'The Bibo Fishbone Skill is already at entry-level?'
Su Yu's mind raced, and he quickly understood what had happened.
'It seems this Fishbone Skill really is a form of Underwater Martial Arts. It just absorbed my swimming skill.'
But now the progress had changed to entry-level, and the upper limit was much higher.
"The Bibo Fishbone Skill has five forms in total. Those were them. As for the rest, figure it out yourselves." Qian Wenhao finished his demonstration and stood still, his tone suddenly growing cold and hard.
'That's it?'
The few people in the courtyard looked at each other in dismay. He had performed the set extremely quickly. An ordinary person would have trouble just memorizing the movements, let alone the techniques for generating force.
"Brother Qian~"
A sweet, soft voice broke the silence.
Gao Xiaoshuang took two steps forward. She was in the prime of her youth, and though her features were plain, her long, slender legs were particularly eye-catching among this group of rough men. She knew her strengths well. With a flirtatious glance, she put on a bashful, pitiable act:
"I'm too stupid, I only learned the first form. Could you... teach it one more time?"
This move had been foolproof against the men she'd dealt with before.
But Qian Wenhao's gaze was placid. It didn't even linger on her for half a second. He just said coolly, "There's still training to do with the team today. I have no time to teach. Practice on your own."
With that, he turned and left for the other courtyards.
The sweet smile on Gao Xiaoshuang's face froze instantly, a flash of shame and anger in her eyes.
"Hehe, Sister Shuang." Zhou Da sidled up beside her, rubbing his hands together with a silly grin. "Me and my brother remembered the last few forms. How 'bout we practice together?"
Gao Xiaoshuang snorted, but just as she was about to refuse, she caught sight of two people in the corner.
The "Black Loach" Bai Shun, and that Su Yu from Qingxi Village, were already practicing. Their movements were fluid, a clear sign they had memorized everything.
'Damn it, I can't fall behind!'
A sense of urgency gripped her, and she was no longer in the mood to be picky. With a cold expression, she joined the Zhou Brothers.
...
By mid-morning, the Martial Arts Arena was sweltering.
Su Yu was drenched in sweat. He had gone through the set dozens of times. Although he was making progress, his joints still felt stiff with every repetition, and his spine felt locked in place. It was incredibly awkward.
[Skill Level +1]
Watching the number on his panel increase at a snail's pace, Su Yu stopped and gasped for breath.
His body was exhausted, his muscles ached unbearably. This feeling—that the effort and reward were completely disproportional—made him frown deeply.
'Is the Cultivation Technique too difficult? Or is this body's natural aptitude just too poor?'
He scanned his surroundings.
Gao Xiaoshuang and the Zhou Brothers looked like they were performing a shamanistic dance, their movements horribly distorted. Only Bai Shun, though also covered in sweat, still moved with power, a clear sign that he had a solid foundation.
Just as he was pondering this, Qian Wenhao returned to the Martial Arts Arena.
Everyone was about to step forward and ask about the key points, but Qian Wenhao, as if he had already expected it, cut them off with a wave of his hand. "Alright, that's enough for today. If you have any questions, wait until we return from the voyage next month."
With a single sentence, he had shut down all avenues for questions.
Though resentful, no one dared to cause trouble on the Qian Family's territory, so they could only leave dejectedly.
...
Back home, Su Yu collapsed onto his bed, his entire body aching so much he didn't want to move.
"'It takes wealth to practice martial arts, while a scholar's life is one of poverty.' The ancients truly weren't lying."
Without medicinal baths to nourish his body or a famous master to guide him, just training blindly like this was something his body simply couldn't endure.
He reviewed the day's events in his mind, and the more he thought about it, the more he felt there was something strange about the Qian Family's Martial Arts.
Qian Wenhao's cold attitude, his way of not teaching the essence of the skill...
'They're doing it on purpose.'
A flash of understanding lit up Su Yu's eyes.
The Qian Family's method for handling their outer members was to keep them on the hook. Perhaps only after they had made more contributions, or had completely pledged their allegiance to the Qian Family, would they be taught the true Bibo Fishbone Skill!
This way, as long as someone coveted the Bibo Fishbone Skill, they couldn't leave the Qian Family.
'What a way to control people!'
Su Yu's brow furrowed, his understanding of this world deepening once again.
'Looks like I need to save up money for a martial arts hall as soon as possible. Properly becoming a disciple is the only way out!'
In the evening, a KNOCK KNOCK came from the door.
"Yu, come to your grandfather's! We're celebrating your younger brother today!" His Third Aunt, Mrs. Chen, called out, her loud voice filled with unconcealable joy. "Your brother has been accepted into the Hongshan Martial Arts Hall!"
"Okay, Third Aunt!"
"You go on ahead, I'll be there in a bit."
"Alright, hurry up now."
After Mrs. Chen left, Su Yu thought for a moment, then grabbed a Black River carp from his home and headed for the Su Family's Old Mansion.
In the small courtyard of the Su home, several men were sitting around a table under the light of a dim, yellow oil lamp.
In the kitchen, his First Aunt and Third Aunt were busy cooking.
