"So, what, you're saying we can't take the fish we catch? Then what's the point—are we just fishing for fun without any return?" Huang Kai said mockingly as he glanced at the reservoir owner.
"You didn't pay to fish for free, did you? Two hundred per hour, not a cent less!" The owner crossed his arms and straightened his neck, now openly acting like a thug.
"Oh, so we pay full price, but we can't keep what we catch? That's daylight robbery. Zheng Jianping, this place you found—turns out it's a den of thieves!" Liu Guangqing sneered and turned to Zheng Jianping.
Zheng Jianping's face darkened. He had organized this outing based on a recommendation from a manager under him who was originally from Qingshan Village. He'd been here before, found the fish wild and delicious, and thought it'd be a good place for a group trip. Never had they run into this kind of nonsense before.
The six of them had already paid 2,400 yuan for just two hours of fishing. Even if they calculated the value of Xiang Ye's catch at retail prices, it wouldn't exceed that. So technically, the owner wasn't even losing money yet, and he was already throwing a tantrum?
"Enough talk. Call the police," Zheng Jianping said coldly. His tone made it clear he wasn't playing around. The reservoir owner's eyes were still bloodshot, but his mind was beginning to clear.
If the police got involved, they probably wouldn't do much—but if this incident got exposed, it could ruin things. The township was considering turning Qingshan Village into a tourism spot. If this kind of scandal came to light, the whole plan might fall apart, and his reservoir would go out of business.
Still, like many small-time rural businessmen, his vision was short-term. He couldn't bear to lose that massive fish. He saw Zheng Jianping making a call, and with a sudden move, bolted through the crowd and ran off.
Everyone was a little surprised, not sure what he was up to, but it didn't stop Xiang Ye from slipping the massive fish into the keepnet.
"Ding! Congratulations to the host for capturing a Black Carp (16.2 kg). Reward: 32,400 yuan. Ding! Because it was caught in a reservoir and is considered wild, price adjusted by -20%. Final payout: 25,920 yuan."
"Ding! Congratulations to the host for completing the temporary mission: Capture a fish over 10 Jin (any species). Reward: Combat (Master Level)."
"Combat—Master level? What does that even mean?" Xiang Ye muttered to himself, confused.
But as soon as he accepted the reward, a rush of information flooded his mind—and his body changed again. The system's skill tiers became clear to him:
Amateur: Has the basic know-how, but far from professional.
Professional: Skilled enough to make a living at it.
Master: The elite among professionals.
Grandmaster: The pinnacle of human achievement in the discipline.
God-tier: Beyond human limits.
As he absorbed the knowledge of Master-level combat, a torrent of fighting techniques surged into his consciousness—kung fu from various schools, Sanda, Muay Thai, Karate, Judo, Jiu-jitsu, Krav Maga… styles from all over the world.
Though his strength, agility, and stamina hadn't increased, the structure and conditioning of his muscles had. With this knowledge alone, he could easily dominate MMA—and could probably take the UFC championship belt without breaking a sweat.
In that moment, Xiang Ye became one of the most formidable hand-to-hand combatants on the planet. At least now, he didn't need to worry about personal safety.
Of course, he had no real reason to compete in UFC. He wasn't a violent guy. Plus, with the system, he didn't lack for money. Why bother?
All in all, he was very satisfied with this temporary reward.
"So, what now? Do we leave or what?" Ai Bai asked, looking at Huang Kai and the others, unsure what to do.
It wasn't uncommon for places like this to pull stunts like that, which was frustrating. Not everyone had a sense of contract or honor.
"Pack up first. We'll deal with things when the police arrive," Zheng Jianping said.
They were clearly in the right. There was no need to argue. They'd just clean up and wait for the authorities. Even if the local police wanted to protect their own, they'd still need to follow basic reasoning.
Xiang Ye was a bit reluctant to leave—he'd just earned 50,000 yuan today, plus a master-level combat skill and a car worth over 3 million.
Still, it wasn't enough to make him cling to the spot like a barnacle.
But just as they finished packing and the police had yet to arrive, a fellow angler came running up in a panic.
"Bad news! That guy's gathered some villagers and they're coming to fight you!"
Everyone paused, their movements freezing. Slowly, they all looked over toward the direction of the reservoir owner's house.
Xiang Ye remained calm. He knew just how strong he was now. If someone really wanted a fight, he wouldn't mind giving them a taste of his new skills.
As for Huang Kai, Zheng Jianping, Liu Guangqing, and Qi Hongbo—they weren't panicking either. In fact, they looked rather amused.
It had been a long time since anyone was foolish enough to try to pick a fight with them.
This book comes from：m.funovel.com。