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

The next morning, Chen Shi set off early in his sampan.

Using his ability to control water, he quickly reached the area where the fishing net had been laid the day before. He moved with practiced ease, quickly pulling up a net. A dozen or so small whitebait were still struggling to escape, but to no avail.

The panel appeared the instant Chen Shi scooped them up.

[Advanced path completed!]

[Water Control (Level 1) → Water Control (Level 2)]

[Water Control (Level 2): ​​Can manipulate hundreds of kilograms of water around the body, and control the water flow at will]

At the same time, ten small whitebait disappeared from the fishing net out of thin air.

"So, unlike catching treasure fish to obtain attributes, advancing attributes requires offering tribute."

Chen Shi's eyes narrowed as he looked at the entry panel.

[Water Control: Capable of manipulating hundreds of kilograms of water around the body, directing water flow at will]

[Advanced route: Catching 100 small whitebait.]

The catch is still small whitebait, but the required quantity has increased significantly.

"One hundred isn't too many," Chen Shi thought to himself.

Immediately, he pulled the other fishing nets back together without stopping.

Surprisingly, I had a very fruitful day.

Although they failed to catch the treasure fish again, they did manage to catch several fierce blackfish weighing about three pounds each, as well as a dense swarm of chub, which is exactly what they needed for the entry to advance.

The moment the fishing net was pulled in, the scene before Chen Shi's eyes suddenly changed.

[Advanced path completed!]

[Water Control (Second Order) → Water Control (Third Order)]

[Water Control (Level 3): Can control 200 kg of water at will, under one's command]

[Advanced route: Catch one yellow eel and one small white eel with a white tail]

After the disappearance of 100 small white bars, the effect of the affix was enhanced again.

This result was beyond Chen Shi's expectations.

He considered himself to be a fairly good fisherman in Ludang Village, but he still couldn't catch hundreds of whitebait in a single day. Just like yesterday, when he only caught one bighead carp, there must be a reason for it.

"Whitebait have an extremely strong sense of blood and the smell of rotting flesh. It's likely that the bodies of Xu Hu and his men sank into the water, attracting them to feed. The large number of whitebait also drew carnivorous fish like blackfish to this area. They were useless in life, but they're somewhat useful in death, which is perfect for me," Chen Shi analyzed, secretly pleased.

After that, he quickly set up several new fishing nets.

Chen Shi did not immediately return to the shore in the sampan.

He wanted to test the power of the advanced [Water Control] skill.

"Now I can control 200 kilograms of water, four times that of yesterday. But most importantly, the description has been updated. It has changed from 'controlling the water flow at will' to 'doing whatever I want, at my beck and call.' Although it is only a change of a few words, the meaning has changed fundamentally."

The original "Water Control" could only stir the water's surface at most, but now it can truly be used to my advantage. It can even transform itself according to the image in my mind, such as water blades or water shields—these imagined techniques can also be used.

Chen Shi nodded to himself and then began to try it out.

At this moment, the calm water surface seemed to be pulled by some force, ripples appeared, and then turned into a small whirlpool. Immediately afterwards, water flowed continuously, crashing against the sampan beneath him, but unlike yesterday, the two hundred pounds of water flow easily lifted the boat to half a person's height.

"It really works."

Chen Shi was overjoyed and became even more focused.

He drew a small portion of the water from the swamp and attempted to condense a water jet.

However, this is simply impossible to accomplish.

There was no high-pressure water flow as expected; the water simply fell naturally.

Why is that?

Chen Shi was puzzled and tried a different approach.

After a short while, his forehead was covered in sweat, and he was exhausted.

Fortunately, he figured out why he failed.

"To achieve high-pressure water flow, one must consider both pressure and area, not how much water I can control. Although I can compress the water flow to an extremely fine level through sophisticated water control techniques, my current strength is simply insufficient to apply enough pressure to the water. That's why I can't achieve high-pressure water flow. I still need to hone my strength," Chen Shi resolved silently.

