Your Power Bank Got Fished Away by Me

The Heaven Dou Imperial Arena.

Shrek's seven members stood in the Competitor Tunnel. Flender led the way, clutching their Competitor Pass and muttering nonstop.

"Remember, your first match is against Skywater Academy. All their Martial Souls are Water Attribute. Their leader is Shui Bing'er, whose Martial Soul is the Ice Phoenix. She's level thirty-six."

Dai Mubai frowned. "Level thirty-six? I'm our highest, and I'm only level twenty-five."

"Which is why you can't take them head-on." Flender glanced back at Lin Yuan. "Got any ideas, kid?"

Lin Yuan stood at the back of the group, carrying an empty bucket. His gaze passed over Flender's shoulder and settled on the Landscape Pond beside the arena platform.

The pond was small, but its water was clear to the bottom. Faint silver flashes flickered beneath the surface.

Lin Yuan asked, "Were those fish put there for Skywater Academy?"

Grandmaster came up beside them and adjusted his glasses. "Yes. Skywater Academy's Martial Souls are all Water Attribute. During a match, their Soul Power recovers twice as fast near the pond. The tournament organizers set the rules—every venue has an Attribute Pool."

Dai Mubai frowned. "That's not fair."

Lin Yuan watched the pond without a word.

Flender noticed his expression. "Lin Yuan, what are you thinking?"

"I was wondering," Lin Yuan said, licking his lips, "whether those fish taste any good."

Tang San gave him a look. "Here you go again."

"What now?" Lin Yuan twirled the bucket in his hand. "I'm hungry."

Flender warned him, "Don't pull anything. This is a tournament."

"When have I ever pulled anything?"

Dai Mubai, Tang San, and Xiao Wu answered in unison, "All the time."

Lin Yuan: "..."

The night before the match.

Outside the Heaven Dou Imperial Arena.

Lin Yuan strolled toward the entrance with a fishing rod and bucket.

A guard stopped him. "Competition venue. No unauthorized entry."

Lin Yuan waved the Pass in his hand. "I'm a Competing Contestant. I'm here to get familiar with the venue."

The guard took the Pass, looked it over, then sized him up. "You're with Shrek? What's there to get familiar with in the middle of the night?"

"Getting a feel for it." Lin Yuan rested the rod on his shoulder. "My match is tomorrow. I need to warm up today."

The guard hesitated, then waved him through. "Go on. Don't touch anything you shouldn't."

"Don't worry."

Lin Yuan entered the arena, went around the platform, and crouched beside the Landscape Pond.

The pond's still surface reflected the moon. Silver specks glimmered below, and the swimming fish looked like a flowing river of stars.

A system notification sounded:

[Ding! Large numbers of Water Attribute Amplification Fish detected. Quantity: forty-seven. Age: ten to one hundred years. Assessment: the tournament organizers really spared no expense.]

Lin Yuan broke into a grin.

"Forty-seven. Enough to eat for a month."

He cast his line.

The hook entered the water without even a scrap of bait. The Amplification Fish sensed the Soul Power clinging to it and surged over like moths to a flame.

The first was a ten-year Silver Crucian Carp. The second, a twenty-year Silver Carp. The third, a fifty-year Green Carp.

One after another, every Amplification Fish in the pond was hooked within ten minutes.

Lin Yuan's bucket was filled to the brim, fish tails slapping against its sides.

He counted them. Forty-seven. Not one missing.

Before leaving, Lin Yuan tossed a single corn kernel into the pond.

"A little something to remember me by."

Bucket in hand and rod over his shoulder, he swaggered past the guard.

The guard eyed his bucket. "What's in there?"

"Local specialties," Lin Yuan said without looking back. "Bought them."

Match day.

Skywater Academy's seven Team Members entered. Their leader, Shui Bing'er, walked in front, blue hair falling down her back and her face cold and stern. With her Ice Phoenix Martial Soul Avatar active, a chill spread around her.

She led her teammates to the pond to warm up before the match.

Shui Bing'er glanced down at the water.

Her expression froze.

"Where are the fish?"

A teammate leaned in. "What fish?"

"The Amplification Fish!" Shui Bing'er's voice shot up an octave. "There were forty-seven yesterday! I counted them myself!"

