Chapter Thirty-Three: The Might (Please Recommend)

If viewed from above, the scenery on both sides of the Thanatos River would surely be breathtaking, yet Catherine felt nothing of beauty or grandeur. Instead, she felt deeply uneasy, as if a chill was crawling from the soles of her feet straight to the crown of her head.

“What is so strange about this river?” she wondered aloud.

“Pay close attention—do you sense anything different about the surroundings?” Ling Mo spread his arms wide in demonstration, signaling to Catherine. “You’ve visited many great rivers, haven’t you? Don’t you feel that something is missing here?”

Missing? Catherine had felt only an eerie sensation just moments ago and hadn’t given it much thought. As she reflected on her past experiences, comparing this river to others, at first glance there seemed little difference apart from the water being almost unnaturally clear. Yet something still felt off, and she couldn’t shake the feeling.

A feeling!

“That’s it—it’s the sense!” Catherine suddenly understood and blurted out, “Master, there’s no wind here! Not a single breeze! With a river of this width, the wind should be strong along the banks!”

“Exactly, that’s the greatest difference.” Ling Mo pointed to the desolate landscape on the opposite bank. “Normally, only towering mountains can block the monsoon and create such starkly different climates at such a close distance. But the Thanatos River is different. There’s a tremendous force of suction above it, pulling everything above toward the river itself. Moist monsoon winds and soaring birds can’t cross it; the humid mists of the magical beast rainforest come to an abrupt halt here, which is why a barren, stony landscape forms on the other side.”

Catherine drew in a sharp breath. “Master, are you saying its suction affects altitudes of over a thousand meters?!”

“Yes, but the suction is perfectly uniform—from the riverbed up to a thousand meters in the air, it’s exactly the same. And it affects only the area directly above the river—no more, no less. Quite fascinating.” Ling Mo led Catherine to the riverbank, gesturing for her to look at the apparently carefree fish and shrimp below the water. “Thanatos is the name of the death god from ancient legend. Literally translated, it means ‘Death River’—a fitting name. To cross this river by conventional means is pure fantasy. Aside from the suction, did you know that even the most inconspicuous fish and shrimp in this river are at least fourth-rank magical beasts?”

Catherine looked at the small fish and shrimp, none even a foot long, and could hardly believe they could be fourth-rank magical beasts. Ling Mo didn’t argue. He glanced around, then lifted his hand and, with a flick, caught a sparrow from a treetop where it had been preening its feathers. He tossed it lightly into the air above the river.

It was clear to see: as soon as the bird crossed above the bank, it dipped unnaturally, as if some invisible force was dragging it down. The sparrow struggled, flapping its wings furiously, just barely managing to stay aloft and avoid being pulled into the river.

The suction didn’t seem so bad after all, Catherine thought—until she noticed the fish below, previously languid, suddenly become excited. One shot upstream at incredible speed, positioning itself directly beneath the sparrow. Its oddly shaped mouth gaped open, and a visible ripple rose from its lips, reaching the surface in a blink. Then, a water column as thick as a barrel shot skyward, striking the struggling sparrow with brutal force.

The poor bird, unprepared, was knocked senseless by the torrent, tossed high into the air, then spun down into the water. Several small fish, already waiting below, surged upward and tore it apart, devouring it in a matter of seconds.

Catherine swallowed hard and shrank back from the edge, cautiously pulling her feet away from the riverbank. “The fish in this river are truly vicious...”

“Do you believe now that those little fish are fourth-rank magical beasts?”

“I do—the power of that water jet is absolutely on the level of a fourth-rank beast. But isn’t it wasteful to use such an attack on a sparrow? And what kind of magical beast is that fish? I’ve never heard of it.”

“That fish lives at the bottom of the river for long periods and isn’t familiar with birds. It doesn’t know what level of force will be effective, so it just goes all out.” Ling Mo’s lips curled in a strange smile. “As for the fish, you must have heard of it—it’s a water-jet fish.”

Catherine’s face showed clear disbelief. “That? A water-jet fish? While it does look somewhat similar, water-jet fish are the lowest, first-rank magical beasts. Their water jets are no thicker than a pen! How can this be the same species?”

