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

"Young master, if you're not buying fish, please don't disturb my business. This Azure Scale Treasure Fish was caught by me with great effort from the Fallen Dragon Swamp. How could I have snatched it from you?" Chen Shi said.

"How could it not be?!" the young master surnamed Li roared angrily.

"My father spent a great deal of money and effort to find out that this fish roams in Nanling Bay of Fallen Dragon Marsh. He specifically ordered his servants to go and catch it overnight, but they returned empty-handed. Yesterday, I passed by this place and mentioned it to my two junior brothers. Today, I see you here selling it, and it just so happens to be this very Azure-Scaled Treasure Fish. Tell me, what a coincidence!"

"Boy, if you know what's good for you, hurry up and hand over the precious fish from the basket to appease my young master. Otherwise, you won't have an easy time selling fish in town from now on!" a servant behind the young master surnamed Li said coldly.

Such a commotion naturally attracted the attention of many passersby.

"This young man is truly ungrateful. Young Master Li is rich and powerful; what right does this lowly fisherman have to oppose him?"

"Young man, just give the fish back to him! If you offend the Li family, you won't be able to do any business in town anymore! Even if you're in the right, for your family's sake, just bear with it!"

"..."

Seeing that it was the young master of the Li family who was getting into a conflict with a fishmonger, they all shook their heads, thinking that Chen Shi was unlucky enough to be in big trouble. The other vendors, not wanting to escalate the situation and risk a real fight later affecting their own business, also spoke up to persuade him to stop.

But could Chen Shi really take these words to heart?

Tolerate?

Why should I tolerate it? And what right do I have to tolerate it!

Before, I was powerless and vulnerable, constantly provoked and bullied. I had to compromise and swallow my pride just to make a living. Now, I possess the power of water manipulation and immense strength, a single punch carrying nearly 400 pounds of force. I've already endured enough injustice. If I were to cower and choose to suffer in silence, whether alive or dead, would I be some kind of Ninja Turtle?

Chen Shi couldn't help but sneer, his eyes turning as cold as ice.

"If you really want to buy this treasure fish, I can sell it to you at a discount. This blue-scaled treasure fish weighs about four catties, and I can sell it for five taels of silver per catty of meat. If you don't want to buy it, please don't interfere with my business."

His tone was icy, carrying a clear sense of threat.

The young master of the Li family, of course, understood the implied meaning. He suddenly chuckled, then beckoned and said in a commanding tone:

"Just take back that Azure Scale Treasure Fish. Don't take any other fish. Don't let people think that the Li family is really short of your few ounces of stinky fish."

As soon as he finished speaking, three or four burly servants stepped forward.

They were burly and imposing, with fierce eyes and a terrifying aura.

The onlookers shook their heads and sighed at the sight. They felt that Chen Shi was young and impetuous, and did not know the way of forbearance. He could have offered up the treasure fish and perhaps even gained favor with the Li family and changed his life. Now it seemed that he would end up dead in the wilderness.

"Return my young master Baoyu at once!" a servant shouted angrily.

Immediately, a thick, muscular arm with bulging veins shot out, pointing directly at the small green fish in Chen Shi's fish basket. Just as it was about to succeed, a tremendous force struck, abruptly stopping the arm in mid-air.

It turned out that Chen used his own palm to forcibly stop the arm.

How is that possible?!

The servant was completely bewildered and couldn't understand why. He tried to pull his arm back, but he couldn't break free from the restraints.

"You were the ones who started this unreasonable argument."

After Chen Shi finished speaking, he increased the force in his palm, actually twisting the servant's arm in the opposite direction.

"Aaaaaah!!!"

In an instant, a wail like that of a pig being slaughtered echoed throughout the market.

"Young...Young Master!" The servant whose arm Chen Shi had broken managed to utter a few words, his face covered in sweat. "This man is incredibly strong, weighing about two or three hundred pounds. He managed to break my right arm with one hand. He's no ordinary fisherman!"

