Chapter 342: Thousand Sails Event (2)
Jiang Chen navigated the Calyx Boat through the surging waves, his eyes fixed on the points leaderboard displayed by his jade pendant.
Different fish awarded different points.
With a bit of luck, one could gather the required 60 points in no time. With bad luck, it could be a long, fruitless wait.
Silver Scale Flying Fish: 5 points each!
Spirit Pattern Grouper: 10 points each!
Dragon Whisker Koi: 20 points each!
Golden Fin Dragon Carp: 50 points each!
In the Wind and Wave Domain, Silver Scale Flying Fish were the most common, while the Golden Fin Dragon Carp was the rarest of all. Legend had it that a Golden Fin Dragon Carp hadn’t been seen in these waters for thirty years. This mythical fish was not only scarce but was said to appear only in the vicinity of mystical undersea dragon veins.
As everyone knew, the fishing stage only required 60 points to advance. Landing a single Golden Fin Dragon Carp would allow a contestant to proceed to the next stage almost instantly.
Jiang Chen raised an eyebrow. *My Top Grade Golden Wine is irresistible to Dragon Carp, but will the ones lurking near the dragon veins take the bait?*The thousand-strong fleet of ships, boats, shuttles, and rafts cut through the water like a massive school of fish. Some were swift, others slow. The nimble boats and shuttles formed the vanguard, racing far ahead of the pack. The larger, slightly slower ships made up the second wave.
As for the third tier, there was currently only a single cultivator on a lone raft. Mo Yu drifted leisurely at the rear, calmly preparing his fishing gear without a hint of urgency.
After about a quarter of an hour, the scenery changed. The once-calm sea abruptly transformed into a churning cauldron of violent waves. A cacophony of crashing water filled the air, a clear sign they had reached the “Wind and Wave Domain.”
The vanguard of boats and shuttles immediately became unstable upon entry. They were tossed about violently, swaying and lurching, with many on the verge of capsizing. In contrast, the slower ships, while not as fast, proved far more stable. For now, their occupants only felt a slight rocking of the hull.
The winds in the domain were ferocious, whipping the sails with thunderous cracks. The seawater was a turbid, bluish-gray, its wave crests frothed with white foam, giving the unsettling impression of boiling mud. Visibility was severely hampered, making it nearly impossible to spot fish by sight alone. Cultivators had to rely on their spiritual sense or raw experience.
Even then, spiritual sense had its limits. The deeper one tried to probe, the less information they could glean. But the true dangers of the Wind and Wave Domain weren’t the poor conditions; they were the chaotic undercurrents and hidden reefs. Vicious reverse currents often lurked beneath the surface, strong enough to snatch away hooks and lines in an instant. The reefs, shrouded by the tumultuous waves, would reveal their jagged peaks without warning.
Suddenly, a sharp crack echoed from the distance.
Jiang Chen looked over to see a shuttle, likely moving too fast to react, slam directly into a hidden reef. The vessel snapped in two with a sickening crunch, hurling its occupants into the churning waves. Without their craft, the cultivator was instantly disqualified. Such incidents were becoming common, and the other contestants were already growing numb to them.
Jiang Chen shifted his gaze, spotting Fairy Beiyun and Long Xiyao on their Shattered Moon Flowing Frost not far away. Like everyone else, they were searching for a stable spot to begin fishing.
Long Ao released his spiritual sense, scanning the area. He used his Spirit Root to feel out the conditions below the surface, then pointed. “A little to the left. There are no chaotic currents under that spot.”
Jiang Chen gave a slight nod and steered the Calyx Boat into position.
“I’m no expert at fishing,” Long Ao admitted. “It’s all on you, Junior Brother Jiang.”
Jiang Chen retrieved his Giant Leaf. This time, however, he wasn’t using it for transport. He tied a tough, resilient fishing line to each of its four large leaves, then secured a heavy black iron hook to each line. Though he had a valuable set of fishing gear from a deceased angler he’d found back in the Lock Dragon Abyss, the Giant Leaf was simply more efficient.
Next, he brought out the Top Grade Golden Wine he had prepared. It held little appeal for common fish, but it was a potent lure for Dragon Carp. Whether it could attract the legendary Golden Fin Dragon Carp, however, was a matter of luck.
Though Long Ao knew nothing about fishing, he couldn’t help but feel that his Junior Brother Jiang’s methods were wildly unconventional. Everyone else was using standard rods and bait. But Jiang Chen? He brought out a four-leafed artifact, tied four lines to it, and was now pouring wine into the sea.
Time ticked by, the roar of the waves a constant drone.
Soon, other cultivators began to land fish—either a 5-point Silver Scale Flying Fish or a 10-point Spirit Pattern Grouper. The rarer Dragon Whisker Koi and Golden Fin Dragon Carp remained elusive.
Through it all, Jiang Chen was the picture of calm, his relaxed demeanor showing no trace of anxiety.
Before long, Jin Fugui’s line went taut, and he reeled in a slender Silver Scale Flying Fish. A short while later, even Chen Bo and Li Xianglin had made their first catches.
Seeing this, Long Ao’s brow furrowed. “Junior Brother, are you sure this is the right spot?” The water here was stable, free of undercurrents. Logically, it should be an ideal fishing location. So why had everyone else, even their acquaintances, started to score points while their lines remained utterly still? If they couldn’t catch anything, they couldn’t advance.
“Patience is key in fishing,” Jiang Chen said coolly. “We wait.”
He had absolute faith in his Top Grade Golden Wine.
Long Ao sighed and glanced over at Fairy Beiyun. To his dismay, he saw that even she was now reeling in a fish.
As more time passed, the scores of those around them steadily climbed. The cultivators with Water Spirit Roots were particularly successful, their innate advantage on full display.
Finally, on Jiang Chen’s side, there was a flicker of movement. The leaf on the left side of the Giant Leaf gave a sharp, sudden twitch.
Just one, and then it fell still again.
Long Ao dismissed it as a trick of the current, but Jiang Chen’s eyes narrowed. He seized the line attached to the left leaf and hauled back with explosive force.
With a loud *splash*, two golden whiskers erupted from the waves, followed by the three-foot-long body of a fish covered in fine, pale-yellow scales.
Long Ao gasped. “A Dragon Whisker Koi! That’s 20 points!”
But it wasn’t over. The other three leaves began to tremble. Two of them twitched once and went still, just like the first. The last one, however, began to buck violently, shaking so hard the entire Giant Leaf bobbed up and down.
Jiang Chen reacted in a flash. He gripped the Giant Leaf with both hands, letting the line play out as he battled the unseen beast below, expertly maneuvering the Calyx Boat to match its powerful movements.
After what felt like an eternity, the force pulling from below began to weaken. Without a moment’s hesitation, Jiang Chen swung the entire Giant Leaf in a wide arc, heaving its catch out of the water and into the air.
*Splash! Splash! Splash!*
Three more shapes broke the surface.
Long Ao stared, his eyes wide. He instantly identified two of them—more Dragon Whisker Koi.
The last fish was different. It bore no whiskers, but its body stretched nearly four feet long, its frame thick with raw power. Its scales, each as large as a copper coin, formed a tight, interlocking coat of armor that blazed with a dazzling golden light!