I Fish for Fish, You Lose Your Cool

Early the next morning.

Flender walked into the dining hall with a coat draped over his shoulders. Lin Yuan was crouched by the stove, clutching a two-foot black fish and dropping it into a pot.

"Where did you get that fish?" Flender asked.

"Caught it in the lake behind the mountain." Lin Yuan did not turn around. "Cast a line before bed last night. Pulled up three this morning."

"Three?"

"Released two. Kept this one to eat." Lin Yuan put the lid on the pot and grinned at Flender. "Dean, how long has it been since this school's dining hall served meat?"

Flender glanced at the black fish in the pot, then at the black scales scraped onto the stove. His expression turned complicated. "...Three years."

"Three years?"

"After the last cook ran off, the dining hall only made porridge."

Lin Yuan sighed. "No wonder you can't recruit anyone. Your admissions brochure says you train monsters, but students arrive to find the food's worse than what monsters eat."

Flender's mouth twitched. He did not argue.

Just then, Grandmaster pushed the door open. He held his battered notebook, and his eyes behind his glasses were bloodshot. He clearly had not slept all night.

"Lin Yuan." He dropped into a chair and opened the notebook. "I studied your Martial Soul last night. Based on my analysis, your fishing rod is likely an ancient spirit-weapon Martial Soul recorded in old texts, a class above ordinary weapon Martial Souls.

"Its core ability should be devouring and conversion. It turns a Soul Beast's Soul Power into your own. That means your cultivation method is unlike any other Soul Master's. Others hunt Soul Beasts; you only need to fish..."

"Grandmaster," Lin Yuan interrupted.

"Hmm?"

"Did you sleep last night?"

"That's not the point..."

"The bags under your eyes are nearly down to your cheeks." Lin Yuan set a bowl of fish soup in front of him. "Eat first. Talk later."

Grandmaster stared at the fish soup and froze.

"You're not charging me, are you?"

"Not for this bowl. The next one costs money."

Grandmaster lifted the bowl and took a sip. His eyes flew wide. "This soup..."

"Fresh, isn't it?"

"Incredibly! How did you make it?"

"Basic angler skills." Lin Yuan sat across from him and ladled himself a bowl. "Scrape off the scales, remove the gills, start it in cold water, add ginger to cut the fishiness, bring it to a boil over high heat, then simmer it low and slow. Don't throw in a jumble of seasonings. You want the fish's own flavor."

Grandmaster drank three bowls straight. By the time he put down his bowl, he looked thoroughly revived.

"Can we talk now?" He pulled out his notebook. "That lightning-attribute Soul Skill of yours..."

Lin Yuan raised his right hand. A thread of blue lightning sprang from his fingertip, fine as spider silk and sizzling in the air.

Grandmaster's pencil fell to the floor.

"Lightning Fishing Line," Lin Yuan said. "It's my second Soul Skill. The first was Brute-Force Tail Swing from a grass carp. It boosts the explosive power in my legs."

"Wait." Grandmaster held up a hand. "Did you say grass carp? A ten-year grass carp?"

"Yep."

"A Ten-Year Soul Beast can give you a Soul Skill?"

"Sure." Lin Yuan took a sip of soup. "If I release one and get nothing, I catch another until one gives me something. If grass carp won't, I switch to crucian carp. If they won't, I switch to loaches. One of them is bound to."

Grandmaster's lips began trembling again.

"You mean... you can keep releasing low-level Soul Beasts to farm skills?"

The word farm seemed to strike a nerve. Grandmaster sat bolt upright. "Wait, wait, wait. You mean the more Soul Beasts of the same species you release, the higher your chance of getting a rare Soul Skill?"

Lin Yuan nodded.

"Then if you focused on releasing one kind of fish and filled out its entire catalog..."

"Unlock a hidden Soul Skill." Lin Yuan picked up a piece of fish.

Grandmaster shot to his feet. His chair toppled backward with a clatter.

"Lin Yuan!"

"Hmm?"

"You've changed everything I know about Martial Souls!"

"Then change careers."

Grandmaster blinked. "To what?"

"Fishing." Lin Yuan pointed outside. "The lake behind the mountain. Free lessons, but I get half the fish you catch."

Grandmaster hesitated for three seconds.

"Deal."

Flender, who had been watching from the side, suddenly cut in. "Hold on. You two are starting a fishing class at my school without asking me?"

Lin Yuan looked up at him. "Dean, do you want to eat the fish from the dining hall?"

"Yes."

"Then don't say anything."

Flender: "..."

He sat down in silence and served himself a bowl of fish soup.

Just then, a head poked through the dining hall doorway.

A skinny boy, half a head taller than Lin Yuan, wore a school uniform that clearly did not fit. Freckles dotted his face as he peered inside uneasily.

"Um... Dean," he stammered, "I smelled fish. Could I..."

Without looking back, Flender said, "Wang Sheng, perfect timing. These are Lin Yuan and Tang San, the new arrivals. They'll be living next door to you."

