BANG!

Su Yu executed his Thunderous Shock Step. The water’s surface exploded as he leaped onto the bank.

At the same time, with a powerful yank of his arms, he dragged the strange fish, which was falling through the air, directly onto the shore.

CRASH!

The strange fish’s enormous body slammed onto the bank with a thunderous thud.

The crowd finally snapped out of their stupor and rushed forward, instantly throwing several tough Iron Wire Nets over it. The strange fish was already at the end of its rope; it struggled a few times before falling completely still.

In the torchlight, everyone finally got a clear look at the strange aquatic creature.

It had a massive head with bony ridges that resembled a ferocious tiger’s. Its body was covered in black and yellow stripes, its scales were as hard as iron, and its two fins were like blades, radiating a terrifying, murderous aura.

"It’s a Tigerhead Fish!"

An experienced Tributor gasped in shock. "That’s one of the most ferocious beasts in the Black Water River! An adult Tigerhead Fish is immensely powerful, capable of shattering reefs. In the water, not even a Third Acupoint Martial Artist is a guaranteed match for it!"

"Hiss... To think something so fierce was just yanked out of the water by Lord Su like he was fishing for shrimp?"

"That monstrous strength... it’s practically inhuman!"

"What’s even more impressive about Lord Su is his skill with that Fish Spear! A Tigerhead Fish is incredibly fast in the water; we couldn’t even touch it!"

Nearby, Wang Xue stared intently at the Tigerhead Fish, her heart pounding.

As someone who made her living on the water, she knew better than anyone how terrifying these beasts were. Years ago, she had personally witnessed a Tigerhead Fish capsize a treasure ship and tear three Martial Artists to shreds. Yet now, this ferocious aquatic beast lay at Su Yu’s feet like a dead dog.

Wang Xue took a deep breath, swallowed her pride, and strode up to Su Yu. She cupped her fist in a deep bow. "Master Su, your power is divine! I, Wang Xue, was blind to your greatness before and offended you. I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me!"

She had a straightforward personality; the strong deserved respect.

Su Yu smiled faintly, not putting on any airs. "You’re too kind, Miss Wang. Let’s let bygones be bygones."

"Thank you for your magnanimity, Master Su!"

Just then, Jiang Liuchuan walked over, fanning himself with a folding fan, his face beaming. "Haha! Old Su, that move was absolutely brilliant! I, Jiang Liuchuan, am in complete awe of you! You’ve done my Jiang Family a great service this time, and we must thank you properly."

"What’s this monstrous Tigerhead Fish worth?" Jiang Liuchuan asked, turning to the Jiang Family’s Tributors.

Wang Xue spoke up. "Master Jiang, a Tigerhead Fish this large is a treasure trove. This valuable fish could easily sell for eight or nine hundred taels of silver. However, Tigerhead Fish are primarily suited for forging weapons, so it would have to be sold to a Forging Workshop or a similar power!"

"I see. In that case, Old Su, I’ll value it at one thousand taels of Silver for you. On top of that, I’ll give you three whole valuable fish as thanks!"

Su Yu didn’t refuse. He was in desperate need of resources. A common valuable fish, worth two hundred taels, could increase his Breakthrough Points by about 5%, not to mention the various boosts to his Qi and Blood. It was an excellent deal.

"You’re too generous, Junior Brother. But there’s no need for the silver. Please exchange it all for valuable fish and have them sent directly to my residence."

"Done! Leave it to me!" Jiang Liuchuan agreed instantly. He then turned to Wang Xue and extended an olive branch. "Tributor Wang, you also contributed a great deal this time. Why don’t you stay with my Jiang Family as a permanent Tributor? I’ll increase your Monthly Allowance by two hundred taels!"

Wang Xue’s eyes lit up, and she immediately accepted. With this money, she’d have a chance at breaking through to the Third Acupoint!

...

「The next morning, on the Black Water River.」

A light mist hung in the air, and the river’s waters churned.

Su Yu was piloting the small Treasure Ship Cloud-Piercing Shuttle, lent to him by the Jiang Family, as he departed from Black Crocodile Island alone.

Jiang Liuchuan stood on the pier, watching the treasure ship cut through the waves like a sharp sword, his eyes filled with emotion. "Su Yu is truly a god among men!"

On the ship’s bow, Su Yu stood against the biting spring wind.

He took out two maps. One was a map of the Ten Islands District from the Jiang Family, which marked the known shipping lanes and regions. The other was a fragmented map confiscated from the Water Snake Gang, on which several unknown treacherous areas and a few suspected treasure spots were marked with Cinnabar.

This was the reason Su Yu had chosen to venture deep into the lower reaches of the Black Water River this time.

’Fortune favors the bold.’

Su Yu’s gaze locked onto a remote island on the fragmented map. ’This place isn’t on the shipping lanes marked by the Jiang Family. It probably hasn’t been plundered yet.’

...

「Black Crocodile Island, inside a stilt house.」

Kou Xun of the Iron Armor Martial Arts Hall took out a brocade box and pushed it toward a masked man in black across from him.

"Qin San Dao, this is the deposit. That brat Su Yu has already entered the depths of the Ten Islands. It’s a good place to make a move. If you succeed in killing him this time, the Iron Armor Martial Arts Hall will trade you whatever supplies you want in the future."

