Hearing this, Chang Ba was even more excited than Chen Chuan. Completing this stage meant the latter could proceed to the most difficult phase of training.

He had dared to attempt the previous training stages, but this next phase made him hesitate.

He’d never thought anyone within the First and Second Limits could complete it, but seeing Chen Chuan’s performance gave him a sliver of hope. Perhaps the young man could really finish this training.

Chen Chuan was gradually reining in the emotions swelling within him. He smiled and asked, "Teacher He, can we move on to the next training session now?"

Seeing Chen Chuan’s smile, He Xiaoxing suddenly fell silent. For a moment, it was as if he saw the shadow of another student in the young man. He turned his head to look at the area partitioned off by the wire fence.

"Your next training will be over there."

Chen Chuan looked over. He had been curious about that place for a while.

"What is that place?"

Chang Ba walked over and said, "Years ago, there was an aquatic life research base here. They’re the ones who put up these wire fences. My grandpa used to say that coming all the way out here to study aquatic life was just plain crazy."

"Later, that group packed up and left, but the fish and other aquatic creatures they left behind became all sorts of bizarre. How should I put it... uh... extremely vicious. But luckily, they’re very dependent on the environment here. Even though the groundwater channels are connected, they haven’t spread out after all these years."

Chen Chuan realized what he meant. "So, the next stage of training is to dive and swim in there?"

Chang Ba excitedly jumped in, "Not just that, you also have to retrieve the tags dropped from above within a time limit." He turned back to He Xiaoxing. "Right, Uncle He?"

He Xiaoxing said to Chen Chuan in a low voice, "I need to remind you, the steps may look similar, but the danger is on a completely different level from what you’ve experienced before. You can think it over. This stage of the training is not mandatory."

Chen Chuan looked ahead and said, "Since I’ve come this far, I’d like to try."

’I’m not one to take unnecessary risks, but since I’m already here, I want to give it a shot. It might even help me improve. Besides, with the Second Self as a safety net, I don’t need to be so timid.’

Chang Ba looked at him. "Brother Chen, if you can actually pass this, everything will be on the house whenever you visit our town—food, lodging, all of it!"

Chen Chuan smiled. "Since Brother Xiaochang is putting it that way, I’ll have to take you up on that offer." He thought for a moment. "Brother Xiaochang, you just mentioned the fish in there are ferocious. What are they like?"

’When facing something unfamiliar, it’s best to learn about it in advance. I have to do my homework; otherwise, this isn’t training, it’s just being reckless.’

"You want to know? Easy." Chang Ba went back to the car, took out a special fishing net, and grabbed a lead bucket. He ran off excitedly, saying, "Just watch me."

The two of them waited for about a quarter of an hour. Then Chang Ba came back, carrying the net on his shoulder and the bucket in one hand. He set the bucket down hard in front of them, but with such exquisite control of his strength that not a single drop of water splashed out.

Inside the bucket were three large, black-and-red fish. The black ones had heads that looked incredibly hard, as if encased in a shell. The smaller one was crimson all over, its mouth filled with fine, sharp teeth. You could tell they weren’t ordinary fish.

Chang Ba said, "These two big ones are Qing Carp. When we were kids, we called them Ram Fish. The small one is a Redscale Carp, but the local name for it is Red-Eyed Cannibal Fish. The Qing Carp are ridiculously fast underwater, and their heads are solid. I’ve seen one ride a swift current and smash a rock to pieces. Getting hit by one underwater is no different from being struck by a big hammer."

"And I don’t even need to tell you about the Cannibal Fish. A single bite from this thing can tear off a chunk of flesh. You can handle a few, but if you run into a whole school, you get as far away as you can. But there are way more than just these types of fish in the water. I’ll tell you about the others in a bit."

He Xiaoxing said, "Bring the fish. Let’s go in."

"You got it."

The three of them got back in the car, which started up and drove inside.

The wire fence would only stop ordinary people; it was useless against them. Besides, plenty of others must have come here before, as there were already many gaps cut into it.

After the car drove through smoothly, Chen Chuan saw a toppled metal sign on the side. Thanks to the local climate, much of the foreign text on it was still legible. It seemed the original research institute might have had foreign backing.

He asked, "How long ago was this research site established?"

Chang Ba thought for a moment. "About sixty years? It was already here in my grandpa’s time. It was abandoned when my father was a kid, so it’s been deserted for at least a few decades."

The car drove another kilometer or so further in before a building appeared up ahead, its walls clearly pockmarked with old shell craters.

Chang Ba said, "This was the old research facility. You gotta admit, it’s pretty sturdy. Hasn’t fallen apart much in decades. But everything inside was moved out long ago. About twenty years back, a gang of bandits holed up here, but my dad, along with the townspeople and a group of Fighters he contacted, cleaned them out. Nowadays, very few outsiders know about this place."