The teammate peered into the pond. The water was clear to the bottom, without a single fish in sight.

"They're all gone..."

Shui Bing'er whipped her head toward Shrek.

Lin Yuan stood by the competitors' seats. He smiled at her and lifted the bucket in his hand.

A fish tail was still thrashing inside, making sharp pat-pat sounds that carried through the quiet arena.

Shui Bing'er's face went from white to green, then green to purple.

The referee announced the start of the match.

Skywater Academy's seven members stepped onto the platform, their Soul Rings lighting up.

Shui Bing'er's Ice Phoenix Martial Soul spread its icy-blue wings, radiating a biting cold.

Dai Mubai asked Lin Yuan quietly, "How do we fight them?"

Standing at the rear, Lin Yuan propped his rod against the ground and flicked his line across the entire platform.

"The usual. Tang San controls the field, Dai Mubai takes the front, and I stay back."

Shui Bing'er gritted her teeth and attacked. The Ice Phoenix spread its wings, and her First Soul Skill, Ice Sealing Ten Thousand Miles, bore down on Shrek.

The temperature across the platform plunged. A thin sheet of ice formed over the floor.

Tang San's Blue Silver Grass surged out, spreading a Vine Net across the floor to stop the ice from advancing.

Dai Mubai charged straight in, firing White Tiger Fierce Light Wave at Shui Bing'er.

Shui Bing'er dodged sideways. Her Second Soul Skill, Ice Phoenix Spreading Wings, sent dozens of ice spikes shooting in every direction.

At the rear, Lin Yuan cast his line without a hint of hurry.

The hook flew out and caught a Skywater Team Member's belt with perfect accuracy.

She was about to unleash a Soul Skill when Lin Yuan tugged. She staggered two steps sideways, and her skill went wide. Its ice spikes struck a teammate's Ice Shield.

Shui Bing'er roared, "You with the fishing rod! Can you do something useful?"

"I am doing something useful," Lin Yuan said.

"What have you done?"

"I fished out every last one of your power banks."

Shui Bing'er froze for a second. When she realized he meant the Amplification Fish in the pond, she nearly exploded with rage.

Without the fish replenishing their Soul Power, Skywater Academy's endurance was cut in half.

The Ice Phoenix Martial Soul was powerful, but it consumed a great deal of Soul Power.

Fifteen minutes into the match, Shui Bing'er's Soul Power was nearly spent, and her icy wings had begun to thin.

Tang San seized the moment. Blue Silver Grass erupted on all sides, weaving a giant net from the ground into the air.

Dai Mubai activated White Tiger Vajra Transformation and charged head-on.

Xiao Wu swept in from the flank, using her soft techniques to entangle two Skywater Team Members.

Zhu Zhuqing darted across the arena like a shadow, picking off the opponents with the least Soul Power.

Lin Yuan's fishing line whipped back and forth across the arena, its hook catching every Skywater Team Member who tried to unleash a big move.

One Team Member tried to use Ice Roar. The instant she raised her hand, the hook caught her sleeve and yanked it down. Ice Roar slammed into the floor and froze her feet in place.

Another tried to raise an Ice Wall. The hook caught her hair ribbon and pulled it sideways. The Ice Wall rose crooked and trapped her own teammates in a corner.

Shui Bing'er carried the team's offense alone, burning through her Soul Power.

Gritting her teeth, she let out a clear cry through the Ice Phoenix and prepared her strongest Soul Skill: Ice Phoenix Nirvana.

Lin Yuan saw it.

With a flick of his wrist, his fishing line flew out soundlessly and hooked the Ice Crystal Chain around Shui Bing'er's ankle.

Shui Bing'er looked down.

Lin Yuan gave a sharp tug.

Shui Bing'er lost her balance. The charge for Ice Phoenix Nirvana broke, her icy wings shattered, and her Martial Soul was forced back.

The referee blew the whistle.

"Skywater Academy has exhausted its Soul Power! Shrek Academy wins!"

The arena fell silent for two seconds, then erupted in an uproar.

Shui Bing'er stood on the platform, her chest heaving. She stared at Lin Yuan for a long time, biting her lip until it turned white.