Wang Sheng's gaze fell on the fish soup in front of Lin Yuan. He swallowed.

Lin Yuan glanced at him, dished out the remaining half fish from the pot, and set it on the table.

"Go ahead."

Wang Sheng froze. "For... for me?"

"There's more in the pot." Lin Yuan handed him a pair of chopsticks. "If you want fish later, come to the lake with me and help net the catch."

Wang Sheng took the chopsticks. His hands were shaking.

In a few quick bites, he stripped the half fish clean. He even chewed up the bones.

Flender shook his head at the sight. "Embarrassing."

Wang Sheng wiped his mouth, suddenly stood, and bowed to Lin Yuan. "Thank you! I—I haven't eaten fish in three months!"

Lin Yuan waved a hand. "It's nothing."

Wang Sheng hesitated, then added, "But... you need to watch out for Boss Xiao."

"Who?"

"Xiao Chenyu." Wang Sheng lowered his voice. "Sixth-year student. Soul Power level fifteen. He runs the school. He heard two new students arrived today and said he wanted to see what you're made of."

Lin Yuan raised an eyebrow. "See what we're made of?"

"Beat you up to establish his authority." Wang Sheng looked anxious. "He picks on newcomers. Last semester, he put one new student in the infirmary for a month."

Tang San set down his chopsticks. "Level fifteen?"

"Yeah. His Martial Soul is a Blood Wolf. Power Attack System."

Tang San looked at Lin Yuan.

Lin Yuan finished the last sip of soup in his bowl and wiped his mouth.

"When is he coming?"

"Usually around noon. At the Training Ground."

Lin Yuan stood and picked up the fishing rod leaning against the wall.

"Come on. Let's go to the Training Ground."

Wang Sheng panicked. "Are you crazy? He's in his sixth year, and you're only in your first!"

Lin Yuan looked back with a smile. "So what if I'm a first-year? I was fishing while he was still nursing."

"But..."

"Wang Sheng." Lin Yuan patted his shoulder. "You said his name is Xiao Chenyu?"

"Yeah."

"Has he ever fished?"

Wang Sheng stared. "Huh?"

Lin Yuan offered no explanation. He shouldered his fishing rod and walked out of the dining hall.

Tang San followed him. "How are you planning to fight him?" he asked quietly. "Your Soul Power is only level six."

"Who said I was going to fight him?" Lin Yuan glanced back. "I'm going fishing."

"At the Training Ground?"

"Yep."

"There's no water at the Training Ground."

Lin Yuan grinned. "Some people have more water in their heads than the lake."

Tang San fell silent for three seconds.

"You mean... Xiao Chenyu's head is full of water?"

"You'll see."

At the Training Ground.

Xiao Chenyu was already blocking the entrance with a crowd behind him.

The thirteen-year-old boy was stocky, with short red hair and a vicious glare. In his Martial Soul Possession state, faint blood-colored wolf markings showed on his arms.

"The new kids?" He stared at Lin Yuan and Tang San as they approached. "Which one is Lin Yuan?"

"Me."

Xiao Chenyu looked him up and down. His gaze settled on the fishing rod.

"You're the one with the Trash Martial Soul fishing rod?"

"Yep."

"Heard your Soul Power's level six?"

"Yep."

Xiao Chenyu laughed and turned to his lackeys. "Hear that? A level-six loser with a fishing rod for a Martial Soul. Who does he think he is?"

The lackeys laughed along.

Lin Yuan did not.

He planted his fishing rod on the ground and looked Xiao Chenyu in the eye. His expression was earnest. "Have you ever been fishing?"

Xiao Chenyu's smile stiffened. "What?"

"I asked if you've ever been fishing."

"I'm asking you a damn question—"

"Good. You haven't." Lin Yuan cut him off and flicked his line in front of Xiao Chenyu. The gleaming silver hook swung back and forth before his nose. "Then I'll teach you."

"You..."

"Step one of fishing is chumming the water." Lin Yuan flicked his wrist, sending the hook in a circle through the air. "You scatter bait into the water to draw the fish over."

Rage surged through Xiao Chenyu. He threw a punch.

Lin Yuan stepped back and reeled in the line. The hook caught Xiao Chenyu's sleeve.

Xiao Chenyu froze.

Lin Yuan flicked his wrist again, wrapping the line around Xiao Chenyu's wrist.

"Step two," Lin Yuan said at an easy pace, "is setting the hook. Once it catches in the fish's mouth, you have to pull hard..."

He gave a sudden yank.

Xiao Chenyu lurched forward three steps, nearly falling flat on his face.

The Training Ground went silent.

The lackeys stared wide-eyed.

Humiliated and furious, Xiao Chenyu fully activated his Martial Soul Possession. The blood-colored markings across his arms flared, wolf claws sprang out, and he lunged at Lin Yuan with a roar.

Lin Yuan neither dodged nor retreated. He raised his right hand. A thread of blue lightning shot from his fingertip and raced along the fishing line.

Crackle!

Lightning flashed all over Xiao Chenyu. His hair stood on end, and he locked in place, convulsing.

