Lord Dragon Lord, Aren't You Underestimating Me a Bit?

What was this place?

A water palace?

The Dragon Palace?

Shen Le craned his head back, farther and farther back, trying his best to look up. The place before him was unlike the one in the TV adaptation of Journey to the West, unlike any film or TV show he had seen, or any game he had played:

There were no golden walls, no jade pillars, no coral spreading into thrones, nor any enormous clam shell holding a luminous pearl to light the entire cavern.

There was only a wall of clear water. From afar, it looked emerald green; up close, it was colorless and transparent, standing tall and linking together into a dome.

Shen Le floated off the wooden boat and reached out to touch the water wall. His palm slipped smoothly into it.

As he reached farther in, a mischievous little gold-and-red fish suddenly darted out and pecked at his fingertips.

"Huh? You are?"

Curiously, Shen Le spread his fingers and scooped inward, wanting to catch it in his palm for a closer look.

The little fish twisted and shot through the gaps between his fingers, flicked its tail a few times, then hid behind a large black carp over half a person's length long and blew a string of bubbles at him.

"So you're borrowing a fish's power?"

Shen Le could not help laughing. He wanted to take another step forward, but an immense suction force came from behind and pulled him back onto the boat.

Looking down, he saw that his palm and the spaces between his fingers were completely dry, without the slightest trace of moisture. Where his hand had entered the water wall, the upright surface of water remained crystal clear, without a single drop splashing to the ground.

"This really is..."

Shen Le