He achieved the pinnacle of martial arts starting with breaking through the limits of Tiger Fist.

Time flies, and Jiang Lin has been at the boxing gym for eight days now, and things are going smoothly.

The routine consisted of constant walking, eating, and sleeping—a monotonous yet fulfilling experience.

Every day before dawn, he would already be standing in the courtyard practicing diligently, more so than the other disciples in the academy. Of course, Lin Zheng was also one of the most diligent.

In the past few days, the two have developed a warmer relationship and have been talking more. When the other apprentices in the compound see the two of them together, Jiang Lin is also neglected.

Jiang Lin

[Breakthrough Point] 0 (Progress 17%)

[Martial Arts] Tiger Soul Stance (Beginner 79/500)

As Jiang Lin continued to improve his Tiger Soul Stance Technique, he noticed a significant improvement in all aspects of his body. Although he had not yet reached a qualitative change, there was a noticeable difference compared to eight days ago.

Today was a day off, and Jiang Lin had less than two taels of silver left. He was in a hurry to go back to Shaziwan to fish, so he said goodbye to Lin Zheng and left the martial arts school.

From Changning County to Shaziwan, a mere ten miles or so, Jiang Lin felt as if he had traveled to another world.

This feeling is not just a physical improvement, but also a change in mindset. Ever since he took that first step into martial arts, his life has been completely different.

……

There is a simple dock in Shaziwan. The villagers who own boats pay a fee each month to hire someone to guard them. Even if he is not in the village for seven or eight days, he is not worried about his boat being stolen.

Jiang Lin first went home to get some hemp rope, because he had left in a hurry last time and hadn't had time to mend the nets on the boat.

"Lin-ge'er, it's been so long! I haven't seen you fishing either."

The old man who looked after the boat was surnamed Chen. He was a distant uncle of Chen Sanlang, and Chen was a common surname in the village.

"I've been practicing martial arts in the city lately, and today is my day off."

Jiang Lin was fixing his internet connection while chatting idly.

For fishermen, mending nets is the most basic skill, and Jiang Lin is no exception.

"Learning martial arts is good, but it's expensive. However, the fishing has been good lately, so you should definitely put in the effort!"

Jiang Lin raised an eyebrow, quickly tidied up the fishing net, and said, "Alright, Uncle Chen, you go ahead with your work, I'm off."

Jiang Lin rowed his boat away from the shore, heading deeper into the marshland along the waterway.

The difference from usual became apparent when rowing; after traveling more than ten miles on water, they didn't even break a sweat, moving quickly and steadily.

The misty, fog-shrouded water vapor drew a clear dividing line on the water's surface. The remaining ten miles of ripples, untouched by the fog, were the great marshland's final act of kindness towards the fishermen.

Jiang Lin glided along the edge of the mist, casting his fishing net one after another, catching river eels, snakehead fish, mandarin fish, and even two golden trout.

Having fished in this marshland for so long, he had never seen such a rich catch. You must know that in the past, these fish could only be found deep in the fog, and were extremely rare in the outer areas.

"There must be some reason I don't know about."

The unknown brings fear. Looking at the Yunmeng Marsh that seems ready to devour anyone, Jiang Lin felt a strange palpitation.

[Skill] Fishing (Mastery 821/1000)

My fishing skill level has increased by more than 20 points, and the catch on the boat can be sold for six or seven hundred coins. Just those two golden trout can be sold for one hundred coins per catty, and the two together weigh more than four catties.

But that's not enough. Compared to the expenses of learning martial arts, this amount of money is far from sufficient.

Some people are born with courage, and he was one of those people.

The bow of the boat turned, and Jiang Lin rowed the boat into the mist.

[Effects]: It can help you identify undercurrents, locate fish nests, cast nets, set traps, and catch fish five or six times out of ten.

Deep in the water, Jiang Lin carefully observed the surface, but hesitated to cast his net.

"Something's not right underwater."

Thanks to his fishing skills, he could detect the undercurrents beneath the water and even a fleeting shadow in the distance.

"A treasure fish? A spirit? Or something else?"

He couldn't even catch a glimpse of what was underwater, let alone grab it.

