The catch inspired my entry: Persistence will eventually lead to invincibility.

"Did this guy deliberately lure me here?"

Chen Shi frowned, knowing it was too late to escape. He immediately turned over and entered the water, silently diving towards the largest of the boats, clinging to its hull like a piece of duckweed.

In the distance, several small boats were rapidly approaching.

"Tiger, there's a small boat over there!"

A sharp-eyed sea thief discovered the sampan left behind by Chen Shi.

Liu Hu's eyes sharpened: "Go and take a look."

"yes!"

The two of them lightly skimmed the water with their ropes and landed on the small boat. Looking around, they saw that the baskets were full of fresh fish and shrimp.

"Brother Tiger, the fish and shrimp are still fresh, the person shouldn't have gone far, should we...?"

"Fool!" Liu Hu said coldly, "There's less than a day left. If we don't catch that treasure fish, we'll all be thrown into the water to be fish food. And you still have the leisure to worry about anything else?"

He glanced at the empty boat. "He's lucky today. We need to hurry; we must catch the treasure fish and bring it back before dawn!"

Meanwhile, three feet underwater.

Chen Shi heard their conversation clearly.

"The treasure fish...it seems to be the strange catfish that lured me here. It actually thought of using me to hold back the water thief and kill two birds with one stone. It has truly become intelligent."

He was planning to sail back as soon as the group left when suddenly, a pungent, foul odor wafted from the surrounding water. His heightened senses, granted by his Water Control ability, allowed him to clearly perceive, even while holding his breath, the sound of rushing water coming from above, like someone urinating into the water.

"Gurgle..."

The smell grew stronger and stronger, almost choking my nostrils, and even the time I could hold my breath was disturbed.

"Who, who's there?!"

A pirate who had just finished relieving himself suddenly noticed bubbles rising below. Startled, he fell backward without even pulling up his pants. His sudden shout alerted the other pirates, who all looked down into the water.

Bubbles were seen continuously rising from one area.

"Sneaking around like that, they're definitely up to no good—come out here!"

Liu Hu strode forward, untied the grappling hook from his waist, and hurled it fiercely at the bubbling water.

"We have no choice but to take action."

Chen Shi's eyes turned cold. He burst out of the water and swung his long sword, beheading a pirate.

"Who goes there!" Liu Hu roared, pulling back the grappling hook and throwing it again. The iron hook was shaped like an eagle's claw, and could be used to climb boats or as a weapon in combat.

Chen Shi didn't answer, his gaze sweeping across the room: "Five underlings and one leader. With my current strength, and still in the water, dealing with them shouldn't be difficult."

While he was thinking, he raised his knife to parry.

Clang!

The grappling hook was deflected.

"What are you all standing there for? Kill him!" Liu Hu glared angrily and threw his grappling hook again.

The other sea thieves, upon receiving the order, immediately followed and attacked. Their attack methods were remarkably uniform, all employing throwing hooks from their waists.

"We must finish this quickly and not let them call for help." Chen Shi swung his sword like a wave, deflecting the flying hooks one after another.

"This swordsmanship looks familiar... You're from the Canglang Gang!"

Liu Hu suddenly realized what was happening, and his anger intensified. Just as he was about to get closer, the boat beneath his feet suddenly lurched.

The once calm water surface began to churn without warning.

Chen Shi seized the opportunity and swiftly killed two men.

The commotion on the water just now was naturally caused by him.

Now, the [Water Control] ability can drive a flow of 500 pounds of water. Although it cannot destroy or capsize the boat under its feet in one blow, it can easily make the water pirates in front of it lose their balance.

"Hmph!" Liu Hu steadied himself and sneered, "So that's where these fishing boats came from in the middle of the night. Turns out they're from the Canglang Gang. It's a pity... you only sent one person. Otherwise, your Canglang Gang would have succeeded and caught that treasure fish before us."

He kicked off the boat deck, drew his short blade, and thrust it straight at Chen Shi's heart.

But at this moment, strange phenomena suddenly occurred.

In mid-air, a giant water sphere materialized out of thin air, large enough to engulf everyone present.

"Smash it!" Chen Shi shouted, and the water ball crashed down.

The water ball fell from the sky and slammed heavily onto the group.

The terrifying impact caused Liu Hu's arm to tremble violently, turning it bright red. The other three were knocked unconscious and fell straight into the water, with no chance of survival.

"Water control technique... Just who are you?!" Only now did a hint of panic show on Liu Hu's calm face.

He knew in his heart that this was a force that the Canglang Gang could not control.

Only those in the Water Management Bureau, or those who possess the power of water transport, can unleash such a technique.

Upon hearing this, Chen Shi remained silent.

In his eyes, Liu Hu was already a dead man, and talking to him was just a waste of breath.

With a thought, the water that had been scattered across the boat suddenly condensed into droplets the size of fingernails. Each droplet was then launched with a force of seven hundred jin, striking Liu Hu's body.

"Go to hell," Chen Shi thought to himself.

Water droplets shot out like a torrential rain, piercing Liu Hu's chest and arms, and finally disappearing into his brow.

The intense pain prevented Liu Hu from opening his eyes. He could only feel a dark shadow approaching. Just as he was about to see it clearly, a silvery-white light flashed before his eyes, and then everything in his vision spun around him. He could even see his own back.

His body and head were separated!

Liu Hu is dead; he simply couldn't withstand such an attack.

"In the water, my combat power is indeed far superior to that on land. The strength I can exert should be three or four times that on land." Chen Shi sheathed his sword, having gained a clear understanding of his own strength.

Although this unavoidable battle took a toll on him, it gave him a clearer understanding of his own strength. From now on, when faced with danger, he can assess the strength of both sides before deciding whether to confront them head-on.

After finishing off the three unconscious pirates, he began looting their belongings. The ordinary pirates only had some copper coins and silver scraps, but from Liu Hu's pocket, he pulled out a leather map of the waterways.

Chen Shi lit a lamp and carefully examined the map.

After a while, he understood.

This is a partial map of the Fallen Dragon Marsh. The marked area is where the "Treasure Fish" with its pale golden skin might appear.

"There really is something good here." After realizing the value of the water map, Chen Shi put it into his pocket.

"The most important thing right now is to stay out of the way for a while to avoid attracting attention. These sea thieves have been searching for so long without catching that strange catfish, and after what just happened, it will definitely be on high alert. Even with this map of the waters, I won't be able to catch it anytime soon. It would be better to wait a few days and then explore the area marked on the map one by one."

Chen Shi thought to himself, then immediately set fire to several boats, burning them to prevent anyone from knowing that a battle had taken place there and thus avoiding suspicion.

After completing these tasks, he steered the small boat home.

............

After some time, Chen Shi steered the small boat to shore.

At this moment, the sky was beginning to lighten.

He carried his evening's catch to his front door. He knocked lightly and whispered, "I'm home."