"Brother Su, come! Let me see what you’re made of as a Martial Artist!"

In the center of the Martial Arts Arena, Qian Wenhao was bare-chested, his muscles bulging like granite. With a loud roar, his Qi and Blood surged, making him resemble an upright black bear exuding a suffocating, oppressive aura.

Su Yu flexed his wrists, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes.

’My purpose in coming to the Qian Family this time is to display my strength. That’s how I’ll get them to value me and seize the opportunity to obtain the complete Bibo Fishbone Skill!’

’Since that’s the case, there’s no need to hold back.’

"My apologies in advance!"

Before the words had even faded, Su Yu bent his knees slightly, and the bluestone tile beneath his feet shuddered violently.

BANG!

Like a cannonball fired from its bore, he vanished from his spot in an instant.

"White Ape Asks the Way!"

In the next moment, he had already closed the distance. His right fist, wrapped in surging Qi and Blood, tore through the air with a resonant boom that sounded like an ape’s cry.

Though the technique’s name suggested it was merely "asking the way," the punch carried the overwhelming power to shatter mountains and split stone, aiming straight for the center gate!

Before the fist even arrived, the force of the wind it generated stung Qian Wenhao’s face.

"A good strike!"

The corners of Qian Wenhao’s mouth split into a grin, not of alarm, but of delight. As a veteran Martial Artist, even though he had failed in his attempt to open his First Acupoint, his Qi and Blood had not diminished much.

He neither dodged nor retreated. Planting his feet as if they were taking root in the earth, he roared and threw a punch of his own.

"Wild Bull Gores with its Horns!"

The punch was powerful and heavy, like a mad bull lowering its head for a ferocious charge. A dull, muffled sound seemed to emanate from the air.

BAM!

The two fists collided violently in mid-air.

A dull boom exploded like a clap of thunder. The resulting shockwave rolled out, instantly shredding the sleeves of both men and sending scraps of fabric flying.

THUD, THUD, THUD!

Su Yu used the force of the impact to leap backward, his movements as agile as a monkey’s.

Qian Wenhao’s upper body swayed slightly, and he took half a step back, cracking a bluestone tile with a CRUNCH.

"Haha! That was great! Again!"

A heroic spirit surged within Qian Wenhao; it had been a long time since he’d faced such a refreshing opponent. He shook his arms and charged forward once more.

Su Yu was also a man who enjoyed a good fight. Especially after killing the Curved Blade Martial Artist, he had become somewhat captivated by the thrilling tension of combat. He continuously executed techniques from his White Ape Fist.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

Their figures intertwined, and with each collision, a muffled thud echoed across the Martial Arts Arena, powerful enough to make one’s eardrums ache.

"Backspin Whip Hand!"

Su Yu spun in an uncanny way, using his body’s rotation to swing his arm like a steel whip, lashing it heavily against Qian Wenhao’s blocking forearm.

CRACK!

Qian Wenhao grunted in pain, but it only made him more ferocious. He countered with a Wild Bull Charge, ramming forward with his entire body.

Su Yu crossed his arms to block.

BOOM!

The immense force of the impact sent Su Yu sliding back dozens of feet, plowing two shallow furrows into the ground.

A moment later, both men stopped their attacks simultaneously and backed away from each other.

Although it was only a spar, with no weapons or killing moves involved, the overflowing fluctuations of Qi and Blood were enough to make the watching members of the Fishing Team tremble in their souls.

"So this is a Martial Artist..."

"If one of those punches landed on me, they’d probably beat the shit out of me!"

"No wonder Captain Qian can take down those treasure fish with their astonishing strength!"

"Brother Su, your Fist Technique is both fierce and agile. Is that the White Ape Fist?" Qian Wenhao asked, rubbing his numb arm, his eyes full of admiration.

"It is," Su Yu said with a smile as he calmed his Qi and Blood. "Brother Qian’s Wild Bull Fist is also immensely powerful. I am thoroughly impressed."

The two men looked at each other and smiled, their eyes filled with mutual respect.

The spar concluded. Qian Wenhao slung an arm around Su Yu’s shoulder and pointed to the dumbstruck team members at the edge of the arena. "Come on, see if you recognize any old faces in there."

"You used to work here too, you know. I never expected you’d suddenly soar to such heights!"

Su Yu’s gaze swept over the crowd, and he immediately recognized Bai Shun and the Zhou Brothers.

Bai Shun, who was once the picture of arrogance, was now bowing with a sycophantic smile plastered on his face at the very front. "Lord... Lord Su, I’m Bai Shun. I joined the Fishing Team in the same batch as you."

That last shred of competitiveness Bai Shun felt toward Su Yu had vanished the last time they met. Now, seeing that he had become a Martial Artist, his attitude was even more humble.

He was now the vice-captain of the Fishing Team and considered one of the Qian Family’s people. He had even used his connection to the Qian Family to stay in the city, get married, and his wife was now newly pregnant.