Treasure fish are naturally very valuable, but they are extremely difficult to catch. They are either very fast or very strong, and their thick skin and armor are common. Some are also very large, making them impossible to hunt alone.

After waiting for a long time, the water finally calmed down, and Jiang Lin began to cast his net.

[Proficiency +1]

[Proficiency +1]

[Proficiency +22]

Heaven always favors the brave. This net was cast and immediately caught a fish in the nest. Before we could even see what kind of fish it was, the notification on the panel came first.

A tremendous force pulled at his arms, and with the support of his increasingly strong body, the fishing net was gradually lifted from the water, revealing a dazzling golden light.

"It's golden trout, a whole net full of golden trout."

[Skill] Fishing (Mastery 843/1000)

Jiang Lin's eyes lit up; this net probably weighed fifty or sixty pounds.

He quickly packed up and steered the boat back.

……

At the fish market dock, Jiang Lin found himself in a dilemma inside the cabin. There were too many fish, and they were all valuable golden trout. It was impossible to hide them from others.

After thinking it over, he went out of the warehouse to borrow a basket from a fisherman he knew. After packing the fish in, he gritted his teeth and carried it away.

At the entrance of the fish market.

Jiang Lin calmly took out twenty coins and handed them over.

The gangster guarding the gate took the money, glanced at his catch, and said, "Not enough. You'll have to pay more."

This was exactly what Jiang Lin had expected. Although he felt angry, he could only suppress his anger for the time being and took out another twenty coins.

"It's still not enough."

A surge of anger rose within Jiang Lin. He stared directly at the man before him. "Brother Dao, isn't this against the rules?"

The rules of this fish market are that no matter how much fish you catch, you only need to pay ten coins to enter. Although the gangsters might secretly add a little extra, it's not too excessive.

"What? You're not convinced?"

Jiang Lin was about to make a large sum of money today and didn't want any unexpected trouble, so he suppressed his anger and said, "How could that be? Brother Dao has misunderstood."

He handed over another twenty coins, but was stopped again just as he was about to enter.

"Another twenty coins will be added as punishment for your disrespect earlier."

Looking at Dao Ge, who was smug and arrogant, Jiang Lin remained extremely calm.

"Brother Dao is right, I accept the punishment, I accept the punishment."

Another twenty coins were handed over before Brother Dao made way for Jiang Lin to enter.

I hadn't gone far when I heard a burst of laughter behind me.

Carrying the fish, I walked through the bustling crowd to the fish stall I frequented.

Actually, Jiang Lin really wanted to go to the Long family's fish stall, but they had previously stated that they did not buy ordinary fish.

"Bang!"

Jiang Lin put the fish down in front of the fish stall and said, "Uncle Ma, weigh it."

"Hey, Little Jiang, did you catch a fish in the Dragon King's pond today?"

"My goodness, what's going on lately? Everyone's so amazing, it makes me want to cast a net myself."

"Uncle Ma, you're joking. You make a fortune every day at your stall, why would you need to do such hard work?"

"Little Jiang knows how to talk. No wonder he studied in a private school. Hey buddy, come and weigh me."

Jiang Lin stood silently to the side, waiting to be weighed.

"Forty-nine catties and seven ounces of golden trout, I'll give you fifty catties. Some river eel, osmanthus, and snakehead, I'll give you six hundred and fifty coins."

Uncle Ma wiped his hands with a rag while calculating the accounts, "The total is five taels of silver, plus six hundred and fifty copper coins. Xiao Jiang, you've struck it rich this time."

Jiang Lin frowned. This was too brutal. Putting aside everything else, the golden trout alone had killed nearly ten pounds of his weight.

"Uncle Ma, I've been practicing martial arts lately, and it's costing me a lot of money..."

"Hey." Jiang Lin was interrupted before he could finish speaking. "Little Jiang, don't talk nonsense. I've always been honest and fair to everyone here. If you go to another shop, do you think they'll pay you this much?"

"Don't bother telling me about martial arts. There are plenty of people who practice martial arts, but how many of them actually make a name for themselves? If you ask me, you'd be better off getting married and having children to carry on the family line."

Uncle Ma raised his eyebrows, giving off an air of "What can you do to me?" He figured Jiang Lin was doomed and had no other choice.