What?!

The passersby who initially didn't think much of Chen Shi were astonished upon hearing his words and witnessing the servants' fate. They never imagined that Chen Shi would dare to oppose the young master of the Li family, let alone possess such strength.

Could he be a martial artist?

This conjecture quickly spread among the crowd.

However, the young master of the Li family did not show much reaction.

He didn't believe that a peasant like Chen Shi could afford to learn martial arts. He thought Chen Shi was simply strong, and that no matter how strong one was born, he would never have embarked on the path of martial arts. Trying to compete with him now, who had the strength of 300 jin in one hand, was like a mantis trying to stop a chariot.

"A worthless life, killing him is just a matter of spending some money to settle it," thought the young master of the Li family, and was about to throw a punch at Chen Shi.

However, at that moment, a calm voice came through the crowd, which actually made the young master of the Li family stop in mid-air.

"I'll buy this blue-scaled treasure fish!"

Upon hearing this, the young master of the Li family immediately turned his head to look in the direction of the voice.

A middle-aged man dressed in black walked through the crowd and came to Chen Shi.

"Twenty taels of silver for this fish, is that alright?"

He seemed to have been listening for a long time, otherwise how would he know that this fish was worth twenty taels of silver?

Meeting that calm and composed face, Chen Shi nodded.

He knew perfectly well that the other party was trying to get him out of a predicament. As long as he sold the Azure-Scaled Treasure Fish to the middle-aged man in front of him, the young master of the Li family would have to negotiate with this middle-aged man if he wanted the Little Azure Fish, while he could stay out of it and continue to be an inconspicuous fishmonger.

"Don't sell it! This is my precious fish!" the young master of the Li family shouted angrily.

"Deal." Chen Shi ignored him and handed the fish basket containing the treasure fish to the middle-aged man in front of him.

The middle-aged man also handed twenty taels of silver to Chen Shi.

"Which blind fool dares to steal from your father in this White Water Town? Come and take it!"

The veins on the forehead of the young master of the Li family bulged as he threw a punch.

Just as the blow was about to land on the middle-aged man's back, it was caught by his large hand.

Immediately afterwards...

Click!Click!

A series of sounds, like popping beans, came from the right arm of the young master of the Li family.

This is the sound of his arm bones breaking.

"Aaaaaah!"

He collapsed to his knees in agony, staring in disbelief at his right hand. It was completely out of control, utterly necrotic.

The remaining servants wanted to step forward to avenge their young master, but they were frozen in place by a fierce glare from the middle-aged man.

"You...you just wait! I am a direct disciple of Zheng Yi Martial Arts School. You've crippled my martial arts, and my master won't stand idly by!"

After uttering this harsh remark, the young master of the Li family was carried away by several servants.

Once the spectacle was over, the crowd dispersed.

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

After selling the remaining fish, Chen Shi packed up his things and went home.

"That Li family of Baishui, what a bunch of bastards! If it weren't for my [Great Strength], you would have really snatched this precious fish today. If someone hadn't come to my rescue, we would have definitely fought, exposed my skills, and gotten into a lot of trouble." On the way back, Chen Shi was still thinking about everything that had just happened.

"I wonder who that person is, their strength is so formidable. If only I could be as strong as them..."

He longs for the day when he truly becomes powerful.

At that time, neither the Li family nor the Zhang family will dare to bully them.

Just as he was pondering, a familiar figure appeared on the road ahead. It was the middle-aged man who had previously spent twenty taels of silver to buy the Azure Scale Treasure Fish.

"Were you waiting for me?" Chen Shi asked tentatively.

He became wary, fearing that the person in front of him harbored ill intentions.

However, what he imagined did not happen.

The middle-aged man nodded, confirming Chen Shi's question, and immediately stated his purpose, blurting out:

"Young man, would you be willing to join my Canglang Gang?"