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

Chen Shi's eyes gleamed with excitement, too thrilled to speak.

If this is truly a precious plant, even if it's a variety I don't currently need, it's still a precious plant, and I could earn a lot of money by selling it at the town's pharmacy.

Good fortune has come!

"Big Mouth, take me here quickly!" Chen Shi conveyed the command through his mind.

Upon receiving the command, the large-mouthed catfish quickly swam back to him. It raised half its body above the water and sprayed several streams of water towards Chen Shi, as if saying, "Come with me!"

Before long, Chen Shi arrived at the waters where the Water Treasure Plant was located.

puff-

Without saying a word, he plunged into the water.

With Big Mouth leading the way and the underwater perception brought by [Water Control], Chen Shi quickly arrived in front of this underwater treasure plant.

After seeing the plant with his own eyes, he became even more convinced that it was a precious plant.

Without hesitation, Chen Shi dug with both hands like a shovel, carrying the clump of soil containing the roots of the precious plant upstream.

"I need to go to Sanli Town immediately to inform Master Shen that I have successfully mastered the technique of 'manipulating Qi and Blood,' and also ask him to help me identify what kind of precious herb this is."

Chen Shi felt that Shen Lang might not be unaware of the knowledge about the precious herb.

If he could use it for his own cultivation, that would be ideal. But if he couldn't use it himself but Shen Lang could, he would give up the idea of ​​selling it to the pharmacy and instead give this precious plant to Shen Lang to help him cultivate.

"Big Mouth, you really have brought me quite a harvest!" Chen Shi gently stroked the body of the spirit fish, and then picked out a few more fish from the fish basket to reward Big Mouth.

Most carnivorous fish would certainly not be able to eat it at this moment.

Big Mouth ate several fish last night, and Chen Shi fed him quite a few just now. But Big Mouth is no ordinary fish.

Big Mouth, but it's a spirit fish!

That extraordinary digestive ability isn't just talk; it's something that truly manifests in changes in the body.

The night it was tamed, it was only the size of a palm. Now, after consuming more than a dozen fish, its length has actually changed, growing to about a quarter of a fingernail. This is only after consuming a dozen fish. When it consumes a hundred fish and advances to the next level, its body will undergo even more noticeable changes, and the [Digestion] effect will be enhanced as well.

At this moment, Chen Shi had only one thought in his mind—"My Big Mouth is better than dozens of treasure fish!"

After instructing Big Mouth to continue hunting and devouring prey, Chen Shi steered his small boat towards the [Suppressing Water Stele]. Next, he needed to complete his daily duties as a minor official patrolling the waterways, bring the collected fish home, and finally sail to Sanli Town.

In the past, this would have taken up a lot of his time.

It’s different in the past.

With the help of [water control], everything can be done in just half an hour.

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

Sanli Town, Canglang Hall.

Shen Lang listened to his subordinate's report with a gloomy expression.

"These beasts, do they really not take my Canglang Gang seriously?" Shen Lang slammed his fist on the table. "Not only did they kill my brothers, they even hung their corpses on the ship to humiliate them!"

"Steward Shen... these sea thieves are so audacious, should we...?"

Shen Lang shook his head and said in a deep voice, "Let's hold back for now."

"Our Canglang Gang has been dealing with them for years, but the reason we haven't been able to completely eradicate them is precisely because the enemy is in the dark while we are in the light. Going to pursue and suppress the bandits now would only result in the loss of all our previous efforts. Only when our spies planted among the Water Flying Bandits bring back the location of their camp can we avenge them. Starting today, send more men to strengthen the defenses of the river mouth."

"Yes!" The gang member clasped his hands in a fist salute and left.

In the large room, only Shen Lang remained.

The Canglang Gang controls four river mouths. Because the other three river mouths are farther away, the other three stewards mostly live near the river mouths, and Shen Lang manages most of the affairs of the Canglang Hall by himself.

Just as Shen Lang was pondering how to better deal with the sea thief's attack, a series of knocks came from the door.

"Come in."

Just when he thought it was going to be bad news again, a familiar and anticipated figure appeared before him.

"Who do we have here? It's you, kid." Shen Lang breathed a sigh of relief.

In his memory, Chen Shi always brought good news whenever he came.

This time should be no different.

Whether it's right or wrong, as long as it's not bad news, that's fine.

And indeed, just as he had hoped, Chen Shi brought good news.

"Master Shen, I have completely mastered the art of 'manipulating Qi and blood'."

Upon hearing this, Shen Lang, who was drinking tea, widened his eyes in surprise.

He then nodded firmly, his gaze toward Chen Shi seeming to say something like "as expected" or "as it should be."

However, he still needed to test it himself to avoid a situation where Chen Shi thought he had mastered it but actually hadn't.

Shen Lang led Chen Shi to an open space outside Canglang Hall.

"Show me a few moves with your sword."

"Hmm." Chen Shi nodded and took a deep breath.

He simply used a few moves from the "Canglang Sword Technique".

The moves are the same, but the feeling when drawing the sword is different.

Just like the same painting by a beginner and a master, the former can achieve a similar form but cannot capture the essence of the painting, hence the saying, "Those who learn from me will live, those who imitate me will die."

The same applies to practicing swordsmanship.

Before mastering "controlling qi and blood" and "qi following the sword," Chen Shi could certainly use the Canglang sword technique, but it always lacked a certain feeling. It was like a story written with formulas, full of craftsmanship rather than inspiration.

But once you master the "manipulation of Qi and blood", it's a completely different story.

Even if Chen Shi just makes random moves, he can still unleash considerable power.

"Stop," Shen Lang said with satisfaction.

A martial artist of his caliber could easily tell whether someone had mastered the art of "controlling qi and blood," let alone someone who practiced swordsmanship.

"Your qi follows the blade, and you control the qi and blood... You did a great job. You mastered it completely in less than two days, which is almost exactly the time I expected." Shen Lang was equally satisfied with the result.

This means that he can finally guide Chen Shi to formally embark on the cultivation of martial arts physique.

"Without further ado, today I will teach you how to 'temper your Qi and blood' so that you can officially embark on the cultivation of martial arts physique."

"Please wait a moment, Professor Shen!"

Shen Lang was about to demonstrate when Chen Shi suddenly interrupted him.

"Hmm? Do you have a question to ask?" Shen Lang asked.

Chen Shi nodded vigorously and then took out a seven-inch-long plant.

"Please take a look, Professor Shen!"

Chen Shi handed the underwater plant to Shen Lang with both hands.

"I found this 'water plant' while fishing this morning. I thought it looked a lot like the precious plant the pharmacist mentioned. So I picked it and rushed to Sanli Town, hoping it would be of some help to your cultivation, Master Shen!" he said earnestly.

Even if both of them could use this precious herb, Chen Shi would not hesitate to offer it to Shen Lang.

Shen Lang took the precious herb from Chen Shi and examined it carefully. He looked it over from top to bottom, then tapped it from side to side, finally making up his mind. He said with a hint of joy, "This is indeed a precious plant."

"This precious plant is called 'Water Beard,' but it's useless to my cultivation. On the contrary, it will be of great benefit to you in honing your martial arts physique." Shen Lang's tone showed no disappointment at not being able to use the precious plant; instead, he was genuinely happy for Chen Shi.