At the moment of making the decision, the two creatures seemed to turn transparent, their bodies glowing brightly.
In Liang Qu's mind, the Marsh Cauldron shone with a brilliant radiance, resonating with the light from the creatures, expanding into hundreds, then thousands of beams.
Though it wasn't physically there, Liang Qu, standing on his boat, couldn't help but narrow his eyes.
It was as if there were suns both in the sky and beneath the earth until something pierced through the gleaming light on the water's surface.
The light on the bodies of the two beasts shattered like tangible objects, scattering like ashes in the wind.
With the massive figures revealed back into his sight, Liang Qu watched intently.
His eyes widened as he saw the Fat Catfish and the Immovable begin to swell and change form bit by bit.
Intense pain radiated from the spines of both beasts, a pain ready to explode, like a cocoon struggling to break free, or a snake in the agony of shedding its skin.
Their huge forms stirred up turbulent waters.
The black canopy boat began to rock uncontrollably, waves splashing into the cabin.
Liang Qu stood unshaken at the bow.
As for the Grand Marsh Crocodile, known as the "Immovable," its scales stood on end, transforming from root to tail into a dark azure, gleaming with an oily luster.
Its limbs grew more agile and its spine thickened like a dragon's, while the broad belly and jaw slightly contracted.
Its claws extended several inches, sharp as daggers.
Most astonishingly, two bulges rose from the back of its head, growing into two stumps resembling green wood.
Is it already growing horns on a single evolution? Isn't the next stage meant to become a flood dragon? Liang Qu's eyes shone brightly.
On the other side, the Fat Catfish underwent a dramatic change as well.
Its navy-colored body spread out like ink, turning into an elegant ink-wash hue.
Its form became sleeker, losing its former bulk.
The fins on its sides grew continuously, becoming wide and graceful at the ends, almost like clouds or mist.
Its most distinctive wide mouth retracted, ceasing its flatness, with muscle layers lifting and eventually forming beastly teeth emerging from its mouth, resembling a tiger's maw!
Splashing magnificent water, its massive tail lashed the water, creating an impressive scene, like a fledgling bird vigorously breaking free of its shell to greet the world with its first clear chirp.
Liang Qu was overjoyed.
Magnificent! After the evolution, the Immovable grew to five meters two, while the Fat Catfish reached five meters six! They looked majestic! His little five-meter black canopy boat seemed tiny by comparison, and any fisherman seeing these two in the water would be terrified.
He felt a strong sense of safety.
Liang Qu called the Immovable over and touched the half-formed, tree-stump-like horns on its head.
The texture wasn't just similar to wood; it was identical.
These were definitely not the usual "dragon horns."
Perhaps its evolutionary direction wasn't towards a dragon? Maybe some other horned creature?
He touched the scales again, finding them very hard.
Liang Qu drew the Azure Wolf Blade and softly sliced it, feeling considerable resistance from the blade.
He had to use a third of his strength to cut through, stronger than ordinary steel by far.
Then he turned to the Tiger-Head Catfish.
The once green catfish had turned ink-colored, with skin remaining smooth and elastic yet highly resilient, making cutting difficult.
It really wasn't wrong.
The change in size wasn't the biggest transformation; the overall quality of both beasts had improved drastically, a world apart.
Fist stood at the bow, filled with envy.
The Fat Catfish seized the opportunity, arching its body and shooting a water arrow, sending him flying off the boat.
Times have changed; once, Fist was small and frequently bullied.
Recently, he'd hit a "growth spurt," anchoring himself to wood like nails, but the evolved water arrow from the Fat Catfish was too powerful, and history repeated itself.
Delighted, the triumphant Fat Catfish rolled over and exposed its belly, wiggling its whiskers.
The Immovable continued its serene demeanor, its new "tree horns" adding to its zen-like presence, floating like a massive log.
Though the beasts looked different, their personalities hadn't changed.
Liang Qu halted their play.
"Enough, you can play later. Circle around so I can see how much you’ve improved."
The beasts obeyed, racing around the black canopy boat, causing giant waves to splash into the cabin, moving many times faster than before.
Should he make some saddles for them, reducing the need for paddles? Liang Qu pondered, imagining his boat speeding over the water surface.
"Hmm? Do you have other abilities?" The spirit link from the creatures interrupted Liang Qu's thoughts.
"Quick, show me."
The Fat Catfish dove underwater, and Liang Qu followed closely.
When they reached an open water area, the Fat Catfish opened its mouth, emitting an indescribable wave.
Fish flipped belly-up and floated to the surface.
"Some sort of wave attack?" Liang Qu mused, curious about this ability's limits.
Could it only stun small fish and shrimp?
Then he looked at the Immovable.
It seemed to fully ignore the cold, swimming under the lotus, digging and hiding motionless.
Silent for a while, Liang Qu felt as if crows flew over his head.
"Wait, what's that supposed to mean?" He didn't quite get it.
Was the Immovable trying to show its excellent stealth?
Realizing its ability wasn't instant, the Immovable climbed out of the pit, gesturing at the lotus field.
"Is it the plants? Can it promote their growth?" Liang Qu realized.
No wonder he noticed no change; it was a passive skill.
All plants near the Hornwood Crocodile could now gain a growth buff, thriving under its influence.
Was this just eighty points of Water Essence? How potent were the initial evolutions? Fist and Ah Wei needed eight hundred and a thousand points; what would they become post-evolution?
Liang Qu was amazed.
The cost-effectiveness was incredible, and he checked the creatures' information.
[You can use 1491.2 Water Essence to evolve the Hornwood Crocodile into the Verdant Horned Crocodile.]
[You can use 1492.6 Water Essence to evolve the Tiger-Head Catfish into the Tiger-Head Catfish King.]
Fifteen hundred? Not that much more than Fist and Ah Wei's requirements.
Were they different levels of the same stage creatures? But why were these two obviously stronger? Did the Marsh Cauldron evolve them further?
Liang Qu believed his guess was correct.
He climbed back onto the boat, glanced at the sun, and realized it was late.
Looking down at the Azure-Back Dragon Carp in the cabin, Liang Qu faced a rare dilemma.
Should he eat the large carp alone or bring it back to share with everyone?
On any other day, he wouldn’t hesitate to devour it himself.
But tonight was New Year's Eve, and carp carried a good omen.
The Treasure Carp was particularly rare.
Enjoying it alone felt wrong, especially when his master, his mistress, and all his senior brothers had helped him so much without expecting anything in return.
Glancing back at the Fat Catfish and the Immovable's massive forms, cooling safety washed over him.
Alright, with these two around, tomorrow he could go to the deep water area to hunt a spirit beast for more Water Essence.
If he didn't earn more, what kind of person would he be?
Feasting it is! Everyone should taste the delight of Treasure Fish Slices!
(End of Chapter)