Grinding to the Martial Sage from the White Ape Fist-Chapter 53: Fishbone Skill Breakthrough

The more Su Yu looked at it, the more confused he became. ’The Water Snake Gang is just a bunch of local thugs. They don’t run boats or fish, so why would they hide such a detailed Waterway Map?’

’And these spots marked with skulls...’

’Wait, I got those two strange black stones from those two Water Snake Gang members before. Could they be related to this map?’

The waters around the Water Snake Gang were getting deeper. They were clearly not as simple as they seemed.

Su Yu’s expression flickered, but he quickly suppressed the churning thoughts in his mind. ’I have to get out of here first!’

...

「The next day.」

A thick, dim fog hung in the morning air.

Su Yu deliberately left home early, taking his fishing net to the Black Water River to fish.

On the way, he ran into fishermen from Qingxi Village. Some greeted him enthusiastically, while others pointed and whispered.

"Morning, Brother Su!"

"Brother Su is so hardworking! He’s already learning Martial Arts but still goes out to fish!"

"It’s a shame. With Su Yu’s strength, his life should have been getting better and better, but he had to go and offend the Water Snake Gang..."

Su Yu offered a few replies and then headed straight for the watery cave between the cliffs by the Black Water River.

He expertly dived into the cave and checked his surroundings. Aside from the water level having risen a bit, everything was normal.

He pulled out the two black stones. They were just as they had been, and he breathed a sigh of relief.

Su Yu was now able to faintly sense the aura emanating from the strange black stones. It seemed somewhat similar to the aura of the weirdness that had attacked the village that night.

’Could the Water Snake Gang really be connected to the weirdness?’

Su Yu thought for a moment, then immediately shook his head.

’Unlikely. The weirdness has been around for ages; it’s probably not connected to any people.’

’But it’s true that the Water Snake Gang has been unusually active lately. The black stones... the weirdness... the map...’

It was as if all these pieces were connecting into a single thread in his mind. He couldn’t see the full picture yet, but it felt like the net of a conspiracy was slowly tightening.

In the end, Su Yu still couldn’t figure it out, but his gaze grew a little firmer.

’In these chaotic times, the only way to survive is to become stronger!’

’If I become strong enough, I don’t care if it’s the weirdness or some person—I’ll smash them all to bits with a single punch!’

After putting the black stones away again, Su Yu spread his fishing net and activated Listening Wave Positioning. His perception spread out like tentacles.

In less than an hour, a warm, restless sensation entered his perception.

’It’s here!’

The fishing net in Su Yu’s hand cast down with precision, like a dark cloud blanketing the sky. At the same time, his body flickered, and like a slippery black fish, he followed the net into the water.

The water was somewhat dim, but Su Yu recognized the fish at a glance. It was a Red Scale Carp weighing over ten pounds!

Its entire body was covered in scales that glittered like rubies, resembling a burning flame in the dark water. It rammed against the fishing net with astonishing force.

’What a fine specimen!’

Su Yu was overjoyed. This Red Scale Carp was not only larger but also of much better quality. It was probably worth a lot more than the last one he caught!

In the past, subduing such a large and rare fish would have been quite a hassle.

But now, his Qi and Blood was much stronger in the water. With a sudden shudder of his spine—the "great dragon"—his bones emitted a series of fine, crisp cracks.

’Black Eel Wrap!’

His movements in the water defied logic. His limbs became soft and boneless, instantly wrapping around the fish’s body.

’Fish Scale Shock!’

His Qi and Blood erupted, causing the water to concuss. In just a moment, Su Yu subdued the great fish.

[Bibo Fishbone Skill Skill Level +1]

[Bibo Fishbone Skill has broken through to the Skilled Realm!]

[Martial Arts]: Bibo Fishbone Skill (Skilled 1/300)

Ink-black text floated before his eyes. After many days of stagnation, his Bibo Fishbone Skill had finally broken through to the Skilled level.

Su Yu jumped back into the water and tried out Swimming Fish Tail. His speed was clearly much faster than before. It seemed his abilities in the water had strengthened once again.

’This Fishbone Skill is very useful, but its progress is just too slow, and I don’t have enough time to grind it. Still, the fact that I could break through to the Skilled realm must be due to my peerless talent.’

’The Qian Family probably never imagined someone could train this Fishbone Skill to the Skilled level without the help of the Pile Skill. Their original method of controlling the Fishing Team members through the Fishbone Skill is now useless against me.’

