"Swimming Fish Tail!"

In the frigid river water, Su Yu’s spine gave a sudden, powerful shake, and his legs swung forcefully like a fish’s tail.

BOOM!

The water behind him exploded, and propelled by the immense force, he shot forward through the water in an instant!

"Parting Water Thrust!"

Su Yu held his fingers together like a blade, pouring Qi and Blood into his fingertips. He effortlessly tore through the water’s resistance and accurately pierced a yellow-scaled fish that was about to flee.

PSHHHT!

The fish was split in two, its crimson blood blooming in the water like ink.

...

[Bibo Fish Dragon Skill Level +20]

’So much Skill Level!’

Su Yu’s face lit up when he saw the ink-wash characters that appeared before him.

’I only used to get 3 Skill Level points for practicing the Bibo Fish Dragon Skill. Why am I getting so many all of a sudden?’

After a moment’s thought, Su Yu understood.

His own strength had improved drastically, as had his innate talent and comprehension. It was only natural that practicing this Martial Art would be much easier now.

’Let’s keep practicing and see how long I can go in one day!’

Su Yu was thrilled by a Martial Art whose Skill Level could skyrocket like this.

It was like grinding levels in a video game; the EXP just kept shooting up. It felt like he was using a cheat, and it was completely addictive.

An hour passed quickly. Su Yu had practiced the Bibo Fish Dragon Skill a full twenty-five times in the water, only climbing back onto his treasure ship to gasp for air when every muscle in his body ached with fatigue.

’Twenty points per repetition, and about twenty-five repetitions a day... that means I can grind out five hundred Skill Level points in a single day!’

Thrilled by this result, Su Yu pulled up his status panel to check.

[Martial Arts]: Bibo Fish Dragon Skill (Layer 1) (Entry-Level 900/1000)

’I’ve ground it all the way from 400 points to 900. Tomorrow, I’ll be able to break through to the Skillful Realm!’ Su Yu ate a piece of Earth Dragon Tuna Jerky to recover his stamina, his gaze turning toward the vast, misty expanse of the Black Water River.

’I’ll have to come to the Black Water River to hunt for treasure more often. I should prioritize leveling up the Bibo Fish Dragon Skill. It’s perfect timing, since I just reached a new cultivation realm. My other Martial Arts will take a while to advance anyway.’

...

「The next day.」

Su Yu left Xuanwu Island. His Cloud-Piercing Shuttle cut through the waves, heading for the next location marked on the map.

’The mark on the map looks like a plant. Could it be the location of some rare spiritual herb?’

Su Yu mused.

CHIRP CHIRP!

Suddenly, hundreds of zhang high in the sky, a palm-sized cyan bird zipped past. It had the shape of a swallow, its wings glinting with a faint cyan light under the sun. It appeared to be just another bird passing by.

However, Su Yu’s brow furrowed slightly. He instantly activated his Five Senses Divine ability.

In his vision, every detail of the small bird was infinitely magnified: its fine cyan scales, its jade-green eyes, and the split-second hesitation as it glanced at his treasure ship.

As if it had sensed Su Yu’s gaze, the small bird gave a powerful flap of its wings, banked at a bizarrely sharp angle, and shot away into the distance.

’Something isn’t right!’

Su Yu’s eyes grew cold.

’Last night, when I was camped on Profound Turtle Island, that same bird was circling overhead. Once is a coincidence. Twice... that’s a pattern!’

Anyone else would have had a hard time noticing something was amiss. But Su Yu’s hearing was as divine as his other senses, and his eyesight was astounding. He was certain it was the very same bird from last night!

’A tamed reconnaissance Exotic Beast? Interesting.’

Su Yu grew vigilant, but he felt no panic.

He would deal with whatever came his way. With his current strength and his endless array of techniques, it was far from certain who was the hunter and who was the prey out here on this vast river.

「Half an hour later.」

He arrived at the target island.

It was a small island, much smaller than Profound Turtle Island, shrouded year-round in a dense fog. The island was covered in vegetation and strange, jagged rocks, and visibility was extremely low.

