First Time Sea Fishing, Hunted by Spirit Hall

Star Luo Harbor.

Lin Yuan stood on the dock, gazed out at the boundless sea, and took a deep breath.

System notification: [Ding! First arrival at the sea. Sea fishing mode unlocked. Sea Soul Beast species: unknown. Recommendation: prepare deep-sea bait.]

Lin Yuan pulled a cloth bundle from his coat and opened it. Inside was bait made from fermented fish guts and shrimp shells. The stench rose to the heavens.

Ma Hongjun followed behind him, covered his nose, and backed away three steps. "What is that? It reeks!"

"Deep-sea bait. The stinkier, the better."

"Are you serious?"

"Sea fish eat carrion. The worse something smells, the more delicious they find it." Lin Yuan pinched off a lump, hooked it, and cast his rod. The sinker carried the bait down to the seabed.

Ma Hongjun squatted on the dock, pinching his nose. "That stuff smells worse than stinky tofu."

"Stinky tofu is for people. This is for fish."

"Fish have some strong tastes."

Ten minutes later, the float plunged.

Lin Yuan lifted the rod. It bent into a full moon, the pull ten times stronger than a freshwater fish's.

He slid three steps forward along the dock, and Ma Hongjun grabbed him around the waist from behind.

"Hold steady!"

"I am!"

A three-foot-long silvery-white sea fish burst from the water. Its body was flat, its scales gleamed like metal, and its thrashing tail sent spray flying.

System notification: [Ding! Thousand-year Soul Beast: Silver Pomfret King. Fishing difficulty: extremely hard. Evaluation: a thousand-year catch on your first sea cast? Smoke must be rising from your ancestors' graves.]

Lin Yuan hauled the fish onto the dock. The Silver Pomfret King flopped on the ground, its tail smacking against the planks.

Ma Hongjun leaned in. "Can we eat it?"

"Release it."

The Silver Pomfret King slipped into the sea, turned back, and spat out a silver pearl. Lin Yuan caught it, and it dissolved into his palm.

System: [Game-release successful. Soul Power +3 levels. Current Soul Power: level 38. Illustrated Compendium entry unlocked: Silver Pomfret King.]

Ma Hongjun stared. "You catch one, let it go, level up, then keep fishing?"

"It's a cycle."

"That's way faster than hunting Soul Beasts!"

"Hunting is killing the hen for its eggs. Fishing is a stream that flows on and on."

Ma Hongjun nodded thoughtfully.

On the other side of the dock, Shui Bing'er approached with a basket. She spotted the unfamiliar man beside Lin Yuan and paused.

"Lin Yuan, who's this?"

"Ma Hongjun. He's from Shrek, my junior."

Shui Bing'er nodded. Her gaze passed Ma Hongjun and landed on the inn behind Lin Yuan, where Xiao Ruoxue was just stepping outside. Their eyes met across the distance.

Xiao Ruoxue walked over with a hand on her sword hilt and glanced at Shui Bing'er. "Skywater Academy?"

Shui Bing'er said, "East City Academy?"

Both women turned to Lin Yuan at once.

Lin Yuan was reeling in his line and did not look up. "You're both fishing friends. Don't fight."

Shui Bing'er and Xiao Ruoxue spoke at the same time. "Who's her fishing friend..."

They exchanged a glance, then both turned away.

Squatting nearby, Ma Hongjun muttered, "This is better than a tournament."

Lin Yuan finally looked up. He took in the two women's expressions and sighed. "We're heading out to sea tomorrow. Who's coming?"

Shui Bing'er said, "I am."

Xiao Ruoxue said, "Me too."

Lin Yuan said, "Fine. The boat only has three seats, so Ma Hongjun can row."

Ma Hongjun said, "Why do I have to row?"

"Because you can't fish."

Ma Hongjun said, "..."

The next day, a small boat sailed out of the harbor. The sea lay as still as a mirror.

Ma Hongjun rowed, grumbling without pause.

Shui Bing'er sat at the bow with a hand on the gunwale, feeling the current.

Xiao Ruoxue sat at the stern, her sword across her knees, resting with her eyes closed.

Lin Yuan stood in the middle of the boat, fishing rod in hand.

Shui Bing'er suddenly said, "The seawater here feels completely different from freshwater."

"Mm. Seawater gives you more buoyancy, and the fish pull harder." Lin Yuan cast his line. "And what lives in the sea is fiercer than what lives in freshwater."

Xiao Ruoxue opened her eyes. "Have you caught sea fish before?"

"First time."

"And on your first time, you dare cast into the deep sea?"

"Fishing fanatics never care what attempt it is." Lin Yuan set his rod in place. "We only care whether there are fish in the water."

No sooner had he spoken than fog rose from the sea. Thick banks rolled in from every direction and swallowed the water in an instant.

Xiao Ruoxue stood, her hand on her sword hilt. "Something's wrong with this fog."

Shui Bing'er activated Martial Soul Possession. The Ice Phoenix spread its wings, and a wave of cold drove back a small patch of fog.

Three Spirit Hall enforcement ships emerged from the mist, closing in from three directions. A Soul Douluo stood at the bow of one, with dozens of Soul Masters behind him.

