-level spirit cultivators. How then had a Nine Extreme Demon Lord, much less the rumored deceased Dragon Lord of the dragon race, crossed over?

Its slit-pupiled eyes assessed the sword cultivator. Even with the chains suppressing its demon power, their chances seemed evenly matched. The white snake’s tail twitched in irritation, recalling its earlier miscalculation with the Fish Spirit. What madness had made it mistake that dim-witted creature for a human’s pet? Regret burned through it – precious scales lost, life force squandered, all for a fool’s errand.

Though briefly tempted to devour the bumbling Fish Spirit, the white snake stayed its hunger. In the Mountain and Sea Realm, survival dictated such choices, but here… The fish, while exasperating, remained its first loyal follower in this strange world.

"Benefactor," the Fish Spirit’s voice wavered with soft, oddly accented Mandarin, "truly… no repayment? Unsettled karma may hinder…"

Li Canghai studied the spirit. Since shedding its Horizontal Bone, the creature had adopted speech patterns from countless tourists, its words carrying a childlike cadence. "Would this debt affect your cultivation?"

"Perhaps…?" The answer came uncertain, tinged with anxiety.

"Then register at the Special Bureau."

"Just… that?"

A serpentine tail slapped water, drenching the Fish Spirit. "Fool!" The white snake’s hiss cut through mist. "Register when told, but refuse to perish when commanded?"

Li Canghai’s brow furrowed at the harshness. "Mark its origin as Mountain and Sea Realm in the records," he instructed his companions, gaze lingering on the serpent’s coiled form beneath moonlit waves.

He had just observed that the white snake differed significantly from the Fish Spirit. Though appearing merely Tier One in cultivation, its aura radiated power far beyond that level.

In Zhongxia, spirit cultivators reaching Tier One remained exceptionally rare. Beyond the inherently privileged dragon race, no other spirit cultivators surpassing Tier One had yet been documented.

Given that Spiritual Energy’s Awakening had occurred mere months prior – coupled with spirit cultivators’ inherently slower progression compared to human cultivators – local entities surpassing those from the Mountain and Sea Realm seemed improbable in the near future.

Li Canghai lingered briefly before departing for the Special Bureau’s Capital City headquarters regarding an overseas assignment.

"I have pressing matters," the sword cultivator declared, skimming lake waves with swallow-like grace before vanishing into shoreline crowds.

"Shall we proceed with questioning?" A bureau agent produced stationery for immediate documentation, following their protocol of on-site registration for aquatic spirits.

"Certainly," acquiesced the Fish Spirit with earnest compliance.

The white snake lashed its tail contemptuously at this human-interrogation spectacle.

"Would the honorable serpent care to register?" The agent turned diplomatically to the aloof spirit. "Alternatively, we could review footage of Dragon Lord Ao Yuan, your Nine Extreme Demon Lords’ current sovereign."

"Is this coercion?" The serpent’s form ballooned menacingly. While wary of the previous sword cultivator, this ordinary-ranked functionary warranted no such caution.

Unfazed, the seasoned agent activated his phone. Seventy-five seconds later, the chastened serpent grudgingly recited its vital statistics.

As their registration vessel retreated shoreward five minutes later, the white snake hissed derisively: "Foolish minnow."

The Fish Spirit blinked upward.

"Descend and cultivate!" The serpent plunged lakeward, delivering a parting tail-strike.

Pursuing through murky depths, the piscine spirit protested: "Brother Bai! Why withhold the secret realm from our benefactor? His aid might…"

Emerald coils constricted the speaker mid-sentence. "Mention that realm again," the serpent threatened icily, "and you’ll flavor tomorrow’s broth."

Though discomforted by the grip, the Fish Spirit’s nonchalance betrayed routine familiarity. "But even combined, we cannot breach its wards! Perhaps it’s never meant for…"

A Silence Spell terminated the chatter – a technique the serpent had perfected through excessive practice.

The white snake privately fumed about wasted imperial nectar – that celestial elixir which kindles intelligence and augments cultivation. Its distribution to lesser beings like the garrulous cyprinid represented tragic mismanagement.

Eastern Sea City.

Post-invasion week found Zhu Xin scowling at immigration paperwork. "Residency applications? Since when does Abyssal Countermeasure handle civic bureaucracy?"

Her secretary adjusted spectacles. "Provincial spirits seek proximity to the Dragon Lord of the East Sea – your department coordinates interspecies governance."

Zhu Xin gaped at the three-centimeter stack. "These all cite ‘admiring His Majesty’? Denied! Do they comprehend the labor behind…"

The secretary interjected smoothly: "Hanzhou Branch reports significant communal spirit activity. Preliminary estimates suggest…"