Li Yu finally reached Tide-Rest City.

It was a city built on massive ironwood stilts that was suspended above the tidal flats. When the tide came in the water rose twenty feet, turning the streets into canals. When the tide went out, the city smelled of brine, mud and opportunity. Seagulls the size of dogs fought over scraps in the streets and the locals fought back with brooms.

Before heading to find an inn, Li Yu’s stomach roared. He walked into a lively establishment called The Drunken Barnacle to find some food.

He sat at a table. "What is the specialty?"

"Screaming Clams," the waitress said, looking exhausted.

“I’ll try some of those then, please bring me a serving.” Li Yu replied.

After a moment she came back and set down a covered bowl. "Be careful. You have to dominate them."

"Excuse me?" Li Yu asked.

"If you are timid, they stay closed and you won’t be able to eat them. They sense weakness. You have to assert dominance to get them to open."

Li Yu looked at the clams. He picked one up. It remained shut with no movement whatsoever..

"Open," Li Yu said politely.

Nothing.

"Open up," Li Yu said firmly.

The clam vibrated but still didn’t open up. ‘Is it mocking me?’ Li Yu thought.

Li Yu sighed. He leaned in close. He channeled a tiny microscopic fraction of his killing Intent. "OPEN."

POP! POP! POP! POP!

Every clam in the bowl instantly sprang open, their shells clattering against the ceramic. At the next table, a burly sailor’s soup exploded as his clams also popped open in fear. The same scene happened throughout the restaurant as all the clams opened up.

These clams had to be eaten fresh and alive to have their best flavor. Some were destined to not be able to try any this day but Li Yu changed all their fates.

"Delicious," Li Yu noted as he was dipping the terrified meat into melted butter. It was tender and not at all slimy. It paired well with the ale that was being served at this place.

After lunch Li Yu decided to explore the tidal flats. The tide was currently out, revealing miles of wet sand and tide pools.

He saw a group of locals gathering near the water's edge, holding fishing poles. But these weren't normal poles. They were made of iron and the people were wearing helmets.

"What is happening?" Li Yu asked a bystander.

"Slap-Fish season," the man said grimly, adjusting his chin strap. "Tasty, but rude."

"Rude?" Li Yu blinked. “I just had to deal with rude clams earlier for lunch, is all the seafood around here rude?”

Intrigued, Li Yu walked to the water. He didn't have a rod, so he tied a piece of string to his bamboo staff and baited it with a leftover piece of jerky he had. As he began to cast the line into a deep pool he felt a deep connection with his Human Soul.

‘Of course you would react to me fishing, do you really love fishing that much? Is this how we should bond in the future?’ Li Yu questioned it and to his surprise the fisherman nodded and gave him a smile. It then too baited its own fishing hook with something and tossed it into his Ocean of Qi.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

‘I guess we need to spend more time fishing together in the future. I will find some opportunities for us to fish and we can compete. You probably already know this but I was great at fishing as a kid!’ Li Yu projected his thoughts to the fisherman before turning his attention back to what he was doing.

After just a bit of time, he felt a tug.

"A bite!" Li Yu cheered.

He pulled up the line. Dangling from the string was a blue fish with large, cartoonish eyes and two pectoral fins that looked disturbingly like human hands.

"Hello there," Li Yu smiled. "You look unique."

The fish looked at Li Yu. It frowned.

SLAP.

The fish swung on the string and slapped Li Yu across the face with its fin to his surprise. It wasn't a damaging blow, Li Yu’s face was harder than steel but the sound was incredibly loud.

"Ow?" Li Yu said, more confused than hurt. ‘Did this thing really just slap me?’

SLAP. SLAP.

The fish flailed wildly, delivering a rapid-fire combo of slaps to Li Yu’s cheeks.

"Hey! Stop that!" Li Yu tried to grab the fish. The fish skillfully dodged his hand and slapped his knuckles. Then it spat water in his eye.

"It has technique!" Li Yu gasped, nearly dropping his fishing rod in his retreat. The Human Soul was laying on the ground laughing at Li Yu but he wouldn’t know it. Being insulted by a fish was one of the funniest things to it.

A local fisherman next to him laughed. "You have to block, boy! The Slap-Fish respects only a strong defense!"

Li Yu narrowed his eyes. "Oh, you want to fight?"

Li Yu dropped into a stance. The fish swung on the line. Li Yu bobbed and weaved.

Slap! Missed. Slap! Missed.

Li Yu countered with a gentle flick of his finger. The fish blocked with its tail.

"It knows martial arts," Li Yu whispered in horror. With only his mortal cultivation and suppressed body this fish was a worthy challenger.

They sparred for five minutes. A crowd gathered and bets were placed. This was a relatively common occurrence here when a newcomer tried to fish for Slap-Fish but Li Yu was putting up a spectacular fight.

Finally, Li Yu managed to catch the fish mid-swing. He held it firm and a surge of pride in his victory went through him. Half of the people in the crowd cheered and the other half moaned at Li Yu’s success, all depending on how they had betted.

"Good match," Li Yu panted.

The fish looked at him, gave a nod of respect and then went limp, accepting its fate as dinner.

Li Yu stared at the fish. "I can't eat you. You have the spirit of a warrior."

He sent the Slap-Fish back into his Koi Sanctuary as an honored warrior. The fish surfaced in the body of water in the Koi Sanctuary and gave Li Yu a fin-up gesture and swam away.

Li Yu stood up, wiping slime off his face. Some of the locals were still cheering at the fun struggle.

"That was the runner up to the Iron-Fin Champion!" the fisherman said, clapping Li Yu on the back. "He hasn't been caught in three years! But the markings on his body were unmistakable. You have quick reflexes! Perhaps you have a chance against the Iron-Fin Champion himself!"

Li Yu laughed, rubbing his reddened cheek from both embarrassment and from the blows earlier. "And he has a mean left hook."

He looked out at the vast, endless ocean stretching to the horizon. The Golden Koi in his soul was swimming happily, energized by the proximity to the sea.

Li Yu took a deep breath of the salty air. He smelled of clam butter and his face was slightly red from being slapped by a fish.

"This coast," Li Yu said with a satisfied grin. "It's a weird place. I like it. Let’s fish for a few more so that fish can have some company."

He continued to fish and as the local had said, none of the fish that came after came close to the fighting abilities of the one he had fished hooked. After catching roughly another 10 fish that were all sent to his Koi Sanctuary, he called it good.

Li Yu found a spot by the pier to watch the sunset with the locals. They all had snacks and everyone shared with one another. Li Yu shared some drinks and foods he had in his storage ring with the locals as well.

After spending three more days in the town Li Yu decided to leave. Not just the town but the continent itself. That night in the inn, he decided that it was time to head to the Southern Continent to explore. It wasn’t that different from here but it would surely be different in some ways.

The next morning he paid for his inn stay and then Void-Stepped away. He then flew all the way to the Gate Keeper’s headquarters and took the array to head to the Southern Continent. It was finally time for him to get to enjoy the lands that he had helped to defend.