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

Following the images transmitted back by Da Zui, Chen Shi quickly arrived at a body of water.

"Well done!"

He grabbed a few small fish from the fish basket and threw them into the water.

Whoosh—!

Several small fish, having just entered the water, thought they had gained their freedom, unaware that a "giant maw of the abyss" had been waiting for them underwater. Just as they were about to flick their tails and leave, they suddenly felt a powerful suction from behind, unable to break free at all, and could only watch helplessly as they were swallowed up by the giant mouth.

[Digestion (Level 1): Your digestion speed is improved, resulting in higher nutrient utilization.]

[Advanced Path: Upgrades as the Bigmouth Catfish levels up]

[Spirit Fish: Largemouth Catfish (Tier 1)]

[Ferocious in nature, with an extremely strong digestive system, capable of swallowing prey of its own size.]

[Advanced Path: Consume 87 of any type of fish]

Excluding the four catfish that Chen Shi fed to the bigmouth catfish as a reward, the bigmouth catfish devoured a total of eight fish in one night, which was quite efficient. Even though they only caught small fish, it was still much better than some ordinary wild carnivorous fish that sometimes didn't have a meal.

This is the benefit of gaining sentience; no wonder it's a spirit fish!

Subsequently, Chen Shi devised a brilliant fishing strategy.

He had Big Mouth herd the school of bluefish to his vicinity like a sheepdog, and then, with the dual protection of his fishing net and [Water Control] ability, he caught more than a dozen bluefish in one go, so that he could use them to advance the entry.

"Work hard, and I'll reward you with a few fish after you've finished."

Chen Shi gave the order, and immediately began to set up the fishing nets again.

Upon receiving the command, Big Mouth suddenly swooped down into the water.

The group of grass carp that were pecking at snails underwater were startled and scattered. Even when faced with a "lone fish" that was smaller than itself and outnumbered, the group of grass carp could not unite to fight back and were driven by the big mouth all the way to the waters where Chen Shi was.

"Big Mouth, well done!"

Sensing movement underwater, Chen Shi's lips curled into a slight smile.

Just as five or six bluefish were being chased by the big mouth and were about to pass under the boat, the water resistance suddenly increased, and they were abruptly stopped.

Then Chen Shi put it into the fish basket.

This process was repeated several times until not a single bluefish could be seen in the water.

Chen Shi beamed with joy as he looked at the overflowing fish basket.

Although the result was not entirely in line with his expectations, and he was unable to catch all the bluefish in this area to advance his skill level, he was still very satisfied with the nine bluefish he had caught.

"Here you go." Chen Shi tossed a slightly larger fish to Big Mouth.

Immediately, his gaze fell on the bluefish in the fish basket, and the familiar prompt reappeared:

[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 Path: Catch 123 Whitebait]

......

[Great Strength (Tier 2): Grants an additional 500 jin of strength, and replenishes Qi and blood.]

[Advanced Route: Catch two grass carp]

"In a few days... I'll be able to raise the Canglang Blade Technique to the fourth level, while Juli will need to find two more bluefish..."

Chen Shi pondered to himself, then steered his small boat to the water's edge.

With no one around, he drew the fine steel longsword he carried at his waist.

What needs to be done now is to practice sword techniques and stance training.

Chen Shi was unwilling to waste even a single moment on improving himself.

In this world where martial arts reign supreme, all power stems from one's own martial prowess. Take, for example, the martial saint Shen Lang spoke of who lived for over three hundred years. The reason he was revered by successive monarchs and even held a higher position than the emperor was precisely because of his unparalleled strength.

This strength is precisely the source of that martial saint's confidence in looking down upon the world.

"Good fortune is upon me..." Chen Shi couldn't help but mutter to himself.

"Master Shen said that those who are blessed with good fortune can cultivate at a speed far exceeding that of ordinary people. If I could possess a bit of good fortune and have the support of the panel, even if my talent isn't top-notch, my cultivation speed would probably be comparable to that of top geniuses."

"But these things are too far removed from me. The concept of luck is vague and ethereal, something that can only be obtained through great opportunity. All I can do right now is to work hard, and work even harder!"

Hoo-ho-ho

As Chen Shi pondered this, he practiced his swordsmanship and stance training.

Mastering the "control of qi and blood" is different from cultivating the "Canglang Saber Technique." There are no shortcuts for him; he can only rely on his own continuous efforts!

With this mindset, Chen Shi quickly lost track of time.

He entered that magical state again—flow.

Everything around him seemed to slow down, almost to the point of stillness. The frequency with which he swung his sword with explosive power increased as his flow state deepened, and even the blood and qi within his body seemed to be drawn by some force, actively surging towards his arms. This wasn't an unconscious, passive flow; it was intentionally guided by Chen Shi.

"Is...is this what they call 'manipulating qi and blood'?"

Chen Shi had a vague feeling that he had grasped the key.

Before we knew it, half a day had passed.

By the time Chen Shi stopped swinging his sword, the sky was already ablaze with the red glow of the setting sun. He was drenched in sweat, his arms aching so much that he could barely hold the sword, but his face showed no sign of fatigue; instead, he was unusually excited.

Because... he has completely mastered the "control of Qi and blood"!

"I actually... I really mastered 'Controlling Qi and Blood' in less than two days." Chen Shi was somewhat dazed, but mostly immersed in joy. "Could it be... I really am a martial arts genius?"

It should be noted that it took Shen Lang five days to master the control of qi and blood.

In the martial arts schools in Baishui Town, ordinary disciples who want to fully master "controlling qi and blood" need to practice for at least seven or eight days, and those who are less skilled may even be stuck for ten days or half a month.

Chen Shi only took less than two days; if they knew, they would be furious.

We all have two eyes and one mouth, so why is there such a big difference between people?

Of course, the most confused person was Chen Shi himself.

When he first mastered the first level of the Canglang Blade Technique, he relied entirely on his own abilities without using the panel. However, when he tried to cultivate the technique to the second level, he found it extremely difficult and could not feel any progress. He felt that his so-called "talent" might just be his imagination.

But now, this "talent" has reappeared, allowing him to master the control of Qi and blood in just two days.

Chen Shi scratched his head, unable to come up with a reasonable explanation.

I just feel that this "talent" works sometimes and doesn't work at all.

"In any case, the fact that I was able to quickly master 'manipulating qi and blood' in just two days already says something. Perhaps my talent lies not in cultivating martial arts techniques, but in this kind of aspect that requires comprehension." Chen Shi nodded slightly, confirming this speculation.

Now that I have completely mastered the art of "manipulating qi and blood", I can go to the Canglang Gang to ask Master Shen for guidance and officially begin to hone my martial arts physique.

Just as Chen Shi made this plan and prepared to sail his small boat to Sanli Town, a new discovery was made underwater at the Big Mouth.

In the image that Da Zui transmitted to Chen Shi's mind, a strange plant appeared—

A plant that resembles a dragon's beard grass and grows at the bottom of the water.

Within an inch of its perimeter, there were no other aquatic plants growing. Ordinary aquatic plants would never have attracted the attention of such a spirit fish as Big Mouth.

So there's only one reason... this might be a precious underwater plant!