His gaze toward Su Yu was filled with hope and a desire to curry favor. If he could form even a slight connection with Lord Su, it would be a huge benefit for his child’s future.

Su Yu looked at this once-arorgant young man who now seemed to have changed so much. He turned to Qian Wenhao and said, "Bai Shun’s fishing skills are outstanding. He came in first place to get into the Fishing Team back then. Brother Qian, you’ve found yourself a good helper."

Su Yu offered this praise without reservation, and Bai Shun immediately broke into an irrepressible grin, revealing a set of white teeth against his dark, tanned face.

"And those must be the Zhou Brothers, they also came with my batch. There was also a woman named Gao Xiaoshuang, but I don’t see her," Su Yu said, his gaze sweeping over the Zhou Brothers, who were shrinking back at the rear of the crowd.

Qian Wenhao waved the Zhou Brothers over.

The two brothers bowed and scraped, their demeanor timid and shrinking. Their gazes grew even more evasive, not daring to look at Su Yu.

"These two are also decent fishermen. You could say they’re pillars of the Fishing Team now," Qian Wenhao said with a smile, clapping Zhou Da on the shoulder.

Su Yu nodded. He didn’t pay the two brothers much mind. They had run into each other once at Qingxi Market and had a minor conflict, but the two had ultimately returned his things. He wouldn’t go out of his way to make trouble for two insignificant figures who were like ants to him now.

"As for Gao Xiaoshuang, it’s a real shame. She said she wanted to save money to study martial arts and always worked desperately hard every time we went out. Her fishing skills were excellent, too. I had high hopes for her, but what a pity... She went missing on her way home one night after returning from a trip, and was never seen again."

Qian Wenhao said this with a note of regret, but then said no more on the matter.

In these chaotic times, a person’s disappearance was like a single leaf falling into the Black Water River—it didn’t even create a ripple.

"Brother Su, I’m telling you all this because I’m feeling quite nostalgic about the time we spent fishing together. Now that you’ve broken through to become a Martial Artist, how about you come back to the Qian Family Fishing Team?"

Qian Wenhao looked at Su Yu earnestly, extending the invitation once more.

Su Yu didn’t answer directly. "Brother Qian," he said, "let’s find a place to talk in detail."

"Let’s go! We’ll talk in that room!"

... 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

Inside a side hall, Bai Shun served hot tea and then tactfully withdrew.

"Brother Su, I won’t beat around the bush. You’re a Martial Artist now; this is the time for you to achieve great things. Are you interested in coming back? If you join now, the position of captain of this Fishing Team is yours for the taking!"

Qian Wenhao’s gaze was burning with intensity.

Su Yu set down his teacup and politely declined, "Brother Qian, I appreciate the kind offer. However, I’m preparing to participate in the Martial Examination in two months, so I’m afraid I won’t be able to split my focus."

"The Martial Examination?" Qian Wenhao was taken aback, then slapped his thigh in regret. "That’s true, that’s a path that leads straight to the heavens. Ah, but Brother Su, it’s still such a shame. To be honest with you, the Qian Family is in desperate need of people right now. If a talent like you were to join, the compensation would be absolutely excellent."

At this, Qian Wenhao paused, glanced at Su Yu, and then continued, "You don’t know this, but on our last voyage, we encountered a massive number of aberrations in the depths of the Black Water River! Of three treasure ships, only one made it back!"

"What!" Su Yu was inwardly shocked as well.

He had seen the Qian Family’s treasure ships before. They were as sturdy as fortresses, yet two of them had been lost?

"Aberrations! An overwhelming swarm of them!"

Qian Wenhao took a deep breath, his voice trembling slightly. "Before, we’d only run into one or two occasionally. Now, the deep-water zone has become a veritable nest of aberrations! And it’s not just us—the Liu Family’s fleet was completely wiped out. Not even a single plank floated back!"

Su Yu’s brow furrowed deeply.

’I was originally planning to find time to go back to the depths of the Black Water River,’ he thought. ’Not only for that precious aquatic herb I found, but also for the numerous treasure fish. All of that is money!’

’Now that the depths of the Black Water River are so dangerous, I won’t be able to go anytime soon. I’ve just lost a source of income!’

Su Yu suppressed his thoughts and spoke again. "Brother Qian, I won’t hide it from you. Besides catching up, I came here today for the Bibo Fishbone Skill. I was wondering if there was some other way I could obtain the subsequent Pile Skill sections?"

Qian Wenhao didn’t seem surprised to hear this. Instead, he laughed heartily. "I knew you were after this, you rascal! The Fishbone Skill I gave you before was just a few incomplete Underwater Techniques. You can’t achieve anything significant with just that. But if you want the complete version, I don’t have the authority to give it to you. Come on, I’ll introduce you to the Third Miss."

"Qian Qinghong?"

"The very same!"