Wang Teng truly realized how scary the void torrent belt was. The currents below their ship were rapid and complex, with a strange and immense liquid energy floating within. Some special energies even surged up along the fishing line, which might cause serious injuries or even death.
Sikong the Second was startled. He wanted to witness the young hero's embarrassment but the latter managed to hold on. The elder chuckled and said, "Be careful. My fishing rod is expensive."
"You won't make me pay for it if I drop it, right?" Wang Teng exerted some force, gripping the fishing rod tightly.
Honestly, deep inside, he was a little nervous.
An artifact capable of fishing within the void torrent belt was undoubtedly extraordinary.
What if he dropped it and he couldn't pay for it?
Still, no matter how anxious he was, he wouldn't let others see it. He remained calm and composed on the surface.
The elder didn't answer. Instead, he smiled and said, "Why don't we have a competition? Let's see who can catch something of higher value. If you win, I'll owe you a reasonable favor. This condition might come in handy when you arrive at the Stellar Academy."
"Of course, if you lose, you'll have to owe me a favor."
"No problem." Wang Teng's eyes lit up.
He knew very little about the academy at the moment, but having a favor promised by an instructor would undoubtedly provide an additional layer of assurance.
Sikong the Second smiled after the other accepted. He turned to check the fishing rod he was holding, acting like a professional and serious angler.
He did look the part.
Wang Teng thought for a moment and realized that using the five basic Forces would probably not draw much attention. It would be better to use a special Force. However, seeing the elder's confident expression, that was probably not the safest choice.
One had to consider that the senior was an eternal stage warrior. To surpass him, the young hero realized he needed to catch the latter off guard.
A normal bait wasn't enough.
Maybe I should use origin power, he wondered. Then, he shook his head. No, an eternal stage warrior is also able to use origin power, and it's definitely stronger than mine.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtSo, what do I have that he doesn't?
Oh right! I have divine flames and the Heaven-Earth Calamity Lightning. I can use them as bait too, right?
Wang Teng wasn't certain but that didn't stop him from trying.
However, before he did that, he asked, "Instructor, what if the thing I attract is too scary?"
"You'll have to rely on yourself." Sikong the Second sniggered. "Are you expecting me to help you? Come on, we're having a competition here."
F**k! Wang Teng felt at a loss.
Both the Divine flames and the tribulation lightning were legendary items. It was highly possible that they would attract a particularly terrifying entity; it would be a wasted effort if he were unable to handle it.
I guess I can make a smaller bait. Wang Teng's eyes glistened. He stopped hesitating and released a wisp of tribulation lightning; it flowed down the fishing line and twirled around the hook at the end.
Honestly, it was just a little wisp. He wouldn't dare to release more as he was afraid of accidents.
The void torrent belt was unpredictable and mysterious, so it was better to play it safe.
"Huh?" Sikong the Second gasped. He noticed something and a hint of bewilderment flashed across his eyes.
However, he wasn't sure of it. That power was peculiar; it felt a little unreal. He wasn't sure if it was the same kind of power he was familiar with.
Wang Teng was giving him more and more surprises.
The fishing competition was becoming increasingly interesting.
The elder turned serious and infused a trace of origin power into the fishing line, which then disappeared into the void torrent belt.
The two of them stood on the deck and waited patiently.
Patience was crucial in fishing. A skilled angler had to keep a calm and composed demeanor.
After all, the prey could be somewhere close.
…
Time seemed to pass slowly, yet half a day flew by in the blink of an eye. Wang Teng and Sikong the Second had yet to catch something.
They engaged in casual conversation as they waited. The hero learned that it would only take them one day to travel through the void torrent belt.
This meant they only had half a day left.
Sikong the Second remained patient. He smiled at the young hero, but the latter's response disappointed him.
Even though he knew there wasn't much time left, Wang Teng showed no signs of impatience. Instead, he remained calm and indifferent, as if he didn't really care about the outcome of their competition.
"Aren't you going to add more bait? It may not attract any prey with such a small amount," the instructor said.
"No need to hurry. The willing ones will take the bait!" The hero chuckled lightly while giving the elder a fleeting glance. "As for you, instructor, it won't look good if you end up not catching anything. After all, you are the instructor."
The elder's expression froze.
Gosh, he managed to turn the tables on me.
"Hahaha, I've long passed the age of being overly competitive. I'm just here to have some fun with you. Winning or losing doesn't really matter." The elder laughed. "By the way, do you know why I'm called Sikong the Second?"
Wang Teng decided to play along. "Why?"
"I've been the first in everything since birth. No one has ever surpassed me in anything I do, so things became boring. I wanted to experience being second, and that's why I changed my name to Sikong the Second." The elder spoke with a touch of melancholy. "I'll be quite happy if you can make me lose just once, even if it's only in fishing."
Round Ball couldn't take it anymore and started complaining, "Wang Teng, your instructor is quite arrogant!"
The hero felt the same way. He wanted to give his instructor a thumbs up.
Changing his name was quite a remarkable move!
Why not call yourself Sikong Outstanding?
While the young man and his little helper complained—ripples suddenly appeared on the currents below.
"Hey, something took my bait." The elder's eyes lit up.
Wang Teng and Round Ball were startled. They immediately looked over, eyes fixed on the turbulent currents beneath them.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmThey were very curious about what the senior would catch.
The hero was only able to see a kilometer deep when peering into the void torrent belt while using his Real Eye. At first he couldn't make out what had taken the bait.
Sikong the Second slowly reeled in the line, pulling up whatever he caught.
This was easy for an eternal stage warrior. The suction force within the current seemed nonexistent to him.
The entity below got closer and closer; Wang Teng finally saw its true appearance. He was taken aback—
Bang!
The next instant, a black shadow jumped out of the liquid energy and darted out of the void torrent belt.
"Come here!" The elder chuckled and pulled his fishing rod. The black shadow was then pulled onto the deck.
The creature wanted to escape, but the elder suppressed it using a Force restraint.
"A silver-scaled yellowfish. Not bad!" The latter smiled as he looked at the fish on the deck.
"It's really a big fish!" The hero was surprised, finally able to see the catch.
The instructor caught a large yellowfish with a silver scaled patch on its forehead. About a meter long, the creature emitted a faint golden glow, which gave it a peculiar appearance.
From a Force chef grandmaster's standpoint, our hero felt that the fish had to be delicious.
"You can get fish, or it could be something else. It all depends on luck." Sikong the Second chuckled. "Boy, this silver-scaled yellowfish is a top grade ingredient. The flesh is delicious, but the best part is that consuming it can… enhance your beauty! It will fetch a high price in the Stellar Academies!"
"Enhance one's beauty?" Wang Teng couldn't help but facepalm, but he had to admit that the fish would be quite valuable.
"It's your turn now." The elder smiled and stored the fish. Once again, he threw his fishing line.
It seemed that luck was on his side. He managed to catch three more silver-scaled yellowfish half an hour later.
Two were the same size as the first one, but the third was more than three meters long.
"This three-meter fish can easily be sold at least ten times the price," the elder exclaimed happily.
Wang Teng found his smile a little disturbing for some reason. He felt that his instructor didn't just plan to exchange the fish for money.