After the match, Shui Bing'er walked up to Lin Yuan.

"Did you come steal the fish last night?"

"I didn't steal them." Lin Yuan put away his rod. "I caught them."

"Those fish belonged to the tournament!"

"The tournament rules never said fishing was forbidden."

Shui Bing'er trembled with anger. "You... you cheated!"

"Cheating means sneaking around." Lin Yuan lifted his bucket. A few fish were still swimming inside. "I walked openly through the front entrance. The guard even nodded at me."

Shui Bing'er had no answer.

Lin Yuan scooped the two biggest fish out of the bucket and held them out to her.

"Take them."

Shui Bing'er stared. "What?"

"Build your strength back after the match. You're Water Attribute Soul Masters. Eating fish is good for your Soul Power." Lin Yuan pressed the fish into her hands. "Next time, check the pond before the match."

Holding the two fish, Shui Bing'er looked torn beyond words.

"You... what kind of person are you?"

"A fisherman." Lin Yuan hoisted the bucket onto his shoulder and walked away.

Shui Bing'er stood where she was, looking at the fish in her hands. Suddenly, she was caught between anger and laughter.

"A fisherman..." she repeated softly, an involuntary smile touching her lips.

After the match, in the competitors' Rest Area.

Flender grinned so broadly he could barely close his mouth as he paced the Lounge.

"Lin Yuan! You're a fucking genius!"

"Dean, watch your language."

"I'm too fucking excited!"

Grandmaster sat in the corner, opened his notebook, and added a line: "Tactic: resource denial. Assessment: underhanded, but effective."

Leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, Dai Mubai looked at Lin Yuan. "You really weren't spotted last night?"

"No."

"What if you had been?"

"I'd have said I was getting familiar with the venue." Lin Yuan took a sip of water. "What could they have done? I didn't hurt anyone or damage any property. I just moved the fish somewhere else to live."

Xiao Wu leaned in. "Where are the fish now?"

"Living in the cafeteria." Lin Yuan glanced at her. "Extra food tonight."

Xiao Wu cheered, sprang up, and ran off.

Tang San sat beside Lin Yuan and was quiet for a while.

"When you went to catch those fish last night, did you think about what would happen if you were caught?"

"I did."

"And you still went?"

"Tang San, what's the highest state a fishing fanatic can reach?"

Tang San thought for a moment. "Never coming back empty-handed?"

Lin Yuan shook his head. "Where the fish are, there I am. Rules can govern people, but they can't govern a rod."

He patted Tang San's shoulder. "Remember: whatever's in the water belongs to whoever catches it."

Tang San was silent for a while. "What if I want to learn to fish?"

Lin Yuan turned to look at him and smiled.

"First, learn to wait. Once you can do that, I'll teach you."

"How long do I have to wait?"

"That depends on fate."

Tang San asked no more.

On the way back to the academy, Xiao Ruoxue stood at the arena exit and stopped Lin Yuan.

She clutched the two fish, her expression unreadable.

"You won."

"Yeah."

"Your next match is against East City Academy."

"Yeah."

Xiao Ruoxue looked at him. "I'm from East City Academy."

Lin Yuan stopped and looked at her. "I know."

Xiao Ruoxue was silent for a few seconds. "I won't hold back during the match."

"Don't." Lin Yuan slung his fishing rod over his shoulder. "Whether you hold back or not, the result will be the same."

Xiao Ruoxue bit her lip. "You're that confident?"

"It's not confidence." Lin Yuan walked past her. "I know your hook hasn't set yet."

Xiao Ruoxue turned to watch him go. "What do you mean?"

Without looking back, Lin Yuan waved a hand.

"Go back and think about it. Do you want to win, or do you want to fight me?"

Xiao Ruoxue stood in the dusk, clutching two fish as she watched Lin Yuan walk farther and farther away.

She glanced down at the fish in her hands and suddenly noticed a thin red thread tied to one of their fins.

It was Lin Yuan's fishing line.

She paused, untied the red thread, and wound it around her wrist.

"Do I want to win..." she murmured to herself, "or do I want to fight you?"

She raised her head and looked in the direction Lin Yuan had disappeared. Slowly, the corners of her mouth lifted.

"Both."