The car stopped in front of the building. After they got out, He Xiaoxing instructed, "Xiaochang, go grill the fish." Then he said to Chen Chuan, "Eat these fish before you go down."

Chang Ba grunted in acknowledgment. He briskly retrieved various knives from the car, gutted and scaled the fish on the spot, then pulled out a grill rack and threw the three fish on it.

A short while later, the fish were grilled. He sprinkled on some seasoning and handed one each to He Xiaoxing and Chen Chuan. "Try my handiwork. Hehe, this is a rare delicacy. Ordinary people aren’t lucky enough to eat this. Only Fighters like us can."

Chen Chuan took a bite and felt a slight numbing tingle on his tongue and mouth, like he’d eaten a certain kind of chili pepper. Mixed with the crispy skin and the tender meat underneath, it tasted absolutely delicious. The fish didn’t have many fine bones, and they had become very brittle after grilling, so he could chew and swallow them right along with the flesh. He finished it in no time.

After finishing, he felt a warmth spread through his entire body, a sensation no less potent than eating Nutrition Paste. He said, "This stuff is amazing."

At the same time, he noticed a faint, illusory sign appearing on his Second Self, but the damage was very slight, nothing to worry about.

He Xiaoxing said, "The fish here are very nutritious, but they contain a mild toxin. It’s not a problem for us Fighters. Don’t be in a hurry to expel the toxin. If you find yourself surrounded by these fish and feel you can’t hold them off, you can expel the toxin through your skin to the outside. That will make them stop attacking you."

"But be careful. Some fish will target you precisely because of it, so you need to judge the situation carefully."

Chang Ba said, "I wonder what the original research site was for. Don’t tell me they were actually trying to farm edible fish, right? Ordinary people can’t enjoy this delicacy because of the toxin, so it’s all for us. After I started training, my dad often brought me here for a good meal."

Chen Chuan said, "Brother Xiaochang, can you tell me about the fish in there?"

"Sure, give me a sec."

Chang Ba went to get a pen and a notebook. He began to draw and describe the various types of fish and their characteristics. Chen Chuan was surprised to discover that he was actually a skilled artist. He drew each species so vividly that it was easy to understand.

"Let me be clear, this doesn’t cover all of them. These are just the ones I’ve eaten." As he spoke, he smacked his lips as if savoring the memory.

Chen Chuan now had a general idea. He decided to do a test swim first to get a feel for the situation. After resting for a while, he changed into a diving suit and went to the edge of a pit.

Just then, He Xiaoxing said, "This time, when you’re looking for the tags, be careful. There’s a chance the tethering ropes could be bitten through by the fish, or even get swept away by the strong currents below. So, while you’re searching, you need to constantly be aware of whether you have a clear path back to the surface. If anything seems wrong, get out immediately."

Chen Chuan nodded solemnly. The difficulty of this training was several levels higher than before, and it allowed for no mistakes.

He took a deep breath and leaped in. The moment he submerged, he felt the water was much warmer than outside. As he swam deeper, he discovered the underwater caverns twisted and turned endlessly. In a place like this, forget about finding items dropped from above—a few wrong turns and he could get completely disoriented.

Fortunately, a major benefit from the past few days of effort was that while maintaining his internal breathing and with his Mutated Organization more active, he could instinctively recognize the environments he passed through.

He tried to follow the tunnel, but just as he rounded a bend, a strong current surged out of nowhere. The flow was so swift that it caught him off guard and instantly swept him away.

A chill went down his spine. ’If I get swept into the depths of these caverns, I might not be able to find my way back out. Even with the Second Self, it would probably only buy me a little more time.’

In this critical moment, he focused his will, and the Mutated Organization inside his body surged with power. He dug his five fingers into the cavern wall, gripping it tightly to stop himself from being carried away.

He pressed his body as close as possible to the tunnel wall, which had been worn smooth by the current. Using a combination of his fingers and body, he slowly inched his way back to where he had been.

Meanwhile, He Xiaoxing stood motionless beside one of the pits, seemingly staring at a specific point down below. Beneath his clothes, faint patterns could be seen emerging on his skin before they gradually faded away again after a moment.

Chen Chuan, by crawling with his hands and feet, had now managed to slowly escape the area with the strong underwater current.

’I see now. This place is incredibly complex. I’d rather be slow and make sure I understand my surroundings. Just because I got away this time doesn’t mean I’ll be so lucky again.’

Just then, he suddenly felt the oxygen he could capture becoming scarce. In that brief moment, it felt like countless things were trying to force their way into his body.

’Stone Algae?’

’It must be them. But they feel much stronger and more aggressive than the ones I encountered before.’

But he was no longer the same person he was a few days ago. He immediately mobilized his Mutated Organization to repel them from his body. At the same time, he used his arms and legs to swim quickly, trying his best to get away. After about ten seconds, he left that patch of water, and the assault on his body gradually weakened.

However, before he could even relax, he sensed something up ahead, rushing towards him at an incredible speed!

...

...