“It truly is the same species. Look closely—isn’t the fish ovoid, pale yellow with a hint of green? Most importantly, it has six vertical stripes symmetrically arranged along its sides. Isn’t that the key identifying feature of a water-jet fish?”

“The features do match, but...”

“But why is it so powerful, right? Think about it: if a human doesn’t cultivate, an average adult male is about on par with a first-rank magical beast, right? After all, humans are animals too. If humans can cultivate, why not animals?”

“But the system of magical beast ranks has been in place for years, and only a few rare examples fall outside the established ranges, don’t they?”

“Of course. Animals generally lack intelligence; once they’re fed, they become complacent and don’t seek to cultivate, nor do they have any methods for cultivating. But what if a harsh environment acts as a form of cultivation in itself? Though most would die, those that survive would experience a tremendous leap in power!” As he spoke, Ling Mo’s expression grew serious. “Once we cross this river, remember this: much of what you know as ‘common sense’ may no longer apply. Don’t be surprised if you encounter a bubble bunny with the strength of a fifth-rank magical beast.”

A fifth-rank bubble bunny! If I ever saw such a thing, my eyes would probably pop out of my head—how could I not be surprised? Catherine didn’t dare say this aloud, but she raged inwardly. Everyone knew bubble bunnies were adorable, could blow bubbles to wrap themselves up, and float a few meters through the air. They were many girls’ favorite pets; plenty of families kept them at home.

She didn’t dare complain to Ling Mo, but the comments scrolling across the live feed had already voiced her thoughts:

“A fifth-rank bubble bunny! That just sounds so wrong!”

“Who came up with that phrase? The grammar is all off—did the gym teacher teach you language arts?”

“My own cuddly little bubble bunny at home will become a fifth-rank beast? Would it just bubble me to death?”

“Looking at the litter of bunnies in my room, I’m starting to panic...”

“Is this a brand-new direction in magical beast research?”

“Magical beast advancement? Is this really not just a fantasy?”

“You idiots! Would Teacher Ling lie? Didn’t we just see the World Tree?!”

“Exactly! If we’ve seen a World Tree that grows hundreds of meters in minutes, what’s so unbelievable about magical beast evolution?”

“User ‘Wealth Breaks the Sky’ just tipped the streamer with five Chaos Meteorites! Message: ‘Please, streamer, catch me an evolved bubble bunny! I’d be thrilled with a second-rank beast—I won’t even dream of a fifth-rank!’”

“User ‘Loves Bunny Girls’ tipped ten Chaos Meteorites! Message: ‘Catch me a third-rank bubble bunny! If you do, I’ll reward you beyond measure—money first, goods after!’”

“…”

Catherine ignored the playful banter in the comments and asked the most pressing question: “Master, are we really going to cross the river? Why? The other side looks far more barren than here. Wouldn’t the rainforest side have much more food?”

“In terms of quantity, certainly. But the ‘quality’ of food on the other side is much higher. Enough talk—stay close to me.”

Ling Mo strode forward to the riverbank, his right hand shaped like a blade and raised high. He gathered strength for nearly three seconds, then shouted sharply and brought his arm down in a mighty chop.

It was impossible to describe the brilliance of that instant. Sun-bright golden radiance extended from Ling Mo’s arm, transforming in a flash into a massive blade of light, a hundred meters long and dozens wide, which struck the surface of the Thanatos River with thunderous force. Where the blade of light touched, the water evaporated silently and instantly! More terrifying, the blade endured, holding its shape for a long moment. The surging river was neatly severed; the water on the left, blocked, began to rise visibly, while on the right, with no new water flowing in, the level dropped rapidly.

Ling Mo relaxed his stance. Before him now stretched a vacuum path across the river, even the muddy riverbed smoothed flat by the blade’s passage. He strolled across effortlessly, reaching the far shore within moments. Catherine followed, her eyes alight with fervor. In that moment, all her doubts and fears about embarking on the martial path vanished without a trace.

(P.S. Although the number of favorites yesterday didn’t meet my expectations, the recommendation votes increased by 80, which made the author very happy. Thank you all for your support! If we get 80 more recommendations today, I’ll definitely post an extra chapter! I swear on my honor—no tricks!)