Su Yu smiled but still decided to find an opportunity to visit the Qian Family. Now that he was a Martial Artist, perhaps he could negotiate with them for a position in exchange for the Pile Skill.

...

「Noon, at Qingxi Market.」

The usual hustle and bustle was somewhat muted, and a tense, murderous aura filled the air. A few members of the Water Snake Gang patrolled the area, their faces taut with nervousness.

Su Yu arrived at the market, bought some supplies, and decided to check on the aftermath of last night’s bloody raid on the Water Snake Gang’s stronghold.

Carrying the Red Scale Carp, he went to see Steward Liu at the Fuxian Building. The courtyard where the steward was located happened to be not far from the Water Snake Gang’s stronghold.

"Steward Liu, take a look at this Red Scale Carp. What’s it worth?"

Su Yu casually tossed the fish into a wooden basin, making Steward Liu’s heart skip a beat. The steward winced and said, "Aiyo, Younger Brother Su, gently! A Red Scale Carp of this quality... the old gourmands in the city will be fighting over it."

"If only it had higher nutritional value..."

Su Yu didn’t respond, his gaze traveling over the courtyard wall to the street not far away.

There, at the Water Snake Gang’s stronghold, a group of gang members with green bands tied around them were going in and out, each with a fierce expression, as if facing a great enemy.

And at the main entrance stood a tall man.

He wore a black combat uniform and carried a Ghost Head Saber on his back. A closer look revealed he was missing the little finger on his left hand.

His sinister face was frosty, and his narrow eyes scanned the surroundings like a viper’s. Everyone his gaze fell upon couldn’t help but lower their heads and tremble.

Cao Bin!

The main culprit who had broken Su Hong’s legs and was determined to drive every member of the Su Family to their deaths, one by one!

"Younger Brother Su? What are you looking at?"

Steward Liu followed his gaze, and his face changed drastically. He quickly pulled Su Yu back and whispered:

"Shh! Don’t look! That man is in a furious mood right now!"

"I heard something happened at this Water Snake Gang stronghold last night! Cao Bin personally brought his men over this morning and has been searching like a madman. He just smashed up two shops and broke several people’s legs!"

Steward Liu wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, clearly terrified. Retracting his gaze, he looked back at Su Yu, his face breaking into a very friendly smile: 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

"Younger Brother Su, how about thirty taels of silver for this Red Scale Carp?"

The price he offered was very fair, even a little generous. Although he hadn’t seen Su Yu in just a few months, he was shrewd enough to see the immense change in Su Yu from his aura alone.

Seeing his nonchalant attitude toward the Red Scale Carp, how could he not guess that Su Yu had struck it rich?

And for a poor boy from Qingxi Village like Su Yu to change so drastically, it was highly likely that he had learned Martial Arts and gained power.

Su Yu nodded casually and took the silver he was offered.

After leaving Steward Liu’s place, Su Yu strolled calmly down the street.

Although he didn’t know why Cao Bin was hiding the fact that his gang members in the stronghold had been killed, it seemed his attention was indeed focused on investigating the matter. He probably wouldn’t have time to bother the Su Family for now.

’Still, I need to strike first. But with so many more gang members in the stronghold now, a night raid is probably out of the question.’

After pondering for a while and failing to find a good solution, Su Yu shook his head.

’No matter. Time is on my side, anyway. With each passing day, my strength grows. It will be easier to kill him then!’

’However, I still have to guard against Cao Bin personally going after my big brother, Su Hong. But I can’t just stay in Qingxi Village watching over them forever.’

’It’s a pity the Martial Examination is still some time away. Otherwise, if I passed it, I could buy a house directly, bring my brother over, and we’d be much safer in the city.’

Su Yu checked his latest status panel again.

[Martial Arts]: White Ape Fist (Layer 1) (entry-level 95/5000), Spiritual Ape Demon-Slaying Saber (Layer 1) (entry-level 88/3000), Six Changes of the White Ape (Limit Broken 1 time), Bibo Fishbone Skill (Skilled 1/300), Coin Toss (Mastery 950/1000)

He hadn’t slacked on his progress in White Ape Fist and Spiritual Ape Demon-Slaying Saber these past two days. However, because he lacked a suitable Treasure Saber, his progress with the Demon-subduing Saber was actually a bit slower than with White Ape Fist.

’Whether it’s for practicing my saber techniques or further increasing my combat power, I need to get a Treasure Saber forged immediately!’