Xiao Ruoxue drew her sword. "Spirit Hall caught up with us."

Shui Bing'er said, "How did they know we were here?"

Lin Yuan did not turn around. "They've been following us since Soto Lake. I deliberately didn't shake them."

Xiao Ruoxue glared at him. "You did that on purpose?"

"Mm. I wanted to see how many people they'd sent." Lin Yuan slotted his fishing rod into the boat's deck, its line trailing into the sea. "Now I know."

Xiao Ruoxue grew anxious. "You're still fishing at a time like this?"

"I'm fishing for reinforcements."

"What reinforcements?"

The line snapped taut. The sea exploded, and an enormous sea snake burst from the water, its body pitch-black and two horns rising from its head.

The Black-Scaled Flood Dragon Snake.

The one from the Star Luo Sea, now even larger than it had been in the mine.

The snake wheeled through the air and landed in front of the little boat. Its body stretched across the water, blocking the Spirit Hall ships.

System notification: [Ding! Black-Scaled Flood Dragon Snake (adult) responded to your summons of its own accord. Affinity: 60. Evaluation: it considers you a friend.]

Lin Yuan said to Xiao Ruoxue, "There are our reinforcements."

Xiao Ruoxue stared at the snake, which was bigger than their boat, and found herself speechless.

Beside her, Shui Bing'er asked quietly, "Just how many strange things have you fished up?"

Lin Yuan said, "I haven't counted."

The snake let out a hiss, and a shockwave of Soul Power blasted across the sea.

All three Spirit Hall ships rocked wildly. The Soul Masters aboard lost their footing and grabbed the gunwales.

The leading Soul Douluo's face turned livid. He struck at the snake with his palm.

The snake lashed its tail, scattered the force of his strike, and followed through into the hull of an enforcement ship. A crack split its side, and seawater poured in.

Lin Yuan took the chance to reel in his line. The little boat turned and slipped through the fog into a stretch of reefs.

Ma Hongjun rowed with all his might, his face red with effort. "That snake back there... is it your pet?"

"Not a pet. More of a partner."

"Partners in what?"

"I feed it fish, and it keeps people off me."

Shui Bing'er glanced back at the Spirit Hall ships tangled up with the snake. "Can it beat a Soul Douluo?"

"No." Lin Yuan put away his rod. "But it can hold him off long enough for us to escape."

Xiao Ruoxue looked at him. "When did you start working with that snake?"

"At the mine on the Star Luo Empire border. I caught it and released it. The second time was at Soto Lake, and I released it again. This third time, it followed me into the sea on its own."

Xiao Ruoxue was silent for a moment. "You released it three times, and now it recognizes you?"

"Soul Beasts are simpler than people. Release one once, and it remembers you for life."

Shui Bing'er suddenly asked, "What about the Spirit Hall people? Will they follow us ashore?"

"They will." Lin Yuan pointed deeper into the reefs. "So we can't go back to the harbor. We'll land somewhere deserted and travel overland."

The boat slipped deep into the reefs and landed in a hidden cove. All four climbed out, and Ma Hongjun tucked the boat into a crevice.

Once ashore, Xiao Ruoxue looked back at the sea. "What about the snake?"

"It'll leave on its own." Lin Yuan headed inland. "It's smarter than I am."

The four climbed from the reefs onto a cliff and found a narrow path. After walking for half an hour and making sure they had shaken their pursuers, they stopped to rest beside a mountain spring.

Ma Hongjun collapsed onto the ground. "I never want to row a boat again."

Sitting on a rock, Shui Bing'er suddenly asked, "Lin Yuan, why are those Spirit Hall people chasing you?"

Before Lin Yuan could answer, Xiao Ruoxue spoke. "He's destroying Spirit Hall's Soul-Nurturing Arrays."

Shui Bing'er turned to her. "What Soul-Nurturing Arrays?"

Xiao Ruoxue glanced at Lin Yuan. He nodded.

Xiao Ruoxue explained the Soul-Nurturing Arrays. When she finished, Shui Bing'er was silent for a long time.

"So this is what you've been doing these past few months?"

"Mm."

Shui Bing'er stood and walked up to Lin Yuan. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Skywater Academy has nothing to do with Spirit Hall. I didn't want to drag you into this."

Shui Bing'er stared at him for three seconds. "You really know how to make me angry."

"I know."

"Next time something like this happens, take me with you."

Lin Yuan looked at her earnest expression and fell silent for a moment.

"All right."

Nearby, Xiao Ruoxue held her sword and said nothing, though the corner of her mouth lifted slightly.

System notification:

[Character affinity: Shui Bing'er +40. Xiao Ruoxue +20. Current harem relationships: Shui Bing'er (more than friends, explicitly joined); Xiao Ruoxue (more than friends, still observing).]

[Evaluation: Host, both fish have taken the bait, but the lines are getting tangled. Be careful they don't snap.]

Lin Yuan looked at the two women, then at Ma Hongjun sprawled on the ground, and sighed.

"Let's go. We'll find a town and get something to eat."

Ma Hongjun shot upright. "Food? Finally!"

Lin Yuan glanced at him. "You're paying."

"Why?"

"Because you didn't catch any fish."

Ma Hongjun's face fell again.