Lin Yuan reeled in his rod and looked at the smoking Xiao Chenyu. His voice stayed level. "Step three is playing the fish. When it struggles, don't haul against it. Go with its strength and wear it out. When you charged just now, I pulled in the same direction. See? You tripped yourself."

Xiao Chenyu knelt on the ground, trembling all over. His lips had turned purple, and he could not get a word out.

Lin Yuan crouched to meet his eyes.

"Step four is landing it." He stood and slung his rod over his shoulder. "You lost."

Not a soul spoke in the Training Ground.

Wang Sheng stood in the corner, his mouth open wide enough to fit an egg.

Tang San leaned against the doorframe with his arms crossed, wearing an unreadable expression.

Lin Yuan turned to leave. As he passed Xiao Chenyu, he paused.

"Oh, and I forgot to tell you. My Soul Power is level six. That part's true."

He looked down at Xiao Chenyu, still twitching on the ground, and smiled.

"But fishhooks don't care about Soul Power."

At the entrance, Lin Yuan patted Tang San's shoulder. "Come on. Back to the lake. That last cast didn't catch anything. I need to throw in more bait."

Tang San followed him. After a few steps, he could not help asking, "How much Soul Power did you use just now?"

"Half."

"Half your Soul Power was enough to shock a level-fifteen Soul Master to the ground?"

"The shock didn't knock him down." Lin Yuan gave the rod in his hand a little shake. "He went down on his own. I just showed him that the Martial Soul he was so proud of was nothing but a fish that had never been hooked."

Tang San was silent for a while.

"What kind of fish am I in your eyes?"

Lin Yuan glanced back at him with a knowing smile.

"You? You're a big fish."

"What kind?"

"A Blue Silver Grass fish." Lin Yuan burst out laughing. "Just kidding. Come on, let's go fishing."

The two of them headed toward the lake.

Behind them, Flender stood at a second-floor window of the teaching building. He had seen everything clearly.

Grandmaster stood beside him and added another line to the little notebook in his hand.

Flender asked, "What do you think?"

Grandmaster pushed up his glasses. "He wasn't fighting."

"Then what was he doing?"

"He was teaching." Grandmaster closed his notebook. "Teaching everyone not to judge people by their Martial Souls."

Flender fell silent for a moment.

"You're right." He sighed. "That kid really is a monster."

At the lake behind the mountain.

Lin Yuan cast his line into the water and sat down on a rock.

Tang San sat beside him, then suddenly asked, "You said Xiao Chenyu was a fish that had never been hooked. What kind of person would you say has been hooked?"

Lin Yuan thought for a moment.

"Someone who's been hooked knows pain." He gazed across the lake. "Only someone who knows pain learns a lesson."

"What about you?"

"Me?" Lin Yuan smiled. "I'm the one sitting on the shore. Whether the fish bite or not, I'll still be here."

A system chime suddenly sounded:

[Ding! Soul Power fluctuations are gathering by the lake. A rare fish species is approaching.]

Lin Yuan sat up straight.

"Now we're in business."

The float plunged beneath the surface.

He flicked his wrist, and the rod bent into an arc.

The lake's surface burst open. A small, snow-white fish broke through the water. It was only the size of a palm, but seven colors flowed across its body like a tiny rainbow.

The system displayed a notification:

[Ding! Ten-Year Soul Beast: Seven-Colored Glazed Fish. Rarity: Epic. Assessment: The host got lucky as hell today.]

Lin Yuan stared at the fish, his heart racing.

He turned to Tang San. "We can't let this one go."

"Why not?"

"If I do, it'll be gone."

Tang San leaned in for a look. "What kind of fish is it?"

"A Seven-Colored Glazed Fish." Lin Yuan's voice tightened. "An epic-quality Ten-Year Soul Beast. It has a special use."

"What use?"

Lin Yuan looked down at the little fish in his hand. A line of text appeared on the system interface:

[Seven-Colored Glazed Fish: Can be converted into permanent attribute points. Use when breaking through a Soul Power bottleneck; success rate +50%.]

He took a deep breath.

"Tang San."

"Yeah?"

"I think I've found a shortcut to grinding my Soul Power Level."

Tang San didn't understand. "What do you mean?"

Lin Yuan gently placed the little fish in the waterskin he carried, tied it shut, and hung it from his waist.

"It means I don't need to catch big fish anymore." He grinned. "I just need to find rare species like this one, catch them again and again, release them again and again, and keep grinding."

"Didn't you say it would be gone if you let it go?"

"That's why I need to figure out how to make it come back on its own."

Tang San saw the look on his face and felt a sudden chill run down his spine.

"What are you planning to do?"

Lin Yuan stood, flexed his wrist, and looked out over the lake.

"I'm going to raise this one fish into a whole shoal."

Tang San stood on the shore, watching Lin Yuan crouch by the water and mutter to the Seven-Colored Glazed Fish in the waterskin.

He suddenly remembered what Tang Hao had told him.

"Stay away from that kid."

Tang San sighed.

Too late.