The man opposite him was named Qin San Dao. He was originally a fierce bandit from Liangzhou who had since pledged allegiance to the Black Water Stronghold. He possessed the strength of Second Acupoint Perfection.

He weighed the brocade box in his hand, a flash of greed in his eyes. "Don’t worry, Lord Kou. A fledgling who just broke through to the Second Acupoint? I’ll take his head in three swings of my saber!"

"Don’t underestimate him!"

Kou Xun frowned and warned, "Su Yu is something of a genius. Kong Jia, who is also at the Second Acupoint, couldn’t even block a single punch from him. You’ll need at least two people to ambush him! Remember, if you let him escape, all our future business is off the table!"

A trace of disdain flickered in Qin San Dao’s eyes.

’Just some country bumpkin from Black Stone City,’ he thought. Back when he was robbing and murdering in Liangzhou, he had even killed two geniuses from the Liangzhou Prefecture. What kind of strength could a genius from a small county town possibly have?

However, for the sake of that generous final payment, he still grinned, revealing a set of yellow teeth. "Fine! As it happens, Boss Han Qinhu is also nearby. This time, I’ll ask him to provide backup. That brat won’t be able to escape even if he grows wings!"

Only after hearing Han Qinhu’s name did Kou Xun nod in relief.

Han Qinhu was at Third Acupoint Perfection. Originally from the Liangzhou military, his strength was immense. After becoming a roving bandit, he had ambushed countless merchant ships. He was now infamous, with a bounty of two thousand taels on his head. If he made a move, Su Yu was as good as dead!

...

「Ten Islands District, Profound Turtle Island.」

The Treasure Ship Cloud-Piercing Shuttle passed through a foggy area, and an island shaped like a giant, crouching turtle appeared in Su Yu’s sight.

The island wasn’t large and its terrain was flat, except for a high slope in the center covered with ironwood trees.

Su Yu brought the Cloud-Piercing Shuttle close to the shore, then with a flash, he dashed across the water, landing silently on the island after a few leaps.

’According to the map’s markings, some kind of flying Exotic Beast should be living here.’

Su Yu activated his Five Senses Divine, and his hearing instantly covered an area of a hundred zhang in all directions.

The sound of wind, water, insects...

Suddenly, the extremely faint yet powerful sound of flapping wings reached his ears.

FLAP... FLAP...

’Up there!’ 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞

Su Yu’s gaze instantly locked onto a towering ancient tree at the top of the slope. It was a hundred-year-old ironwood tree with a massive, canopy-like crown. A huge nest was faintly visible among its branches and leaves.

Su Yu held his breath and moved forward stealthily, quickly reaching the base of the tree.

Looking up, he saw a gigantic bird of astonishing size standing at the edge of the nest.

It stood as tall as a man, and its wingspan must have been at least two zhang. Its entire body was covered in iron-gray feathers, each one as sharp as a razor blade, glinting with a cold, metallic luster in the sunlight. Its long, spear-like black beak was viciously tearing apart a still-struggling Red-tailed Carp, dripping with blood.

’It’s a Wind-Splitting Iron-Feathered Crane!’

A thought flashed through Su Yu’s mind. He had read about it in the Jiuzhou Strange Beast Record. This type of Exotic Beast was renowned for its speed and sharpness. Its iron feathers were prime materials for crafting top-quality hidden weapons, and its flesh and blood were highly nourishing, greatly beneficial for cultivation.

At this moment, the Iron-Feathered Crane was focused on its meal, completely unaware of the killing intent from below.

’A perfect chance!’

A cold glint flashed in Su Yu’s eyes. His right hand reached into the deerskin pouch at his waist, instantly gripping two specially made heavy water tungsten gold coins.

"Life-Reaping Chain!"

Su Yu took a deep breath. The great dragon of his spine suddenly twitched, and power surged layer by layer to his fingertips.

HUMMM!

His wrist vibrated at high speed, imparting a terrifying spin to the copper coins.

WHOOSH! WHOOSH! WHOOSH!

Three streaks of black light shot out in a triangular formation. They didn’t fly directly at the Iron-Feathered Crane, but instead carved three strange arcs through the air, sealing off all its possible angles of escape!

The feeding Iron-Feathered Crane suddenly sensed the danger. Just as it was about to spread its wings, it felt a cold sensation in its abdomen.

PFFT!

The first tungsten gold coin, carrying a terrifying Spiral Force, directly tore through the tough feathers on its abdomen and burrowed into its body!

GAAAAK—!

The Iron-Feathered Crane let out a piercing shriek. It flapped its wings frantically, trying to soar into the sky.

However, the second and third copper coins arrived in quick succession!

PFFT! PFFT!

The two coins struck the joints of its wings with perfect accuracy. The Spiral Force erupted, instantly shattering its wing bones!

The Iron-Feathered Crane’s massive body had just lifted three feet off the ground when it tumbled powerlessly, crashing heavily against the tree trunk and shaking loose countless leaves.

’Success!’

A thunderous crack echoed from beneath Su Yu’s feet as he shot up like a cannonball. His Mo Yuan Saber left its sheath as he slashed toward the head of the struggling, dying bird.