As the spiritual energy concentration on Yuliu Island increased, far exceeding that of the outside world, the spiritual energy began to leak out.
A Grade 3 Spirit Gathering Array could not completely prevent the natural dissipation of spiritual energy.
Moreover, Yang Hong's arrays on Yuliu Island were primarily focused on defense and concealment, which naturally led to increased leakage of spiritual energy.
This resulted in accelerated evolution of fish species outside Yuliu Island.
Coupled with the spiritual wine emanating from Yuliu Island, which fell into the sea as rain, the evolution of fish in the waters around Yuliu Island quickened further.
When fish demons reached a certain level of advancement, they naturally developed intelligence.
With intelligence came the inevitable desire to assault Yuliu Island.
Unfortunately, protected by the arrays, no fish demon could set foot on Yuliu Island.
Most of these fish demons did not stray far from this sea area, but a significant number did venture out to explore the world.
And then, they became meals for other demon races.
Gradually, word spread that the Yuliu sea area offered delicious, spiritually infused fish with a hint of wine aroma.
Yang Hong, engrossed in his farming, was completely unaware of this.
By the time he had used his system to elevate the ten chosen spirit fruit trees for brewing the Ten Fruit Brew to Grade 5 spirit plants,
thirty fish farms had already appeared in the Yuliu sea area, encircling Yuliu Island from a distance.
"What the hell! When did my Yuliu Island get so many demons around it?"
Once, when Yang Hong took a break and inadvertently expanded his divine sense to its fullest, he finally discovered the bustling activity outside Yuliu Island.
"What are these demons doing?
Farming fish?"
Seeing the fixed seafaring vessels on the water's surface and the large nets between them, Yang Hong was astonished.
Had demons learned to farm fish?
"This is bizarre.
I'll have to see what these demons are up to."
Driven by curiosity, Yang Hong retracted his divine sense and stealthily approached the largest fish farm.
It was a massive fish farm composed of two hundred seafaring vessels, each over a hundred zhang long, that had already reached the edge of Yang Hong's array.
At the very center was a colossal ship, thirty zhang high, a hundred zhang wide, and a staggering five hundred zhang long.
Yang Hong's divine sense was powerful, and with his intention to conceal himself, he successfully reached the heart of the grand ship.
A meeting was in progress, discussing matters.
"Mao Kuan, you scoundrel!
Yuliu wine spirit fish are fetching a high price now, why won't you let me go sell fish?"
"Heh heh~ Mao Duoyu, do you take me for an idiot? Outside, Yuliu wine spirit fish are priced at one hundred spirit stones for Tier 1, one thousand spirit stones for Tier 2, and at least thirty thousand spirit stones for Tier 3.
What's the price you're reporting to the clan?"
"Hmph, according to clan regulations, I report half of the market price to the clan. I've done nothing wrong."
"What the hell! You've done nothing wrong? You're demanding only Tier 3 spirit fish, and you say you've done nothing wrong?"
"I want three hundred Tier 3 spirit fish and three hundred Tier 1 spirit fish."
"Three hundred of your grandmother! The clan has only cultivated over eight hundred Tier 3 spirit fish in two years, and you want three hundred?
Why don't you just die?"
"One hundred! At least one hundred! And I'll pay twenty thousand spirit stones."
"No, thirty at most."
"Mao Kuan, don't forget, I am the young master of the Duo Ling Dao Mao demon clan, the future patriarch,
while you are merely an elder.
At least one hundred."
"You are..."
A cat demon at the late stage of Tier 6 Demon King was rendered speechless by a cat demon at the early stage of Tier 5 Great Demon,
and this was in front of ten other Tier 5 cat demons.
The fury of the Demon King could be imagined.
But he could only concede.
"Alright, Young Master Mao Duoyu, go catch your own fish, but I will report this truthfully to the patriarch and the elder council."
"Heh heh~ Thank you."
The young cat demon, Mao Duoyu, grinned smugly, gave a perfunctory bow, and turned to leave.
Following him were two Great Demons at the late stage of Tier 5.