Last night's Xuanlin Treasure Fish replenished his qi and blood, naturally increasing his strength, but it still couldn't reach the minimum required to compress the water flow. However, this attempt was by no means fruitless, allowing him to use [Water Control] more freely.

Furthermore, the force of a 200-pound water flow should not be underestimated.

Chen Shi could easily throw two hundred pounds of water at someone as easily as throwing a brick. Even a martial artist would lose his balance if hit by such a blow.

After securing the catch firmly, Chen Shi steered the boat along the current, speeding towards the shore.

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

Pushing open the door, Chen Shi was slightly taken aback by the scene before him.

The house was filled with fresh vegetables, eggs, and even live ducks.

"What are these things...?" Chen Shi looked at tide Niang with a puzzled expression.

tide Niang explained with a smile, "Brother Shi'er, these were all gifts from our neighbors. The eggs in the basket were a gift from Aunt Wang, and the ducks were brought over by Uncle Li and the others..."

tide Niang carefully explained which family each gift came from.

It's common for neighbors to help each other, so why are they all coming to deliver gifts today?

Seeing her husband's bewildered expression, tide Niang continued:

"Brother Shi'er, someone saw that Xu Hu and the others went out with you yesterday and never came back. They knocked on their door this morning but no one answered. Everyone knows what happened. Even without Xu Hu and the others, there's still hope in life, no matter how hard it is. This is just a small token of our appreciation from the villagers."

"So that's how it is." Chen Shi nodded in realization.

At first, he had some concerns, worrying about how to explain Xu Hu's death to the Water Conservancy Bureau. Even though Xu Hu was just a handyman, a dead man still needed an explanation. But now, Chen Shi didn't need to worry about that at all. The fact that his neighbors from Ludang Village came to his house to deliver things showed that they were happy to see this outcome. Not only would they not report it to the authorities, but they would also try to come up with a reason to fool the Water Conservancy Bureau.

This is undoubtedly a great thing.

"Is dinner ready? I'm a little hungry," Chen Shi asked.

Using the [Water Control] technique on the Great Swamp just now not only consumed my mental energy but also my physical strength.

"It's in progress, almost done. Brother Shi'er, I'll lay a couple more eggs today to nourish your body." tide Niang smiled as she walked into the kitchen.

Chen Shi nodded slightly and threw the blackfish he was carrying into the water tank.

They catch a lot of fish every day, but very little of it is actually worth selling.

Chen Shi kept fish like whitebait for his own consumption. Any leftovers were strung together and dried into dried fish, which wouldn't fetch much at the market, and nobody wanted to buy them. They were far less profitable than larger fish like carp, grass carp, or mandarin fish.

A black carp weighing about three pounds can sell for several tens of coins.

If it's in better condition and you happen to find a wealthy owner, it can sell for over a hundred coins.

After lunch, Chen Shi was about to take a few blackfish to town.

Baishui Town Market.

Chen Shi slowly got up, picked up the wooden bucket, and headed home.

"Four blackfish, earned three hundred coins, not bad luck." He was very pleased with himself.

I didn't encounter any difficult customers today; everyone was generous.

Pedestrians come and go on the street.

Among them were martial arts students dressed in short-sleeved uniforms, who stood in twos and threes, whispering to each other.

"Junior Brother Liu, Junior Brother Zhang, my father asked around and learned that there is a giant treasure fish in Nanling Bay of Fallen Dragon Marsh."

"A treasure fish? That's a rare find! Senior Brother Li is in for a treat!"

"Junior Brother Zhang, you're speaking too soon. That treasure fish is hard to find and has immense strength. I don't know if my servants can catch it. If they can, I'll definitely treat you two junior brothers to a feast."

"..."

The group of people spoke loudly, and their words naturally reached Chen Shi's ears, causing him to pause.

He was both shocked and agitated.

Another treasure fish!