Su Yu went ashore and searched for a long time, his frown deepening.

’There’s no trace of any rare herbs. Either someone beat me to it, or the Water Snake Gang’s intelligence was faulty.’

Unwilling to give up, he scoured the entire island one more time, but aside from a few fat water birds and some ordinary large fish, he came up empty-handed.

’Oh well. My luck can’t be good enough to find one treasure right after another.’ 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

Su Yu accepted the outcome, took off his shirt, and leaped back into the water.

’If I can’t find any treasure, I’ll just keep practicing the Fish Dragon Skill!’

[Bibo Fish Dragon Skill Level +15]

[Bibo Fish Dragon Skill Level +15]

...

「Less than ten kilometers away.」

Here, an island lay hidden within the mist.

This was the lair of Ghost Mist Island, a Water Bandit Influence notorious on the Public Security Bureau’s wanted list.

In a Unity Hall at the island’s center, a Cyan-Scaled Sea-Exploring Swallow perched on the arm of a bare-chested brute, chirping incessantly.

This man was none other than Han Qinhu, a ferocious bandit at Third Acupoint Perfection and the third-in-command of Ghost Mist Island.

Listening to the bird’s chirps, a cruel smile played on his lips. "Well now, Su Yu. To think he’d actually dare to barge into my territory. The Cyan-Scaled Swallow says he’s right near Ghost Mist Island. He’s basically delivering himself to his own doorstep for a death sentence."

He turned to a masked man seated below him who was polishing a Ghost Head Saber. "Qin San Dao, take some men and get rid of him. The kid may just be a greenhorn who’s barely entered the Second Acupoint realm, but his head is worth a pretty penny."

"Don’t you worry, Boss Han!"

Qin San Dao let out a savage grin and rose, hoisting his saber. "A mere fledgling who just broke through to the Second Acupoint realm? I’ll bring you his head within the hour!"

Han Qinhu nodded.

In his eyes, this was a hunt with a foregone conclusion. In the waters around Ghost Mist Island, there was no prey they couldn’t devour.

Even if the unexpected happened and Su Yu tried to escape, the Sea-Exploring Swallow could report back instantly, and he himself could provide backup at a moment’s notice.

...

[Bibo Fish Dragon Skill Level +15]

[Martial Arts]: Bibo Fish Dragon Skill (Layer 1) (Skilled 1/1500)

’I’ve broken through to the Skilled Realm!’

A wave of insight washed over him, deepening his understanding of the Cultivation Technique. At the same time, he grasped a new ability granted by the Bibo Fish Dragon Skill.

HUMMM...

In the frigid Black Water River, Qi and Blood circulated through Su Yu’s body. His pores trembled in unison as threads of warm Qi and Blood seeped out. Instead of dissipating into the water, they clung tightly to the surface of his skin, instantly weaving together into a transparent film, nearly invisible to the naked eye.

’The Water-Resistant Air Membrane is complete!’

In an instant, the bone-deep chill of the water vanished.

This membrane of Qi and Blood was like a skin-tight wetsuit, completely sealing out the frigid river water and perfectly locking in his body heat.

Even more magical was the change in sensation.

With every stroke before, Su Yu could feel the water’s resistance and friction. But now, with the membrane in place, the water felt as smooth as silk against his skin.

Su Yu gave a gentle kick.

SWOOSH!

There was no drag whatsoever. His body, like a well-oiled fish, shot forward several zhang in an instant! The water resistance had been drastically reduced. With the same amount of force, he was now a full thirty percent faster!

’What a miraculous ability! Is this what it feels like to be a fish in water?’

Su Yu flipped nimbly through the water, sensing the rate at which his Qi and Blood were being consumed.

’Maintaining this membrane consumes some Qi and Blood, but at my current Third Acupoint realm, I can easily afford the cost. I’ll have no problem keeping it active underwater for a full hour!’

’And...’

Su Yu looked into the murky waters ahead, a cold glint in his eyes.

’Wrapped in this membrane, my aura is completely sealed. Right now, I’m a ghost in the water!’