"Bastard~ Bastard~ Bastard~"
After Mao Duoyu left, Mao Kuan, in front of his subordinates, angrily smashed things in the grand hall.
Yang Hong, who was eavesdropping, also became curious. What kind of fish was worth thirty thousand spirit stones each?
He knew that the spirit stones he had obtained from killing 12 Demon Kings and 180 Great Demons amounted to only ten thousand.
And now, right under his nose, there was a spirit fish worth thirty thousand spirit stones.
Following Mao Duoyu with his divine sense, Yang Hong soon learned what Yuliu wine spirit fish were.
These were not a single type of fish, but a diverse variety of demon fish farmed in these fish farms.
Under Yang Hong's divine sense, he also noticed a difference: these fish exuded a faint aroma of wine, unlike ordinary fish.
Furthermore, there was a rhythm he felt somewhat familiar with.
But he couldn't quite discern what rhythm it was.
"Fish like this? Worth thirty thousand spirit stones?"
Seeing these spirit fish, and then looking at the fish in other fish farms, Yang Hong questioned the aesthetic tastes and values of the outside world.
He was so tired of eating fish like this that he was sick of it.
He now only ate beasts of Tier 4 or higher, consumed spirit fruits of Grade 5 or higher, and drank spirit wines of Grade 5 or higher.
More than three years had passed since the entire island's spirit plants were Grade 3. Now, all the spirit plants on Yuliu Island were Grade 4.
This was the power of having a system.
He had also cultivated the first-tier Ten Fruit Brew technique, the second-tier Ten Flower Brew technique, and the third-tier Hundred Fruit Brew technique from the Spirit Monkey Brewing Art to the peak of perfection.
This was the terror of perseverance.
Even though the Spirit Monkey Brewing Art was a talent of the Spirit Monkey clan, it still required at least a thousand years of exploration to reach the Proficient realm.
Reaching the peak of perfection required comprehension and opportunity.
Yang Hong, who could immerse himself in researching things that piqued his interest, was indeed terrifying.
He retracted his divine sense and casually found a small lake on Yuliu Island, catching a Tier 4 spirit fish.
"Hmm? This is the rhythm of the laws of creation!
The fish on Yuliu Island have been nurtured by the Gentle Rain Technique for a long time, acquiring a trace of the rhythm of creation. No wonder they are so valuable."
Holding the spirit fish in his hand and sensing it carefully, Yang Hong immediately understood why the fish outside Yuliu Island were so valuable.
Clearly, the offspring of the fish on Yuliu Island had entered the sea, grown, and carried a lesser rhythm of creation. They were discovered, and people rushed to raise and sell them.
"I can't possibly eat all these spirit fish. Why not sell some and earn some spirit stones?"
Although Yang Hong's cultivation hardly required spirit stones, spirit stones were equivalent to money in the cultivation world. Who wouldn't love having money?
Moreover, spirit stones had many uses. The most basic of which was required for setting up arrays.
"Right, and demon cores. My scale space can also consume demon cores. I can directly exchange for them."
Touching his right hand, Yang Hong thought of another commodity he needed.
After discovering that demons self-destructing could expand his scale space, he had thrown some demon cores into it. They were indeed slowly absorbed,
and the space could also slowly increase.
"It's about the price, though..."
Thinking about pricing, Yang Hong once again extended his divine sense.
He not only listened to the conversations of the demons but also carefully studied the situation of the spirit fish.
"Heh heh~ My spirit fish must be priced at ten times the outside price. A Tier 4 spirit fish should be sold for at least a million spirit stones!"
"Heh heh~ I'm going to be rich!"
The Yuliu wine spirit fish in the Yuliu sea area were said to be highly sought after outside.
Currently, the islands within a radius of a million li from the island had, through competition, established 30 factions. Each faction was backed by a Tier 7 Demon Lord who bestowed supreme power.
They controlled the pricing of Yuliu wine spirit fish, and it was a case of having a price but no market.
"Now, the pricing power is mine."
With a domineering declaration, Yang Hong dispersed his divine sense and directly notified the leaders of these 30 factions.