"Oh, Elder Su, this Black River carp that Yu brought is a nice and fat one!"
His Third Aunt's voice, full of praise, drifted from the kitchen.
Ever since Su Yu had contributed those five taels of silver, his Third Aunt's attitude toward him had changed considerably in the past few days.
Elder Su was the same. He took a puff from his long-stemmed pipe and thought that Su Yu had become more sensible.
"From now on, the old Su Family will be counting on Su Can. You brothers must be united. Especially you, Su Can—once you've made something of yourself, don't forget to help your two older cousins."
"Don't worry, Grandfather!" Su Can nodded firmly.
"And Su Hong," the elder said, looking at his eldest grandson. "You're not a kid anymore. It's time you started a family."
Su Hong gave a bitter smile. "Grandfather, in times like these, I can barely take care of myself."
At this, the elder fell silent. The wrinkles on his brow furrowed, a clear sign he had also heard something.
Su Hong's expression turned grave as he lowered his voice and continued:
"Everyone needs to be more careful lately. The Water Snake Gang has gone crazy. They've wiped out several markets and dock strongholds belonging to other gangs along the Black Water River. They're being extremely vicious, so everyone should try to avoid those trouble spots."
Just then, his Third Aunt came out carrying the fish. Hearing this, she hurriedly asked, "Su Hong, the Qingxi Market won't be in trouble, will it?"
"Don't worry too much, Third Aunt. The Water Snake Gang is still under control here in Qingxi Town."
"My son, you must be careful," his First Aunt said, her eyes filled with worry.
Su Hong immediately put on a relaxed expression. "Mom, it's fine. The Snow Wolf Gang's main strongholds are in the city."
"Well, I don't understand all that. Just remember to be careful."
Soon, the meal was ready. The family began to eat, the men all eating in silence.
Only the Third Aunt chattered on endlessly, her words filled with boasts about Su Can's above-average aptitude and being personally taught by a great master. The First Aunt would occasionally chime in with a brief agreement.
...
The morning sun rose, awakening wisps of cooking smoke.
Su Yu counted his savings. He had nearly seven taels of silver. Reaching the ten taels needed for the discipleship fee was now a foreseeable goal.
He shouldered his fish basket and headed for the Black Water River.
This time, he avoided the route where he had encountered the Water Snake Gang's temporary stronghold. After walking for more than two hours, he finally found another suitable fishing spot.
It was a shallow bay at the base of a high cliff. The water flowed gently, and the reeds were dense—a good fishing ground, sheltered from the wind and full of life.
"Time to get to work!"
Su Yu cast his net and hauled it in, his movements practiced and skillful.
His Net Casting Skill, after Breaking the Limit, made him feel like a fish in water. Before noon, his basket was full. It seemed this stretch of water was quite good as well.
Now that he had joined the Qian Family Fishing Team, he could afford to have a larger catch. If anyone asked, he would just say it was an improvement from learning the Bibo Fishbone Skill.
However, the price for these common fish was cheap, and the city's restaurants hadn't been buying much recently. At most, he could only make 150 to 160 cents a day.
Although this was much better than an ordinary fisherman's earnings, it was ultimately not enough for practicing Martial Arts.
'If only I could catch more valuable fish,' he thought. 'White-Scaled Fish would be good, or even Red Oil Fish.'
'Best of all would be to get a treasure fish. Then I'd really strike it rich.'
'But the chances of catching those fish from the shore are too slim,' Su Yu thought helplessly.
"Since I'm practicing the Fishbone Skill, I might as well... get in the water and try it out!"
In a flash, Su Yu stripped off his clothes and stood naked on the riverbank. The bone-chilling river wind blew past, raising goosebumps on his skin.
SPLASH!
He took a deep breath and plunged into the water.
"Swimming Fish Tail!"
Underwater, the great dragon of Su Yu's spine suddenly trembled, and he kicked his legs with force.
SNAP!
It was as if a bowstring had snapped taut inside his body, and a powerful force instantly slammed into his back! He was no longer a clumsy human but had transformed into a black barracuda, shooting forward thirty to forty feet in an instant!
'Holy crap, it really is an underwater technique! I've been practicing it wrong this whole time!'
Su Yu was ecstatic.
He immediately began testing the other moves.
The movements that had been so awkward on land were now smooth and fluid in the water. He even had the feeling of borrowing force from the water itself.
'This is the real way to practice the Fishbone Skill!'
'Qian Wenhao never taught any of this!'
Soon, Su Yu had familiarized himself with the five forms of the Fishbone Skill!
[Swimming Fish Tail]: An underwater burst from the great dragon of the spine. The legs explode outward like a fish's tail, allowing for an instantaneous burst of speed for either attack or retreat.
[Parting Water Swim]: Swim through the water like a shuttle—fast and agile.
[Wave-Piercing Stab]: A true attack technique, best used with a weapon to thrust at an enemy underwater.
[Black Eel Wrap]: A grappling technique for underwater combat. It uses the current to lock down an opponent and restrict their movements.
[Fish Scale Shock]: A defensive technique. Qi and Blood erupt, creating a shockwave in the water as the body dodges with agility to defend or escape.