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

Shen Lang did not tell Chen Shi the specifics of what happened.

"These things are too far removed from your current situation, so it's pointless to talk about them now. I'll tell you when you've broken through the four barriers and honed your swordsmanship to a level of subtlety. That might be helpful for your breakthrough to the Heroic Spirit Realm."

Shen Lang patted Chen Shi on the shoulder and laughed loudly, "Drink the soup!"

Chen Shi nodded solemnly, then scooped up a full bowl of fish soup from the pot and gulped it down.

Afterwards, Shen Lang took Chen Shi for a walk around the river mouth area, mainly to give him a general impression of the various responsibilities of the Canglang Gang. In any case, Chen Shi was now considered a member of the Canglang Gang.

After practicing stance training for half an hour in the gang, Chen Shi left the Canglang Gang and sped off in his sampan toward the waters where he had cast his net the day before.

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

[Canglang Blade Technique (Tier 3): The moves become increasingly refined and fluid, the slashes are more stable and faster, and the hit rate on vital points is significantly improved.]

[Advanced route: Catch 167 whitebait and 1 grass carp]

"We only managed to catch thirty-three whitebait."

Chen Shi could not accept this result.

Based on past experience, he could usually catch forty or fifty whitebait every day when he hauled in the net, but today he only caught thirty-three, which was less than usual. How could he be satisfied?

Although these fish wouldn't fetch much money at the market in Baishui Town, what he cared about wasn't making money from selling them as whitebait, but rather the slowdown in the entry advancement speed. Moreover, today's catch not only showed a decrease in the number of whitebait, but also a significant reduction in other types of fish compared to usual.

"Should I try casting my nets in a different body of water?"

Chen Shi pondered this in his mind, but he also knew that this matter couldn't be rushed.

He needs to spend a few days figuring out which areas have the most fish and are more likely to attract them. Otherwise, if he just casts his net anywhere, unless he's incredibly lucky, he'll likely end up with nothing.

However, Chen Shi was still somewhat confused.

Suddenly, a thought flashed through his mind.

He immediately bent down, picked up the scattered fishing net, and examined it closely.

Today's situation reminded him of the day he caught his first treasure fish—the Xuanlin fish. It was a similar scene then; the fish in the net had mysteriously disappeared, and the real reason was the Xuanlin treasure fish trapped in the net.

When a familiar scene unfolds again, it's hard not to connect the two.

"Could it be... another dried treasure fish?"

Chen Shi frowned slightly, lost in thought.

He then took out the water map he had been carrying and spread it out.

My gaze swept over the marked waters on the map.

He attributed today's situation to that strange catfish.

That night, when he sensed it using his ability to control water, he clearly saw it swallowing small fish in the water. The way it fed was very similar to that of a blue whale, opening its huge mouth and sucking in a large stream of water, using the strong suction to pull the prey and water into its belly.

The reduced catch today is most likely due to the catfish.

"If that's the case, then it's just as I predicted. This catfish with its skin glowing with a pale golden light has already gained sentience and knows that I'm fishing with nets in this area. So, when I wasn't around, it secretly came to the vicinity of the nets and used its huge mouth to suck up the whitebait and small fish that were entangled in the nets."

Chen Shi thought about it more and more and found it to make sense, so he nodded repeatedly.

"In that case, I might as well stay here tonight and wait for it to come to me. If it really is the work of that strange catfish, I can catch it while I'm at it, saving me the trouble of searching for it one by one according to this water map."

Chen Shi regretted letting the treasure fish escape earlier. If he could meet the catfish again tonight, he would do his best to catch it.

With this in mind, Chen Shi replaced the fishing net.

Immediately afterwards, he rowed his small boat to a mudflat, skillfully retrieved the eel traps he had set some time ago, and poured the catch inside into a prepared wooden bucket.

The harvest here was as good as ever, and when Chen Shi saw the two eels struggling in the cage, he couldn't suppress the smile on his face.

As he reached out to grab the eel, the scene before his eyes naturally changed.

[Water Control (Level 4): Controls 500 kg of water at will, completely at your disposal. Can clearly sense water within a three-meter radius and vaguely sense water within a ten-meter radius, slightly reducing your movement within the water.]

[Advanced route: Catch 200 whitebait and 8 eels]

"This mudflat that Uncle Li gave me is a great spot. No wonder he's an expert at catching eels. At this rate, the most difficult part of the [Water Control] advancement should be completed soon."

Turning his gaze away, Chen Shi returned home with his abundant harvest.

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

As soon as Chen Shi arrived at his doorstep, he saw tide Niang washing clothes on the shore.

"Brother Shi'er, why didn't you come back for lunch today? Are you hungry?" tide Niang stopped what she was doing, wiped the sweat from her forehead with her arm, and asked with concern.

Chen Shi shook his head and replied with a smile, "I've already eaten."

Where did you eat?

tide Niang was curious, but since her husband was unwilling to talk about it, she didn't ask and continued washing the clothes with the wooden mallet.

After that, Chen Shi, as usual, took his full catch to Baishui Town to sell for money. It happened to be market day, and the town was bustling with activity and crowds. He quickly sold out his catch.

After returning home early, Chen Shi didn't rest.

He came to a patch of reeds, where no one was around.

The next thing to do is obvious – practice stance training.

"Qi follows the blade, controlling qi and blood... To cultivate the Canglang Blade Technique to a higher level, I can still advance by offering fish as tribute on the panel, but there is no shortcut to this level. I can only rely on my own abilities. I don't know how long it will take for me to completely master this 'controlling qi and blood'."

Chen Shi gripped the long knife in his hand, recalling Shen Lang's demonstration in his mind.

Immediately, he closed his eyes and mimicked Shen Lang's movements as he swung his knife.

Each strike is coordinated with one's breathing: exhale when striking and inhale when retracting the blade.

Through repeated practice, Chen Shi vaguely felt himself entering a magical state—flow. His thinking became clearer, and he was able to exert force more effectively. Although this consumed a great deal of energy, the gains were far beyond what ordinary practice could achieve.

Before we knew it, the color of the sky had changed from orange to dark.

"call--"

Chen Shi exhaled a deep breath, feeling incredibly relieved.

"Manipulating Qi and Blood... Although I can't yet achieve the complete control Master Shen described, this practice has indeed sharpened my perception of Qi and Blood within my body. Perhaps... I can truly master this 'manipulation of Qi and Blood' within two days."

After dinner, Chen Shi steered the sampan to the marshland.

He kept the small boat at a subtle distance.

Without disturbing the catfish that come to "steal food," it can also roughly sense the underwater situation by controlling the water.

And so, Chen Shi waited until the middle of the night.

"Splash!"

Suddenly, a very soft splashing sound came from underwater.

In an instant, a blurry image flashed in Chen Shi's mind. It was guarding the fishing net, its mouth wide open, swallowing the fish in the net whole. This scene perfectly matched his previous guess.

Chen Shi also opened his eyes at the same time.

"It's finally here..."