Farming Games are All About Grinding

Unfortunately, the Big Deng's Fish in the seawater didn't accept Han Qiwu's proposal and continued to angrily slap the surface of the ocean.

"Aren't you afraid I'll hurt the hostage?" Han Qiwu glanced at the Little Deng's Fish in his storage slot, casually strolling to the secret realm trading point to sell it off.

[By selling, you received 6,250 gold]

After the sale, Han Qiwu quickly ran back to the reef and re-baited Jin Yang.

"Pa! Pa!"

The Big Deng's Fish expressed its fury even more upon seeing Han Qiwu.

"Don't rush! Your baby will be back in a bit!" Han Qiwu comforted it with a casual remark and continued to focus on the ocean surface.

Two minutes later, the Little Deng's Fish sluggishly swam out from behind the ocean trench, heading for the Big Deng's Fish with a despondent expression, as if it had been thoroughly defeated.

Ever since it was caught several times in a row last time, the Little Deng's Fish had been trying its best to eat and grow, finally reaching its current size.

But it still lost.

*Splash*

The Big Deng's Fish wagged its tail excitedly when it saw its child, eager to greet it.

Just as the two were swimming toward each other—

A baited hook coincidentally dropped in front of the Little Deng's Fish and, just as coincidentally, touched its mouth.

Little Deng's Fish: "...."

Big Deng's Fish: "????"

Fishing game triggered!

*Splaaaaash*

The Big Deng's Fish went berserk upon seeing this, its eyes flashing red.

WDNMD!

Are you screwing with me?! Trying to ruin my mental state? And steal my kid?!

"Hey, you can't blame me for this; I didn't make the first move! Your kid charged up on its own! No more chitchat, I'm going fishing," Han Qiwu shouted down and refocused on the Little Deng's Fish.

Five minutes later, the Little Deng's Fish made its way back into Han Qiwu's storage slot.

Another 5,000 gold in the bag!

Smooth as silk.

*Boom*

Han Qiwu suddenly felt the large reef beneath him shake slightly, and though the motion wasn't substantial, it was still terrifying enough.

After all, this massive reef extended from the mainland and jutted more than ten meters above sea level, weighing at least thirty to forty tons.

And it wobbled?

Could it be a tsunami was coming?

Han Qiwu quickly stood up to survey his surroundings.

On the ocean surface, the Big Deng's Fish, clad in an exoskeleton, was ramming the base of the reef repeatedly, causing it to shake with each impact.

The situation was dire.

"So fierce? It seems it's grown quite a bit too," Han Qiwu thought in alarm, quickly shouting down to the Big Deng's Fish, "Stop, stop! If I die, your kid dies too!"

Watching the Big Deng's Fish halt its actions, Han Qiwu sighed in relief. This was such a prime fishing spot—having it destroyed would've been a real headache.

"Size really does make a difference. Doesn't want to play fair, so it throws tantrums instead."

Glancing at the Big Deng's Fish, Han Qiwu tried to negotiate again: "Let's discuss this. Same deal as before: I give you your child, and you give me yourself. Don't resist, just come up and play for a bit, alright? I'll let you go after a while."

*Crash*

The massive reef quaked again.

After a few more tremors, Han Qiwu started to get irritated.

Fine, if negotiation doesn't work, we'll duke it out!

Actions speak louder than words!

Baiting the hook, Han Qiwu used Precision Fishing Technique to cast it directly into the Deng's Fish's mouth.

Even the Deng's Fish seemed startled to have bitten the bait.

This little rookie, isn't he afraid of me?

Didn't he learn his lesson last time?

Fishing game triggered!

In the game, the Deng's Fish icon was still massive.

But Han Qiwu wasn't the same as before—he'd leveled up.

You think I dropped 80,000 gold on upgrades for fun?

With Jin Yang's boost, the float length now slightly outmatched the Deng's Fish.

Wait till I use Jin Feng to shrink your size. Then I'll toy with you all I want!

Bring it on!

Just as Han Qiwu was getting ready to cast the Jin Feng skill—

The Deng's Fish's icon turned entirely red, suddenly increasing in size.

[Deng's Fish has learned a skill: Furious Expansion. Upon activation, size increases by 20% for forty seconds.]

Han Qiwu: "???"

You can learn skills too?

A heads-up would've been nice; I wouldn't have provoked you!

Swollen with rage, the Deng's Fish charged at the float, its razor-sharp teeth resembling gates, looking terrifying.

"Shrink for me!" Han Qiwu activated the Jin Feng skill on the Deng's Fish.

Golden streaks flashed, and the Deng's Fish's size returned to normal.

"Now that's more like it," Han Qiwu muttered, carefully maneuvering the float to avoid its teeth, steadily stealing progress.

The Deng's Fish's progress bar was longer than Little Deng's Fish's, and chaining skills wouldn't be enough—this would take real skill.

Twenty seconds later, Jin Feng's effect wore off, and the Deng's Fish's icon returned to its enlarged state, now larger than the float.

In its swollen form, the Deng's Fish was utterly reckless, targeting the float with relentless chomps, acting smug and overbearing.

"I refuse to back down! There are still twenty seconds left—if I have to, I'll drag you up inch by inch!" Han Qiwu held his breath and calmed his nerves, finding that old fishing groove he had when he'd first started with his crappy rod. Fully focused, he meticulously dodged the Deng's Fish's bites while chipping away at the progress bar.

No rod skills, no fisherman skills—just his raw reaction time and focus as he steadily hauled in the progress bar.

A look back—this wasn't just a revisit to the location, but also a return to form.

Experience and reflexes—those were the truest assets.

Five minutes later, a sweaty Han Qiwu let out a long breath, a satisfied smile stretching across his face.

[Congratulations on successfully fishing up the Mutated Deng's Fish in a One-Star ☆ Secret Realm]

[Mutated Deng's Fish]

[Price: 8,500 gold]

[Stamina +800]

[HP -400]

[Note: Deng's Fish have terrifying appetites and are extremely rare]

[Congratulations on catching a Mutated Deng's Fish. You have earned a new achievement: King of the Sea Candidate]

[Achievement: King of the Sea Candidate]

[Achievement Reward Skill - Intimidation: Negates fish skills upon use. Usable once per day]

[Note: Keep up the hard work!]

A string of notifications popped up before Han Qiwu's eyes, leaving him overjoyed.

Mutated Deng's Fish is so valuable!

One fish nets 8,500 gold.

If I catch ten more of these, won't I make back all my investment?

Of course, Han Qiwu knew this was easier said than done.

As the note said, Deng's Fish's massive appetite made them incredibly rare.

The ones he'd encountered so far were all from the same batch.

Live and learn. Next time, catching this particular Mutated Deng's Fish won't be so easy.

"Who'd have thought I'd snag a new achievement this time?" Han Qiwu mused as he read carefully, "King of the Sea Candidate? Intimidation skill?"

Interesting.

The reward for King of the Sea Candidate looked simple, but its utility was immense.

It was clearly designed for dealing with higher-level fish.

For instance, if he'd negated Deng's Fish's Furious Expansion earlier, wouldn't it have been a breeze to catch?

Feeling great.

Time to sell the fish!